Chef's Table Disappointing

[jbhcw]

Interesting. We were in the galley on Dream and thought it was surprisingly quiet--even quieter than the MDR. The waiters were in and out near by, but our table was away from the traffic flow. Chef didn't even have to raise his voice to be heard. You'd think Dream and Magic would be similar.

 

I can see why it wouldn't be enjoyable if the chef had to wear a mic! I wasn't sure what I was going to think about being "surrounded by stainless steel" because atmosphere is such a plus, but in this case it seemed to work okay--and everything was so clean. Sorry you had a negative experience.

 

Our first and only Chef's Table was on the Pride in the Disco...we really enjoyed the whole experience..but I would have much preferred eating in the galley whether it was quiet or loud or a lot of stainless or not! As we were leaving the galley after our canapes and champagne we walked out by the line were the waiters pick up your food..we got to say hi to our waiter..it was so much fun...and I would have loved to have stayed there for our entire meal:)

[mikiehorn]

3-10 July on the SPLENDOR

we received photos and menus - no cook book

we tried to starve ourselves before the evenings event (ever try to starve on a cruise :) )

 

waddled away very satisfied

 

we also did the steakhouse 3 evenings before

 

(wife and I celebrated our two birthdays and an anniversary)

 

first Carnival cruise since '94 (we're Platinum with RCLs Crown and Anchor) and were overall impressed with the quality of food and presentation on board (from pizza to the Chef's Table) and will consider Carnival again.

[Zubsin]

CCL doesn't do a wine pairing; they simply serve wine with dinner. I agree with the PP who said it would have been better if they'd done a pairing. :)

 

I think each ship does it differently because on the Destiny it the Chef made a point of each wine with each course so I consider that a pairing.

 

Now on to who does CT's....

 

I had a long talk with the Head Maitre D on the Celebrity Summit and asked him why X doesn't do CT's? He was under the impression that dinner was served IN the Galley and wasn't sure how the other Cruise Lines got away with that since it is in violation of food preparation law....I explained to him HOW Princess and CCL did their meals and he was pleasantly surprised. I told him he should send a "scout" and check them out since I think X would do a great job with CT's. He told me he was going to bring it up at their next meeting on shore. Now given all that ... how RCCL would have CT's but not X is a mystery. Are you thinking Captains Tables? as they seem to be confused at times.

 

NCL does not but they do do Captains Tables.

[misstopgun]

Just did CT on the Legend. Had read all about it here and it lived up to expectations. Two differences from what I read and what we experienced? The "cookbook" was just a laminated sheet of paper with the WCMC recipe, not a cookbook. That was put in a nice folder with our group photo. Chef did sign it. The other difference (well, maybe more of an assumption on my part) was the wine. Only two wines; the white and the red. Both were very forgettable common table wines. They were fine to drink, just not in the same league as the food that had been prepared and served. A proper wine pairing would have been very appropriate, and in my opinion is pretty much required when in a fine dining environment like CT. Hearing the "crack" of the cap seal being broken just doesn't have the same panache as hearing a cork being pulled from a bottle. But cork vs cap is a whole different thread ;). For me, it just didn't fit in at all.

 

Would we do it again? Without hesitation. It was well worth the price. The table setup with your partner across from you at a wide table really wasn't a problem for us, but DW and I were in the center. Was never a problem to join a conversation, and all at our seating were very pleasant and chatty. I can see the benefit of having a round table, though.

I find that dissapointing. I was hoping as I read this thread that they still gave out the cookbook on the Legend as we have the CT booked in Sept.

 

We did the CT on the Dream this April and really enjoyed it. We traveled with another couple who were both "foodies", otherwise we probably would not have booked it because my husband is a junk food junkie and I wouldn't waste that kind of money on food he would probably not appreciate.

 

I was surprised to find that he enjoyed it most of all. That has made it easier to convince him to eat foods he would not eat previouly at home as well.

 

Though I thought the food and service were outstanding, (I agree with others that the wine was common) I would be satified to say we have done the CT once, but husband wants to do it again on our upcoming cruise.

 

I thought an additional cookbook would make a excellent gift so that dissapoints me a bit.

