Food on RCCL

[PhoenixCruiser]

Yup! We do eat in Portofino and Chops. They are pretty good, close to what the food was a long time ago. :)

 

Agreed, we don't have a problem paying extra for quality food.

 

On our last cruise they offered the Fisherman's Platter, however it wasn't on formal night, perhaps that is where the confusion is coming from :confused:

 

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[1stXcruisers]

Hopefully the midnight gala buffet allows them a chance at some creativity.

 

Do all the cruise ships have the midnight gala buffet? I have been reading RCL posts for awhile and haven't heard anyone comment on the gala buffet (good or bad).

 

B&R

[currenthope]

We went on a 14 day cruise with RC in Europe. No lobster at all. They had "Steak Diane" one night (steak with crabmeat on top). Ha! they should have skipped the entire entree. FAKE crabmeat - it was something stringy and gross. Food overall - mediocre.

 

First and last time with RC for us.

[leavnofingerprints]

There is nothing really wrong with the food on RCCL. My DH is VERY picky and he's perfectly happy with the dining room and Windjammer food. Yes, Celebrity is better, but the cruises are more expensive, too.

 

We thought the food on NCL was very boring and lower quality.

 

Keep in mind you are reading comments from a very, very small population of RCCL cruisers on this board.

 

When I said I was easy to please, I meant in choices. But, I'm definitely picky about quality. We've cruised for 34 years now, and RCCL is still our favorite.

 

If you want very special food, then book your cruise on one of the ship's that have a specialty restaurant, and eat there some nights. I predict that Chops will have lobster on the menu when it's discontinued in the dining room.

 

I have sailed on RCI ships that have alternate dining and agree that the food in Chops was top shelf. However that's missing the point entirely. You shouldn't be pressured to book a reservation in an alternate dining room at an additional cost in order to get lobster for dinner. I'm sorry to see RCI going this route. :(

 

LNF

[leavnofingerprints]

Let's get back to enjoying the cruise for the sake of the cruise and just enjoy the simple things--no cooking, no dishwashing, no grocery shopping, attentive dining room service, no bed-making, no housecleaning, rooms cleaned twice a day, bed turned down at night, few steps to evening entertainment. I could go on and on. Even if we never leave the ship to visit a port, to me that's luxury.

 

I'm sorry Pete, but if it's simple I want in a vacation, I don't need to book a very expensive cruise. That makes absolutely no sense to me.

 

LNF

[TBR]

I'm sorry Pete, but if it's simple I want in a vacation, I don't need to book a very expensive cruise. That makes absolutely no sense to me.

 

LNF

 

Very Expensive? We are talking Royal caribbean,not Crystal,Cunard,or Seaborn.

[luvmyjewels]

DH and I went on our first cruise (Majesty) a couple of weeks ago. We don't dine at 5 star restaurants and aren't that picky about food, however I have to agree with the previous posters who commented that it was bland, banquet quality food (even the bread offering was blah). I was not expecting gourmet and I would have been thrilled if the quality was as good as a chain (Outback, Olive Garden, etc). I definitely would have been bored with it if we had been on a longer cruise.

 

Yes, it was wonderful that I didn't have to cook or clean up those days. Yes, we had wonderful service and overall, our cruise was a great value and we had a very nice time. We definitely want to start planning our next cruise....but due to the food, we may be trying another line.

[leavnofingerprints]

Very Expensive? We are talking Royal caribbean,not Crystal,Cunard,or Seaborn.

 

Of course it's expensive by the time you add up the cost of your flight, hotel pre and post cruise plus the cruise itself. Depending on your cabin selection, you can go (relatively) inexpensive or you can go high-end. Whichever you chose won't alter the fact that you're in the same dining room.

 

LNF

[petesweet]

I'm sorry Pete, but if it's simple I want in a vacation, I don't need to book a very expensive cruise. That makes absolutely no sense to me.

