Just off Navigator - food in MDR is so so disappointing

[JamesEM]

On my last cruise on the Harmony I had a bad main course, spoke to our waiter and said "if I wanted muesli I would have ordered muesli!"then got up and walked out.  The next night I got a very nice visit for the head waiter, no change in food quality but the service was great.

[pcur]

On 1/10/2024 at 12:15 AM, sanchoucsb said:

Two of four days you have had inedible entrees? We all have our own expectations but I would be very disappointed with that ratio. 

One entree was inedible, one was delicious but the beef was chewy, and I'm not much of a beef eater.  If I had pulled the beef apart it would have been fine.  So, I very happily ate veggies and gravy!

 

Now on Day 7 and dinner has been very good since "chewy beef day".  Love the increase in salmon entrees.

 

We also have 3 of the cheese/fruit plates brought dailyto our table of seven for nibbles between courses.

Edited January 11 by pcur

[HappyTexan44]

2 hours ago, pcur said:

We also have 3 of the cheese/fruit plates brought daily to our table of seven for nibbles between courses.

 

Do the cheese/fruit plates have the sort of stuff that would be handy to bring back to the room for snacks later?    Do you remember what types of cheese and fruit were provided?   Mostly interested in the cheese.  

 

[F27TW]

We were on Mariner this past April out of Port Canaveral.   As far as MDR food, it was  hit or miss for us on this one (party of 12).  The MDR was beautiful and our server team was amazing.  Quick service, even drinks and wine came quickly to the table (which was always an issue on past cruises), they were super generous with the bread basket (left it on the table instead of just serving one piece at a time; refilled when asked) ..and they couldn't have been nicer or more accommodating.

 

We were about 60/40 on the food, though.  60-good, 40-not good.   They were very quick to replace anything we didn't like with something else.   I ordered the Indian option several nights and loved it each time.   The appetizers were either very good or just Meh .. portion size decent to a bit on the small side for certain things, but they were quick to bring additionals of anything we asked for. 

 

One thing we found peculiar was the steaks.  They had the NY Strip on the menu each night and the first night, they were decent enough.   But each night after, they got smaller and more gristly.   Couldn't figure that out .. it was strange .. and by the last night they were the dregs and not edible. 

 

But we all just rolled with it, got substitutions when something wasn't good and still really enjoyed the MDR service and cruise!    Again, though .. this was in April.    I'm sad to hear it seems to have gone downhill everywhere since. 

 

It s*cks that cruise prices keep climbing and climbing, but the cruise lines keep cutting and dumbing down their product.  

[shofer]

We took a 10 day Canada/New England cruise on Jewel with a friend.  My last cruise with my late spouse was in 1/22 on Symphony which we went on because DH saw it on TV and said he had to go on that ship.   

The difference in the food was incredible but not in a good way.  Poor quality, choices, tastes.  I think we ate at least 3 dinners at the buffet.  Neither of us wanted Indian food which was featured on every day.

'm thinking about taking my next trip on Celebrity.

 

[Moltar]

On 1/6/2024 at 3:43 PM, Tlbecker1 said:

Coastal Kitchen is always better!  💯 agree!

Why wouldnt it be?

 

Its a Suite restaurant, customers pay thousands of dollars more for it.

Edited January 12 by Moltar

[Moltar]

On 1/8/2024 at 2:54 PM, gkbiiii said:

This is just craziness, you must have only eaten at buffet, another line, or stayed home!  

Nope. People have been complaining about the food on Royal Caribbean since the Internet first came around in the mid 90s so I find it pretty hysterical. Also there are tens of thousands I’m sorry actually millions of people who love their food because their surveys say so at the end of the cruise, and the amount of repeat customers also says a lot. You don’t like the MDR? That’s fine you have tons of other options to go eat at. I’ve never had a bad meal on the MDR. I will occasionally book a specialty restaurant. The amount of people who get triggered when somebody likes the food on Royal MDR is pretty hysterical again if it was such a problem and everything was going, so so so so so downhill then why are they getting more and more customers every year and more returns on those customers every year

Edited January 12 by Moltar

[USERBOYD66]

  After reading negative comments about food on here and FB; for RC and another of our favorite cruise companies - I have to jump in! 

