Chops or Giovanni’s Holiday Dinner (Christmas cruise)

[screspo21]

Hey all,

 

This is my first time cruising during the holidays. Would love your personal take on if the 89$ dinner at Chop’s or Giovanni is worth the cost. 

 

Also two ppl in my group are diabetic. Will the menu change drastically or do you get what you get at specialty dining restaurants?

 

Does the main dining room do anything extra special for Xmas/Xmas eve? 

 

Thanks in advance.

Shar

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, screspo21 said:

Would love your personal take on if the 89$ dinner at Chop’s or Giovanni is worth the cost. 

No. 

[Hogbay]

Menu the same you get the smallest bottle of Moet not worth it at all , totally ripped off .....

[ptod]

For those prices, we stay with the MDR for Christmas (and even NYE) - there is usually a special menu for no extra cost.

 

We have also been known to "move" holidays.  Pick a differentiation night to celebrate whatever you want and pay less.

[Clarea]

2 hours ago, screspo21 said:

Hey all,

 

This is my first time cruising during the holidays. Would love your personal take on if the 89$ dinner at Chop’s or Giovanni is worth the cost. ...

 

Not worth it for us.

[lovescats5]

Why would it make any difference if there were diabetics in your party?  My son is diabetic and he has no problem finding things to eat on the menu.

[cruisegirl1]

 We sailed over Christmas  and New Year’s  a few years ago.

 

 There was nothing special for Christmas Eve but there was a  lovely Christmas menu in the main dining room.     Prime rib, turkey, special desserts, that type of menu, 

 

Christmas Eve, Christmas day, and New Year’s Eve all had inflated prices at the specialty restaurants.    Sometimes the inflated prices include a glass or small bottle of champagne  but I didn’t look closely enough to see if it was the standard specialty restaurant menu 

 

 The prices should be the normal prices on all of the other days. 

 

 

Enjoy

 

m

 

 

 

Edited October 5, 2019 by cruisegirl1

[spookwife]

Noe not worth it at all.  One assumes the diabetics know how to pick and choose items that are safer.  The venue can make minor adjustments to some menu items

[screspo21]

Thanks for the advice guys. Will just stick to Main Dining for these dates. Might check out Chop’s on another day instead. 

[screspo21]

On 10/5/2019 at 12:06 PM, lovescats5 said:

Why would it make any difference if there were diabetics in your party?  My son is diabetic and he has no problem finding things to eat on the menu.

Was just asking since I dont personally deal with the illness and wasnt sure what procedure was on cruises regarding it. This will be their first time cruising.

[actuarian]

On 10/5/2019 at 11:46 AM, Hogbay said:

Menu the same you get the smallest bottle of Moet not worth it at all , totally ripped off .....

If you look carefully at the menu, you will see that it is really not the same at Chops.  The big difference is that there is no extra charge for lobster during the holiday dinner.  The holiday dinner costs $50 more than the regular dinner but the lobster would normally cost $21 and the split of Moet would normally cost $22.  Those sum to $43, which is all but $7 of the extra cost.  Therefore, it is not a bad deal if you want to dine on lobster and you do not already have a beverage package.  (I am not sure whether  beverage packages cover Moet but I certainly would not pay $22 for a glass of Moet if I had a beverage package.) The holiday dinner at Giovanni's costs just as much but does not include lobster so it makes a lot less sense, although the Giovanni's holiday menu does include at least one item (Cioppino) that used to be on the regular menu but is no longer there.

 

Still, the main reason why they charge more for the holiday menu is that many of us want a holiday dinner that is more special than what is available at the MDR.

[jean87510]

On 10/5/2019 at 10:40 AM, screspo21 said:

Hey all,

 

This is my first time cruising during the holidays. Would love your personal take on if the 89$ dinner at Chop’s or Giovanni is worth the cost. 

 

Also two ppl in my group are diabetic. Will the menu change drastically or do you get what you get at specialty dining restaurants?

 

Does the main dining room do anything extra special for Xmas/Xmas eve? 

 

Thanks in advance.

Shar

If they are compliant diabetics meaning they follow the rules and dont cheat, you should be ok. Are they type 1 or 2? Meat and green vegetables are always good. Its the bread and desserts that are the problem! I personally if you guys are set on a specialty restaurant would choose chops based on the menu selection. Giovanni's would be ok but the carb count on the pasta would be high and too tempting.  

[Ourusualbeach]

11 hours ago, actuarian said:

The big difference is that there is no extra charge for lobster during the holiday dinner.  The holiday dinner costs $50 more than the regular dinner but the lobster would normally cost $21

You are only getting a lobster tail.  The same one you get for free on the second formal night.  It does not include the whole steamed lobster that is the $21 up charge.

 

Celebrate the holidays at the Royal Caribbean hallmark, Chops Grille. Indulge in a festive meal with an individual-sized bottle of Moët & Chandon Champagne for each guest and a special holiday lobster tail. Or try one of our signature main courses from the full menu, like the 9 ounce Angus Filet Mignon or the Grilled Branzino. The dinner wouldn’t be complete without an irresistible dessert, like Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream and Berry Compote. It’s a classic way to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year.

[George C]

Agree not worth the money 

[molly361]

Not worth it

[johnmik1]

We did both this week on Allure and they were the two worst meals we ate!

