No Comfort Food on RCCL's New Menu

[Jana60]

No, I haven't tried it! I go on a cruise to try new and exciting foods, I don't go on a cruise to eat comfort food. Sorry, but if I want comfort food I'll head to Denny's or similar, however, I haven't eaten at Dennys in years.

 

I just find it funny that so many say all the cruise lines are cutting back on food and quality. Guess RCCL has a different plan and better in my book. I just did the Dream last month and found the food the worst on the high seas, however, I do try to eat somewhat healthy and Carnival doesn't do well with that.

 

Taste, like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I, like you, enjoy trying new foods but there are some adults and many children who do not like trying new things and so the "comfort food" choices may be ideal for them. Since they still have been offering some foods that I don't eat often at home like duck, Escargot and Lobster I'm OK with others having choice of "comfort food".

[Jana60]

Well, I am excited by the changes on RCCL. We were debating jumping over to RCCL for our next cruise because we weren't happy with the changes on Carnival. The only thing holding us back was that in the summer, RCCL was about $200 more pp. I think the new menus have pushed me over the edge. We weren't happy with the menu changes on Carnival - it seemed a few nights I had to find something that was ok, but not something that I really would normally pick to eat. I am really excited about being able to get a filet each night on RCCL.

 

I think between the better entertainment (for me and the teens) and better food, I am willing to pay the extra money for RCCL. It has a better value to me. It isn't just about rock bottom prices for me. I'd rather pay a little more and get what I want.

 

Maggie

 

My last RCCL MADE a big Carnival fan of me! Other than the Ice skating rink/ice show and the rock climbing wall. What "better" entertainment did RCCL have? On my only RCCL cruise on a large ship with ice show we enjoyed that but the other entertainment seemed less. They had 1 show per night, some VERY crouded Promenade parties, and 1 hours of Karaoke. On my last RCCL cruise (on a small RCCL ship) they had only 1 show per night and that show was sometimes a comedian so they did not have a separate comedy club like Carnival. Also they had only 1 hour of Karaoke maximum per day and only about 200 songs in their book. They had a piano bar but you were not allowed to sing along with him like other piano bars I've been to. So basically the only place to go after the show was the disco. I like lots of variety so on most of my Carnival cruises I go to dinner early to have lots of time for entertainment and then go to the main show, then Karaoke, then Comedy club, then disco or Casino. If I get bored with these I go to the Latin dance club to dance Salsa with the live Latin band or just go listen to the classic easy rock group near the Casino. Maybe they were just poorly advertised on the RCCL ship I sailed on in Feb but I found none of these there.

[Jana60]

I'll take the Mac N Cheese. Crab legs are to much work and can be messy.

The Flat Iron Steak would probably not be a tender as the Filet Mignon but would have a better beef flavor.

Great food does not have to be fancy, cost a lot or be eaten is a suit and tie.

 

I'm allergic to crab legs but not to lobster or shrimp which happilly I can still get on Carnival. I'm not a big beef fan but I actually had the flat iron steak one night and it was tender and delicious. A guy at my table ordered the flat iron also but ordered his "well done" instead of "medium" like I did. His was like rubber. He tasted mine and agreed it was yummy. You just need to not cook all the juice and tenderness out of it.

[Jana60]

They gambled big on europe and also thanks to the Costa incident!

Like it when you come here and bash about Royal Caribbean and you have never put a foot on one of their ships.. just from what other people said!

 

How odd. Carnival owns Costa so why would Costa hurt RCCL. You would think that RCCL's Europe business would increase as Europes cruise fans run from Costa rather than decrease due to that so If RCCL has suffered losses they can't very well blame it on Costa! :confused:

[Cruisegirl6]

Jana60 which ship did you go on RCI? In the past 6 years we been on 6 RCI and 2 Carnival and you say RCI only offered a comedy show? Thats not true we always had a regular show some evenings broadway type then after that they have the late night comedy in another lounge, piano bar, viking crown lounge always had a band playing to the wee hours, then there is another trio somewhere in another lounge playing music and then the disco oh and parades at night too.