 

Sometimes we get a bad meal, or small portion, but we eat again later.  There are plenty of places to eat on a ship.  Ironically, we don't cruise for the food anyway . . .it's the dancing every night . . .not having to worry about drinking and driving . . .if you don't like the atmosphere at one bar, move on to another . . .if only one of you wants to go out, the other can stay home and you still know where both of you are...you can eat at home, why worry about it on a cruise?

[pcur]

On 1/11/2024 at 9:46 AM, HappyTexan44 said:

 

Do the cheese/fruit plates have the sort of stuff that would be handy to bring back to the room for snacks later?    Do you remember what types of cheese and fruit were provided?   Mostly interested in the cheese.  

 

Provolone, swiss, cheddar, fig compote, celery, small slices of dark rye bread, grapes

[HappyTexan44]

1 hour ago, pcur said:

Provolone, swiss, cheddar, fig compote, celery, small slices of dark rye bread, grapes

 

Thank you!   That is a respectable selection.  Not what I'd have picked, but better than my expectation for a restaurant.  

 

[NateUpNorth]

On 1/9/2024 at 8:37 PM, qkd0314 said:

I TOTALLY agree! I just got off yesterday (1/8/24) and not only was the MDR disappointing, but the servers asking several times about completing the survey and rating them a 10 was extremely annoying and disruptive.  Not only did the head waiter ask, but also the person walking around in a suit as the supervisor (I assume).  Reminding about the survey on the last night would have been fine, but I didn't want to hear it every evening and several times.  I don't remember this being a thing pre COVID

I wonder if perhaps some of the lower grades for the MDR on surveys are resulting in corporate head office exhibiting some willful blindness and insisting it must be staffing, not food quality. (even IIRC that the two are separate questions on the survey) Obviously then they lean on staff to make up that discrepancy, which results in staff thinking they MUST have 10's to keep their jobs..........

People management by excel spreadsheet....... what could possibly go wrong?

[Engineroom Snipe]

1 hour ago, NateUpNorth said:

I wonder if perhaps some of the lower grades for the MDR on surveys are resulting in corporate head office exhibiting some willful blindness and insisting it must be staffing, not food quality. (even IIRC that the two are separate questions on the survey) Obviously then they lean on staff to make up that discrepancy, which results in staff thinking they MUST have 10's to keep their jobs..........

People management by excel spreadsheet....... what could possibly go wrong?

So many MDR reviews start with "The service was great but...".

 

Service can blunt bad food preparation or quality of food by quickly offering another entree or appetizer.

 

There is only so much good service can do when the food itself does not meet expectation.

 

You discuss an interesting idea about expecting service to "overcome" all.

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

So many MDR reviews start with "The service was great but...".

 

Service can blunt bad food preparation or quality of food by quickly offering another entree or appetizer.

 

There is only so much good service can do when the food itself does not meet expectation.

 

You discuss an interesting idea about expecting service to "overcome" all.

What about all the times we read posts here about how people give all "10s" because they don't want to get of the crew in trouble? As long as RCI keeps seeing 10s and figures everyone is happy why in the world would they even consider improving food quality or staffing? All those 10s are coming home to roost.

[SUgwoz]

23 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

What about all the times we read posts here about how people give all "10s" because they don't want to get of the crew in trouble? As long as RCI keeps seeing 10s and figures everyone is happy why in the world would they even consider improving food quality or staffing? All those 10s are coming home to roost.

Why would anyone complete a survey if they are not giving actual feedback?  Does the service staff force you to fill out a survey? If I felt uncomfortable being honest, then I wouldn't even waste time filling one out.

[Ocean Boy]

12 minutes ago, SUgwoz said:

Why would anyone complete a survey if they are not giving actual feedback?  Does the service staff force you to fill out a survey? If I felt uncomfortable being honest, then I wouldn't even waste time filling one out.

