Really delicious food on cruiseships?

[katieof4]

Is it just my husband and me or does anyone else feel that the food and service that used to be available about 10-15 yrs. ago no longer exists? I don't know if it was just our youth and inexperience with gourmet type food or what, but the cruises we go on today just don't hold a candle to what we used to experience. We just returned from the Jewel with NCL. The ship was gorgeous, but once again the food and service was only mediocre. I remember when eating only in the main dining room (no specialty restaurants) was something to look forward to each night with superb service and yummy food. And yes, we have gotten spoiled over the years by going to more upscale restaurants at home and cooking our own gourmet foods, so perhaps that is it.

[Mark]

You can chalk up your experience to those old famous saying like "doing more with less", "have to cut costs" etc...etc...etc...all the cruise lines have been doing it and some are just a little better at hiding it.

 

Also, the cruise lines are all providing those upscale boutique optional restaurants onboard for a fee if you want the old type quality food and service...for a fee...

 

Remember the lobster on the ships? Now you get the lobster's tail!:cool:

[Stevedan]

You should read the threads about Home Lines and the Oceanic!

[Mark]

I don't have to read about Home Lines, I sailed on the Homeric and enjoyed the Home Lines Cuisine:cool:

[56 chevy cruise]

Mark is right, it is about trying to do more with less. When you have all these huge ships with thousands of rooms to fill every week and the only way to do it is to cut prices and when you do something has to give and that something is food. service and whatever else they can do to cut cost.

[BobBeaSea]

A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...I agree the food, selection and quality, ain't what it used to be. We were on Voyager of the Seas last year and, while the food was fine, it in no way compared to my previous cruises (Sovereign of the Seas '90 & '93). The bottom line is the Voyager cruise was cheaper, WITHOUT even accounting for inflation, than the Sovereign cruises. That pretty much tells a big part of the story.

[Druke I]

I do agree, generally, that the food quality and service standards particularly are not what they were 15 or 20 years ago. Some of this is do to cost-cutting, and some to much larger ships. Smaller ships' kitchens can generally produce better food than large ships' kitchens.

 

We were on Oceania's Regatta into the Baltic this past Aug., and the food in the main dining room and specialty restaurants was very good to excellent; we thought better than Crystal.

 

Food in the Lido we thought comparable to HAL, Celebrity, or Princess.

[JimnKaren]

I am wondering if the change in the quality of the food has more to do with appealing to a larger percentage of the public tastes. I recall that Regency used to feature a lot of French inspired menus with the sauces and stuff that are not appropriate to our palates and our waist lines. Princess used to be more Italian oriented with their pasta course just before the entree. That has gone away too, sad to say. Our last NCL cruise, 1999, showed a big decline in the food quality compared to what it was just 10 years previous. Too bad. We return to Princess next week and I am anxiously awaiting a delightful time in the traditional dining room and hope that the service, along with the food, are a first-class as I remember.

 

Jim

[BobBeaSea]

I am wondering if the change in the quality of the food has more to do with appealing to a larger percentage of the public tastes. I recall that Regency used to feature a lot of French inspired menus with the sauces and stuff that are not appropriate to our palates and our waist lines. Princess used to be more Italian oriented with their pasta course just before the entree. That has gone away too, sad to say. Our last NCL cruise, 1999, showed a big decline in the food quality compared to what it was just 10 years previous. Too bad. We return to Princess next week and I am anxiously awaiting a delightful time in the traditional dining room and hope that the service, along with the food, are a first-class as I remember.

 

Jim

 

I think it has to do with the quality of the food items purchased. If it costs the same OR less to cruise today then it did 13 years ago, some things have to give, I think food quality is one of these things. Just MHO :)

[Happy ks]

My husband took a couple of cruises in the late 70's, early 80's. We did not cruise together until 1997. He told me not to expect gourmet food, more like banquet quality food. I'm glad he told me that, as I had heard cruise ships served gourmet food. Once I was onboard my first ship, I could see how impossible a task it would be to prepare fine foods for the mass of people.

 

I know that ships 10 years ago were much smaller, less people to prepare for. The cost of a cruise is more affordable now than it was in the 70's and 80's. So, you pair those two factors together and you get mediocre.

 

I am always amazed at how many people rave about food on cruise ships. Certainly we have yet to go hungry on a cruise, but if you enjoy fine food in land based restaurants, you will be disappointed on a cruise ship. There are occasional exceptions and the choice of the specialty restaurants is usually a good way to get an excellent meal.

 

I am also amazed at how many people complain about the buffets, yet those venues continue to be the busiest. We have found that breakfast actually takes close to the same amount of time in the dining room and is a far more pleasant and civilised experience. On days where the dining room is open for lunch, we indulge in there, rather than battle the lines, carry around a tray, searching for a table without dirty plates mounded with uneaten food.

[chasetf]

You can chalk up your experience to those old famous saying like "doing more with less", "have to cut costs" etc...etc...etc...all the cruise lines have been doing it and some are just a little better at hiding it.

 

Also, the cruise lines are all providing those upscale boutique optional restaurants onboard for a fee if you want the old type quality food and service...for a fee... Remember the lobster on the ships? Now you get the lobster's tail!:cool:

We have noticed cost cutting going on in both the dining room and the buffet. Deserts are less inspiring in particular. Cuts of meat also have degraded. Now you have to go to the speciality dining room to get a nice steak.

 

But even still, the value is still hard to beat. :D

[flips7]

I have noticed both food and service decline. I understand about the food because of costs and having to buy cheaper quality, but that dosn't explain the service you used to get in the dinning room. The servers were trained to do as they do in a 5 star restuarant (all the little things) the proper way. Now it is just like any chain restaurant get the food put it in front of you anyway they can. That is something they didn't have to change, unfortunately most people don't know the difference.

 

Flips

[MaryAnn261]

Not sure if you will all agree. I think part of the reason is the invention of the specialty or pay resturants. The cruiselines think that they can get more people to try the places that they have to pay extra for. JMO