Windjammer dinner in the new menu era

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

Hi all,

 

I've seen conflicting information on this, so I'm hoping some of you can share what you've actually experienced. Since they switched to the new menus, does the Windjammer serve most/some of the same dishes during dinner service as the MDR? Asian dishes on Asian night, etc.? Bonus points if you can report on the Ovation, Oasis or Freedom. 😉 

 

Thanks in advance!

[Bleueyes44]

Strictly  from my last cruise on the Navigator,  no the food did not follow what was served in MDR.

It was my 2nd solo cruise and I  only went to the MDR 2 nights and Windjammer the other 5 .  Sad offerings not like it use to be. One of my favorites is the turkey dinner last night of cruise, will to my surprise no turkey .  To be honest it was basically the same thing every night. 

[taglovestocruise]

25 minutes ago, la_croisiere_s'amuse said:

Hi all,

 

I've seen conflicting information on this, so I'm hoping some of you can share what you've actually experienced. Since they switched to the new menus, does the Windjammer serve most/some of the same dishes during dinner service as the MDR? Asian dishes on Asian night, etc.? Bonus points if you can report on the Ovation, Oasis or Freedom. 😉 

 

Thanks in advance!

Just Ovation in general, we have not cruised since the new menus started. Ovation in Alaska was exceptional. Very friendly crew, all food venues were top notch, everything from the dog house to Windjammer to MDR was far above average. We had dinner one night in WJ, everything was hot and tasty. Coffee machine in DL was up and running everyday, small sandwiches were served around lunchtime. DL was packed every night with part of the Music Hall used as overflow. Spent most nights after the shows in Vintages, it was always very peaceful and never crowded.Three days after debarking Ovation we were on Quantum and everything we experienced was the exact opposite. Book Northstar as soon as you can, we waited until day 2 and all the free rides and all paid rides were sold out for the week.

[JamesEM]

I did a b-3-b on the Harmony this past May as a solo and ate about half my meals in the Windjammer.  As a frequent cruise I noticed a lot of cut backs, basically the food selection was somewhat limited and the same each night, good but limited.

[RyderJ201]

On Wonder in May they had chicken parm and lasagna in the Windjammer on Italian night, just like in the MDR. They had turkey the last day but ran out by 1pm. I'd say there was one or two of the theme meal items each night in the Windjammer, but not more than that.

[BridgeMates]

9 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

Just Ovation in general, we have not cruised since the new menus started. Ovation in Alaska was exceptional. Very friendly crew, all food venues were top notch, everything from the dog house to Windjammer to MDR was far above average. We had dinner one night in WJ, everything was hot and tasty. Coffee machine in DL was up and running everyday, small sandwiches were served around lunchtime. DL was packed every night with part of the Music Hall used as overflow. Spent most nights after the shows in Vintages, it was always very peaceful and never crowded.Three days after debarking Ovation we were on Quantum and everything we experienced was the exact opposite. Book Northstar as soon as you can, we waited until day 2 and all the free rides and all paid rides were sold out for the week.

We're taking young people on the Harmony next summer.  What is Northstar?

[marci22]

I was on Liberty and disappointed that the MDR items were usually not available in the WJ at night. Also there were no theme nights. We asked about Indian in particular.

[Anton]

5 minutes ago, marci22 said:

I was on Liberty and disappointed that the MDR items were usually not available in the WJ at night. Also there were no theme nights. We asked about Indian in particular.

Interesting.  Indian food was a daily thing for both lunch and dinner on the Voyager two weeks ago.  However it was often the same things.  

[marci22]

Just now, Anton said:

Interesting.  Indian food was a daily thing for both lunch and dinner on the Voyager two weeks ago.  However it was often the same things.  

There was a daily Indian choice, such as a vegetarian or meat curry, but on past cruises we have had an Indian theme night with many choices that was very good. 

[Ourusualbeach]

20 minutes ago, BridgeMates said:

We're taking young people on the Harmony next summer.  What is Northstar?

Northstar is not on Harmony.

[OCSC Mike]

59 minutes ago, Anton said:

Interesting.  Indian food was a daily thing for both lunch and dinner on the Voyager two weeks ago.  However it was often the same things.

 

There are almost always Indian offerings in the WJ in my experience (some of my favs, especially bthe butter chicken). How often they differ may vary.

[orville99]

Just off of Wonder, and the WJ "themes" line up most nights with the MDR themes (with a few notable exceptions on Day 6 and 7). 

WJ

Day 1: All American

Day 2: Italian

Day 3: France

Day 4: Tex Mex

Day 5: Caribbean

Day 6: Indian

Dat 7: Mediterranean

 

MDR

Day 1: All American

Day2: Italian

Day 3: France

Day 4: Mexico

Day 5: Caribbean

Day 6: Lobster (Royal night)

Day 7: Turkey (Bon Voyage)

[LMaxwell]

1 hour ago, marci22 said:

I was on Liberty and disappointed that the MDR items were usually not available in the WJ at night. Also there were no theme nights. We asked about Indian in particular.