[Cruisegirl6]

Oh yes I did forget about the Latin band in another lounge playing that too...also nightly karoke

[RRLLAL]

Oh yes I did forget about the Latin band in another lounge playing that too...also nightly karoke

 

Who here cares?

 

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[Cruise4Music]

Who here cares?

 

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Correct.

 

I think if I wanted to know about RCI I would head for the RCI board.

 

But I could be wrong.:D

[dclark]

My last RCCL MADE a big Carnival fan of me! Other than the Ice skating rink/ice show and the rock climbing wall. What "better" entertainment did RCCL have? On my only RCCL cruise on a large ship with ice show we enjoyed that but the other entertainment seemed less.

 

How does the CCL ice show compare to the RCL one? Oh, they don't have one!

How does the CCL diving show compare to the RCL diving show? Oh that's right, they don't have one either!

RCL has 90 minute broadway shows, how are the broadway shows on CCL? They don't have them!

Fact is that RCL has a lot more entertainment than CCL. A CCL cheerleader will brush that fact off by saying they didn't like them.

CCL does have garbage like the marriage game and hairy chest contest- wow!

[TennesseeTater]

How does the CCL ice show compare to the RCL one? Oh, they don't have one!

How does the CCL diving show compare to the RCL diving show? Oh that's right, they don't have one either!

RCL has 90 minute broadway shows, how are the broadway shows on CCL? They don't have them!

Fact is that RCL has a lot more entertainment than CCL. A CCL cheerleader will brush that fact off by saying they didn't like them.

CCL does have garbage like the marriage game and hairy chest contest- wow!

 

Don't care about an ice show and don't care about a diving show. Glad I don't have to pay extra for things I don't care to see. If those are things you enjoy, then I am glad you have a chance to pay extra fares because of it.

 

If you want to name a few things that one cruise line may have that another doesn't. How are George Lopez's comedians and Guy Fieri's burgers overh on Royal? How is their signature beer?

 

I have never been on Royal so I can't compare. I am sure I would have a great cruise and that they offer a great product. What I can offer is the fact in the last 6 years I have been on Celebrity, Norwegien, Disney, and Carnival. Hands down my favorite has been Carnival. :eek:

[Cruise4Music]

How does the CCL ice show compare to the RCL one? Oh, they don't have one!

How does the CCL diving show compare to the RCL diving show? Oh that's right, they don't have one either!

RCL has 90 minute broadway shows, how are the broadway shows on CCL? They don't have them!

Fact is that RCL has a lot more entertainment than CCL. A CCL cheerleader will brush that fact off by saying they didn't like them.

CCL does have garbage like the marriage game and hairy chest contest- wow!

 

If I wanted to see the ice show I would cruise RCI.

 

I currently live tn the western US and chose to drive to a cruise.

 

RCI left California a few years ago and does not plan to return.

 

Carnival has stuck it out on the west coast and for that I am grateful.

 

Plus you have to pay for a burger on RCI.

[TexanTodd]

Plus you have to pay for a burger on RCI.

 

No, you could order "sliders" to go with your fruit cobbler, from their "high end" dining in the MDR, lol ...

[SASA13]

The EPIC is beautifull on the inside ! Did a b2b and still hadnt "done" everything AND awesome food/

 

HERE HERE --Epic was Awesome. We loved it so much last Dec, we are going again this year. also---IMO----CCL's MDR is better than the Epic's, but the

Epic Buffet is better than CCL's.

[Cruise4Music]

What Carnival should have done is this:

 

Called the Fried Chicken Poulet Frit and added some sort of nasty sauce on the side.

 

The food snobs would never know the difference.

[dclark]

Don't care about an ice show and don't care about a diving show. Glad I don't have to pay extra for things I don't care to see. If those are things you enjoy, then I am glad you have a chance to pay extra fares because of it.

