nasa1974 Posted December 12, 2022 #1 Share Posted December 12, 2022 This is a quote from the article. "The big change is not that there'd be an "Italian" or "American" night with the chef's featured choices listed at the top of the menu, but rather that the "classics" section of the menu would no longer be offered. " Here is the link to the MSN article. Royal Caribbean Confirms Huge Main Dining Room Menu Change (msn.com) 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another_Critic Posted December 12, 2022 #2 Share Posted December 12, 2022 This has been discussed on here, under multiple topics, for weeks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nasa1974 Posted December 12, 2022 Author #3 Share Posted December 12, 2022 My bad. Just saw the article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pittnh Posted December 12, 2022 #4 Share Posted December 12, 2022 not happy about this but what can you do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deliver42 Posted December 12, 2022 #5 Share Posted December 12, 2022 Royal is slowly becoming an expensive Carnival. What's next? No table cloths, once a day cabin refresh (they are doing this on the Quantum soon in Australia), paper plates in the dining room to save soap? The list can be endless. Just watch Carnival, and Royal will be next. They are copying Carnival without the Carnival prices or free places to eat. Right now, Celebrity is a better value, especially on their S Class ships. We just booked an 8 day on Celebrity for next May in an unobstructed balcony with drinks, grats and $350.00 OBC, and the classic drink package for $3100.00 total for 2. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deliver42 Posted December 12, 2022 #6 Share Posted December 12, 2022 Sorry, I forgot. This is on the Reflection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DebJ14 Posted December 13, 2022 #7 Share Posted December 13, 2022 27 minutes ago, deliver42 said: Royal is slowly becoming an expensive Carnival. What's next? No table cloths, once a day cabin refresh (they are doing this on the Quantum soon in Australia), paper plates in the dining room to save soap? The list can be endless. Just watch Carnival, and Royal will be next. They are copying Carnival without the Carnival prices or free places to eat. Right now, Celebrity is a better value, especially on their S Class ships. We just booked an 8 day on Celebrity for next May in an unobstructed balcony with drinks, grats and $350.00 OBC, and the classic drink package for $3100.00 total for 2. Just be glad they are not Carnival prices. We just booked a 5 night in a GS on the Adventure for Feb. The price for a GS on the Carnival Breeze 5 night the same week was $900 more than Royal Carib. Heck, a regular balcony on Carnival was $25.00 more than our GS on Royal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmerick Posted December 13, 2022 #8 Share Posted December 13, 2022 Thinking this is more to streamline the menu rather than limit choice. Most folks with more than a handful of cruises know that the MDR offers much more than what is printed on the menu. There's the vegan choices, the Indian fare, the many different "rumbly tummy" options for no dairy/gluten/nuts/salt/shellfish. To me, the menu is today's dining suggestions. If I've already got my taste buds settled on something else, I'll discuss it with the waiter, and see what happens. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DallasGuy75219 Posted December 13, 2022 #9 Share Posted December 13, 2022 46 minutes ago, gmerick said: There's the vegan choices, the Indian fare, the many different "rumbly tummy" options for no dairy/gluten/nuts/salt/shellfish. To me, the menu is today's dining suggestions. If I've already got my taste buds settled on something else, I'll discuss it with the waiter, and see what happens. One article pointed to this being part of the problem with slow service... too many special requests, special orders, and requests for customization. While they'll undoubtedly still have dishes to meet these dietary needs, don't expect as many options in the future, just like they're reducing the number of dishes on the standard menu. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chill6x6 Posted December 13, 2022 #10 Share Posted December 13, 2022 3 hours ago, nasa1974 said: This is a quote from the article. "The big change is not that there'd be an "Italian" or "American" night with the chef's featured choices listed at the top of the menu, but rather that the "classics" section of the menu would no longer be offered. " Here is the link to the MSN article. Royal Caribbean Confirms Huge Main Dining Room Menu Change (msn.com) First I've seen of this so thanks! I don't like it! We haven't eaten in the MDR for quite a while but will have to aboard Adventure coming up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatka Posted December 13, 2022 #11 Share Posted December 13, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, deliver42 said: Royal is slowly becoming an expensive Carnival. What's next? No table cloths, once a day cabin refresh (they are doing this on the Quantum soon in Australia), paper plates in the dining room to save soap? The list can be endless. Just watch Carnival, and Royal will be next. They are copying Carnival without the Carnival prices or free places to eat. Right now, Celebrity is a better value, especially on their S Class ships. We just booked an 8 day on Celebrity for next May in an unobstructed balcony with drinks, grats and $350.00 OBC, and the classic drink package for $3100.00 total for 2. I’ll pay RCI prices not to sail with Carnival!!! Although I’ve heard that Carnival is not cheap anymore When we started sailing with RCI in 2004 menus were much weaker than now. Also I remember when Classic section was not a thing on RCI, but also on Celebrity or Holland. And that was without huge inflation we are having now. Do you know how difficult is hiring abroad is now? Edited December 13, 2022 by Tatka 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donaldsc Posted December 13, 2022 #12 Share Posted December 13, 2022 6 hours ago, pittnh said: not happy about this but what can you do You can switch cruise lines. Royal isn't the only cruise line out there. Maybe Royal figures or maybe hopes that everyone will be so invested in their status level and they stay regardless of what the company does. DON 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gumshoe958 Posted December 13, 2022 #13 Share Posted December 13, 2022 Don’t think for one moment that Royal is the only line looking to cut costs. They might do it in different ways, with varying impact on the guest experience, but rest assured they’ll all do it. So don’t assume the grass is greener on the other side. Like it or not, Covid and Ukraine have been a turning point for the cruise industry. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cublet Posted December 13, 2022 #14 Share Posted December 13, 2022 Hello, I can't wait to see the Coastal Kitchen menu changed. Not only changed but having a longer cycle - ie not repeating itself so frequently. Regards, Cublet 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superduper123 Posted December 13, 2022 #15 Share Posted December 13, 2022 I order from the "classics" more often than not, as I prefer simple, basic foods. I don't cruise again until March so it will be interesting to see the options. I may end up in the Wj depending on menu selection. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikew0805 Posted December 13, 2022 #16 Share Posted December 13, 2022 15 hours ago, deliver42 said: Royal is slowly becoming an expensive Carnival. What's next? No table cloths, once a day cabin refresh (they are doing this on the Quantum soon in Australia), paper plates in the dining room to save soap? The list can be endless. Just watch Carnival, and Royal will be next. They are copying Carnival without the Carnival prices or free places to eat. Right now, Celebrity is a better value, especially on their S Class ships. We just booked an 8 day on Celebrity for next May in an unobstructed balcony with drinks, grats and $350.00 OBC, and the classic drink package for $3100.00 total for 2. I wish they would go to no table cloths, and have nice table tops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Envelope21 Posted December 13, 2022 #17 Share Posted December 13, 2022 I totally agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mum2Mercury Posted December 13, 2022 #18 Share Posted December 13, 2022 Thinking out loud: - The Classics are simple and require less effort. Also, since the staff makes them every night, they know what they're doing. Seems that they're cutting the easiest items for the staff. Quote my husband: "Why would they cut out chocolate ice cream? What's easier?" - Having said that, my husband and I rarely order Classic entrees, but we both go for Classic appetizers pretty often (Shrimp Cocktail and Escargot). Are they cutting Classics across the board or just entrees? - I agree with the article's comment that this will affect families with kids /teens, those who are "too old" to want to order chicken noodle soup and pepperoni pizza from the kids' menu, but whose tastes aren't yet fully adult. And I know more than a few young adults who eat an awful lot of chicken nuggets and spaghetti. - They're saying the MDR will have a nightly theme -- Italian night or American Classics. This is what they're already doing in the Windjammer. I wonder if it'll be the same them in the two venues. - I assume they'll still offer a vegetarian entree, a seafood entree, a poultry entree and a beef entree each evening? - Is this something I'd complain about? Is it a hill upon which I'd die? No, as long as something tasty is on the menu every night, no. But I pretty much eat everything -- not everyone can say the same. