Post your special meal requests

[drkitkat123]

We tried to order a salmon chowder ie. a chowder with no meat and no shellfish but the no shellfish got lost in translation..... I was told that I had not specified this but I know I did.

[JMARINER]

I think they're generally fine with complex special orders, but asking for something simple like a grilled cheese sandwich seems to really through them for a loop.

I wish that were true. I am on a "special diet" and even after weeks on a B2B's they can screw thing up big time. So much depends on who the Executive Chef is and how he run the kitchen. A few of them are top notch, other are not so good.

 

I think that this translates into the dinning rooms as well as to the service levels. When the E Chef is on top of thing there are fewer mistakes which translates into the kitchen running more efficiently and the food gets out quicker.

 

Unfortunately with the NCL merger and the new ship, there are many, many new hires in the sous-chefs and MDR wait staff. This IMO has resulted in a marked downturn in the whole Compass Rose experience. It is not my imagination as many of the long time head waiters and F&B's I know have said the same. The quality and experience of the new hires is not up to "Regent Standards" and the older staff can only train so much.

 

J

[Travelcat2]

I wish that were true. I am on a "special diet" and even after weeks on a B2B's they can screw thing up big time. So much depends on who the Executive Chef is and how he run the kitchen. A few of them are top notch, other are not so good.

 

I think that this translates into the dinning rooms as well as to the service levels. When the E Chef is on top of thing there are fewer mistakes which translates into the kitchen running more efficiently and the food gets out quicker.

 

Unfortunately with the NCL merger and the new ship, there are many, many new hires in the sous-chefs and MDR wait staff. This IMO has resulted in a marked downturn in the whole Compass Rose experience. It is not my imagination as many of the long time head waiters and F&B's I know have said the same. The quality and experience of the new hires is not up to "Regent Standards" and the older staff can only train so much.

 

J

 

I agree with you about new hires being extremely inexperienced and it really shows. In terms F&B's, I know that they promoted Daniella and she is great (as is Donald who has been with Regent for a long time). So far we haven't run into any "new" F&B's or Executive Chefs. Is there any particular Executive Chef that you like (and pays attention to your dietary needs)?

 

Hopefully Viking Ocean is done stealing people from Regent and soon the newbie crew members will be fully trained. IMO it would be a good idea to either hire crew members from other cruise lines (perhaps from main stream with a lot of experience who would appreciate the increase in salary), or have a better training program. On our last cruise someone new to Regent asked two different crew members where the restrooms were and neither one knew. This was surprising and disappointing!

Edited June 22, 2016 by Travelcat2

[JMARINER]

I agree with you about new hires being extremely inexperienced and it really shows. In terms F&B's, I know that they promoted Daniella and she is great (as is Donald who has been with Regent for a long time). So far we haven't run into any "new" F&B's or Executive Chefs. Is there any particular Executive Chef that you like (and pays attention to your dietary needs)?..................................................................

On our last cruise someone new to Regent asked two different crew members where the restrooms were and neither one knew. This was surprising and disappointing!

You mis read my post, I was not saying there was any new Executive chefs or new F&B's. Just sous chefs and wait staff.

 

As far as Executive chefs whom I like (and don't) email me as I will not put my opinions out in public.

 

As far as Viking, they are not poaching Regent employees anymore. Several of the early "stolen" Regent crew are unhappy at Viking and the word has gotten back around. From what I hear Viking has the "kiss of death" on them now.

 

j

[Travelcat2]

You mis read my post, I was not saying there was any new Executive chefs or new F&B's. Just sous chefs and wait staff.

 

As far as Executive chefs whom I like (and don't) email me as I will not put my opinions out in public.

 

As far as Viking, they are not poaching Regent employees anymore. Several of the early "stolen" Regent crew are unhappy at Viking and the word has gotten back around. From what I hear Viking has the "kiss of death" on them now.

 

j

 

Sorry if I misread your post. In terms of Executive Chefs, was just curious which one(s) paid attention to your dietary requirements. I understand your feelings about public forums (and am surprised that your email address is on your posts -- CC warns against that). Going out now but may email and ask you a bit later. Thanks!

