Glory MDR pay for food

[cruzn buckeye]

They had this on Ecstasy over Labor Day Weekend. The first night rack of lamb was also an option... Did not see that again, just the other four items.

the amazing thing is... rack of lamb used to be one of the selections on the main menu on one night.. now you pay for it?

[T. Advisor King]

They had this on one or both of the Glory and Breeze during our B2B in June/July. Indeed, I may have been the author of one of the reviews to which the OP referred.

 

Carnival sells itself on the all-inclusive aspects of its price structure. And while there is nothing forcing you to choose the upsell food options, it just rubbed me the wrong way. When you eat at the MDR, you presume you are getting a high-quality meal. With the premium dishes, they are clearly forcing the passenger to pay for the higher quality option, or choose what is most obviously a lower quality option. It is a bit of a bait-and-switch.

 

It is also unclear whether these items were truly "additions" or whether they took the place of some other "free" dishes that they might have offered had they not opted instead to offer these at an additional cost.

 

I can see from the perspective of frequent or occasional steakhouse guests that this could be a win-win (get what they really want for a little less than the cost of the steakhouse, or get what one partner wants without having to force it on the other partner). But from the perspective of someone who has never seen the inside of the steakhouse and generally tries to make a cruise as all-inclusive as possible, it left me feeling worse about the experience than if the upsell items hadn't been on the menu.

[mzloolue]

They had this on one or both of the Glory and Breeze during our B2B in June/July. Indeed, I may have been the author of one of the reviews to which the OP referred.

 

Carnival sells itself on the all-inclusive aspects of its price structure. And while there is nothing forcing you to choose the upsell food options, it just rubbed me the wrong way. When you eat at the MDR, you presume you are getting a high-quality meal. With the premium dishes, they are clearly forcing the passenger to pay for the higher quality option, or choose what is most obviously a lower quality option. It is a bit of a bait-and-switch.

 

It is also unclear whether these items were truly "additions" or whether they took the place of some other "free" dishes that they might have offered had they not opted instead to offer these at an additional cost.

 

I can see from the perspective of frequent or occasional steakhouse guests that this could be a win-win (get what they really want for a little less than the cost of the steakhouse, or get what one partner wants without having to force it on the other partner). But from the perspective of someone who has never seen the inside of the steakhouse and generally tries to make a cruise as all-inclusive as possible, it left me feeling worse about the experience than if the upsell items hadn't been on the menu.

 

Very well said.

 

And in my opinion the food upcharges are just plain tacky.

 

I will not be surprised to see this as a trend that erodes the current menu.

Want more than peanut butter and gruel, then pay more.

[andy.capitan]

There's nothing wrong with offering choice.

 

Some people seem to think champagne on a beer budget is reasonable. It isn't. For the people who want to pay the upcharge for champagne, let them have their cake.

 

I think some of this is envy on the part of peasants.

[Winterstale]

I get where people are coming from -- but I look at it this way -- I paid UNDER $600 for TWO people TOTAL for a three night getaway on Inspiration. No plane tickets needed. Drive to Long Beach, park, and go.

 

I'm willing to spend a little on the ship to get better food if that's possible - not sure if they'll even offer it, but I can hope!;)

[AdGuyMG]

They had this on one or both of the Glory and Breeze during our B2B in June/July. Indeed, I may have been the author of one of the reviews to which the OP referred.

 

Carnival sells itself on the all-inclusive aspects of its price structure.

 

Neither Carnival nor any mass market, premium or upper premium cruise line uses the term All Inclusive. Norwegian last month had a promotion called "All In" but even they stopped short of using the term all inclusive. All Inclusive in the cruise/travel industry means all dining, all beverages, all entertainment, most all shore excursions and all gratuities and all taxes are included. Luxury lines like Regent Seven Seas, Silverseas and Seaborn offer this experience and sell themselves as an All Inclusive experience.

 

And while there is nothing forcing you to choose the upsell food options, it just rubbed me the wrong way. When you eat at the MDR, you presume you are getting a high-quality meal. With the premium dishes, they are clearly forcing the passenger to pay for the higher quality option, or choose what is most obviously a lower quality option. It is a bit of a bait-and-switch.