 

LNF

 

Perhaps "simple" was not a good word to use. The things I enumerated were luxuries to me. You don't get that by driving to Day's Inn and eating at Wendy's. And when you get all of that, I consider that the price of the cruise is not too expensive.

[dak_friendly]

DH and I went on our first cruise (Majesty) a couple of weeks ago. We don't dine at 5 star restaurants and aren't that picky about food, however I have to agree with the previous posters who commented that it was bland, banquet quality food (even the bread offering was blah). I was not expecting gourmet and I would have been thrilled if the quality was as good as a chain (Outback, Olive Garden, etc). I definitely would have been bored with it if we had been on a longer cruise.

 

Yes, it was wonderful that I didn't have to cook or clean up those days. Yes, we had wonderful service and overall, our cruise was a great value and we had a very nice time. We definitely want to start planning our next cruise....but due to the food, we may be trying another line.

 

This is ashamed to hear. I too have been noticing the food choices being reduced, cuts of meat being of inferior quality, and generally a lack of anything to hardly look forward to in the dining room. The appetizers offer great variety, but even then, I cannot live on Onion Tarts and spiced fruit puree.

 

Royal Caribbean supposedly won all these awards for the quality of their food. Now I'm wondering about that as well. They're definitely cutting back somewhere.

 

Their current menus that rotate leave a LOT to be desired in the entree department.

[fifty]

I have to admit that one of my favorite things about RCCI was the flourless chocholate cake that was served in the DR. Now, I believe you can find it only at one of the specialty restaurants. It was beyond description.....

 

The sad part of this post... here it is the middle of the afternoon and I am dreaming about chocholate cake

 

 

 

I have never had a problem getting a chocolate dessert... I usually tell my waiter the first night how much I love chocolate and they make sure I have one whether it's on the menu or not... one night, they even packed one to go because I ordered the creme brulee at the table:) ... don't be afraid to ask, they can usually rustle something up for you...

[TahoeBob]

I am not used to 5 star restaurants. All I was saying was to just change up the menu a little. I still enjoyed the food. I would just like to be able to choose from different items over 5 years of RCCL cruising.

If all the people who complain about the food on RCI ate at a land based restraunt two times a year for 7 nights in a row the complaints would be the same. who eats at the same place 7 nights in a row execpt on a cruise and at home?

[KikiKruiser]

....but I think the crux of the matter is that so many of the folks on the message boards are cruise fanatics who cruise every year and have noticed the monotony of the RCI menus. It's gotten so that you don't even have to open the menu anymore, just think of day #1, day #2, day #3 menus, etc etc. Gets old after the first half dozen cruises!! :D

It's gotten to the point where we enjoy dining in Portofinos and Chops more often, just to get away from the banquet food in the dining room. Just the fact that those restaurants are all booked up by the end of embarkation day, should be proof enough!

RCI needs to seriously revamp those menus.... they seem to be asking for our opinions on dining, service, etc etc every other minute, so what are they doing with this information?!! :rolleyes:

[dak_friendly]

If all the people who complain about the food on RCI ate at a land based restraunt two times a year for 7 nights in a row the complaints would be the same. who eats at the same place 7 nights in a row execpt on a cruise and at home?

 

Not a good comparison. Land-based restaurants have a LOT of stuff to choose from on the menu each night. But let's break this down...

 

Five entrees to choose from each night. Pick one of five. Now for me, throw out seafood/fish. I can't eat it. Beef? I've seen so many veins/arteries bulging out of the underside of the cuts on Royal Caribbean that I won't even bother. What's left. One or two choices. Of those choices, one looks good, one looks okay.

 

I've been cruising since 2004. I've tried the "good" looking dishes and have been disappointed with most. I've tried the "okay" looking dishes and have been disappointed with most. I can quickly look at any menu currently offered and pick the one entree out of five that I'll tolerate.

 

I seemed to eat a log of "herb baked chicken" on my transatlantic because everything on the featured entrees kept coming out awful. This was on the Brilliance which, at that time, had the "Best Ship in the Fleet" award (according to Customer Feedback). My last meal on that cruise was a cold polenta "pyramid" served with slimy cold grilled vegetables. I guess that was further punishment for trying something other than "herb backed chicken".

