I know I'm gonna get flamed, but Windjammer is AWFUL

[Tyler80]

Okay, seriously fellow cruisers. I am a huge RCCL fan. I am a middle class american who hardly eats at 4 or 5 stars restaurants. I am just an "average Joe". I have taken many RCCL cruises, and by far this is the worst Windjammer experience.

 

In the morning, pancakes, french toast, toast, etc were all cold! So bad there were a few times I couldn't even swallow it.

 

The meat is ridiculous. The infamous CC honey stung chicken is as dry as a bone. The hamburgers are something that would be served in a school cafeteria. No quality meat at all.

 

It takes the entire cruise to figure out what to avoid.

 

I do give credit to the salad bar, it was nice. But even the dressing was so cheap. I had Blue Cheese dressing that squirted out of a bottle with a very small tip. So it was runny, not creamy or chunky like it should be.

 

At what point are we going to all agree, the Windjammer is like eating at a local grocery store food cafeteria line. After you finish eating, you are full, but there is never anything you have to get seconds. It just wasn't good.

 

Go ahead and flame me. But I wish they would use flames in the Windjammer to at least keep the food warm.

 

Buffet food is normally always hit or miss. The last cruise I was on (Oasis) I didn't even eat in the Windjammer, but I'm not opposed to. There were just so many other places to eat I choose not to. But I would agree that you have to really be picky because some things are cold, stale, dried out, or just not appealing to eat.

[cruzinlady1947]

I might be in the minority, but I like the WJ. Of course there are always things I don't like, but have no problem finding things I do like. I love the salad bar, including the salad dressing (honey mustard for me). And, I agree, the mashed potatoes are great. And I also like the pizza and FF. I don't cruise to eat and as long as the food satisfies me, I'm good with it. Nothing wrong with the MDR either.

 

I should say, I have not cruised as many cruise lines as others, just Royal, Carnival and Norwegian. But, it's been a long time since I cruised another line other than Royal. I will stay Loyal to Royal for now. ;)

 

Gwen :)

[estoyer]

I like the Seafood Paella on embarkation day.

 

If I may ask what is in it?

[Ocean Boy]

Great Post

 

There are some pretty unsophisticated posters on RCI.

 

You know the type.

Did O.K. in English / English Expression or what ever they call it in the US.

But could not pass Physics / Maths etc or ever had an original though in their lives .

 

Yafflers is one of the nicer nicknames here in OZ ;)

.

 

I passed a few physics, chemistry, math and other classed. I also made it through medical school. Bottom line.... I don't have a clue what you are talking about.:rolleyes:

[Ocean Boy]

I liked the Windjammer for breakfast. I thought the food quality was not great for lunch and dinner but I liked the location, the great service and the cleanliness.

 

The one thing I could not understand was the popularity of the substandard hamburgers. This was the most popular item by far. Every lunch there would be queues for the hamburgers. Why do people insist on eating hamburgers every day, even when on holidays, when there is so much choice on the buffets.

 

Want to know what I don't understand? I don't understand why you care in the slightest why other people choose to eat what they do.

[Tyler80]

[quote name='cruzinlady1947'][I][SIZE=3]I might be in the minority, but I like the WJ. Of course there are always things I don't like, but have no problem finding things I do like. I love the salad bar, including the salad dressing (honey mustard for me). And, I agree, the mashed potatoes are great. And I also like the pizza and FF. I don't cruise to eat and as long as the food satisfies me, I'm good with it. Nothing wrong with the MDR either.

I should say, I have not cruised as many cruise lines as others, just Royal, Carnival and Norwegian. But, it's been a long time since I cruised another line other than Royal. I will stay Loyal to Royal for now. ;)

Gwen :)
[/SIZE][/I][/QUOTE]

Don't feel like you're in the minority. I like the Windjammer too, but sometimes the selection is less than desirable. I love the mashed potatoes and pizza too! :D

[DreamingBig1]

[quote name='estoyer'][CENTER][SIZE=4][COLOR=blue]If I may ask what is in it?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/CENTER][/QUOTE]

Forgive me for cutting in. Clarea to you as well.