 

If you want to name a few things that one cruise line may have that another doesn't. How are George Lopez's comedians and Guy Fieri's burgers overh on Royal? How is their signature beer?

 

I have never been on Royal so I can't compare. I am sure I would have a great cruise and that they offer a great product. What I can offer is the fact in the last 6 years I have been on Celebrity, Norwegien, Disney, and Carnival. Hands down my favorite has been Carnival. :eek:

You might want to give them a try.

The ice show is not ice carving, it is a ice skating show and most people who see it love it.

George Lopez doesn't have a lock on comedians- RCL has nightly comedy shows too. Guy Fieri burgers? RCL has their own free burgers. Signature beer? The much over hyped Red Frog beer is a mediocre AB producthttp://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/306/909

[Cruise4Music]

You might want to give them a try.

The ice show is not ice carving, it is a ice skating show and most people who see it love it.

George Lopez doesn't have a lock on comedians- RCL has nightly comedy shows too. Guy Fieri burgers? RCL has their own free burgers. Signature beer? The much over hyped Red Frog beer is a mediocre AB producthttp://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/306/909

 

Where are the RCI west coast ships?

 

I would rather cruise with lines that want my business.

 

If you live in the western US and want to drive to the port then your not cruising RCI.

 

Carnival Corp. (Carnival, HAL, Princess) has stayed on the west coast and I will support the lines that want my business.

[doitallWMB]

Ok, this is getting pretty ridiculous. We have been on 4 lines, and 11 different ships since 2002. There is little difference in the food on major lines. Princess does have a slightly better option but has no wow factor that one finds on RCCL and CCl. NCL, RCCL and CCL are similar as far as MDR food is concerned. We chose CCL this year for the itinerary. The FOS was going on the same old tired route. If you ask us, RCCL needs to revamp itineraries and CCL needs to look at food. Princess has an older demographic and on NCL no one directs traffic and tells you where you need to be so you have to be an adult and read the Freestyle Daily. Kind of like being at a land resort. By the way, the NCL alternative restaurants are plentiful and generally worth the money. If you have mainly been on one line consider that there are others who have experienced each mainstream line more than once. Just saying that sometimes a broader perspective gives a better understanding.

[Jana60]

Jana60 which ship did you go on RCI? In the past 6 years we been on 6 RCI and 2 Carnival and you say RCI only offered a comedy show? Thats not true we always had a regular show some evenings broadway type then after that they have the late night comedy in another lounge, piano bar, viking crown lounge always had a band playing to the wee hours, then there is another trio somewhere in another lounge playing music and then the disco oh and parades at night too.

 

I have been on 3 RCCL cruises. Sovereign of the Sea 2001, Navigator of the Seas 2009, and Monarch of the Seas 2012. None of these had a comedy show in any lounge other than in the main show lounge. The Navigator had the ice show one evening and had some small 1-3 man bands performing in some of the bars on the promenade and like I said the extremely crowded (standing room barely!) parties on the promenade. If they had a separate comedy show I never found it or saw it advertised. The Monarch did not have the multiple little bands like Navigator and basically had only what ever disco theme dance party they were touting and the main show. I did not say that they had ONLY comedy show. I said they had ONLY one show per night. Sometimes that one show was a comedy show sometimes a production show but I never saw a comedy show on the same night as a production show on ANY RCCL ship I have been on. As I said they had a piano bar but the guy on the Monarch did not allow anyone to sing along with him (he actually told people that "the cruise line won't let me have passengers sing with me") He was actually just egotistical and was afraid other singers might sing better than he (wouldn't have been very hard! :rolleyes:) Maybe they have comedy shows on same night as dance/musical shows now on the big ships but was not done when we were on Navigator in 2009 and it was not done when I was on the Monarch this year. I just didn't have as much fun on these cruises. I still really enjoyed the Navigator cruise which was the best cruise I've ever taken but not due to the ship. That was my first and only trip to Europe and Mediterranean and the ports of call were wonderful!