Your asking the wrong person. I fill them out with exactly what I think. I just know what I've seen posted around here.

[actuarian]

On 1/2/2024 at 3:52 PM, Illbcruzn4life said:

I have tried it. We had a group of nine, all family from different parts. Linked all of our bookings together about 3 months before the cruise. Got on the ship they had 6 of us at 1 table and 3 at a different table. Talked to Maitre'd twice but couldn't do anything he said. Not a good way to start a cruise. The food back then was fine on MSC or at least it was back in June.

It is not that unusual for people to have issues with MDR seating on MSC when they book the Bella or Fantastica experiences. However, you can book the Aurea experience on MSC and still be paying less than it costs to cruise on Royal Caribbean, although the savings over Royal Caribbean will be much smaller. If you book in Aurea, you can show up in the Aurea MDR without an advance reservation and with as many people as can fit at a table. If you really want the best service, you can often book MSC in the Yacht Club for around the price of a junior suite on Royal.

[actuarian]

When my late wife and I first started cruising on Royal over 20 years ago, the food in the MDR seemed comparable to the food that is presently served in the specialty restaurants. Back then, there were only two specialty restaurants, Chops and Portofino.  Chops was a true fine dining experience. We thought it was comparable to a top quality steakhouse in Dallas (where we used to live). Portofino was not quite as good as Chops but I think it was better than Giovanni's or Jamie's is now.

 

IMHO, the present specialty restaurants (including Chops; Portofino is gone) serve food that is comparable to the food that was served in the MDR back then and, as other posters have pointed out, MDR food has gone way down in quality. However, there are a lot more other attractions on the ships now. Moreover, I think that, after adjusting for inflation, cruises cost more back then. In fact, it is probably possible to purchase the unlimited dining package and still pay less in total than the inflation adjusted price that we spent to cruise in 2004.

[Illbcruzn4life]

2 hours ago, actuarian said:

It is not that unusual for people to have issues with MDR seating on MSC when they book the Bella or Fantastica experiences. However, you can book the Aurea experience on MSC and still be paying less than it costs to cruise on Royal Caribbean, although the savings over Royal Caribbean will be much smaller. If you book in Aurea, you can show up in the Aurea MDR without an advance reservation and with as many people as can fit at a table. If you really want the best service, you can often book MSC in the Yacht Club for around the price of a junior suite on Royal.

We shouldn't have to pay an extra $2000 so that our family can be seated together. The point that it would still be cheaper than Royal is not relevant .

[Hoopster95]

1 hour ago, actuarian said:

Moreover, I think that, after adjusting for inflation, cruises cost more back then. In fact, it is probably possible to purchase the unlimited dining package and still pay less in total than the inflation adjusted price that we spent to cruise in 2004.

 

Perfectly said. If cruisers want the "yesteryear" cruise experience, it definitely exists... All they need to do is book Oceania, SilverSea, etc. Those prices are adjusted for inflation to today's true prices.

 

On 1/11/2024 at 7:01 PM, shofer said:

I'm thinking about taking my next trip on Celebrity.

 

I just sailed on Silhouette Jan 2-11... 1st time on Celebrity since 2012. MDR was a bit better, but not a whole lot better than Royal unfortunately. The Ocean Cafe (aka Windjammer) was fantastic! Should've had dinner there every night. Specialty venues QSine and Tuscan were both a noticeable step above Royal's specialty. There were other positives besides food,.. surprise surprise the entertainment and game shows/trivia were way better than expected, easily equal to Royal (ie. Voyager Class and below with headliner and Production shows). I enjoyed the change of perspective... classier environment, more mature/learned demographic, there was no slamming of doors, screaming/yelling in adjacent cabins, and running in the hallways at all hours day and night.

