Please explain why YOU pay extra for specialty dining?

[dfishner]

For us Speciality restaurants started when we decided we did not want to do formal nights anymore found out that some others people had the same idea as time as gone bye we just like to mix it up and have a change of pace. When we were on Oasis we never even saw the MDR we dined in all the speciality restaurants for the week. Never been a fan of MDR on RCL so we try and limit our exposure to it.

[jzygail]

I had a hard time wrapping around the idea too until I actually tried specialty dining at Chops.

 

While I love the MDR and enjoy most of the "included" food, to me the service and atmosphere is just so much better in a place like Chops, Portofino etc and so forth. The food is a little better as well and is more cooked to order and not mass produced.

 

The MDR tends to get hectic and very loud......A change from that is nice from time to time :)

 

That was our experience as well. Plus there was a large (two tables of eight) party next to us in the MDR who were, as my son put it, "like eating next to the party barge from hell". They were excessively loud and boisterous, even over and above the rest of the MDR noise levels. We did actually grow to like them over the week until their drunken antics on the last night--which included one of the women at the tables feeling up our drink waitress. Just snuck up behind her while she was taking a picture of the rest of that group as a favor, and seriously felt her up.

 

On the other hand, our table responded by giving the drink waitress double the tips we were planning on.

 

Anyway, back on topic, our night away from the MDR for the upsell restaurant was a very nice change. :)

[harz99]

We only do speciality for very special occasions; birthdays and anniversaries mostly. Rest of the time its MDR or very occasionally the buffet.

[bigque]

I mean no disrespect to ANYONE here, but many folks would not know good food if it slapped them upside the head! I read tons of reviews here and it becomes very apparent when I read them.

 

Personal Foul...... 15 yard penalty!

Because people write reviews that they like the food in the MDR or Windjammer, they don't know good food????? Really???? I could be misatken here, but I don't think that the only good food is 5 star restaurant food! It appears that a lot of the people here on cruise critic don't eat in the MDR, but yet The MDR is packed out every night. Must be a lot of people that cruise that never come on here to read the reviews!

[Host Faith]

We eat there because the food is that much better than the MDR. The filet is excellent and it's definitely more upscale than the MDR. We eat at Ruth's Chris on occasion and the specialty restaurants are a lot cheaper.:D

 

Same here. We love restaurants like Ruth's Chris, the Capital Grille, and Sullivan's on land. I'm not saying that Chops is EXACTLY like those places, but it's closer to that than the MDR. We like Portofino as well. The service and the atmosphere in the specialty restaurants lend a nice change of pace from the Main Dining Room. Most of the time when we cruise, we're celebrating a birthday or an anniversary, so these places are another way for us to celebrate throughout the week.

 

We've cruised several times on RCI so far and the MDR menu is the same each time. We already know what menus we enjoy, and which ones we'd rather skip. So we head to a Specialty Restaurant to have a quiet, romantic dinner....and the desserts there are so much better than the ones on the MDR ;)

[Aquahound]

 

Nice! I love it! :D

[nbsjcruiser]

My mind just can't wrap around why anyone would want to pay extra for eating in a specialty resturaunt when the food is so good (and included) in your cruise price for the MDR.

 

Would love your reason's why. Though not sure if I can be converted to wanting to pay when there is free food. :)

 

I had your thought process too until we were invited to go to Chops one night by our tablemates. At the time is was $20 per person. That was the best dinner I've had on a cruise ship ever. From the steak to the mushrooms to the Mississippi Mud Pie for desert - I still talk about that dinner today. Also, since we cruise twice a year, sometimes the dinners in the MDR can get a bit repetitive especially if you cruise the same cruise line a few times in a row.

[Zach1213]

I am sorry, but I keep cracking up at people referring to the MDR as the "free" food. Really, free? Just because you don't pay for it separately doesn't mean it's free. The meal you eat on your overnight flight to Frankfurt isn't free, it's built in to the price - you are paying for it.

 

There is no free food on the ship...there is just "already paid for" food, and "not yet paid for" food.

[CroozeAddict]

Why do you go out to eat when you can stay at home and cook?

 

I tend to agree with the OP ...

 

We go out to eat while at home so we don't have to cook. On a cruise, you don't cook wherever you decide to eat. I also find the food in the MDR very good.

[CroozeAddict]

I am sorry, but I keep cracking up at people referring to the MDR as the "free" food. Really, free? Just because you don't pay for it separately doesn't mean it's free. The meal you eat on your overnight flight to Frankfurt isn't free, it's built in to the price - you are paying for it.

 

There is no free food on the ship...there is just "already paid for" food, and "not yet paid for" food.

 

Good point ... but why pay for dinner twice? :confused: The food in the MDR is already paid for.

[racnwdow]

I thought if I could see other's points maybe I would understand. And I do get it. Not a fan of Italian and after looking at Portofino's menu I decided that wouldn't be worth it. Sure wish there was a Chops on AOS. I would have tried that one. Love a good steak (of course we eat great beef/we are from Nebraska).

