Carnival Glory New Dining :(

[Cruzin2paradise09]

From what I'm hearing the intent is not for every table to not follow the family style. Yes, the new concept is to bring a dish and everyone passes it around to share. Not for each table to say they don't want family style.

 

Side dishes were automatically brought in large serving bowls.

[weloverunning]

Cruzin: When did you get sick? Hubby started getting sick on Thursday (scratchy throat, sinus congestion, cough etc.) I was lucky enough to make it home on Sunday before I started getting sick. Our first stop after picking up our puppies was to Med Express for z-packs. We should have bought one at the drug store in Cozumel.

[Cruzin2paradise09]

Cruzin: When did you get sick? Hubby started getting sick on Thursday (scratchy throat, sinus congestion, cough etc.) I was lucky enough to make it home on Sunday before I started getting sick. Our first stop after picking up our puppies was to Med Express for z-packs. We should have bought one at the drug store in Cozumel.

 

Scratchy throat on Thursday too. Wishing I had gotten some meds in Mexico too. Going to see doc in an hour.

[GottaLuvCruising]

I was on this cruise as well. We were a party of 14 seated at two tables. I have to agree with jmwg and quietmn. We never had an issue with Carnival’s dinners in the past. We were very unhappy with the change. Thank goodness we were a family because “family style” was done without serving utensils. So someone’s utensils were being used to dish out their servings. Choices were not there. They had what they called “surprises” for appetizers and desserts. There was no choice. That was the surprise. One night everyone got pasta alfredo. Another night everyone got a sampling of the four appetizers. It is a waste of food to give people three of four appetizers they do not like. One night I ordered a dessert from the menu but everyone got the same sorry looking sticky bun. One of our party is still waiting for a salad she asked for on day one and day two. Requested iced tea multiple times and never got it. Never got potatoes. Service was not the best. No tablecloths was a problem as they put serving pitchers of water on the table which were constantly making puddles. Sometimes they were sitting in black plastic holders to keep the sweating to a minimum and sometimes they were just sitting on the table. We are going on a three-day on the Imagination on Jan. 3rd. I hope they have the old menu in place. We became platinum on this cruise (but have cruised 22 times overall) and have decided maybe it is time to give Carnival a rest and give one of the other lines a chance again.

 

Sounds awful! Family style is not my choice at all, but to offer it without utensils...NO WAY! No choice for appetizers and desserts is really over the top. Carnival has to fix this.

[okgirl]

I don't like the idea of family style, and I think it will be uncomfortable to tell the waiter that I want an individual portion of something. I also don't like the small bites sampler of appetizers on elegant night. The only thing on the whole appetizer menu for that night that I would want is the stuffed mushrooms.

[yogimax]

Sounds awful! Family style is not my choice at all, but to offer it without utensils...NO WAY! No choice for appetizers and desserts is really over the top. Carnival has to fix this.

 

o.k., Carnival created the problem so they can fix it. That is, if they want!

 

The queston becomes why? Why did they make such a radical move in the first place... and the answer comes down to $$$.

 

Plain and simple, this was a decision based on cuttng costs, both in food and labor.

 

Like many, many others, I preferred the old style and its menu. I enjoyed cold soups and a choice of appetizer and dessert on elegant night.

 

But I also understand that for he past few years, Carnival's "Beards" have made decisions based on $$$ and not on customer satisfaction and loyalty. So it becomes an open question of whether Carnival's COO and others will respond to customer comments.

 

My guess is that they will throw Heald out there to proclaim how much people love the new menu!

[Colorado Kat]

The first elegant night they listed the starters on the menu but you didn't get a choice, you got a small sampling of all of them. The menu listed pasta with alfredo sauce and again, everyone was served that. The entree listed choices which were fine. One dessert was listed and once again, everyone was served that. .

 

What type of pie did they serve?

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

The 'family style' was not great. If two people ordered the same side option, they brought a larger bowl and put it in the middle of the table. Our experience was that they did not even offer serving utensils, just help yourself. Thankfully, we were all family.