 

Others have said to just mention what I do like to the staff and they'll prepare me something special, but it really shouldn't be like that.

[Bakincakes]

Not a good comparison. Land-based restaurants have a LOT of stuff to choose from on the menu each night. But let's break this down...

 

Five entrees to choose from each night. Pick one of five. Now for me, throw out seafood/fish. I can't eat it. Beef? I've seen so many veins/arteries bulging out of the underside of the cuts on Royal Caribbean that I won't even bother. What's left. One or two choices. Of those choices, one looks good, one looks okay.

 

I've been cruising since 2004. I've tried the "good" looking dishes and have been disappointed with most. I've tried the "okay" looking dishes and have been disappointed with most. I can quickly look at any menu currently offered and pick the one entree out of five that I'll tolerate.

 

I seemed to eat a log of "herb baked chicken" on my transatlantic because everything on the featured entrees kept coming out awful. This was on the Brilliance which, at that time, had the "Best Ship in the Fleet" award (according to Customer Feedback). My last meal on that cruise was a cold polenta "pyramid" served with slimy cold grilled vegetables. I guess that was further punishment for trying something other than "herb backed chicken".

 

Others have said to just mention what I do like to the staff and they'll prepare me something special, but it really shouldn't be like that.

 

It is all part and parcel of the dumbing down of the cruise experience. Cost cutting is king...cheaper cuts of beef...lobster tails so small even the lobsters were glad to get rid of them...invisible vegetables...few "special" desserts unless you are dining in a specialty and paying more for them...if pax don't complain nothing will change and future cruises will offer less and less. Soon "inclusive" will amount to "three hots and a cot". Anything extra you dig into your pocket. Soon that $400 cabin price isn't such a bargain anymore unless you don't leave your room.

[dak_friendly]

It is all part and parcel of the dumbing down of the cruise experience. Cost cutting is king...cheaper cuts of beef...lobster tails so small even the lobsters were glad to get rid of them...invisible vegetables...few "special" desserts unless you are dining in a specialty and paying more for them...if pax don't complain nothing will change and future cruises will offer less and less. Soon "inclusive" will amount to "three hots and a cot". Anything extra you dig into your pocket. Soon that $400 cabin price isn't such a bargain anymore unless you don't leave your room.

 

I've already been under this firm belief, and you've mentioned in the past ...

 

Is Royal Caribbean's most important passenger ... the NEW passenger?

[BobBeaSea]

We are getting what a daily food budget of approximately $8.00 per passenger per day allows for, nothing more, nothing less.

 

Wish I could find a particular post by an ex Food & Beverage Mgr. who is a member of these boards. He laid it all out...in stark numbers. And yes, there is a world of difference if you make the move upwards in choice of cruise line. Given the level of competition among mass market lines and the resulting cost cutting, I wouldn't expect any significant changes. As mentioned frequently above, there is nothing wrong with the food, it's just not great or memorable.

[Bakincakes]

I've already been under this firm belief, and you've mentioned in the past ...

 

Is Royal Caribbean's most important passenger ... the NEW passenger?

 

 

Of course it is. Seasoned cruisers know the score..newbies think everything is grand, even the cheap beef that is being served in the MDR and the "lobster".:rolleyes:

 

Those that can afford it will eat in the specialties..more money for RCI..the other pax will make do in the MDR.

 

The list of what exactly is inclusive of your ticket price is dwindling. New cruisers won't miss what they have never experienced.

[dak_friendly]

Of course it is. Seasoned cruisers know the score..newbies think everything is grand, even the cheap beef that is being served in the MDR and the "lobster".:rolleyes:

 

Those that can afford it will eat in the specialties..more money for RCI..the other pax will make do in the MDR.

 

The list of what exactly is inclusive of your ticket price is dwindling. New cruisers won't miss what they have never experienced.

