Please share your S-Class MDR experience regarding QUALITY of food

[Karynanne]

We live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and have dined in a many very good restaurants. It's difficult to compare large venue dining to small specialized restaurants.

 

But on the whole we feel that the MDR food is very good. Once in awhile there is a specific dish that's not up to par, but most of the time we enjoy our meals.

 

Karyn

[stickey_mouse]

Hypothetically, if you see another appetizer or dessert that catches your eye, can you ask for two?

[NLH Arizona]

Hypothetically, if you see another appetizer or dessert that catches your eye, can you ask for two?

Yes you can.

[rubydoobydoo]

Some of the dishes we had on Eclipse

 

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Edited May 22, 2014 by rubydoobydoo

[El Crucero]

Just returned from a B2B on Constellation, one leg of which was TA in MDR and one leg in BLU. We were on Connie for a 12 day cruise in MDR 18 months ago (before Connie was "solsticized") so we could directly compare then and now.

 

Service in MDR was not as good as 18 months ago. We believe that some of the wait staff in MDR has been shifted to BLU where the service was "above excellent". We believe that this trend will continue as X adds a private dining room for suite guests and more MDR wait staff will be shifted to suite dining room.

 

Food quality was equal in MDR from then to now which we rate as "above average." Food quality in BLU was "excellent." The odd thing is that some menu items in BLU are the same as MDR! I think it is all a matter of perception. The food just states better and looks more appetizing with better, personalized service, sitting right next to an ocean view window, maybe a little fresher, and everyone knows your name. We are hooked on BLU!

 

Our wait staff in the MDR was good, but not quite as good as 18 months ago. I think it might have been a cultural difference. We just didn't "bond" with these guys like we did on the previous cruise. Our wait staff then might have been just as harried but they never let it show while the the wait staff in the MDR on this cruise was harried and they did let it show. They did try hard, maybe too hard. However, they always accommodated our every request even though it might have taken a bit too long. For example our table of six all wanted Key Lime pie for desert one night which was not on the menu. Our head waiter said that the kitchen didn't have any that night and even if they did, we wouldn't want any because it would be stale. He promised that he would have the kitchen make us a special Key Lime pie for our last formal night. We thought, "sure you will." But there it was on the promised night, a whole, fresh Key Lime pie just for our table. We got glares from the surrounding tables! Delicious! If we wanted seconds (even on lobster) or two appetizers, or salads, or deserts - no problem. One night I didn't want an entree so I ordered three shrimp cocktails. I was asked if I wanted them all at one time or consecutively (I wanted consecutively). Then I was asked, "would you like a fourth, Sir?" (in the interests of decorum and abject gluttony, I passed!)

 

The wait staff in BLU at our table (breakfast and dinner) was Jamaican, Pilipino, Serbian, and Macedonian. They worked beautifully in a harmonious team. Never rushed, always attentive, and in robust good cheer - an outstanding experience. We bonded with all four of them and they would call out our names whenever we should meet between meals.

 

We ate in Tuscan Grille one night and we rate the food and experience as "excellent." We will go to Tuscan at least one time on every future cruise.

 

I think that the poll results are pretty accurate and reflect our overall experience. 75% of the food is above average or excellent, while some food items (5%) are poor because they dont meet our personal expectations. There is one food item we won't eat because it is so crappy in our opinion. Fortunately it is a high calorie item and we can do without. I wont say what that category item is because it is just our personal preference. I'm sure others will find that item excellent.

 

We are happy X cruisers. We will sail on X again and again and again. We think the food in general is a notch above any other cruise line in the mass market. Buen provecho!

[vedettes1]

My experience is a bit dated: Equinox in fall of 2012. I am a foodie and a good cook and found MDR to be generally good. What really surprised me was that steaks (esp ribeye) were poor, while all fish dishes were quite good. I would have expected just the opposite, especially in an operation serving so many people at once.

[jgreenwo17]

I think the comparison was justified as everyone has different tastes, ideas of what they like in food, etc. I have not found any cruise line to be Excellent in the way of food. Food is too subjective. Most cruise line food is Average to Above Average on some meals. Even Specialty Restaurants have Average to Above Average food now.

 

Sad but true. My sea bass at the Tuscan grill was mediocre at best.

[flahagan]

I think it really depends on the ship, not the line in general. We were on the Solstice for a 12-nt Med cruise several years ago and the food in the MDR was barely mediocre. Several nights, we had trouble finding anything we wanted to eat. We were on Carnival Miracle in Sept. for a 15-nt cruise and the food in the MDR was generally way above average. Even the food on their everyday "comfort" menu was extremely tasty - I'm talking delicious fried chicken and real mashed potatoes and gravy. I know, not gourmet, but after days of fancy, plain was very appealing!

[Pacificdaze]

We ate in the Solstice MDR every night of our 18 night Transpacific cruise in April 2014, and found all meals delicious. There were 14 different menus, with classic favourites like Shrimp cocktail included every night. I often had seafood for Appetiser and Main, and it was always beautifully cooked.