 

Ew. That sounds like an invite for Mr. Noro...

[OCruisers]

 

Side dishes were automatically brought in large serving bowls.

 

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Did they EVERY one of the side dishes out? :confused:

 

LuLu

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[jmwg49]

 

Side dishes were automatically brought in large serving bowls.

 

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Did they EVERY one of the side dishes out? :confused:

 

LuLu

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No...only if you ordered it

[Bandman]

I don't like the idea of family style, and I think it will be uncomfortable to tell the waiter that I want an individual portion of something.

 

This is what I feared when I heard the details of this new dining method. Based on my experience with Carnival, I assumed one would have to opt out of the family style dining, that it would be a hassle for the servers if you did opt out, and, considering how thin they are stretched, the servers would apply pressure for diners to stay with the family style, as implementation of individual variations of the new dining style would prove difficult.

[2wallace]

We were on this cruise also.

 

The cruise was great, since I wasn’t at work and can make the best of anything! That being said, the MDR experience was just terrible. Food choices did seem to be better once you figured out how the menu worked (except for deserts)! I think that by the end of the fifth day, we knew more about how to order than our servers. Really not sure how the serving was supposed to go, our servers were serving totally different than the servers next to us. Ours just place a bowl of salad etc. in the middle of the table, the table next to ours, the servers brought the bowl and severed everyone that had order that dish.

 

Really found myself dreading dinner each night and booked the last two nights at the steak house (maybe this was Carnival’s plan).

 

I know it is new and will take a while to work out all of the kinks, but really unhappy to find out today that it will be rolled out to Liberty in January and we are booked for her in April :(

[Crusin6]

From what I'm hearing the intent is not for every table to not follow the family style. Yes, the new concept is to bring a dish and everyone passes it around to share. Not for each table to say they don't want family style.

 

So no one really knows the answer I guess. One poster said you don't share food with strangers and you say you do. I am not critiquing either of you but I guess no one really knows that's all. Or it is just opinion that has been stated

 

For myself I find it strange that they expect a table if strangers who all ordered different dishes to share the sides.

 

I don't really know this new menu but it sounds as though the dishes are no longer specialty items but rather it is like ordering take out at Boston market or maybe something along the lines of the liberty tree tavern or garden grill in Disney. That sort of menu?

[Crusin6]

We got back from the Glory yesterday as well, and I do not like the new changes at all! I am a loyal Carnival cruiser and know how to take the good with the not so good, but this was really not at all good. It is a new concept and the staff was confused and I know that was to be expected. Down to details though: The first elegant night they listed the starters on the menu but you didn't get a choice, you got a small sampling of all of them. The menu listed pasta with alfredo sauce and again, everyone was served that. The entree listed choices which were fine. One dessert was listed and once again, everyone was served that. There is also a "rare finds" listing which takes the place of the "didja" menu and that was shark on elegant night. Then they have a section "for the table". This included flatbread with herbs and such, fried calamari and ceasar salad. These could be ordered for the table to share or for a couple or small group. There were no soups on elegant night and no cold fruit soups (which I love) on any night of the cruise. They do still have warm chocolate melting cake (not on elegant night) but they have renamed it and are serving is in a fancy bowl. I think they had bitter and blanc but the name was also changed and I didn't have it. Service was very slow! You saw the wait staff frantically running from table to table and working very hard, but they were so undermanned and overworked. I spoke to our maitre d and even he admitted that 90% of the diners did not like the new program. I hope they can get the kinks out of this system or removed it altogether. This will not make me stop using Carnival but it does make me question my loyalty. My comment card with be full of thoughts and ideas and I hope they pay attention.

Sorry to ramble, any questions, ask away.

 

Why should they fix the new dining problems when pax like yourself admit that it is not a good change but still will continue sailing them? Doesn't questioning your loyalty mean that you may well look into cruising other lines?

 

You actually are what carnival wants. Past cruisers that don't like the cost cutting changes but still keep coming back

 

You really should try Ncl or princess. And yes I know princess is part if carnival corporation. But you would never associate them with a carnival cruise. Trust me.

