I have a theory about MDR

[AussieVisi2r]

I do find this thread entertaining. We've tried Chops, Giovanni's, & Sabor. The latter two being the better. But there is no way they are worthy of $50 to $75 more per night (for 2) people. We treat our dining at a specialty restaurant much like we treat eating out when at home. Meaning, on a 7 day cruise, dining out of the MDR is a good change. But to think or believe that any of the specialty restaurants is a better food or service than the MDR is just that... a belief. It isn't. It's a change of pace. Some believe spending more money makes it better, it doesn't. But they feel good about it, so whatever. RCCL love this type of cruiser. We have never sent food back while dining in the MDR. We have Chops... twice.

 

True. The MDR food is great.

It's the atmosphere of the specialty dining I like. Especially when travelling with 91yo Dad. It is quieter, less chaotic and much easier to get to a seat for a limited mobility person.

 

When I travel on my own I eat in Specialties much less.

 

Raina

[tennislvr8]

If I don't have to shop/buy it, cook it and clean up after it and its edible, unlike the food at the Asian restaurant on the Anthem (not the sushi place) I walked out of there midmeal.... I'm a happy camper.

 

Sent from my SM-G935V using Forums mobile app

[JMHDisney]

In an affluent household the ingredients used to prepare the daily meals will normally be considerably superior to those typically used in the MDR. And, those superior ingredients combined with a normal level of cooking skill result in better meals. When these same affluent households dine out they select restaurants that will deliver a meal that is special relative to what they enjoy at home. Against this type of benchmark the food in the MDR is terrible.

 

RCL is low cost cruise line and you need to remember that this means there is quite a diversity of people on each cruise; some have barely paid $50 a head per night and some are paying more than twenty times that amount. There is a considerably gradient of expectation in terms of what will be received but RCL needs to make a profit from even those who have hardly paid anything - the "free" food thus needs to be super low cost to provide.

 

The negative reviews of the MDR are completely valid for the demographic they represent. RCL has other options for these folk and by and large they should be happy with them; they may still complain for example that Chops isn't a great streak house but on the other hand it's not a truly terrible one either - it's broadly acceptable when taken as a whole with everything else RCL offers.

 

The only issue I see is that RCL advertises in a manner that tries to create an expectation of fine dining and those who are sucked into believing that they'll get this (at such a low price point it's not really a believable claim) probably do have cause to complain.

 

I completely agree with this. RC creates an expectation of fine dining, but for many people, this is not fine dining. I don't consider myself affluent but by some measures I probably am. On vacation, I want to eat food I enjoy. At home, we eat simple meals with high quality ingredients. We eat out a fair amount at nice restaurants. Before RC, we had only cruised Disney.

 

My first time in RC main dining was actually a bit of a shock. The food in RC main dining is much lower quality than what we eat at home and not as tasty (and I don't consider myself a great cook, but I'm ok and high quality, fresh ingredients make a big difference). My 7 year old refused to eat even the cheese pizza in main dining (and still remembers it and maintains it's the worst pizza he's ever had - I tasted it and can't really argue with him) but happily chowed down on the Giovanni's counterpart. It's just closer to what we're used to.

 

When I went to price out the Med for our cruise this summer, Disney was substantially more, even if I factored in specialty dining on RC for every night. RC specialty is roughly equivalent to Disney main dining, both in food quality and in service. I've had hits and misses in both and that's just how it goes. But RC main dining is consistently lower quality than how I would be eating at home and so I don't want to eat there. I'm perfectly happy to take the budget cruise and pay for specialty dining to have food closer in quality to what we eat at home.

 

 

I probably should have been more skeptical of the fine dining claims before we took our first RC cruise and the "just as good as Disney but cheaper" marketing spin. It likely would have made our expectations more realistic. I just figured they were trying to compete with Disney so it was probably similar, and when that wasn't the case, we were disappointed. Now that we know what to expect, and how to avoid subpar experiences, we're much happier. Live and learn.

[Gquie]

I find the food in the MDR to be on average mediocre. I'm really not a food snob and I always appreciate that someone, anyone, took the time and effort to cook a meal for me. That said, today I had one of the best prime ribs I've ever had on land or at sea. Moist and juicy, tender, and flavourful, That's the only thing that tasted good.

