Why do so many people dislike RCCL's food?

[Darkwolfe]

I'm going to pitch out a theory on the food question.. Is it possible that when a ship is nearing the end of it's tenure with RCI, (which is possible with Grandeur) the chef assigned to the ship is perhaps new or just not quite a star performer.

 

Now, to be frank, I'm fairly meat and potatoes myself. I like my food fairly simple but well crafted. On both Voyager and Enchantment, I was quite happy with the food and had no complaints at all. Enchantment actually seemed to have a little better variety in the WJ and I quite enjoyed breakfast there on the days we didn't have room service on the balcony.

[Havana Daydreamin]

BTW....I and my FIL LOVE your train setup....

 

All I can say is WOW.....what a way to spend the time inbetween cruises!!!!!:D

[ivycruise]

Until our most recent cruise last week on the Grandeur of the Seas I would have said exactly what the OP posted. HOWEVER, our dining room experience on the Grandeur included three very undesirable meals. Both my wife's and my "Fisherman's Platter" were disgusting: the lobster was almost raw (even to the point that if held between two fingers it dripped water) and the shrimp were watery and the size of a quarter, my steak was extremely thin and very over cooked, and a fish dish was dreadful. On the positive side the prime rib was excellent.

 

Neither my wife nor I are picky eaters and will eat almost anything. Until this cruise we always left the table feeling like we had experienced a decent meal and often an excellent meal (as on the Splendour of the Seas out of Venice on June 28th of this year). We even skipped the dining room one night...a first for us on a RCCL ship.

 

To add insult to injury: when my wife told the waiter that the lobster was almost raw he TOLD her that it wasn't undercooked because the chef cooks all the lobster the same way.

 

Will this experience cause us to avoid Royal Caribbean? No, we actually have 4 future cruises booked. However, if the decline in food quality continues it will cause us to return to Princess and Celebrity.

 

I wonder if sometimes it even matters where you are on the same ship. Guess that serving ~1000 people at a time even the same meal can vary significantly. We had much better luck with our meals and we were on the same cruise as you. We did have one or so that was less than desirable but all in all the majority was good including our lobster and fishermans platter. The lobster was just OK, certainly small but closer to overcooked than raw. The wait staff for us was just so great though that I can't imagine them responding as your waiter did and that type of response certainly doesn't add to the experience. As with the food, guess the staff can vary too.

 

The main reason I wouldn't cruise for so long was the reputation I had heard about "mass produced" food in the dining rooms and buffets. I haven't seen a real difference in food quality between the 3 lines I've tried so far, seems pretty much the same to me, just OK with sometimes being surprised if its really good. My expectations have always been that it will be just OK at best and if it exceeds that, then we were pleasantly surprised. We never expect that a cruise ship can deliver a meal to 1000 or more at a time that will be the same quality as a land based restaurant can that is served to maybe 50-60 meals at a time. The only specialty restaurant I've been fortunate to try so far was Palio on Disney and that was truly excellent. I think all the cruise lines can serve better meals in their speciality sections due to better quality products and serving a smaller group.

 

I had heard and read about the decline of food on RCL ships and with the Grandeur. That was our first cruise on RCL and we had low expectations but we actually enjoyed the food, not great by any means but not as bad as we had expected. We thought the Windjammer was lacking compared to the other lines we experienced but thought it was more about number of choices in the buffet seeming limited but that was more an indication of the Grandeur being smaller than the ships we were comparing it to and they having more selections as their buffet areas were larger. Actual quality seemed similiar.

 

But then, I do not know how good it was in the past and what to compare to. Those of you who have more cruise experience and have seen much better in the past will notice a decline. Those of us who have recently started pretty much seem the same mediocre food and expect it. I just assume that while on a cruise, with any of the major larger lines, that the food will just be OK unless you're in their speciality restaurant. As this is just one part of the curise experience and we don't expect it to be great, we adjust. But, I can see if you recall excellence in the past, that this is reason to look elsewhere or the more upscale lines.

[shaggyofwv]

This thread is prompted by another thread regarding "bad experiences on RCCL". I noticed the "terrible food" mentioned on that thread again, but it really isn't an uncommon comment - lots of people on here seem to think that RCCL's main dining room is terrible/dreadful/bad.

