why do people always complain about the food?

[standby 06.30]

:D

 

We are foodies... and by that I mean, DH is a professional Chef, professionally trained, I am a server, we are in the restaurant business... I think we are qualified to give an assessment of the food...

 

We do not expect to receive a meal equal to something we would receive at say The French Laundry... we cruise knowing full well what we are getting and do not have unreasonable expectations of the food... Given what a cruise costs, we are not surprised or disappointed in the food - it is exactly what we expect considering the price of the cruise...

 

Recently (like just the other day), a Chef friend of ours mentioned that he was considering a cruise and asked what we thought of the food, here is what we told him:

 

Considering the price of the cruise, the food is comparable to good banquet-style, fine dining-like cuisine... It gives the diner a good chance to try dishes that they might not otherwise get a chance to try (like escargot)... The hollandaise is not made from scratch, it's a powdered mix - but if you are someone who has never tried that, it will give you an idea of the taste profile... the filet mignon listed on the dining room menu was not actually filet mignon but still a good piece of meat...

 

As for seasoning.... yes, many dishes tend to be underseasoned but we chalk that up to having to mass produce food to satisfy hundreds of tastes... You can always add salt but you can't take seasoning away once it's been added.

 

We haven't had a meal that was "bad"... and by "bad" I mean, not prepared correctly, just plain wrong, inedible.... That has never happened to us...

 

It is what it is and quite frankly, we think they do a great job on the food considering the logistics of their operation!!! Very few people realize just what it takes to produce that mass quantity of food for that many people, three, even four times, a day.... It is costly and time-consuming!

 

That being said... I do agree that people's expectations can get out of hand and just downright ridiculous when it comes to food... You have to be an informed diner and consumer... and realize what you are getting for the price...

 

I think if cuisine is a major factor in your cruising experience, then you should splurge to cruise on a more expensive line where the quality of food is higher than that found on the mass market lines... Or plan on eating in Chops or Portofino every night... plenty of people do that...

 

I think people who complain about the food fall into one of the following categories:

 

1.) they are people who are simply never satisfied and should really do the rest of us a favor by just staying home with their miserable selves.

 

2.)their expectations are simply unreasonable.

 

3.) they are just ignorant about food in general.

A very good post, I have a ribbon in pat, any jobs going, the only comment is the hollandaise, to much work with powders, they probably use the sterilized cartons, my wife is an ex maitre d with celebrity, and others, we come as a team , for me to pick up a piece of brisee, and her to put on the white gloves would cost, regards:)

[xyzxyz]

"I don't understand why people complain about the food"

 

Well you would if you thought it was not safe to eat. I've only been on RCL once - last year on the Jewel, I think. It was a pretty disappointing holiday and I guess I prefer to forget as much of it as I can, even the name.

 

With 2 young children , we ate at the self service buffet. The children can't stand waiting to be served.

 

Three times they served roast pork. The first time, I lifted the slices of pork up and saw blood on my plate - uh huh! No, no, no! I don't know about you but undercooked pork is real bad in my book. Second time, I asked for the pork right by the side of the roast and that was fine. I wasn't so sure about the meat nearer the middle.... On the third time, I thought the joint looked OK and accepted what was offered. Bad decision - when I lifted the meat, I could see bloody juices beneath again.

 

I was really annoyed about this. When I next saw the chef walking through the buffet restaurant (was it called the Schooner Bar or something) I harangued him about the undercooked pork. It's totally unacceptable. He assured me that the meat is tested with meat thermometers before serving. I told him I don't care what the thermometers say, when the meat is dripping red juices, it is not fit to eat.

 

I was also a bit suspicious of the chipolatas that they were serving up at breakfast. After the bad experience with the pork, I started checking the pork sausages. If you cut them down the middle, see if there is this very pink core. The sausages looked like they were incinerated but I reckon they were cooked from frozen. I was not convinced the middle was sufficiently cooked through so we avoided those.

 

I also found the food to be very salty. I'd prefer they went easy on the salt as you can always add more to suit your taste but you cannot make it less salty.