 

The escargot was served room temperature and the creme brule was, pardon my exaggeration but... a crime against humanity. The "custard" was a congealed pudding-like texture and the sugar crust was burnt to the point where when I took my first spoonful of it, the stuff tasted like how ash smells.

 

I'm also not generally a complainer but I do appreciate and expect prompt and efficient service. The wait staff were either completely overwhelmed on day 1 or so new at this that the entire service suffered. The section of tables I was sitting at (3 tables of 2 tops) literally spent the full 2 hours sitting there waiting an excessive amount of time for everything. I'm talking 15 minutes for a soda. 10 minutes for a tea. 5 minutes for them to bring me some cream for the tea.

 

For the majority of the dinner we never even saw our wait staff. My soda went unrefilled until I had to flag down the assistant waiter to ask her for a refill. I've never experienced this before in the MDR. Assistant waiters normally hover over you from a respectable distance and put a fresh glass of soda when I'm barely half finished my first glass.

 

When our waiter finally did arrive with the food, he brought all 3 tables food at the same time and got so flustered he forgot who ordered what and had to ask everyone what they ordered. He'd stand there with two plates in his hands and ask who ordered what he was holding! He forgot a bunch of people's food and when reminded of the fact people were missing dishes, he acted as if they were on their way even though you could clearly see he had no idea what he missed.

 

Not being one to complain I shrugged it off as a messy service but my dining companion wanted to ask to be switched to a different section (is this even possible? we have an assigned table and traditional dining slot). I tried to reason that we have 3 specialty dinners to look forward to so we wouldn't have to suffer in the MDR as much and it wasn't worth complaining about.

 

When reading this thread it got me to thinking, maybe this really is the strategy for RCI. To degrade the service and the quality of the ingredients to the point where you'd gladly pay the upcharge for specialty restaurants. It certainly is working on me.

[TacMedic]

A debate on probably the subjective aspect of cruising is funny, but I'll add my two cents, the MDR food is about the same as the specialty dining options. I've been on 2 RCCL trips first in 06, and one last year on the Allure. The food on both was excellent much better than chain restaurants in the states. I'll admit I may have been lucky with the wait staff, as they tend to make or break dining experiences for most people. however, in a 10-year gap of cruises, the attention to detail from our servers is astounding they had our drinks already at the table before we sat down. Maybe growing up poor combined with the army has made me appreciate these small details more so than perhaps they deserve, but haveing escargot and steak then whatever else struck my nerve....in the middle of the ocean is awesome. If you can't find food on a cruise that you like maybe cruising isn't the right vacation for you. /FlameSuitOn

[grapau27]

I do find this thread entertaining. We've tried Chops, Giovanni's, & Sabor. The latter two being the better. But there is no way they are worthy of $50 to $75 more per night (for 2) people. We treat our dining at a specialty restaurant much like we treat eating out when at home. Meaning, on a 7 day cruise, dining out of the MDR is a good change. But to think or believe that any of the specialty restaurants is a better food or service than the MDR is just that... a belief. It isn't. It's a change of pace. Some believe spending more money makes it better, it doesn't. But they feel good about it, so whatever. RCCL love this type of cruiser. We have never sent food back while dining in the MDR. We have Chops... twice.

We go at least once on a 7 night cruise for a more intimate experience but our table for 2 in MTD has never disappointed​ us.

 

43 cruises and counting.

[grapau27]

I still disagree. It doesnt matter how many people you're cooking for to add some more oregano or flavor to a large pot or dish. Chipotle cranks out tons of burritos every hour and they are well seasoned and flavorful. They put some lime and cilantro in their rice instead of using plain rice. Same idea.

 

Carnival had the right idea with adding Blue Iguana Cantina and Guy's Burgers to their ships. Inexpensive food done RIGHT. You can make food that isn't expensive flavorful, and these two places are good examples.

 

I do agree with certain demographics liking more adventurous foods. Younger people, and those who live in metropolitan areas with lots of restaurant choices probably are the most disappointed with MDR food. I live in a metropolitan area where you can get AMAZING food at a food truck. For $6. You don't have to be eating filet or lobster to be eating good, flavorful food. And cruise ship MDR food is just incredibly boring and plain. I'm just saying you shouldn't have to pay an extra $40 per person to get a meal for dinner that's decently seasoned.

