Speciality Restaurants - are we the only ones who feel like this?

[rjrpar]

Interesting topic. I was thinking we were cruising too frequently, and that is why it seemed less compelling.

 

Murano is nice, loved the old goat cheese soufflé, but it's preparation is different now. Somehow the main courses are the ones that don't seem to work for me.

 

We have been blessed with good service at Tuscan. It is a rich experience though and could not imagine going more than once a week.

 

Qzine does not seem to have great food to me, just novel food. Had one poor service and food experience at the Asian resturant and haven't been back.

 

I think if I wasn't onboard so often, I would be less picky about it.

 

We have noticed a change in quality in the Starters. What happened to the jumbo shrimp cocktail? Seems like too many choices are comprised of cheaper ingredients - pears, melons, pastas. RCCL has done the same in their specialty restaurants. Bad enough getting inexpensive starters with fancy names in he MDR.

[Gracie115]

We think Tuscan far superior to Murano's but agree with poster that said the food is so rich, once a cruise, or twice at most if it's a longer trip.....

 

Our first trip to Normandie 13 years ago was superb...nothing has come close to equaling that and Murano's has been weak in comparison....not worth the money....

[20pluscruises]

We have noticed a change in quality in the Starters. What happened to the jumbo shrimp cocktail? Seems like too many choices are comprised of cheaper ingredients - pears, melons, pastas. RCCL has done the same in their specialty restaurants. Bad enough getting inexpensive starters with fancy names in he MDR.

 

Ditto in Blu...when I see two appitizers that are good I will order one as my app and the one as my soup and/or salad course...and don't get me started on how bad the soup is....use to look forward to the cold creamy soups.

 

I have noticed if a dish in Blu is good...it is a very, very small portion...sad when you hope to actually see a small portion served. :( :eek:

[riredsox]

The prices have gotten out of control for these restaurants! Funny how Tuscan is our favorite but is the cheapest! I agree they need to switch the menus around. If you ask for a discount they usually give you one on your second visit!

[Pilot70D]

I would also agree that the menu is not the most exciting.

 

Whilst we enjoyed Murano on Silhouette, we found our experience in Ocean Liners on Constellation and SS United States on Infinity far better. The Quality of both the food and service was fantastic on the M class ships.

 

On our last 10 night cruise we dined in SS United States on 2 evenings and would have booked additional nights if the menu was improved/changed.

 

We tried Qsine once on Silhouette and really didn't enjoy the experience. We felt that it was just poor quality food presented in a fancy way.

 

We experienced virtually the same thing. Before our most recent New Year's cruise on the Eclipse we were on two week long cruises aboard the Century and before that the Constellation. On each of these cruises we ate in the up scale restaurants 10 out of the fourteen nights. We ate in the equivalent of Murano's aboard each vessel. We found the food and the service was MUCH better aboard those ships. On our most recent cruise, our first aboard an 'S' class ship, we were disappointed in the food and the service in Murano's. We switched to the Tuscan Grill and found both the food and the service were top notch. Furthermore everyone associated with the Tuscan Grill took time to make us feel especially welcome. In Murano's we couldn't tell if anyone gave a damn if we were there or not. I will point out that we purchased the Ultimate Dining Package so we ate in all of the upscale venues. I don't know if having this package changed their out look in Murano's or not.

 

As other posters have written we too noticed that several things had been eliminated form the menu at Murano's. We originally started out with reservations every evening in Murano's except one but soon changed that to the Tuscan grill.

 

We definitely miss the days where you could get offmenu items, but we were told it simply isn't possible anymore the way it used to be. We also miss the over the top service and live music at Murano.

 

That being said... we still find the ambiance, service, and food in the specialty restaurants much better than in the MDR (at least on the S class), so we will likely continue to purchase the Ultimate Specialty package most of the time.

 

We too were very disappointed when after dining in Murano's twice we inquired about something off the menu. They politely declined to make anything other than those things on the menu. The only exception was that we could have a lobster tail added to anything on the menu. On both the Connie and the Century they offered to make anything for which they had the ingredients regardless of whether it was on the menu or not. Three or four nights we simply said surprise us and they did with really great meals. They got to strut their stuff so to speak making their favorite specialty things all of which were prepared tableside. Now in Murano's very little is prepared tableside. Fortunately I have a lot of pictures we took in Ocean Liners. I can look back at them and remember how it used to be.

 

The bottom line was that we felt that the food while still good had slipped in Murano's. We felt that the Tuscan Grill on the Eclipse at least was better than it was on the Constellation. We ended up dining in the Tuscan Grill either nine or ten nights. Unlike Murano's the staff in the Tuscan Grill offered to make us virtually anything we wanted. They seemed to be delighted that we were there which was a stark contrast to Murano's.