 

Actually the whole cruise was a load of rubbish. I was on the NCL Jewel the year before and that was brilliant in so many ways. I really regretted trying RCL. I did not realise that cruise lines were so different in style and quality, especially quality. I just got this impression that they were trying very hard to keep the costs down (and probably succeeding)

[Marley-Bop]

We recently cruised on the Navigator and I have to say that the dining room food was excellent. It was our first cruise and some meals we tried werent to our particular taste, that said....every meal was hot, well presented and 1000% times better than anything I could have made. Chops and Portofino were out of this world and I EVEN BROUGHT THE RCCL COOKBOOK :o.

 

We did chuckle at the table next to ours though, they complained about everything and how every other cruise line they have been with have had better food, better staff etc etc etc. Meals went backwards and forwards to the Kitchen regularly with too spicy, not spicy enough, too salty, not enough seasoning, over cooked, too rare but the best ever was "Carnival used to do me pickled cucumber every night because they knew how much I liked it". The head waiter the very next night arrived at their table with a dish of pickled cucumber. As he walked away the lady said....Bahhh..What a cheap and nasty little dish!!!!!!

 

Guess some people just like to moan...No food complaints from us.

 

Chubbas XX

[MakinGold]

Just FYI - The reasons for requiring pork to be cooked well-done have basically been eradicated. Many restaurants these days, when serving pork dishes, will ask how you want it cooked. That's a big change for a lot of people who grew up learning differently, though.

 

I haven't been on NCL, so I can't comment on the relative quality of food, but from what I've read, it sounds like NCL and RCI are comparable in that area. Some are firmly convinced one is better than the other on both sides, but if you look at some of the ratings based on large groups of people, all the mass-market cruiselines come out about the same on food quality (generally good, but not outstanding).

[xpcdoojk]

Mu DH works very hard and has a very stressful job. He has limited vacation time that he can use. When we choose where to spend our vacation time and money we want to receive exactly what is advertised. If the cruise line advertised 'fine dining' we expect it. If we chose instead to spend our week in Las Vegas we KNOW we can get a 5 star hotel, we KNOW we can get to choose from multiple TOP restaurants, many of them 5 star. Where people dress appropriately - by the way!

So - if a ship advertises top food WE EXPECT IT!

I expect Hollandaise to be done correctly - it is a simple sauce - I prepare it all of the time - if I can do it correctly they certainly can. CCL's idea of a New York strip steak was a piece of beef that was barely a 1/2" thick. It was so thin that it could not even be prepared as 'medium' it was well done just putting it on the grill. It was an insult to the steer and to me! That is the kind of steak I would get at Denny's or a Golden Corral Steakhouse. Their lobster tail looked like overgrown shrimp they were so small - no wonder people eat more than one.

It is fine if that is what you like - just don't expect everyone to like it - .

If folks are unhappy they have the right to complain about what they do not like. Just as they have the right to rave about what they love.

 

That is what Cruise Critic is here for - right?

 

Do those 5 star hotels include the 5 star dinner in the price of the room?

 

What the heck does a cruise and a 5 star hotel and restaurant have to do with each other at least where RCI is concerned? If anyone told you that eating dinner on a cruise was going to compare to Aqua for $100 a day per person they must be silly. Remember we all get the same food regardless of being in the owners suite or a minimum interior cabin.:D

 

jc

[alphakitty]

It used to be considered unsafe to cook pork anything less than well done. These days the USDA recommends an minimum internal temp of 160 degrees or medium-rare.

 

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/fact_sheets/Pork_From_Farm_to_Table/index.asp

"Much progress has been made in reducing trichinosis in grain-fed hogs and human cases have greatly declined since 1950. Today's pork can be enjoyed when cooked to a medium internal temperature of 160 °F or a well-done internal temperature of 170 °F".

[Happy ks]

Maybe most of the complaints come from those who cruised "way back when". I'm sure the food was better, but the cost of cruising was also higher than it is today.

It's only been 10 years or so for me since my 1st cruise. While the food quality may be down a notch in that time, it's certainly not bad. I never have a problem finding something on the menu that I like. And I'm a picky eater. More times than not, I order a couple of entrees because they both sound good.

 

But I go on a cruise not expecting 5* meals, unless I go to Chops or Portofino, where I can get that quality if I want.

 

 

This is as far as I have gotten so far. I've only been cruising since 1998, my husband took his first cruise in 1978 on RCI.

 

I don't criticize the food on a cruise ship, it is what it is. In the buffet it is cafeteria food, in the dining room it is on par with banquet food. My husband tells me it's about the same now as it was when he started cruising.

