Why can"t rccl"s food quality be as good as carnival's?

[RevSmith]

Cruise ship food is just that...which is better than the other is personal...I don't compare because frankly they are all kind of the same. I'm with the poster that said as long as I don't have to cook it and clean up and it gives me healthy fuel...it's fine with me. When I want good food I go to the speciality restaurants and pay the extra price. Otherwise I smile and enjoy my cruise which ever ship I am on.

[Happy ks]

Years ago I worked at a major hotel as a banquet director assistant. Part of my job would be to check on the service out of the kitchen. Ya'll would be surprised at how the food is prepared, plated and held. It's an assembly line, nothing is individually prepared. Even the steaks, you say you want a certain doneness, it's all the same and they just take back those who have complained their steak is too rare.

 

We've been on numerous cruise lines and have to say, we're never terribly impressed with the food. We don't go hungry, but never feel as though the quality of food is as good as a nice land based restaurant, it's more akin to banquet food. As should be expected, because that is the way it is prepared, in mass quantity and held in hot trays or steamer ovens until serving time. Add the fact it must all be in compliance with CDC regulations and there goes fresh out the window. So we don't cruise to eat, we cruise for the ocean and the service and the ports.

 

It would be impossible to provision the ship with fresh, not frozen or canned ingredients. Right there you lose a whole lot of taste, but then the food has to be cooked and held at a certain temperature, which further dries out frozen and canned foods.

 

But, I don't have to shop for it, cook it, serve it nor clean up afterwards, so I enjoy the meals. I just know what to expect and am surprised and delighted when we are served something that tastes really good.

 

I'll agree that some ships are marginally better because the chef may train their cooks a little better or some recipes are better than others and hold up tastier as banquet food. It would be lovely if they could serve fresh salads (not dried out salad bars), but I know that is difficult en masse.

 

I can't really say who has the best food, since it is mostly all the same. I can say the worst has been NCL and QM2. Probably the best was the now defunct American Hawaiian Independence, they had great fish and wonderful fresh tropical fruit.

[xpcdoojk]

Oh I don't know. The purple Barney ship (AKA Sensation) spent alot of money on neon. I bet it cost them a pretty penny to match the purple striped carpet with the purple striped walls. :p

 

The Sensation was my one Carnival cruise. This was ten years ago, but they saved a ton of money, by not replacing the lamps in the glass mirror ceiling fixtures in the MDR. It shocked me to see over half the bulbs burned out. Looked beyond bad. My opinion of 10 years ago is not valid, but Carnival trained me to order two entrees so I could find one that was edible. By having two plates of food at every dinner I was able to make one good meal. Again this was 10 years ago, and I have heard consistent good food reports from the carnivores. So, I am happy for them. :D

 

jc

[xpcdoojk]

Could not agree more with your statement, it is right on the money.,

 

Agree, the dinner in the Millenium's specialty restaurant in the Med in 2000 was truly one of the best dinners I have had anywhere on the planet. Not to mention the service was near the top as well. I haven't been on Celebrity since, but I have eaten at Chops and the other specialities restaurants, and the Pinnacle on HAL, and they don't get close to that first speciality restaurant experience in 2000 on the Mille! I still have yet to find a bacon wrapped scallop that is even in the same league, the french bacon is still a culinary mental peak for me. :D

 

jc

[crusinmama06]

P.S. Michelle, that was not a fair pic on the elevators, you could have at least shown the glass ones with the bright purple neon, that I know has to be mixed with a color that just does NOT work... in atrium... sheesh! LOL :D

 

Ok, sorry....lol...here is that elevator :D

 

[MuffyKismet]

Well we have been on 15 cruises now and only 1 royal carribean cruise, 7 years ago.........all the rest carnival. the food is sometimes very good on carnival and sometimes very disappointing, so I am sure the same goes for royal carribean food. I do absolutly LOVE carnival's chocolate melting cake, don't know if royal has the same or equivilant to it...I will surely miss that if they dont LOL. We are cruising Royal Dec. 19th and are looking forward to something just a little different........Carnival has added some great things like: deli bar/mongolian grill/ rotissaire chicken all on the lido deck, very yummy! I have NO idea what the royal carribean monarch of the seas offers if anyone can inlighten me that would be great! thanks

[MrPete]

I agree with the original poster. The menus on RCCL now show the same pasta dishes first up on the menu: too much pasta frankly. Salmon and chicken and THEN finally, some other options. I am platinum but agree that Carnival has a better selection, better quality and is cheaper besides.

 

Agreed. Not only better, but more availability.

 

I hear RCCL has better room service, but I've never tried that on any line.

[VASOXFANN]

Just returned from a 12 day cruise on the Carnival Freedom to the Eastern Mediterranean. My previous 2 cruises within the last year were on RCCL. We had been so disappointed with the food quality on RCCL (except in Chops), but felt that all of the cruise lines are cutting costs. Well, was I in for a big surprise. The food in the dining room was AMAZING! Never a bad meal, no matter what you ordered. I had mainly beef except on 2 occasions when I had chicken. Hubby had lamb several times and duck. Sister in law had the lobster. The portions were large and plentiful and the waiter brought several extra entrees most nights for all to try. All were delicious and the beef was of good quality (2 nights with filet mignon, 2-3 with prime rib, strip steaks, ribeyes, etc). I was shocked! Unfortuately, Carnival is pulling out of Europe. If they weren't, they'd have all of my business. Why can't RCCL have decent quality food, too?