[treasure4two]

We just got off a Princess cruise and did a dinner similar to CT on Princess. I am a non-drinker, so on Princess, we got it for $60 each and got the cookbook and 8x10 of our group, plus appetizers in the galley, where we wore chef jackets, washed our hands alot, and told not to touch anything but food we were eating-but then, it went downhill, compared to Carnival. On Carnival, we had a private dining area(very loud on Princess, in regular dining room), several courses(I did not feel I had to eat everything, so I was full but not stuffed), and felt much more pampered on Carnival, but I have to say the Princess people were very nice also, just not the same ambiance. We will probably do CT again, as we enjoyed it greatly. We enjoyed our frist cruise on Princess, but seem to come back to Carnival for many reasons(and we do not have kids, so it is for us, not for kids).

[big_duck]

3-10 July on the SPLENDOR

we received photos and menus - no cook book

 

Cookbooks were given out on the Splendor in March.

 

I've heard rumours of a new cookbook being published, so this may just be a supply issue.

[treasure4two]

Now, if they did wine pairings it might be worth it. At least Princess does wine pairings.

 

We just did the Princess and were quite disappointed with Princess compared to Carnival CT. We are not drinkers, so the wine did not matter but they had us in the regular dining room, so very loud. We enjoyed our CT experience and will do it again on Carnival but not on Princess. I am not a foodie, but enjoyed trying things I would not normally. I do not like fish, so they brought me chicken and it was great-very flexible-not so on Princess or Holland America's lame attempt at something similar(but without the galley, picture, or cookbook).

 

I hope people reading this thread will try it on Carnival-it was a great night! We did tip extra(the waiters were great), because we wanted to, not because we felt we had to. On Princess, no one tipped but I think because it was nothing extradiordinary.

Enjoy CT on Carnival!!

[Sailingstagediva]

The Chef's Table on Miracle was OUTSTANDING! Choice of red or white wine. I drank very little because I knew I wanted to have room and savor every bite! The food is wonderful but you must like fish! We are "foodies" and took pics "food porn" of everything we ate!

 

There are some nice personal touches and it is very elegant. It was in the disco. Funny eating with Frankenstein behind you!

 

Chef was great and had a fascinating background. He worked his way up from "Garde manger," which is the pantry or cold chef, on carnival. He was from a small area of India which was settled by Portugal and is catholic. We really enjoyed him as well as learning how he manages every aspect of the kitchen.

 

We received a photo per person and the recipe for Choc Melt Cake. I loved it!!! Would recommend it to anyone who loves big plate/small (but explosive in taste) food style dining with many courses.

[jeannecfl]

Thanks for the advice. I'm cruising in 23 days, and I've been tossing it around. I appreciate your review!

[vplsh]

We ate at the Chef's Table on Glory last Monday night and it was wonderful!! Chef Jerry was personable and gave us great information during our tour of the galley. It's amazing how they get so many meals out in such a short period of time!

 

The food was delicious- definitely worth the extra charge. We ate in a small room off the main dining room, so everything arrived at the correct temperature. I even got to assist in making the chocolate melting cake while in the galley, and we all ate it for dessert!

 

The other diners were a lot of fun too. We enjoyed seeing them throughout the rest of the cruise around the ship.

 

Definitely a worthwhile experience.

[CGinMTL]

Just did the Chef's table on the Magic. Chef Daniel was great.

The entire event was "priceless" I recommend it to all "foodies" out there.

We ate in the galley, and felt like judges on "iron chef". We did get the picture and the cookbook book.

[DGP1111]

No cookbook issued at Chef's Table on Carnival Destiny (9/5/11 sailing), but I was totally OK with that.

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[midwifejen]

Thanks to all for the reviews of the various CT's! We will be on the Glory in just two weeks, and are booked for the CT, so very glad to see the info about that particular experience!

While I'm excited about the dining experience, I am most excited for the tour of the galley during "business hours"! We have gone on the galley tours before, and even the BTF tour, but have always been curious about how they can put out so many beautiful meals in such a short time. Have told DH over and over again that I wished I could be "a fly on the wall" in the kitchen during the dinner hours. This will be just what I've wished for for years!