[mickeysgal]

Food is so subjective for all of us. We will be on on our first Celebrity cruise this August and hoping for a step above experience than what we've had so far. Have had surprisingly good MDR experiences (NCL) and some poor ones ( Royal). Interesting to read these comments. Not only do I hope to have a fairly decent meal, but I want it served HOT, not luke warm.

[tine-tine]

On our last cruise on Eclipse we have found that the standard of food has deteriorated and also the standard of recipes!!! We like food with a sauce/gravy and found that there was a prevailing taste of artificial stock that was dominant in all food that came with a sauce, making them taste similar, it was a very predominant flavour and quite unpleasant. This stock appeared in some surprising dishes, such as pasta! On the topic of pasta, spaghetti carbonarra with a poached egg on top and none in the sauce, instead that unpleasant artificial stock with a meaty flavour, it looked and tasted nothing like real carbonarra and to add insult to injury had overcooked mushy pasta! All tomato based sauces tasted as if they came out of the same tin.

Tough lamb one night which the maitre'd said they had many complaints from guests regarding the quality. Beef not aged sufficiently and lacking flavour, I would say it had only been aged 14 instead of 21 days. Dry overcooked fish, luke warm food.

The buffet was much better and food fresher generally as there was a better turn around, apart from one evening we tried the dinner buffet, admittedly near closing time, as an alternative to the main dining food, never again, unless you asked for cooked to order the food had been lying around, was cold and hard. The surroundings were institutional, soulless and made for an unappealing dining experience.

Bistro on 5 was a fiasco of inexperienced food and wine service topped with the evening experience being ruined by crew phones ringing and work related conversations in what is generally, at night time, a staff canteen. I did suggest that they make this location in to a proper Italian restaurant at night time as I think that style of food would be a better option giving more variety in the evening than sandwiches/crepes and as it is such a nice venue, I think guests would be happy to pay a small up charge to dine in the evening.

I am a reasonable home cook and always use fresh produce and can recognise when something has come out of a tin/packet hence my criticism of the offerings.

As a result we cancelled one of our b2b cruises for next year as we felt our experience this year to be such that we could not put up with the dining for 28 days and will just have to make the best of it on the 14 days on board.Hopefully the new Gastropub will live up to its name!

[kevinyork]

Just off Eclipse yesterday, 14 nights in the MDR. Four of us. No complaints at all. Two of our party hadnt sailed X before and said it was the best cruise food they had experienced. We were second timers on X and thought it was as good as we experienced last year.

 

Meat dishes: steak, beef, lamb, duck were all excellent. Fish not so great apart from the always available salmon. Soups were very good as were the salads. Appetisers were small but universally very tasty. Deserts often sounded nicer than they were but the ice cream, apple pie and creme brulee were excellent.

 

We didnt think there were any cutbacks and the quality and presentation was very good.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[stickey_mouse]

Unfortunately, it's a long step down from the Celebrity MDR of old.

 

That seems to be a common theme.

[Ballard67]

What are you comparing it to: Other Celebrity cruises, all cruise lines, a 5 star dining experience, your run of the Mill Golden Corral.

 

Compared to other cruise lines I would rank it Average. Compared to Golden Corral I would rank it Excellent, compared to a five star dining experience I would mark it poor.

 

Thank God!!, i would take a Golden Corral over a 5 star restaurant any day of the week. Personally i would take a meal that I can relate to i grew up with then one i might not even be able to guess. This Is just me LOL, i am not a 5 star eater

[jkgourmet]

Thank God!!, i would take a Golden Corral over a 5 star restaurant any day of the week. Personally i would take a meal that I can relate to i grew up with then one i might not even be able to guess. This Is just me LOL, i am not a 5 star eater

 

You'd enjoy NCL. I'm truly not saying that to be disparaging! But that's exactly how we describe the food in the free restaurants and MDR on NCL. And there's nothing wrong with that, as long as it's what YOU enjoy.

 

The extra fee restaurants may not appeal to you, though.

[hcat]

Quality of food? Well, it wasn't bad. But given it's prepared in advance, with a limited menu compared to a regular restaurant yet the dishes are quite simple, I rate it below a regular restaurant. And the service was terribly slow.

 

Unfortunately, it's a long step down from the Celebrity MDR of old.

 

That was my thought...does not even come close to M. Roux or even the Van Staden (?) Culinary experience in MDR. Food and dining are subjective, but in our opinion, Celeb started their culinary decline when they wanted to be more like Vegas... Also, when the exchange rate for the Euro went neg to US, they lost many experienced professional wait staff...

 

we only do AQ and blu...happy with it so far......and we also enjoy the Specialty venues

 

doubt anyone will starve in MDR but not sure it can be considered elegant dining anymore as it once was when every meal was a winner!

[B17]

Cruised on Equinox 2012 and food was outstanding so much so that we did not bother visiting any of the speciality restaurants.

