Symphony review, lousy food.

[kpwhalen830]

Just got off the 4/9-4/16 sailing. 

The ship is very nice, not very crowded considering it was at 80% capacity. At times the bar waits were long due to crowds. 

The ongoing trend I am noticing with Royal Caribbean is the food going downhill. The menus have not changed much over the years, the presentation and quality reminds me of an Applebees or worse. 

The main dining room food needs a complete overhaul, it was not good. We ate there 5 nights and not a single meal was good, one night I had the braised short rib that was "ok". The service was very good, they just need a new menu with better food and presentation. 

The Windjammer had food that was expected for a cafeteria setting. My only complaint there was with the table hogs or table holders. I had a family of 5 and it was very hard to find a table. If you don't hold a table while the rest of your party gets food it will actually help the flow of tables becoming open because they are not occupied as long. 

Park Cafe was pretty good, no complaints and it was usually pretty fast. I ended up here for breakfast everyday except out first morning. I also did lunch and snack there often. Standouts were the "beef on weck" and egg, ham and swiss on ciabatta. The chips hogs wiped the place clean by Thursday. 

We did Jamies Italian for dinner on the 2nd night, it was a solid 1 out of 10. If I didn't have to pay an upcharge I would give it a 3 out of 10. Nothing was good, nothing was plated nice, it was just bad. The service again was good but that does not make the food any better. 

Cafe Promenade and Sorrento's were both good.

150 Central Park.....Well we finally had a good meal. It was exceptional! I was very apprehensive to go here after the lousy dining we were having. I don't have any complaints. Everything was plated nice, tasted good and was the proper temp. Our server did bring out the scallop appetizer that wasn't that great but everything else was fantastic. Whoever runs this place needs to run the entire food operation on the ship. 

Feel free to ask any questions.

[bucfan2]

1 minute ago, kpwhalen830 said:

The ongoing trend I am noticing with Royal Caribbean is the food going downhill. The menus have not changed much over the years, the presentation and quality reminds me of an Applebees or worse. 

The main dining room food needs a complete overhaul, it was not good. We ate there 5 nights and not a single meal was good, one night I had the braised short rib that was "ok". The service was very good, they just need a new menu with better food and presentation. 

The Windjammer had food that was expected for a cafeteria setting. Whoever runs this place needs to run the entire food operation on the ship. 

 

Sorry about your subjective review, as well as your disappointment.  Having come off an Oasis class ship a couple weeks ago, we rate the Dining Room at 9/10 and specialty rest at 8/10 (for food), and a 10/10 for both in the service department.  Only stopped in WJ for hand-dipped ice cream...11/10 on that one lol.

 

Certainly interesting to hear others' opinions.

[time4u2go]

Thanks for your review.  Your description of the MDR food was pretty much what we've encountered on recent cruises on Independence and Brilliance.  Great service, OK food (at best).  I agree that the food quality has definitely gone downhill.

[alyssamma]

4 minutes ago, bucfan2 said:

Sorry about your subjective review, as well as your disappointment.  Having come off an Oasis class ship a couple weeks ago, we rate the Dining Room at 9/10 and specialty rest at 8/10 (for food), and a 10/10 for both in the service department.  Only stopped in WJ for hand-dipped ice cream...11/10 on that one lol.

 

Certainly interesting to hear others' opinions.

I'm on Symphony now...only been one day but I'm very happy with the food. Sorrento's is the only place I'd say was average, but everyplace else has been amazing. Best as sea? No, but pretty damn good. I'd rate it an 8 out of 10.

 

Bar waits are long...and my only real complaint. They also only have strawberry and Pina colada mix...no banana or ice cream mix, so my wife isn't happy about that. But hey, def first world problems. And plastic straws are back.

 

Entertainment is top notch as always...that is def best at sea.

 

[happy cruzer]

Regarding a new menu,  that can be a hot topic.  Whenever they change there is always an outcry that everything is being downgraded.  Personally, I look at the always available section if it is varied enough then if I can't find a choice to eat then it may be that I am too picky or not hungry.  Don't want the same thing each night but adding items from the always available typically makes for a good meal.  JMHO

 

Thanks for the report with enough details to know where you are coming from.  MDR = Applebee's and Windjammer = cafeteria,  that is normally where we set our expectations anyway so will be prepared and hopefully pleased.  Thanks.

[Cdude]

Same experience recently on NOS. Worst cruise food in my 8 or so cruises. I’m not a big cruiser.

 

I don’t think they need to change the menu. I was having trouble deciding there were so many good choices, imho. Why get rid of prime rib and filet mignon? Well, it was definitely not filet mignon and prime rib had zero flavor. Mashed potatoes taste boxed. They have a quality issue!