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cello56 Posted December 13, 2022 #19 Share Posted December 13, 2022 So if you don't like Italian food and it is Italian night there will be nothing on the menu that you will like? Sounds like a bad idea to me. I have a number of food avoidances - foods that I 100% can never ever eat. Those classic dish entrees have been my dinner many nights. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nelblu Posted December 13, 2022 #20 Share Posted December 13, 2022 19 hours ago, Tatka said: I’ll pay RCI prices not to sail with Carnival!!! Although I’ve heard that Carnival is not cheap anymore When we started sailing with RCI in 2004 menus were much weaker than now. Also I remember when Classic section was not a thing on RCI, but also on Celebrity or Holland. And that was without huge inflation we are having now. Do you know how difficult is hiring abroad is now? I don\'t know what your definition of weaker menu is, but I remember more choices and selections. It's amazing that some poster indicated that NCL is expanding it's MDR menu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mum2Mercury Posted December 13, 2022 #21 Share Posted December 13, 2022 24 minutes ago, cello56 said: So if you don't like Italian food and it is Italian night there will be nothing on the menu that you will like? Sounds like a bad idea to me. I have a number of food avoidances - foods that I 100% can never ever eat. Those classic dish entrees have been my dinner many nights. Let's take it a step further: You don't like Italian food, but the rest of your family does. With the Classics /basics gone, now we have a fuss. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nunagoras Posted December 13, 2022 #22 Share Posted December 13, 2022 20 hours ago, Tatka said: Do you know how difficult is hiring abroad is now? This, exactly! If a bunch of waiters/waitresses becomes angry and exit ship, they'll to replace them by the day on India or the Philippines. So; now think on a sous-chef, a pastry-chef or something on those likes. Like it or not; the intermediate high qualified tourism individuals whom run those ships before the pandemic are now discovering they can have a better life at home on activities that don't require an 11 months embarkation contract doing such a "24/7" job journey! And they won't come in. There will be some 3-5 years of adaptation to train a new set of personnel to fill all those positions. Meanwhile; there'll to be some compromise solutions to be made. This is only the beginning, sadly... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nunagoras Posted December 13, 2022 #23 Share Posted December 13, 2022 16 hours ago, gumshoe958 said: Don’t think for one moment that Royal is the only line looking to cut costs. They might do it in different ways, with varying impact on the guest experience, but rest assured they’ll all do it. So don’t assume the grass is greener on the other side. Like it or not, Covid and Ukraine have been a turning point for the cruise industry. So obvious! Let me just to add: Is there anything else the Covid and Ukraine didn't change?... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccer2010 Posted December 14, 2022 #24 Share Posted December 14, 2022 23 hours ago, Tatka said: I’ll pay RCI prices not to sail with Carnival!!! Although I’ve heard that Carnival is not cheap anymore When we started sailing with RCI in 2004 menus were much weaker than now. Also I remember when Classic section was not a thing on RCI, but also on Celebrity or Holland. And that was without huge inflation we are having now. Do you know how difficult is hiring abroad is now? It's probably been a while since you cruised Carnival as I think it has evolved quite a bit. Their MDR food is on par with RCCL and their casual food is much better than the typical RCCL ship. Their comedy club is excellent. Carnival's main shows are not very good. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norwich Cruiser Posted December 14, 2022 #25 Share Posted December 14, 2022 6 hours ago, soccer2010 said: It's probably been a while since you cruised Carnival as I think it has evolved quite a bit. Their MDR food is on par with RCCL and their casual food is much better than the typical RCCL ship. Their comedy club is excellent. Carnival's main shows are not very good. Agree. We recently sailed with Carnival and found both the dining room options and in particular their buffet food far superior to Royal. The buffet also had longer evening opening hour’s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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