 

It's what we expect, we're not disappointed in it, we are impressed when we do get something that is very well prepared. I do find it amusing when people refer to gourmet food on a cruise, it's just not there, it never has been gourmet. Now, some of the food in the specialty restaurants you can compare to a fine 5 star land based restaurant.

 

The good old days, well perhaps people just tend to romanticize these things. The ships were much smaller, fewer people to feed. The CDC wasn't as stringent regarding some of the prep methods, perhaps there wasn't as much instant, canned and pre-frozen food as there is now. But, ships are now so much better with safety and sanitation, as well as recycling and better disposal methods, kinder to the environment.

[newbeestl]

Three times they served roast pork. The first time, I lifted the slices of pork up and saw blood on my plate - uh huh! No, no, no! I don't know about you but undercooked pork is real bad in my book. Second time, I asked for the pork right by the side of the roast and that was fine. I wasn't so sure about the meat nearer the middle.... On the third time, I thought the joint looked OK and accepted what was offered. Bad decision - when I lifted the meat, I could see bloody juices beneath again.

 

Call me crazy, but I like a good medium done roast pork or pork chop/loin. In this day in age, it's not that important to eat pork WELL done anymore. Like a good beef steak, pork is better under-cooked.

 

I'm not saying you should've eaten it. You certainly should've been able to get some well done if you asked though. :confused:

[mikedw]

Awhile back Emeril on the Food Network was talking about that. Once it's cooked to 160 it's fine. It's better medium well.

[cruizie]

Why do people complain about the food? Some people just live to complain!! I've had great meals on cruises, I've ok meals on cruises, I've had some things that were not so great & I've had things that were just not to my taste. Of course, I have had those experiences at all different types of land restuarants as well.

 

Regional tastes play a lot into it and whoever said that taste buds can be trained was exactly on the mark. One person said they salt everything before even tasting it and then another said everything was too salty. Personally, I like my food highly seasoned (aka Emeril) but many do not.

 

It is like that old saying "You can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time but you can't please all of the people all of the time." They do their best and if someone does not like the food, I hope they will ask for something else and perhaps fill out the comment card at the end of the cruise.

[Fam_Cruise]

Now, some of the food in the specialty restaurants you can compare to a fine 5 star land based restaurant.

While I have not eaten in the specialty restaurants yet, I find this statement very difficult to believe. Since there are only three 5 star restaurants in NYC, one in San Francisco, two in Las Vegas, and none in LA or Washington DC proper (1 in Washington, VA outside of DC), we are talking about a class of restaurant well above the norm of even excellent land based restaurants. L'Auberge Chez François, which I mentioned in my previous post, is only a 3 star restaurant and my guess is the specialty restaurants would be hard pressed to meet their standards, but perhaps not. I will find out at the end of September.

[terri23]

While I have not eaten in the specialty restaurants yet, I find this statement very difficult to believe. Since there are only three 5 star restaurants in NYC, one in San Francisco, two in Las Vegas, and none in LA or Washington DC proper (1 in Washington, VA outside of DC), we are talking about a class of restaurant well above the norm of even excellent land based restaurants. L'Auberge Chez François, which I mentioned in my previous post, is only a 3 star restaurant and my guess is the specialty restaurants would be hard pressed to meet their standards, but perhaps not. I will find out at the end of September.

 

LOL you are so right. Chops and Portofino shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as The Inn at Little Washington or even L'Auberge Chez Francois (oops but I just did). Some posters must have theri own "star" systems. ;)

 

BTW both Chops and Portofino were good, particularly as compared to the dining room offerings. Enjoy :)

[MakinGold]

Fam Cruise - I think you're taking the "5-star" discussion a little too literally and also assuming it to exclusively mean the Mobil Travel Guide rating.

[Sunflower77]

Because it use to be much much better. The food use to be top notch, it is now just okay. If you had cruised year ago (and I'm just talking 15 years ago) and continued to cruise since then, you would understand that the food quality has gone downhill. It probably has some what to do with the ships getting larger and the food staff has to cook for a lot more people, which I take into account.

& the price wasn't more money, so I'm not sure why a pp had mentioned that.