 

Had not heard about Regent crew being unhappy at Viking. Would love to see some of them back on Regent (especially Paul Reynolds).

Edited June 22, 2016 by Travelcat2

[gnomie1]

Yes, I didn't even think about the number of no salt, low salt, no gluten, no dairy, kosher, etc, etc. meals that they must prepare for people with dietary needs.

 

 

For clarification, Regent does not prepare any Kosher meals - the meals are frozen catered and passengers are provided with menu choices the day before. For those who do not require what is referred to as Glatt Kosher, Regent will work with the passengers, such as preparing fish over aluminum foil so that it does not touch a pan that may have had contact with non-Kosher items and using special dishes and utensils at the table.

 

In my experience some of the chefs are fantastic and others not so. Some consider this a learning experience and go above and beyond to make sure the passengers have a great culinary experience while others make little or no effort. Much also depends on their prior experience.

 

With regard to having special ethnic meals prepared - in my experience the crew really enjoy sharing aspects of their homeland with the passengers. My Dad lived in India for 18 years and spoke three different dialects and the crew loved to interact with him, especially when it came to meals as he knew many of the dishes one would not usually see outside of India. There were two crew members who were extremely friendly with my Dad and although neither of them are with Regent anymore, we still are in contact with them and their families, and it all started with a discussion about food.

 

gnomie :)

[towel-animal]

My cruise is approaching soon, and wanted to bump this thread to see if anyone has any creative or must-have special dining requests they'd like to share

[Travelcat2]

The only thing new for us that is not mentioned on the first page was an Indonesian meal for four that we had on our cruise last month. We were open to any kind of meats/fish, etc. and just asked them decide what to make. We had a rice dish, shrimp, beef, rice crackers a bowl of hard boiled eggs in a sauce (really good but unusual) and I think there was one more dish. It was delicious and not overly spiced. I did ask for sambal on the side in case I wanted to spice it up a bit.

[wishIweretravelling]

Several people mentioned Filipino meals. Ten years ago, we met a couple on the Nav who had lived in the Philippines and introduced us to both special orders and Filipino food. One evening we feasted on fresh lumpia and chicken adobo. The next morning, our stewardess (to whom we had NOT mentioned the intended meal) excitedly asked us how we liked what she termed "our" food. We had eaten what is often served in the crew mess, and she was delighted that we enjoyed it. We now try to order it whenever we sail Regent, including on our recent cruise. At the recommendation of a favorite waiter, we added a delicious soup this time.

 

We had tried this on our 2016 cruise on Crystal, which also makes special orders. We had specified fresh lumpia, but got the fried version. And the chicken adobo was nearly inedible. It probably is no coincidence that Crystal has very, very few crew members from the Philippines.

 

Probably one of the best things I have ever eaten is fish amok, in Siem Reap. I am tempted to see if anyone in the galley knows how to make it during our upcoming Navigator cruise, but as I cannot recall ever seeing Cambodian (much less Khmer) crew members, I have my doubts.

[Carnevale]

For those without a butler, how do we place an order for something special? I love dosa (sort of like a crepe) stuffed with Marsala potatoes. I can’t find it in any restaurants in our area so it will be a special treat if the kitchen is able to prepare it.

[NCCruzQueen]

For those without a butler, how do we place an order for something special? I love dosa (sort of like a crepe) stuffed with Marsala potatoes. I can’t find it in any restaurants in our area so it will be a special treat if the kitchen is able to prepare it.

 

The night before you want your special meal, ask the maître d' or a head waiter to assist you in planning your meal. They will take your suite number and may ask what time you will be eating and how many people will be in your party. When you enter the dining room the night of your special meal, remind the maître d' of your order prior to being seated.

[msmillie]

My cruise is approaching soon, and wanted to bump this thread to see if anyone has any creative or must-have special dining requests they'd like to share

 

We love tempura vegetables, which are not on the menu at Pacific Rim, so we order the day before. Hope more people order this so that it becomes part of the regular

menu.