[deliver42]

I respectfully have to disagree about the food quality. We got off the Wonder a couple of weeks ago, and thought the food in the MDR was very good, except for the duck. In the Windjammer, we thought the food was actually better than what we've had on previous cruises with Royal. Our feeling was only Celebrity was better.

[alyssamma]

5 minutes ago, deliver42 said:

I respectfully have to disagree about the food quality. We got off the Wonder a couple of weeks ago, and thought the food in the MDR was very good, except for the duck. In the Windjammer, we thought the food was actually better than what we've had on previous cruises with Royal. Our feeling was only Celebrity was better.

Lol I was planning on getting the duck...now maybe I'll rethink it 😀

[Cdude]

This is mostly subjective (clearly) but if the majority doesn’t like the food there’s an issue. Some things like presentation and tough steaks are more objective. I am sure they are monitoring their post cruise surveys. My favorite food has been on NCL where everything on the ship was good-to-great. Princess used to have exceptional food too, but they went down.

[alyssamma]

1 minute ago, Cdude said:

This is mostly subjective (clearly) but if the majority doesn’t like the food there’s an issue. Some things like presentation and tough steaks are more objective. I am sure they are monitoring their post cruise surveys. My favorite food has been on NCL where everything on the ship was good-to-great. Princess used to have exceptional food too, but they went down.

Tens of thousands sail every day...a handful come here and complain about the food...not sure that comes close to a majority...

 

Personally, I like Applebee's food. It's a mass market food chain...Royal is a mass market cruise line. Not sure where the problem is.

 

Another thing to consider is that supply chain problems have forced everyone...not just cruise lines...to change ingredients which sometimes affects quality. This isn't good, but again, a first world problem.

 

Food is always subjective except for things like you say for example tough steak. 

 

Being on the ship, people seem pretty happy...most plates I see in the MDR are cleaned so people are either eating food they don't like, or they like it.

[smokeybandit]

A few weeks ago on Liberty, MDR food was better than it typically is. 

Except the steaks. I've never had a good steak on a cruise ship

[time4u2go]

27 minutes ago, Cdude said:

Same experience recently on NOS. Worst cruise food in my 8 or so cruises. I’m not a big cruiser.

 

I don’t think they need to change the menu. I was having trouble deciding there were so many good choices, imho. Why get rid of prime rib and filet mignon? Well, it was definitely not filet mignon and prime rib had zero flavor. Mashed potatoes taste boxed. They have a quality issue!

I agree. I don't really have a problem with the menu. For me, it's the quality of the food that's the problem. 

[Cdude]

“Tens of thousands sail every day...a handful come here and complain about the food”

Exactly! That’s why RCI needs to monitor their surveys. I would have loved it if Applebees was served in the MDR on my recent cruise. It would have been a nice upgrade.

[time4u2go]

16 minutes ago, alyssamma said:

Tens of thousands sail every day...a handful come here and complain about the food...not sure that comes close to a majority...

To be fair, only a "handful" of cruisers even know about Cruise Critic or post on it.

[alyssamma]

6 minutes ago, Cdude said:

“Tens of thousands sail every day...a handful come here and complain about the food”

Exactly! That’s why RCI needs to monitor their surveys. I would have loved it if Applebees was served in the MDR on my recent cruise. It would have been a nice upgrade.

Lol, well, while we can agree to disagree on the food quality, that was a pretty funny reply.

[alyssamma]

1 minute ago, time4u2go said:

To be fair, only a "handful" of cruisers even know about Cruise Critic or post on it.

True, my point is that listening to people here either complain OR praise is not an accurate picture of what MOST people think.

[Jimbo]

48 minutes ago, deliver42 said:

I respectfully have to disagree about the food quality. We got off the Wonder a couple of weeks ago, and thought the food in the MDR was very good, except for the duck. In the Windjammer, we thought the food was actually better than what we've had on previous cruises with Royal. Our feeling was only Celebrity was better.

Brand  new ship, right now they are getting the best of the best as  far as supplies(food) being put on that ship. I would expect once Wonder gets to Europe the  food onboard will be more like the rest of the fleet is getting and what you  had on Symphony.

[Blur]

Even with the same menu, the resulting product seems to vary greatly ship to ship. 

 

Example I was on sep 5 cruise on Oasis and food in the MDR I'd rate 5/10 but that could have been because Oasis had just restarted and new staff haven't had enough experience.  Then I was on anthem on Nov 14 then Dec 5 and both times MDR was a solid 9/10 unlike the buffet which def didn't seem as good as it did before shutdown.

 

When I heard others complaining since it was their first cruise... I would always tell them cruising has just restarted so crew are probably still learning... I would not make any final judgements until cruising is fully back on track.

[bmc alabama]

1 minute ago, Blur said:

Even with the same menu, the resulting product seems to vary greatly ship to ship. 

