Mdr explorer food

[Maureenie Beanie]

Just off the Explorer and I must say that the food selection has really changed. We are not new to this ship. Smaller portions, including the ceaser salad. The wait staff was increadable but the food. It was NEVER HOT. It was not just 1 dish, but most dishes.

 

I have read several posts on changed food menu to better, I really didn't see this.

 

I will admit that the soups in the Windjammer was always hot and delish.

Edited April 1, 2014 by Maureenie Beanie

[diggers dad]

Just off the Explorer and I must say that the food selection has really changed. We are not new to this ship. Smaller portions, including the ceaser salad. The wait staff was increadable but the food. It was NEVER HOT. It was not just 1 dish, but most dishes.

 

I have read several posts on changed food menu to better, I really didn't see this.

 

I will admit that the soups in the Windjammer was always hot and delish.

 

We too just came off the Explorer (Saturday) and thought the food in the main dining room was very good. If you think the portions are too small, just ask for another serving and you will receive it with no problem.

 

The portions provided to us were large enough that we left the table feeling stuffed every evening.

 

We have sailed the Explorer several times before and even though there are some changes to the menu, it is pretty much like it has always been.

[steveru621]

Just off the Explorer and I must say that the food selection has really changed. We are not new to this ship. Smaller portions, including the Caesar salad. The wait staff was incredible but the food. It was NEVER HOT. It was not just 1 dish, but most dishes.

 

I have read several posts on changed food menu to better, I really didn't see this.

 

I will admit that the soups in the Windjammer was always hot and delish.

 

We too just came off the Explorer (Saturday) and thought the food in the main dining room was very good. If you think the portions are too small, just ask for another serving and you will receive it with no problem.

 

The portions provided to us were large enough that we left the table feeling stuffed every evening.

 

We have sailed the Explorer several times before and even though there are some changes to the menu, it is pretty much like it has always been.

 

We were all on the same ship! I agree with both assessments.

 

It's a, now that I think of it, the Caesar salad portion was smaller. The food wasn't hot, but it almost never is in the MDR.

[kruzerci]

I think luke-warm is the new normal with Royal Caribbean MDR food.

 

I can't remember the last "good" meal we had in the dining room. We've practically been forced to specialty restaurants for a decent meal as far as I'm concerned!

[kruzerci]

On another note, how was the ship??

[EmpressofPurple]

Wow, I'm SO surprised at these poor-to-middling assessments of food in the MDR!! I loved the food on Oasis last December and was sure that it was because it was the "big new ship" and that I'd be disappointed on Explorer this past week... but I was pleasantly surprised to find everything was delicious and our MDR service was terrific!!

 

(For foodies: I am a lifelong NYC resident, an adventurous eater who has tried wide range of restaurants throughout the city and around the world... I am not used to diner fare or simple cooking -- although I enjoy both -- and have experienced the best restaurants in the world, so this is a strong positive review for RCI.)

 

(Also, I was on Explorer about two years ago, and food quality was NOT as good at that time; service, especially breakfast service, was notably poorer than it is today. I am not a mindless cheerleader, and often offer harsh critiques -- so if I compliment food and service, I mean it! I also do my best to describe what I like or dislike in detail, so even if your tastes or preferences are different from my own, you can form a judgment based on my description rather than just saying "it's great" or "I hate it." That's why it's helpful to hear specific concerns such as portion size or temperature from the earlier posters.)

 

At the MDR, one of our tablemates had a lukewarm entree and asked the waiter to heat it up... he removed it and brought her a fresh, hot, new entree. I never had any complaints about taste, texture, heat, visual presentation, or portion size... the last probably because I tend to order 2-3 starters (soup, salad, appetizer) and often more than one entree (and dessert) as well!! If they were hefty portions I'd be in real trouble.

 

FYI, I had the unexpected pleasure to be invited on the executive chef's (Gary Thomas) galley tour, in which we saw him tasting the day's dishes and quizzing his chefs on each menu item ("Yes, Chef!"). Chef Gary is in charge of FOUR ships (including Oasis, no wonder the food quality is similar!) and has to entrust his sous chefs and assistant sous chefs with ensuring quality while he is traveling to one of his other ships.

 

Each chef (butcher, fish, baker, pastry, saucier, etc.) is in charge of a very high-budget area the size of a medium-sized business, with large numbers of staff, etc., etc. Each one is like a business owner, responsible for customer satisfaction, food taste and presentation, as well as meeting budget requirements. Very impressive -- but honestly, I was in love with the food long before I attended this tour on the last day of the cruise!

