Cruise Food Sucks.

[Hoover Cruiser]

Maybe the OP doesn't enjoy a variety in their cuisine. If a person only likes hot dogs and fries, I can see where they would be disappointed by the vast array of different food choices....

You know, I have a high school senior that likes velveeta, hot dogs, white bread, and candy canes.

 

Oh well! [sigh] If they have bread with velveeta melted on it by microwave, she'll be in heaven. ;)

[adam00]

I think this post by the OP explains their mindset.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=81681

 

Paradise beach, margaritas and nachos......I get it.

Wow! If I was a first time poster and got attacked like she did I don't know that I'd want to come back either. What's wrong with Paradise beach, margaritas and nachos? What is it you get?

 

We sailed RCCL's NOS in Feb 2004 and I didn't think the food was fantastic but it was good enough. Some selections were better than others but none of it was really anything to write home about. As far as the staff, they were fantastic.

[seagoingJLW]

There has been a tremendous change in the foodserved on board cruise ships in the last few years. I think the problemstarted with the advent of the specialty restaurants on board. The elegant food served in these rooms for which the cruise lines charge an additional fee of $20 to $25 per person per meal are the same meals that used to be served in the dining room.

 

Cruise ships used to take pride in their elegant continental cuisine. Some, like Holland America, were so proud of their food that sets of menus were distributed at the end of the cruise. Now, they serve what they call "comfort food." Instead of Chateaubriand and Coq au Vin, you now get pot roast and meat loaf.

 

From now on we shall sail mainly on Oceania, where cuisine is very important and all menus come from Jacques Pepin.

 

Joan

[Melissa at Mohair Meadows]

One of the main reasons we cruise is for the great food. I have never been disappointed (overall). There will always be something that doesn't suit, but for the chance to eat Rack of lamb, lobster, escargot, etc every night - I'm in heaven.

 

But most of all - it's great because I don't have to plan it, cook it or clean up after. I'm a pretty good cook myself, but by the time we sit down to eat what I cook, I can barely taste it.

 

Cruises are for trying new things, savoring favorites and being good to oneself. Enjoy!

 

:p

[seagoingJLW]

One of the main reasons we cruise is for the great food. I have never been disappointed (overall). There will always be something that doesn't suit, but for the chance to eat Rack of lamb, lobster, escargot, etc every night - I'm in heaven.

 

But most of all - it's great because I don't have to plan it, cook it or clean up after. I'm a pretty good cook myself, but by the time we sit down to eat what I cook, I can barely taste it.

 

Cruises are for trying new things, savoring favorites and being good to oneself. Enjoy!

 

:p

 

What cruiselines have you been sailing on recently. Food is one of the things that has gone downhill fast. No longer do you get chateaubriand, coq au vin, Veal Oscar, etc. Now you are served pot roast, pork loin and meat loaf. Quelle domage!!!

 

Joan

[camella]

I've been on Princess, Carnival, RCCL, NCL and Celebrity. I've had disappointments with both Carnival and RCCL. I think sometimes it's just the luck of the draw. For example, we went to Alaska on Princess and absolutely chowed! Fresh seafood every night, just delicious. Then, about five years later we went to Alaska on RCCL, the Radiance of the Seas and the food was disgusting! However, we just got back from Jewel of the Seas (RCCL) and the food was great! Same thing with Carnival. We went on a seven day cruise to the Caribbean that was a nightmare, and then about six years later went again at the urging of our travel agent and the food was terrific! Go figure. I will say I went on a two day cruise with Celebrity and the food was awful. The ship was just totally unorganized and not ready for that cruise. We went on Celebrity last spring and the food was cooked to perfection. In fact we are going on a Panama Canal cruise this spring on Celebrity. So I do agree that the shorter cruises don't take the time or effort or whatever it is to make sure the food is exceptional. It shouldn't really make a difference, but I know sometimes it does.

