Windjammer desserts look way better than they taste

[HappyTexan44]

I find that to be true of awesome looking desserts in general.   Yes, I'm looking at you Disney Cupcakes.  When they spend *that* much time on presentation, the actual dessert suffers.  

 

I used to know a guy that had been a ... I forget the name, chef that just does desserts.   He worked at a fancy Michelin starred restaurant.  He felt himself to be an artist.  Then he figured out fat+sugar+anything_else, people would rave about.   He kept pushing the ick factor on the anything_else part of the equation hoping that someone would send it back.  But, nope, everyone continued to rave.  

 

 

[reallyitsmema]

1 hour ago, aubreyc1988 said:

Mostly agree, but I do think NCL edges RCI in terms of buffet desserts, ONLY because they usually have someone scooping out regular icecream with some various toppings available. Not sure if other cruiselines have the regular/non soft serve icecream but I did really enjoy getting a scoop of icecream and putting stuff on top of it. 

 

Really, my bar for a good buffet dessert is that low lol

 

Royal Caribbean has regular ice cream in the WJ a lot.  Anthem used to have it at the dessert station on the left, with someone scooping and some toppings.  We have seen an ice cream cart go around the WJ at dinner on Radiance class ships many times.  Lots of toppings to make sundaes.  This has been on Alaska and NE/Canada cruises.

[Ret MP]

7 minutes ago, UnregisteredUser said:

I wonder if we all gave the desserts low grading after the cruise in the cruise reviews they send out if anything would change? 

Honestly, I haven't.  Not something that I think about when doing the survey.  I'll keep that in mind, next time, for sure.

[Kathscof]

I think of them as "banquet" desserts, and a banquet dessert, even at a 5 star hotel looks better than it tastes 🙂 

[BecciBoo]

I have to agree, but I'd walk a mile for their chewy coconut cookie or their sugar free coconut cake...mmmm

[Tatka]

I think it is a personal matter.

I try to avoid any desserts. We eat on cruises more than we should anyway.

However from time to time I eat mousses and they are not bad at all.

 

Not a huge fun of cookies, but sometimes rangers cookies in Park Cafe are good.

 

I remember loving Princess and HAL desserts, but we do not sail with them anymore

Edited February 7, 2023 by Tatka

[goldfish65]

Coconut cake looked good and tasted good. I always take a spin through WJ after my MDR dinner has settled, to get cookies and anything else that looks too good to pass up.

Edited February 7, 2023 by goldfish65

[TeleMermaid]

You may wish to try Princess.  I had phenomenal desserts every night.

[Tatka]

3 hours ago, dada2199cc said:

You can 100% blame a certain generation of cruisers who demand low sugar, low salt, low fat.

I'm not kidding, either.

 

I met a guy in the Caribbean (working on the island) and became quick friends.  Ends up he was a buffet chef for a cruise line and I called him out on the bad desserts and he said they had to constantly lower salt, lower sugar, lower fat, because a certain generation would complain about all 3.

 

Actually European cookies and cakes are great. They have less sugar, but taste is not only about sugar.

I am actually afraid of American low sugar food... it tastes artificial.

Edited February 7, 2023 by Tatka

[Ret MP]

1 minute ago, Tatka said:

I think it is a personal matter.

I try to avoid any desserts. We eat on cruises more than we should anyway.

However from time to time I eat mousses and they are not bad at all.

For sure, no doubt.

 

However, I cruise to "OVER ENDLUDGE" in just about everything.  I think that is the lure to cruising for most folks.  They want to be pampered, served, fed, entertained, and drunk, all to excess.  And I think that the Cruise Industry is ruining that for so many people by cuts in service, activities, portions, quality, quantity all while raising fares unbelievably fast.  

 

Disclaimer:  Yes, of course, there are many folks that don't fit into that portrait that I just painted.  

[aubreyc1988]

1 hour ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Royal Caribbean has regular ice cream in the WJ a lot.  Anthem used to have it at the dessert station on the left, with someone scooping and some toppings.  We have seen an ice cream cart go around the WJ at dinner on Radiance class ships many times.  Lots of toppings to make sundaes.  This has been on Alaska and NE/Canada cruises.

Didn't see it on Liberty or Allure, but maybe it was during the evening, I only go for lunch! I hope they have some on Symphony! 

[Deeliteful]

Always said it. They look great but taste of nothing or of gelatin.

However on my cruise on Explorer last month they had som delicious cream puffs, lemon, one day, coffee another. They were so good I took a couple back to my cabin for afternoon tea! 🐷🐷😂

[Homosassa]

The ice crystals in the imitation soft serve were pretty glittering in the lights in the Windjammer....

 

[DustFSU]

That's why I take advantage in the afternoon and crank those free ice cream cones!!!  The MDR has some decent desserts.

[time4u2go]

1 hour ago, aubreyc1988 said:

Didn't see it on Liberty or Allure, but maybe it was during the evening, I only go for lunch! I hope they have some on Symphony! 

I've only seen real ice cream in the evenings.  Otherwise it's the Frozen Dessert Product (aka, soft serve).

[Ashland]

I've been saying for a few years (posting here as well as in person and on my surveys) that the dessert's in the WJ need a lot of IMPROVEMENT !!!!

 

We've sailed on many RCI ships and recently onboard Harmony end of April they had the most amazing desserts (Carrot Cake with real cream cheese frosting) ...someone knew how to finally get it right...but I'm sure that particular person didn't last long. 

