Is Specialty Dining Goin' Beggin'???

[LINDAE3213]

We eat in Windjammer for dinner.  For us, dinner is a light meal and we don't like the MDR as we find it too long a process.  We don't do drink packages either...bring on 2 bottles...get our diamond happy hour drink or two and if husbands wants a beer during the day he buys one.  We tried chops once but found it lacking for the price.  It is nice to have the options and one day I would like to try a specialty restaurant for lunch....if the menu appeals to me and if it fits our schedule.  To each his own...I have yet to go hungry....but I still prefer celebrity food over rccl.

[clean1owner]

6 hours ago, stringbean10 said:

Try it - you might like it!

 

I'd love it if someone else who feels the specialty dining is significantly better would chime in...

 

On Oasis or Allure, walking through the park and stopping at the restaurants makes for a lovely evening.  It is such a different experience than the cattle call that is the MDR.  I feel really pampered at the specialty restaurants. 

 

 "The ingredients are close to what they would have bought anyway for the MDR, same with the staff" - Ingredients are 'close'?

 

What does that mean?  A steak is a steak is a steak?   Not to me.  The steak I had at Chops was significantly better than the one I ordered in the MDR. 

 

I know Izumi is run completely differently than the other restaurants.  Is there sushi grade fish in the MDR?  Genuinely curious. 

 

Same staff?  Can anyone confirm this?  I am curious because it appeared to be the same staff in the speciality restaurants every night instead of rotating people in and out of the MDR.  The staff also appeared to be a cut above - I mean wouldn't you send your best to serve all the fancy starclass folks that eat there "free?"  

 

Do they use the same kitchen as the MDR?  I don't know - after a few minutes of googlefu I still couldn't find the answer.   It seems like the meals are made to order and not sitting under a heat lamp in order to feed the masses.  That is a big difference.  

 

Not trying to put down the MDR workers or experience. 

 

As for posting often, this is a topic I am interested in and felt like I could add value.  I am always surprised the specialty restaurants aren't consistently packed - they feel like a crazy secret and bargain.  Again - people drop $60 at bingo without even thinking about it - for 2 bingo games I get 7 fantastic dinners and 3 wonderful lunches.   It is hard to quantify but I would say the specialty restaurant experience is 10-20x better than the MDR. 

 

 

Ms Stringbean

 

When you gave your background, you did not mention when you first started cruising. But given your age, I am going to assume it wasn't pre-specialty dining / buffet. Why does that matter? Please let me explain why it matters to me.

 

Everything you love about dining in specialty venues is what I was getting in the MDR, and included in the price of the cruise, when I first started cruising almost 35 years ago. It was a major part of what fed the addiction.

 

On lobster night, during my first ever cruise, I was hemming and hawing between the Lobster and a Steak. I had never eaten Lobster before, and didn't know if I would like it. But I knew that I liked Steak. The waiter heard me telling my tablemates of my dilemma, and simply said "Order both. That way if you don't like the Lobster, you still have the Steak." "I can do that?" "Certainly, no problem." I don't know if that waiter immediately realized it, but he just turned loose a kid in a candy store with no credit limit. After the Baked Alaska parade that same night, I was completely hooked.

 

Dining was one of the major selling points, and most competitive areas in the cruise industry.  Cruise lines went overboard (pardon the pun) to try and out perform each other. 

 

Fast forward to where we are today, and it just doesn't feel right to have to pay extra for decent food and service. To me, it's like buying a brand new car, but having to pay $1000 extra for tires that have tread on them.

 

Please don't take this as a "Good ol' days of cruising" post, because that is not the intention. It is to simply show why I have such a different opinion from you about specialty dining, and why I would never pay extra for it.

[voyager70]

19 minutes ago, clean1owner said:

 

 

Ms Stringbean

 

When you gave your background, you did not mention when you first started cruising. But given your age, I am going to assume it wasn't pre-specialty dining / buffet. Why does that matter? Please let me explain why it matters to me.

 

Everything you love about dining in specialty venues is what I was getting in the MDR, and included in the price of the cruise, when I first started cruising almost 35 years ago. It was a major part of what fed the addiction.