 

Cruised on Silhouette June 2013 what a difference. The food was bland, poor quality, There were significant differences for example: Beef Wellington usually nice pastry, good amount of pate and decent cut of meat. This was the thinnest pastry and a smear on and almost scraped off again bit of pate, meat not so good. Everything seemed to be scrimped on, quantity, quality and poor unseasoned flavours. So much so that our whole table of eight were ordering platters of veg and potatoes even chips (french fries) to place in the table to share - never had to resort to this before. I put it down to the Chef?

 

Cruised on Century earlier this year and wow food back up to the expected standard.

 

So comparing like for like as the menus are pretty standard, its amazing how it can come out plated up and tasting so different.

[evitacruiser]

We were on the Silhouette last year and we found the MDR food mediocre. In fact, overall we found we much preferred RCI which surprised us greatly as we were expecting an upgraded cruise experience on Celebrity.

 

We couldn't fault the specialty restaurants though either in terms of food or service, they were all excellent.

[TLCOhio]

These are banquet chefs, not a chef in a fine restaurant. Prep is very different. There are some top level banquet companies, Design Cuisine in DC (if they are still around) is one that comes to mind. This is an entirely different skill set from a normal restaurant.

 

From our two Solstice sailings, 2011 and 2014, I put down a ranking of "above average". We had a group of seven couple traveling together. We rotated back and forth between two different tables in the MDR. The experience of servers also made a major difference in quality with the MDR experience. Lots of factors involved.

 

Appreciate and agree strongly the above posting by LilMsFoodie with that key, factual background point. As noted in the live/blog below, we got off of the Solstice in February. It is hard to compared sailing on a smaller ship, with say 200-400 passengers where the kitchen can be more "custom". On the Solstice, however, their 17 different kitchens need to do about 14,000 meal each day.

 

More on our latest Solstice experience while doing Australia and New Zealand can be seen on this live/blog. Lots of "food porn" pictures, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 65,053 views for this fun posting.

[baljaffray]

I found the food on my recent Eclipse cruise very good, though I think my previous RCCL meals might have just pipped the post. One common complaint at the tables we sat at was that the food was not hot enough especially the veg. One Guest said she had returned her main meal x3 as it was cold.

[Kevnzworld]

I have found that the food quality has deteriorated over the years, Tuscan grill and Blu in particular. I've sailed on twelve different Celebrity cruises over the last three years, and on four of the five S class ships.

The reason for this is cost cutting. The CEO of RCCL was recently interviewed on CNBC. He explained that they are committed to driving profit growth thru cost cutting and raising the revenue per passenger by 5-10% per year.

One of the more obvious cuts was the elimination of the sea day grand buffet in the MDR

[Christine Frances]

We are the opposite. Our group of cruising buddies think the food has much improved over the last 3-4 years. Now we only do Specialty Restaurants for special occasions (Murano last time and it was wonderful) and don't sail AQ so can't comment on the decline of Blu. The brunch buffet was getting real old and we haven't bothered going the last 4 cruises so it's a non issue for us.

[floridatravelersforlife]

Compared to last year, 5 years ago a decade ago? Compared to Michel roux days it went from A+ to B minus. Above average from a "C" as average.

[d4m]

I do think the chef has something to do with the quality of meals served. Last fall and this past May we had chef Gavin who had transferred ships between the two sailings. For the most part, meals were excellent. Frankly I had the best prime rib I have ever had in my life - huge, juicy and done perfectly! All the other meals I had in the MDR were also very good. Neither of these experiences during the past 9 months (for a total of 29 nights) showed any decline from a few years ago. The only problem we did find was that the fall TA had absolutely outstanding burgers, while the Spring TA burgers seemed to have filler and weren't the usual great we are used to. Saw the chef one day and he asked me about the food and I told him to return the great burgers please:)

 

The thing that I have to say is that we are not fussy people and don't expect complete perfection or get bent out of shape if one lettuce leaf isn't as crisp as the others. Personally the only decline within the past three years was in the wait staff. Our waiters have been wonderful, but in May, it was noticeable that the assistant waiter's duties basically kept them away from the table and assisting serving most times. Put a real burden on the waiter who literally did everything except pour water and coffee. Staff has been decreased and that was confirmed. It was also confirmed that the assistant waiter's duties now include doing the dishes, so staff has also been cut in that aspect.

[The_Big_M]

It is hard to compared sailing on a smaller ship, with say 200-400 passengers where the kitchen can be more "custom". On the Solstice, however, their 17 different kitchens need to do about 14,000 meal each day.

 

That's not really true.

 

You just have to compare the experience on Celebrity ships a few years ago to see that there is a massive difference in the meals and service over that time - and of course the passenger numbers are similar.

 

Back then, there was so much customisation, and you even had 5 courses, whereas now it's been cut down to 3-4.

 

Of course, it doesn't help that front of house, they have to serve 40% more customers. There's no reason to suggest similar efficiency improvements weren't placed back of house as well.