 

Anyway, for those worried about portion sizes, just order double-portions (or try a second dish)... and for those worried about heat, just (politely) ask your server to heat it up for you -- and you'll probably get a brand-new serving!

 

I had a number of "old favorites" I had ordered on many cruises... this time I branched out and tried a number of dishes I had never had before, and I was NEVER disappointed, even with items outside of my knowledge. What great fun to have such a wide range of choices every day!!!

[steveru621]

On another note, how was the ship??

 

Cruise Critic is part of my problem. People point out things I probably would not have noticed.

 

We had a wonderful time and would not hesitate to book her tomorrow.

 

But... 90% of the ship is perfect. I have never seen more energy from the RCI singers and dancers! The 10%; Explorer needs to be sand blasted and repainted. It's not just the normal rust, but the paint is peeling in many spots. Our JS balcony was in horrible shape. The are many windows that need to replaced; all over. The double pane vacuum is broken and they are permanently dirty in between the panes of glass.

 

But we had a wonderful time, and would do it again tomorrow.

[Merion_Mom]

Cruise Critic is part of my problem. People point out things I probably would not have noticed.

 

We had a wonderful time and would not hesitate to book her tomorrow.

 

But... 90% of the ship is perfect. I have never seen more energy from the RCI singers and dancers! The 10%; Explorer needs to be sand blasted and repainted. It's not just the normal rust, but the paint is peeling in many spots. Our JS balcony was in horrible shape. The are many windows that need to replaced; all over. The double pane vacuum is broken and they are permanently dirty in between the panes of glass.

 

But we had a wonderful time, and would do it again tomorrow.

 

I agree about the balconies.

 

I am having no problems in the dining room - except for the fleet-wide cutbacks in the variety of breads served.

 

:)

[scooter90]

The 10%; Explorer needs to be sand blasted and repainted. It's not just the normal rust, but the paint is peeling in many spots. Our JS balcony was in horrible shape. The are many windows that need to replaced; all over. The double pane vacuum is broken and they are permanently dirty in between the panes of glass.

 

But we had a wonderful time, and would do it again tomorrow.

 

We were also on the same sailing. We received a notice early in the cruise that our balcony was scheduled for a 3 hour maintenance renovation on Coco Cay Day. Since we never tendered due to bad weather, that maintenance work was never completed during our cruise.

 

Some parts of the ship are showing some wear, but it gets allot of use/abuse every week! The crew was amazing. The best cabin steward we have ever had, the serving crew at our MTD was excellent....our food was not piping hot but edible warm....never met a crew member who didn't smile and say hello....one evening my DH forgot his glasses at dinner so I ran back to our cabin....ran into the Captain cutting down our hallway to the Windjammer! LOL

[ladylikes2cruise]

also just off the Explorer.....we ate 4 out of the 8 nights in the MDR.

3 of the nights, menu wasn't appealing to us ( of course, YMMV) and one night too exhausted to go. MDR servers were amazing and timed the courses, so there wasn't a lag time. We had prepaid our gratuities, so they would still receive them. Breakfast was good everyday. Lunch was a hit or miss. In any event, we didn't go hungry:p

Felt the ship was in good shape and counting the months down till we sail her again:D

[SECdawg]

Did anyone who sailed recently attend the nightly diamond event? If so, where was it held? Do they still serve the same nut mix for snacks? we just booked Explorer for December. Can't wait!

[jemsjens]

If we are am served cold to luke warm food, we simply send it back; after the second time the serving staff makes sure our food is hot. If more people would simply send the cold food back there would not a problem.

[Merion_Mom]

Did anyone who sailed recently attend the nightly diamond event? If so, where was it held? Do they still serve the same nut mix for snacks? we just booked Explorer for December. Can't wait!

 

Congratulations. You have just been promoted. Instead of your previous restrictions on the Explorer, you now have three vouchers on your SeaPass every day. You can use them at any bar (except MDR, Windjammer or specialty restaurants) for a standard drink (list available on board and on Cruise Critic), beer, wine or soda. (5p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)

 

Please tip your servers for your free drinks.

 

:)

Edited April 1, 2014 by Merion_Mom

[CaroleV]

We just got off the Explorer on Saturday too. Almost every night around 8:00 went went to Maharaja's for the Diamond event. Three drinks per diamond is great. My husband had a Baileys every night but there was a lot of wine drinking going on. I'm sure if you have more than 3 it would be no problem if you are a regular.

Maharaja's has a nice quiet elegent feel to it. Our server was such a doll that she hugged us when we left. The whole staff on the ship was wonderful. We will be sailing again Nov 1st & our server told us that the drink servers rotate every 2 weeks. Hopefully we will see her again for the diamond event since friendly atmosphere makes it nice to talk to our server. They were all great in the diamond lounge. Enjoy.

