Giavanni's: Yay or Nay?

[loyola00]

So I would like to try Giavanni's when we sail on the Allure, but what about the kids? . I looked at the dinner menu and I'm concerned that they may have difficulty picking a dish. Do they ever offer the traditional dishes such as spaghetti or lasagna?

 

I think I remember reading that lasagna may be an option, but only during dinner.

[drmomsc]

My teens love Giovanni's!! We all loved it so much, we went twice.

 

 

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[crookedhalo]

We had dinner there recently and loved it.

 

I did hear that the lunch menu has more of the traditional (read expected) Italian fare - might be good option for your kids;)

[loyola00]

Thanks for the replies. I was looking forward to being more adventurous. Since they are 2 & 8 they may not be thrilled.

[ksawyercruiser]

We went there for dinner. Delicious! The waiter told my 9 year old daughter she could have any pasta and sauce she wanted. She chose penne with Alfredo. They were very accommodating to my kids.

 

Enjoy!!

 

 

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[oldmancurtis]

we just went for first time last week on indy of seas. there was 8 of us so we ordered family style of several items and it was great.

[Aggies9698]

We went to Giovanni's a few times on our May 2013 Allure cruise. We loved having lunch there on embarkation day. We really love the lasagna from the lunch menu and had no trouble getting it the 2 times we ate dinner there. I bet your kids would love it!

[karmacats]

So I would like to try Giavanni's when we sail on the Allure, but what about the kids? . I looked at the dinner menu and I'm concerned that they may have difficulty picking a dish. Do they ever offer the traditional dishes such as spaghetti or lasagna?

 

I think I remember reading that lasagna may be an option, but only during dinner.

 

Lasagna is only on the lunch menu. Some people have reported getting it for dinner when they asked, even though it's not on the menu, so you might just want to swing by the restaurant the day of your reservation and request the lasagna for your kids that night. I'd definitely try to get there if you can - the food is delicious!

[Big_G]

Yay! If you plan on doing Giovanni's for lunch on embarkation day, I would make a reservation. We read here that it wasn't necessary and never busy but we got lucky by boarding early. We went straight to the the restaurant and found it empty. By 1:00 pm there was a line out the door. Apparently that's where the complementary lunch for the B2B cruisers is located.

[Rala]

We went to Giovanni's twice on our recent Indy cruise. It was great and I am sure that they could provide a dish of "plainer" pasta with butter or oil or tomato sauce. There is also gnocchi(small potato dumplings) which is pretty innocuous(but still tasty) with tomato sauce or butter. Some of the dishes we ordered were not overly fancy or spicy and a child might like them. They were all delicious and they are served so that everyone can help themselves to a little or a lot. My friend has a very bland palate and she found several dishes to her liking. The service was great and very accomodating.:)

[Alamogirl]

We eat at Giovanni's on every cruise at last twice and we have seen the waitors be very accommodating when it comes to kids. My husbands favorite is the Osso Bucco !

[Thetrail]

So I would like to try Giavanni's when we sail on the Allure, but what about the kids? . I looked at the dinner menu and I'm concerned that they may have difficulty picking a dish. Do they ever offer the traditional dishes such as spaghetti or lasagna?

 

I think I remember reading that lasagna may be an option, but only during dinner.

GiOvanni's was excellent and enjoyed by all in our group from 12 to 70.....K.O.....:)

[Texmike]

Do they have traditional spaghetti and meatball or just meat sauce?

[Aggies9698]

Yay! If you plan on doing Giovanni's for lunch on embarkation day, I would make a reservation. We read here that it wasn't necessary and never busy but we got lucky by boarding early. We went straight to the the restaurant and found it empty. By 1:00 pm there was a line out the door. Apparently that's where the complementary lunch for the B2B cruisers is located.

 

Yes, make a reservation! You won't be sorry!

[CroozDoggie]

[QUOTE=Alamogirl;42057688]We eat at Giovanni's on every cruise at last twice and we have seen the waitors be very accommodating when it comes to kids. My husbands favorite is the Osso Bucco !

 

OMG How good is the Osso Buco? I look forward to having it on every cruise!:D:D

[oneputt18]

The variety is the best part of Giovannis

 

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[stahlee]

They have quite a few items available that are not on the menu. Spaghetti and lasagna are available, but you can ask your waiter and they'll let you know what they have.

[Topo Gigio]

A big yay!

[hairymelon]

A big yay from me too. The food is delicious and my husband isn't in to Italian food so they got him a steak from Chops instead. They are so obliging and will do anything to give you a good experience so sure your children will be fine :)

[jc24cruiser]

I have never eaten in any speciality restaurants as we have always stuck to the MDR.

 

But I am a sucker for Italian food and this post has made me want to try out Giovanni's so thank you to everyone who posted :)

 

Although I am now craving spaghetti and meatballs at 7:30 am :confused:

[The_Big_M]

I'll be the naysayer, especially as you mention it's for kids.

 

Our dinner session took 2h 45 to be done, and we had to call a waiter to get them to move it. It was just way too long, with too much waiting.

[Rala]

I'll be the naysayer, especially as you mention it's for kids.

 

Our dinner session took 2h 45 to be done, and we had to call a waiter to get them to move it. It was just way too long, with too much waiting.

 

Sorry you had a bad experience, but the OP and others should know that this is not the norm in any of the specialty restaurants that we have visited and we have done so numerous times on many different ships. Unless you WANT a really slow leisurely service, the dinners we have experienced have never been more than 2 hours max. Also, if you have young ones with you who may get fidgety, just ask the waitstaff to shorten up the wait between courses. They are happy to oblige. Unless your party is really large, you can probably be out in about 90 minutes or so. OP, Giovanni's is great...hope you enjoy it!:)

[Jobeth66]

Does anyone know if they'll serve the lamb chops at lunch? :)

[The_Big_M]

Sorry you had a bad experience, but the OP and others should know that this is not the norm in any of the specialty restaurants that we have visited and we have done so numerous times on many different ships. Unless you WANT a really slow leisurely service, the dinners we have experienced have never been more than 2 hours max. Also, if you have young ones with you who may get fidgety, just ask the waitstaff to shorten up the wait between courses. They are happy to oblige. Unless your party is really large, you can probably be out in about 90 minutes or so. OP, Giovanni's is great...hope you enjoy it!:)

 

The fact it can happen, and the fact it wasn't handled well, is a warning about what may occur. It wasn't even like other restaurants where they'll say something will take a certain time, or just apologise for the wait when something went wrong, and try to proactively deal with the situation. They just didn't manage their operations well.

 

It's an accurate reflection of their situation, so something to be aware of. Just because it's not the norm doesn't mean it should be disregarded.

[Rala]

The fact it can happen, and the fact it wasn't handled well, is a warning about what may occur. It wasn't even like other restaurants where they'll say something will take a certain time, or just apologise for the wait when something went wrong, and try to proactively deal with the situation. They just didn't manage their operations well.

 

It's an accurate reflection of their situation, so something to be aware of. Just because it's not the norm doesn't mean it should be disregarded.

 

I was not suggesting that the post be disregarded at all. I was only pointing out that the bad experience that poster had most likely has less of a chance of happening than the good experiences many others recounted. Sorry if you took offense...not my intention.