Izumi Sushi Worth Cost for Sushi Aficionado

[biggieboy]

I will be cruising with my cousin soon, who lives in an area with some of the best sushi in the US. He often eats out in his area and enjoys the food, regardless if it is at a top restaurant or just a local average sushi takeout. When he comes by me, he often dislikes the 'good' local places in my area, saying the fish is bland/old or there is too much rice and too little fish. He wants to go to Izumi to eat sushi but I'm not sure if this is a good use of his time given it is cruise ship sushi. For reference he actually liked the sushi on Carnival.

[Jasukkie]

I would say it's mid-level sushi. Well above a supermarket, but not destination sushi. 

[bonsai3s]

Go and try Izumi and let him be the judge. 

 

* I politely ask the sushi chef for very specific sushi or sashimi...almost always accomodated.

[firefly333]

Been a long time since I ordered raw fish .. but was so so compared to hawaii. I asked and of course was previously frozen. Maybe I'd do lobster or something else in izumi. I lived hawaii for 10 hears so I'm spoiled for raw fish poke style. 

[PhillyFan33579]

I think the sushi on RCI is very good and definitely better than the sushi on Carnival, which I found to be very bland. But keep in mind food is very subjective, which is something I always keep in mind when reading reviews about food quality on a ship.

[BazingAu]

The sushi I had at Izumi was decent. It's probably a little better than a strip mall or grocery store type sushi place. It's fine, but I would not be sad to skip it either.

[rudeney]

Just FYI, most all fish is frozen.  It's put on ice on the boat as soon as it's caught.  The exception would be things like lobster, crabs, shrimp, oysters, etc. that are kept alive in water.  Depending on how far that catch is going to travel, it may be frozen once unloaded on shore.  

[baelor]

3 hours ago, rudeney said:

Depending on how far that catch is going to travel, it may be frozen once unloaded on shore.

I think this is where sushi restaurants can stand out, though.  The one I like (which most would consider pretentious, but whatever), gets its fish daily, which means that the "menu" (pretty much all omakase) also changes daily.  

 

I am looking forward to trying Izumi on my next cruise, but the fact that some rolls have cream cheese suggests that it is probably not super authentic.

[rudeney]

I probably would not know good sushi from mediocre.  We do have one local restaurant with a very entertaining chef.   I think theirs is better, but It may just be the presentation.  I eat it rarely, though, because my wife does not like it.  I used to go out for lunch, but I've been WFH for about 6 years now, so unless a friend wants to meet up, it's not happening.  I am looking forward to Izumi on the cruise since we have the UDP this time.  I will make my wife go with me and she can order something else.  And if she doesn't like it, no worries - we can get something else and not worry about wasting money on it. 

[Merion_Mom]

I have been very impressed with Izumi on the Navigator, Oasis and now, Adventure.  

 

However, as you describe your friend, he is going to not like it because of who HE is, not because of what Izumi is.  That's just my impression from your post.

 

(but if you DO go, please do not let him order the Futomaki Roll.  He will hate it.)

[PerferWarmWeather]

I'm not a sushi expert, but know more than most.  I've always been impressed with Izumi.  What I've done in the past and will do next cruise is to ask the restaurant manager or operations manager when they expect to have sushi as fresh as possible.  Then that's the night I have it.  Obviously on the 3rd sea day isn't a good choice.  😉  

[TBone2K]

Just for something a little different, keep an eye on the schedule to see if there will be a sushi making class. We did that once and it was a lot of fun and you get a decent amount sushi out of it. Plus you can't complain if you were the one who made it.😄

[Sea Dog]

I've been eating sushi long before sushi was cool and eaten at good restaurants all over the country. Izumi is good but limited in the creativity of the rolls. I will go back to Izumi anytime but most people can get quality sushi anywhere on land at a good sushi restaurant.

[baelor]

15 hours ago, biggieboy said:

When he comes by me, he often dislikes the 'good' local places in my area, saying the fish is bland/old or there is too much rice and too little fish

Does he care about authenticity?  What kind of sushi (like what dishes) does he like?  What kinds of fish/seafood, if you know?

[footzz]

Way back in the day, RCCL used to serve Sushi for free in the early afternoon. I haven't tried it onboard since. I will say this, I hope the quality improved considerably when they started charging for it.

[pcur]

3 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

I have been very impressed with Izumi on the Navigator, Oasis and now, Adventure.  

