Are Main Dinining rooms dinners not as good as you remember?

[keithm]

We are Elite on Celebrity and our last cruise was a TA onthe Equinox in 2016. We did complain thatthe food in the MDR was not as good as our previous sailings. Also, we had a bad experience in the TuscanGrill where I pad an upcharge to get Prime beef. The steak was one of the worst I can rememberand after complaining about it they did refund the upcharge for Prime. I asked the Maitre D if what I had was SelectBeef or something worse and he assured me it was Prime but they still refunded the upcharge.

 

 

We are sailing on the Eclipse this weekend and I am hopingthat the meals are better in the MDR than they were on our last cruise. If not it may be time to start shopping forother cruise lines.

Legally, I think they could get in trouble by posing "select" cut for Prime. That being said, you can get a poor cut from any grade of beef on occasion. Also the skill of the chefs/cooks can make all the difference. We use only choice in our catering cookouts(unless Prime is requested)When preparing the steak, we'll cut across the grain & it really makes a difference in tenderness.

[keithm]

We enjoyed a 14 day cruise on the Eclipse in February. The quality of the food has changed in the last few years. We believe that it is due to the food cost ( either raise pricing or cut back.)

 

We also find it interesting that on the last formal night, all the best offerings are made on the same evening....realizing that most guests will only order one main.

 

Also the specialties are hit and miss... we went to the Sushi one this year...We had to ask to receive a glass of water. Nothing was offered (we think because they were expecting a large group in.

 

Service in the dining room was not stellar. The waiter only started to talk to us on the second last night..and that was to mention how important the surveys are to them.

 

That being said we booked another cruise on Celebrity

Our experience on the Eclipse(it was Jan.22-Feb.5 this year)The specialty rest. were excellent NO issues at all. The service in the MDR(we do early seating)was excellent. The food, however left a lot to be desired. The last 2 nights the food was excellent. It should have been much better the remaining 12 nights. On the overnight in Aruba we ate at "Chalet Suisse" Easily the best meal on the cruise. If you overnight there I strongly suggest it. It's located near Eagle beach. We were the only 2 people from the ship. Everyone else was from second homes/timeshares/resorts etc.

[keithm]

We are Elite on Celebrity and our last cruise was a TA onthe Equinox in 2016. We did complain thatthe food in the MDR was not as good as our previous sailings. Also, we had a bad experience in the TuscanGrill where I pad an upcharge to get Prime beef. The steak was one of the worst I can rememberand after complaining about it they did refund the upcharge for Prime. I asked the Maitre D if what I had was SelectBeef or something worse and he assured me it was Prime but they still refunded the upcharge.

 

 

We are sailing on the Eclipse this weekend and I am hopingthat the meals are better in the MDR than they were on our last cruise. If not it may be time to start shopping forother cruise lines.

Please let us know. I agree the food quality dropped a lot since the last time. Our next trip is next Jan.21 Still lots of time to cancel if we wish. The itinerary of the Eclipse in the 14 day Caribbean trips is what we like, but we also like good food, too.

[rain_bowbrite]

I'm sure there are probably many variables that are in play here, but do you think the decline in quality and service may also have something to do with most main stream cruise lines now offering anytime dining? I've only been cruising since 2006, but on my first few cruises the option for anytime dining did not even exist yet (Princess and NCL may have been in the early stages of rolling it out) and the food was quite good and the MDR service excellent, even on Carnival. I'm imagining that it is easier to stay consistent with food prep/presentation/etc. when you are dealing with just two set dining times for dinner.

 

Demographics and dining culture have changed as well and a lot of people don't want to take the time to dine through a 5 course meal. Cruise culture has also changed and continues to change, many more people cruise today than they did even 10 years ago. I imagine some of the pressure of the presentation has gone as more people choose select/anytime dining and don't get to know their servers, etc. I'm sad I will never get to experience the Celebrity MDR dining experience many of you describe and remember. I'm hoping the specialty restaurants are still excellent as I plan to try them out on my first X cruise in Dec. :-)

 

Another factor, and this has been pointed out many times before, is that the price of cruises really hasn't changed in several years. I'm sure that for some of you, who have been cruising 20+ years, the fares have even gone down during that time.

Edited April 11, 2017 by rain_bowbrite

[ricka47]

Indeed the quality in the MDR has decreased. But, as has been noted, prices have remained relatively affordable over the years. So, it's natural that something had to give.