[mrpilot]

Ok Folks, help me out here. First, I can't afford the high end cruise lines so the bride and I make the best of what we can do. My first cruise had a 21 hour buffet line (closed one hour between each meal to let us know it was a different meal). Nothing but a buffet line....aboard an air craft carrier. Can't say I gained any weight on that one, but it did sustain life. Then the bride and I went on a Carnival out of Galveston last summer and I was really impressed. I didn't have to do mess duty once. And the food was fantastic. I'm not the gormet type of person, but I know what I like and I liked all I ate and them some. They cooked things I don't like and I think I might like some of them now. Our next adventure is aboard the Rhapsody out of Galveston on Jan 16th. How does their food and overall experience rate to Carnival? As long as I'm not swabbing decks I plan to have a great time. Just trying to get some prospective on what to expect.

 

Ain't it great that we have the time, money, health and freedom to enjoy life the way we have it?!

 

onward thru the fog....

[bobnsandi]

We just finished the Legend of the

Seas through the Panama Canal (12/12/04).

The dining room food was pretty good, and

there would be few things to complain about.

They served lobster twice (it was the Christmas cruise,

after all).

 

However, the buffet was a disaster, IMHO.

Food was rarely warm, much less hot,

usually congealed cold.

 

The foot traffic patterns in the Legend

buffet area are terrible and it takes a lot of

time to get anything, accompanied by the chance

that you will collide with someone along

the way. We saw entire food stations knocked

over by human collisions, which made the

walking traffic even worse, as they waited

for cleanup.

 

One afternoon, they served absolutely

inedible "snacks" there. (oh yes, we did fill

out our comment card)

 

Only positive item I can think of for

the buffet was the soft-serve ice cream,

and generally the other desserts.

 

We only used room service once, but

the food was very fresh and the service

excellent. May do that again, in the future.

 

Sadly, the Legend is too small to have multiple

restaurants, so the choices can be rather limited.

[Bryon]

I can imagine describing some cruiseline food as airline food, even if it is a bit of an overstatement. The mass market lines (at least NCL and Carnival, can't speak to RCI) are serving basically banquet food--mass bought ingredients, indifferent to good preperations, some time under heat lamps or otherwise waiting.

 

Celebrity seems to do a better job (I've heard HAL and Princess as well), they seem to get good quality, if still mass-bought ingredients, and have more skill in the kitchen.

 

The problem cruise lines face is that the culinary revolution in America has really exposed us to carefully prepared and imaginative meals made with the highest quality of ingredients that can be found.

 

Cruise lines at their best are only reaching the standard of the earlier "fine dining" which was primarily french or pseudo-french food that really relied more on atmosphere, service and classic appeal than on the quality of the food.

 

And not to be too controversial, but coq au vin isn't much more than chicken stew, chateubriand is basically either a pot roast or broiled beef with a pan gravy (depending on who's version you use). If I dig through my Escoffier long enough I can probably find a French dish which is, after all, meatloaf. A French name (or simple exoticism) ought not to be enough to qualify as fine dining, unless we all want to turn our clocks back to 1979 or 1983 or some such.

[House_Atreides]

I think this post by the OP explains their mindset.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=81681

 

Paradise beach, margaritas and nachos......I get it.

 

OH so she WAS looking for a Taco Bell!:D

[bobnsandi]

I can imagine describing some cruiseline food as airline food, even if it is a bit of an overstatement. The mass market lines (at least NCL and Carnival, can't speak to RCI) are serving basically banquet food--mass bought ingredients, indifferent to good preperations, some time under heat lamps or otherwise waiting.

 

I'll comment on RCL. This is a repeat of some things

said just above! We were on the Legend through the Panama Canal,

12/12/04. The sit down meals were remarkably good. The service

was strange at times particularly near the end of the cruise for the

non-dinner meals. Since the dinner staff gets the major tips, they

became more and more solicitous (sp?) near the end, but

the service we had from them was wonderful throughout

the cruise. But I can say that, regardless of the service at times,

we got hot, fresh food at the sit down meals.

 

Even the one room service meal we had (breakfast

on the Panama Canal day) was fresh and quick.

 

That all said, we had major problems with the buffet on the Legend.

