RCL food has gone downhill fast

[time4u2go]

1 hour ago, irun5k said:

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.

Isn't that the truth!  If they would put half as much effort (and better ingredients) into making the desserts taste good as they do in how they look, they would be so much better!

 

Edited June 3 by time4u2go

[Colorado Buffalo]

Just off Harmony and thought the food overall was good.

Some items better than others.

Turkey dinner was rather good.

Strip steak was flavorful with some fat that needed trimming. 

WJ breakfast was what one should expect. Good food with wide selections. I'm already missing my cooked to order omelet. 

The brat at the hot dog place was so dang good. I will say I wasn't a huge Mini Bites fan.  

Dinner at Chops was great. Only complaint was that their Mac and cheese is the same one that's at the WJ.

 

[Engineroom Snipe]

53 minutes ago, COCKYMARK said:

I don't go on cruises for the food.

 

So you must never be disappointed as you step on the scale the following week. "Look at that number, I must have went to a health club."

 

I envy you. I still long for better than adequate food on my cruises. I now prepare myself for the worst.

 

If I gain weight, it was a great cruise because the food was good.

 

If I lose weight, my doctor will be happy, I might live longer, but my gastrointestinal system is pissed-off about my frugality of calories.

 

🤣

[mjldvlks]

3 hours ago, time4u2go said:

Isn't that the truth!  If they would put half as much effort (and better ingredients) into making the desserts taste good as they do in how they look, they would be so much better!

 

I don’t know about better ingredients, but I will say that virtually every baked good (from desserts to bread) I tried on both Odyssey last fall and Anthem in January was either overcooked or stale. And don’t get me started on the “strawberry shortcake” that had 1/2 of one strawberry per serving. They did have acres of pudding and jello. 
 

I haven’t considered myself as one who cruises for the food but it is a factor. Our first cruise was aboard Splendour, at the time the smallest and one of the oldest ships in the fleet. The food was amazing and a significant factor in our continuing to cruise on Royal.  Over the past almost 20 years as a factor in my decision making, Royals food has dropped from big plus, through the meh/neutral zone to huge negative. If I cruise Royal now, the has to be a good reason to overcome the food quality. And at the same time, many other factors, such as service snd amenities have declined as well. 

[SoCalCruisin65]

Well I am going to weigh in here.  We just came off an Alaskan Cruise on Ovation of the Seas.

 

All other issues aside I will share my opinion on the food on our cruise.

 

This was our first cruise since covid lockdowns.  We went with our oldest daughter and her partner, stayed in outside balcony cabins a few doors from each other.  They have been on multiple cruises since the lock down.

 

I have to say that it might be unfair to RCL due to all the issues with this first cruise of the Alaskan season with Ovation, she ran into a multitude of delays and issues just getting into port so it soured the experience right from the get go for our party.

 

But I digress, getting to the question and opinions at hand, the food. 

 

We did not eat in the MDR any nights of our cruise.  We enjoy getting off the ship at the ports and only had 3 not counting the first day, at sea days which we had bought the 3 night specialty dining package.  The port days we spread out between the other options available on the ship.

 

So here is our collective opinion of our specialty dining.

Chops - our first specialty dining and it was far below expectations.  The wait staff was exceptional as one would expect.  But the food was subpar at best.  We kind of ate it but to be honest we wouldn't do Chops again.  We had better steaks out of Windjammer then we did the specialty dining offerings at Chops.

Wonderland - this was our second specialty dining, it was excellent.  Food was delicious, all 5 courses of it.  I tried everything we ordered.  Everyone enjoyed every dish we had at the table and dessert was excellent.  Service was excellent.  Specialty cocktails were ok, but we all had the premium drink package so we had a number of drinks during dinner and we simply ordered what we knew to be good.

Jaimies Italian - Our final specialty dining.  Again service was absolutely top notch.  Food was excellent, I love Italian food and I am pretty particular about my pasta.  This was absolutely delicious.  Our deserts were top notch.

 

On the the rest of the food.  Room service for breakfast is just not worth it anymore, your choices unless you pay extra are pretty much continental and its cold when they do get it to you.  So for the three women I was on the cruise with, I simply went and got coffees for all from Starbucks and grabbed muffins and fruit.  I am always up early so easy for me to do so.  On at sea days we would sometimes either do cafe270 or even windjammer.  Food was pretty much ok, not great but not bad either, lots of choices so don't get anything you don't think looks good.

 

PIzza was pizza, it's good cause it's whats available at midnight lol. 

 

We did one of the bars that serves pay appetizers one day for lunch after getting back from a short port day.  It was well worth the 20 bucks we spent to get a bunch of great food. 

 

For all specialty dining, and for the bar etc we always cash tipped the wait staff, bartenders.  For specialty usually 20 bucks cash, for the bar tenders it was always at least 10 bucks for the 4 of us each time we went.  We one, appreciated how hard these guys and gals work, and two our service was spot on always.  We got to know our bar tenders in all the various bars on the ship.