 

I was very happy with RCL's food quality on my recent JOS cruise. Also had lamb, duck, steaks, and lobster, and I enjoyed it all.

 

Perhaps it's a matter of personal taste not warranting your blanket statement about food quality. :rolleyes:

[VASOXFANN]

I agree with the original poster. The menus on RCCL now show the same pasta dishes first up on the menu: too much pasta frankly. Salmon and chicken and THEN finally, some other options. I am platinum but agree that Carnival has a better selection, better quality and is cheaper besides.

 

Again, it's a matter of personal taste. I enjoyed the pasta and salmon dishes. Never tried the chicken.

 

And for the repeat items,

Sometimes when people find something they like, they want to keep ordering it. What's wrong with that?

[VASOXFANN]

Am I in the minority here? :confused:

Food is just not that important to me on a cruise. Granted I have only ever sailed RCI, but there are very few menu items either in the Windjammer or the Main Dining Room that I haven't enjoyed. In the rare instance something is not to my liking, I either choose something else from the buffet - or order another item from the menu.

There is plenty of variety so I'm quite sure there is "something" for everyone. :)

 

You're definitely not the only one ;)

[VASOXFANN]

I'm with you Tally! And NO ONE can ever accuse me of being a "Carnival Cheerleader" ;):p

 

I have always said that the food on both of our Carnival cruises were better than any other cruise. Yes that includes 3 RCCL, 2 Disney and 1 NCL. ;)

 

No I have never starved on a cruise. And the food they make is 1,000 times better than I can cook myself...lol. But many people agree that Carnival food just tastes better. I can't put my finger on it. There were dishes on Carnival that I that I just LOVED. If I could eat them every day, I would be a happy camper.

 

On RCCL and Disney, I can't remember one entree that I said "WOW this is fantastic!"

 

So if I was rating food, Carnival was better than Disney which was better than RCCL. And since I paid about a 1/5 of the cost to sail on Carnival, I have to ask why? ;)

 

At least we can agree on one thing..... NCL's "food" doesn't even warrant a rating! :D

[VASOXFANN]

They can afford better food due to all the money they save on 'decorating'? ;)

 

LOL! Good one :p

[VASOXFANN]

Aside from the fact that I no longer eat pasta, even when I did, it would not be food I would bother with on any vacation. Pasta is so ordinary not matter what you put on it. And before you get defensive, I am married to an Italian and can make ( and have) made the best sauces around.

 

I still make an amazing Italian cheesecake!:rolleyes:

 

Again, that's your opinion. We hardly ever eat pasta at home, so it isn't all that "ordinary" for us. We enjoy it on cruises.

[bluefintuna]

We were on Miracle last year and Carnival had just changed their menus. The food was outstanding and we have cruised Carnival before, but just can't wrap my arms around their decor. RCL has the ambiance that we appreciate. Joe Farcus is responsible for Carnival's "decor" on all their ships and I think it is time for ol Joe to sail off into the sunset.

[G'ma]

We were on Miracle last year and Carnival had just changed their menus. The food was outstanding and we have cruised Carnival before, but just can't wrap my arms around their decor. RCL has the ambiance that we appreciate. Joe Farcus is responsible for Carnival's "decor" on all their ships and I think it is time for ol Joe to sail off into the sunset.

 

I guess it's all in the beholder. I love Farcus ships design. He is absolutely a madman genius. Carnival ships are dazzling...... They make you feel alive. Farcus has packed each ship with surprises and wonderful design, art work, colors.

 

I start smiling as soon as I enter the Atrium when boarding and the smile is there all week.

 

Sure better than boring pastels, beiges and neutral colors on some other ships.

[tally10]

I guess it's all in the beholder. I love Farcus ships design. He is absolutely a madman genius. Carnival ships are dazzling...... They make you feel alive. Farcus has packed each ship with surprises and wonderful design' date=' art work, colors.

 

I start smiling as soon as I enter the Atrium when boarding and the smile is there all week.

 

Sure better than boring pastels, beiges and neutral colors on some other ships.[/quote']

 

I do agree with you on this one. We had heard about the awful colors on the Carnival Freedom, but we kind of like it. It was a little dark and I missed a lot of windows that you have on the X and RCCL ships, but it was a lot better than the neutral, beige designs that I am used to. Just made the ship look modern and new, like it is.

My sister in law, who was with us, said that on her two weeks on the NCL Jade, she only had steak once and that was in the mexican restaurant. She could not believe the difference in the food quality between NCL and Carnival. So the discussion continues........!

[MrPete]

I too like the decor on the Carnival ships. So much so that I used to try to keep up with the rollout of the Fantasy class just to see what was coming out next. Found out I just couldn't do it.

 

I also like the decor of the RCCL and Disney ships.