See above for ugly details. They did have

two things that were worth trying: bread pudding every other

day (Sandi was in heaven), and good-quality soft-serve

ice cream (with cookies, of course) at lunchtime.

 

The solarium was supposed to have great hamburgers and

fries. Well the fries were good and fresh, but the burgers

were cold and had obviously been pre-cooked and assembled

on order.

[seagoingJLW]

I can imagine describing some cruiseline food as airline food, even if it is a bit of an overstatement. The mass market lines (at least NCL and Carnival, can't speak to RCI) are serving basically banquet food--mass bought ingredients, indifferent to good preperations, some time under heat lamps or otherwise waiting.

 

Celebrity seems to do a better job (I've heard HAL and Princess as well), they seem to get good quality, if still mass-bought ingredients, and have more skill in the kitchen.

 

The problem cruise lines face is that the culinary revolution in America has really exposed us to carefully prepared and imaginative meals made with the highest quality of ingredients that can be found.

 

Cruise lines at their best are only reaching the standard of the earlier "fine dining" which was primarily french or pseudo-french food that really relied more on atmosphere, service and classic appeal than on the quality of the food.

 

And not to be too controversial, but coq au vin isn't much more than chicken stew, chateubriand is basically either a pot roast or broiled beef with a pan gravy (depending on who's version you use). If I dig through my Escoffier long enough I can probably find a French dish which is, after all, meatloaf. A French name (or simple exoticism) ought not to be enough to qualify as fine dining, unless we all want to turn our clocks back to 1979 or 1983 or some such.

 

 

Food aboard cruise ships is good and well prepared. It is the menu choices that have deteriorated badly. I want my grenouille back.

 

Joan

[garykool81]

The only cruiseline I know of that "touts" the food served onboard, and rightfully so I hear, would be Oceania. While I cannot personally comment, their culinary consultant, unlike other lines like Celebrity, NCL, etc., is not a man who "prostitutes" his name in exchange for cash.

 

I am certain that the food I experience aboard Oceania in November will be equal to what one would expect from a solid four star restaurant on land.

[ChefPeg]

Hi there,

My husband and I just came back from the Radiance of the Seas on Sunday. I would not nor could not complain about the food. The food was very very good. If we had something we did not care for, they bent over backwards to please us. I did not like the turkey wrap I ordered for lunch, it came with mayo, I can't stand mayo, the waiter was very concerned and wanted to get me something i would like, he named a million different items that I might like better. He wasn't even our regular waiter. Lunch was open seating, so chances were I would never see him again. The service, the selection, the quality was outstanding!

We found no reason to go to the buffet or use room service, everything was fantastic. So, if the food was bad on one ship, we can't say the food is bad on cruises overall.

Thanks for listening.

Take care,

Peggy

[seagoingJLW]

Hi there,

My husband and I just came back from the Radiance of the Seas on Sunday. I would not nor could not complain about the food. The food was very very good. If we had something we did not care for, they bent over backwards to please us. I did not like the turkey wrap I ordered for lunch, it came with mayo, I can't stand mayo, the waiter was very concerned and wanted to get me something i would like, he named a million different items that I might like better. He wasn't even our regular waiter. Lunch was open seating, so chances were I would never see him again. The service, the selection, the quality was outstanding!

We found no reason to go to the buffet or use room service, everything was fantastic. So, if the food was bad on one ship, we can't say the food is bad on cruises overall.

Thanks for listening.

Take care,

Peggy

 

When we were on the Jewel of the Seas in June, the lunch menu in the dining room was exactly the same every day. Choices were very limited. We wound up going to the Lido for lunch daily where there were a lot more offerings.

 

Joan

[motherchic]

i have been on RCCL, the food was good and we enjoyed it. Then our last 4 cruises have been on Celebrity, in my humble opinion the food was far superior. And for the money-excellent. As all said. If you dont like something ask for something else. If you are a meat and potatoes person you can always ask for a steak and baked potato even if it is not on the menu.

We like the buffet for breakfast-omlett stations-waffle bar etc... Just made and great!

