RCL food has gone downhill fast

[shipgeeks]

The only disappointment in MDR, for me, has been that all vegetarian items are now vegan.  I know that vegetarian includes vegan, and not the other way around, but it seems that in an effort to fulfil a category, they have eliminated a lot of what used to be quite tasty vegetarian dishes.  Now there is nothing with any cheese, eggs, yogurt, or other dairy products.  I would not recommend the vegan brownie to anyone!  No other dish that I've had was that bad, but most were just....dull.  No fault of the chefs, just too limited a base of ingredients.

I've been a semi-vegetarian for around 40 years.  I will never even consider being vegan, and my cruises have reinforced that for me.

[neverbeenhere]

The vegan menu is lacking with only a couple main dishes worth eating more than once.  It’s best to talk with someone higher than your waiter to score a few better choices. Be prepared to give them the ideas you have in mind. 

[TwoMisfits]

51 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

The only disappointment in MDR, for me, has been that all vegetarian items are now vegan.  I know that vegetarian includes vegan, and not the other way around, but it seems that in an effort to fulfil a category, they have eliminated a lot of what used to be quite tasty vegetarian dishes.  Now there is nothing with any cheese, eggs, yogurt, or other dairy products.  I would not recommend the vegan brownie to anyone!  No other dish that I've had was that bad, but most were just....dull.  No fault of the chefs, just too limited a base of ingredients.

I've been a semi-vegetarian for around 40 years.  I will never even consider being vegan, and my cruises have reinforced that for me.

 

Just off Symphony.

 

I don't know about the main dining vegan brownie, b/c every main dining vegan dessert either had tree nuts or was contaminated by tree nuts, BUT the Hooked dining room (which apparently also services the Solarium Buffet - that was a surprise) made me a vegan brownie that was tree nut free.  And that dessert was spectacular.  It was chewy, fudgy, soft, and had dark chocolate chips throughout.

 

He gave me 2 when I dined in Solarium Buffet the night before my Hooked lunch...and then 3 at my Hooked lunch (yes, I walked all 5 out to my room b/c did I mention how much the chef served me at those 2 meals - I think he thought he was feeding my family of 5).  Needless to say, I was very happy Main Dining never got around to replacing my evening sorbet and berries desserts b/c I did not let a brownie go to waste (although I may have let my youngest inhale my last one - they were too good to waste).

 

And I can confirm - food was spectacular on the Symphony last week - even for folks with complex allergies like me (and for all the normal folks like the rest of my family)...more will be in my review...

 

PS - The made-to-order mussels at the Hooked lunch - I have never had better mussels.  It was not the exact menu item, but one for my allergies, and I can confirm that the chef in that area can cook at the finest dining establishments anywhere.  And yes, I shared that one for the whole table b/c I got a whole pot before I was also getting salmon and lobster tail (and the brownies...and the shrimp salad and the bread - it was unbelievable how much I got served there - it made my family happy b/c they thought I had been eating light til then...and then I had those 2 meals back to back)...

Edited May 31 by TwoMisfits

[Tatka]

Yes… we are also off Symphony now. Aside from unusual first seafood lunch in Windjammer… lobster tails appeared in Windjammer on second formal night again (hot).

 

Solarium buffet featured more seafood than WJ on some days and overall had even better selection that my previously favorite Anthem.

 

Overall quality of included food was better. Even French Onion soup tasted better. 
We don’t cruise for food, but it was noticeable.

[edspec]

On 5/28/2024 at 6:09 AM, mjldvlks said:
 

The so called “discount” has always been a key selling point for cruising. How many of your selling points are you going to sacrifice?  You’ve given up food quality, you’ve given up the “discount,” you’re hacking hard at service. What’s next?  Sooner or later you are going to cut back to the point no one wants your product at any price. There are plenty of examples out there of companies following the bottom line into oblivion. Boeing is the one the comes to mind most readily. Royal is pretty much there for me. 

Great post. The ships are full now, be interesting to see in 12-18 months. I was on Quantum last month and had it been my first cruise wouldn’t have thought to cruise again. I know what cruising can be so will definitely sail again but not with RCL or NCL, both of which I used to enjoy.

[The Fun Researcher]

12 hours ago, Tatka said:

Yes… we are also off Symphony now. Aside from unusual first seafood lunch in Windjammer… lobster tails appeared in Windjammer on second formal night again (hot).

