New menu

[jamon]

Just returned from FOS...new menu fantastic....lobster tail seemed to be larger than those served previously...also they have a crab leg app and a crab leg dinner....you get about 3-4 crab legs on the dinner, so I suggest you order two. They come atop a salad, already split open for easy eating. Just tell the waiter to add the second crab legs to the first dinner and have him keep the other salad. Did not have the strip steak, but did have the filet and it was super tender..could cut with a fork. RCCL did a great job on the menu, also by adding shrimp cocktail every night.

[39august]

Just back from Oasis and food was great! My husband ordered the strip steak and it was very good, cooked as ordered and quite tasty. The sliced tenderloin on first formal night and the petit filet on the "Surf and Turf" plate was as good as I've had in Chops, believe it or not! We were slightly underwhelmed at Giovanni's Table, as the lamb and steak were not quite as good as we've had at Portofino, but the pasta was amazing. However, some of the new pasta dishes in the MDR were also amazing. Probably won't be doing a specialty restaurant again on ships with the new menus. And the lobster tail was significantly larger than what we have had on past ships. Here's a heads up for chocolate lovers. On the always available menu is a dessert with "Chocolate" in the titile. It was to die for!

[surreymum]

Didn't try the sliders but they sounded good. Everyone at my table tried the strip steak once during the week and no one liked it. It was very gristley and pretty tough. The fillet was better in the main dining room than at Chops for some reason. Not bad at Chops just ok.

 

I'd say overall you are in for a treat! I'm glad they made the ugrade. I made a piggy of myself on this trip and ordered several options each night with no regret! :rolleyes: Almost always 2 apps and 2 deserts. Sometimes 3 and sometimes 2 main meals. :eek: I love, love, love dessert so I'd always order the BBB creme brule and something else. Happy eating!

 

Maybe you were just unlucky with the batch of strip steaks. On Freedom at the beginning of August the strip steaks were some of the best we'd had. Absolutely no gristle, tasty, tender and perfectly cooked. My DS had the sliders one night and loved them.

[SpeedGeek]

Maybe you were just unlucky with the batch of strip steaks. On Freedom at the beginning of August the strip steaks were some of the best we'd had. Absolutely no gristle, tasty, tender and perfectly cooked. My DS had the sliders one night and loved them.

 

Three weeks can't pass quick enough! Mmm mmm!

[BillOh]

snap - my only question as a first time cruiser - is it actually an improvement on the existing menu (as was suggested) or simply a new menu?

 

That is THE question. My perception is that it is both, but how many times has a business opened or changed and really put out a strong effort for 6 months then slip back? Having done 3 -7 day cruises I've seen that menu enough having seen other parts of the same menu on 4 shorter cruises.

 

That said, I thought the food on my 2012 Jewel cruise was overall the best I have had, I'm hopeful improvements are on the way.

[FL1stLady]

We were so excited to hear about the new menu. After enjoying the food on RCI in the past, we was VERY disappointed in the food on the NOS on the last TA. Both specialty restaurants were delicious, but the WJ and MDR were not good at all. While some call us "foodies", we are adventurous eaters and will try most anything. Just want it to be good. Unfortunately, the NOS does not roll out the menu in time for our next TA on it 11/3. We had such a good time with some new friends on our last cruise, we decided to "suck it up" and give it another try. Can anybody send $ for Chops, Johnny Rockets, and Portofino's?:D

[jchilman]

Ok so I know that the formal nights for the Western Caribbean are on Monday and Thursday night. Can someone tell me the order of the other nights? Trying to decide on when to book Chops and Portofino's...

 

Thanks!:D

[JKHawaii]

Nice that RCCL has upgraded their menu.

 

Sad to read that some see this as an opportunity to "pig out" and demand 2 or 3 orders of a menu item every night.

 

I guess it's just a matter of time before RCCL has to throttle back on their offerings due to these gluttons.

[mstelly]

Nice that RCCL has upgraded their menu.

