Oasis main dining room food good...but....

[efisher]

The Oasis will be our first RCI cruise... so just a quick question about dining.

When there is a cover charge at a restaurant, say $35.. is that on top of a la carte? Or is it a $35 cover charge, and then food is all inclusive.. beverages being extra of course.

[pcur]

On my recent Oasis cruise I ate dinner in the main dining room and was pleased with the food. I thought the food was better than I've had in the dining room in years. but....I noticed a few things that felt out of place in a room royal Caribbean tries to present as elegant. with all the laundering facilities on the ship it amazes me that they can't put the table coverings through the industrial pressing equipment so they aren't creased and looking like something the just took out of storage and threw on the tables....the next thing that I find annoying is the butter they serve....those cheap little foil-wrapped pats of butter remind me of ihop or pancake house....I wish they would put in a little effort and pre-prepare individual servings of butter in more presentable fashion...I'm thinking of little China dishes just large enough to hold an individual serving of butter...even a larger amount prepared for the table would suit me better than those packaged servings they're giving now....with the effort royal Caribbean puts into making the atmosphere elegant it's a shame they cut corners that diminish that elegance they are trying to convey...

 

I have no problem with the table coverings, and haven't even noticed the creases. My opinion has always been when I sit in any restaurant and the linen is creased, is that it's freshly laundered. Creases are part of the ironing process for large linens. Napkins, too. I usually am pleased with the table setting, cutlery, multiple glasses, etc, and I feel this presents a very elegant dining table appearance.

 

As to the butter: well, the individually wrapped butter pats are more hygenic, and in an enclosed environment such as a cruise ship it's best to put safety above appearance sometimes.

 

We had a poster several years ago who also complained about the butter pats not being individual, unwrapped, and stamped with RCCL's logo. We nicknamed her Princess Butter Pat. So, please forgive some of us if we think your concerns aren't really valid suggestions to improve the cruise experience, but are actually rather petty.

 

Just voicing my opinion, too.

[Crewzer33]

Everybody needs to stop responding to this Troll's posts. Check out the others and you'll see what I mean.

[pcur]

I must have missed those items.:eek:

 

If I eat at the WJ..it is always when the doors open. I try to get my food before other pax have the opportunity to lick their fingers and then use them to make a choice at one of the stations.:( Disgusting...

 

That's why I always take my mini-bottle of hand sanitizer with me to the Windjammer. It's AFTER I serve up my food I also want my hands cleaned!

[CodyC815]

Everybody needs to stop responding to this Troll's posts. Check out the others and you'll see what I mean.

 

Aww I wouldn't go as far as to call him (or her?) a troll, but I have a feeling that if I logged off for 6 months and returned they would have a new post stating how 7 months ago they cruised the Oasis and were dissatisfied by a crease in their bed sheets or the temperature being .01 degrees too cold.

[bplazo]

It would take alot of work and effort for the crew to make up individual butter dishes for everyone and it would not be very sanitary if they did it for a talbe. I prefer the individual packages and as for the table linens I have never noticed them wrinkled.

[tattoocruise]

yep, my observations are of the small things and by other accounts the butter used to be presented in a similar fashion to what I would like. some of you talk as if this has never been done before. I know that the advertising and marketing machine in north America has done a great job of turning most everyone into irrational germophobes but the portioning of butter has been done for decades and everyone is still alive to talk about it. I know how easy it is to dismiss concerns of someone else as petty or minor and I guess Im one of only a few here who see these things in relation to the big picture. one by one the little niceties are being removed and so many of you choose to mock those of us who wish for better treatment from a company we have enjoyed supporting over the years. in fact 'better treatment' is the wrong phrase...we just wish royal Caribbean would live up to the standard they themselves have set. hey, you guys keep pretending that these little things don't mean anything and royal Caribbean will keep cutting cutting cutting...I would too if I were them...if my clientele isn't sophisticated why bother providing a more sophisticated product? but hey, by all means, keep minimizing the observations I've brought here. just don't be surprised and outraged when royal Caribbean makes a cut to something you finally find worthwhile...by that time it will be too late.

[Ocean Boy]

see, I thought you asking what the purpose of this thread was was one of those there rhetorical question since it's pretty obvious in my opening post of this topic. and when someone has nothing to add to the conversation other than a reference to a previous post I think, at best, we're talking harassment and stalking isn't a stretch from that point. the choice is really simple, when you don't agree with something chime in with your own opinion of the current topic or move on to something else.

 

OK, my opinion is that you are concerning yourself with very petty issues. If that is the type of thing that makes or breaks a cruise for you or is even worth noticing and commenting on then so be it. In my world these types of issues don't even rise to the level of being trivial.

[CodyC815]

In all honestly, Royal Caribbean doesn't advertise as a luxury line that caters to the whim of every passenger. They offer a good product for the masses at a pretty good rate. You can't walk into Walmart and complain about their limited selection of caviar. If you want everything to be perfect, you might try Seabourn or Silversea, maybe even Cunard. When RCL has cruises starting at $99, or $33 a day, they really can't adhere to every single minute detail. I don't see them changing their business plan anytime soon, so if you're looking for extreme luxury and the elegance of the good old days, I don't think RCL is your best bet.