 

I particularly liked the post that compared the pay restaurants as just paying an upcharge for a more prememium restaurant.

 

Thanks all for your input.

 

If your mind can't wrap around it, why worry? Why start the thread? Why would you want to be converted? Not sure the point of the original post....

[Miss Vickie]

I thought if I could see other's points maybe I would understand. And I do get it. Not a fan of Italian and after looking at Portofino's menu I decided that wouldn't be worth it. Sure wish there was a Chops on AOS. I would have tried that one. Love a good steak (of course we eat great beef/we are from Nebraska).

 

I particularly liked the post that compared the pay restaurants as just paying an upcharge for a more prememium restaurant.

 

Thanks all for your input.

 

We don't go out for Italian here at home, and after looking at Portofino's menu have always avoided them in the past - until our most recent cruise. Decided to try it and LOVED it. On the other hand, we were sorely disappointed in Chops (which we had enjoyed in the past). They've changed their menu, taken a couple of our favorites off, and we didn't think what we got was worth the upcharge. We won't be going back to Chops in the future.

[Lottycruiser]

If the food in the MDR was "of a higher standard" the cruise would be much more $$$ overall Im guessing. Some people are totally ok with that. Speaking for myself, I am ok with keeping the fares low as possible and the so called "mediocre" food they serve in the MDR.

 

Again, speaking only for myself of course. ;)

 

I personally am happy with the food in the MDR and wouldn't part with any more money to get a better steak and slightly better service , I am as happy to eat my evening meal in the windjammer too ,to me it's like paying to sleep in a hotel and then paying more to spend one of those nights in a different hotel to get better beds or nicer decor lol .

[ryano]

Good point ... but why pay for dinner twice? :confused: The food in the MDR is already paid for.

 

Because some people think the MDR food is "inedible" or basically something you wouldnt even feed to your dog. I personally disagree with that but I just learned from this thread that I have no idea what good food is even it slapped me upside the head :cool:

 

If I hated the food as much as some people around here do, i personally would find another line to cruise on that has food that I DO like. I dont understand paying thousands of dollars for a cruise only to go eat on shore or eat in specialty dining places the whole cruise where you are paying them even more $$$$. Thats what I cant wrap around. To each their own though!

[ryano]

I personally am happy with the food in the MDR and wouldn't part with any more money to get a better steak and slightly better service , I am as happy to eat my evening meal in the windjammer too ,to me it's like paying to sleep in a hotel and then paying more to spend one of those nights in a different hotel to get better beds or nicer decor lol .

 

I agree! :)

[Zach1213]

I thought if I could see other's points maybe I would understand. And I do get it. Not a fan of Italian and after looking at Portofino's menu I decided that wouldn't be worth it. Sure wish there was a Chops on AOS. I would have tried that one. Love a good steak (of course we eat great beef/we are from Nebraska).

I particularly liked the post that compared the pay restaurants as just paying an upcharge for a more prememium restaurant.

 

Thanks all for your input.

 

I almost think that's something to worry about. We have the same "problem" here is Kansas - really phenomenal, locally sourced beef...we get good steaks on a regular basis and are spoiled. So, when you get to the ship and have a hunk of beef somewhere off the coast of Haiti, it's hard not to be disappointed. In that way, we found the steak to be the weakest part of our meal at Chops, without hesitation.

[ryano]

(of course we eat great beef/we are from Nebraska).

 

Then you probably would be disappointed with the steaks in Chops then

 

Most people around here that come from places like cow towns and other places that have great beef arent too happy with the Chops steaks.

 

Chops steaks are NOT a dry aged prime cut of beef but they also are not advertised as such. They are however, really good "Choice" cuts IMO.

[SingingPixie]

I personally am happy with the food in the MDR and wouldn't part with any more money to get a better steak and slightly better service , I am as happy to eat my evening meal in the windjammer too ,to me it's like paying to sleep in a hotel and then paying more to spend one of those nights in a different hotel to get better beds or nicer decor lol .

 

That's pretty much exactly it. In hotels, some people are fine with the base level room, but others are willing to pay extra for more space/nicer amentities/a nicer view/etc (or on a cruise, for a window or a balcony). In specialty restaurants, you're not paying for dinner "again"- you're just paying the difference between what you already paid, and what it costs for the higher quality food (both in terms of food costs, and staff costs to prepare it to-order rather than in mass quantities).

[coordinator23]

That's pretty much exactly it. In hotels, some people are fine with the base level room, but others are willing to pay extra for more space/nicer amentities/a nicer view/etc (or on a cruise, for a window or a balcony). In specialty restaurants, you're not paying for dinner "again"- you're just paying the difference between what you already paid, and what it costs for the higher quality food (both in terms of food costs, and staff costs to prepare it to-order rather than in mass quantities).