[mohavemommy]

I certainly do prefer Carnival's food over RCI... trying the 3/4 day sailings from LA might be a reality. Gotta love that lobster tail!

[Joyce From Yardley]

I agree with the original poster. The menus on RCCL now show the same pasta dishes first up on the menu: too much pasta frankly. Salmon and chicken and THEN finally, some other options. I am platinum but agree that Carnival has a better selection, better quality and is cheaper besides.

 

 

Hi,

 

We just got home from an 11 day repo ( 10/30 sailing ) on board the Grandeur. It wasn't so much that the menu has changed but the fact that our food was lukewarm at best. We weren't the only table in the MDR that had this problem. Part of the problem was the kitchen, the other part was our waiter. If 2 starters were ordered & one was hot & the other was cold. He would serve the cold one before the hot one. Yes, we told him he took it back but it still came back lukewarm. We even mentioned it to the head waiter after this comment on day 3. We never saw him again until the final night of the cruise looking for his tip. Fat chance. We had NO problems at breakfast or lunchtime. We are back on the Grandeur for a B2B in April & will not put up with this again.

 

There were other little things that our waiter forgot to do. IE..crumb the table, & it took until day 8 to add the cookie to the ice cream/sherbert that was ordered. Our assistant waiter was FANTASTIC she went over & above what we expected of her. It won't be long before she moves up in the ranks & is a waiter.

 

Happy Sailings.

 

Joyce & Of Course Harvey

[crusinmama06]

I start smiling as soon as I enter the Atrium when boarding and the smile is there all week.

 

I start smiling too but it's more from hysterically laughing at the colors. :p

 

Sorry, I couldn't resist. :D:D:D

 

I still like the CCL food though. ;)

[amybear912]

That is brutal. I would never crack on someone for their personal preferences... to each his own, after all.. but people that order steak well done and then complain that it's too tough are missing the boat. #1, steak gets tougher as it's cooked, period. But, even if you're prepared for that, most people that order well done steak don't realize that most good steak restaurants are going to give you the sh-ttiest cuts of meat if you order well-done too. You get all end pieces and afterthought cuts becuase the prevailing opinion is that if you ordered it well, you don't know the difference between a good steak and a leather shoe anyway. This is not me talking, by the way, but the steak houses I worked in during college. I know several restauranteurs these days and they basically subscribe to the same theory.

 

You are absolutely dead on! But let's clear something up here folks...

 

The ONLY places where you are being served filet mignon on an RCCL ship is at Chops or Portofino... period... there is NO filet mignon being served in the dining room... they serve filet of beef but there's a big difference... different cut of meat, different preparation... Serving filet mignon in the dining room is just not logistically or financially feasible...

 

I own food industry businesses both as a producer and restaurants. I personally am an award winning chef. I never ever complain about cruise food - I just love that I aint cooking and cleaning up! So what - could cook better myself - thats not what cruise food is about. Its people around the table and the fun and laughter that counts. The only memorable food I have had was on Milleniums speciality restaurant when michel roux had control. But I truly cant remember any really bad food either.

 

You sound like my DH, also a Chef... we take into account what we have paid to cruise and do the math, then adjust our food expectations accordingly... We aren't expecting the same quality of meal we would have at say Thomas Keller's French Laundry or what have you... we know that what we are getting is akin to banquet food... If we want a higher quality of meal, we book at a specialty restaurant...

 

That being said... we also noticed a decline in quality this year vs. previous years... and we attribute this to a lack of focus in their culinary department company-wide... Food is not the draw for RC, it's not part of their key marketing strategy... Flow-riders and ice skating rinks - that's what they hope will bring you onboard...

 

I've enjoyed meals on both Carnival and RC... I've never gone hungry and always been able to find something to satisfy the hunger pangs...

[Hotelfixer]

judging by the pictures of the elevators that cruisnmama posted carinval definatly has STRONGER more powerful elevators. :eek: J/K

 

I am probably an RCCL cheerleader but when it comes to Carnival three words.....Chocolate Melting Cake.......

 

I always suspected that RCCL MD diners were average on porpose in order to promate sales of Chops Portifinos and Johhny Rockets.

 

I have never gone hungry on any cruise or any cruise line...

[VASOXFANN]

Never mind...

 

Back to banging my head against a Wall

[browneyes7]

I guess it's all in the beholder. I love Farcus ships design. He is absolutely a madman genius. Carnival ships are dazzling...... They make you feel alive. Farcus has packed each ship with surprises and wonderful design' date=' art work, colors.

 

I start smiling as soon as I enter the Atrium when boarding and the smile is there all week.

 

Sure better than boring pastels, beiges and neutral colors on some other ships.[/quote']

 

I agree that the Carnival ships are bright and fun!! I think RC ships are beautiful, but they all seem to look alike to me. Each Carnival ship is different, and there are certain things I remember about each one of them. I love cruising, though, and the decor of the ship isn't a big deal to me. I just love being on a ship and travelling to places I have never been before!!!:D

[tanyanubin]

for the extra money it takes to cruise on RCI I would expect better something...rooms, food, service. On my second RCI cruise the food was so blah that I'm trying carnival next time. The beef was low quality---there was a definate difference in one year's time.