New menus on Symphony reported

[poocher]

Ok making me drool on my phone!!  Childhood memories at Point O Woods Beach with Uncle Tony grilling sweet Italian sausage.

Edited November 20, 2022 by poocher

[John&LaLa]

3 minutes ago, boscobeans said:

When I make that kind I use pork, asiago cheese, parsley and fennel with a touch of anise. 

I use sheep casings (same like for hotdogs). 

Best cooked on the grill.  It is my summer favorite.

 

I use whatever I can find at Publix😉

[HappyTexan44]

I notice the live report was from the app.   I wonder if they haven't updated the app but they have changed the menu?

[dada2199cc]

Wow I like this shortened menu for the main dining room.  Perhaps we can suggest to RCCL to call it “MDR: Shorts”?

[boscobeans]

We are soon to be travelling from New Jersey to the Caribbean for a Winter getaway and to recharge our batteries from a month or two of the Northeast’s best attempts at freezing us to death.

The first leg of our holiday will take us to sunny and warm San Juan Puerto Rico where we will walk to a few favorite spots that we have enjoyed in the past and see how things have changed since our last visit.

It has been a while since we did a bit of shopping, and the liquor cabinet does look like there are a few bare spots so it’s off to St. Maarten to spend some quality time. Reminder to myself, don’t forget to test some Guavaberry delights and bring a bottle or two home for any cold winter nights awaiting our return.

A walk down Nevis Street after a quick visit to Antigua for a free trinkets from a little old lady who swears all her dodads are local even if they are marked MADE IN CHINA. Hope she is still there for her winning smile and a thank you.

A relaxing visit to St. Lucia for a few bites and an hour or two doing some people watching and planning our upcoming day in St. Kitts. Wonder if they have any monkey repellant, thinking about tomorrow, in the local pharmacy?????

To excursion or not to excursion? We will see and decide as we head off to the next day in Basseterre?

Oh did I mention that we will do all this fun stuff and only unpack our luggage ONCE?

Did I mention that on each day of our journey we will never have to worry about finding and excellent place to dine?

We won’t be bothered trying to locate a place to lay our weary heads, since accommodations that exceed almost any hotel we have ever stayed at on land are just a short walk from any of our adventures.

One other minor thing that requires mentioning is that the several thousand miles this 11-night escape takes us will be accomplished on a ship that is one hell of a lot more comfortable than a seventeen inch wide seat in a cramped over packed plane.  We do enjoy lounging away a few days  on a private veranda under the Caribbean sun, catching some live music  or shows in the theater. I certainly don’t mind spending a few hours each night playing with the odds in the casino.

So they limit me to “ONLY ONE” New England Lobster tail?  I guess we can’t have everything for $140 a night each.

[Tenderpaw]

35 minutes ago, boscobeans said:

 

One other minor thing that requires mentioning is that the several thousand miles this 11-night escape takes us will be accomplished on a ship that is one hell of a lot more comfortable than a seventeen inch wide seat in a cramped over packed plane.  We do enjoy lounging away a few days  on a private veranda under the Caribbean sun, catching some live music  or shows in the theater. I certainly don’t mind spending a few hours each night playing with the odds in the casino.

So they limit me to “ONLY ONE” New England Lobster tail?  I guess we can’t have everything for $140 a night each.

 

You are correct that the cruise is still nice and much more comfortable than an airline seat. 

 

But the cruise lines love the the attitude of "but its still wonderful so stop complaining" when it comes to their cuts and I'm not willing to let them off the hook so easily.  Lets not deceive ourselves, this new menu is for their benefit only but they are selling it as a benefit to us (as always).   If we go along easily, they will keep cutting until almost everything is pay as you go.  But don't worry, it will actually be somehow better for us and still won't "suck as bad as a coach airline seat". 

 

Flying used to be a LOT nicer than today too.

[nelblu]

26 minutes ago, Tenderpaw said:

 

You are correct that the cruise is still nice and much more comfortable than an airline seat. 