 

On lobster night, during my first ever cruise, I was hemming and hawing between the Lobster and a Steak. I had never eaten Lobster before, and didn't know if I would like it. But I knew that I liked Steak. The waiter heard me telling my tablemates of my dilemma, and simply said "Order both. That way if you don't like the Lobster, you still have the Steak." "I can do that?" "Certainly, no problem." I don't know if that waiter immediately realized it, but he just turned loose a kid in a candy store with no credit limit. After the Baked Alaska parade that same night, I was completely hooked.

 

Dining was one of the major selling points, and most competitive areas in the cruise industry.  Cruise lines went overboard (pardon the pun) to try and out perform each other. 

 

Fast forward to where we are today, and it just doesn't feel right to have to pay extra for decent food and service. To me, it's like buying a brand new car, but having to pay $1000 extra for tires that have tread on them.

 

Please don't take this as a "Good ol' days of cruising" post, because that is not the intention. It is to simply show why I have such a different opinion from you about specialty dining, and why I would never pay extra for it.

 

Could not have said it better.  I started cruising in 1982 at the age of 12 and wholeheartedly agree with everything you said.

 

 

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, clean1owner said:

 

 

Ms Stringbean

 

When you gave your background, you did not mention when you first started cruising. But given your age, I am going to assume it wasn't pre-specialty dining / buffet. Why does that matter? Please let me explain why it matters to me.

 

Everything you love about dining in specialty venues is what I was getting in the MDR, and included in the price of the cruise, when I first started cruising almost 35 years ago. It was a major part of what fed the addiction.

 

On lobster night, during my first ever cruise, I was hemming and hawing between the Lobster and a Steak. I had never eaten Lobster before, and didn't know if I would like it. But I knew that I liked Steak. The waiter heard me telling my tablemates of my dilemma, and simply said "Order both. That way if you don't like the Lobster, you still have the Steak." "I can do that?" "Certainly, no problem." I don't know if that waiter immediately realized it, but he just turned loose a kid in a candy store with no credit limit. After the Baked Alaska parade that same night, I was completely hooked.

 

Dining was one of the major selling points, and most competitive areas in the cruise industry.  Cruise lines went overboard (pardon the pun) to try and out perform each other. 

 

Fast forward to where we are today, and it just doesn't feel right to have to pay extra for decent food.

 

I agree with the above part.  Dining was certainly better back when we first started cruising as well.  I will add though that with what I pay now for my cruise fare and adding in the specialty dining (we’ve eaten in the MDR once in our last 8 cruises) is still less than what I paid for a cruise 20 years ago.  As cruise lines evolved from what they were 30 o4 30 years ago, Royal chose the path of expansion and appealing to the masses and with that came cheaper fares and a product that was not of the same quality.  Those lines (or ones replicating those lines) that chose to maintain the standards of years gone by still exist however they are priced well above what Royal is charging.

 

To me the great thing about cruising is that it offers choices.  None of them right, none of them wrong...just simply choices that each person can decide what is best for them.   Me, I like the specialty dining but wouldn’t spend the money on the delux beverage package...the free swill in the DL is good enough.

Edited December 19, 2018 by Ourusualbeach

[John&LaLa]

14 hours ago, stringbean10 said:

So interesting to read these replies. 

 

Background on us:  Husband & I 40s with 2 little kids (4&5) - taking them on their 3rd cruise in Feb (our 10th or so? - I don't keep track) - 

 

I find the specialty restaurants worth every extra penny. (and it's not even that much!)  It is amazing to have 7 nice date nights with or without the children.  Thanks free childcare!!!

 

We buy the "Ultimate dining package" and eat in a specialty restaurant every night and every lunch opportunity - I paid 150 pp for our next cruise.  We could easily spend that on one equivalent fine dining meal in our city.  Heck - even going out to a Hibachi here would cost us $100 for our family. 

 

The food is always very good to excellent and the service is fantastic. We recently gave the MDR another shot and were very disappointed.   The MDR may be 'fine' for y'all but I want 'good to excellent' food and I am willing to pay for it.

 

I find the MDR food to be equivalent to meh convention buffet food.

 

I don't care about a waiter 'knowing' me or having the same service team - at all.  The MDR is hectic, crowded and loud.  I really enjoy the fine dining experience the specialty restaurants provide to us.  Chefs table, 150 and chops are fantastic.  We eat at Izumi several times each cruise - the only weak link I can think of is Sabor - but they have wonderful margaritas!