[TFLG]

I've only done 20 cruises but I noticed the quality in the MDRs started to drop when the specialty venues started to appear. And I think the quality has really dropped off in the last 3 years. We've gone on 5 cruises in the last 3 years and the food seems to get a little bit worse each cruise. I also sailed the Eclipse recently and the food left a lot to be desired. Most nights were decent with one or two really good meals primarily chic nights. But we also had several terrible meals. I can't even begin to describe how bad the short ribs were. We had a party of 16 and most of us got the short ribs and all of them were disgusting. Strange because they have been really good on previous cruises. Murano was good, Tuscan was OK but I find it's quality is slipping too, but we got another terrible meal in Sushi on 5. Our service was great but the food was Carnival quality most nights. Anyone remember what the shrimp cocktails used to look like?

[Gonzo70]

We are Elite on Celebrity and our last cruise was a TA onthe Equinox in 2016. We did complain thatthe food in the MDR was not as good as our previous sailings. Also, we had a bad experience in the TuscanGrill where I pad an upcharge to get Prime beef. The steak was one of the worst I can rememberand after complaining about it they did refund the upcharge for Prime. I asked the Maitre D if what I had was SelectBeef or something worse and he assured me it was Prime but they still refunded the upcharge.

 

That would not surprise me if they did not have prime dry aged and utilized an inferior grade. During my last cruise I ordered the upcharge room service salmon omelette with ossetra caviar; the "caviar" it came with was orange - obviously tobiko or a far, far less expensive roe than ossetra caviar. The charge was quickly taken off after I spoke up, but still was annoying and disappointing.

[Luv2Crus40]

Our first cruises were with Cunard where we experienced excellent meals and service. Then we tried Celebrity and were impressed with their service and food quality. We have mostly sailed Celebrity since. However, we have noticed that the food quality and food choices are not consistently as good as prior cruises. We have been lucky and had really good servers on our cruises so no complaint there. We cruise on Summit again next month to Bermuda so we'll see how well the food is being prepared. If the food quality continues to go down, we may have to go back to Cunard.

[north29]

Not a long time X cruiser, but D+ on RC. We think "over all" X's MDR food is better than RC. No it is not as good as it use to be, some worse than OK but still OK for most evenings, but The Fish is usually BAD. On our Christmas and NY cruise, the fish was so bad that our waiter starting asking for a back up plan LOL. However, one fish entree was one of the best both of us have eaten. If I remember it was a encrusted Aki Tuna, I could have eaten more. Our sommelier took care of us for some reason and we are not cocktail or martini drinkers,so no comments on that.

PS we quit going to the speciality restaurants, did not consider quality and sometimes service worth the price.

[OzKiwiJJ]

On our first Solstice cruise, December 2015, we were very disappointed in the MDR food. It was below average compared with the best we'd had on Princess. However on our recent Solstice cruise, in February, the MDR meals were excellent.

 

I believe it very much depends on the head chef of a restaurant, and also the executive chef. We had great food at Bistro on 5 and for lunch at Tuscan Grill but dreadful food at Silk Harvest, yet on the previous cruise we'd had an excellent lunch at Silk Harvest.

[wallie5446]

One evening every cruise has issues. Weird.

[aml3679]

For breakfast, it is nice. You can get the same in the Oceanview Cafe but it is nice to get waited on.

 

For lunch we have not tried.

 

For dinner it is okay but I think we got spoiled by the soecialty restaurants.

[griffy116]

When we first started cruising there was only one dining room, one choice and the ships were MUCH smaller. The staff was able to concentrate all on this meal in the MDR.While the meals were still mass produced, the mega ships gave a whole new meaning to this, and the demand on the waitstaff increased.I also remember how special I felt to have the waiter pull out my chair, or place the napkin in my lap because we only got to eat in a "fancy" restaurant on a very special occasion so anything they served, I was thrilled with. I remember our first cabin, and we were very satisfied at the time. Now, we would be horrified by the bathroom alone. Our daughters were perfectly happy with a pool to hang out at with other teens on the ship. Now the questions are about "will my teens have enough to do with the teen club and all the bells and whistles on the ship." Everything changes and evolves including our lifestyle and what it takes to make us ooh and ahhh. I think the more we cruise, the more we expect and our expectations are higher and higher. That's how the Specialty restaurants caught on so quickly and the suites became so popular. Bigger and better.

