Carnival MDR food quality going down?

[moongal]

Keep in mind ... cruising is not just about eating. ;p

 

 

What???? That's not what was on the memo I got!

 

 

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[IntrepidFromDC]

Also keep in mind, if you need better food fixes from time to time than what the MDR offers, you can visit the Steakhouse or pay the $20 supplement for Steakhouse-quality food.

 

Personally, I can handle the MDR food for a day or two, and then need something better.

 

As for Lido... there are a few decent options but please don't try to sell Guy's burgers as "good" to THIS guy.

[cruiser4four]

Keep in mind ... cruising is not just about eating. ;p

 

 

Speak for yourself. :)

[funkidd]

The cost of food is the lowest it's been in the past 15 years. For those of you that say it's the cost that is the reason for menu change and quality cuts you couldn't be more wrong. As far as serving gourmet meals for thousands of people being hard or near impossible I will tell you I have been on the behind the scenes tour and the ship is super well equipped to do to just that serve gourmet meals to everyone on the ship

 

 

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[StolidCruiser]

The cost of food is the lowest it's been in the past 15 years. For those of you that say it's the cost that is the reason for menu change and quality cuts you couldn't be more wrong. As far as serving gourmet meals for thousands of people being hard or near impossible I will tell you I have been on the behind the scenes tour and the ship is super well equipped to do to just that serve gourmet meals to everyone on the ship

 

 

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While you were on that tour, did you ask the Chef why he doesn't prepare gourmet meals since the galley is equipped to prepare them?

[tef43]

I have a theory I want to pose to everyone and see what yall think. From what I have heard on reviews on here and from what I have seen in the past several years, the food quality in the MDR is on the decline. It seems variety selection and quality are declining. Is that a fair statement? If it is true, why do you think?

 

My theory is that cruise lines, Carnival specifically (maybe others) are trying to get passengers to switch to the pay for restaurants by lessoning the quality and variety in the main dining room. I think they are doing this gradually to eventually make the change to a pay for all of your food cruise system. I think if they just starting charging for all food on the cruise, they would see big declines in ridership so they have decided to get customers to slowly pay for better food, comparable to what you used to get in the mdr.

 

What do yall think?

 

Interesting conspiracy theory, but I do not place much weight on it.

 

Based on recent corporate decisions, the Beards do not seem to be capable of such an advanced level of critical thinking.

[cruiser4four]

I am very confused as to why people continuously bring up cost as a factor in the menu change, 90% of the items on the old menu were not that expensive to make. Seems to me like management tried to make a seemingly fancier menu but failed miserably.

Edited April 30, 2017 by cruiser4four

[LMaxwell]

Carnival allots about $8-10 per person, per day, for food. NCL and RCI are in the $12-15 range for food (wonder what RCI does with it because they are the worst). Increasing the quality of ingredients on Carnival would not likely add more than $2-3 per person, per day. Would I spend another $15 per person, per week, for significantly better quality ingredients in all complimentary food? Yes

 

But this is Cruise Critic so the next post will be that someone would rather save $1 on a $3000 vacation and get peanut butter and jelly on enriched white bread.

[summersigh]

If the food served is barely edible and some not suitable for your dog, why do you continue to sail on a line you can't eat on?

My question too. :rolleyes:

[funkidd]

While you were on that tour, did you ask the Chef why he doesn't prepare gourmet meals since the galley is equipped to prepare them?

 

 

Stolid. No I did not ask the chef on my behind the scenes tour why they didn't make gourmet meals for everyone. Like I have said from early in this thread, I enjoy the food for the most part and I already know they can make gourmet meals it's a matter of a little attention and better ingredients.

 

Question? Where does the food from the steakhouse and cucina come from. I bet it comes from the main galley not a separate kitchen.