 

People like different things.  I am not interested in spending a dime at any of the 'stores' on board, buying 'art,' getting a haircut or teeth whitening on board. We do not do excursions through the cruise line.  I do however enjoy long leisurely dinners.  The money is worth it to me.  I have a hard time understanding how it is not worth it to more folks!  

 

 

 

Do you have to pay for the kids?

Do you pay a surcharge for Izumi?

[John&LaLa]

12 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

You have to look at the entire picture. Calculating free child care into the equation helps to ease the pain of the cost. In my case I am willing to pay $55 pp at Wonderland for some deviled eggs and dry ice because It isn't an experience I can get at home. I certainly don't think the food is worth the price but I feel that there is entertainment value and the experience to me is worth the extra money. We will also be celebrating DW's 50th birthday and I think it should be marked with a special experience that you can't get at a steakhouse or Italian restaurant.  I also think that the prices are inflated so that they can offer a discount. I have stood in long lines at stores while people stand at the check out trying to find a coupon from some online website.  Prices are inflated because nobody will buy a thing without some sort of discount. Royal Caribbean is just giving the people what they want by trying to fill the restaurants at discounted prices.

 

Wonderland was a big disappointment.

I'm surprised you cant find something like that in NY.

 

Search for Molecular Gastronomy.  Dozens of hits

Edited December 19, 2018 by John&LaLa

[Iamcruzin]

Manhattan has Jekyll and Hyde Club which we have been to a few times when my children were young. That was more about the decor and entertainment than food presentation. My son went to Wonderland on Anthem 2 yrs ago and he wants to go back. He said the service was great and he enjoyed the food. He would not go back to Chops, he basically said that he paid twice because what he ordered had an additional charge on top of the additional charge to get in. I'm guessing that Wonderland is very similar to Qsine on Celebrity. That restaurant reminded me of something from Alice in Wonderland and it's the same type of food presentation that I have seen for Wonderland.  We enjoyed Qsine so I have hope for Wonderland. Who knows maybe they will offer a discount on board.

[RFerrington]

44 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Wonderland was a big disappointment.

 

+1 for this.  We started out with a party of 6 and by the time the meal was over there were 2 left.  Never again.

[stringbean10]

Five and under eat free - 6+ is a $10 surcharge

Iszumi - you receive a $35 credit pp - some people report that you can use that at the hibachi the first night if they aren't busy.  On our last cruise, $70 went really far for us in izumi. 

[stringbean10]

"When you gave your background, you did not mention when you first started cruising:  1997 - 25 years!  Yikes - Does this buy me any street cred here? lol.

 

"But given your age, I am going to assume" -  you know what they say about assumptions 😉 -  it was before specialty restaurants.  

 

I've been on NCL, Celebrity and RCI.  Our first specialty dining experience was on NCL Epic when it was brand new.

 

"Everything you love about dining in specialty venues is what I was getting in the MDR, and included in the price of the cruise, when I first started cruising almost 35 years ago...." 

 

I don't think so....an intimate restaurant that seats 50 vs. eating in a main dining room with a few hundred of your closest friends at a table for 10 with strangers.  Some people like eating with strangers - that's great - but now we have the option not to and eat at whatever time we want!  For those reasons alone, the current specialty restaurant experience is not "what you were getting in the MDR" back in the day. Personally, I like eating when I want with who I want....

 

Yes, when you started cruising the cost of that food was included in the cruise.  The cruise was also much more expensive.  I did a little bit of internet sleuthing for pricing,  I found someone who stated they paid  $2323 for two in 1995 for an outside room on Monarch.   Accounting for inflation, that works out to be about $3500 today.  I am paying over $1000 less than that for a balcony for four people on Oasis in 2019!  A $1000 dollars less on an amazing ship! 

 

"On lobster night, during my first ever cruise, I was hemming and hawing between the Lobster and a Steak. I had never eaten Lobster before, and didn't know if I would like it. But I knew that I liked Steak. The waiter heard me telling my tablemates of my dilemma, and simply said "Order both. That way if you don't like the Lobster, you still have the Steak." "I can do that?" "Certainly, no problem." I don't know if that waiter immediately realized it, but he just turned loose a kid in a candy store with no credit limit. After the Baked Alaska parade that same night, I was completely hooked."