We have been on many cruises and could never understand why someone would pay extra to go to a specialty restaurant. Last cruise (NOS) we went to Chops for my husband's 65th birthday, since it was a "milestone" (and he wanted a t-bone). The food was excellent! MDR reminds me of local family restaurants in our area. The food is good and we enjoy eating there. The wait staff hustles and tries to make it an enjoyable experience. Chops, on the other hand, is more like a fine dining experience. If we were to order a dinner, like we had at Chops, in the Chicago area, it would have cost us at least twice as much for the quality (and atmosphere) we received. In Dec, we will celebrate our 40th Ann. and have decided to go to Chops for that. If you are used to fine dining whenever you go out, the MDR will disappoint you, if not, then the food is good (but I have to agree with others, it used to be better)

[time4u2go]

I personally am happy with the food in the MDR and wouldn't part with any more money to get a better steak and slightly better service , I am as happy to eat my evening meal in the windjammer too ,to me it's like paying to sleep in a hotel and then paying more to spend one of those nights in a different hotel to get better beds or nicer decor lol .

Not trying to be critical here, but I have to ask...when you go to see a show or a sporting event, do you always buy the cheapest seat, and are satisfied with sitting in the worst sections? I think that's how a lot of people on here view the extra-cost restaurants - paying more to sit (eat) in a nicer section (restaurant).

[joe6666]

I’ve been to Chops and it was great. I also noticed that I could buy a steak from chops served to me in the MDR for $15.

So how much are we really paying for a meal at chops? In other words, the cost of the MDR part of the meal might cost the cruise line $20 factored into the cruise price, and Chops adds $30 more.

Looking at it that way the customer is paying $50 per person.

I’ll go to chops again from time to time but I think it shouldn’t cost as much as it does.

And by having the chops steaks available in the MDR for $15…… Shouldn’t the cruise line be a little embarrassed. …admitting that for more money that could give the customer better food.

[bigque]

Because some people think the MDR food is "inedible" or basically something you wouldnt even feed to your dog. I personally disagree with that but I just learned from this thread that I have no idea what good food is even it slapped me upside the head :cool:

 

If I hated the food as much as some people around here do, i personally would find another line to cruise on that has food that I DO like. I dont understand paying thousands of dollars for a cruise only to go eat on shore or eat in specialty dining places the whole cruise where you are paying them even more $$$$. Thats what I cant wrap around. To each their own though!

 

And I actually think they do a pretty good job to feed 2-5 thousand people (depending on the ship) breakfast, lunch & dinner each day of the cruise and serve it on time each day. I think a lot of people take for granted what these people do each day to put out that mass quanity of food and I also think that they take pride in what they do. You are just not going to get cooked to order service in this kind of enviornment and I would love to see any type of land based restaurant of any type feed that many people and maintain a high quality. Sure you are not going to like everthing, but some people act as though this is the most God awful food to be found anywhere on earth. It's as if everybody on cruise critc eat only at 5 star restaurants and have their dinner catered at home every night from those restaurants or have personal cooks that cook gourmet meals for them every night. Heck I I ave been to some upscale restaurants and thought....this crap was nasty, and I should have went to "Outback" and saved all that money! As I said earlier, I do Chops and Portifino one night each during the cruise, just cause I want to and not because the food in the MDR is so God Awful bad. As you said why keep spending thousands of dollars on these cruises on RCI, to be misrerable all week cause you can't stomach the food! I am so glad my taste buds aren't only gourmet sensitive, and that anything less is beneath me eating!

[time4u2go]

And I actually think they do a pretty good job to feed 2-5 thousand people (depending on the ship) breakfast, lunch & dinner each day of the cruise and serve it on time each day. I think a lot of people take for granted what these people do each day to put out that mass quanity of food and I also think that they take pride in what they do. You are just not going to get cooked to order service in this kind of enviornment and I would love to see any type of land based restaurant of any type feed that many people and maintain a high quality. Sure you are not going to like everthing, but some people act as though this is the most God awful food to be found anywhere on earth. It's as if everybody on cruise critc eat only at 5 star restaurants and have their dinner catered at home every night from those restaurants or have personal cooks that cook gourmet meals for them every night. Heck I I ave been to some upscale restaurants and thought....this crap was nasty, and I should have went to "Outback" and saved all that money! As I said earlier, I do Chops and Portifino one night each during the cruise, just cause I want to and not because the food in the MDR is so God Awful bad. As you said why keep spending thousands of dollars on these cruises on RCI, to be misrerable all week cause you can't stomach the food! I am so glad my taste buds aren't only gourmet sensitive, and that anything less is beneath me eating!

For us, it's not that it's terrible. It's just that it's noticeably worse than it used to be, when they were also serving thousands of people at a time.

[dfgf]

I did Chef's Table on Oasis and it was the best $200 that I've ever spent on food/entertaintment. It was elegant, refined, quiet, educational - and I got to meet some really interesting people.

[Bakincakes]

IMO people who don't happen to like the food in the RCI don't have to sail on other lines.

 

If they can afford it the specialties offer great meals for a small upcharge. There are also some pretty great restaurants in many ports where meals can be had for not much more than the surcharge onboard.

 

We love good food but choose ships for the itineraries..we've managed to find ways to eat well without having to suffer through the MDR and still sail on RCI ships.