 

We tried Quisine and found the food was OK, not great but not bad either. We were disappointed in Blue when we ate there. The Bistro On Five was a real gem from both a service and a food point of view. We divided our lunches between there and the buffet. Incidentally we found the food at lunchtime in the buffet to be very good. We also had a cheeseburger or two from the Lawn Grill. Those were as good as they have always been. Unfortunately they have eliminated the onion rings that used to be available there.

 

I hope this information is somehow helpful. Please bear in mind that this is my opinion of the food in the upscale restaurants as they exist today. Fortunately or unfortunately I do have an extensive basis for comparison going back for two years now.

 

Everyone have a great week out there and go enjoy that next cruise. We surely intend to do just that!!!

:)

Edited January 27, 2014 by Pilot70D

[Gracie115]

Ditto in Blu...when I see two appitizers that are good I will order one as my app and the one as my soup and/or salad course...and don't get me started on how bad the soup is....use to look forward to the cold creamy soups.

 

I have noticed if a dish in Blu is good...it is a very, very small portion...sad when you hope to actually see a small portion served. :( :eek:

 

 

One of the reasons the portions are "smaller" in Blu is it is supposed to be a more healthy alternative. Have been in AQ for the last several cruises, precisely because of Blu...have YET to ever go away hungry.....and I like to eat.....if you need more they will bring more but with all the opportunities EVERYWHERE on a ship to eat all day every day the smaller portions at Blu are VERY appealing to me and my DH....our last adventure in Blu was on the Connie and it was great!!! We see no reason to waste $$ in Murano anymore, it just isn't worth the money for a few reasons not the least of which is what the OP here said, they just aren't as good as they once were.....

[Redtravel]

I have dined at many of specialty restaurants. Menus do not change. Although nice, it has become dull. On my last 2 cruises, we never went to them. Also, the $45pp added charge is turning people away. Last week we were on the Eclipse. MDR was excellent. We saw new items on the menus. Found no desire to go to any place else for dinner. It is time for the specialty restaurants to change. The Lawn Club was Different. It has already closed on the Eclipse. There is a lot of resistance to paying extra for anything. The added cost for yogurt at the Aqua Spa Grill is absurd. The added cost for items on the room service menu is also bad. $20 extra for a steak.....feel sorry for folks who just want a quiet dinner in their cabin. They are reduced to hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, and some cold sandwiches. Most other hot items cost extra. Gone are the days when you could order a quiet dinner just like the MDR in your cabin. I fondly remember some romantic dinners just the 2 of us.

[Despegue]

Lawn Club Grill never existed on Eclipse.

[Gracie115]

. The Lawn Club was Different. It has already closed on the Eclipse. .

 

Agree with most of your points...however there was NEVER a Lawn Club grill on Eclipse, it has the hot glass show. Only Silhouette and Reflection have the grill...which we DO still enjoy...:)

[pris993]

We are elite on Celebrity, elite on Princess, cruise HAL (2 Star), Cunard and NCL recently.

 

For years we have thought the food on Celebrity was over rated, not really any better than other lines. We tried BLU, not impressed, MDR on X too noisy and crowded for our enjoyment. Have found on X the buffet is our best option, lots of variety. When we travel we typically picnic any way, we can easily do that with the buffet.

 

We do the same on other lines, if we find we are not satisfied with food and service in the MDR, we skip it, enjoy a nice picnic late lunch from the buffet and we are more than satisfied.

 

We cruise for ports any way. We eat and cook better at home.

[cruisegirl1]

I find this thread interesting. It appears that many who posted to those thread are frequent cruisers. Is it possible that the frequent cruising (particularly to one line) causes the comments.

 

We too are frequent cruisers and years ago we were so excited when speciality restaurants were offered because we were tired of the dining room. So now, we visited the restaurants every cruise over the years and yes, we are tired of that experience too. We cruise many times during a year, so it gets old. I don't fault the cruise line. On our last cruise, we didn't even bother going to the dinner speciality restaurants. It was not because the food had declined, I think the allure of the speciality restaurant is gone for us.

 

Please remember that your cruise experience may be different from that first time cruiser or the person who cruises once every five years. So many cruise experiences that we take for granted, ( becase we've "done that" dozens of times) they find fantastic.

 

We love to watch newer cruisers around the ship as they take everything in.

 

Just a thought.

 

M

[Cruise a holic]

I find this thread interesting. It appears that many who posted to those thread are frequent cruisers. Is it possible that the frequent cruising (particularly to one line) causes the comments.