 

That is a very sweet story and is still the case in the MDR, right? You can order both!  Hasn't changed!  And guess what - you can do that in specialty dining too 🙂

 

"Fast forward to where we are today, and it just doesn't feel right to have to pay extra for decent food and service. To me, it's like buying a brand new car, but having to pay $1000 extra for tires that have tread on them."

 

This is a bad analogy.   Not "tires,"  "tires" - free dining room food, in your analogy is still included. A better analogy would be paying for different trims on cars. The base model remains the same - a ship (food is still included)  - and is arguably better (compare Monarch of the seas to an Oasis class).  You are now having to pay extra for the seat warmers, the navigation systems and the DVD players, etc - If you want them - if you don't, the cost is not built into the base model. 

 

The business model has shifted to getting the folks on the boat (cheaply) and making the money while they are trapped on board.  And for the low cost of $300, I get an infinitely better experience (to me) than the MDR experience I had in the 90s.  How so?  For one, the choices available. 

 

Our memory tends to wear rose colored glasses.  If we had a time machine, it would be a lot of fun to compare your 80s lobster dinner to what is available in Chops today. 

 

Ala carte cruise services means we get to choose what we want to spend money on and are not subsidizing other peoples choices.   I  am well aware that other cruisers are subsidizing my 'free' childcare - I still cannot believe they have not monetized this service.  If I had to guess, that makes several of y'all grumpy and you would gladly pay $10 less a cruise rather than have free childcare on board that you don't use. 

 

"Please don't take this as a "Good ol' days of cruising" post, because that is not the intention. It is to simply show why I have such a different opinion from you about specialty dining, and why I would never pay extra for it."  I get that you did not intend the post to come across that way, but that is what it is.  My good ol' days post would be complaining that there is now internet available on board.  I really don't like that lol. 

 

The experience you seek is still available on other lines that choose cater to different demographics.  RCI is a mass market middle grade line that caters to familys - by design!

 

I wouldn't go in McDonalds and complain that my burger was not farm to table.  "I would never pay extra for it"  that is your choice - and comparing 90s pricing to today's pricing - I would argue that paying for specialty restaurants is actually paying the same amount you used to cruise, not really 'extra'  now.

 

I wouldn't buy a Honda Civic and spend my time complaining that it is not a Porsche because "I wouldn't pay extra for it." 

[Biker19]

10 minutes ago, stringbean10 said:

That is a very sweet story and is still the case in the MDR, right? You can order both!  Hasn't changed!  And guess what - you can do that in specialty dining too 🙂

 

But unlike the MDR where the extra entree is free, in specialty dining, they charge for it.

[stringbean10]

Not in my experience    

 

Something....something... flies with honey....

 

I should have said by putting that in the fine print, they reserve the right to do it.  But, in my experience, there has been A LOT of flexibility!   ....treat the room attendant like a human?  lots of requests will be accommodated...Kind to the bartender, a heavier pour - that sort of thing

Edited December 19, 2018 by stringbean10

[Ken Greco]

I got a call from RCCL headquarters that because I am treating 18 people to a cruise on AOS un August 2019 they are treating us to a specialty lunch free. Maybe they want to fill the restaurants.

[stringbean10]

Or they could be extending you a courtesy for booking a large group?  Could you have negotiated a different perk for your group?

[Ourusualbeach]

@stringbean10  try using the quote button when replying.  It makes it easier for us to follow who you are quoting and what they said.

[stringbean10]

Just now, Ourusualbeach said:

@stringbean10  try using the quote button when replying.  It makes it easier for us to follow who you are quoting and what they said.

 

I was trying to avoid creating an even bigger wall of text in my last reply  by only quote the relevant portions I wanted to address.  

 

 

[stringbean10]

This reminds me of the old joke - “the food here is terrible, and the portions are too small”

 

some value quantity over quality

[Ourusualbeach]

9 minutes ago, stringbean10 said:

 

I was trying to avoid creating an even bigger wall of text in my last reply  by only quote the relevant portions I wanted to address.  

 

 

 

Then considering quoting just one or two a time.  It really is difficult to follow and people do not know that you have responded to them.  You can still quote people and edit out the part of their conversation that you don’t want to quote.

Edited December 19, 2018 by Ourusualbeach

[Ourusualbeach]

10 minutes ago, stringbean10 said:

 

 by only quote the relevant portions I wanted to address.  

 

 

 

Like this.

