Steakhouse

[havanadaydreaming]

im a sucker for pay restaurants on cruise ships, but ive only dined at them on NCL and MSC...although we did catch the free lunch at the Italian joint on the Breeze. it was good. 

 

i was surprised to learn the steakhouse on Magic is $38pp. thoughts? 

 

 

 

 

 

[Barsnikel]

We always book the Steakhouse.  It is $38pp, and that includes gratuity.  If you reserve the first night, they include a free bottle of wine

 

[Tampa Bay Irish]

The former Carnival Steakhouse menu was superior to the current menu.

[bury me at sea]

The combination of the new menu, which is missing two of our favorite dishes, and the increased price, have made the steakhouse easy to forego.

 

They serve a good steak, and the service has always been excellent, but I doubt that we will return.

[coevan]

2 hours ago, fyree39 said:

I've almost reached the point where I'll no longer book it. Carnival changed the menu and removed a couple of my favorite sides, so for me the selling point is now just the steak.  I don't even care for the desserts too much. At $38, I can cook a wonderful steak at home.

 

 

 

what does that to do with going out to eat? I can make a delicious hamburger at home for about a dollar, doesn't mean we are not going out to eat. You can not buy a good steak ala carte for $38. 

[bury me at sea]

2 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

 

what does that to do with going out to eat? I can make a delicious hamburger at home for about a dollar, doesn't mean we are not going out to eat. You can not buy a good steak ala carte for $38. 

 

Wherever I eat on the ship I am going out to eat.  I can choose included venues or pay extra venues.

 

For me it's simple; the steakhouse isn't offering enough above the MDR to pay the current charge.

[wesorbeth]

4 hours ago, havanadaydreaming said:

im a sucker for pay restaurants on cruise ships, but ive only dined at them on NCL and MSC...although we did catch the free lunch at the Italian joint on the Breeze. it was good. 

 

i was surprised to learn the steakhouse on Magic is $38pp. thoughts? 

 

4 hours ago, havanadaydreaming said:

We live in the same area, I am sure the Steakhouse is good but I bet it's not Jeff Ruby good.

 

 

 

 

[RandomUser123]

I would do it on the first night to get the free wine or half off other bottles, whichever you prefer. 

[SNJCruisers]

3 hours ago, Tampa Bay Irish said:

The former Carnival Steakhouse menu was superior to the current menu.

Could not agree more.  The porterhouse steak was great, the lobster bisque had an actual small piece of lobster tail meat that had some substance to it.  The beef carpaccio was thinly sliced with a drizzle of EVOO.

IMHO, the Cucina del Capitano is a better value at 15.00 with the tomahawk pork chop entree.

[moondog73]

3 hours ago, bury me at sea said:

 

Wherever I eat on the ship I am going out to eat.  I can choose included venues or pay extra venues.

 

For me it's simple; the steakhouse isn't offering enough above the MDR to pay the current charge.

 

I totally agree with the above.  Tge $38 per person is not really worth it.  Steaks are really not that good and service not any better than what we have had in MDR.  Save your money.

[Erik101]

I’ll be in the Horizon next weekend and we reserved the steakhouse for 2 nights.  My reasons have nothing to do with the quality of the steaks and the service.  In my experience, there’s no doubt that land based steakhouses are far better in food quality than what Fahrenheit can offer.  So again, it’s not about the food.  

 

Our main reason is to get away from the bustle of the MDR.  I’ve had wonderful experiences at the MDR but it’s crowded and noisy, especially during formal nights.  I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve had to dodge cruisers wanting to take photos on the stairs and those congesting the area so they can get a photo opportunity with a backdrop.  The steakhouse is my moment to spend dinner with my family in a much smaller and quieter setting.  I don’t mind spending extra charge as I feel it’s worth it. 

[havanadaydreaming]

1 hour ago, SNJCruisers said:

Could not agree more.  The porterhouse steak was great, the lobster bisque had an actual small piece of lobster tail meat that had some substance to it.  The beef carpaccio was thinly sliced with a drizzle of EVOO.