 

Overall I would say the offerings were ok, not what they used to be pre-covid and pre-inflation.  You pay an awful lot for what you get and to be honest it just doesn't equal what you pay over all.  But hey as someone else said earlier in this thread, we enjoyed not having to cook anything or clean up anything so it kind of balances out.  Service in all areas was damn good for us.  Even the buffet I got to know a couple of the chefs there as my wife was not feeling well one night and the chef made her a steak, loaded bake potato, grilled veggies and a brownie dessert covered with a warmer lid and sent me on my way, he got tipped 10 bucks just for that.  That was the steak that was actually better then the one we got at Chops earlier in the cruise go figure.

 

I would say that RCL needs to up it's game, desserts were just not worth grabbing outside of specialty dining.  They tasted fair to poor, more like not freshly made, frozen and unwrapped was the impression we got for nearly all of the offerings, rock hard cookies etc.

 

You mileage may vary but it won't keep us from cruising.  Our next cruise will be with Celebrity and we are going to do the Med next year.  For this year we are done.  Alaska was a bust for us due to so many factors beyond our control.  But that's a story for another thread.

 

Cheers.

[Moonarino]

On 6/3/2024 at 3:20 PM, irun5k said:

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.

Yeah we did. Not impressed at all, actually worse than "not impressed" with the MDR and Cucino del Capitano. One of the better edibles we found was the Seafood shack, which is on a whole bunch of Carnival ships now.

 

On 6/3/2024 at 4:47 PM, COCKYMARK said:

I don't go on cruises for the food.

 

It's high on the list for us. I cruise for the sake of cruising, but dining (including coffee/snacks) is a several-times-a-day thing. Definitely important.

[nferr]

Eating is a big part of a cruise. I never go hungry lol. But I don't expect gourmet food in the MDR. It's usually pretty decent though with plenty of choices, especially for apps. I always book a few meals in specialty dining, and they're usually good with much better service and atmosphere. Great deals for lunch too, with often almost all the same choices and serving portions as dinner. I cruise to enjoy my time and relax, not to nitpick. Never had a bad cruise.

[cruisingalong2018]

I have been on 2 RC cruises, but those were over 5 years ago.  I just got back from a Disney Cruise with all my daughters and their families. We had an awesome time. The food was awesome and the service was perfect.  I am thinking of planning a RC cruise in 2025 or 2026. We had a great time before and we loved the entertainment and the different bars and shops. It was a great time.  I usually don't pay attention to a few bad reviews, but I have seen many saying that Windjammer and the food in the main dining areas were just "okay." When we went, we thought the food was pretty good. Those who have sailed recently, how has it been?

[snaefell]

On Anthem last month the food in the MDR & WJ was excellent

[Tlbecker1]

The food has been great for us.  No complaints.  Book a cruise and enjoy.

[lovesthebeach2]

We cruise a lot and have been on ships where the food was absolutely horrible, almost inedible. And we’ve been on ships where the food was very very good.  
Yes, the menus are boring and monotonous to those that cruise often, but that doesn’t explain why some are good and others are awful.

So I surmised that the difference is mostly due to the chef that’s on that particular ship. 

For example, We just got off Adventure last week and the food in WJ, MDR, and specialty places was excellent.  So I made sure I spoke to the chef to tell him that.

 

And earlier this year we cruised on Radiance and it was the worst food on any ship we’ve ever had. I spoke to the chef a couple of times just to let him know. It was really bad.

I also make sure to mention my comments on the food on the survey both good and bad.

But bottom line, you won’t starve and there’s plenty to eat.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

OP, don't forget that food is VERY subjective.  

[BecciBoo]

I'm perfectly satisfied with the food and it's a damn sight better than anything we got on Carnival Jubilee 2 months ago.  

[time4u2go]

12 hours ago, cruisingalong2018 said:

Those who have sailed recently, how has it been?

Not good, in my opinion.

[loman]

Just google average weight gain on a cruise , its ok, i did it for you .

Its anywhere from 3 to 10 pounds .

So , i would say the food is somewhat edible and you wont go hungry .😀

Dont worry too much about the food reviews.

Enjoy your cruise !

 

[OCSC Mike]

On 6/7/2024 at 8:43 PM, cruisingalong2018 said:

Those who have sailed recently, how has it been?

 

Got off Wonder this morning... enjoyed the food very much and stuffed myself like I do every cruise.

 

Were some items bad? Definitely!

Were some excellent? Definitely!

Were some mediocore... you get the idea.

 

*Food is subjective.

[Airbear232]

On 4/24/2024 at 10:40 AM, BND said:

Cooked to order would mean everyone waiting a long time for their food.  While the quality might be better, it wouldn't make for happier guests.  It works in specialty restaurants due to minimal number of guests, but wouldn't work with 1000 or more at a time.  I think people forget that back when the food was really good, the dining experience took 2.5+ hours.  Now, it's down to just about an hour.  

All true, but it has never been cook to order.  It was always “institutional” cooking.  Nonetheless, they did produce a very good product, the only problem is that they’ve taken too many short cuts and cut back on the quality of ingredients.  Right now all cruise lines have tried to maximize profits as much as possible with little regard for customer experience.  Eventually the market will even out as other options for travel become more competitive.  For us, we’re nearing our tipping point with Royal due to drops in food quality, price increases on fares and tips, and boring itineraries.  