[ileys]

I have never understood why some folks defend one line or another so vehemently. Life is far too short to refuse to try one brand or another for such silly reasons. I have been on 2 Disney, 2 RCCL and 3 Carnival cruises, and they all had their positives and negatives. None were perfect. All were better than working!

 

Some good criticisms would be welcome (at least by me) - ones that are well considered and balanced with praise where warranted. All criticism and no praise is the sign of fanaticism, which is useless in a discussion such as this.

 

Just my opinion as I watch this silliness unfold from some folks, where some balanced opinions would make for worthwhile reading.

[Waterloomarc]

Wow this thread has really taken the normal bitterness of this board to a whole new level. Not easy to do. Well done.

 

Different strokes for different folks I don't see why we need to take it personally. I've only sailed Carnival. I've been happy with it. I'm changing for the foreseeable future to different lines. Am I personally offended when somebody runs down Carnival? No of course not I don't own it, I don't work there, I don't care.

 

But many here have missed the point anyway. Who cares what kind of food RCCL has so long as they have that abomination of a website!!!

 

Lighten up guys it's just a vacation.

 

 

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[dclark]

Where are the RCI west coast ships?

 

I would rather cruise with lines that want my business.

 

If you live in the western US and want to drive to the port then your not cruising RCI.

 

Carnival Corp. (Carnival, HAL, Princess) has stayed on the west coast and I will support the lines that want my business.

 

Why do you have to drive? I have often found it cheaper to fly out to FL and cruise there than to drive to Long Beach and cruise. This was pretty easy to see when a cruise out of Miami was $500 and a cruise out of Long Beach (or San Pedro, whatever) was over $1000 for the same time ( like Xmas).

RCL didn't leave because they "didn't want your business", they left because the market for socal cruises died out. The Mexican Riviera has always been pretty sketchy and with all the violence in mexico, demand dried up. Rather than lose money, RCL and NCL moved their ships out. Even CCL downsized, they are moving the Splendour out and come next summer, you won't be able to do a 7 day cruise to MR on CCL either. Is this CCL "abandoning" the west? Not at all, even though they are the only 7 day ship in the summer there, the can't sell their cabins for the price they need to be profitable there.

A lot more people will fly east to cruise the carribean than will fly west to do the MR.

Soon, the only ship doing 7 day+ cruises based out west will be the Grand Princess- I suggest you give that a try, it will sail out of San Francisco.

[RRLLAL]

Correct.

 

I think if I wanted to know about RCI I would head for the RCI board.

 

But I could be wrong.:D

 

That would be a brilliant idea!! :D

 

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[QTBabyNurse]

I am psyched to hear this! They've been needing to change up a few things on their ships to keep the loyals from being bored! Hopefully this will just be the beginning and they will work on their games next (Love & Marriage, Quest, etc). Thanks RCI!! :)

[RRLLAL]

No, you could order "sliders" to go with your fruit cobbler, from their "high end" dining in the MDR, lol ...

 

:thumbup::thumbup:

 

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[TennesseeTater]

You might want to give them a try.

The ice show is not ice carving, it is a ice skating show and most people who see it love it.

George Lopez doesn't have a lock on comedians- RCL has nightly comedy shows too. Guy Fieri burgers? RCL has their own free burgers. Signature beer? The much over hyped Red Frog beer is a mediocre AB producthttp://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/306/909

 

I would like to try one day, however I do not know when that day will be.

 

Guy's burgers are free, and I have had the Red Frog Beer and do not think it is over hyped. I love it.

 

My point is you could list dozens of things Royal offers that Carnival doesn't and I could do the same. I am happy with the product I pay for, just as you are. I have tried other lines, I have paid the extra money and yet I continually come back to Carnival.

 

I wish you happy cruising :)