 

Sad to read that some see this as an opportunity to "pig out" and demand 2 or 3 orders of a menu item every night.

 

I guess it's just a matter of time before RCCL has to throttle back on their offerings due to these gluttons.

 

Ugghhhh ... there has to be one JUDGE in every group! Why can't we all just get along!

[BND]

Nice that RCCL has upgraded their menu.

 

Sad to read that some see this as an opportunity to "pig out" and demand 2 or 3 orders of a menu item every night.

 

I guess it's just a matter of time before RCCL has to throttle back on their offerings due to these gluttons.

 

You do know of course that people who order 2 or 3 entrees, appetizers or dessert, have probably always done that. We are used to seeing 2 appetizers ordered by a lot of people and the staff will happily bring you extra. They do plan for it. I, myself have occasionally had two appetizers (soup and salad) but never more than 1 entree or 1 dessert, but I'm a woman.

 

Ordering extra is nothing new and they haven't throttled back because of it. Geez, some people.

 

Afraid there won't be anything left for you?:rolleyes:

[Tucker in Texas]

Many a night I have made my meal on soup, appetizers, and salad. I'll order an entree that DH would like (he's meat and taters man) and hand it over to him.

 

Tucker in Texas

[stitchisbad]

Am I reading the list right? Is AD the Adventure of the Seas? I hope so, I am sailing Feb 2013 an am dying to try new menu.

[snackcracker675]

First of all, I was cruising with my mom and husband. We've been on two Celebrity cruises prior to this, so I never had the OLD menu for RCCL, but here's our detailed opinion based on what the three of us ordered each night. Don't take our opinions too seriously, though, please.

 

I will say that the waiter we had did NOT recommend the best dish to us each night from what we saw. Maybe that was his taste or he didn't really know what people seemed to like the best, but we were a bit unsure about trusting his recommendations (or the menu's chef recommendations) overall.

 

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Sunday MOJO- the WORST night of the cruise for dinner IMHO

 

Overall thoughts: I think they served the WORST menu for the first night hoping to win you over more and more as the cruise went on, but really, it was so disappointing compared to the other nights that I suspect they were hoping to get MORE Chops and Portofino reservations by starting off so bad. I didn't think that at the time, but by the end, I kept wondering what they were thinking on this night.

 

Asian Coconut Seafood Soup- was just okay to me

 

Mojo Marinated Grilled Pork Chop- was huge and had some flavor, but I didn't really like the flavor of it that much

 

Slow Roasted Prime Rib- both my mom and husband thought it lacked flavor and was disappointing. Don't choose this perhaps.

 

Blueberry Peach Crumble- too much crumble, not enough fruit. Just okay, but served HOT HOT HOT, so watch your tongue!

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Monday SAFFRON- formal night

 

Bay Scallop Gratin- Pretty good. Not overcooked either.

 

Pan Fried Fillet of Barramundi- Decently good, if you like fish.

 

Filet of Beef Tenderloin- BETTER THAN THE BARRAMUNDI. Quite tasty, in fact. I wish I had this instead of the fish.

 

Artichoke Filled Crepes au Gratin- Delicious, but sort of small. Order one for the table. Sort of like vegetable lasagna with a nice roasted garlic bechamel sauce or something similar.

 

Double Strawberry Cheesecake- Okay cheesecake, but nothing special.

 

 

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Tuesday JASMINE

 

Spinach Dip- Average to good spinach dip with tortilla chips, if you like this.

 

Seafood Ceviche- DELICIOUS! Better than the spinach dip by far.

 

Roasted Rack of Lamb- Very good. Served medium rare, and we ate it all!

 

Veal Scaloppine Oscar- Okay, but not nearly as good as the lamb.

 

Warm Chocolate Cake- Pretty good. One of the best desserts along with the Chocolate Sensation that's available every night.

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Wednesday PIMIENTO- smart casual night

Arancini- Good. I liked it. These are Italian rice balls and will appeal to most folks.

