How was the food before to make it so good?

[ferfoodle]

The dining experience has changed. The food - not so much IMO. Of course, I have not been sailing as long as some, but my thoughts anyway.

 

There was only traditional dining, no anytime, your time, freestyle options in days gone by. You ate breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same table (remember breakfast for early seating and late seating?) Dinner did take 2 hours or sometimes more - why rush? There was just one show to go to, one for late seating and one for early seating. There may or may not have been a casino. There may or may not have been a dance floor, etc. Other than the show, there might have been a couple of different options to choose from for entertaining before retiring to bed. The feeling of the cruise was more based upon the excitement of visiting new ports and not the means of transit.

 

Many of the cruises today focus on the means of transit vs. the itinerary itself. The ships are mega ships with multiple stages, dance areas, music areas and other entertainment areas. Many base their evening around what entertainment venue(s) they will visiting and choose their dining accordingly. Most do not wish to sit every night for a two hour meal because that would not allow enough time to see the main production show, catch the jugglar, listen to the comedians, partake in quest, drop a few bucks in the casino and then dance the night away.

 

The cruising industry evolved and is still evolving. Today, the mega ship is the norm with most new builds holding 3k+ passengers. Yesteryear, not a single ship came close to that passenger volume. Not all of the food changes have been solely about cost either. More mouths to feed = less time to prepare meals. It takes a lot time to prepare beef wellington (so many drawn out steps), but little time to prep prime rib (get it started and it basically cooks itself). Because of the volume, many of the fancier dishes have disappeared from the MDRs and because of the increased focus on entertainment venues, many people just don't care that those type of dishes are gone.

 

Taste always has been and always will be subjective. But I agree that the service is recognizably less do to the amount of passengers per service staff quota.

[marco]

Maybe the only line to compare with Sitmar is the old "Home Lines". Here's an example. IF you ordered ice cream for desert, it would be a scoop or two of ice cream sitting on top of an molded ice cherub with his hands help up supporting the scoops of ice cream. And I've posted this before....while going through a lot of old cruise memorabilia, I cam across some menus. All were dated and said something like "Tuesday, February 9, 1981 en route to Aruba". I also found the ticket for that Caribbean cruise we took in 1981. The price was $30 less than a cruise we took last year, same number of days, same cabin category. I also found the bar list with prices. Nothing was over a dollar and an Amaretto on the rocks was THIRTY FIVE CENTS!!!!! If the prices to take the cruise haven't changed in 30 years, something has to have changed. IE: Service staff, food on board discretionary spending. Jacket and tie for men was considered "informal" and after 6 PM, it was very strictly enforced. There were no casinos on board, there were no buffets. Breakfast was open sitting and on sea days, lunch was two sittings. Open sitting lunch in the dining room ONLY on port days. Midnight buffet was an elaborate buffet dinner. Really too over the top! Back then every line had a unique ethnic personality, Italian Line, French Line, Greek Line, Holland America, Cunard and even though you might have been on a Caribbean cruise, you felt the atmosphere of the country the ship was representing. The food, the music, the staff, and speaking of staff, many staff members made a shipboard job a career and you could sail year after year and if you booked the same cabin or same dining room table, you had your same steward/stewardess/waiter. They remembered you and your likes, dislikes and habits. Not like now, where the staff of every line is totally homoganized and you wouldn't know which line you were on from the other and everyone are young folks working their butts off for next to nothing to send money home to their families and after a couple of years....they've had it! YA....cruising had changed a LOT over the years!