 

But the cruise lines love the the attitude of "but its still wonderful so stop complaining" when it comes to their cuts and I'm not willing to let them off the hook so easily.  Lets not deceive ourselves, this new menu is for their benefit only but they are selling it as a benefit to us (as always).   If we go along easily, they will keep cutting until almost everything is pay as you go.  But don't worry, it will actually be somehow better for us and still won't "suck as bad as a coach airline seat". 

 

Flying used to be a LOT nicer than today too.

At least food is included when cruising, for now😁

[Mum2Mercury]

I see lots of things that were offered on Explorer in September -- but the menu format is different.  I'd be interested to hear what people enjoyed /would skip next time.  

 

Prime Rib -- my husband was not impressed. 

Roasted chicken from the Classic menu -- my husband liked it.  

Key Lime Pie -- one of the best desserts we had. 

French Onion Soup -- good, but I'm only a so-so fan of this recipe, no matter how well done. 

Shrimp Cocktail -- I had it every night; good, but wish it were more than 4 shrimp.  

Escargot -- My husband had it most nights and enjoyed it. 

Coconut Cake -- the one thing I would not order again; tasted frozen.  

Turtle "cheesecake" from the Vegan menu -- good. 

Dark chocolate brownie -- my husband's favorite of the week -- nice presentation.  

Lobster (regular, not the upsell option) -- my husband had two; one was bad, one was okay.  The lobster tails were on the small side but were not cut in half.  

We did not try the included-in-the-price steak but were not impressed with what we saw on other people's plates.  

I had the fish entree most nights and was always pleased.  I heard many people compliment the Fish-and-Chips; I'd like to see it added to the Classic menu.

 

I see more than a few people have keyed into why they're serving so much Indian food:  It's an easy way to disguise last night's extra roasted chicken; the spices and sauces cover up leftovers quite well. I'm not against being thrifty, but I see it for what it is.  

 

Check the menus on your phone:  they include a Vegan menu and a Children's menu.  These don't show up on the paper menu, but you may order from them.  

[boscobeans]

1 hour ago, Tenderpaw said:

 

   If we go along easily, they will keep cutting until almost everything is pay as you go.  But don't worry, it will actually be somehow better for us and still won't "suck as bad as a coach airline seat". 

 

Flying used to be a LOT nicer than today too.

They will keep cutting until inflation stops or they increase prices. Our cruise which was booked a year ago DID NOT go up in price, but everything else I buy sure has.

 

Flying back then? You mean when you had to climb up the boarding stairs into the plane even in the rain. Or when they gave you a trial pack of cigarettes when walking out on the tarmac to board. Maybe ashtrays with people smoking as they enjoyed their free martinis.

 

Everything changes and some for the better and some for the worst.

I'll take cruising even if it isn't what it was 22 years ago when we first cruised.

 

As for flying? I'd go back to a climb up the stairs, roomy seats, decent food and stewardesses that acted like they enjoyed their jobs.

LOL

Edited November 21, 2022 by boscobeans

[Tenderpaw]

3 hours ago, boscobeans said:

They will keep cutting until inflation stops or they increase prices. Our cruise which was booked a year ago DID NOT go up in price, but everything else I buy sure has.

 

 

They will keep cutting as long as they think we will take it and "just be happy and thankful that we can still cruise".  They were already cutting before COVID and before the massive inflation we have now.   This isn't a new thing.  

 

Remember when NCL tried to prevent people from taking food from the buffet to their rooms to force the use of paid room service?  People complained and they backed off.  Remember when Royal tried to change the dining process when the Quantum class first came out?  People complained and they changed it back.  But if no one said anything because "we should just be happy we can cruise", then that change would be fleet wide now.  

Edited November 21, 2022 by Tenderpaw

[Cruisin'allovertheworld]

On 11/21/2022 at 3:21 AM, poocher said:

Is there any other way to prepare the ricotta cheese?  I mean you don’t use it straight out of the container 🤷‍♀️.  Truth be told, I’d eat it with a spoon out of the container but that’s not how I prepare it for lasagna.