[clean1owner]

17 minutes ago, stringbean10 said:

 

 

Our memory tends to wear rose colored glasses.  If we had a time machine, it would be a lot of fun to compare your 80s lobster dinner to what is available in Chops today. 

 

 

 

Either by accident, or by design, you pretty much missed the entire point of my post. You came close, but you missed it. You see, I WAS comparing the QUALITY of my 1984 lobster to what is available in chops or any other specialty venue today, as well as the service. And 1984 wins. What the specialties are serving today is lower grade than what used to be served in the MDR. The service in the specialties is also lacking. Granted, when the specialty venues first started, there was a noticeable difference. 

 

Since you and I have both sailed the Epic, we can use that to compare. 

Moderno- Had to wave the waiter over several times to get our drinks refilled. Took over 30 minutes to bring out the beef tenderloin. They kept trying to push the chicken drummies and wings on us, obviously trying to cut costs.

 

Cagneys- The first night was between good and very good. The service was a little slow, and had to ask for drink refills. Steaks for the Daughter and I were done just the way we like them, Wifeys wasn't even close.

The second night, which was the last night of the cruise, was fair. The service was very slow like they were short handed or something. It looked like the waiters were all overworked. Asked for drink refills about mid way through the meal, and they didn't arrive until dessert. The food was only lukewarm. Not the way to leave a good lasting impression with the customer.

 

TeppenYaki  As I posted earlier in this thread, it was the best of the entire week. Actually it was the best dining experience we have had in many years. You can't have slow service when the chef is cooking your food 2 feet in front of you, and the quality was excellent.

 

La Cucina  I figured that since we stopped at 3 Italian ports, the ship would have some dynamite Italian food. It was very good at best. Had the Lobster Fettuccine and it was barely any better than Olive Garden's Seafood Alfredo.

 

Le Bistro  I went there for one reason only, the Swordfish. We have a place near home that serves excellent Swordfish, but it's $60 and out of my price range for dinner. What I got on the Epic was dry and tough, like they overcooked it.

There was also a family with 3 small kids 2 tables down from us. The kids got bored waiting for their food, and decided to start chasing each other around, underneath the tables. One of them even ended up underneath our table. The next time the waiter came by, I gave him a "What the heck is going on here?" look, and all he did was shrug his shoulders. Trust me, if I had paid the upcharge to eat that night, my first stop after dinner would have been the Customer Service desk, giving them an ear full.

 

Now back to 1984. The first night in the MDR I asked for a second glass of milk about halfway through dinner. From that night on, whether it was Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner, when my glass got down close to empty, a full one was automatically put next to it. About mid-cruise, at dinner, the Buss boy / Assistant Waiter took a shortcut and brought me 2 glasses of milk right away. The waiter came over and took one away, grabbed the Assistant, and took him behind the service doors. I'm guessing he chewed the kid out pretty good, because it never happened again. After Dessert, the waiter came over and apologized, explaining the kid was new on the job. The food quality was always excellent.

And by the way, that was on a "Mass Market" NCL ship.

 

That is my comparison.

 

 

[Hoopster95]

1 hour ago, stringbean10 said:

 

I wouldn't go in McDonalds and complain that my burger was not farm to table. 

 

Superb well written post, and I’ll add that there’s many comments here from fellow CC’ers who ONLY eat at “McDonalds” and refuse to pay a dime extra for any specialty. I think the credibility is almost zero for those.

 

10 minutes ago, clean1owner said:

 

 

Either by accident, or by design, you pretty much missed the entire point of my post. 

 

 

I think Stringbean said it all just perfectly..... because your 1984 lobster cost you 5 times more than today, as did your cabin, the food, and everything else about any cruise.  Now just imagine... reduce your fare by 80% back in 1984 and tell us what the quality of your meals would be?

 

Fast forward 1984 to today... the fairest comparison for food and everything about cruising is 100% perfectly explained by the many defected X and RCL cruisers who have jumped to Oceania. Read the Oceania forum sometime. I sailed Oceania for the first time this past spring and the difference from RCL to Oceania is so shocking ... zero comparison

to RCL, a total step up in class, quality, service is unbelievable... everything. You cannot understand until you sail on a higher line and come back with a real experience rather than pretending you actually know. I didn’t know.... I was ignorant... now I know.

 

I dare say Oceania is what you experienced in 1984 on RCL, however you are not willing to pay today’s real world price to get the same experiences today?