 

We have sailed RCCL a few times and I have, honestly, always enjoyed my meals in the main dining room. I am a fussy eater (regarding quality) and love my food. Ok I would rather my steaks came from Shulas/Mortons and would prefer my lobster to weigh 2lbs instead of 2ozs, BUT I really couldn't complain about the RCCL main dining room food.

 

So I am interested to know what apsects people seem to hate about RCCL's main dining room food. Maybe if any RCCL lurkers are here, they might be interested too.

 

Happy posting.

Boo

 

I think that RCI's food is of acceptable quality. I wouldn't say that it is the best food I have ever had, but it certainly isn't the worst.

 

Taste is just so subjective. The same exact food can be loved by 50% of the population and hated by the other 50%.

 

I guess my point would be that you just can't please everyone..

[johnlcruise]

I personally haven't had complaints about the food on RCI. Is it as good as it used to be? Perhaps not, but the favorites I have had for years are still there. I love the Vidalia onion tart, the rare prime rib, the mushroom pastry appetizer, the chilled soups.

 

My opinion will probably set some people off, but I think a lot of "dumbing down" of dinners is because of the passengers. Why would a cruiseline provide china, silver, crystal etc. to passengers who feel a pair of holey jeans with a tee-shirt advertising the latest beers or strip club is THE perfect dining outfit?

 

Until the prices are raised high enough to provide the amenities of years past, I believe we will continue to have the same type food. Many of the passengers today would never have been able to have afforded cruising before, and the cruiselines are catering to those cruisers by doing away with all the choices of food etc.

 

I'm sure I will be flamed for my description about the holey jeans etc. but look at all the threads about wearing jeans etc. and how no one at RCI says anything. That is my point. I believe until the passengers act as though they are in a fine dining room, the food will remain as is. I also know not everyone dresses as I described and I know that until prices are raised the food will remain as it is. I do believe that RCI isn't yet willing to take that chance, especially with the newbuilds.

 

Well Said. I Agree.

[aloha of the seas]

I started cruising with RCI in 1985. When we started the Dining Room experience was completely different. In addition to the table settings, your vegetables were brought out to you in a separate plate ( family style ), the waiters offered you a baked potatoe every night and most importantly the quality of the food was better than my more recent cruises. On my most recent cruise,which went to Alaska, we did not even have Baked Alaska for desert. I had to ask for Chocolate Soufle; nobody else got it. These are both traditional deserts that were not on our menu for a 17 day cruise. You would think the chef could fit them in, but he was too busy trying to get his oriental cuisine in. You see we left from Shanghai and spent 4 days in the Far East. Most of the menu items had some oriental flavor to them.

[firsttimecruiser44]

I loved the food on Freedom of the Seas. There was nothing wrong with it. It was just purely delicious. I recommend Chops to any steak lovers

[abridalmaven]

This thread is prompted by another thread regarding "bad experiences on RCCL". I noticed the "terrible food" mentioned on that thread again, but it really isn't an uncommon comment - lots of people on here seem to think that RCCL's main dining room is terrible/dreadful/bad.

 

We have sailed RCCL a few times and I have, honestly, always enjoyed my meals in the main dining room. I am a fussy eater (regarding quality) and love my food. Ok I would rather my steaks came from Shulas/Mortons and would prefer my lobster to weigh 2lbs instead of 2ozs, BUT I really couldn't complain about the RCCL main dining room food.

 

So I am interested to know what apsects people seem to hate about RCCL's main dining room food. Maybe if any RCCL lurkers are here, they might be interested too.

 

Happy posting.

Boo

I think people become jaded after a few cruises and they become fussier. Also people's taste vary so much. My FIL will not eat anything sauted, spiced or marinated. And meat has to be overly well cooked, so he is very difficult to please. So I never take anyone's opnion on food seriously, and some people are also very full of themselves.:eek:

[Boo Boo]

I loved the food on Freedom of the Seas. There was nothing wrong with it. It was just purely delicious. I recommend Chops to any steak lovers

 

Thank you :)

 

I have both Chops and Portifino pre-booked :)

 

Boo