 

However, as you describe your friend, he is going to not like it because of who HE is, not because of what Izumi is.  That's just my impression from your post.

 

(but if you DO go, please do not let him order the Futomaki Roll.  He will hate it.)

I agree with MM:  I truly loved the sushi on the Navigator.  Their spider rolls are the best I've eaten, and I've been eating sushi in the SF Bay area for 5 decades.  

[bonsai3s]

28 minutes ago, footzz said:

Way back in the day, RCCL used to serve Sushi for free in the early afternoon. I haven't tried it onboard since. I will say this, I hope the quality improved considerably when they started charging for it.

Yes, we remember having sushi in the Windjammer...way before Izumi. We would eat sushi as appetizers before heading to the MDR. Our waiter would ask why we were eating so light. 

 

* Celebrity, back in the day, served outstanding sushi in the buffet...no specialty restaurants back then.

[Rogueperson]

20 hours ago, footzz said:

Way back in the day, RCCL used to serve Sushi for free in the early afternoon. I haven't tried it onboard since. I will say this, I hope the quality improved considerably when they started charging for it.

 

Yes.  Massively improved.  Since i don't cruise that often then, i would forget how bad the free sushi was, try it and go "now i remember why i said never eat sushi on a cruise ship".  Now, in my opinion, its on par with a mainstream sushi restaurant.  However, since the price you pay onboard is similar to the price on land, on top of the price you paid for the cruise, I find Izumi's is not really worth the upcharge in general.  But if you have a craving for sushi, it definitely fills the void sufficiently.

[dwp10mm]

My wife and I had the Unlimited Dining Plan on Odyssey for the second week of our B2B in February.  We ate at Izumi at least 4 times on that 8 night Southern cruise.  2 dinners and 2 lunches.  We sat in the same place at the sushi bar each time.  The chefs were fantastic and after the first night remembered my wife's allergies.  They modified the rolls to meet her needs.  They even prepared a special extra roll for us one day and it was spectacular.  In the past, we have done the sushi making classes also.  My experience on the dining plan makes me want to try it again on an upcoming cruise.  While it may be hit or miss based on the ship or the chefs, the Odyssey experience has me ready to go again.  It was definitely quality sushi.

[BecciBoo]

I think it's worth it, although I've certainly had better and he as an "Aficionado" will have had the best, so it's all relative.   I'd still pay for it or just some luncheon rolls at least.  He may be surprised, I love the dragon rolls.

Edited August 23, 2022 by BecciBoo

[BecciBoo]

On 8/22/2022 at 5:33 AM, firefly333 said:

Been a long time since I ordered raw fish .. but was so so compared to hawaii. I asked and of course was previously frozen. Maybe I'd do lobster or something else in izumi. I lived hawaii for 10 hears so I'm spoiled for raw fish poke style. 

MMMM in Hawaii you can even get pretty good poke at Costco LOL

[BecciBoo]

On 8/22/2022 at 1:50 PM, baelor said:

 

 

I am looking forward to trying Izumi on my next cruise, but the fact that some rolls have cream cheese suggests that it is probably not super authentic.

I love California rolls, bite your tongue!  Don't care about authenticity, just what tastes good to me.  And that....is definitely subjective...one's man trash is another man's sushi.

Edited August 23, 2022 by BecciBoo

[baelor]

6 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

I love California rolls, bite your tongue!  Don't care about authenticity, just what tastes good to me.  And that....is definitely subjective...one's man trash is another man's sushi.

I am somewhat biased because I hate cream cheese 🤣 I do wish that the sashimi/"sushi" (nigiri?) selection were a bit more varied.  Having only four options is really weird.

[BecciBoo]

Course I'll eat just about anything! 🤣

[leisuretraveler223]

On 8/22/2022 at 1:28 AM, biggieboy said:

lives in an area with some of the best sushi in the US.

 

So, I'm curious about where he lives! Do tell.....

 

But regardless, I would say "no". If he likes sushi, that on board is bound to disappoint.  It's nothing exotic (basically all salmon, tuna and maybe some yellowtail), it's borderline frozen for storage, and tends to be of limited flavor.  Anyone who truly appreciates fresh sushi will be disappointed.  If you like tricked out rolls where bland fish is hidden behind tempura batter, with eel sauce and all sort of other distractions, then it'll one okay. But as for simple traditional sushi and sashimi, highly unremarkable.