[Fam_Cruise]

BTW both Chops and Portofino were good, particularly as compared to the dining room offerings. Enjoy :)

While there have been many posts asking which one is better, I have yet to see one comparing them with perhaps well known land based restauarants.

 

So, I assume (meaning I may well be wrong) that Chops is similar to a Mortons, Ruth's Chris, or Flemings but probably not as pretentious. FWIW I went to Flemings for the first time the other night and liked it so much better than Mortons and Ruth's Chris, the later being my least favorite chop house. Oh and BTW, all three of those restaurants are rated 3 stars so if, and that is a big if, my assumption is correct then the specialty restaurants fall in the 3 star category.

 

Finding a comparison for Portofino would probably be much more difficult as good Italian restaurants with which they would compare in any given area, are probably and hopefully not chains.

[EMc]

>>Maybe most of the complaints come from those who cruised "way back when". I'm sure the food was better, but the cost of cruising was also higher than it is today.<<<

 

Hhmmm... I'm not sure I'd call 2002 "way back when".

No, that isn't the year we started cruising but it is the first year we sailed on the Brilliance of the Seas. We had sailed on two other RCCL ships before that. The Grandeur and the Splendour. We sailed on Brilliance again in 2003, 2004 and 2006 and we are set to cruise the Brilliance for the fifth time in December. All four cruises were 11 nights. The first two were in November and the last two, in December. The cost of the cruise has gone up every year. We always book an E3 balcony guarantee.. . The first year it cost 880.00, the second year it cost 1,089, by the third year it had jumped to 1,399. Last year actually cost less than the year before, but that was because we got a Military discount....even with that discount the cruise cost us 1,278. So much for higher prices being a "way back when" thing. There is no 11 night on the BOS in December this year, so we are doing the special 4 night... next year that same E3 BG (on the Jewel, it is taking over the Panama Canal cruises from the BOS) in December, is right now going for 1,699.

As to the food? Yes, even not so "way back when", in 1996 and 1997 when we took our first two cruises with RCCL it WAS better, much better. But if we only go back to that first cruise on the BOS, the food then WAS much better on the first cruise than on any of the others that followed. And each and every time we've sailed since then, something was cut. Sometimes it's just the little things...I remember when you ordered a Bloody Mary and got the customary stalk of celery as a garnish. The Bar Manager told us the bean counters quoted, to the penny, just how many thousands of dollars they saved by eliminating the celery. I remember when they used to alternate days for the bar snacks...peanuts one day, kibbles & bits, the next. Peanuts disappeared. You can't help but wonder how many millions they saved on the peanuts! ;) Small things....yes. We remember when they had "happy hour" appetizers every day in the Schooner Bar.. 2, different hot apps...the next year they still offered 2 hot apps in chafing dishes..but both chafing dishes were filled with the same thing. We used to laugh and call it the "chicken & more chicken" Happy Hour! LOL! 'Course, the next year we called it the "no chicken" Happy Hour"!

In the dining room we have seen the choices offered cut each year. ... and some high end menu choices have gone the way of the peanuts. No more rack of lamb. The prime rib is now a slice of prime rib...strangely enough, the usual Caribbean rock lobster has disappeared, only to be replaced with Maine style lobster...big, big improvement...funny thing though, they don't list it as Lobster tail.. they call it Fisherman's Platter, or something....and I think they do that to discourage people from ordering multiple lobster tails.

None of these things will ruin a cruise, of course. We aren't the type to eat 24/7 simply because food is available.

Now we hear they may be getting rid of the live music. All these cuts, large and small, do have an effect. If RCCL keeps eliminating things they will be taking away the very unique things that made cruising so special and so different from any other kind of vacation. It has changed the whole cruising experience.

We always get friendly with crew.. and have had conversations with the bar managers, facilities managers and food and beverage managers.. they will tell you how much things have changed and how much things will continue to change. We were shocked last year on the Brilliance when we heard the Bar manager order all bar staff to tell passengers that a certain brand of beer was sold out, a very popular brand of beer... the reason? They weren't out of the other beer, they had over ordered the newish Budweiser in the aluminum "bottles"..higher priced aluminum bottled beer, BTW.

As to the Windjammer offerings? I don't care for them... they are too ordinary...just like the food we eat at home. And that same ordinary suff is there, every day. Same old, same old.