[casper106]

Please let us know. I agree the food quality dropped a lot since the last time. Our next trip is next Jan.21 Still lots of time to cancel if we wish. The itinerary of the Eclipse in the 14 day Caribbean trips is what we like, but we also like good food, too.

 

We were on Eclipse last month having done the same cruise 2 years earlier. Granted,we haven't done many cruises (this was on 10th),so I can't compare things from "back in the day". We had great service in the MDR and I thought the food was improved over 2 years ago. Thankfully,they got rid of that awful Top Chef menu.We ate in the OC 3 times.On the sea days,we tried the MDR for lunch. We loved the relaxed pace and the choices. More relaxed and lots of great choices. Myself, I was disappointed in the Murano. This was our 5th time there. They need to change up the menu a bit.

 

Food is a subjective thing. To me, while we can read all the posts here about people's opinions about the food,sometimes,you just need to "park" those opinions and go with an open mind. For sure you will never go hungry on a cruise.

[dazey]

When we first started sailing Celebrity we thought the food was excellent and waitstaff so much fun. Now it is many years later and maybe we are more experienced in food quality and I do feel the food is about average(although much better than Norweigan which we tried last year). Earlier cruises waitstaff interacted with the guests which was wonderful fun. Now dinner is rushed and so much so that our wine or drinks arrive during the serving of the entrée. on earlier cruises. This occurred at tables of more than 2. I would not hold up ordering to get our drinks when with other diners. One cruise we ate alone and the staff was very attentive.

 

Have a cruise to the Baltics on Silhouette in August so I guess I am still pleased with Celebrity. Just have to adjust expectations.

[Alatraveler1]

I wonder sometimes if there is not a desire by some or most lines to do away with the MDR. They take up the space of 2-4 specialty restaurants that would in turn generate more $$$. So as a cruiser you would be left with two choices, buffet or pay up. Perhaps that is why some people report that the food in many ships buffets is improving, while MDRs are declining. Make you appreciate the one no cost choice you're left with and not miss the MDR because of poor quality and service.

[ChucktownSteve]

On my last couple of cruises I noticed a lot of the entrees came out overcooked or dry. They appeared to be heat lamp kept. There were a couple of exceptions but by and large, I have noticed a decline in menu choices and preparation. They used a lot of carrots and half scoops of mashed potatoes too. I had never seen that in the past. So it surprised me.

[CiaoGina]

On the Reflection now and the quality of the food and service has gone downhill. Mistakes are made. Wait staff take away plates too soon. Rushed. One rude host on Opus

 

 

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[Niagarawine]

I was on a Royal cruise a few years back and we met a chef who was a passenger. He said he couldn't understand why the meals were so poor as a very small amount of the budget is needed for food and he did quote me the amount but I don't remember. I thought the food on that cruise was very good, now I find the food in the MDR okay but not much choice and much smaller portions, although probably healthier for me. Thought the buffet food on the Silhouette was good.

[Niagarawine]

I don't like the pasta on Celebrity, meat sauce tastes weird and this is one area that would be so easy to upgrade, how about some Italian chefs and homemade Casio e Pepe. Maybe they don't think it would be popular but good Italian cooking is hard to beat,just my opinion. We were on a trans-Atlantic and I really wanted some pasta that was good. Indo think it depends on the chef though.

[keithm]

I was on a Royal cruise a few years back and we met a chef who was a passenger. He said he couldn't understand why the meals were so poor as a very small amount of the budget is needed for food and he did quote me the amount but I don't remember. I thought the food on that cruise was very good, now I find the food in the MDR okay but not much choice and much smaller portions, although probably healthier for me. Thought the buffet food on the Silhouette was good.

In most restaurants the food budget makes up at least 20% of the cost. Labor can make up considerably more than 20% on top of that. This is one reason you see drinks "pushed", really high profit margin. Many rest. with a bar only make a profit when the bar sells a lot of booze/wine/bottled water. I'm the buyer for our catering/food service bus. When I buy San Pellegrino(as an example)A liter bottle will cost me generally under 50 cents. A 2 liter bottle close to a dollar. We then sell "you" that bottle for usually $3-$6. A rather tidy profit!(and that's just water!) The labor cost on the ship for food workers & related staff is quite low when compared to a "decent" shore side rest. in the US. I really see no reason to cut the quality of the food so often, when in reality the staff really isn't making that much $$. If the food cost increases, I'd rather pay more to get better quality than see the quality drop. Here's a prime example for me, personally: I love Yogurt. About 15 years ago a "standard" cup was about 8oz. A few years later some switched to 6oz. Price still went up. Now most are at 5.3oz & the price STILL goes up! This really has me PO'd! Keep the portion size the same, but raise the price, I can deal with. Don't screw me with higher prices & smaller portions. I'm at the point that I'm considering not buying Yogurt any more. Just a rant, sorry.