 

Example I was on sep 5 cruise on Oasis and food in the MDR I'd rate 5/10 but that could have been because Oasis had just restarted and new staff haven't had enough experience.  Then I was on anthem on Nov 14 then Dec 5 and both times MDR was a solid 9/10 unlike the buffet which def didn't seem as good as it did before shutdown.

 

When I heard others complaining since it was their first cruise... I would always tell them cruising has just restarted so crew are probably still learning... I would not make any final judgements until cruising is fully back on track.

Our January Oasis cruise was similar to what you found on yours.  Having done 4 cruises since the restart on 4 different lines, the Oasis was a distant 4th in food quality (and included options...)

[Mikew0805]

I have never thought the food in the dining room was that good, or any other included options for that matter. Better choices of included food on other lines.

 

The specialty venues are much better, with the exception of Chops every other visit or so. I have really enjoyed Jamie's in the past. Sorry you did not enjoy this restaurant.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 17, 2022 by Mikew0805

[Blur]

4 minutes ago, bmc alabama said:

Our January Oasis cruise was similar to what you found on yours.  Having done 4 cruises since the restart on 4 different lines, the Oasis was a distant 4th in food quality (and included options...)

That's sad to hear Oasis didn't improve by Jan, since it's an excellent ship.  The best food I found on Oasis was port side bbq...  But that's probably cause I love burnt ends!

[Blur]

11 minutes ago, Mikew0805 said:

I have never thought the food in the dining room was that good, or any other included options for that matter. Better choices of included food on other lines. The specialty venues are much better, with the exception of Chops every other visit or so.

 

 

 

 

I thought the same and normally eat at specially as well but since I was taking a bunch of cruises on the cheap during double points promo I decided to see if MDR was any good.  Oasis sort of reinforced my expectation but Anthem was a good surprise.  Assuming head chefs and staff make a big difference there.

 

I also did a windjammer for dinner all cruise experiment on anthem (Mar 20) and I thought that was a complete failure until near the end of the cruise.  Caribbean and Indian nights were really good!  I was really surprised by Caribbean night since it was the same night as lobster in MDR... Why would they put the best wj night against lobster!  Place was empty but it was the best food all week.  For perspective I am Korean so love my spices... And I find most MDR options bland normally.

Edited April 17, 2022 by Blur

[sjb317]

We sailed on Allure in September, 2021.  The ship was at about 50% occupancy.  With the exception of a bad steak at Chops, the food was amazing!  I had some really good meals in the MDR and was looking forward to sailing on Allure again in April.  Our April cruise had about 75% capacity, food was mediocre at best.  The dishes I had enjoyed so much on the first cruise were definitely not as good.  For example, one of my favorite entrees is the baked feta with grilled veggies and polenta.  September cruise had lots of eggplant, mushrooms, etc in a very  flavorful, thick tomato based sauce over a thick slice of feta  and excellent polenta.  April’s cruise had a bland, runny sauce with very small and scarce veggies, no eggplant, and I swear they were rationing the feta and the polenta. I counted 2 slivers of feta😂

 

But my steak at Chops was good😂😂

 

Sherri🙂

 

 

[Cruising89143]

We cruised on the Navigator last month. First RCI cruise in eight years. We had lunch in the MDR once and found it to be good. Not great but good as expected. Service was very good. We dined in the WJ for breakfast one morning. Had no issues with the food. Plenty of choices for everyone. Servers everywhere to refill beverages and clean used dishes. 
 

We usually dine in specialty restaurants for dinner. On this four night cruise we dined in Jamie’s twice and Chop’s once. Both restaurants beat expectations in both quality and service. Actually one of the best experiences dining at Chops that I can remember as it was always up and down. Not consistent. We also had dinner one evening in Playmakers. For simple bar food, again very good. 
 

After over thirty-five years of cruising I have taken my expectations in the MDR down a few notches due to the number of guests being served at once. Also, everyone has different tastes, likes and dislikes. Hard to please everyone. My worst MDR/buffet experience still stands with NCL. 

[PhillyFan33579]

1 hour ago, Cdude said:

This is mostly subjective (clearly) but if the majority doesn’t like the food there’s an issue. Some things like presentation and tough steaks are more objective. I am sure they are monitoring their post cruise surveys. My favorite food has been on NCL where everything on the ship was good-to-great. Princess used to have exceptional food too, but they went down.

The very small number of people who complain about the food online is less than 1 percent of the passengers who cruise on RCI every week. Food is very subjective so there is no reason to doubt that the OP didn’t like the food on his cruise. However, my experience has been far different. Since last August I have cruised on Adventure, Mariner, Odyssey and Freedom three times. The food has been good to excellent on all my cruises. With the exception of Wonderland on Odyssey, I have not had one item I would consider below average. For what it’s worth, I have also been on several Celebrity cruises and their food has been outstanding.