MDR Food Thoughts -Liberty of the Seas

[dual]

I am heading on my very first cruise in November on LOS.

 

Im reading as much as i can through the various posts to gain some valuable knowledge on cruise do's and don'ts - it makes for very interesting reading and clearly many posters are extremley knowledgeable and knowledge is key in my books.

 

Im reading many posts in which many passengers express that they werent or are not overly impressed with the food in the MDR.

 

Can someone perhaps go a little deeper and perhaps give thier opinions on why they feel the MDR food isnt impressive? Is it because the food is bland, the meats are poor quality, the veg is soggy or is it just "average" food with no bells and whistles etc.:)

 

My situation is Im travelling with a group of 10 (all of who have cruised together at least once before), one of them is my Mum and she is a single traveller so always does what the group does. I asked her if on thier previous cruises whether they tried any of the speciality restaurants and they haven't - they always eat in the MDR.

 

As this time I will be my mums travelling partner - Im inclined to ask her to "break" from the normal and try a speciality restaurant with me one evening. I will run it by the group obviously to see if anyone else would like to try - but as I'm the "newbie" and the "baby" of the group at 40, I may meet with the age old "thats not what we do" attitudes :rolleyes:

 

It may be down to budget with the group which I do understand not everyone has additional funds to pay to eat when they feel theyve paid it already - but as Im travelling from so far and paid a good whack - I'd like to experience whats on offer.

 

Is it a case of when I eat at one of the speciality resturants I will understand why many posters feel the MDR isnt top notch?

 

Also - if the group wont sway from their traditions - will the speciality restaurants seat one for dinner?

 

Sorry for the long post - just trying to get some more opinions before I approach the subject with the group.

 

Many thanks in advance.

[yogimax]

Some people find a reason to complain about everything. With all the choices you have on the menu, you will be sure to find something you like.

 

Try the cold soups as an appetizer. They are all excellent!

[Moondawgie]

dual, food is so subjective. I can always find something to eat and enjoy it. It's not the first thing on my list anyway. But, keep in mind it is banquet food served to a few thousand people, so it won't be made to order.

 

As for the specialty restaurant, it is well worth the cost. And you can eat alone if it comes to that, but I bet some others will be willing to join you.

 

Just bring up the subject when the group is together and see.

 

Good luck. To tell you the truth, it's the people I cruise with that make the trip for me ... food is somewhere towards the bottom.

 

Enjoy!

[K1200S]

The food in the MDR is far closer to the best I have ever had then it is to the worst. I think if your food expectations are up in the clouds you will be disappointed with what you get. I have eaten Portofino's and Chops and think both are worth the extra few bucks.

[dock]

Hi, we were on the Liberty of the Seas, 04-11 July 2009.

I have been on Carnival. Celebrity and RCL before. For us the food in MDR was not good. But thats my opinion. I have, imo, had nicer on Carnival but Celebrity is by far the nicest.Yes, they are trying to cater to thousands of people so its really convention style food, but you will not go hungry, there will always be something suitable for everyone.

 

The food to me was rather bland, lacked flavour , presentation was ok. Nothing about these meals really stands out. The Vidalia Onion Tart was more a slice of onion quiche rather than a tart and imo ok, nothing I would order again. The onion soup was good tho.Desserts on a few nights were rather uninspiring and this was the first cruise I declined dessert on 4 occasions. On 1 night tho there was a dessert sampler and that was good. The lobster on formal night was the size of a king prawn, (what we call canners, suitable for canning only ) and overcooked.

The steak my son ordered was rather tough and chewy in the MDR but in Portofino was excellent.

 

There were many vegetarian options tho. The indian food in MDR was always vegetarian, they never had a lamb/ chicken option , however when we did request Butter Chicken on the last night ,it was well prepared and tasty.

 

We ate in Portofinos once and the food and service was fantastic. Well worth it. If we do cruise RCL again I will likely opt for speciality dining more often. We had good company and had a good cruise but for me the food is part of the experience and in this case I just was not that impressed with either the service or calibre of food in the MDR. Regardless I am sure you will enjoy your cruise.

