Do you think the specialty restaurants are worth the $20 pp charge??

[emilygrace]

DH and I had never tried any of the specialty restaurants on any of our cruises because we've always been quite satisfied with the meals in the dining room, which we've already paid for (NOTHING is free, you've paid for it!). But on our last cruise, on X Infinity, we were part of a group and one of our group amenities was vouchers for the SSUS, their specialty restaurant. It was our friend's anniversary, so we all ate in there. OMG, what an experience!!! It is $30 pp on X, but even that is a pittance for what you get. Not just the food, but the whole dining experience. Well worth the $30 plus an additional tip.

 

So now we might try Chop's or Portofino's on a future RCL cruise.

[maggieq]

We did chops once on the MOS and twice on SOS. The best thing to do is make sure you are going to be hungry when you go. The food is teriffic and unless you are hungry you will be stuffed by the time the main course comes along.

 

Service in both Chops was excellent. The next cruise we will definately do portofinos.

[katiel53]

I grew up in NJ and have been to NYC more times than I can remember and I love Portofino food. My one and only time was on Brilliance and the ribbon pasta with gorgonzola sauce was to me the best pasta I have ever had. (I am also one who makes my own gravy when serving pasta.)

 

We also went to Chops and I thought it was fine, but I would go to Portofino before I would go to Chops again. On Mariner though, we are going to both. Both places I had filet for my main course and I couldn't even eat 1/8 of it in Portofino, but could do more in Chops. We brought dessert (flourless chocolate cake) back to our cabin from Portofino. Yum.

 

I am soooooooooo looking forward to our Mariner trip to try the pasta again. We also did tip extra, but we have done that on Celebrity and HAL too. It isn't necessary to do it though.

 

Just go and enjoy your dinner!!! It's great!!!

[TNT]

We returned from Enchantment on Thursday 29th. On our previous 8 cruises we didn't eat in the specialty restaurants because we like dining in the dining room. We did try Chops this time and...words can not express. It was fantastic. I've eaten many places in many cities and this one of the best meals I've ever had. The mud pie was to die for! It was alot of wasted food, though. There was way too much to eat it all. We ate a little from each course. We did tip additional...service was exceptional.

[pcur]

DH also pooh-poohed the idea of eating in the specialty restuarants when they started having them on the various ships. He didn't want to spend the extra $40 when he figured he already paid for the food in the dining room......

 

So, we're booked on the Brilliance last October, and someone here posts the menues for Chops and Portofinos. Hmmm...now he's a little more interested.

 

So, we cruise....we go to Portofinos......he's in LOVE with it. Especially since he got the ever-fabulous flourless chocolate cake for dessert!

 

Go; it's great.

[banderboo]

I consider it well worth the $20 pp and go at least once per cruise. On our last cruise we took the kids (16, 19, 22) and they really didn't enjoy the formality of it or the lenght so next time it will just be DH and I.

[demodawn]

we did portofinos on the VOS and yes it was very nice but i am of the same mind as poster above i like the free food but portofinos was free as we used our on board credits! yes it was very nice and yes we will probably do it again and yes we were stuff!!!!

[Bonnie Voyager]

We've always dined at Portofino when sailing on a voyager-class ship and have always LOVED it! Our service has been so exceptional that we always tip above the $20 surcharge. We tip based on what we feel we'd pay for that caliber meal at home (which would be about $100 for the two of us) so we usually leave a $20 tip above and beyone the $40 for the surcharge.

[sunandsalt]

We have usually dine at Chops at least once on a cruise. Last month on BOS we tried Portofino for the 1st time it was excellent. Now we'll go to both from now on.

[CLQ]

We enjoyed both of the specialty restaurants on Navigator last November. The food is of a noticeably different quality, as is the service. But, if you're not into fine dining, then the service charge will bug you. My dad would be so distracted by that he couldn't enjoy the meal, for instance. Our group liked Portofino a little more than Chops, but both were outstanding. Same thing with Palo on Disney Cruise. Our group is planning on going to Portofino on Voyager in Nov. this year.

[elliemaej]

We are sailing on the 9 night Explorer cruise. What would be the best night to go? Also, there will be 8 of us. When we sailed on Disney last year in Palo they put us in a seperate room (there were 10 of us). Is there the same type of room at Portofino?

[CLQ]

We enjoyed both of the specialty restaurants on Navigator last November. The food is of a noticeably different quality, as is the service. But, if you're not into fine dining, then the service charge will bug you. My dad would be so distracted by that he couldn't enjoy the meal, for instance. Our group liked Portofino a little more than Chops, but both were outstanding. Same thing with Palo on Disney Cruise. Our group is planning on going to Portofino on Voyager in Nov. this year.

[Calicruisefamily]

We are sailing on the 9 night Explorer cruise. What would be the best night to go? Also, there will be 8 of us. When we sailed on Disney last year in Palo they put us in a seperate room (there were 10 of us). Is there the same type of room at Portofino?