 

Lasagna Al Forno- Good, but very meaty with little pasta. Not too salty, though, which I liked.

Chicken Marsala- VERY good. Slightly better than the lasagna. The chicken was so tender that I ended up finishing my mom's chicken for her. I make mine with much, much more marsala, though.

Tiramisu- Good flavor, weird texture for the mascarpone part.

 

Dessert Sampler- Good. The cheesecake nibble on here was excellent- better than the strawberry one earlier in the week.

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Thursday SHIITAKE- formal night

Creamed Wild Mushrooms- We all liked this, but we love mushrooms. It was like good thick cream of mushroom soup in a folder over puff pastry.

 

Fisherman's Plate- A large lobster tail and some three shrimp that were quite good. They were slightly garlicky.

Braised beef duo- WONDERFUL. The braised beef was AMAZING. This was served on thick cheesy grits and they were great. One of the best dishes of the trip. I would get this next time instead of the lobster maybe.

 

Grand Marnier Souffle- Disappointing.

 

Ivory Chocolate Mousse- Disappointing.

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Friday BASIL

 

Crab Cake- Good. Not amazing, but good.

 

Arugula and Bosc Pear Salad- Good. Tasty even.

 

Surf and Turf- ONE OF THE BEST ENTREES ALL WEEK. Delicious. My husband ordered another one even! The meat was cooked perfectly at medium rare.

 

Rum Baba- Not that good.

 

 

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Saturday POMODORO

 

Pan Seared Sea Scollops and Chorizo- Good flavor, but the scallops were way overcooked.

 

Fish, Seafood and MASH (not chips)- Decent fried seafood. The shrimp and scallops tasted great, but they were overcooked a bit- especially the scallops. The fried cod was good. The tartar sauce was really lemony, oddly. Nice mashed potatoes.

 

Rosemary Lamb Shank- EXCELLENT. ONE OF THE BEST ENTREES ALL WEEK. So tender you could eat this with a spoon. My husband ordered another (they weren't Celebrity size, don't worry) and I helped him eat it. REALLY FANTASTIC. Nice mashed potatoes.

Low Fat Warm Apple Dome- Cold, weird, and I don't recommend.

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THINGS SERVED EVERYNIGHT THAT WE TRIED:

 

Shrimp cocktail- Great. I enjoyed it.

Escargot- Not as good as Celebrity's, but pretty good. I wish I got it more often actually.

Caesar salad- Too much dressing, not enough parmesan, and not that good.

Ice cream- Good! Get this instead of another dessert and you'll be safe.

Chocolate Sensation- The best dessert all week perhaps. Best presentation for dessert, actually. Decently good.

BBB creme brulee- This is Bailey's Banana creme brulee? Both my husband and my mom disliked it. I never tried it. They said it was too banana flavored.

 

Overall, the desserts were really a mess. The food was VERY good the last three nights for several entrees, but the desserts never got it right with the exception of the Chocolate Sensation and the ice cream.

 

Oh, and if you have a soda package, the Cocacola Freestyle Machines appeared and were being installed during our week. The were on when I left the ship on Sunday, Oct. 7th ready for the new cruise to use them!!!

 

Also, the buy one get one margaritas in On Air seemed to be missing the alcohol for us.

[snackcracker675]

Ok so I know that the formal nights for the Western Caribbean are on Monday and Thursday night. Can someone tell me the order of the other nights? Trying to decide on when to book Chops and Portofino's...

 

Thanks!:D

 

BOOK one for the first night. Not the last three or four, I'd say.

[39august]

The last night's menu remains the weakest even on the new menus. That is the one with turkey and dressing...really? On a cruise ship? Anyway, I would book the last night for a specialty restuarant. We have a freebie from our TA on our March cruise and that is what we are going to do.

