Legend - questionable food?

[dansu]

We are sailing on the Legend Jan 2007. As this is our 1st cruise, and our 25th Anniversary, I want it to be special...but reading the review of Oct 3-11 there appears to be a big difference in how people critiqued the meals. One described it as "not well prepared, often not hot, and tasteless", and the other as "amazing" :confused:

 

I know each is entitled to their opinion, so would you please share yours, so that we know what is good to order, and what is not so good and avoid:o

 

Thanks

[MrPete]

My opinion is the food, the selections and even availabilty are very good.

 

But yes, food is subjective. :)

[deedle7544]

On our Legend cruise in 2004, I thought the food was very good - of course, some things were better than others. My cousin, on the other hand, did not think the food was good. So, I guess this doesn't really help :(

 

Things I liked:

 

The rueben

The pizza

I enjoyed everything at dinner, from appies to desserts

 

Husband did not like the eggs benedict - i don't like eggs, so can't judge that one.

[serene56]

Expectations for food should not be in a 4-5 star quality.

Remember that food is prepared enmasse for hundreds of people at a time.

 

I have not had bad food on a cruise yet.

 

and if you do find food not to be to your liking there is always something else to try-- the grill, the pizza, the deli, the chinese place. room service and on and on.

[LizaMM]

We are sailing on the Legend Jan 2007. As this is our 1st cruise, and our 25th Anniversary, I want it to be special...but reading the review of Oct 3-11 there appears to be a big difference in how people critiqued the meals. One described it as "not well prepared, often not hot, and tasteless", and the other as "amazing" :confused:

 

I know each is entitled to their opinion, so would you please share yours, so that we know what is good to order, and what is not so good and avoid:o

 

Thanks

 

 

I will be sailing the Legend next month and have been reading the same reviews. I have to say that before each of my sailings I read reviews that were both positive and negative about each ship that I sailed.

 

I think that food is a very subjective matter. Actually, I think that most things that are written about in reviews are subjective i.e. if you go back to that Legend Review thread you will find totally different views on the Piano Bar entertainment among other things.

 

I learned pretty quickly what meals I enjoy on a cruise more than others. Such as - I do not usually eat from the standard buffet fare. It is just not my "thing". I prefer to select from deli, grill, asian, pizza or fish and chips (Conquest Class ships have this) or go to the Dining Room. For breakfast on the Lido Deck I always go to the omelette station (they will prepare fresh eggs any style, not just omelettes).

 

In the Dining Room I have had only a couple of disappointments and in those cases I simply ordered something else. Personally, I am a big Caesar Salad fan but what they serve in the Dining Room does not meet my desires for this kind of salad so I usually order 2 app's instead or a different salad. This is my personal taste.

 

In general I would say that reviews are great for lots of things but in no way do I take those opinions and apply them to my vacation. I have read people rave over the food and say it is better than some of the more upscale lines and I have also read the opposite. Take it with a grain of salt (or a dash of pepper if you prefer!).

 

There are certainly an abundance of choices for food during your cruise week and I would find it hard to believe that anyone would go hungry!!

[doodlelover]

Looks like you read my post. We've cruised Legend three times with three totally different food experiences. Most of the dishes were the same on the three cruises on similar nights. Just got back yesterday, and food was not great in Truffles. I did have dinner on the Lido one evening and it was fine.

 

As with anything else, I am certain that some ships have off days. The Asian food was pretty consistent and decent. Breakfast was fine. Lunch was usually good. The thing that bugged me was that dinner in Truffles Lounge could have been consistently better. My work puts me in the "road warrior" classification, so I get the chance to dine out all over the country- this is a cruise vacation and one expects a consistency of dining that exceeds the norm of what I can get near an airport at any major city. The service while rushed was professional.

 

Some may view my Legend post as a gripe- it's not. I was trying to be as honest as I could.

[Leo Jay]

The pizza and the duck are great.

[rada628]

I was on the Legend a few weeks ago. While the food was good, it was not as good as on a previous Carnival cruise. There were a couple of dishes that were outstanding, but most were just average. I certainly wouldn't say the food was bad, it just wasn't something to rave about. The pasta dishes seem to be the most disappointing for me. They were cold and stuck together, which is just a by-product of mass seating. I went to Truffles for lunch for 3 of the days. I highly recommend this. The food is much fresher because they don't have the volume of people to serve. The chicken parmigian was excellent!! Loved it! At dinner, the Beef Wellington and the Chateaubriand were excellent as well. All in all, I would say the quality was on par with what I spent for the cruise.