 

Also the cookies onboard are being overly baked...they end up hard as a rock !!

[Ret MP]

34 minutes ago, Ashland said:

I've been saying for a few years (posting here as well as in person and on my surveys) that the dessert's in the WJ need a lot of IMPROVEMENT !!!!

 

We've sailed on many RCI ships and recently onboard Harmony end of April they had the most amazing desserts (Carrot Cake with real cream cheese frosting) ...someone knew how to finally get it right...but I'm sure that particular person didn't last long. 

 

Also the cookies onboard are being overly baked...they end up hard as a rock !!

Our last cruise was on the Independence, Oct/Nov 2022.  The Carrot Cake had anything but real cream cheese frosting.  Wish we were on the cruise with you.  I really like a good Carrot Cake.

 

I'm guessing that you are right, someone didn't get the Memo LOL.  As far as cookies are concerned, I think it is all about timing.  If the cookies are way too hard (stale), we leave without getting some or wait for the next delivery for what we hope are a little fresher bunch.

Edited February 8, 2023 by Ret MP

[pcur]

I'm on the Anthem right now, have found the desserts in the Windjammer very good.  They have some pastry and dessert chefs that know what they're doing.  The chocolate desserts are excellent, and this evening I had a fabulous piece of baclava.

 

The cakes are also excellent: multi-layered, soft, moist, and one slice I had for lunch had a yummy, gooey vanilla frosting.  Yes, I am a frosting lover........

Edited February 8, 2023 by pcur

[joeyancho]

8 hours ago, schlimazel_traveler said:

I was very pleasantly surprised on my last cruise. I don't even bother with the plastic-cup-of-something items anymore, but they actually had a pound cake recipe that they switched up daily (pistachio pound cake, apple pound cake, etc) that was GOOD! And a dense, almost marzipan-like, pie recipe they did a few variations on (apricot almond, peach almond) that I liked a lot. Plus, cafe latitudes had a fantastic brownie! I've never had a decent brownie, or maybe any brownie, on a cruise ship.

I agree.  Went well with my coffee

[Cherries Jubilee]

This is sadly true. I think they’ve convinced themselves it’s ok to cut costs with dessert because we shouldn’t be eating it anyway. The main dining room desserts are not groundbreaking but they are so much better than the buffet. It doesn’t make sense.

 

 

 I can’t eat ice cream so most days I have to settle for hard cookies.

[Eddie Wilson]

For years I thought it was just me, as I am not a regular dessert goer. 

 

I would say say more than 75% of the desserts I attempted on last cruise, 3 weeks ago, looked great with no taste. 

 

I did did have a nice key lime pie one night, and I liked the apple blossom with ice cream.  Other than those, nada, nada, nada.  

 

Eddie

[Tatka]

5 hours ago, Ret MP said:

For sure, no doubt.

 

However, I cruise to "OVER ENDLUDGE" in just about everything.  I think that is the lure to cruising for most folks.  They want to be pampered, served, fed, entertained, and drunk, all to excess.  And I think that the Cruise Industry is ruining that for so many people by cuts in service, activities, portions, quality, quantity all while raising fares unbelievably fast.  

 

Disclaimer:  Yes, of course, there are many folks that don't fit into that portrait that I just painted.  

I’m sure if not for pandemic nothing of this sort would’ve happened. They don’t do it to upset cruisers. Cruise industry almost got ruined. Literally. And they aren’t out of the water yet. Far from it.

 

Things may improve though. I remember my first cruise with NCL in 2008. I was literally  shocked. If you remember Vegas Vacation when Griswold with his cousin went to cheap buffet and asked to give him that blue thing and yellow thing.. Well desserts on NCL Spirit were all same jello type cakes in different colors. Yet our next cruise with them in 2011 featured nice variety 

 

 

[Ashland]

4 hours ago, pcur said:

I'm on the Anthem right now, have found the desserts in the Windjammer very good.  They have some pastry and dessert chefs that know what they're doing.  The chocolate desserts are excellent, and this evening I had a fabulous piece of baclava.

 

The cakes are also excellent: multi-layered, soft, moist, and one slice I had for lunch had a yummy, gooey vanilla frosting.  Yes, I am a frosting lover........

The pastry chef must be the one from our Harmony cruise. RCI certainly doesn't have more than one that knows what their doing.

 

The baklava we had on Jewel & Serenade last year was burnt to a crisp. RCI should be ashamed to serve the kinda desserts we've seen lately.

[Ashland]

3 hours ago, Tatka said:

I’m sure if not for pandemic nothing of this sort would’ve happened. They don’t do it to upset cruisers. Cruise industry almost got ruined. Literally. And they aren’t out of the water yet. Far from it.

 

Things may improve though. I remember my first cruise with NCL in 2008. I was literally  shocked. If you remember Vegas Vacation when Griswold with his cousin went to cheap buffet and asked to give him that blue thing and yellow thing.. Well desserts on NCL Spirit were all same jello type cakes in different colors. Yet our next cruise with them in 2011 featured nice variety 

 

 

The RCI desserts were bad long before the pandemic, so that has nothing to do with it.

[Ocean Boy]

I have always felt the same as the OP about the desserts on RCI. However, last week on Odyssey I was very surprised to find that some of the Windjammer desserts were actually very good. I'm not quite sure how that happened. 🤔