[Ocean Boy]

In all honestly, Royal Caribbean doesn't advertise as a luxury line that caters to the whim of every passenger. They offer a good product for the masses at a pretty good rate. You can't walk into Walmart and complain about their limited selection of caviar. If you want everything to be perfect, you might try Seabourn or Silversea, maybe even Cunard. When RCL has cruises starting at $99, or $33 a day, they really can't adhere to every single minute detail. I don't see them changing their business plan anytime soon, so if you're looking for extreme luxury and the elegance of the good old days, I don't think RCL is your best bet.

 

And I am not sure that I would enjoy those other lines. I simply really like RCI's ships and its product. Remember in the movie Titanic when they were having dinner in the first class dining room? Whenever I think about it I somehow feel that I would much rather have been with Rose and Jack when they went to the party down in steerage. The dining room does not make or break my cruise. I don't require all that much service either. Make my bed, clean the cabin and bathroom and I am fine. I get a week on a gorgeous ship with my family, no phone ringing in the middle of dinner, no leaving my family during dinner to run to the hospital. For a week my family doesn't have to share me with anyone. Its all good.

 

I guess we are all looking for different things when we go on a cruise. RCI suites me fine even with creases table cloths and individually wrapped butter. But I certainly do understand that RCI isn't for everyone just as Cunard, Seabourn, and Silversea are not either.

[lovetocruiserccl]

On my recent Oasis cruise I ate dinner in the main dining room and was pleased with the food. I thought the food was better than I've had in the dining room in years. but....I noticed a few things that felt out of place in a room royal Caribbean tries to present as elegant. with all the laundering facilities on the ship it amazes me that they can't put the table coverings through the industrial pressing equipment so they aren't creased and looking like something the just took out of storage and threw on the tables....the next thing that I find annoying is the butter they serve....those cheap little foil-wrapped pats of butter remind me of ihop or pancake house....I wish they would put in a little effort and pre-prepare individual servings of butter in more presentable fashion...I'm thinking of little China dishes just large enough to hold an individual serving of butter...even a larger amount prepared for the table would suit me better than those packaged servings they're giving now....with the effort royal Caribbean puts into making the atmosphere elegant it's a shame they cut corners that diminish that elegance they are trying to convey...

 

Wow.... is that all have you ever seen the galley. I feel they have enough work to do. If you really want elegant try a elegant line.. I want my butter wrapped because it is sanitary. Who wants something that can be contaminated by others.

[Bakincakes]

Wow.... is that all have you ever seen the galley. I feel they have enough work to do. If you really want elegant try a elegant line.. I want my butter wrapped because it is sanitary. Who wants something that can be contaminated by others.

 

 

If you are afraid of contamination by others you might want to avoid the WJ..we've seen plenty that would make your hair curl.

 

Pax eating from their plates with their hands and then reaching for more food with their just licked fingers.:eek: Pax taking a set of tongs from one area and using them all through the line and then dumping them when they are done. Hope no one with a food allergy takes anything that was contaminated along the way.

 

We've seen small kids who stand level with the serving areas sneeze on food...

 

So if you are worried about eating something contaminated I suggest you get to the WJ when the doors open and fill your plate. No seconds..;):eek:

[yahootelemundo]

"oasis is a great ship " please support and book n overbook the oasis*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* that way prices on other ships of the same company will be lower :)

[tattoocruise]

are you sure none of you guys work for royal Caribbean? you seem to be getting pretty bent out of shape over a few little negative observations...what I think is really funny is the fact that you criticize me for my opinions because you have different ones. just because some of you don't mind royal Caribbean cutting back on service and niceties that are supposed to set them apart from the crowd doesn't mean the rest of us have to remain silent. trying (although failing miserably) to belittle someone with a different opinion than your own is arrogant beyond words. maybe you can check your own egos and agendas at the door and try and look at the big picture before you keep defending the continued cutbacks of your beloved cruise line.

for instance, take a minute to read royal Caribbean's description of the experience to be expected in the main dining room. they market it as "fine dining"...I'm sorry but the service and atmosphere, and my little observations at a part of that, are not even close to fine dining. the food I had this time could actually make the grade but the service and atmosphere do not.

but again, here some of you are defending royal Caribbean for not providing one of the very things they try to convince the public they are providing. just because some of you are happy with what they provide doesn't mean they are actually living up to the image they try to sell people.

keep on defending them...they'll be happy to keep making cuts while you all keep blindly accepting them...

[Greghouseo]

Everybody needs to stop responding to this Troll's posts. Check out the others and you'll see what I mean.

 

I would say we are all big boys and girls and don't need you to tell us who to and who not to respond to thank you ever so much.

 

If you actually took the trouble to read all his/her posts you would actually draw a totally different conclusion, but hey, why let the truth get in the way of your mini-rant.

