Tell me about Portfino's

[tiffstulips]

Going on my first RCI AOS sailing in 34 days. Tell me about Portfino's. How long does dinner take? How many courses are there? What makes it so superb to the dining room? What are the best nights to go?

Thanks for all your help.

[MoiraPan]

Going on my first RCI AOS sailing in 34 days. Tell me about Portfino's. How long does dinner take? How many courses are there? What makes it so superb to the dining room? What are the best nights to go?

Thanks for all your help.

 

Ah Portofino's.

 

Plan on the meal lasting about 2-2 1/2 hours. There's 4-5 courses depending on how you order and they try to pace you, giving you time between them. The quality of the food and presentation is better (if you order the filet minon your knife will practically fall through it), also all of your dishes are cooked-to-order (a la minute) rather than pre cooked like in the dining room. Not to sure about the best nights to go, but later dinner reservations (around the seccond seating time for the main dining room) will give you a better shot at a less crowded restaurant experience.

[ckrobyn]

Portofino is a wonderful dining experience :)

 

Maybe plan it on a sea day, when you are nice and relaxed and don't have to rush.

 

Be sure to book as soon as you board - reservations fill up VERY quickly and you don't want to be disappointed.

 

Have a great cruise on my favorite ship - I will be boarding in 69 days! :D

[tiffstulips]

Thanks for the info? Is there plenty of seafood at Portfino's too? And chocolate dessert?

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Portofino, like a previous poster said takes 2-2.5 hrs. Food is outstanding, taste and presentation. It is prepared to order, unlike the Dining room, so the flavor is fresher. Service is impeccable.....

 

I dont recall an abundance of fish though...There is salmon, lobster, shrimp and....?? on the seafood skewer. Filet mignon is amazing as well as the desserts, flourless chocolate cake is superb. My fave is the roasted garlic/oil and bread! Make your reservation at Portofino on a sea day!

[nanfromatlanta]

Thanks for the info? Is there plenty of seafood at Portfino's too? And chocolate dessert?

 

Here are the menus:

http://www.thepreismans.com/Freedom_menus.htm

[ckrobyn]

Portofino, like a previous poster said takes 2-2.5 hrs. Food is outstanding, taste and presentation. It is prepared to order, unlike the Dining room, so the flavor is fresher. Service is impeccable.....

 

I dont recall an abundance of fish though...There is salmon, lobster, shrimp and....?? on the seafood skewer. Filet mignon is amazing as well as the desserts, flourless chocolate cake is superb. My fave is the roasted garlic/oil and bread! Make your reservation at Portofino on a sea day!

 

 

Diva - you got the contents of the skewer correct. I just had it on the Mariner last month and it was yummy!!! :)

[CLQ]

Tiger Shrimp Risotto at Portofino is right fine! The service there is really good, but it's the creativity of the menu and the freshness of the food compared to the mass-prepared nature of the food from the Main DR. A great experience.

[Morecruisesplz]

Dining service and food they way crusing must have been when our parents were cruising! Each waiter only has 2 or 3 tables and each table has it's own assistant waiter... take a drink of water and someone fills it back up. Finish a roll and he is at your elbow asking if you would like another. Get the idea? Just fabulous service.

 

Limited seating means peace and quiet.

 

The waiter has time to talk if you are interested. You can learn a lot about their home countries, the ports you will be visiting, etc. if you don't mind a conversation that starts and stops each time he/she returns. Remember: they do this cruise every week or every other week so are a wealth of info. I wish I could remember the name of the waiter we had twice on the AOS who is from Spain -- just the best!

 

Hot, freshly cooked food and amazing desserts! But be aware menus are changing so don't get your heart set on anything you read or see printed here. There will be something fabulous on the menu on your cruise!

 

Treat yourself and you won't be sorry!!

[In the Pink]

Portofino, like a previous poster said takes 2-2.5 hrs. Food is outstanding, taste and presentation. It is prepared to order, unlike the Dining room, so the flavor is fresher. Service is impeccable.....

 

I dont recall an abundance of fish though...There is salmon, lobster, shrimp and....?? on the seafood skewer. Filet mignon is amazing as well as the desserts, flourless chocolate cake is superb. My fave is the roasted garlic/oil and bread! Make your reservation at Portofino on a sea day!

 

Thanks so much for posting this! I don't see filet mignon though... what is it disguised as??

[sandytoes03]

My husband and I always wondered if Portofino's was really worth it--wasn't the cruise alone treat enough? But in March we finally went for it and had a wonderful time. Our table was right by the window and we stayed a few hours--eating casually, sipping wine. Service was excellent and I can't wait to go back! I'm not sure what night would be better, but do make your reservations early and ENJOY!!

[olga77]

Question for you guys as my DH and I always eat at the main dining room, so please don't mind. :) How much do you pay for Portofino? Does it work as a regular restaurant where you come in, order food, and then pay for whatever you order or do you just pay an entrance fee and then basically eat what you want and how much you want. I guess I am interested in knowing is there a limit on food? Also how is the menus differ from the Carribean cruise and the Mediterranean? Does each RCCL has its own "Portofino" or are you only talking about Voyager of the Seas?