[going2cruz]

Just got off the Glory this morning. Don't like the no tablecloths because the drink glasses sweat and it puddles on the table. The family style dining is crap. Maybe better if you are with family it would be fine.

 

We had a horrible head waiter so that didn't make the new dining experience any better.

 

Nobody monitored clothing ... "Formal" night there was a large family wearing jeans, t-shirts and shorts. Last night, someone in that family had on a wife-beater tank top!

 

They put the tablecloths on for "formal" night but the atmosphere wasn't there.

 

Will post a full review some time later this week. I am sitting at the airport waiting for my flight.

 

WOW, thought I'd check in to see what's happening on CCL since I'm on other boards now.......another reason I'm happy to be done with CCL....

[Cruzin2paradise09]

 

No...only if you ordered it

 

 

Correct. So at a table for 10 like I was at (only 5 of us showed up), and three people ordered mashed potatoes, they came on a large bowl. If only one person ordered rice pilaf, it came in a small serving bowl (there was still more than one serving IMHO).

 

It was just weird. There was a berry pie for dessert one night. Only one at my table ordered it and it came in a single serving "pie" dish. Another table must have had multiple orders and the waiter was cutting a huge pie into slices to serve. Now I stopped paying attention due to chocolate melting cake so I don't know if the waiter served it or just set the dish on the table.

[stevea20]

I was on this cruise as well. While the food itself was just fine the new dining experience was not good. I thought the "American Table" was an interesting concept but needed more selections in the appetizer section - particularly soups. We were almost devoid of soups this week. I did like the idea of the "port selections" which was a cocktail, appetizer and entree specific to where we were.

 

The "American Feast" on Elegant Nights was nothing of the sort. A very dumbed down menu with nothing interesting on it. We spent both nights at the Steakhouse, which was much better.

 

Carnival needs to rethink this.

[2 cruzen]

We convinced family to cruise for the 1st time. One of them is very picky, I convinced her to sail by showing her the everyday menu. She was fine with the burger or fried chicken. Don't know if I should pass the new menus on or wait til we board in April. Some say picky ones can eat in Lido but what fun is that when you are with a group...

 

Magic won't be getting the new menus right away, so I think you will be fine.

[alreadypacked]

I was on this cruise as well. The food quality, plating etc was just fine. We always enjoyed the food. The options were not plentiful. My daughter is very picky and she ate mashed potatoes most evenings...period...a big bowl of mashed potatoes. They did allow her to order from the kids menu and she got chicken nuggets one night (she is 18). The first elegant night was disasterous and seemed as tho the servers didn't know what they were doing. The 'family style' was not great. If two people ordered the same side option, they brought a larger bowl and put it in the middle of the table. Our experience was that they did not even offer serving utensils, just help yourself. Thankfully, we were all family. As for the dancing etc from the waitstaff...it was poor. We always have enjoyed it, but they did a lame dance one night, they did one dance that wasn't terribly energetic and then sang Leaving on a Funship the last night. All in all, we were disappointed with the dining options. For new cruisers who don't know any different, I'm sure they are the ones that will think it was great, but for those that know better...not so much

 

That was my thought when I saw the new Glory menus posted with the cruise critic news article--fewer menu items!

 

Hopefully quality of ingredients and preparation have improved, but I wonder if it's at the expense of appetizer and entree options.

[Drew's Wife]

I talked with someone at Carnival about the situation and they gave me this email...GuestSolutionsSupport2@Carnival.com

 

They said for people to write and let them know how they feel about this and maybe it will change. I wrote to them as did my husband...we both heard back from them within a couple of days.

 

Let them know how you feel.. Unfortunately, too little too late for us. We have always had wonderful cruises. Out last on The Legend in October was the best that we have every had...but we just can't continue with them under these newest cutbacks.

[virginiab]

We were on the Glory last week and our experience was somewhat different from what some others have posted.

 

We had late dining on the upper level of the Platinum dining room. The folks we saw around us seemed to be well dressed at dinnertime. There were probably exceptions, but my general impression of fellow diners was good.