Your right you shouldn't but not everyone wants the food flavoured maybe what they need is more condiments, seasonings etc on the tables so people can add to their personal choice.

 

43 cruises and counting.

[grapau27]

I only see your example via the Jammer Buffet.

With buffets the chance of noro virus increases.

 

43 cruises and counting.

[MrYellowDuck]

I am sailing on Royal for the first time this summer but I expect I will love it as much as any of the others.

 

Plan to eat in the up-sell restaurants every night and you'll be fine. Under the free options so long as you like things like veins left in the meat when it's diced for the stews then you'll be fine.

[grapau27]

Plan to eat in the up-sell restaurants every night and you'll be fine. Under the free options so long as you like things like veins left in the meat when it's diced for the stews then you'll be fine.

That is unfair although the food is not Michelin star class it is still very good.

 

43 cruises and counting.

[DirtyDawg]

Just like beauty, MDR food quality and dining experience is in the eye (or taste buds) of the beholder. So since its cost is included in your cruise fare, go and try the MDR out for yourself. It might not be the Beyoncé or Selma Hayek of culinary experiences but it might be a Taylor Swift. And if it turns out, for you, to be the Phillis Diller of dining experiences, try the specialty restaurants. ;)

 

And for the ladies substitute in Cary Grant, George Clooney, Ryan Gosling and Steve Buscemi - you slot them in however you like.:D

Edited April 17, 2017 by DirtyDawg

[grapau27]

I would love to eat at some of the whiner's homes. The food served is usually good. It may not be prepared the way you like it. Out of about 600 dinners on cruise ships I have had 2 terrible dinners. Flip side, I have had 3 of the best meals ever.People feel they have to complain about things.

I don't think i have ever had a bad meal but the quality is good considering the volume of meals they cook.

 

43 cruises and counting.

[grapau27]

This.

 

I agree completely. I enjoy eating in almost all venues of every cruise ship I have been on. I think some people feel that if they complain it makes them look discerning. I am not saying that about anyone here, just people in general. My own family is like this. It drives me crazy.

If you don't like the look of something when it comes to the table just ask the waiter to bring something else they will happily bring something alse for you.

 

43 cruises and counting.

[bigque]

Well I didn't grow up in the affluent home across "the tracks". Actually I grew up in the projects of South Central Los Angeles. I am so glad that I can eat food from various sources and not just 5 star restaurants and steak houses and can enjoy food in the MDR, the specialties and the Windjammer. When we go out to eat at home we go to Chilis, Texas Roadhouse, Longhorn Steakhouse, Applebees, Golden Coral, Food Trucks, fast food joints, little hole in the wall joints, various places we have seen on the TV show Diners, Drive Ins & Dives, Ruth Chris, Mortons, K & W Cafeteria, street hot dog vendors, Chinese Buffets, Food Courts in the mall and so on! Have we liked all the food we ordered in the MDR.....No. But when we have not liked something we just ask for something else and they are more than happy to bring it. Do we like every dish we had in the Windjammer....No! I don't like something I just get something else. Is the Pizza at Sorrentos the best I have ever had...Is it "Gourmet" Pizza.....No but it is a good slice of pizza for a nice little snack when you don't want a full meal. Johnny Rockets may not be like this burger place or that burger place or your favorite gourmet burger place but dag gon it's not like it's the worst burger ever at $7.95 for burger onion rings and fries as some make it out to be!

In the military I managed dining (Chow Halls) facilities and some people do not have a clues as to what it takes to prepare meals in mass rather than individual orders when sent to the kitchen on a ticket. In the military on a base we fed hundreds of troops 3 to 4 meals a day and these ships feed thousands of people, breakfast, lunch, dinner in the MDR and Windjammer each day. for them to do that it is a 24 hour a day operation, somebody is always up cooking something. When food is prepared in those quantities it is not always going to always be to everyone's liking and you are not going to get the same quality as your 5 star restaurant that is feeding 100 to a 150 people on a busy night where they take the time and care with each individual order!

So with that being said, from where I come from, I believe they do a great job and deliver a decent product on the scale that they do it week after week! :cool:

I have never seen anyone at the end of a cruise having to be carried off the ship because they are suffering from hunger from not eating the nasty food all week!