 

If someone were to look at the Main Course MDR offerings and read the descriptions of the nightly offerings like Pan Seared Tilapia, Roasted Prime Rib, Sicilian Style Chicken, Seafood Newburg, BBQ Ribs, Jerk Pork Loin, Chateaubriand and Penne Pasta dishes, combined with the decent variety of appetizers, soups, salads and deserts offerings and somehow come to the forgone conclusion they will be eating a low quality meal if they don't pay an upcharge for a 1-1/2 pound Maine lobster, 9 oz. filet mignon, or a 14-oz. New York strip steak, speaks more about the customer than what Carnival is trying to do by introducing these optional choices.

 

It is also unclear whether these items were truly "additions" or whether they took the place of some other "free" dishes that they might have offered had they not opted instead to offer these at an additional cost.

 

I am not seeing any posts here on Cruise Critic that Carnival has reduced or eliminated the Main Course choices in the MDR so I will assume they are the same.

 

I can see from the perspective of frequent or occasional steakhouse guests that this could be a win-win (get what they really want for a little less than the cost of the steakhouse, or get what one partner wants without having to force it on the other partner).

 

I've yet to see any post or met any Carnival cruisers where someone has been forced by their partner to go to the steakhouse.

 

I understand this menu dilemma rubbed you the wrong way and certainly appreciate your opinion. I do however feel that the vast majority of people will figure out what this $20 additional option is about.

Edited September 3, 2014 by AdGuyMG

[virginiab]

I'm delighted to hear that this option will be available on all the ships. I hope to take advantage of it on the Splendor in November. We usually go to the steakhouse once per cruise, and I would love to augment that with another night with a steakhouse main course plopped in the middle of a nice Main Dining Room meal. I find this very appealing, especially because we already know and like a bunch of the steakhouse menu items.

 

Yum! Bring it on! And if there is indeed rack of lamb available for an upcharge on the first night, I'll be there waving my Sail and Sign card to get my rack of lamb!

[Winterstale]

I'm delighted to hear that this option will be available on all the ships. I hope to take advantage of it on the Splendor in November. We usually go to the steakhouse once per cruise, and I would love to augment that with another night with a steakhouse main course plopped in the middle of a nice Main Dining Room meal. I find this very appealing, especially because we already know and like a bunch of the steakhouse menu items.

 

Yum! Bring it on! And if there is indeed rack of lamb available for an upcharge on the first night, I'll be there waving my Sail and Sign card to get my rack of lamb!

 

Hoping to wave mine for a steak on the Inspiration this weekend but I'm not counting on it - might not be fleet-wide just yet. I can hope :D

[Scrapenthusiast]

I hope this will truly be available on all ships! I booked the Fantasy and was really disappointed about there not being a steakhouse, but this is a great substitute!!

[T. Advisor King]

I understand this menu dilemma rubbed you the wrong way and certainly appreciate your opinion. I do however feel that the vast majority of people will figure out what this $20 additional option is about.

 

I think the variety of responses reflect both views: one that choice is better and one that adding upsell items to the standard menu is tacky. I won't try to convince you that you should share my view. I'm satisfied that it is shared by many.

 

I post to address some of your embedded responses to my comments.

 

1. "All inclusive" - I went out of my way in my first post not to try to say that Carnival sells itself as all inclusive. Rather, I said they sell themselves on the all-inclusive aspects of their price structure. I'm sure most or all of us have seen the Carnival ad where they compare a cruise to a regular vacation using a two column chart and tick boxes, the jist of which is that most of the things you would pay for separately on a regular vacation are covered by the cabin fare on a cruise. I think my point here is still valid (they want it both ways -- to sell it to customers one way, then up-sell them on "extras" once they arrive).

 

3. Upsell items bumping othe rmenu items - There were a couple posts on this thread where posters mentioned a concern that these items would bump "free items", along with an observation that what at one time had been a "free item" was now an upsell item.

 

4. Partners with different preferences - Perhaps I shouldn't have said "forced", but I think you know what I meant. Post #13 on this thread reflected a scenario where the up-sell option was attractive to a couple where one person would have liked to go to the steakhouse and one did not want to go at all. This was exactly my point.

[andy.capitan]

Until I see proof (and I doubt there is any) that something has been displaced by the steakhouse entrees, I reject that suggestion.

 

Hopefully I will be able to find out for myself next week. :D

[andy.capitan]

Hoping to wave mine for a steak on the Inspiration this weekend but I'm not counting on it - might not be fleet-wide just yet. I can hope :D

 

I am pretty sure they have the steakhouse entrees since they have American Table menus. And still have tablecloths!

