ratings are in! Congrats NCLA beating several NCL intl!!

[ohioNCLcruiser]

give the POH 30 days to catch up. The new resturant manager is a great friend of mine from training. Very smart guy and will do the ship alot of good. Your just under a year from your cruise. Great amount of time for them to improve even more. The hawaii is brand new so the new factor is wearing off now and running smoothly.

[capecruzer]

Retired Not Expired: I'll preface this again by saying, of course, this is only MY opinion: I cannot imagine that by changing the menus that the quality of food and its preparation will change. I did not mind the menus at all, in fact found most options appetizing (on paper). BUt, if the chefs cannot prepare pizza, pasta dishes, risotto, shrimp cocktail, and other simple dishes to prepare and continue to run out of ketchup, orange juice, ice cream, tomatoes -- mere basics that should be available when needed without scrambing for them -- and cannot figure out how to serve hot food hot and cold food cold, the change of menu items cannot and will not improve the dining experience. One other note -- everyone in my party agreed that a sirloin steak and baked potatoes should be added to the "always available" menu -- I don't believe a beef dish is on it already.

[Retired not Expired]

Retired Not Expired: I'll preface this again by saying, of course, this is only MY opinion: I cannot imagine that by changing the menus that the quality of food and its preparation will change. I did not mind the menus at all, in fact found most options appetizing (on paper). BUt, if the chefs cannot prepare pizza, pasta dishes, risotto, shrimp cocktail, and other simple dishes to prepare and continue to run out of ketchup, orange juice, ice cream, tomatoes -- mere basics that should be available when needed without scrambing for them -- and cannot figure out how to serve hot food hot and cold food cold, the change of menu items cannot and will not improve the dining experience. One other note -- everyone in my party agreed that a sirloin steak and baked potatoes should be added to the "always available" menu -- I don't believe a beef dish is on it already.

 

I can agree with what you say here. Those things need to be addressed. But with the number of good reviews, it seems to be hit and miss right now. No excuse, as when change is made, everything should be in place prior to that change, but you may have been in on the change and they weren't prepared for it.

 

I have been on the PoAl and had a wonderful cruise with good food and service. My room attendent wasn't the best but he did do the basic needed. I'll be back on that ship in January.

 

I should also say that the dining is not the primary reason I cruise although, from the rash of reviews lately, I seem to be in the minority and for some, it is the only reason they cruise. Here lately, I wonder if the name Cruise Critic should be changed to Food Critic. I always find food that I like and some that I don't but have no problems overall.

[honestguy]

Retired Not Expired: I'll preface this again by saying, of course, this is only MY opinion: I cannot imagine that by changing the menus that the quality of food and its preparation will change. I did not mind the menus at all, in fact found most options appetizing (on paper). BUt, if the chefs cannot prepare pizza, pasta dishes, risotto, shrimp cocktail, and other simple dishes to prepare and continue to run out of ketchup, orange juice, ice cream, tomatoes -- mere basics that should be available when needed without scrambing for them -- and cannot figure out how to serve hot food hot and cold food cold, the change of menu items cannot and will not improve the dining experience. One other note -- everyone in my party agreed that a sirloin steak and baked potatoes should be added to the "always available" menu -- I don't believe a beef dish is on it already.

 

As for the food issue you made alot of good points in your other posts. You mentioned the quailty, like it was straight out of a can. Most of it is. Very little made from scratch cooking is going on. All desserts frozen, pizza frozen, even the creme brulee came in a bucket. Most people won't realize this, but for the Foodies on the ship they will know!

[Retired not Expired]

As for the food issue you made alot of good points in your other posts. You mentioned the quailty, like it was straight out of a can. Most of it is. Very little made from scratch cooking is going on. All desserts frozen, pizza frozen, even the creme brulee came in a bucket. Most people won't realize this, but for the Foodies on the ship they will know!

 

Or for people who believe they are foodies.:D This is also nothing new and has been on cruise ships for some time. I saw a review some time back on a HAL ship. The reviewer was on a tour of the ship and saw the desserts everyone raved about, frozen and packaged.

 

People can't seem to get it that with cruise ships, we aren't talking five, or even four, star dining. This is massed produced food.