[Niagarawine]

In most restaurants the food budget makes up at least 20% of the cost. Labor can make up considerably more than 20% on top of that. This is one reason you see drinks "pushed", really high profit margin. Many rest. with a bar only make a profit when the bar sells a lot of booze/wine/bottled water. I'm the buyer for our catering/food service bus. When I buy San Pellegrino(as an example)A liter bottle will cost me generally under 50 cents. A 2 liter bottle close to a dollar. We then sell "you" that bottle for usually $3-$6. A rather tidy profit!(and that's just water!) The labor cost on the ship for food workers & related staff is quite low when compared to a "decent" shore side rest. in the US. I really see no reason to cut the quality of the food so often, when in reality the staff really isn't making that much $$. If the food cost increases, I'd rather pay more to get better quality than see the quality drop. Here's a prime example for me, personally: I love Yogurt. About 15 years ago a "standard" cup was about 8oz. A few years later some switched to 6oz. Price still went up. Now most are at 5.3oz & the price STILL goes up! This really has me PO'd! Keep the portion size the same, but raise the price, I can deal with. Don't screw me with higher prices & smaller portions. I'm at the point that I'm considering not buying Yogurt any more. Just a rant, sorry.

I agree and I think it's maybe we don't demand better and I also think that they are pushing for fee dining which is fine but I didn't appreciate them removing the sushi from the buffet. I think a few more choices on the menu would be great. I notice that Princess offers 2pasta choices with their evening menus. I find the drink prices very high on Celebrity.

[ChucktownSteve]

The labor cost on the ship for food workers & related staff is quite low when compared to a "decent" shore side rest. in the US. I really see no reason to cut the quality of the food so often, when in reality the staff really isn't making that much $$. If the food cost increases, I'd rather pay more to get better quality than see the quality drop.

 

I agree with you. However IMNSHO, Celebrity has not only been cutting the food cost but raising the cruise prices simultaneously. For now, they have chased me to other lines. I refuse to pay their prices and see the cuts, quality decline and crew worked to their limits. I'd rather pay more and get the quality which Celebrity has veered from. They're closer to the other mass market lines when they used to be a cut above.

 

Have you seen the size of the three or four tiny shrimp in their cocktail? Good luck finding quality seafood. How about that cut of everyday steak? It's so thin they can't cook it to temperature.

 

Oceania also includes their specialty restaurants for free. So on marina that's four nights for a couple. Using Celebrity's $45 fare, that's $90X4= $360 value.

Edited April 21, 2017 by ChucktownSteve

[lisiamc]

I think some of what they have been doing lately is a step in the right direction. I've seen more slow-cooked dishes - braised lamb shanks, lamb shoulder, beef cheeks and beef short ribs. These cuts are cheaper, withstand being cooked in large quantities very well, and are delicious.

 

The trend I haven't been enjoying is truffle flavour in so many dishes. I think it's just the right touch sometimes, but truffle in three or four menu items on the same day, or several days of the weekly menu is overkill, and seems like laziness/lack of imagination on the chef's part.

[keithm]

I agree with you. However IMNSHO, Celebrity has not only been cutting the food cost but raising the cruise prices simultaneously. For now, they have chased me to other lines. I refuse to pay their prices and see the cuts, quality decline and crew worked to their limits. I'd rather pay more and get the quality which Celebrity has veered from. They're closer to the other mass market lines when they used to be a cut above.

 

Have you seen the size of the three or four tiny shrimp in their cocktail? Good luck finding quality seafood. How about that cut of everyday steak? It's so thin they can't cook it to temperature.

 

Oceania also includes their specialty restaurants for free. So on marina that's four nights for a couple. Using Celebrity's $45 fare, that's $90X4= $360 value.

I saw the table next to us get the "shrimp" cocktail. Talk about lame. My God those looked to about the size of the 40-50 Shrimp I buy for salads for our rest. If we tried to pass those off as a Shrimp Cocktail, we'd be run out of town!. I will say the Escargots were very good, but quite small in size.