 

Also a point to ponder. If eventually the cruise lines get to an all pay for food system, I think there would be less waste. I think that some passengers are a bit glutenous. I know that's part of the experience but you would think twice about ordering something you weren't sure you liked if you had to pay for it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[sfaaa]

The cost of food is the lowest it's been in the past 15 years. For those of you that say it's the cost that is the reason for menu change and quality cuts you couldn't be more wrong. As far as serving gourmet meals for thousands of people being hard or near impossible I will tell you I have been on the behind the scenes tour and the ship is super well equipped to do to just that serve gourmet meals to everyone on the ship

 

 

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Food item unit cost may or may not have gone up much at the initial purchasing stage. But when you have people wasting a ton of food at Lido and over indulge in MDR night in and night out, your food cost has just gone through the roof unless you also increase food revenue or cut production costs to make up the lost margin. Anyone who cruises Carnival and expects 4 or 5 star dining at no extra charge in MDR is just plain out to lunch.

[IntrepidFromDC]

Paying $20 for a Steakhouse entree served in MDR is a nice solution for foodies IMO. I decide each night, based on that night's menu, whether any regular MDR entrées are good enough for my foodie palate.

[happy cruzer]

those of you worring about waste, the Lido and the MDR pre-prepare the food it is setting there ready to be eaten. If you don't eat it, then it is recycled to the ocean. You are not at that moment affecting the production of food. Also most servings sizes are much smaller than land based restaurants.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

 

There's a reason CCL is the largest cruise line. It's not because they deliver a deficient or substandard product.

 

Is this how we evaluate the food on a critic site, by # of ships? I'm sure you wouldn't accept a poor review of Outback Steakhouse, because Denny's is winning the location war.

[slatexx]

I think its an interesting topic and agree from a different perspective. I don't think Carnival is intentionally reducing anything concerned with the MDR, rather as a company their are choosing to put their investments dollars in other areas of the ship and onboard experience improvements. I think relatively yes, it is then easier to pick out MDR as something that is potentially lagging behind overall improvements and expectations. But Carnival is just following the market and doing what the demographic will and allow and investing in what gets "more new customers" onboard and not just existing. I actually think this questions pertains more to RCI, who is truly testing the alternative paid dining model. Carnival seems to be watching and waiting, I actually think Carnival has done a good job staying a good distance behind RCI providing a more all-inclusive experience. But who knows, if RCI's paid restaurants and expanded options continue to grow in demand and MDR usage rates slow it's very possible one day the "free" version of the MDR would disappear. I truly believe at the end of the day both RCI and Carnival would prefer to be more like a hotel and everything is additional, but the market is not there yet and it may never be. Change is slow but I agree they are trying, but not in a malicious manner just investing in different options and seeing what the market will do.

[Cyber Kat]

I haven't been cruising 20 years but I highly doubt that. I wonder if people who make this type of remark truly knows what goes into preparing "gourmet meals". There is simply no possible way to serve gourmet food when cooking for thousands of people at a time. I wont doubt that the meat quality has gone downhill. Ive seen that on two lines in just 9 years but no way will I ever believe that a mass market cruise line has ever served what I would consider gourmet meals. Its massed produced banquet type food at best in my honest opinion.

 

Gourmet is what you would find on the small boutique lines that cost upwards of 5K per person and only have about 800 guests onboard. Crystal, Regents, etc.

 

Yes - I think that the food quality has gone down, but I don't think it's so much that Carnival is pushing people into the pay restaurants as like most corporations they are looking to increase their bottom line. If they can keep prices low and get you to accept food of a lessor quality, they are going to do it.

 

But I think you have hit on another factor. As ships get bigger and bigger, it's more and more difficult to serve anything other than mass produced cafeteria style meals. It's simply an impossible task.

 

A reason I am looking into smaller ship sailing. It's more costly - but you get what you pay for is the way things work.

[Cyber Kat]

If you believe everything you read here on CC, then I have a bridge for sale in NY for you; slightly used and over 100 years old.

 

If people don't like cruising, they can always take another land-based vacation, trapped in some low quality resort with overpriced and crappy food, rooms that were new 20+ years ago, facilities that are in decline and booze that's even more expensive than a ship's.

 

IMO, the majority of complaints here on CC, are because people were "offended" the way they were treated, have unreasonable expectations for a cruise, take short cruises and project their opinions from that limited experience, and expect to be treated like royalty when staying in an inside cabin on Deck 1.