[jealdaka]

Ohio Cruiser,

 

Congrats!! on the good rating. It's nice to see good things being said. I actually loved the ship, people, and service when we were on at the very start. I do hope you are enjoying your work.

 

Some time ago I think it was you that asked for crew info such as who is CD, Assistant CD, and Host now. If you canswered, I missed it. I may have asked someone else that was onboard. ANyway, could you let me know now? I just wonder if a lot of them moved to POH.

[electricron]

Or for people who believe they are foodies.:D This is also nothing new and has been on cruise ships for some time. I saw a review some time back on a HAL ship. The reviewer was on a tour of the ship and saw the desserts everyone raved about, frozen and packaged.

 

People can't seem to get it that with cruise ships, we aren't talking five, or even four, star dining. This is massed produced food.

To add, Ask you head cook at home, either wife, husband, or eldest child, what they would do if they had to prepare a meal for 2400 guests? Do you really believe they are going to shell 200 pounds of peas, or open several gallon cans of peas? Or peel 100 pounds of potatoes, or use several large boxes of dehydrated potatoes? Get REAL folks!

Then multiply that 2400 meals by three, or possibly four. Then multiply that number by seven days in a week, thirty days in a month, three hundred and sixty-five days in a year. That's what cruise ship chefs are facing every day, week, month and year.

[mbisson]

People can't seem to get it that with cruise ships, we aren't talking five, or even four, star dining. This is massed produced food.

 

IMO-and I think you agree-the food is fine (some hits, some misses), but like you say it's certainly not 4 or 5 star dining. I doubt that many of the people who use "star" rating when talking about cruise ship food have any idea just what is involved in even getting rated.

 

I'm sure I don't (and I have tried to research it). But it seems that on some of the services, to get one star (or whatever that service might award) is an achievement.

 

-Monte

[Retired not Expired]

IMO-and I think you agree-the food is fine (some hits, some misses), but like you say it's certainly not 4 or 5 star dining. I doubt that many of the people who use "star" rating when talking about cruise ship food have any idea just what is involved in even getting rated.

 

I'm sure I don't (and I have tried to research it). But it seems that on some of the services, to get one star (or whatever that service might award) is an achievement.

 

-Monte

 

I do agree Monte. I also don't believe that everyone understands that in both land and cruise ships, it's not "Chefs" doing all the preperation of the food. Many Chefs just oversee the operation. It's untrained people taught how to do certain things to do the prep. When a menu changes, they must be retrained and since they don't have the benefit of shutting down the ship to do it, that it is good old OJT. Two menu changes now in one year is not fun and games. The way it sounds, a team of Chefs are going from ship to ship to help in the training.

 

I don't do it for a living but have on several occations done meals for two or three hundred for friends and family for weddings, anniversaries, etc. I can't do it all so sometimes it gets very hectic when several are asking how much and how to do some of the other dishes while I do the main. I wouldn't even want to think about doing it for ten times as many.:eek:

[honestguy]

well the thing is you can get great products that are frozen, but most of what I saw on the aloha wasn't of high quality at all. I mean frozen pizza please, pizza dough isnt that hard to make. and the desserts wow, you would get better quailty at a golden corral

[mbisson]

and the desserts wow, you would get better quailty at a golden corral

 

I'm really starting to question the honesty of 'honestguy". More probably "disgruntled former employee guy".

 

And I'm someone who doesn't like NCL pizza either LOL

 

-Monte

[honestguy]

I'm really starting to question the honesty of 'honestguy". More probably "disgruntled former employee guy".

 

And I'm someone who doesn't like NCL pizza either LOL

 

-Monte

 

no not at all Monte, anything but. The guy who started this thread, asked me about NCLA, months ago, and i told him to go for it.

 

I don't know much about alot of things, but the one thing I know is food, and service, and the food I served on board the Aloha was second rate at best. Now that being said there were a few decent things, but the thing that stuck out in my mind was the desserts, and the fact that the pizza was red baron self raising pizza.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

no not at all Monte, anything but. The guy who started this thread, asked me about NCLA, months ago, and i told him to go for it.

 

I don't know much about alot of things, but the one thing I know is food, and service, and the food I served on board the Aloha was second rate at best. Now that being said there were a few decent things, but the thing that stuck out in my mind was the desserts, and the fact that the pizza was red baron self raising pizza.