IMHO, the Cucina del Capitano is a better value at 15.00 with the tomahawk pork chop entree.

my wife and i discussed CC earlier and I stated I'd love the tomahawk, we are strongly leaning to booking a dinner there. 

[coevan]

1 hour ago, moondog73 said:

 

I totally agree with the above.  Tge $38 per person is not really worth it.  Steaks are really not that good and service not any better than what we have had in MDR.  Save your money.

 

 

 

I believe we live in parallel culinary universes. You must think Outback and Texas Roadhouse have good steak. Sorry, to us the the service is miles above the harried MDR. The steaks are aged USDA Prime in line with Morton's or Ruths Chris, which are about $50 ala carte. Plus, soup, salad, appetizer and dessert, what a bargain. BTW, Lobster Bisque can be made as a puree and has no chunks of lobster, so do. We go at least twice a week, definitely chaotic MDR night one. 

[Micahs Grandad]

8 hours ago, Barsnikel said:

We always book the Steakhouse.  It is $38pp, and that includes gratuity.  If you reserve the first night, they include a free bottle of wine

 

Actually the TIP is really a question. Some sort of tip is included but they will note give a clear answer as to how much of a tip is included but you are encouraged to tip more.

[moondog73]

Obviously you do not know me.  Last time I went to Jeff Ruby's (just a few weeks ago) I spent well over $200 for just my wife and I.  I know good steak.  We always have great service in the MDR because we treat the servers like people and not servants.   The last 2 times i ate at the steakhouse it was not as good as Outback or Texas Roadhouse ( not that these are great). Obviously not worth $38 to me.   Fatty tough steaks!!!!  Spiced rubbed ribery horrible taste, tomahawk way too much fat and gristle,  NY strip way too tough.  And by the way,   my last outing to Ruth Chris' was horrid.  Worst food and service I have ever had at a premium restaurant.  Will not be back.

Edited June 16, 2019 by moondog73

[coevan]

Never heard of Jack Ruby's but the menu looks like an excellent steakhouse and prices are on par with the top steakhouses. How to say Outback in the same breath with a dry aged Prime???  

[Quilcruisers]

Awesome and well worth the 38.00.  We are always stuffed beyond belief and really enjoy the atmosphere and food at the steakhouse.  And I used to wonder why people went to the restaurants outside of the MdR. I am now a believer. 

[moondog73]

meant Jeff Ruby's

[havanadaydreaming]

12 hours ago, moondog73 said:

Obviously you do not know me.  Last time I went to Jeff Ruby's (just a few weeks ago) I spent well over $200 for just my wife and I.  I know good steak.  We always have great service in the MDR because we treat the servers like people and not servants.   The last 2 times i ate at the steakhouse it was not as good as Outback or Texas Roadhouse ( not that these are great). Obviously not worth $38 to me.   Fatty tough steaks!!!!  Spiced rubbed ribery horrible taste, tomahawk way too much fat and gristle,  NY strip way too tough.  And by the way,   my last outing to Ruth Chris' was horrid.  Worst food and service I have ever had at a premium restaurant.  Will not be back.

my buddy has Flemings as his favorite steakhouse. lots of local folks say Ruby's but im partial to Morton's.  my wife used to have Ruth's Chris at top of her list until we went there last fathers day, was good not great. 

 

big time steakhouses are not unanimously praised in my herd. 

 

i miss The Waterfront big time, was my fave Rudy joint. 

 

i do agree that Carnival steakhouse might be worth it when the atmosphere is included in value.  i,too, like getting out of MDR a few times per cruise.

 

 

[JaxsMama]

30 minutes ago, havanadaydreaming said:

my buddy has Flemings as his favorite steakhouse. lots of local folks say Ruby's but im partial to Morton's.  my wife used to have Ruth's Chris at top of her list until we went there last fathers day, was good not great. 

 

big time steakhouses are not unanimously praised in my herd. 

 

i miss The Waterfront big time, was my fave Rudy joint. 

 

i do agree that Carnival steakhouse might be worth it when the atmosphere is included in value.  i,too, like getting out of MDR a few times per cruise.