 

Some random thoughts:

 

Giovanni’s, normally my fave specialty, was awful on Allure last week.

CP150 was spectacular! On Harmony it was mediocre at best.

Juciest most tender fillet ever served on RCL? Yes on Allure... surprisingly in Samba and not Chops!

Brilliance this last summer (read my photo review) Chef’s table was Oceania quality with $30-$60 wines (ie. Sol de Mer, Belle Glos) vs. My reduced priced Chef table on Radiance with $10 bottles served.

wonderland on Harmony I thought was outstanding in both presentation and quality (again see photos on

my review and the very many others on this Forum)

UDP on Allure was $18 per person per dinner ... a far cry from the “$49” normal price for walk in... who does that?

 

Bottom line .... RCI = “really Consistently Inconsistent”.

A great Chops meal one week will be awful the next week on the same ship. The next month, with new staff on new contracts it will be outstanding! 6 months later with a new head chef and new buyers in Miami sourcing cheaper foods will relate to worse food.... you just never know anymore. My opinions are from hundreds of meals on board in both MDR and specialty, and most of us experienced cruisers here in CC know full well we’ve had both spectacular meals and terrible meals over the years. Unfortunately many still want to have 1984 experiences without quintupling their cruise fare (like everything else in life).

 

 

[katiel53]

I've been cruising for over 35 years and do remember the "good old days" of food and how dressed up people were.  I know times have changed and more so have the cruisers.  In today's world cruising is affordable for many more than when we started cruising.

 

To adjust for the masses of cruisers, the prices of cruises have dropped as have the food and service, but amenities have increased.  To me, it's kind of a trade off.

 

We have two upcoming cruises where we have the UDP.  I love the ambiance of the specialty restaurants as opposed to the din of the dining room.  I like being able to order a drink when I am seated and receiving it within a couple of minutes as opposed to having it served near dessert.  

 

I like the food and presentation more in the specialty restaurants.  The waiters we have had in the specialty restaurants have not been rushed and are able to provide excellent service as they are not waiting on as many tables as the dining room.  

 

The price of the UDP, to us, is just part of the price of the cruise.  We no longer do excursions, been there, done that, nor do we get photos, play bingo or shop onboard.  I do spend money in the casino and do go to a few of the shows.

 

I think we all have different ideas of how to spend our money, how to enjoy a cruise and how often we cruise etc.  We are happy with our choices and plan to continue doing so for as long as possible.

[stringbean10]

31 minutes ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

Superb well written post, and I’ll add that there’s many comments here from fellow CC’ers who ONLY eat at “McDonalds” and refuse to pay a dime extra for any specialty. I think the credibility is almost zero for those.

 

 

I think Stringbean said it all just perfectly.....

3

 

I've found my people!  LOL - Thanks!

 

 

 

[stringbean10]

1 hour ago, clean1owner said:

Either by accident, or by design, you pretty much missed the entire point of my post. You came close, but you missed it. You see, I WAS comparing the QUALITY of my 1984 lobster to what is available in chops or any other specialty venue today, as well as the service. And 1984 wins. What the specialties are serving today is lower grade than what used to be served in the MDR. The service in the specialties is also lacking. Granted, when the specialty venues first started, there was a noticeable difference. 

 

 

1

I'm not sure I missed the point of your first response....but I certainly missed the point of the complete rundown of specialty restaurants on Epic in your last post.  Was it that you can have bad and good experiences in specialty restaurants too?  I'm trying to understand. 

 

I stand by the statement that "Our memory tends to wear rose colored glasses."  

 

You are telling me you are accurately remembering the entire experience of a single dinner 35 years ago?  I can barely remember what I had for breakfast sometimes.  I promise you that you are remembering the idea of that meal.   

 

That's why I said it would be fun to have the time machine to compare the food quality then and now!  Our memories can't always be trusted. 

 

Lots of variables impact our experiences and our memories. First, you were younger and admittedly, you had never had a lobster to before to compare it to....It was literally the best lobster you had ever had because it was the ONLY lobster you had ever had....sometimes the excitement of the 'first time' or the surrounding circumstances color the experience - honeymoon? amazing! Trip with Norovirus?- don't think I'd say the trip or the memory of the trip would be the same. 