 

We too are frequent cruisers and years ago we were so excited when speciality restaurants were offered because we were tired of the dining room. So now, we visited the restaurants every cruise over the years and yes, we are tired of that experience too. We cruise many times during a year, so it gets old. I don't fault the cruise line. On our last cruise, we didn't even bother going to the dinner speciality restaurants. It was not because the food had declined, I think the allure of the speciality restaurant is gone for us.

 

Please remember that your cruise experience may be different from that first time cruiser or the person who cruises once every five years. So many cruise experiences that we take for granted, ( becase we've "done that" dozens of times) they find fantastic.

 

We love to watch newer cruisers around the ship as they take everything in.

 

Just a thought.

 

M

 

While I will agree that the speciality restaurants perhaps do not modify their menu often enough, as a frequent cruiser, (at least 3 a year) my DH and I prefer the specialty restaurants. We got tired and bored with Blu, and felt that while you have a table for two, you are sitting one foot away from other guests. Enough already with the hummas and carrot sticks.

 

We come from a large family and have demanding public jobs and enjoy time alone on our cruises. In the main dining room the tables for two are poorly located or also close to others. Because the staff has shrunk in the dining room, the staff seems too busy to provide the level of service that we had enjoyed in the past. The menu is banquet style and fair.

 

Perhaps the speciality restaurants do serve the same food- but we do not get bored with broiled lobster tails , good steak, chops, fish and a few other of our favorite dishes. We also enjoy a nice true table for two and a higher level of service.

 

I do agree the price is steep, however if you get a package, you save and the price can be lowered significantly. Also, the ships typically offer specials the first and last evening.

 

This is just my opinion and to each his/her own. I see people spending money on bingo, "art auctions" and the casino. We prefer to spend our ship allowance on speciality restaurants. Since we also book on board, we typically get a nice credit that pays for most of our speciality dining.

 

Just another opinion- enjoy your cruise!

Edited January 28, 2014 by Cruise a holic

[dinosaurdem]

We did the three specialty dining package on the Eclipse. IOHO, in which experience is limited, mainly to RC. Morano, we did the Chateaubriand and found it good but not as good as other, we have enjoyed. Service was lacking and eventually had to flag the sommelier down to pay for wine, after approximately 2.5 hours I was tired of setting. Tuscan, service was not special, good at first then fell apart we actually skipped desert flagged some one down to pay for wine. This was after sitting 15 minutes without water, wine or coffee.with menus in hand. My wife's fish was waaaaaayyyyyy over cooked no one came back to check until too late to wait for another preparation. My lobster, fettuccine, I expected chunks of lobster, after several people raved about it,NOT, just tiny pieces.

As mentioned above, the staff looked over taxed with work.

Now Qzine, was spectacular in food and especially service. However one must be careful not to eat/order too much they were helpful with this. We really enjoyed the variety of cultural dining samples( for lack of a better word) of course we love exotic dining experiences.

To pay the up charge, foe specially dining,

one thing X should at least include a complimentary non alcoholic coffee with the dinner. I guess that might be a pet peeve of mine, but to charge 2-3 for a espresso is tacky, but I guess all cruise lines do this.

 

It really is a matter of taste. Of all the specialty restaurants, including Bistro, we were least impressed with Qsine. We found it to be ordinary restaurant food served in extraordinary ways. As an entertainment we recommend doing it, once.

[dinosaurdem]

We experienced virtually the same thing. Before our most recent New Year's cruise on the Eclipse we were on two week long cruises aboard the Century and before that the Constellation. On each of these cruises we ate in the up scale restaurants 10 out of the fourteen nights. We ate in the equivalent of Murano's aboard each vessel. We found the food and the service was MUCH better aboard those ships. On our most recent cruise, our first aboard an 'S' class ship, we were disappointed in the food and the service in Murano's. We switched to the Tuscan Grill and found both the food and the service were top notch. Furthermore everyone associated with the Tuscan Grill took time to make us feel especially welcome. In Murano's we couldn't tell if anyone gave a damn if we were there or not. I will point out that we purchased the Ultimate Dining Package so we ate in all of the upscale venues. I don't know if having this package changed their out look in Murano's or not.

 

As other posters have written we too noticed that several things had been eliminated form the menu at Murano's. We originally started out with reservations every evening in Murano's except one but soon changed that to the Tuscan grill.