 

 

I loved The Waterfront. Got engaged there!  This post is making me hungry.

[robin13]

14 hours ago, coevan said:

 

 

 

I believe we live in parallel culinary universes. You must think Outback and Texas Roadhouse have good steak. Sorry, to us the the service is miles above the harried MDR. The steaks are aged USDA Prime in line with Morton's or Ruths Chris, which are about $50 ala carte. Plus, soup, salad, appetizer and dessert, what a bargain. BTW, Lobster Bisque can be made as a puree and has no chunks of lobster, so do. We go at least twice a week, definitely chaotic MDR night one. 

I totally agree with you!  I always eat at the steakhouse as I have never had a bad meal.  And like you said where in the US can you get USDA Prime meat with all the extras for $38?  That meal alone would be at least $100 in Dallas.  And if you go on the first night you also get a free bottle of wine.  I know a lot of people complain about the quality of the wine but to me it was drinkable and hey it was free.

[SNJCruisers]

For those cruising on the Horizon, Carnival is offering a 5.00 discount if you book a meal at the Steakhouse in conjunction with dinners at Cucina del Capitano and Jiji's Asian Kitchen.  The 3 night total is 63.00.

[PhillyFan33579]

Since February, we have eaten at the steakhouse on Sunshine, Horizon and Liberty. The steaks were outstanding on all 3 ships. We live in the Tampa area, which has a lot of good steak houses we go to frequently. The steaks we have had on these ships are just as good as steaks we get in Tampa area steakhouses. 

[tattoos]

We cruised on the May 25th sailing of the Magic and booked dinner reservations at the Steakhouse because our dinner at the Conquest steakhouse last year was so good.

 

We did not like the room configuration on the Magic and much preferred the seating arrangements on the Conquest.  When sitting at our window table, people were walking past the window in wet bathing suits and trying to peek into the window and I could have reached out and touched the people sitting at the table next to ours.  They could hear every word we said and vice versa.  There was a group of 25 people sitting at the tables against the wall and they were loud and boisterous which affected everyone's dining experience..  

 

We placed our orders and the waitress came back with the amuse bouche which was one tiny bite of a cheese foam with a tiny piece of cheese crisp.  She also brought one roll per person which was the highlight of the meal and never came back with more.  When our entree was delivered, we asked for more rolls and she looked surprised.  Of course, we only had that disgusting whipped Crisco (as mentioned in my review) to spread on the rolls.  No one at our table would eat it.  One of our party ordered the lobster bisque (not even one tiny piece of lobster to be seen), and three of us ordered the shrimp cocktail and asked the waitress to tell the chef not to sprinkle raw onion on top of the shrimp.  When it was served, there was something green sprinkled on top of the shrimp and the waitress said it was dried avocado and it was oily??  One person in our party ordered the ribeye steak (nothing to write home about), one person ordered lobster tails (two tiny lobster tails not bigger or better than what was served in the MDR) and two ordered Surf & Turf which was a teeny tiny lobster tail (3 bites) and a teeny tiny piece of filet (4 bites)  One person ordered the cheesecake (pretty good) and three of us ordered the chocolate sphere which was disgusting and we all left it on our plates, yuck.  I would have much preferred a piece of the wonderful cakes offered at the Lido buffet at lunch time and almost asked if they could track down a piece for us after that horrible chocolate sphere dessert, blech!!!

 

Our waitress was invisible and refills on water, rolls, etc., were ignored.  The only time she was friendly was when it was time to pay our bill (I think she was hoping to make a good impression at the last minute to incur an additional tip or hoping we wouldn't complain about the service).  And, the language barrier along with her whispering was a real challenge.

 

Final impressions:  poor service, tables crammed together, no privacy, mediocre food at best, I think that was the last time we eat at the Steakhouse on any Carnival ship.  

 

 .

 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

I have never had a bad steak on Carnival. On Royal YES. At $38.00 including the gratuity it is the best deal on the ocean. Try the EDGE and others at $55.00. As for doing it at home. You can do a lot at home that you can do on a cruise. So stay home.