 

As for reasons as to why service and quality may vary - I think Hoopster said it best:

 

38 minutes ago, Hoopster95 said:

Bottom line .... RCI = “really Consistently Inconsistent”.

A great Chops meal one week will be awful the next week on the same ship. The next month, with new staff on new contracts it will be outstanding! 6 months later with a new head chef and new buyers in Miami sourcing cheaper foods will relate to worse food.... you just never know anymore. My opinions are from hundreds of meals on board in both MDR and specialty, and most of us experienced cruisers here in CC know full well we’ve had both spectacular meals and terrible meals over the years. Unfortunately many still want to have 1984 experiences without quintupling their cruise fare (like everything else in life).

 

 

1

 

I would also add that the sheer number of people they are serving has tripled or quadrupled.  It is hard to scale up to serve 5k people.  You will be able to serve half or a third of that better and easier.

 

My "great service indicator" is not someone remembered what I had to drink the night before. What if they brought it and I didn't want it? lol.  I also do not want my servers to sing to me - some do!  By these boards,  these seem to be two yardsticks by which some people measure their 'amazing' service.  I don't. 

 

1 hour ago, clean1owner said:

Now back to 1984. The first night in the MDR I asked for a second glass of milk about halfway through dinner. From that night on, whether it was Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner, when my glass got down close to empty, a full one was automatically put next to it. About mid-cruise, at dinner, the Buss boy / Assistant Waiter took a shortcut and brought me 2 glasses of milk right away. The waiter came over and took one away, grabbed the Assistant, and took him behind the service doors. I'm guessing he chewed the kid out pretty good, because it never happened again. After Dessert, the waiter came over and apologized, explaining the kid was new on the job. The food quality was always excellent.

And by the way, that was on a "Mass Market" NCL ship.

 

That is my comparison.

 

 

6

 

This is a very interesting complaint,  are you saying you do not receive adequate refills now?  What seems to have made the impression is that someone got in trouble for not serving you correctly.  You spent a lot more time focusing on that...how they got in trouble, how they had to apologize, etc.  HMMMMMM

 

It is my opinion that the specialty restaurants are better than the MDR.   You can have a one off of an 'amazing lobster tail' in the MDR or that fantastic server.  But, in order to get consistently better food and service - the old adage is "you get what you pay for."

 

 

 

 

[MyNameIsGermy]

On 12/18/2018 at 7:30 AM, stringbean10 said:

So interesting to read these replies. 

 

Background on us:  Husband & I 40s with 2 little kids (4&5) - taking them on their 3rd cruise in Feb (our 10th or so? - I don't keep track) - 

 

I find the specialty restaurants worth every extra penny. (and it's not even that much!)  It is amazing to have 7 nice date nights with or without the children.  Thanks free childcare!!!

 

We buy the "Ultimate dining package" and eat in a specialty restaurant every night and every lunch opportunity - I paid 150 pp for our next cruise.  We could easily spend that on one equivalent fine dining meal in our city.  Heck - even going out to a Hibachi here would cost us $100 for our family. 

 

The food is always very good to excellent and the service is fantastic. We recently gave the MDR another shot and were very disappointed.   The MDR may be 'fine' for y'all but I want 'good to excellent' food and I am willing to pay for it.

 

I find the MDR food to be equivalent to meh convention buffet food.

 

I don't care about a waiter 'knowing' me or having the same service team - at all.  The MDR is hectic, crowded and loud.  I really enjoy the fine dining experience the specialty restaurants provide to us.  Chefs table, 150 and chops are fantastic.  We eat at Izumi several times each cruise - the only weak link I can think of is Sabor - but they have wonderful margaritas!

 

People like different things.  I am not interested in spending a dime at any of the 'stores' on board, buying 'art,' getting a haircut or teeth whitening on board. We do not do excursions through the cruise line.  I do however enjoy long leisurely dinners.  The money is worth it to me.  I have a hard time understanding how it is not worth it to more folks!  

 

 

 

Great post.... we are basically in the same demographics (2 dads and our 5-year-old son) and we do the same thing. We just got off Harmony a bit ago and we did the Ultimat Dining Package and it was great. Food and service were fantastic and didn't have to deal with the cattle call MDR. 

 

Well worth the additional cost!

 

As for the comments I've seen about it being empty, definitely was not the case on Harmony. We ate mostly at Chops and Jamies and they were always full.

 

-germ