 

But marketing-wise? The commercials focus on the actual ship features (flowrider comes to mind), excursions, and ports of call. The Samantha Brown infomercials focused on the "average" cruise ... mainly underlining ports, excursions, and specialty dining. The last Samantha Brown was more excursion than anything else.

 

On a side note: When they feature the "behind the scenes" food prep area, it looks like things are prepped way too far in advanced, anything served hot is already under a heat lamp and just plopped on a plate, sauced, and covered to "present". It actually looks the opposite of appetizing. It's scary to think that McDonald's may be offering something closer to "cooked to order" than the cruise line!

[Bakincakes]

But marketing-wise? The commercials focus on the actual ship features (flowrider comes to mind), excursions, and ports of call. The Samantha Brown infomercials focused on the "average" cruise ... mainly underlining ports, excursions, and specialty dining. The last Samantha Brown was more excursion than anything else.

 

On a side note: When they feature the "behind the scenes" food prep area, it looks like things are prepped way too far in advanced, anything served hot is already under a heat lamp and just plopped on a plate, sauced, and covered to "present". It actually looks the opposite of appetizing. It's scary to think that McDonald's may be offering something closer to "cooked to order" than the cruise line!

 

 

I can recall watching one of those travel channel specials...can't recall which cruiseline..the head chef was "Rudy" something...anyway..he was "carving" what was supposed to be a beef tenderloin..either his knife was really dull or the meat was tougher than shoe leather..he was hacking at the poor thing and still couldn't get through it.:rolleyes:

[amybear912]

Here is what I don't understand... if the food is so awful and that is such an important part of your cruising experience... why not choose a line that places more focus on the quality of the food???

 

Personally, we take a lot of things into account when choosing a cruise... it's not all about the food or all about the itinerary, it's a combination of things... we know the food is not exceptional but it suffices and considering what we pay to cruise, it is right in line with what we expect it to be... mass market banquet food... DH and I are in the restaurant business so we fully understand the concept of food cost, waste, etc. - (do you have any idea how much food they have to throw away, it would make your head spin) the food is not disappointing but is exactly what we expect it to be given the price of the cruise...

 

But I can't help but wonder why people continue to return to RCCL if the food is so unacceptable to you... the only reason that I can come up with is that those people return to RC (and other mass market cruiselines) because they are simply not in a position to shell out the extra cash for a more expensive cruise where, presumably, the food would be more satisfying... this is why we have chosen RC... if it were more expensive, we simply couldn't afford that type of vacation...

 

You can't have it both ways... You get what you pay for...

 

I really resent this whole "dumbing down" the cruise BS... It's insulting and pretentious... Let's just call it what it really is... Marketing their business to attract new customers... Every good business uses this practice... it's what makes a business grow... It's what enables RC to build better ships, more ships, and ships that have options to appeal to more customers... More customers = more money...

[Bakincakes]

Here is what I don't understand... if the food is so awful and that is such an important part of your cruising experience... why not choose a line that places more focus on the quality of the food???

 

Personally, we take a lot of things into account when choosing a cruise... it's not all about the food or all about the itinerary, it's a combination of things... we know the food is not exceptional but it suffices and considering what we pay to cruise, it is right in line with what we expect it to be... mass market banquet food... DH and I are in the restaurant business so we fully understand the concept of food cost, waste, etc. - (do you have any idea how much food they have to throw away, it would make your head spin) the food is not disappointing but is exactly what we expect it to be given the price of the cruise...

 

But I can't help but wonder why people continue to return to RCCL if the food is so unacceptable to you... the only reason that I can come up with is that those people return to RC (and other mass market cruiselines) because they are simply not in a position to shell out the extra cash for a more expensive cruise where, presumably, the food would be more satisfying... this is why we have chosen RC... if it were more expensive, we simply couldn't afford that type of vacation...

 

You can't have it both ways... You get what you pay for...