I bet its whatever seafood that wasn't used during the previous weeks cruise.

Paella in general is a cornucopia of different seafood, and seasoning mixed together with rice. How it becomes Paella, not sure.

I for one always think that embarkation day lunch is most likely the unused foods from the week/cruise before. So its not wasted. I could probably be off on this.

Paella seems like a great way to use food before its wasted.

[ryano]

I like the WJ french fries, a lot. With some mayo on them!

[alfaeric]

For all of you who are complaining about the WJ food here, I do hope that your posting here is not your only effort.

If you want your voice heard on ANY complaint, it needs to be in the survey- they do read that, and there are changes based on that.

Posting here may feel good, but it really does nothing- other than find people who a) agree with you, and b) don't agree with you.

just sayn.

[setsail]

[quote name='gadaboutgal']Were you on the Legend? Sounds like our experience in December. Great, freshly prepared food every night. We had busy port days, so decided to dine very casual every night -and so glad we did. In fact, we looked forward to dinner. Some nights they did a Mongolian stir fry with choice of fresh ingredients that was so delicious. We spoke with the Windjammer Chef several times and complimented him on the excellent food. Hope things don't change as we are looking forward to going back in March and will plan to skip the MDR just to experience great dinners again.[/QUOTE]

Yes, Legend. Also, other than the great pasta, the fresh carved meat station was very good also, pork loin, beef, etc. Edited January 10, 2014 by setsail

[DreamingBig1]

[quote name='alfaeric']For all of you who are complaining about the WJ food here, I do hope that your posting here is not your only effort.

If you want your voice heard on ANY complaint, it needs to be in the survey- they do read that, and there are changes based on that.

Posting here may feel good, but it really does nothing- other than find people who a) agree with you, and b) don't agree with you.

just sayn.[/QUOTE]

Great company. I bet they do monitor these boards from time to time. I would tend to think they are too smart not to.

However the survey is the best way for direct contact.

[CntPAcruiser]

[quote name='DreamingBig1']Forgive me for cutting in. Clarea to you as well.

I bet its whatever seafood that wasn't used during the previous weeks cruise.

Paella in general is a cornucopia of different seafood, and seasoning mixed together with rice. How it becomes Paella, not sure.

I for one always think that embarkation day lunch is most likely the unused foods from the week/cruise before. So its not wasted. I could probably be off on this.

Paella seems like a great way to use food before its wasted.[/QUOTE]

The Day 1 paella for lunch in the WJ is saffron rice with a bit of chicken, some tomatoes and peas, and shrimp and mussels (possibly bay scallops as well?). If you get first crack at it, the paella can be pretty good. The shrimp and mussels are smallish and likely frozen ones.

While there may be some "recycling" of food in general, it would probably take them more time to fuss with saving and reusing certain foods than it would be worth. There are food safety issues to take into account as well, something that is taken seriously on board. And because of the quantity and regularity of menus, in order to have a particular menu item, they couldn't rely on the mere possibility of having leftovers to use in it.

That said, the pastry shop on board clearly makes use of "leftovers." Having worked in a bakery, I know that cake crumbs and cookies are often reused. There is a chocolate-rum slice served in the Promenade Café that has crumbs and bits of cake in it, for example. And of course leftover bread may be used for stuffing, crumbs for breading, etc.

My take on the WJ is that I can usually find something decent, but I tend to go for the more interesting items and avoid hamburgers, for instance. They really don't look good. I've been on enough Royal cruises to now be familiar with what comes out well, and what food is not so great, in all of the venues. You just have to pick and choose, and you won't starve.