Hoping for a cookbook, but in reality would probably never use it, so I guess that will be OK if we don't walk away with one.

Again, thanks to all who have commented on this! Happy cruising, everyone!

[PatrickZJD]

Just did the Chef's table on the Magic. Chef Daniel was great.

The entire event was "priceless" I recommend it to all "foodies" out there.

We ate in the galley, and felt like judges on "iron chef". We did get the picture and the cookbook book.

 

This is the new menu? Curious to know much more about it.

[afcj1]

Just did the Chef's table on the Magic. Chef Daniel was great.

The entire event was "priceless" I recommend it to all "foodies" out there.

We ate in the galley, and felt like judges on "iron chef". We did get the picture and the cookbook book.

 

This is the new menu? Curious to know much more about it.

 

I'd be curious about the new menu on the Magic too. I had cancelled our reservations.

[crusinpsychRN]

Just off Legend and we didn't get a cookbook either. It was exceedingly long especially when the company wasn't at all interesting. One lady bored the tears out of us all.

 

The sea bass and mashed potatoes were highlights. By the time the filet came everyonoe was so full it was hardly eaten.

 

White wine served throughout dinner, red with dessert.

[John&John]

Agreed on the wine.....not pairings by any means. Wine in abundance yes, but not a focal point. My boyfriend ended up getting Blue Moon.

For the price of $75 (on top of the food that you've paid for already in the dining room) there should be wine pairings and some higher quality wine.

 

They served Black Opal wine which I can buy for about $7 on sale - not exactly part of a fine dining experience.

[Elmer McCurdy]

For the price of $75 (on top of the food that you've paid for already in the dining room) there should be wine pairings and some higher quality wine.

 

They served Black Opal wine which I can buy for about $7 on sale - not exactly part of a fine dining experience.

 

The only thing I can think of is that the chefs have been trained as sommeliers and aren't capable or confident of their ability to successfully pair wines per course. That, or CCL didn't think anyone would notice.

[crusinpsychRN]

I didn't like the Mediterranean salad at all. Everything else was good to delicious. The bass was fabulous. One of the starters we got when in the galley had the tiniest pieces of avocado cut into squares I've could possibly imagine. Amazing.

 

If the menu is changed I wouldn't do it. On Legend ours was 3.5 hrs, too long for me. It was in Medusa lounge and our food was hot.

[golfb4cruzing]

With the clientele slide, $7 wine is pretty high class after Boone's Farms:rolleyes:

[Elmer McCurdy]

With the clientele slide, $7 wine is pretty high class after Boone's Farms:rolleyes:

 

Hey, I can get two bottles of MD 20/20 for that price!

[golfb4cruzing]

cheers

[jff50]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I did it on the Carnival Splendor in April (and on the Crown Princess in Nov 2010). I found it to be a great value for the money and when you consider the cookbook + photos and getting a gourmet meal (ours was hot) well worth the money.

I've done the Chef's Table on several Princess ships and loved it each time. Never on Carnival, but considering it for our Med cruise on the Breeze next summer. Does anyone have any comments/observations on how Carnival's Chef's Table compares to Princess'.

[3Statesmom]

I did the Chef's Table on the Dream in March 2011; I also went alone (18 yo daughter did not want to go). They assigned me a seat between other married couples, and we all joined in the conversations. We ate at a long table set up in the galley, our food and wine was superb, and it was without a doubt the best overall meal I've ever had in my life. So sorry that OP did not have the same experience. (All participants at our CT received cookbooks/photos, not just the women).

I look forward to my next chance to try CT on another ship...

[fantasticcruisefanatic]

Chefs Table on Imagination was disapointing. Repeated items from two years prior, poor presentation with a rushed feeling in the kitchens and with each course. Stingy with no champagne refill, and stingy wine and coffee service. Reused utenciles made for a messy tablecloth. Two female beverage servers seemed more interested in their personal conversation than the 12 guests. Rush, rush.

 

Other chef table experiences, including on this ship have been stellar. This October, not so much.