I regularly have toast and ricotta cheese (straight out of the fridge/container) either for breakfast or a healthy-ish snack. Yummo. 🙂

[OfcSupport]

On 11/15/2022 at 10:12 AM, DaKahuna said:

 In my  humble opinion this is all about cost savings.  The more choices on a menu to the more food that must be prepared in anticipation of orders.  By limiting the choices on the menu the cruise ship can better estimate what demand for items will be and thus reduce waste.  

 

You would be amazed at how much waste there is for each meal on a cruise ship.  That represents a tremendous loss to the bottom line. 

 

 

 

There is a lot of waste because the food isn't good. If I they are going to experiment with my dinner I am going to order one of each so I know there will be something I like to eat. I wish they would quit with the Indian food and all the sloppy sauces on everything. Just give us food we recognize.

 

[bretts173]

9 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I see lots of things that were offered on Explorer in September -- but the menu format is different.  I'd be interested to hear what people enjoyed /would skip next time.  

 

Prime Rib -- my husband was not impressed. 

Roasted chicken from the Classic menu -- my husband liked it.  

Key Lime Pie -- one of the best desserts we had. 

French Onion Soup -- good, but I'm only a so-so fan of this recipe, no matter how well done. 

Shrimp Cocktail -- I had it every night; good, but wish it were more than 4 shrimp.  

Escargot -- My husband had it most nights and enjoyed it. 

Coconut Cake -- the one thing I would not order again; tasted frozen.  

Turtle "cheesecake" from the Vegan menu -- good. 

Dark chocolate brownie -- my husband's favorite of the week -- nice presentation.  

Lobster (regular, not the upsell option) -- my husband had two; one was bad, one was okay.  The lobster tails were on the small side but were not cut in half.  

We did not try the included-in-the-price steak but were not impressed with what we saw on other people's plates.  

I had the fish entree most nights and was always pleased.  I heard many people compliment the Fish-and-Chips; I'd like to see it added to the Classic menu.

 

I see more than a few people have keyed into why they're serving so much Indian food:  It's an easy way to disguise last night's extra roasted chicken; the spices and sauces cover up leftovers quite well. I'm not against being thrifty, but I see it for what it is.  

 

Check the menus on your phone:  they include a Vegan menu and a Children's menu.  These don't show up on the paper menu, but you may order from them.  

Maybe the Indian food is way more flavourful than the boring trash that Americans accept as good quality. I mean I see people say if there is nothing I like on the menu I can always duck up to the jammer and gets hot dog or burger. 

[Donsyb]

On 11/18/2022 at 8:04 PM, poocher said:

Bechamel which is a white sauce.  Not sure what it’s doing on lasagna.

Lasagna does have bechamel in it

 

https://www.insidetherustickitchen.com/classic-beef-lasagne-spinach-pasta/

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/2000-02/16/001r-021600-idx.html

[Mum2Mercury]

15 minutes ago, Donsyb said:

Lasagna does have bechamel in it

Well, lasagna CAN have bechamel in it -- but not all recipes include it.  I think most don't.  

[Donsyb]

14 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Well, lasagna CAN have bechamel in it -- but not all recipes include it.  I think most don't.  

In Europe most do. I was responding to those who said it never has bechamel in it.

Edited November 22, 2022 by Donsyb

[Steeler Nation At Sea]

18 hours ago, Tenderpaw said:

Remember when Royal tried to change the dining process when the Quantum class first came out?  People complained and they changed it back. 

 

Much to my dismay.  I loved the different menus in each dining room.  Silk was my favorite.  I still miss the ability to have a 'dim sum' (would order all the appetizers) meal.

[boscobeans]

1 minute ago, Steeler Nation At Sea said:

 

Much to my dismay.  I loved the different menus in each dining room.  Silk was my favorite.  I still miss the ability to have a 'dim sum' (would order all the appetizers) meal.

Not that good for longer cruisers.