[oneputt18]

[quote name='39august']Squirt bottle for salad dressing? I have been on many RCI cruises and have never seen bottled salad dressing of any kind at the salad bar. [/QUOTE]

I had never seen them either until our most recent Oasis cruise (12/13) and there they were, squirt bottles, I had to ask what was in them.

[aubreyc1988]

[quote name='CntPAcruiser']The Day 1 paella for lunch in the WJ is saffron rice with a bit of chicken, some tomatoes and peas, and shrimp and mussels (possibly bay scallops as well?). If you get first crack at it, the paella can be pretty good. The shrimp and mussels are smallish and likely frozen ones.

While there may be some "recycling" of food in general, it would probably take them more time to fuss with saving and reusing certain foods than it would be worth. There are food safety issues to take into account as well, something that is taken seriously on board. And because of the quantity and regularity of menus, in order to have a particular menu item, they couldn't rely on the mere possibility of having leftovers to use in it.

That said, the pastry shop on board clearly makes use of "leftovers." Having worked in a bakery, I know that cake crumbs and cookies are often reused. There is a chocolate-rum slice served in the Promenade Café that has crumbs and bits of cake in it, for example. And of course leftover bread may be used for stuffing, crumbs for breading, etc.

My take on the WJ is that I can usually find something decent, but I tend to go for the more interesting items and avoid hamburgers, for instance. They really don't look good. I've been on enough Royal cruises to now be familiar with what comes out well, and what food is not so great, in all of the venues. You just have to pick and choose, and you won't starve.[/QUOTE]

As for them reusing food, they definitely would have to. How much I am not sure. They probably have it down to a science how much they need to prepare each day as the number of guests really doesn't change and I'm sure they have a general idea of whats going to be a popular dish and what not, so that helps out with waste/leftover food.

I work in food service, so I kind of have an idea how the kitchen goes. Also, it really does depend on how much refrigerator space they have for reusing food. but honestly, I bet they just are really good at predicting what will be needed. But there are rules they have to follow for reusing food, and from what I have read, they do really well on all their food inspections, better than almost any land based restaurant in the US so I trust what they are feeding me~

[PattyG12]

On the Independence in December the dining room was a zoo. We opted to eat at the Windjammer several times and was pleasantly surprised. I thought it was better than it has been over the last year. Guess I'm in the minority. I'm also pretty easy to please ;)

[DrD]

[quote name='SailingDeanna'] I am a middle class american who hardly eats at 4 or 5 stars restaurants. I am just an "average Joe". [/QUOTE]

Actually I've noticed over the years that the food is often geared to people with more varied tastes. For instance many of my favorite items in the WJ were the Asian dishes, especially some of the soups and curries. Usually when I meet people with poor opinions of the food I find they are not adventurous eaters and stick to their usual favorites and have not tried many of the dishes served.

We eat everything from oysters to artichokes, from intestines to ink (squid ink), and have always found the food to be excellent (albeit admitedly not as good as at a good land restaurant.) I've never in my life asked for a dish to prepared differently from what is on the menu and I've always been happy with what I've been served on RCCL. True there have been times when I've not been supper happy but I've never been flat out dissatisfied.

Of course cold food is unacceptable to anyone, but fortunately I did not encounter that on my cruise.

Needless to say this is all my opinion only and should not be construed as criticism or heaven forbid a flame. Edited January 10, 2014 by DrD

[lazeyey]

I found that on the Allure it sucked, but on the Liberty it was good.

[alfaeric]

[quote name='DreamingBig1']Great company. I bet they do monitor these boards from time to time. I would tend to think they are too smart not to.

However the survey is the best way for direct contact.[/quote]

I'm pretty sure they do. Which is fine.

But, I also think that they really can't take an honest feel about the core customer group via this board. And having seen requests of companies come true via other message boards, which completly flop in the market, I very much see why a company needs to filter the information they get from message boards.

Whereas the survey, which they stress to all of the customers, may represent a higher percentage of actual cruisers- which is probably a more reliable indicator.