[T. Advisor King]

Until I see proof (and I doubt there is any) that something has been displaced by the steakhouse entrees, I reject that suggestion.

 

Hopefully I will be able to find out for myself next week. :D

 

I wouldn't pretend to know the menus well enough to know whether something has been replaced (and if I ever do, then I need to put an even longer gap between when I select a Carnival cruise as my next vacation).

 

That said, it seems to me that it isn't just the risk that these have already replaced something on the menu. It is also the risk that they will prevent something from being added to the menu.

 

For example, they revise their menus periodically. If these items are taking space on the menu (i.e., meaning not so much the physical space on the printed menu, but rather the kitchen's ability to provide a wider variety of dishes), then the next time they update the menus, the number of "free" items may be fewer than the number of free items had they not added the up-sell items to the menu. You'll never be able to prove or disprove "what would they have done had they not done this?"

[andy.capitan]

I wouldn't pretend to know the menus well enough to know whether something has been replaced (and if I ever do, then I need to put an even longer gap between when I select a Carnival cruise as my next vacation).

 

That said, it seems to me that it isn't just the risk that these have already replaced something on the menu. It is also the risk that they will prevent something from being added to the menu.

 

For example, they revise their menus periodically. If these items are taking space on the menu (i.e., meaning not so much the physical space on the printed menu, but rather the kitchen's ability to provide a wider variety of dishes), then the next time they update the menus, the number of "free" items may be fewer than the number of free items had they not added the up-sell items to the menu. You'll never be able to prove or disprove "what would they have done had they not done this?"

 

and neither will you. The sky isn't falling. There will always be a few who predict doom and gloom. However, I do know the old menus and will know in the short term if there is any impact.

 

Some items simply aren't as popular as others and it makes perfect business sense to cull those.

 

Even when a menu item is "removed", you can often find it on a longer cruise menu. Or a shorter one. And sometimes new items are introduced. There are a number of dishes on Carnival menus that were created by chefs long ago departed. One would think the current head chef would like to leave his mark.

 

Happy Cruising! I know I enjoy mine. :D

[cruizinisthebest]

Your choice. I wouldn't spend extra. The food included in the MDR is fine for me:D. I'm not a big steak person and don't eat lobster (or lamb) so no need for me to even entertain the idea. DH would probably enjoy it the option.

[coolcookie34]

I see this as another way to generate even more revenue. The price point is way off. It's just a different "hunk of meat" to be destroyed by the galley, certainly not a steak house experience. Over the past two years I've experienced a severe decline in the quality and portion size of the beef on Carnival. On the cruise we returned from last week, the beef definitely had an odd texture and the portion sizes were about 1/3 of what they were last year. Another $.05 & $.10 hit, just like the "specialty" coffees in MDR, like a crappy cappuccino should cost $2.50 since it's so much more expensive than regular coffee. I've been a loyal Carnival customer for the past 7 years, but after each cruise I'm losing my desire to cruise with them.

[andy.capitan]

Your choice. I wouldn't spend extra. The food included in the MDR is fine for me:D. I'm not a big steak person and don't eat lobster (or lamb) so no need for me to even entertain the idea. DH would probably enjoy it the option.

 

The regular MDR food is quite good and we rarely spend the extra money for the steakhouse. I will certainly try the new option, probably more than once, but maybe not more than once per cruise.

[ATHENA3]

That’s what’s happening on Carnival downgrade the MDR and offer more pay options.

[andy.capitan]

With American Table, food costs ate higher, and I'm not talking about the up charge items.

[pamrose228]

I'm a long time cruiser and you were never able to get a whole Maine lobster in the MDR, even 30 years ago. I welcome this and when I'm on the Ecstasy in 32 days I will be ordering this at final dinner. It's perfect for us since DH loves all the items in MDR and I crave shellfish.

[soxfanattic]

Has anyone completed a trip on Freedom with this option yet? Although I can always find something on the MDR menu my wife is pickier and she loves her the Filet. We tried the steakhouse on the Legend in January and enjoyed it but dinner seemed to take much longer than in the MDR. We love to go to the comedy club after dinner so.... Freedom 4 weeks from today to celebrate sons college graduation, can't wait. Thanks for the responses.