[ExpatBride]

I rarely overeat and my experience in RCL's MDR is that the food, particularly for vegetarians, is just plain poor. I sailed with them once and never again.

[grapau27]

Well I didn't grow up in the affluent home across "the tracks". Actually I grew up in the projects of South Central Los Angeles. I am so glad that I can eat food from various sources and not just 5 star restaurants and steak houses and can enjoy food in the MDR, the specialties and the Windjammer. When we go out to eat at home we go to Chilis, Texas Roadhouse, Longhorn Steakhouse, Applebees, Golden Coral, Food Trucks, fast food joints, little hole in the wall joints, various places we have seen on the TV show Diners, Drive Ins & Dives, Ruth Chris, Mortons, K & W Cafeteria, street hot dog vendors, Chinese Buffets, Food Courts in the mall and so on! Have we liked all the food we ordered in the MDR.....No. But when we have not liked something we just ask for something else and they are more than happy to bring it. Do we like every dish we had in the Windjammer....No! I don't like something I just get something else. Is the Pizza at Sorrentos the best I have ever had...Is it "Gourmet" Pizza.....No but it is a good slice of pizza for a nice little snack when you don't want a full meal. Johnny Rockets may not be like this burger place or that burger place or your favorite gourmet burger place but dag gon it's not like it's the worst burger ever at $7.95 for burger onion rings and fries as some make it out to be!

In the military I managed dining (Chow Halls) facilities and some people do not have a clues as to what it takes to prepare meals in mass rather than individual orders when sent to the kitchen on a ticket. In the military on a base we fed hundreds of troops 3 to 4 meals a day and these ships feed thousands of people, breakfast, lunch, dinner in the MDR and Windjammer each day. for them to do that it is a 24 hour a day operation, somebody is always up cooking something. When food is prepared in those quantities it is not always going to always be to everyone's liking and you are not going to get the same quality as your 5 star restaurant that is feeding 100 to a 150 people on a busy night where they take the time and care with each individual order!

So with that being said, from where I come from, I believe they do a great job and deliver a decent product on the scale that they do it week after week! :cool:

I have never seen anyone at the end of a cruise having to be carried off the ship because they are suffering from hunger from not eating the nasty food all week!

What a brilliant post.

BTW we are from the UK but have been coming to the US since 1992 and we love Dennys, Longhorn,Friendlys,Olive Garden etc and i have the utmost respect for the ships chef's who cook thousands of good quality meals a day.

 

43 cruises and counting.

[Thisisgood]

When you think of the thousands of meals made every day i think they are amazing.

 

 

 

43 cruises and counting.

 

True. Try bringing teens/young adults who were at the sport court all day working up an appetite. They can order two appetizers, and two main dishes, etc. Yes, that includes escargot. Those meals would cost a fortune at a land based restaurant. Love that I can happily watch them eat away!

[grapau27]

Just like beauty, MDR food quality and dining experience is in the eye (or taste buds) of the beholder. So since its cost is included in your cruise fare, go and try the MDR out for yourself. It might not be the Beyoncé or Selma Hayek of culinary experiences but it might be a Taylor Swift. And if it turns out, for you, to be the Phillis Diller of dining experiences, try the specialty restaurants. ;)

 

And for the ladies substitute in Cary Grant, George Clooney, Ryan Gosling and Steve Buscemi - you slot them in however you like.:D

Unusual comparisons but i have honestly never left a ships main restaurant not happy.

 

43 cruises and counting.

[grapau27]

True. Try bringing teens/young adults who were at the sport court all day working up an appetite. They can order two appetizers, and two main dishes, etc. Yes, that includes escargot. Those meals would cost a fortune at a land based restaurant. Love that I can happily watch them eat away!

Thats great we often order 2 escargots and our waiters often tell us we can have as many of what we want.

 

43 cruises and counting.

[Beachdude]

I have never seen anyone at the end of a cruise having to be carried off the ship because they are suffering from hunger from not eating the nasty food all week!

 

Hmm, I read posts like this and reflect that I never left McDonalds sick, but I haven't eaten there since my kids left home.

 

I can't imagine chefs enjoy reading these kinds of complimentary reviews of their work. Doesn't anyone believe they serve above average food somewhere on their ships?