Problem is, I don't go on a high priced vacation to eat every day, ordinary food. And we don't cruise for the quantity of food, either.... but for the quality. The cruise experience, itself, is supposed to be anything but ordinary. I remember when the buffets in the WJ had wonderful food... fantastic, exotic fruit... the kind you expect to see in the Caribbean...all kinds of melons, fresh pineapple, mango's, papaya. The food in the WJ is basic cafeteria food, now. I don't even eat in the WJ, often, but if I did I'd expect to see something that lets me know that I am on an expensive vacation on a beautiful and elegant floating resort. Not something that looks like I'm in the cafeteria in a public building.

Bottom line? Sure it's great that I don't have to cook and that we are served so well....but the food isn't "free', it's part of the cruise price. Was the food ever "5 star"? No, but for the prices the cruise lines are getting the food SHOULD be of much higher quality.

Do we still cruise? Yes...but it isn't the same, not even close.

 

EMC

[RevSmith]

All I know is if RCI were a restaurant in my town I would probably not be a customer. As far as cruise ships go, I love the company and can forgive all it's faults, because the bottom line is I always have a great cruise.

Rev

[English Jane]

It's only the fat people who complain:p

Goin to make myself some popcorn (0 trans fat):D

 

 

Have to disagree - I'm fat and I never complain! :D

[MakinGold]

FWIW I went to Flemings for the first time the other night and liked it so much better than Mortons and Ruth's Chris, the later being my least favorite chop house.

 

Just another example of how different people have different opinions and experiences when it comes to dining. I personally didn't care much for Flemings. Of course, I've never been to Chops, and my upcoming cruise is on the Voyager, so I won't get to compare it then, either. Looking forward to a night at Portofino, though. :D

[Fam_Cruise]

Fam Cruise - I think you're taking the "5-star" discussion a little too literally and also assuming it to exclusively mean the Mobil Travel Guide rating.

What other way is there to take it other than literally. People are referring to restaurant star rating and TTBOMK since there are only two types of star ratings for restaurants and the other, Michelin, only goes to 3 stars I came to the conclusion that it was the Mobil Travel Guide rating folks were using when referring to 5 star restaurants.

 

Despite all this the RCI food is a good food and value for the money. Not great, not bad, just good. I am sure the specialty restaurants are even better.

[MakinGold]

What other way is there to take it other than literally. People are referring to restaurant star rating and TTBOMK since there are only two types of star ratings for restaurants and the other, Michelin, only goes to 3 stars I came to the conclusion that it was the Mobil Travel Guide rating folks were using when referring to 5 star restaurants.

 

Probably a bad conclusion, then. Many people use 5-star as more a figure of speech more so than referring specifically to the Mobil Travel Guide, in which only a dozen or so restaurants in the entire country achieve that rating. Plus, there are plenty of other publications, both local and more widespread, that might rate restaurants on a scale of stars, diamonds, forks or whatever they may please. You're just being persnickety; you know most people here have probably never even dined in a Mobil 5-star restaurant. :p

[Fam_Cruise]

Just another example of how different people have different opinions and experiences when it comes to dining. I personally didn't care much for Flemings. Of course, I've never been to Chops, and my upcoming cruise is on the Voyager, so I won't get to compare it then, either. Looking forward to a night at Portofino, though. :D

So true. My boss loves Ruth's Chris and I can't stand it. Of course my assessment of Flemings is based on a solitary visit, so that could change. I really don't care for the pretense in any of those style of restaurants though. The problem I have is none of them can do steak as good as I can, and my house is much more relaxed.

 

We are going to dine at both of the specialties on our cruise at the end of Sept and I am looking forward to it.

[MakinGold]

Plus . . . How many people do you suppose would complain, if RCI did have the menu of a 5-star restaurant. ;)

 

http://www.frenchlaudry.com/tfl/TFLMenu0605.pdf

 

 

:( That link didn't quite work.

[Fam_Cruise]

Their menu looked fine. However, their prices are a bit over the top. Even the Inn at Little Washington doesn't go to that extreme and it is a once in decade or lifetime type of restaurant in my book.

 

BTW here is the link to the page where the French Laundry menu can be accessed.

[MakinGold]

I don't think their menu looks bad either, but a lot of people would complain about all that "fancy" stuff and ask where the ranch steak and baked potato were. ;)