[cb at sea]

Having been sailing for many years, the overall cuisine has changed from a 4-5 star dining experience, to an "Applebee's"/Chili's" sort of dining....

It's not that the food isn't tasty---it is...it's that some of us had gotten used to a much "finer dining" experience....multiple courses, many veggie selections, great "plating and presentation"....stuff that sets a really nice restaurant apart from the "chains"...now, you will most likely get steamed, mixed veggies EVERY night.....with every entree....soup and salad and appetizer aren't "separate' anymore....the desserts aren't as varied as in the past.

 

Little things, but it's a definite "downgrade".

If/when you go to one of the "specialty" restaurants, what you'll now Pay for is what USED to be served in the dining room!!!!!

[lovemylab]

I have no complaints about the food in the MDR. Sure, there are some menu items that I have tried and was not crazy about....but there are plenty of others that were delicious.

 

I don't pay 5* prices for a cruise with RCCL. Therefore, I don't expect 5* quality food in the MDR. I think you will find that overall more people enjoy the food vs. those that dislike it.

[marci22]

The food, overall, is fine.

 

Here is my default dining list for a 7 day:

 

Day 1-Prime rib

Day 2-Filet of beef and mushroom pasta/formal

Day 3-Garlic shrimp. We also ordered a Chops filet this night $14.95 to make our own surf and turf. It was big.

Day 4-We went to Portofino to avoid the shoulder steak.

Day 5-Lobster/formal

Day 6-Very bland--panko fish, lamb, fried cauliflower cakes, veg vindaloo (veg vindaloo is not bland and typically I would order as a side, but Indian on FOS was not as good as other ships. You will have to check and see on your cruise)

Day 7-Mahi-mahi and shrimp tempura.

 

All the soups were pretty good.

 

Desserts-get the Grand Marnier souffle.

 

Usually at least one good starter per night.

 

Portofino-it was good all around.

 

MDR lunch-we noticed the decline in food quality--get the make your own salad.....Tutti Salad it's called. Napoleon on day 6 lunch MDR was very good.

 

WJ-This is where leftovers go to die. Sometimes the Jade section is good (Indian & Chinese) but on FOS it was not. YMMV.

 

Breakfast-we stick to the bread basket, yogurt and fruit. MDR breakfast is better than WJ.

 

The MDR is not gourmet but it is very good buffet food. My above selections are tried and true, but of course everyone has different tastes. The food was certainly not bad, and overall, I was satisfied with the MDR dinners.

 

HTH!

[Cruisebylandorsea]

MDR has lots of choices. Plus if you get something you are not crazy about, you can get something else. Just ask right away.

 

Tried Portofinos last cruise and plan to go again.

[dual]

I was actually going to ask that - so if I choose something and find I dont like it - its not frowned upon to change it?

 

Also - can one ask for seconds of something they really enjoyed???

[RayJacki]

I was actually going to ask that - so if I choose something and find I dont like it - its not frowned upon to change it?

 

Also - can one ask for seconds of something they really enjoyed???

 

 

If you want to be a good cruiser, it's almost REQUIRED that you get seconds of things you enjoy!;)

[dual]

If you want to be a good cruiser, it's almost REQUIRED that you get seconds of things you enjoy!;)

 

Oh I most certainly want to be a good cruiser!!! :)

[simplybob]

WJ-This is where leftovers go to die. Sometimes the Jade section is good (Indian & Chinese) but on FOS it was not. YMMV

 

My wife and I almost always did MDR for dinner up until our last cruise. The last couple of nights she was not feeling well so we opted for the WJ. I loved it! Relatively quiet, I could see what was offered and choose my own portions, and we didn't need to be there at a set time. (before the intro of my time dining)

To be fair, I'm not into 5* food. I'm what George Carlin used to call a "fussy eater"(those of you that know that routine will know what that is a euphemism for) If I can't identify it, I won't eat it. :) Also, I'm not into formality so I viewed dressing up for dinner as a pain. On our next trip in Jan we're doing either WJ or room service for all meals and leaving dress clothes at home in favor of our scuba equipment.