[nybumpkin]

Personally, I am a big Caesar Salad fan but what they serve in the Dining Room does not meet my desires for this kind of salad so I usually order 2 app's instead or a different salad. This is my personal taste.

I did likewise on our Legend cruise - there were several nights when there was an appetizer like artichokes or hearts of palm that served nicely as a salad, so I ordered two appetizers in place of appetizer and salad. Our wait staff was more than happy to accommodate me. I've always found the night after the first formal night to be a bit of a letdown - might be a good night to consider reservations for the Golden Fleece.

 

Food is subjective - I've heard rave reviews about Beef Wellington on Carnival, but I just didn't care for it when I tried it. (It was Tortola night - maybe it was because we had a long day, I was sunburned, and I was really feeling vibration in the dining room.) Lobster tails - I've always had good ones, but I've read lots of reviews complaining that they were rubbery.

 

I should say that the two appetizers I've ordered on every cruise are the pumpkin soup and the wild mushroom soup. Four times, and I've always been very pleased!

 

dansu, enjoy your cruise, and Happy Anniversary!

[sinkers22]

I loved the Caesar Salad so much I ordered it every night. Food is so very subjective!

[Margienj]

I don't think you'll ever get the answer you want as everyone has different taste and expectations. My answer to this is just this.....

I don't have to cook it, I don't have to clean up or wash pots. It's served to me and more than likely the menu in no way resembles what I serve at home. So it's all good;) !!!

[swscruiser]

My wife and I were on the Legend in Aprilof this year and we were concerned about the food. We had not been on Carnival for over 15 years. HAL, Princess, Costa, Rccl during that time, and wew were pleasantly surprised how good the food was in all venues on the ship. We were particularly impressed with the upscale restaurant ( name ?) that was probably one of the best meals we have ever had on land or sea. Go enjoy and don't let anyone else's opinion ruin it for you. When it comes to food or wine no one's opinion is wrong, if you like it great if you don't try something else, Who cares what somebody else thinks.

 

Keith

[Knights on the Beach]

We are sailing on the Legend Jan 2007. As this is our 1st cruise, and our 25th Anniversary, I want it to be special...but reading the review of Oct 3-11 there appears to be a big difference in how people critiqued the meals. One described it as "not well prepared, often not hot, and tasteless", and the other as "amazing" :confused:

I think the same thing can be said about every cruise ship out there. There are good and bad reviews on them all, and I am determined to try out every last one of them just to find out the real truth for myself. ;)

[salty dingo]

If a special culinary experience is your top priority, maybe don't choose Carnival. Maybe don't even cruise - the best eats are on land.

 

I have always enjoyed the food on each cruise I have been on.

[dansu]

If a special culinary experience is your top priority, maybe don't choose Carnival. Maybe don't even cruise - the best eats are on land.

 

I have always enjoyed the food on each cruise I have been on.

 

 

re: my original post

I know each is entitled to their opinion, so would you please share yours, so that we know what is good to order, and what is not so good and avoid:o

 

I'm not a culinary expert, I was just looking for something good to eat for dinner!

[rada628]

the absolute best thing that I had on the ship was a little cup of au gratin mashed potatoes! I can't remember what they came with....it was a beef dish (maybe the Chateaubriand?). They were so cheesy and good. Browned just right on the top......yummy. I asked my waiter for an extra one, he forgot, so I reminded him. In the mean time, his assistant went to get me some. Then my waiter went to get me some. So I ended up with four cups of potatoes. Since there are starving people in the world, I couldn't let them go to waste! ;)

[zqvol]

We are sailing on the Legend Jan 2007. As this is our 1st cruise, and our 25th Anniversary, I want it to be special...but reading the review of Oct 3-11 there appears to be a big difference in how people critiqued the meals. One described it as "not well prepared, often not hot, and tasteless", and the other as "amazing" :confused:

 

I know each is entitled to their opinion, so would you please share yours, so that we know what is good to order, and what is not so good and avoid:o

 

Thanks

The thing I will say about food on any mass market cruise line is simply volume.

 

Think banquet food. Remember that the kitchens on the ship are cooking for appx. 5000 people for each meal (yes they cook for the crew too). When cooking for that many people you tend to have very consistent product but the product tends to be unimaginative. The food will be nice, filling and plentiful, but it will not be five star, four star or maybe even not three star quality (unless you are in one of the specialty restaurants, where you will get 3+ star quality.)