Thanks much for your advises...:rolleyes:

[jwick]

Just be sure to bring your appetite! Don't eat too much on the day that you'll be going to Portofino's (easier said than done!). :D

 

Have fun!

[tiffstulips]

Thank you so much! It all looks so wonderful!

[RoofingPrincess]

Question for you guys as my DH and I always eat at the main dining room, so please don't mind. :) How much do you pay for Portofino? Does it work as a regular restaurant where you come in, order food, and then pay for whatever you order or do you just pay an entrance fee and then basically eat what you want and how much you want. I guess I am interested in knowing is there a limit on food? Also how is the menus differ from the Carribean cruise and the Mediterranean? Does each RCCL has its own "Portofino" or are you only talking about Voyager of the Seas?

Thanks much for your advises...:rolleyes:

There is a surcharge of $20 or $25 to eat at Portofino, and you then select what you want from the menu. The only other charges would be for alcoholic drinks, and if you wanted to leave an additional tip for your server (the surcharge covers the basic tip).

To be honest, I don't know if there is a limit on food - I did not order every course and I was still stuffed when I left, and I am NOT a dainty eater!

Some ships have Portofino, some have Chops (a steakhouse), some have both, some have neither. Check the RCCL website to see which (if any) your ship has.

[olga77]

There is a surcharge of $20 or $25 to eat at Portofino, and you then select what you want from the menu. The only other charges would be for alcoholic drinks, and if you wanted to leave an additional tip for your server (the surcharge covers the basic tip).

To be honest, I don't know if there is a limit on food - I did not order every course and I was still stuffed when I left, and I am NOT a dainty eater!

Some ships have Portofino, some have Chops (a steakhouse), some have both, some have neither. Check the RCCL website to see which (if any) your ship has.

 

 

Thanks Cindy very much!:p

[uktraveller]

But be aware menus are changing so don't get your heart set on anything you read or see printed here. There will be something fabulous on the menu on your cruise!

 

 

Do you know if the menus will change before our next cruise in April?

[Yellowlily]

We like the ribbon pasta with mushrooms, beef tenderloin and the tiramisu! Enjoy your good eats!

[berylde]

We went to Portifino's the second night and there were many empty tables. (main seating)

[Yuridog]

The pasta appetizers are so awesome, I would have loved to have them for my regular meal.

 

Don't forget if you choose to have the bottled water, you will be charged for that as well (something like $3.50 plus gratuity). We didn't quite understand our waiter when asked about the water and accidentally asked for bottled water. Not a problem, but we would have been fine with the regular ice water :cool:

 

We aren't diners who love to linger, so it was nice to go at our own pace. We were only in there around 1 1/2 hours or so, which was exactly what we wanted. They definitely serve you at your own pace and everything is nice and hot or cold, as expected. We were always too cheap to try it before last October on AOS, but we are now hooked.

[katiel53]

Thanks so much for posting this! I don't see fillet mignon though... what is it disguised as??

 

It's not disguised, it is written in Italian, lol. I don't understand a word of it, but there is a translation below each item. For the fillet the Italian is Filetto Di Manzo Alla Piatra, which is fillet with truffle mashed potatoes.

 

We went to Portifino's the second night and there were many empty tables. (main seating)

 

 

Portofino/Chops will never be full. There WILL ALWAYS BE EMPTY TABLES. The way these restaurants is set up is that only a certain number of tables will be full each night. Those tables are divided up by the times each restaurant sets for reservations based on tables etc. Each waiter handles a certain number of tables at a time. All food is cooked to order, and each table gets personal service from the waiter.

 

They do not plan to have all tables full at any time because the food won't be as good nor will the service. It is such a common mis-understanding regarding these restaurants. People will walk by say, hmm, not a good restaurant because there are empty tables. Others will say, gee, open seats so tell anyone/everyone on CC that you can just walk in and get a seat.

 

Both are so not true. Portofino is wonderful, expect a quiet atmosphere. Expect a great dinner, with wonderful service. Don't expect a full restaurant.

 

Enjoy.

[In the Pink]

It's not disguised, it is written in Italian, lol. I don't understand a word of it, but there is a translation below each item. For the fillet the Italian is Filetto Di Manzo Alla Piatra, which is fillet with truffle mashed potatoes.

 

I did see that but wasn't sure if "Grilled North American beef tenderloin" actually equalled a filet mignon. Could have been lots of things. Thanks for clarifying!

[Gymnastsfamily]

DH and I ate at Portofinos 3 times during our recent sailing on AOS. We loved the food and the service, but we also really liked our tablemates and enjoyed their company as well in the dining room. Also, after 3 visits we had tried alomost everything that we wanted to try.

 

The shrimp on the risotto appetizer was the best shrimp I think I have ever eaten. Also, the cheese plate was delish. Mmmm, the memories...and I am not a foody at all.

 

About the question regarding how much food you can order, while there, we saw a man with two entres, the seafood skewer and a steak and then he had dessert. Not sure about his apps, we didn't notice hm until the entres) I am not sure how any one could consume that much food.

[Mach1]

The best tiramisu I have ever had!!

We went to the Murder Mystery Dinner and you only get 2 choices for dinner. This next time I’m going just for the dinner. There are to many yummy sounding dishes!!

Enjoy