 

Solarium buffet featured more seafood than WJ on some days and overall had even better selection that my previously favorite Anthem.

 

Overall quality of included food was better. Even French Onion soup tasted better. 
We don’t cruise for food, but it was noticeable.

I wonder what caused them to have an unusually large and prevalent selection of seafood on Symphony on your sailing?    

[mjldvlks]

10 hours ago, edspec said:

. . . The ships are full now, . . . 

Interestingly, I just ran across an article (which for some reason I cannot locate now) that reported three of the major cruise lines, rcl, carnival, and I believe ncl are having to discount certain ships (ie smaller/older) and itineraries to keep ships full. Sounds like the salad days are getting a little soft around the edges. 

[Pratique]

52 minutes ago, mjldvlks said:

Interestingly, I just ran across an article (which for some reason I cannot locate now) that reported three of the major cruise lines, rcl, carnival, and I believe ncl are having to discount certain ships (ie smaller/older) and itineraries to keep ships full. Sounds like the salad days are getting a little soft around the edges. 

I just booked Symphony for May 2025 at 30% less than we paid for our May 2024 Symphony cruise. Same category, same dates, same itinerary. Also got OBC from NextCruise. So things seem to be settling down.

 

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cruise-operators-offer-summer-discounts-051026361.html

Edited June 1 by Pratique

[Pratique]

1 hour ago, The Fun Researcher said:

I wonder what caused them to have an unusually large and prevalent selection of seafood on Symphony on your sailing?    

My theory is that they were testing it out for the Cape Liberty sailings. As far as I could tell, the seafood in the WJ was a popular choice. And it was good too.

[Tatka]

2 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

I wonder what caused them to have an unusually large and prevalent selection of seafood on Symphony on your sailing?    

I’m sure that was because we were on board!  🙂

[Tatka]

44 minutes ago, Pratique said:

My theory is that they were testing it out for the Cape Liberty sailings. As far as I could tell, the seafood in the WJ was a popular choice. And it was good too.

May this discovery affect all ships sailing from New Jersey! 

Edited June 1 by Tatka

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

3 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

I wonder what caused them to have an unusually large and prevalent selection of seafood on Symphony on your sailing?    

 

1 hour ago, Pratique said:

My theory is that they were testing it out for the Cape Liberty sailings. As far as I could tell, the seafood in the WJ was a popular choice. And it was good too.

For what it's worth, the WJ on Oasis in January had a better selection of seafood than I had seen in years. No lobster, though. And we only ate there once, so I can't comment as to whether it was just a one-off. But I'm a huge fan of scallops, and there was a massive bowl full of them, complete with Marie-Rose sauce. I was in heaven!

[The Fun Researcher]

2 hours ago, Tatka said:

May this discovery affect all ships sailing from New Jersey! 

I agree, especially since we will be on Liberty next week 😊😊

[cruiseboy89130]

7 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

I wonder what caused them to have an unusually large and prevalent selection of seafood on Symphony on your sailing?    

Cleaning out the fish freezer!🤔

[Engineroom Snipe]

6 hours ago, mjldvlks said:

Interestingly, I just ran across an article (which for some reason I cannot locate now) that reported three of the major cruise lines, rcl, carnival, and I believe ncl are having to discount certain ships (ie smaller/older) and itineraries to keep ships full. Sounds like the salad days are getting a little soft around the edges. 

Vision out of Baltimore after August, 2025 has no Coco Cay port stops.

 

I have already noticed severe "softness" in bookings and prices. Charleston in the middle of February is not my idea of a vacation. One slow cold day at sea, arrive on a second cold day at sea in Charleston, and maybe get to a warm day by day three.

 

 

Something to notice......"

[tino1028]

On 4/23/2024 at 7:27 AM, Td6462 said:

Welcome to Cruise Critic, or should I say Happy First Post!