The four separate restaurants originally had one menu each and that menu DID NOT CHANGE.

American Icon was PUB FOOD, stuff like Mac and Cheese and franks?

Silk was Asian and many people do not go for Asian foods

Grande and Chic, the other two were typical MDR's with different menus, I think Grande was formal as well.

On a longer 11 night you had to eat from the exact same menu a few times and if you didn't think Pub food or Asian you had to eat form the same two menus a lot.

[boscobeans]

18 hours ago, Cruisin'allovertheworld said:

I regularly have toast and ricotta cheese (straight out of the fridge/container) either for breakfast or a healthy-ish snack. Yummo. 🙂

Add a dash of cinnamon to it.

[DaniDanielle]

We did a 12 day on Anthem with Dynamic Dining.  Every restaurant had three different menus, they changed every four days.  It was really good.

[boscobeans]

Just now, DaniDanielle said:

We did a 12 day on Anthem with Dynamic Dining.  Every restaurant had three different menus, they changed every four days.  It was really good.

That was after the ORIGINAL system was planned. The menus were published and set in stone. It changed quickly when people AND Travel Agents began getting questions.

 

I was booked on the first U.S.A. sailing from Cape Liberty on the Quantum and changed it after getting the ORIGINAL DD specifics directly from my contact at Royal Caribbean before the ship even left for New York. 

 

After designing the Anthem with the same restaurant layout Lisa Lutoff-Perlo left Royal Caribbean and headed over to Celebrity where she bagan building ships with what look like cargo loading elevators on the side of the ship and a majority of veranda staterooms that really don't have verandas. LOL

[nelblu]

9 minutes ago, DaniDanielle said:

We did a 12 day on Anthem with Dynamic Dining.  Every restaurant had three different menus, they changed every four days.  It was really good.

And Grande had lobster standard on it's menu.🥰

[Steeler Nation At Sea]

26 minutes ago, boscobeans said:

Not that good for longer cruisers.

The four separate restaurants originally had one menu each and that menu DID NOT CHANGE.

American Icon was PUB FOOD, stuff like Mac and Cheese and franks?

Silk was Asian and many people do not go for Asian foods

Grande and Chic, the other two were typical MDR's with different menus, I think Grande was formal as well.

On a longer 11 night you had to eat from the exact same menu a few times and if you didn't think Pub food or Asian you had to eat form the same two menus a lot.

 

Were you eating the entire menu each night? 

 

Seems to me 2 to 3x in each venue, you still didn't exhaust the menu options.  My cruise with the original concept 4 menus, plus, the sit down Solarium Bistro (was it Devinely something) gave me PLENTY of choice.  You will never convince me there wasn't enough, unless you wanted to eat only at 1 venue.

 

Edited November 22, 2022 by Steeler Nation At Sea

[HappyTexan44]

28 minutes ago, Donsyb said:

In Europe most do. I was responding to those who said it never has bechamel in it.

 

I love it in my lasagna, well I use canned Alfredo because that is what I first tried.  I was making lasagna for guests and I didn't have enough sauce.    I looked in the pantry and the only jarred sauce was 'alfredo' sauce.  I used that on the top layer because I figured it would be better than nothing.   My lasagna is awesome, and even the jarred white sauce made it even better.    

Although to be fair, I've had some miserable 'lasagna' in Europe.   The worst was in Munich.    I love German food but after a couple of weeks I wanted a change.   So I went to an 'Italian' restaurant and ordered the lasagna.  It was the lasagna noodles with browned meat hunkels and meat gravy.   No diary or tomato product.  Not even layered.  I asked a German co-worker about it.  He said, "Well, it had lasagna noodles, so it was lasagna"  

 

[goldfish65]

I just received a survey email asking for my feedback on the main dining experience I desire. Many questions. Included was a sample menu with some changes. It did not have shrimp cocktail or any type of fin-fish or any simple preparations like salmon or chicken. Assuming one can still request these items, I thought it was a good menu. 

Edited November 22, 2022 by goldfish65