Just off the Allure. Was the food always this bad?

[JXS]

We were on Allure in April and all the food was great IMO except for the WJ. MDR was pretty good for the most part. Speciality restaurants were awesome. Out of 12 cruises the WJ food on this trip was the worst by far...just my opinion.

 

 

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[mkdreams]

The food quality continues to decline, even in the specialty restaurants. The need to keep fares low to fill the ever-increasing number of cabins results in ongoing cost cutting.

Regarding reviews and comments on this board, some people, not all, are real homers and will never admit RCCL has downgraded the cruise experience

 

Well said and so very true.

[Langley Cruisers]

When you go on a ship with 6,000 people eating dinner in two shifts what do you expect? It's not cooked to order fine food, it's mass produced "banquet food" in the MDR.... Also I really doubt the MDR food is that much different on the "smaller" ships.

 

Agreed.

 

Well if the food on the Allure is as bad as the OP suggested, then I can tell you, food on the Radiance, which is a smaller ship, is much better.

 

Then the Executive Chef on Radiance would have to be commended. :) It is he who takes the credit or the blame. We have sailed several classes of RCI ships and found the food palatable on every cruise. Obviously, we had our favorite cruises (I won't even say "ships" here because the Executive Chef can change) and they weren't smaller or larger, they just had a great EC onboard. :)

 

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[birdofsong]

I was on the Allure at the end of June/beginning of July. We ate every night in the MDR, and had great meals. They were especially accommodating to my mother, who has several food allergies.

[SeaPeaInn]

The food has declined as has the whole cruise experience. To get what Royal would have given you 25 years ago you would have to go on one of the upscale lines at 4 or 5 times what you now pay RCCL.

[Jobeth66]

I was on the same cruise as the OP (but not part of his group) and was very disappointed with the MDR. The lamb dishes were good, and I enjoyed those, but sides were often cold. Hubby ordered the "always available" steak on the last night and it was thin and tough as shoe leather (overcooked to "well done", definitely not the "medium rare" he ordered). Our server shrugged it off and asked if he wanted another one. Another MDR server dumped water in his lap and didn't even apologize.

 

Food at Giovanni's was good, and we found plenty in the Windjammer that we liked, but the MDR was definitely not up to snuff for us, nor for others in our party.

[Maybaybie10]

I was on Freedom in 2011 and Allure in 2013. I am a foodie. I have a Culinary Arts degree and I cook for a living. That being said, I think the food was good on both cruises. In 2011 we were on Freedom for my 40th birthday and as a gift, our head waiter gave me a 'backstage pass' to tour the kitchen (and I signed RCI cookbook). I was absolutely fascinated by what goes on behind the scenes. I had no idea everything was cooked from scratch- I had assumed a lot was prepackaged or an 'add water' kind-of thing. Just having everything coming out for 5000+ people looking identical is a feat in and of itself. Would I give the MDR 3 Michelin stars? No, but I think I gained a new respect for it after seeing what goes on 'out back'. I may be a foodie, but I'm not a food snob. I like Filet Mignon, but I also love a good old fashioned PB&J too. I'm on a cruise to relax and have a good time, and as long as I don't have to cook it, or do the dishes afterward, I'm a pretty happy cruiser.

 

P.S. I'm also from Maine....and I KNOW lobster. Cruiseship lobster is about as close to real Maine lobster as filet mignon is to PB&J. Guess what? I still order it...(and I secretly smile to myself when the waiter shells it for me because as a Mainer, we kinda have that part figured out:p)...but I eat it anyway, and I even enjoy it. Go figure...

[TXMary]

We were also on this sailing. We ate in the MDR three nights out of seven and had no complaints about the food or the service. I'm not a big fan of the new menus, but what we had was very good including the lobster.

 

We ate at Chops one night and both had the filet. It was excellent and cooked perfectly. The sides were nothing spectacular, but they were good. The service was excellent. Overall, we enjoyed it very much and loved sitting outside with the lights from Central Park.

 

We did think the pizza at Sorrentos was disgusting. Inedible. We each took one bite and threw it out. No idea what they did to it, but yuck!

[KuffMUp]

although food is a very subjective topic, I personally find the food on smaller ships to be much better. Just my opinion

 

I would definitely agree that the smaller the ship, the easier it is to feed the masses. Can you imagine making around 3,200 meals to be served in about an hour and a half, then turn around and do it again???:eek:

[Big_G]

 

P.S. I'm also from Maine....and I KNOW lobster. Cruiseship lobster is about as close to real Maine lobster as filet mignon is to PB&J. Guess what? I still order it...(and I secretly smile to myself when the waiter shells it for me because as a Mainer, we kinda have that part figured out:p)...but I eat it anyway, and I even enjoy it. Go figure...

 

This makes me chuckle because cruise ship lobster sometimes takes a beating here on CC. We buy ours off the boats here in Rhode Island. Is it the same on the ship? Not even close but I too order it anyway. I stopped defending it long ago and just enjoy it.