 

 

 

We too were very disappointed when after dining in Murano's twice we inquired about something off the menu. They politely declined to make anything other than those things on the menu. The only exception was that we could have a lobster tail added to anything on the menu. On both the Connie and the Century they offered to make anything for which they had the ingredients regardless of whether it was on the menu or not. Three or four nights we simply said surprise us and they did with really great meals. They got to strut their stuff so to speak making their favorite specialty things all of which were prepared tableside. Now in Murano's very little is prepared tableside. Fortunately I have a lot of pictures we took in Ocean Liners. I can look back at them and remember how it used to be.

 

The bottom line was that we felt that the food while still good had slipped in Murano's. We felt that the Tuscan Grill on the Eclipse at least was better than it was on the Constellation. We ended up dining in the Tuscan Grill either nine or ten nights. Unlike Murano's the staff in the Tuscan Grill offered to make us virtually anything we wanted. They seemed to be delighted that we were there which was a stark contrast to Murano's.

 

We tried Quisine and found the food was OK, not great but not bad either. We were disappointed in Blue when we ate there. The Bistro On Five was a real gem from both a service and a food point of view. We divided our lunches between there and the buffet. Incidentally we found the food at lunchtime in the buffet to be very good. We also had a cheeseburger or two from the Lawn Grill. Those were as good as they have always been. Unfortunately they have eliminated the onion rings that used to be available there.

 

I hope this information is somehow helpful. Please bear in mind that this is my opinion of the food in the upscale restaurants as they exist today. Fortunately or unfortunately I do have an extensive basis for comparison going back for two years now.

 

Everyone have a great week out there and go enjoy that next cruise. We surely intend to do just that!!!

:)

 

A few months ago, on Equinox in Murano, we requested and received a magnificent "agneau en croute" and a conversation with the delightful sous chef responsible for the restaurant. On another night when the duck breast was unacceptably tough we were given a complimentary dinner for two.

[Gracie115]

It really is a matter of taste. Of all the specialty restaurants, including Bistro, we were least impressed with Qsine. We found it to be ordinary restaurant food served in extraordinary ways. As an entertainment we recommend doing it, once.

 

Agree about Qsine...except I can only recommend if there are more than 2...such a huge waste of food when only 2 at the table...

[Tudy]

First I want to say that I consider myself to be a foodie. My husband and I have only eaten once at a specialty restaurant. On our first cruise we had a meal at the Tuscan Grill. While we thought it was good, we agreed that it wasn't better than the MDR. So we have not been to a specialty restaurant since. Every now and then I wonder if we should try a specialty restaurant again. I'm thinking, "Not gonna happen."

 

What I really would like to see is a chef's table with wine and food pairings for the entire meal where the chef really has an opportunity to get creative. We were offered this once on a cruise and I deeply regret that we did not do this. We were put off by the astronomical price. Next time. . .especially if the chef cooks the food right there in front of me!

[mahdnc]

 

Murano is nice, loved the old goat cheese soufflé, but it's preparation is different now.

 

We are not frequent cruisers (for many of you its cruises/year, for us its years/cruise). Our family of 4 noticed this change on our Eclipse cruise last month and were a little disappointed with the soufflé compared to what we had in the Normandie back in 2010:

 

Summit (Normandie) Aug 2010:

 

 

Eclipse (Murano) Dec 2013:

[riclop]

This question is for those who eat frequently in the speciality restaurants. We have noticed an increasing number of people who do this and we would like to know if it is just us or has the menu in Murano/Ocean Liners/Olympic/SS United States/Normandie become stale? We much prefer the ambiance in these restaurants over that in the Tuscan Grille [whoes menu we really enjoy] but find ourselves not wanting to order anything on the menu once we are there.

 

I know that they have changed the menu over the years but, when we look back at previous years main courses, it really has not materially changed. The menu has just been tweeked round the edges - different name, different sauce, different presentation. When they add something new, like venison, it is treated in just the same way as everything else. The one thing that seems to have changed is vegetables which have been reduced in both flavour and quantity. Virtually every main course is now a slab of protein with a token garnish. The other courses lack imagination as well.

 

I know that, when you eat in the restaurants a great deal, they will offer to prepare something off the menu but there are two issues with this. 1. What they offer is really just a slightly different presentation of the same. [The exception to this is Fernado's Stroganoff - where is he now?] 2. With staffing severely reduced, these items are offered much less often.

 

I know that there are people who only treat themselves to one speciality dining meal per cruise and look forward to particluar items. That is often the reason given for not changing the menu.

 

This is not a frivolous question. We have never been to a show on board and a leisurely evening meal is one of the reasons we enjoy a cruise. We have albums full of photograps of food and menus. We started to think that it was just us but we still enjoy our pre-cruise, post-cruise and between-cruise restaurant meals. It has made us question if we should still be cruising.