 

 

We did it during the middle of the week on our 7 day, I'm not sure if you have any kids with you But we did it on a night when Adventure Ocean was taking the kids to Johnny Rockets for dinner.

Voyager Western Caribbean 12/16/06 "Our First AFT"

Voyager Eastern Caribbean 11/26/05

S.S. Azure Seas Baja 11/90

[taminator]

We are wondering about going to either Chops or Portofinos when we cruise on Freedom of the Seas in 2 weeks and wondering if it is worth the extra charge--it's a pretty big charge in my opinion. What do you guys think?? Thanks!

 

We ate in Chops aboard the Mariner of the Seas recently and it was excellent... definitely well worth the extra $20 per person. You can expect a dining experience similar to those in fancy steakhouses like Morton's, right down to the waiter's pre-dinner presentation and spiel about the menu's offerings.

 

If you're not familiar with Morton's, you order your entree and side dishes a la carte. The side dishes -- a ginormous baked potato, creamed spinach, asparagus, etc. -- are big enough for two people to share. There were four of us at our table and we shared five or six side dishes.

 

And don't forget to save some room for the fantastic desserts afterward.

 

There is no way you'll leave hungry. We couldn't finish dessert so we wound up taking it back to our cabin.

[Nliedel]

I do both and they are more than worth the price to me and my husband. The food and service is wonderful. I give a slight edge to Chops, but only a slight edge. We had a large group of CC people and they sat us all together.

 

I think Caribbean night (not on all ships anymore) and Italian night are the weakest. I go to the specialty restaurants those nights.

[isujim]

Yes.........they are worth every penny of the additional charge:)

[Micknmin]

[quote name='Bonnie Voyager'] so we usually leave a $20 tip above and beyone the $40 for the surcharge.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the info. One more question...from what I've read, I need to book Chops or Portofino as soon as I get on the ship, correct? Where do I go to do this? Also, other than the restaurants, what else do I need to book when I get on the ship?

[shipknotshore]

If you have a day/time that you prefer to go to the specialty restaurants I would go there (to the restaurant) pretty soon after boarding to make my reservation. We wanted to eat at Chops for our 25th anniv. so it was one of the 1st things we did after boarding. As many posters have said before me, the upcharge for the restaurants are well worth it.
If you want to get a spa appointment I would go there pretty quickly too.

[chopstix2000]

[quote name='Nliedel']I think Caribbean night (not on all ships anymore) and Italian night are the weakest. I go to the specialty restaurants those nights.[/quote]

So, do you get to know ahead of time what they are going to serving in the main dining room each night?

[letsgocruzing]

My husband and I ate at Portifino's aboard the Adventure in May. The filet was excellent and well worth the $20. If you love chocolate, do not forget to order the flourless chocolate cake!!

[skyw]

yes, yes and yes. Worth every dollar and more!!! Don't miss it!

[PeterPan]

[quote name='chopstix2000']So, do you get to know ahead of time what they are going to serving in the main dining room each night?[/quote]

On our Explorer cruise, the reservation desk at Portofinos had a copy of the menu for each night in the dining room for you to look at.

And, yes it was worth every penny, and then some!

[CGTNORMANDIE]

I don't think I can recall a bad meal at Chops or Portofino. Celebrity charges $30 for their specialty restaurants so $20 looks like a good deal. Princesss charges $15 for theirs. The Sterling Steak House is a bargain but it does not have the atmosphere that the others do. I had to laugh...someone mentioned Sabatini's on Princess...a restaurant I would not dine at...the worst Italian food I have ever seen...on a level with The Olive Garden. So you can see...some love it and others do not.

My advice on RCI...try it...especially if you are hungary...LOL.

[johnjen]

Not to sound negative, but I wasn't really all that impressed with Portofino's onboard Explorer. The waiters acted as if you were just another routine task, and we felt a bit rushed. We did give them a tip on top of the $20 pp fee, however, albeit if I had service like that in any shore-based restaurant, I'd never have tipped.

Portofino's is a fine dining experience, but you walk out of there totally stuffed with food. I felt like a glutton coming out of there full of gas and felt very bloated.

The food, however, was pretty good, but the next time we cruise, I don't see us doing the specialty restaurants again. For me, it was something to try once; been there, done that. I would recommend all cruisers give it a try though, just to see for themselves.

[Giorgi-one]

[quote name='john & Gerrie nj']on the Empress- not really a $60 meal compared to the Italian
we are used to in South Phila.
but others rave about it.
personally I like the dining room better.
john[/QUOTE]

I always tell people there are two places to get Italian food:
1. Italy
2. Any Italian restaurant from New York to Baltimore.

I don't understand it. We can walk into an Italian restaurant in any shopping center in South Jersey (not exactly 5*) and get a fantastic meal (not to mention South Philly). Why can't they prepare decent Italian food on a ship?