 

[Tatka]

On 6/1/2024 at 1:34 PM, The Fun Researcher said:

I agree, especially since we will be on Liberty next week 😊😊

We sail from NJ on Liberty, Odyssey this year and Odyssey, Symphony, Liberty and Odyssey again next. I welcome this change 🙂 

[Tatka]

On 6/1/2024 at 3:33 PM, cruiseboy89130 said:

Cleaning out the fish freezer!🤔

Why would it need to be cleaned? Products are frozen. 🙂

[The Fun Researcher]

33 minutes ago, Tatka said:

We sail from NJ on Liberty, Odyssey this year and Odyssey, Symphony, Liberty and Odyssey again next. I welcome this change 🙂 

We are looking forward to the Odyssey in March 2025. First time we are sailing in an aft balcony (we actually have three of them booked side by side). I figure that we may as well try it once and see if if we like it or not

[Moonarino]

On 6/1/2024 at 9:22 AM, mjldvlks said:

Interestingly, I just ran across an article (which for some reason I cannot locate now) that reported three of the major cruise lines, rcl, carnival, and I believe ncl are having to discount certain ships (ie smaller/older) and itineraries to keep ships full. Sounds like the salad days are getting a little soft around the edges. 

 

Not necessarily smaller or older. Some of the bigger and newer ships are the cheapest I could find in recent "shopping".

 

- - - - -

 

On all of our last several cruises (Royal, Celebrity and Carnival) the food was a letdown overall. Been cruising since 2008. Food is a major issue with my wife, who loves to eat but who very much enjoys a long break from the kitchen.

 

For us, our most enjoyable dining has been at the more basic venues like seafood shack, burgers and (on Royal) the free hot dog stand. Less expectation = less disappointment if it's not great. (Sad I know, but that has increasingly been our baseline post-covid.) Playmakers on Oasis wasn't bad last year, we ate there twice, but the Park Cafe (deli) was mostly lousy. Nothing like it used to be (it was our 3rd sailing on Oasis).

 

I won't be paying more than 10-20 bucks for "specialty" dining any more, on any cruise line.

 

Edited June 3 by Moonarino

[mjldvlks]

2 hours ago, Moonarino said:

 

Not necessarily smaller or older. Some of the bigger and newer ships are the cheapest I could find in recent "shopping". . . .

 

 

Just relating what was in the article (which someone else has linked above). The author suggested Royal has been able to maintain higher prices on newer ships, particularly Icon. The author specifically noted discounts for Caribbean and Alaska itineraries attributing the need to discount to the number of ships sailing those areas. The point being that, at least to some extent, supply is starting to outstrip demand. 
 

Certainly have no basis to question your personal research. The cruise industry is, in my opinion, a remarkably responsive market. Your information may simply be more current. 

Edited June 3 by mjldvlks
Clarity

[Moonarino]

13 hours ago, mjldvlks said:

Just relating what was in the article (which someone else has linked above). The author suggested Royal has been able to maintain higher prices on newer ships, particularly Icon. The author specifically noted discounts for Caribbean and Alaska itineraries attributing the need to discount to the number of ships sailing those areas. The point being that, at least to some extent, supply is starting to outstrip demand. 
 

Certainly have no basis to question your personal research. The cruise industry is, in my opinion, a remarkably responsive market. Your information may simply be more current. 

 

I'm just gonna throw in here, since our Mardi Gras (Carnival) cruise was such a major letdown this past fall, I've seen that fares on both Mardi Gras and sister ship Celebration have been almost dirt-cheap over the past several weeks - often $200-400 less than other 7-day cruises in the same period and similar itineraries.

 

I have also certainly noticed over the years that older, smaller ships are among the cheapest out there. Not that they all are, because it seems that some of the oldest ships on the water seem to be extremely popular. Like Mariner OTS? But I'm on the verge of pointlessly rambling now (if I didn't already cross that line).

[irun5k]

On 5/17/2024 at 5:28 AM, gavvy said:

The WindJammer was the usual stuff, nothing exciting or bad, apart from the desserts- how do they manage to make something look so nice and taste MEH!

 

Yes those desserts remind me of something that might come out of a Star Trek protein resequencing food replicator.  They all seem to be be made out of the same basic 3-4 ingredients yet they take on various visual forms.  So you end with a slice of pie that is eerily similar to the jello.

[irun5k]

17 hours ago, Moonarino said:

For us, our most enjoyable dining has been at the more basic venues like seafood shack, burgers and (on Royal) the free hot dog stand.

 

Have you tried Carnival's Excel class?  Their casual dining is on point and in general there are a lot of good complementary restaurants.   Honestly I was hoping Icon or Utopia would steal some ideas from Carnival's Excel playbook.  I think Carnival has had such a specific reputation basically forever that Excel class is often overlooked and/or lumped in with the rest of their fleet.

[COCKYMARK]

I don't go on cruises for the food.