[BND]

2 hours ago, Airbear232 said:

All true, but it has never been cook to order.  It was always “institutional” cooking.  Nonetheless, they did produce a very good product, the only problem is that they’ve taken too many short cuts and cut back on the quality of ingredients.  Right now all cruise lines have tried to maximize profits as much as possible with little regard for customer experience.  Eventually the market will even out as other options for travel become more competitive.  For us, we’re nearing our tipping point with Royal due to drops in food quality, price increases on fares and tips, and boring itineraries.  

People want the same "quality" without paying more.  The cost of everything has gone up.

[Airbear232]

23 minutes ago, BND said:

People want the same "quality" without paying more.  The cost of everything has gone up.

Everything in life within reason.  Yes, costs have gone up and one would expect them to go up over time.  However, when you are selling a customer experience, you expect a consistency of product.  IMHO, the changes in pricing are not aligned with the quality of the product.  Again, this is my opinion, YMMV.

[RockHoundTX]

What do you mean by "...without paying more"???? Currently have zero cruises booked since prices are 2x to even 3x what we were paying pre-Covid. On my cruise last year, we paid nearly 2x what we used to pay and the food quality, quantity, and selection were all less than our previous 30+ cruises. While inflation has gone up, it has NOT gone up 100%+ like all the cruise fares have. Given inflation, i do not mind paying slightly more for for the same quality/quantity/selection as before. I also would not mind paying the same for less quality/quantity/selection. But paying a whole lot more and getting less just does not sit right. I think that is the problem a lot of us on this thread have.   

[Engineroom Snipe]

It will  take time but the recent increases in cruise fare represent a high demand and the cruise lines are using "dynamic" pricing to rake in corporate profits.

 

This is what it is, capitalism at its best.

 

I would do four cruises a year under normal circumstances. This year and next year, I am doing two very well priced frugal cruises.

 

After that, I will not complain but I will keep my credit card in my wallet until I think I am getting a fair price.

 

Keep your cash and credit card in your wallet and wait for better deals.

 

That is the only way to control supply and demand.

 

I will be patient, for the pendulum has a distinct time period that needs to be waited out.. 

[Stateroom_Sailor]

1 hour ago, RockHoundTX said:

What do you mean by "...without paying more"???? Currently have zero cruises booked since prices are 2x to even 3x what we were paying pre-Covid. On my cruise last year, we paid nearly 2x what we used to pay and the food quality, quantity, and selection were all less than our previous 30+ cruises. While inflation has gone up, it has NOT gone up 100%+ like all the cruise fares have. Given inflation, i do not mind paying slightly more for for the same quality/quantity/selection as before. I also would not mind paying the same for less quality/quantity/selection. But paying a whole lot more and getting less just does not sit right. I think that is the problem a lot of us on this thread have.   

 

I wouldn't want to pay 2x or 3x either, especially with declining quality.  I'm paying about 25% more on Holland America reposition cruises, and even on Viking River for summer 2026.  There must be too much demand for Royal Caribbean from people who don't mind cheap food.  If you still want to cruise, I would recommend:

 

A.  Reposition Cruises

B.  Sail in October or early December

C.  Look at other cruise lines.  They all fall short somewhere, so depends on what's important to you, price, and itinerary.

[Tenderpaw]

"Don't forget, food is very subjective".  People always say this to dismiss others food opinions.  It is, but there are more complaints now in my opinion.  And when the extra cost steakhouse is subpar as mentioned above ( and I also experienced on Odyssey), its annoying.  Wonderland was amazing on that cruise though.

 

"Everyone wants great food but doesn't want to pay more/cruising is cheap".  Except that cruise prices on average are way up now.  More than inflation.

 

"Its institutional food, you can't have great food and feed thousands".  Except they used to feed thousands and had better food so it can be done.

 

 

 

[time4u2go]

15 minutes ago, Tenderpaw said:

"Don't forget, food is very subjective".  People always say this to dismiss others food opinions.  It is, but there are more complaints now in my opinion.  And when the extra cost steakhouse is subpar as mentioned above ( and I also experienced on Odyssey), its annoying.  Wonderland was amazing on that cruise though.

 

"Everyone wants great food but doesn't want to pay more/cruising is cheap".  Except that cruise prices on average are way up now.  More than inflation.

 

"Its institutional food, you can't have great food and feed thousands".  Except they used to feed thousands and had better food so it can be done.

 

 

 

Great post.

 

There's also the "I don't have to cook or clean, therefore it's good" crowd.  For me, not cooking or cleaning does NOT make the food good.  Good ingredients and good preparation does, and in my opinion, those are decreasing.

[OCSC Mike]

1 hour ago, Tenderpaw said:

People always say this to dismiss others food opinions.

 

I say it because it's true and to point out that just b/c I liked something doesn't mean others will, not to dismiss anyone's opinion.