[CaroleV]

Forgot to add....nuts included.

[SECdawg]

Drink vouchers sound good to me. I do enjoy getting to know other frequent cruisers in the Diamond lounge/event, but it will be nice to try other bars as well.

[TOM CRUIZES]

Wow, I'm SO surprised at these poor-to-middling assessments of food in the MDR!! I loved the food on Oasis last December and was sure that it was because it was the "big new ship" and that I'd be disappointed on Explorer this past week... but I was pleasantly surprised to find everything was delicious and our MDR service was terrific!!

 

(For foodies: I am a lifelong NYC resident, an adventurous eater who has tried wide range of restaurants throughout the city and around the world... I am not used to diner fare or simple cooking -- although I enjoy both -- and have experienced the best restaurants in the world, so this is a strong positive review for RCI.)

 

(Also, I was on Explorer about two years ago, and food quality was NOT as good at that time; service, especially breakfast service, was notably poorer than it is today. I am not a mindless cheerleader, and often offer harsh critiques -- so if I compliment food and service, I mean it! I also do my best to describe what I like or dislike in detail, so even if your tastes or preferences are different from my own, you can form a judgment based on my description rather than just saying "it's great" or "I hate it." That's why it's helpful to hear specific concerns such as portion size or temperature from the earlier posters.)

 

At the MDR, one of our tablemates had a lukewarm entree and asked the waiter to heat it up... he removed it and brought her a fresh, hot, new entree. I never had any complaints about taste, texture, heat, visual presentation, or portion size... the last probably because I tend to order 2-3 starters (soup, salad, appetizer) and often more than one entree (and dessert) as well!! If they were hefty portions I'd be in real trouble.

 

FYI, I had the unexpected pleasure to be invited on the executive chef's (Gary Thomas) galley tour, in which we saw him tasting the day's dishes and quizzing his chefs on each menu item ("Yes, Chef!"). Chef Gary is in charge of FOUR ships (including Oasis, no wonder the food quality is similar!) and has to entrust his sous chefs and assistant sous chefs with ensuring quality while he is traveling to one of his other ships.

 

Each chef (butcher, fish, baker, pastry, saucier, etc.) is in charge of a very high-budget area the size of a medium-sized business, with large numbers of staff, etc., etc. Each one is like a business owner, responsible for customer satisfaction, food taste and presentation, as well as meeting budget requirements. Very impressive -- but honestly, I was in love with the food long before I attended this tour on the last day of the cruise!

 

Anyway, for those worried about portion sizes, just order double-portions (or try a second dish)... and for those worried about heat, just (politely) ask your server to heat it up for you -- and you'll probably get a brand-new serving!

 

I had a number of "old favorites" I had ordered on many cruises... this time I branched out and tried a number of dishes I had never had before, and I was NEVER disappointed, even with items outside of my knowledge. What great fun to have such a wide range of choices every day!!!

 

 

Like your comments and have to agree with you, if portions are too small get another one, we like our food hot and have a little chat with the Waiter at the start of the Cruise and tell him that, sometimes you still get a cool one but you only have to mention it and they change it immediately. We also find the more we interact with our Wait Staff the more we get out of the Cruise.

[Barb Nahoumi]

By adding other courses such as soup, salad and dessert, the portion size was fine with DH & me.

 

Our Explorer waitstaff, Courtney & Imade, gave superb service.

[kruzerci]

Drink vouchers sound good to me. I do enjoy getting to know other frequent cruisers in the Diamond lounge/event, but it will be nice to try other bars as well.

 

Yeah, I'm excited about the addition of the drink vouchers, especially since Explorer doesnt have the DL yet. I'd much rather have a drink in the Viking Crown than down in Maharaja's without a view!

 

What December sailing are you on?

[steveru621]

The actual food is really not that important to me. The dining experience is.

 

I usually order Caesar salad plus another appetizer. Since we always do late seating there is usually plenty of leftovers :) to experiment. Frankly my waistline could use smaller portions, so it's not a problem if RCI downsizes some food choices.

[SECdawg]

Yeah, I'm excited about the addition of the drink vouchers, especially since Explorer doesnt have the DL yet. I'd much rather have a drink in the Viking Crown than down in Maharaja's without a view!

 

What December sailing are you on?

We just booked December 18th. DS will be home from his first semester at college so we are going for a little relaxation before Christmas.

[2calgarycruisers]

Personally I'm also much happier with smaller portions so you can try more things. Although I have cruised yet I've read many places that you can order more than one so maybe next time asked for a double portion or one and a half?