[truffles2]

 

 

Rosemary Lamb Shank- EXCELLENT. ONE OF THE BEST ENTREES ALL WEEK. So tender you could eat this with a spoon. My husband ordered another (they weren't Celebrity size, don't worry) and I helped him eat it. REALLY FANTASTIC. Nice mashed potatoes.

 

 

DH always gets the lamb shank and said the one he had on our 9-9 cruise was the very best ever!

[1ParticularHbr]

I just got an update from RCLDining with the remaining ships:

 

• FR - 8/19/2012
  
• OA - 09/01/2012
  
• AL - 09/16/2012
  
• JW - 09/30/2012
  
• EN - 10/04/2012
  
• EX - 10/14/2012
  
• MJ - 10/19/2012
  
• BR - 11/12/2012
  
• LB - 11/15/2012
  
• AD - 11/18/2012
  
• ID - 01/13/2013
  
• MA - 02/??/2013
  
• NV - 02/02/2013
  
• GR - 03/01/2013
  
• VI - 03/08/2013
  
• SR - 05/12/2013
  
• RD - 05/24/2013
  
• RH - 05/31/2013
  
• LG - TBA
  
• SP - TBA
  
• VY - TBA
  
• MN - N/A (leaving the fleet on 04/01/13)
  

 

Thanks for posting the list. I just tried using RCI's online chat to ask when the new menu was starting on Liberty and the rep said "we don't have that information state-side". I guess I'm sailing a month too early for the new menu :(

[Preacherman46]

I think somewhere there are food pics from the new menu? Can someone help?

[Preacherman46]

I think somewhere there are food pics from the new menu? Can someone help?

Found it!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1714824

[snackcracker675]

The last night's menu remains the weakest even on the new menus. That is the one with turkey and dressing...really? On a cruise ship? Anyway, I would book the last night for a specialty restuarant. We have a freebie from our TA on our March cruise and that is what we are going to do.

 

The lamb shank was awesome, though. I thought the first night was weakest, then the next two. From Thurs, Fri and Sat were my favorites.

[rubrrick]

I have read through the whole thread, and it's wonderful to see peoples reaction to a different menu. Royal Caribbean, for some time has been, well, close to the bottom of the feeding list......if that is an appropriate statement. In a nutshell, the company has known for some time that it lacks in the food department, compared to other cruise lines.

 

So, on command of Mr. Goldstein, a VP was put in charge of making some remarkable changes, and from all that I have heard, and, folks, they are still fine tuning the menu and product, to be able to bring their food standard up to what the competitors are doing, and having some fun with creating the same menu, within reason, that was served on the Royal Caribbean fleet in the 1990's.

 

Unfortunately, the VP in charge of the food change, who, by the way, is considered an expert in his field, and worked very closely with the executive chef, was relieved of his duties, right in the middle of putting all of this together. So, someone else will see to the completion, and I hope he is as good as his predecessor. I'm told my some of my cruise mates that have tried the new menu, that, for the most part, Royal Caribbean is regaining ground in the food department. That, to me is great news. I'm on the BR 12/1 and can hardly wait to try out some of the new dishes, as well, as what is being brought back from another era.

 

The gentleman that worked so hard, in conjunction with many others, that has left his post, is none other than Michael Bailey, the new President of Celebrity Cruises.

 

Thank you Michael, for all of your work to start to put Royal Caribbean back in the food business!! We will miss you, and hope that you appointed someone as good as yourself to finish the process.

 

So, that is some of the background on bringing us a new dimension to Royal Caribbean. I believe that when all is worked out, food will once again be talked about......hopefully in a more positive light......on Royal!!:)

 

Rick

[Clarea]

Thanks Rick for a very interesting and informative post.

 

Bob

[ahecht]

Looks like Jewel got the menu as scheduled. Still waiting to hear back from Enchantment.

[Coov]

How do the 5 day menus differ from the 7 day? I've heard that RCI does not have lobster for 5 day cruises, correct?

[Iluvcruising2]

Not sure when the new menu will be rolled out on the Voyager. Not scheduled yet, apparently.