[Ocean Boy]

for instance, take a minute to read royal Caribbean's description of the experience to be expected in the main dining room. they market it as "fine dining"...I'm sorry but the service and atmosphere, and my little observations at a part of that, are not even close to fine dining. the food I had this time could actually make the grade but the service and atmosphere do not.

 

But just how "fine" can you expect the dining to be when they have to get close to 2500 meals out at the same time? The golden days of cruising and trans-atlantic liners never had to deal with such logistics. And I doubt that any land based restaurant anywhere has these types of numbers to deal with.

 

Marketing and reality don't always mesh. And perhaps that is part of the issue. Marketing that causes expectations to be set unreasonably high is going to lead to disappointment. And then, of course, there are those people who go on their first cruise and what they encounter probably exceeds anything that they have ever experienced before in their lives and for them their expectations are far more than just exceeded.

 

I don't work for RCI. I've never had a problem stating what I feel RCI does right and what they do wrong. In fact when we got back from our cruise on Mariner I wrote about how bad the dining room service was. And that involved far bigger issues than creased table cloths.

[tattoocruise]

it is unfortunate that the marketing material royal Caribbean publishes does not reflect the reality of their product. while they promise a fine dining experience in the main dining room, the reality is that the food can be hit or miss (although mine on oasis was fantastic) but fine dining is about more than just the food. Service and ambience play a large roll in a traditional fine dining establishment. you can have a fantastic dining environment but if the food is lacking then it isn't fine dining. The reverse is also true...the food can be great but if the service and ambience is lacking then that takes away from the whole experience as well. True fine dining is an exceptional experience combining all the different elements and my observations are about the whole dining experience...it should be about more than just cramming any old food down our throats in just any old environment. It was, and continues to be, my opinion that royal Caribbean does not deliver on the promise of fine dining. They shouldn't promise something unless they can deliver it. pretty simple, really.

[Ocean Boy]

I'm happy you have spoken up about poor service you've encountered in the past. it is only when we all speak up that large corporations like royal Caribbean will take notice. I am curious why you feel the need to minimize observations and experiences of others? you may not agree but that does not make the concerns of someone else any less valid. you don't agree with me...so what?...is that supposed to mean something to anyone other than yourself? you don't need to run down the suggestions of someone else to make your own concerns appear more important...well...maybe...some people are just like that...fortunately most outgrow that need before they reach adulthood...

 

My point was that there are times when RCI just falls short.... Unfortunately, you are becoming so sensitive that even when I try to support your positition on RCI not meeting expectations you still take offense. If you feel my post was trying to minimize your concerns I can tell you that was not my intention. At times RCI can fall short in very big ways. I'll leave it at that.

[tattoocruise]

My point was that there are times when RCI just falls short.... Unfortunately, you are becoming so sensitive that even when I try to support your positition on RCI not meeting expectations you still take offense. If you feel my post was trying to minimize your concerns I can tell you that was not my intention. At times RCI can fall short in very big ways. I'll leave it at that.

 

thank-you for the clarification, I'm afraid I did interpret it differently than you obviously intended. no harm done.

[Rockfordcruiser]

thank-you for the clarification, I'm afraid I did interpret it differently than you obviously intended. no harm done.

:mad: Reading thru your previous post history I have one question for you. Have you ever been on RCL ship? Most of your post look like bits and pieces taken from others cruise exp. I also would like to know why you claimed in one you were A. Goldstien? Your a poser. Get a life and find another board to post your phony stories. If you have so many issues with RCL contact their Cust serv and get things handled. Guessing that was never an option because they require name and date sailed to confirm your ligit.

[awhcruiser]

Maybe a different cruise line would better meet your table cloth and butter expectations.

 

 

On my recent Oasis cruise I ate dinner in the main dining room and was pleased with the food. I thought the food was better than I've had in the dining room in years. but....I noticed a few things that felt out of place in a room royal Caribbean tries to present as elegant. with all the laundering facilities on the ship it amazes me that they can't put the table coverings through the industrial pressing equipment so they aren't creased and looking like something the just took out of storage and threw on the tables....the next thing that I find annoying is the butter they serve....those cheap little foil-wrapped pats of butter remind me of ihop or pancake house....I wish they would put in a little effort and pre-prepare individual servings of butter in more presentable fashion...I'm thinking of little China dishes just large enough to hold an individual serving of butter...even a larger amount prepared for the table would suit me better than those packaged servings they're giving now....with the effort royal Caribbean puts into making the atmosphere elegant it's a shame they cut corners that diminish that elegance they are trying to convey...

[OdessaChic]

Here is my experience at Windjammer- The men in front of me dropped the tongs on the floor then picked it up an placed it back on the tray with chicken. I pointed it out to the server and they removed the tray. I guess it was put back when I left.

 

Another incidence was in MDR- I had a “clean” wine glass with lipstick imprint on it. It was gross.

[Cruisinbeaner]

we get it, you didn't like your trip. You don't have to make a different thread for each tiny detail you disliked. One long review would suffice.

 

amen!!