[Morecruisesplz]

7 hours ago, actuarian said:

It is not that unusual for people to have issues with MDR seating on MSC when they book the Bella or Fantastica experiences. However, you can book the Aurea experience on MSC and still be paying less than it costs to cruise on Royal Caribbean, although the savings over Royal Caribbean will be much smaller. If you book in Aurea, you can show up in the Aurea MDR without an advance reservation and with as many people as can fit at a table. If you really want the best service, you can often book MSC in the Yacht Club for around the price of a junior suite on Royal.

We found Bella dining in MDR superior to Royals new offerings. And the buffet was great.

[CntPAcruiser]

7 hours ago, actuarian said:

When my late wife and I first started cruising on Royal over 20 years ago, the food in the MDR seemed comparable to the food that is presently served in the specialty restaurants. Back then, there were only two specialty restaurants, Chops and Portofino.  Chops was a true fine dining experience. We thought it was comparable to a top quality steakhouse in Dallas (where we used to live). Portofino was not quite as good as Chops but I think it was better than Giovanni's or Jamie's is now.

 

IMHO, the present specialty restaurants (including Chops; Portofino is gone) serve food that is comparable to the food that was served in the MDR back then and, as other posters have pointed out, MDR food has gone way down in quality. However, there are a lot more other attractions on the ships now. Moreover, I think that, after adjusting for inflation, cruises cost more back then. In fact, it is probably possible to purchase the unlimited dining package and still pay less in total than the inflation adjusted price that we spent to cruise in 2004.

 

These comments are right on the money, pun intended! Our experience at Chops on Vision most recently was far from perfect and would have been close to pre-COVID main dining room in some respects, the difference being the food items were of better quality. Sadly, the preparation and food temperatures were not up to what I would consider fine dining.

[Joebucks]

I think the two most annoying topics in cruising is the group of "fee/free/included/nickle-and-dime" and food. For those who haven't been following, food is in decline posts have been happening for decades. Am I saying they are completely without merit? No. However, many of us have fared just fine on various MDR foods while people alongside us on these same cruises constantly cry "inedible." 

 

There's a lot to unpack here. First, cruises with the "experience of yesteryear" exist. However, people want that old experience, and this new price. Instead of seeking a product they may like, we are more likely to complain about one that doesn't conform to us. Next, food service has not become a cost-effective operation anywhere in our environment. It's easy to proclaim from your keyboard that you are being screwed because of your expert analysis of "executives lining their pockets." However, the policies and failures we've put in place that made goods and labor more expensive is a far bigger concern. Few seem too concerned in actually addressing it. Let alone the billions in debt that were unfairly placed on the industry. It is also not a "cruise specific problem." Anything that happens on the water isn't specific to cruising. Many restaurants have the same issues. Surging costs, lower food quality, smaller selection, etc.

 

Mass market cruise dining is never going to be 5 star dining. Period. If you want that, it is out there.

[JeffT237]

7 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

I think the two most annoying topics in cruising is the group of "fee/free/included/nickle-and-dime" and food. For those who haven't been following, food is in decline posts have been happening for decades.

 

8 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

First, cruises with the "experience of yesteryear" exist. However, people want that old experience, and this new price. Instead of seeking a product they may like, we are more likely to complain about one that doesn't conform to us.

 

8 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

Mass market cruise dining is never going to be 5 star dining. Period. If you want that, it is out there.

 

Great comments, 100% agree. I read a lot of these type of posts and like many, wonder why people who no longer like the product Royal offers continue to cruise with Royal. Especially long time cruisers, they seem genuinely so unhappy with everything Royal offers anymore.  Is it simply the free drink vouchers and the earned status of being a high tier passenger? I would think a higher end cruise line with smaller ships that cater to an elevated experience would be the answer.  

 

We still enjoy cruising, we cruise on other lines as well and the complaints are similar on those message boards too.  We certainly never have had a meal that has been "inedible", we've cruised enough to know what to expect as we do both speciality and included. All indications and reporting are that cruise bookings are in demand across all lines, millions of people have been enjoying cruising so it can't be as dire as some on the message boards make it out to be.