 

No offense to anyone who cruises on Deck 1, inside cabins, as we all buy the vacations we want to spend money on and spend how we want to.

 

Reality is, the majority of complaints are just that, complaints. Go work in the service industry and you'll realize that you can never make 100% of the people happy 100% of the time.

 

There's a reason CCL is the largest cruise line. It's not because they deliver a deficient or substandard product.

 

There's always the buffet of you don't like MDR. Even room service too. Heck, you can just eat pizza for a week if that floats your boat.

 

I've seen this more than once - basically if you don't like Carnival, you don't like cruising, so you must choose a land-based all inclusive.

 

There are all sorts of options in between - cruising and land-based. It's not like cruising Carnival and land-based are the only options. There are lots of cruising options - plenty of cruise lines out there. Lots of different land based options besides an AI resort - and a crappy one at that! ;p

 

One of the reasons Carnival is so large is because it's a cheap vacation - not because they deliver a high quality product. And I'm not in the market for any bridges today, thank you.

[JMAE]

We have been on many Carnival cruises over the years. Has the food changed over the years, yes, but is it bad, no. We like the food and yes we like the tables without the tablecloths. The only thing that I wish could happen is they reduce the passenger to wait staff (room stewards too) ratio.

[Badfinger]

I have a theory I want to pose to everyone and see what yall think. From what I have heard on reviews on here and from what I have seen in the past several years, the food quality in the MDR is on the decline. It seems variety selection and quality are declining. Is that a fair statement? If it is true, why do you think?

 

My theory is that cruise lines, Carnival specifically (maybe others) are trying to get passengers to switch to the pay for restaurants by lessoning the quality and variety in the main dining room. I think they are doing this gradually to eventually make the change to a pay for all of your food cruise system. I think if they just starting charging for all food on the cruise, they would see big declines in ridership so they have decided to get customers to slowly pay for better food, comparable to what you used to get in the mdr.

 

You are already paying for all food on the ship.

 

And yea, if they shut down the buffet, or started charging for it, there would be a mutiny!

[ryano]

 

Question? Where does the food from the steakhouse and cucina come from. I bet it comes from the main galley not a separate kitchen.

 

You have never been in either place have you? They both have their own separate kitchen.

[meatloafsfan]

I prefer the American Table menus.

 

We did a 14 night with the old menus and then a 21 night with the American Table menus (it was an 11/10 night b2b). I generally preferred the menus on the 21 night cruise.

 

I think Carnival is in line with just about every other restaurant in North America who seems to be changing their menus and prices.

[LMaxwell]

You have never been in either place have you? They both have their own separate kitchen.

 

You are both right.

 

There are ships that have Steakhouse selections, but no steakhouse. So that food prep is in the main galley. And the main galley does all the prep for Chefs Table.

 

So it doesn't really matter where it is prepared, the galleys are equipped to turn out any level of quality and the chefs are certainly capable.

 

It comes down to quality of ingredients more than anything.

[ryano]

 

It comes down to quality of ingredients more than anything.

 

Which in turn comes down to money spent. I still say Carnival does much better with their 10.00 pp pd food budget than Royal does with its 12-15. JMO :)

 

The OP did say where does the food from the steakhouse and Cucina come from so I took it meant ships that had a steakhouse. The answer would be from its own kitchen.

[funkidd]

I have been in the galley of the triumph on the behind the scenes tour. I didn't know if the specialty restaurants had there own separate kitchen or it came out of the central galley that's why I asked. I just said I bet it all comes from the same place because the chefs are all great chefs, like the last poster said its all about the ingredients and perhaps the time it might take for some of the more complicated dishes.

[Cruisegirl6]

The food in the MDR has gone way down the past few years and the buffets we finding too many inedible foods, they can't get any worse than what they offer.

 

Granted, the ships with the pasta bar and the Blue Iguana Cantina were edible as so was the wok. When we cruise Carnival we make sure we have dinner at the Steakhouse each night and I must say, its always been excellent on all our Carnival cruises. I can count on one thing when I cruise Carnival, that I come back around 3 pounds lighter lol.