 

[actuarian]

1 hour ago, Ourusualbeach said:

You are only getting a lobster tail.  The same one you get for free on the second formal night.  It does not include the whole steamed lobster that is the $21 up charge.

 

Celebrate the holidays at the Royal Caribbean hallmark, Chops Grille. Indulge in a festive meal with an individual-sized bottle of Moët & Chandon Champagne for each guest and a special holiday lobster tail. Or try one of our signature main courses from the full menu, like the 9 ounce Angus Filet Mignon or the Grilled Branzino. The dinner wouldn’t be complete without an irresistible dessert, like Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream and Berry Compote. It’s a classic way to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year.

I have attached the Chops Grill Holiday Menu.  You will note that it includes "WHOLE MAINE LOBSTER" with no mention of any upcharge.  It is not that this menu does not show upcharges because the upcharges for the Seafood Towers are clear but there is no upcharge for the whole lobster. 

ChopsGrille_HolidayMenu_2019.pdf

[Ourusualbeach]

10 minutes ago, actuarian said:

I have attached the Chops Grill Holiday Menu.  You will note that it includes "WHOLE MAINE LOBSTER" with no mention of any upcharge.  It is not that this menu does not show upcharges because the upcharges for the Seafood Towers are clear but there is no upcharge for the whole lobster. 

ChopsGrille_HolidayMenu_2019.pdf 634.09 kB · 6 downloads

Interesting, but not surprising that there are 2 different descriptions on their website.

[bonsai3s]

Agree, not worth it.

 

We've had several meals at Giovannis and all were excellent.

 

We do want to be on the record here on Cruise Critic...wishing Royal Caribbean would revamp/change/retrofit..........ok, let me be blunt....shut it down.

 

After our meal at Chops this past Tuesday, we were never so compelled to speak to the restaurant manager...which we did.

 

Just some random thoughts about our dinner at Chops:

* The lobster bisque was extremely salty.

* The Mac&cheese were tasted something out of a box...that I used to make when I was 11 yrs. old.

* The "Truffle Infused" french fries were bland, not crispy, and limp....so glad they only gave us 9 pieces.

* The "Bone-In Rib Eye" steak was so tough.........I didn't eat it.

* The rack of lamb was exactly the same way....just not tender....we weren't the only ones subjected to this.

* Our table, and the table adjacent to us, waited 45 minutes to get our entree.

* Waiters were loud and running around like crazy.

 

I can go on........Alex, the manager of Chops was apologetic and explained that one of their grills broke.

We told him we understood...no worries....now we know why all of us had a long wait.

Then we asked him....what about the food?

Alex couldn't respond....all he said was "I will try to make it up to you"

 

[actuarian]

9 minutes ago, bonsai3s said:

* The rack of lamb was exactly the same way....just not tender....we weren't the only ones subjected to this.

 

I too have had the rack of lamb at Chops when it was so tough that I had to send it back.  However, the last time I ordered it (on the Navigator in August of this year), it was tender and delicious.  The people who supply their meat seem to be very inconsistent.  It is best to ask the server whether the current offering is good.  They usually know and, if the server misleads, you can always send it back and order something else.

 

Still, Chops always seems to offer good filet steak, good shrimp cocktails and good baked potatoes.  However, when my wife and I first visited Chops around 15 years ago, it really was a special experience, comparable to visiting a top-rate steakhouse on land.  It is not like that any more.  Rather, it is just a way to get a meal that is as good as the main dining room was 15 years ago.

Edited November 16, 2019 by actuarian

[bonsai3s]

5 hours ago, actuarian said:

I too have had the rack of lamb at Chops when it was so tough that I had to send it back.  However, the last time I ordered it (on the Navigator in August of this year), it was tender and delicious.  The people who supply their meat seem to be very inconsistent.  It is best to ask the server whether the current offering is good.  They usually know and, if the server misleads, you can always send it back and order something else.

 

Still, Chops always seems to offer good filet steak, good shrimp cocktails and good baked potatoes.  However, when my wife and I first visited Chops around 15 years ago, it really was a special experience, comparable to visiting a top-rate steakhouse on land.  It is not like that any more.  Rather, it is just a way to get a meal that is as good as the main dining room was 15 years ago.

 

[bonsai3s]

Truly sorry for the double post.  Attempting to edit my original post.

Giovannis was outstanding.......it is Chops that, in our opinion, should be closed down...at minimum, please kindly have a new menu.

[tinkr2]

12 hours ago, actuarian said:

I too have had the rack of lamb at Chops when it was so tough that I had to send it back.  However, the last time I ordered it (on the Navigator in August of this year), it was tender and delicious.  The people who supply their meat seem to be very inconsistent.  It is best to ask the server whether the current offering is good.  They usually know and, if the server misleads, you can always send it back and order something else.

 

Still, Chops always seems to offer good filet steak, good shrimp cocktails and good baked potatoes.  However, when my wife and I first visited Chops around 15 years ago, it really was a special experience, comparable to visiting a top-rate steakhouse on land.  It is not like that any more.  Rather, it is just a way to get a meal that is as good as the main dining room was 15 years ago.

Interesting bc that is how I often feel at Chops. It is just generic good steak. It is always loud now. It does not feel like a fine dining experience. I was shocked bc I went on Carnival Horizon during the summer and had the steakhouse experience of 15 years ago. The steak was perfect and it was a quiet leisurely  spectacular meal . People rave about Chops but to me it is very average now. 

So there is no way I would pay 89.