 

They make the pizzas from scratch now but the cake and pie still isnt :(

[mbisson]

no not at all Monte, anything but.

 

You surprised me then with your recent posts: bad service on the ship, dirty windows, 2 yrs NCL still doesn't have their act together, no one to complain to, crew putting guest health/safety at risk.

 

You certainly haven't sounded gruntled. LOL

 

-Monte

[honestguy]

You surprised me then with your recent posts: bad service on the ship, dirty windows, 2 yrs NCL still doesn't have their act together, no one to complain to, crew putting guest health/safety at risk.

 

You certainly haven't sounded gruntled. LOL

 

-Monte

 

Sorry it is what it is. If it sounds like I'm disgruntled then so be it. NCL was by far the worst company I ever had the pleasure of working for, and unlike most I left on good terms completed my contract and had a return plane ticket in my hand when I left the ship. Needless to say I never used that ticket

[mbisson]

[quote name='honestguy']Sorry it is what it is. If it sounds like I'm disgruntled then so be it. NCL was by far the worst company I ever had the pleasure of working for, [/QUOTE]

I see, not disgruntled at all ;)

-Monte

[ohioNCLcruiser]

Paul was the CD till today and im not sure who boarded the ship today but i do know its a female. Lane is the ACD.

[KeystoneCruiser]

OhioNCLCruiser: Greetings from a fellow Ohioan. How about our Buckeyes!!

What about the negative reviews coming from the POH? I know you are not on that ship, but can you give us some insight into why the newest ship is having such problems?

[ohioNCLcruiser]

The Hawaii is still having problems getting into things. Its still pretty new. They are now fully staffed for the first time ever, new resturant manager to help out. To be honest I think its just a management problem right now. I have some friends who boarded the hawaii yesterday who I trained with. I will let you know their views when I hear from them.

[jealdaka]

My friends are going on POH in February so hope it will be fine. This is only their second cruise so I'm sure it will be great by then.

Where did Shona go? Is she moved to POH or just off for now? I can't remember the other man who was the CD and she was his assistant.

[cruizinwithkids]

It's so difficult to understand what's what when it comes to the NCLA ships. I just got off the Dawn where I was contemplating booking a Hawaiian cruise. I was deciding between an NCLA ship and the Sun for 2008. The reviews and comments I have read on cruise critic have made me nervous about spending big dollars on an NCLA cruise so I had prettymuch decided on the Star.

I met a couple who pretty much hated everything about the Dawn and loved everything about their PoAM cruise. They thought the food on the PoAM was much better and my favorite comment was how much better the crew on PoAM was. Their comment was, "The PoAM is all American workers. These other ships can only get workers from other countries who can't get any other jobs." I really was speechless.

[ohioNCLcruiser]

[quote name='cruizinwithkids']It's so difficult to understand what's what when it comes to the NCLA ships. I just got off the Dawn where I was contemplating booking a Hawaiian cruise. I was deciding between an NCLA ship and the Sun for 2008. The reviews and comments I have read on cruise critic have made me nervous about spending big dollars on an NCLA cruise so I had prettymuch decided on the Star.

I met a couple who pretty much hated everything about the Dawn and loved everything about their PoAM cruise. They thought the food on the PoAM was much better and my favorite comment was how much better the crew on PoAM was. Their comment was, "The PoAM is all American workers. These other ships can only get workers from other countries who can't get any other jobs." I really was speechless.[/quote]

Right now the America has higher ratings then the dawn. Im sure you would have a great cruise on both of the ships.

[DanL]

Based somewhat on recent reviews. I've learned if you expect perfection tou will always be disappointed - and that is the attitude we try to take on vacations.

OhioNCL how do we find you on the ship? hope your bucs beat those gators

[ohioNCLcruiser]

[quote name='DanL']Based somewhat on recent reviews. I've learned if you expect perfection tou will always be disappointed - and that is the attitude we try to take on vacations.

OhioNCL how do we find you on the ship? hope your bucs beat those gators[/QUOTE]


Give me your email address on here and ill give you an email!

[DanL]

OK ohioNCLcruiser, here is an e-mail [email]glaxs@cs.com[/email].

Looking forward to our Hawaii cruise.