 

There was a time when the food reviews on others main cruise lines were always compared against Royal Caribbean. I haven't looked lately, but by reading from the Royals loyal customers, I'm thinking maybe not.

 

Hey, it's OK to expect good quality food.

 

Burt

[helenliz]

As ever, mixed reviews for everything; it is horses for courses.

First time cruiser here, wondering if the price for the specialty restaurants is worth it for a couple of nights. For the change, if nothing else.

I've got an adventurous palate, the only thing I wouldn't eat is something that's looking at me (yeah, I know, odd hangup) Himself, on the other hand, thinks a lasagne is exotic. Just hoping neither of us starves (although I could do with loosing the weight!).

[grapau27]

As ever, mixed reviews for everything; it is horses for courses.

First time cruiser here, wondering if the price for the specialty restaurants is worth it for a couple of nights. For the change, if nothing else.

I've got an adventurous palate, the only thing I wouldn't eat is something that's looking at me (yeah, I know, odd hangup) Himself, on the other hand, thinks a lasagne is exotic. Just hoping neither of us starves (although I could do with loosing the weight!).

Specialty restaurants good for a romantic meal,the main restaurant can be a little noisy but food always good and certain things like Steak you could get every night if you wanted.

You are guaranteed to put on weight so wait until you get home before you diet.

 

43 cruises and counting.

[bigque]

Hmm, I read posts like this and reflect that I never left McDonalds sick, but I haven't eaten there since my kids left home.

 

I can't imagine chefs enjoy reading these kinds of complimentary reviews of their work. Doesn't anyone believe they serve above average food somewhere on their ships?

 

There was a time when the food reviews on others main cruise lines were always compared against Royal Caribbean. I haven't looked lately, but by reading from the Royals loyal customers, I'm thinking maybe not.

 

Hey, it's OK to expect good quality food.

 

Burt

 

You miss my point completely. The line you quote from everything I said is really to all the people that say the food is nasty, inedible, etc and would have you to believe that they didn't eat on the cruise all week because the MDR foos was nasty, The Windjammer food was nasty, The pizza is nasty, Johnny Rockets is no good, Chops food is no good cause they don't serve dry aged steaks as good as Mortons, etc., so either they fast during the week and not eat or they must eat the so called nasty food and leave sick at the end of the week!

[bigque]

Specialty restaurants good for a romantic meal,the main restaurant can be a little noisy but food always good and certain things like Steak you could get every night if you wanted.

You are guaranteed to put on weight so wait until you get home before you diet.

 

43 cruises and counting.

 

We usually cruise during our anniversary and we will usually do a specialty on that night and maybe one more night on the cruise. We do it not because the food is bad in the MDR or because we don't like it but we do it just to do something different than the hustle and bustle of the MDR a couple of nights! :cool:

[EBFURR]

True, some people expect very high quality food.....but for $150 each for a seven night cruise I can eat every night in a superior place like Chops, Jamie's, Central Park, Wonderland and more.

They need t make a choice - pay the minimum and have decent food. Pay a bit more and have super food.

The choice is ours.

Especially if some people are paying $50 a head per night. Super cheap holiday with brilliant food.

 

I believe this post captures the cruise line theory on MDR perfectly. We have not been on nearly as many cruises as a lot of the CC members but we have been cruising with RCI for 23 years. There is no question that the MDR food (and service) were much better 20+ years ago when there were no "pay to play" dining options. In fact, I cannot think of any food you could pay for in those days. The MDR was one of the selling points of cruising and as a result was very good (in our opinion). Cruise prices were higher (adjusted for inflation) but they did normally include round trip airfare and transfers so that offsets a little. Cruising is still a bargain overall but that may be debated by some. The MDR food, while not 5 star, is still pretty good. We are amazed with what is done by the chefs with the per person budget that they work with. As the above post points out, you can choose to use the alternative dining as often as you like if you prefer a higher standard of offerings. This increases your cost, but it is a choice you have available to you. Meanwhile, those who are happy with the MDR can skip the extra cost and enjoy. I believe this is a strategy that the lines use to satisfy both those who are on a budget as we usually are, and those who prefer something extra and are willing to pay for it. It keeps the cruise available to more people.