 

So, is it just us or do others feel the same?

You sound cruised-out.

[Pilot70D]

What I really would like to see is a chef's table with wine and food pairings for the entire meal where the chef really has an opportunity to get creative. We were offered this once on a cruise and I deeply regret that we did not do this. We were put off by the astronomical price. Next time. . .especially if the chef cooks the food right there in front of me!

We did the Chef's Table on our New Year's cruise aboard the Eclipse. This was our third Chef's Table dinner and it was a major disappointment compared to the previous two, one aboard the Connie and the other aboard the Century.

 

This Chef's Table was held in Murano's instead of in the galley itself. No ship's officer hosted this one. The executive chef put in an appearance at the beginning. He had to leave and told us that he would return. That never happened. One person attending this dinner fell ill during the first two courses and left the table. No one noticed this and dishes for this person kept appearing as the dinner wore on. We were often ignored by the staff in Murano's for much of the evening once the Chef disappeared.

 

It was from our point of view a major disaster dinner. Bear in mind that participants are paying well over a $100 per person to attend the Chef's Table dinner. We don't intend to do another one.

:mad::mad::mad:

[Gracie115]

We are not frequent cruisers (for many of you its cruises/year, for us its years/cruise). Our family of 4 noticed this change on our Eclipse cruise last month and were a little disappointed with the soufflé compared to what we had in the Normandie back in 2010:

 

Summit (Normandie) Aug 2010:

 

 

Eclipse (Murano) Dec 2013:

 

WOW!! Those two pictures pretty much sum up the entire thread.....and definitively show the deteriorating quality of, at the very least, the supposed "higher end" Specialty Restaurants on X.....

[Adammara]

We have been cruising for 23 years, and when we started the food and service put a lot of local restaurants to shame. Sadly, now we find that the reverse is true, now we have local owned restaurants, gastro pubs and even some chain restaurants offering far better service and food than on board.

 

We are 'cruised out' and now take land based holidays, We are taking a holiday in May, and the local Michelin 1 Star restaurant costs £45 for a 3 course meal, it will be interesting to compare it with Celebrity speciality restaurants.

 

Richard

[screwsmcernst]

We will be sailing on the Summit next January, we have looked at the menus for Normandie and Qsine, and we were disappointed in the offerings, so we decided not to eat in any of the specialty restaurants. We have sailed the Summit a few years ago, and we were happy with the offerings in the MDR. I'm sure that will be fine.

 

We sailed on Carnival a last year, and we had one of our best meals EVER, land or sea, in their specialty steak house. It was amazing. I was hoping for a similar experience next year, but alas, I just don't think we are French cuisine people.:(

[warmwinds]

We ate in the Olympic 10 years ago, and it was good, not great. Took way too long. Since our upcoming cruise is 14 days on the Summit, we thought we'd give it another try (the Normandie, but same menu). I was also surprised that so little has changed in terms of the offerings, but many of them are "classic" French dishes so you would not expect them to change too much.

 

I do have a question about some of the pictures someone posted in this thread, not about the goat cheese soufflé, but about the potato laced turbot (I think that's what it was). 2 pictures were shown, one where the lacy potato was very high, like a fan. I thought it was implied that is how it USED to be. But I just was on the Celebrity website and that is the picture that is still shown in the specialty restaurants section.

 

So I'm a little confused.

 

I'm wondering if it just a different chef (on a different ship's) interpretation to present it differently? If the taste is still the same (good) I'm ok with that. I'm just wondering of Celebrity is keeping really old pictures on their website instead of representing things the way they really are today?

[royalcruz]

We just finished our second cruise with Celebrity - first one on Equinox in 2011, this one on Reflection. ... They've reduced it from three courses to two (though I would assume you can request a third course if you want) and raised the price precipitously. Given these changes, we weren't tempted to return, though we might have if the menu had been revamped.

 

I'm not sure why you think they only have 2 courses...You are encouraged to order a first course, entree, dessert, and cheese course...that's 4 courses. In addition, I usually order a soup AND a first course and I have never been told no. I don't eat dessert, so I still have 4 courses.

[CathyCruises]

I'm just wondering of Celebrity is keeping really old pictures on their website instead of representing things the way they really are today?

 

This made me chuckle--I haven't checked lately, but for some years after the advent of S Class ships, the picture of the FV on the website was from an M Class ship--and they are totally and completely different--the S Class FV is 575 square feet with two separate bedrooms, a huge living/dining room, etc. So I would not be at all surprised if the food pics were a bit. . .antique!