Dont really care for the buffets for lunch went to the spa for lunch instead and had "tea" in the afternoon.

Dinner always in the dining room. EXCELLENT

They also make homemade ice creams and sherbet OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope this helps

nadine

[lauren123]

i enjoyed the food, it wasn't exellent, but not bad enough to complain...it's not like bad food would reuin my vacation!

[racegrrl]

Our trip on the Carnival Inspiration was absolutely a weight-gaining adventure! I will premise my comments with the fact that I am a rep for a very large food service distributor and spend hours a day in the finest kitchens.

 

I was prepared to face anything in the dining on our first ever cruise. Surfed these boards for a while and ready to be either wowed or worried. It was definately a "WOW" experience. We ate in the dining ever evening on our five day cruise. Day one: tilapia as moist as the day it was caught. Day two: Lobster and prime rib - delicious! Day three: Beef Wellington I could cut with a butter knife. Day Four: Peppered duck that was moist yet not greasy Day Five: Seafood trio (shrimp, lobster, scallops) in a sherry sauce.

 

Chateau Brieand (spelling) was offered and DH had that and LOVED it! Only one meal was so/so - it was a turkey dish that was expeditiously replaced when DH showed disinterest and our server quickly caught on.

 

Presentation of both dinners, apps, desserts would rival most 5 star restaurants. For a "mass feeding" operation - we had 2500 pax on our cruise - they absolutely did things right.

 

Buffets - nice variety, everything hot and fresh, nice selection of salad toppings and desserts. Staff kept the room cleaned up quickly and offered refills of drinks.

 

Also had to take the galley tour (professional curiousity) and it was quite an impressive and efficient operation!

 

Overall, I was extremely impressed by our cruise cuisine. Infact I commented to DH on our second night, "Whoever said they didn't like cruise food obviously haven't been on this ship!"

[Queenk2]

I don't understand someone complaining about everything they ate. I have been in 5 star restaurants and have found things that I didn't LOVE. I have been on over 30 cruises from the"best" to the supposed "worst" I loved everyone of them Quite frankly, if I don't have to cook it, clean up after it or plan it...I AM HAPPY!

[Cathy p]

This is the first time I have read this section. My goodness, OP reminds me of my grandchild when she does not get her way. I don't think she had a good attitude going into the cruise so nothing was going to make her happy. What a shame, life is way too short. She needs to stay at home with the yellow pages and let her fingers do the walking.:p

[debbie9703]

I have always loved the food on the HAL. I did go on RCCL last month and I didn't enjoy the food as much. I am, though, kind of a picky eater. I thought the dinners were fine. Several times at lunch buffet I did end up only getting a salad cause nothing else appealed to me. My husband, on the other hand always found something he liked. My next trip is with Carnival. I enjoy being on a cruise. Food isn't the most important thing to me. As long as they serve plenty of chocolate desserts I am happy!

[RavenSage]

Unrelated.. But I saw your ship leave Fort Lauderdale. I was on the Conquest next to you :). Our ship stayed until 1AM for unscheduled maintenance.

[JawjaFatBoy]

Unrelated.. But I saw your ship leave Fort Lauderdale. I was on the Conquest next to you :). Our ship stayed until 1AM for unscheduled maintenance.

 

Please don't take this the wrong way, but you must have had trouble sleeping last night! You dug up a thread that hadn't had a post in over 5 years!:eek::D

 

Don't worry about it though, you're not the first. Welcome to the boards!

[retiredkid]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but you must have had trouble sleeping last night! You dug up a thread that hadn't had a post in over 5 years!:eek::D

 

Don't worry about it though, you're not the first. Welcome to the boards!

 

:D:D:D This made me laugh... And, this is said with a great big THANKS for the smile, so don't YOU take this the wrong way.... This thread is actually TEN years old. jes sayin':)

LOL I luv CC

[MrsT3030]

I also have never found the food to be terrible on any cruises but would recommend Carnival for good food. What they lack in glamour, they make up for in good food, we found.