[ImBossy]

We are sailing on the Legend Jan 2007. As this is our 1st cruise, and our 25th Anniversary, I want it to be special...but reading the review of Oct 3-11 there appears to be a big difference in how people critiqued the meals. One described it as "not well prepared, often not hot, and tasteless", and the other as "amazing" :confused:

 

I know each is entitled to their opinion, so would you please share yours, so that we know what is good to order, and what is not so good and avoid:o

 

Thanks

 

 

Everything I ate on either the Elation (my favorite) or the Conquest was either hot or warm, except the bread rolls at dinner. And almost everything was delicious. I will admit I was not a fan of the goat cheese pizza and I love goat cheese on pizza. There's was yucky. Anyway, I loved the dinners in the dining rooms but, the steak was a little to thickly cut for me. I like thinly sliced steak and meats in general for easier chewing and digestion. I loved the french fries with au jou or gravy on top. Yummy. :) I also liked the hot dogs if they were a little over cooked. I like them a little crispy. Loved the fried shrimp at dinner and the lobster. Tried everything I had never tasted before like Escargot. That was a little chewy. Loved the cookies from the coffee bar and the sushi was ok. I did not care for the fish dishes mainly because i do not like grouper fish. But they were ok.

One thing i learned is to eat small meals so you are not stuffed all day and still wanting to try all the International dishes at the buffet. You will just have to try it and rely on your own palate. Some people like their food extremly hot when they eat it and other like it warm or room temp for better enjoyment. Whatever your case please please please enjoy your cruise. And try not to get to drunk. ;)

 

ImBossy

[loungelizard]

As a chef, I give Carnival high marks for their high volume food quality, production and presentation. They offer SO many choices...there's something for everyone's tastes. I really enjoyed Harry's on the Liberty and it was well worth the surcharge. As others have said...food is a very subjective subject so you have to take opinions about it with a grain of salt. Unless you are a VERY picky eater you should enjoy most of the menu items that they offer. Don't worry that everyone isn't always pleased with the food...it's unrealistic to expect that. Relax and enjoy!

[battersea]

We are sailing on the Legend Jan 2007. As this is our 1st cruise, and our 25th Anniversary, I want it to be special...but reading the review of Oct 3-11 there appears to be a big difference in how people critiqued the meals. One described it as "not well prepared, often not hot, and tasteless", and the other as "amazing" :confused:

 

I know each is entitled to their opinion, so would you please share yours, so that we know what is good to order, and what is not so good and avoid:o

 

Thanks

We sailed on the Legend 9/1/06...the food was horrible!! Some nights in the dinning room we had a hard time even choosing what to have. I had to resort to fish several nights because there was nothing else that even seemed Ok to order. On other cruises we had wondreful food and wonderful deserts (baked alaska..cherries jubilee) but not on Carnival. It is correct that the food was sometimes cold...it comes up either two or three floors by escalator...not good!

[ladycaveat]

On our Legend cruise in 2004, I thought the food was very good - of course, some things were better than others. My cousin, on the other hand, did not think the food was good. So, I guess this doesn't really help :(

 

Things I liked:

 

The rueben

The pizza

I enjoyed everything at dinner, from appies to desserts

 

Husband did not like the eggs benedict - i don't like eggs, so can't judge that one.

 

Don't know how the food on one ship varies from another but . . . I love eggs benedict and very seldom have it for breakfast (heart attack on a plate) . . . I was so disappointed on my cruise last month (Triumph) with the eggs benedict . . . the sauce was so sour, I couldn't even eat it.

[sinkers22]

We sailed on the Legend 9/1/06...the food was horrible!! Some nights in the dinning room we had a hard time even choosing what to have. I had to resort to fish several nights because there was nothing else that even seemed Ok to order. On other cruises we had wondreful food and wonderful deserts (baked alaska..cherries jubilee) but not on Carnival. It is correct that the food was sometimes cold...it comes up either two or three floors by escalator...not good!

 

Nothing but fish to order? What about the Filet Mignin, Chateaubriand, Quail, Leg of Lamb, Prime Rib, Beef Wellington, Chicken??? We just got off the Legend and all 12 of us loved everything. A lot of people ordered 2 entrees because they couldn't decide which delicious sounding food to order. Food is so subjective.

[Cruise-Crazy]

I'm going on November 16th, I'll let you know.