[funnyguydae]

Any input on the Windjammer on the Serenade?

[At Sea 4Ever]

[quote name='oneputt18']I had never seen them either until our most recent Oasis cruise (12/13) and there they were, squirt bottles, I had to ask what was in them.[/QUOTE]

How was the food in the WJ on your recent oasis sailing?

[Zigggypup]

[SIZE=3]I've never found everything in the Windjammer to be great. But their is a big enough selection that I never have a problem finding something to eat. [/SIZE]

[SailingDeanna]

OP comments

I also never saw a cooked to order omelette station anymore on the Liberty. I thought that was great in the past.

There was no cooked to order pasta station either as someone previously mentioned. I would have loved that.

Thank you for confirming the squirt bottle dressing. Everyone is questioning me on that one!:D

Dawn- small world! My child is at Same college too!

We aren't scared of specialty restaurants either. We ate at Johnny Rockets, and ordered 6 Chops steaks throughout the cruise to get more quality. It is just hard because I know I have already paid for the other food.

I have sailed Liberty twice. And there is a big change in quality. Ultimately what I am trying to say is if this restaurant was land based, I would never return due to quality.

I still love Royal. I just think I'm going to have to stay on Oasis class to get other food offerings.

[MMFM3]

[quote name='SailingDeanna']Okay, seriously fellow cruisers. I am a huge RCCL fan. I am a middle class american who hardly eats at 4 or 5 stars restaurants. I am just an "average Joe". I have taken many RCCL cruises, and by far this is the worst Windjammer experience.

In the morning, pancakes, french toast, toast, etc were all cold! So bad there were a few times I couldn't even swallow it.

The meat is ridiculous. The infamous CC honey stung chicken is as dry as a bone. The hamburgers are something that would be served in a school cafeteria. No quality meat at all.

It takes the entire cruise to figure out what to avoid.

I do give credit to the salad bar, it was nice. But even the dressing was so cheap. I had Blue Cheese dressing that squirted out of a bottle with a very small tip. So it was runny, not creamy or chunky like it should be.

At what point are we going to all agree, the Windjammer is like eating at a local grocery store food cafeteria line. After you finish eating, you are full, but there is never anything you have to get seconds. It just wasn't good.

Go ahead and flame me. But I wish they would use flames in the Windjammer to at least keep the food warm.[/QUOTE]

You definitely will not get burnt from my words because I agree with you 100%. Unfortunately, we do eat there because of the convenience of not having to wait but you definitely need to weed through the good and bad. I love RCCL and since there are other choices onboard I don't complain.

They should really try and upgrade it a little.

[crmallett]

I do agree about the WJ. On our Allure cruise, we ate there twice. I found myself wandering around many times trying to figure out what I wanted because most of it looked unappealing. There were a few things that I did like, but I mainly used the Park Cafe and Wipeout Cafe for breakfast. Most of the other meals were in restaurants around the ship or with RS.

[Scotty G]

[quote name='SailingDeanna']Okay, seriously fellow cruisers. I am a huge RCCL fan. I am a middle class american who hardly eats at 4 or 5 stars restaurants. I am just an "average Joe". I have taken many RCCL cruises, and by far this is the worst Windjammer experience. [/QUOTE]

The subject of this post leads one to believe that this is an indictment of all RCI Windjammers. After looking SailingDeanna's signature I then assumed it was a review of their last Liberty OTS cruise. We too have had some less that expected quality, etc experiences in a Windjammer or two but did not equate that to all of RCI'd fleet Windjammers. They are what they are and have seen some improvement on the ships we have been on recently.

Sorry, can't comment on the other ships in the fleet. With over 20 RCI ships it is impossible for all to be perfect all the time for a multitude of reasons. My hat is off to those that work in the RCI restaurants for their commitment to doing the best they can with a very restricted budget!!! Edited January 10, 2014 by Scotty G