How long ago was this?  I looked at some recent Cruise Compass from May 2023 and there were theme nights in the WJ published. 

[OCSC Mike]

9 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Just off of Wonder, and the WJ "themes" line up most nights with the MDR themes (with a few notable exceptions on Day 6 and 7).

 

@orville99 Sorry to hijack for a quick question... I knew they mostly lined up but didn't get to check out WJ dinners as I was with extended family on Wonder last month. Did you visit or eat there for dinner at all? General thoughts? We'll be going go there a few nights per cruise once it's just my wife and I so just curious as we have 4 future Wonder cruises booked. Thanks.

[taglovestocruise]

4 hours ago, BridgeMates said:

We're taking young people on the Harmony next summer.  What is Northstar?

Only on Quantum Class. It is a giant observation bubble.

 

[orville99]

2 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

@orville99 Sorry to hijack for a quick question... I knew they mostly lined up but didn't get to check out WJ dinners as I was with extended family on Wonder last month. Did you visit or eat there for dinner at all? General thoughts? We'll be going go there a few nights per cruise once it's just my wife and I so just curious as we have 4 future Wonder cruises booked. Thanks.

Not a problem. We ate there on Caribbean (jerk chicken and jerk pork wraps and the red beans and rice were great), Tex Mex, and Indian night, in the Bistro for the first three nights, and Sushi on the last night. Indian night was by far the best with a really good Mongolian hot pot with chicken, beef, and grilled shrimp, and Halwa for desert

[marci22]

4 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

How long ago was this?  I looked at some recent Cruise Compass from May 2023 and there were theme nights in the WJ published. 

It was in May but things can vary between ships and sailings.

[pcur]

I did not pay attention to the comparison between the MDR and the WJ, but found the WJ to be very iffy on several ships this past Feb, March and April.

 

The Anthem was fantastic!!  Many different food stations, great quality, lots of interesting salads and appetizers.

 

The Grandeur:  I had a hard time getting a decent dinner in either the MDR or the WJ.  I have posted about this cruise before.

 

The Vision was disappointing in the WJ.  They had cut the offerings so drastically that only the smaller side buffets as you enter on either side, were plentiful.  The mid, round buffet stations were soup, desserts, and EMPTY.  I posted about this previously, also.  On the Vision I was able to get the UDP with my sister for a very good price, so my WJ experience was lunch only.

 

I have since heard and read that training new dining staff had a lot to do with the diminished offerings, as well as the published menu changes.  Supposedly things have improved.  

 

Here's hoping.

[soremekun]

Has anyone seen oxtails recently on Caribbean night?  On my last cruise on Oasis, there weren't any.

[jbrinkm]

On Allure in April, WJ had the same theme nights as the MDR. A few items were exactly the same, some were "variations" on the MDR item, and there were always additional items in the WJ that were unrelated to what was being served in the MDR.

[BridgeMates]

6 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

Only on Quantum Class. It is a giant observation bubble.

 

Thank You.  I thought it might be some kind of a ride.

[rockmom]

4 hours ago, jbrinkm said:

On Allure in April, WJ had the same theme nights as the MDR. A few items were exactly the same, some were "variations" on the MDR item, and there were always additional items in the WJ that were unrelated to what was being served in the MDR.

This is what I'm hoping, because the WJ is where we go when we don't see anything on the MDR menu that sounds good.  I have seen the reports that they are mirroring the menu, which would mean going to the WJ would be pointless if there weren't additional choices beyond the MDR items. 

[Ret MP]

1 hour ago, BridgeMates said:

Thank You.  I thought it might be some kind of a ride.

It's a Cherry Picker for humans!

 

Edited in:  I should have said, "It's a Cherry Picker for Cruisers".  I think all Cherry Pickers are for humans.  LOL

Edited July 24, 2023 by Ret MP

[meadowlander]

6 hours ago, marci22 said:

It was in May but things can vary between ships and sailings.

I was on Liberty's first sailing from Bayonne in May. Every night in the WJ was a themed night and the station serving Indian food nightly was only at the first station upon entering WJ to the right.

 

I spoke to one of the chefs who said the WJ menu is now the same fleet wide as is the new menu for the MDR.

Edited July 24, 2023 by meadowlander

[marci22]

10 hours ago, meadowlander said:

I was on Liberty's first sailing from Bayonne in May. Every night in the WJ was a themed night and the station serving Indian food nightly was only at the first station upon entering WJ to the right.

 

I spoke to one of the chefs who said the WJ menu is now the same fleet wide as is the new menu for the MDR.

Talked to only one person about it so maybe he was misinformed. I did eat there 3 nights and didn't notice any themes. We had to search for the Indian food each day and I remember it being all the way in the back. Only ever one choice of entree plus rice, bread and lentils. One night it was a dal and beans choice so a meat protein was not guaranteed. Just seemed to be less choice overall.

 

And if I was to notice a theme on any night it would be Overcooked and Dry Proteins Night, which happened daily. The beef from the carving station was inedible and I showed the chef as he was coming around to ask how everything was. I did compliment him on his vegetables.