 

It was obvious that the whole deal was new and there were plenty of rough edges, At our table (six people: My spouse and myself, two male friends traveling together, and a woman traveling with her mother), we felt like we were all learning (passengers and staff) how this worked.

 

The first night, a dish of mashed potatoes was put down next to a plate of one guy who had ordered mashed potatoes and he did not hear the waiter say "for the table" as it was served. When his friend, the other person who had asked for the potatoes, asked him to share he said they belonged to him. They had been served without a serving utensil. The waiters then brought out a smaller dish of mashed potatoes for the other guy.

 

The second night serving utensils came out, but a bit after the dish was served. By the third night, the tongs arrived only a minute after the Caesar salad I shared with my spouse. By that point, we were all getting the hang of this style of service.

 

Almost every night, someone at the table ordered the calamari appetizer. At first, these were usually just shared with the personal traveling companion, but as the week went on, they were also offered to others at the table.

 

The entrees were not very different from past Carnival meals. I thought the breads were more interesting than in the past, but I'm sure others will have differing views on this, as on all matters of personal taste.

 

I was reading the evening's menu one afternoon on the cabin TV and saw an appetizer of chorizo-wrapped broiled shrimp. By the time we arrived at late dining, the appetizer had changed to traditional shrimp cocktail. When did it change? I don't know. Did they offer the original version at early dinner and not get enough ordered, or orders sent back?

 

Clearly things are in flux, kind of like when a play opens out of town before heading for Broadway. It gives a chance to do rewrites and to improve the experience.

 

For those who are concerned about sharing the WCMC, it was served at our table in a bowl at least twice thee size of the old ramekin they used. So after the first night, my spouse and I DID share, but we are dessert-sharers by nature. The main shared desserts were pies, and our table never ordered one bigger than two servings.

 

I thought the bare wood tables looked very modern, although sweating glasses were a problem. Maybe all the long-time platinum folks should bring their Tervis cups with them to dinner?? :)

 

I was surprised when our waiter told us on the first formal night that everyone would get all the appetizers and I enjoyed the presentation of them which was a plate for each of us with four small dishes on it. I also enjoyed sampling each of the tasty treats.

 

One night we saw a big huddle with the maître d' meeting with the head waiters for each team before they opened the doors Either they were getting instructions about the newest changes or they were praying that someone finally knew how this was supposed to go.... :)

 

Gotta go now. I have to hang up some of our cruise clothing that is ready to come out of the dryer.

[SNJCruisers]

have decided maybe it is time to give Carnival a rest and give one of the other lines a chance again.

Check out the 123 go promo on Celebrity. Booking window ends 2/28/14. Sailing window from 2/1/14-3/31/15. Best promotion afloat.

[TrinaLC]

I'm really shocked that the choices have been so limited.

 

I would prefer to choose my appetizer, thank you very much, rather than have a plate of 4 assorted appetizers.

 

Is it true there is only one choice of desert?

 

Is there still a cheese platter option?

[vols_159]

Just got off the Glory this morning. Don't like the no tablecloths because the drink glasses sweat and it puddles on the table. The family style dining is crap. Maybe better if you are with family it would be fine.

 

We had a horrible head waiter so that didn't make the new dining experience any better.

 

Nobody monitored clothing ... "Formal" night there was a large family wearing jeans, t-shirts and shorts. Last night, someone in that family had on a wife-beater tank top!

 

They put the tablecloths on for "formal" night but the atmosphere wasn't there.

 

Will post a full review some time later this week. I am sitting at the airport waiting for my flight.

 

 

Coasters... Would be a brilliant ideal

[going2cruz]

Check out the 123 go promo on Celebrity. Booking window ends 2/28/14. Sailing window from 2/1/14-3/31/15. Best promotion afloat.

 

 

You got that right, I just booked 5 day cruise cheaper than anything Carnival had out there for the same time and I got paid gratuities and the all I can drink alcohol package....this cruise will cost DW & I 1k less than if it were Carnival......