 

I really resent this whole "dumbing down" the cruise BS... It's insulting and pretentious... Let's just call it what it really is... Marketing their business to attract new customers... Every good business uses this practice... it's what makes a business grow... It's what enables RC to build better ships, more ships, and ships that have options to appeal to more customers... More customers = more money...

 

If it makes you feel better to consider what is happening to cruising "marketing" so be it. It is what it is. And you are correct just as PT Barnum was all those years ago. If you can convince someone that the pig he just bought is a prize bull you deserve to make money from the deal.

 

RCI used to be considered one of the better lines. And if you think their ticket prices aren't going to increase, think again. You may have to rethink your vacation choices if it gets pricier.

 

Food doesn't have to be "adequate" even on a mass marketed cruiseline. The fact that Chops and Portofino are so busy bears that out. Pax do want tasty, well presented food. The cruiseline has figured out that pax are more than willing to pay more for it. They have also figured out that many pax feel like you do about the food and will continue to serve meals that aren't meant to excite but are merely vehicles to stave off hunger. You are indeed getting what you pay for and what you are willing to accept. More's the pity.

[dak_friendly]

I can recall watching one of those travel channel specials...can't recall which cruiseline..the head chef was "Rudy" something...anyway..he was "carving" what was supposed to be a beef tenderloin..either his knife was really dull or the meat was tougher than shoe leather..he was hacking at the poor thing and still couldn't get through it.:rolleyes:

 

Must've hit an bundle of arteries/veins...

 

Amybear912: If anything, I cruise with Royal Caribbean because their ships have excellent layouts and activities onboard. I also think the staff is awesome! I do enjoy myself. I almost feel guilty complaining about the food... mainly because I know the cooks are at the whim of their corporate office. They make the most of what they're given and restricted to the menus they must prepare. But Bakincakes is right...

 

I'm planning on supplementing those meals that I don't like by budgeting a visit or two to the Specialty restaurants. Even then, Chops has mostly seafood based appetizers and Portofino is mostly seafood based entrees. There are just some dining room menus that I cannot even consider one entree on. I'm not kidding! :( It's been gradual, but even the dishes I do like have gotten... skimpier.

 

What the heck is going on?

[amybear912]

but again... I don't just cruise for the food...

 

and again... if the food is so important to you and so unacceptable, why not choose a line where the food is better???? I mean, why are you punishing yourself with what you consider sub-standard food???

 

Unless there is some other reason that you choose to cruise RC...

 

You seem to not like a lot of things about RC and seem to be able to find all sorts of ways that they aren't living up to your expectations... why do you continue to give them your money???

 

If you don't like the way they are running their business, why not give your money to a cruiseline that does make you happy???

 

It just seems foolish to me to give someone my money when I am not happy with their product...

 

Again, your tone is often pretentious, snobby... wouldn't you be better off on a cruiseline that meets your high expectations????

 

I'm not trying to attack you but for the life of me, I can't figure out why you pay them money when you are obviously so dissatisfied with their product????

[amybear912]

dak: You are correct, there are menus where DH and I have almost walked out and just picked up a sandwich at the Promenade... but we always remind ourselves that the cost of the cruise is about more than the food... and on the nights when the menu is well, so-so... we just eat lighter and hit some great local place in port....

 

And RC has options that we enjoy that make it much easier to overlook the menu... for us, WJ is only an option for breakfast occasionally... it's really hard to screw up breakfast but the last time I ate in the dining room for breakfast, realized the hollandaise was made from a powdered mix... well, that broke my heart and I would rather eat powdered scrambled eggs than be presented with hollandaise from a box...

 

Food is just a matter of sustenance for us while we are cruising... yes, it just eases the hunger pangs until the night we are booked for Chops or Portofino (BTW, I hear the tenderloin medallions there are pretty good)...

 

Food is matter of business for them... and I imagine that when they factor in the amount that is wasted, the varied palates of the 3000 guests on board, prep time, serve time, operationally you end up with... well, what you end up with is food that they hope will satisfy the majority... which apparently it does...