[marci22]

My wife and I almost always did MDR for dinner up until our last cruise. The last couple of nights she was not feeling well so we opted for the WJ. I loved it!

 

I was only talking about lunch; I heard the WJ was good for dinner.

[simplybob]

I was only talking about lunch; I heard the WJ was good for dinner.

Got ya, my bad. To be honest i'm not sure how often we've been down to the WJ for lunch. Most of the time we're out in the port or grabbing something in the promenade cafe.

[kathalinamarie]

I was reading along the thread, not paying any attention to the names of the posters, then I read about "fussy eater"... Thinking to myself, that sounds like my husband and carry on reading. Then I get to his next post where he talks about leaving formal clothes home in favor of scuba equipment. By golly that IS my husband. xoxox

 

How funny. Got a good laugh this morning. But from the non-fussy eater of the couple, I do miss some things about the formal dining room. On the last cruise I think we ate there once or twice. I miss the social element and I am not a great fan of buffets. But cruising is a good choice for us because of all the choices available to us and how generally we can always find something to keep us both happy.

 

We will see how our January cruise goes without any dining room at all. I will see if I miss it. I think our perspective this cruise generally will be much different because we will be leaving a toddler at home. Since entering the institution of parenthood my idea of a good time is much simpler. Someplace where I can sleep as much as I want and not change diapers, sounds like paradise:)

[pilotboy1985]

I am heading on my very first cruise in November on LOS.

 

.

 

Hey, I'm going on LOS in November as well. This will be my second cruise. I depart Nov. 29th. I hope you enjoy your cruise. :)

[dual]

Hey, I'm going on LOS in November as well. This will be my second cruise. I depart Nov. 29th. I hope you enjoy your cruise. :)

 

 

Im getting off when you'll be getting on! Im doing the 7 day western departing on 22nd.

 

Im looking forward to it - cant come soon enough for me - here in the UK the weather for summer is truly awful. Im desperately seeking some sun!

[steveru621]

dual, food is so subjective. I can always find something to eat and enjoy it. It's not the first thing on my list anyway. But, keep in mind it is banquet food served to a few thousand people, so it won't be made to order.

 

As for the specialty restaurant, it is well worth the cost. And you can eat alone if it comes to that, but I bet some others will be willing to join you.

 

Just bring up the subject when the group is together and see.

 

Good luck. To tell you the truth, it's the people I cruise with that make the trip for me ... food is somewhere towards the bottom.

 

Enjoy!

 

I agree 100%, we have fun meeting new people and barely notice the food.

 

There are far more experienced cruisers out there, but in the 6 years we have cruised the only change we have really noticed is the extra charge for the fillet.

 

I have always found that if you experiment, and find you don't like that dish. The waiter will always bring another very quickly. The best part is substitution; want a baked potato instead of rice, no problem! Don't like the vegetable, substitute from another dish.

 

People are entitled to their opinion and they have different stating points. But to call the food BAD, is not true. It's not 5 star (and I'm not sure what the hell that is) But to call it Applebees is simply not true, and it's only one persons opinion.

 

Enjoy your cruise, you are on vacation.

[loman]

The only thing i didnt like was the steak in the MDR, so i ordered something else. Everything else was very good. We can always find something on the menu , and the waiter can usually steer you in the right direction. Our last cruise was on the Seranade , and we were very satisified with the food. I recall a lamb dish that was excellent. I have yet to try the specialty restaurants , pehaps i will on the next cruise.

[Teacher912]

Just got back from the LOS. We ate 6 out of 7 meals in the MDR and were always satisfied. We thought the food amounts had decreased, but my husband, who is a big eater, would often request an additional serving or a completely different entree and the answer was always the same: "MY pleasure."

 

We did have dinner in Chops and it was worth the extra fee......that night I did leave the dining room stuffed!