Aron_Ross

My wife and I loved 270 for the views and a nice quiet place to enjoy our morning coffee.  As for the food we didn't like it at all.  Breakfast was just ok and so limited.  In the afternoon I tried the roast beef sandwich, and it was terrible!  I'm talkin hard bread with a super low quality chewy slice of beef.  The staff in there seemed like they were very uninterested in what they were doing, and the girl slicing the beef looked like she just learned how to do it.  This was Ovation of the Seas inaugural sailing to Alaska from Vancouver May 11th to May 19th 2023.  I will say, the cruise and the Alaska experience was sooo amazing that I would daydream about it 3 weeks later while at work.  Really liked Brian Leavitt the cruise director!

I guess since I live in Los Angeles I am spoiled with great Mexican food, but each time I've had El Loco Fresh I thought it was bad.  Had the Kummelweck on Harmony in Nov 2022.  I was very excited to try it, especially since people in our Facebook group raved about it while they were on the sailing right before ours.  Everything about that sandwich was awful!  The bread was stale, the meat was tough and very low quality.  Those people claimed to know their Beef on Weck sandwiches too, so that was a major disappointment! 

When one couple rates a meal as wonderful, and the couple at the next table rates the same meal as horrible, who should Royal listen to or take seriously?  🙂🤣

On Vision in Feb for 11 nights the food was not good on either windjammer or MDR. Prime rib was so thin I don't know how they even sliced it that thin, another night I ordered New York strip steak it was full of fat. Cold food like chicken in the Windjammer, same menu over and over. We have been on 36 cruises and never complained till now. We emailed RCL basically received a generic response. Selection is terrible in both areas, they took away variety and options 
We are Diamond our next cruise  we would be Diamond plus, opted not to do an on board  booking as we always do because of the food. everyone we talked to on that cruise was angry about the food. The only way to get RCL managements attention is to talk with our wallets and go on other lines.  This past weekend we went to Applebees and I had a sirloin steak my husband had chicken both of our dinners put RCL to shame. That is pretty bad when a franchise has better food then a cruise line
We had cruised on Vision two previous times and everything was excellent. So disappointed hoping they listen to their seasoned cruisers and  correct this issue. I understand they were  down during the pandemic but that is why it is more important that they go above and beyond to fill their ships.  We have a group of five, sometimes 6 couples, that vacation together. That is a lot of revenue to lose.
 We heading to a different cruise line in October that will be five couples, anxious to see how the food is there.
One thing I learned is bad news travels faster then good news!
 
 
 
 
 
 

My wife and I cook a lot, we are not chefs or experts, but we do tend analyze what we eat whether on land or at sea.  I find that on the three cruise lines we've been on (Princess, Royal, Carnival), they all have food quality issues.  Some are better at the buffet food/complimentary eats, and others are better at the Main Dining Room.  Ten cruises total and the BEST buffet was a cruise we took on Royal Princess in 2019.  It was so good we regrettably never got to try their Italian/pizza restaurant, which most people raved about.  Of course food is subjective, which is something to take into consideration.  
We sailed on four different ships with Royal from 2022 to 2023 and we thought the MDR food was better than the buffet for dinner.  It was usually hot and fresh. We experienced both the old menu and the new.  Sure there were some items that we didn't care for, but honestly we experienced more of the bad in the Windjammer, which by the way was best at lunch.  Some of the complimentary food around those ships were surprisingly pretty bad too.  Our favorite of the specialty dining was Giovanni's Italian Kitchen, which I believe is on Wonder.  I've heard people love Mason Jar and some who grew up on southern cooking, said it was not authentic and Cracker Barrel quality.  I wouldn't know, I've never been to either one.  Sailing with picky eaters can be tricky.  Would love to know how it all works out. Keep us posted...  

One point to consider is that Royal doesn't charge a lot for comp food and beverages when you take the imputed tips and work backward--about $35 to 40 per person. We certainly receive more than that as we count meals, snacks and drinks consumed throughout the day. Places that serve hot dogs or tacos are fast food, so that is my frame of reference when I judge my experience. I think quality meals require a fancier restaurant. When specialty restaurants serve mediocre food, it must be improved as you are paying a pretty penny. Honest evaluations on cruise surveys are still needed to give feedback. And we vote with our feet. Our next cruise isn't Royal. The bottom line is that Royal isn't a luxury line but it should offer a decent experience for a fair price. We've gotten that up to now.

Just curious which ship you took for that 8 day Aruba cruise?  My 8 day to Aruba was Harmony in mid Nov 2022, and the worst food on that cruise was in The Windjammer for dinner.  The food was cold and tasteless!  The MDR was definitely a step up for dinner.  Mini Bites was SOOO bad, Chops was just ok, 150 Central Park good but not sure I would spend the money on it again.  I just wasn't blown away by 150 and expected it to be much better.  Not a fan of Jaime's Italian, which I tried on Harmony and Navigator.  Giovanni's on Freedom was way better and might be my favorite out of the specialty dining I've tried.  We tried all the different dogs at the Boardwalk Dog House and only the chicken apple one was good.  The rest were not good at all.  If you have a hot dog on your menu that is labeled as Sicilian, where's the flavor?  It had none whatsoever. 
My wife and I sailed on four different Royal ships between 2022/2023 and found the food quality to have more misses than hits.  We don't expect 5-star restaurant food, but we don't appreciate stale hamburger buns, cold buffet food, hard as a rock cheese biscuits, black beans that are undercooked and food items that either had no taste, or so much salt that it burned our mouths.  I just expected better from Royal, especially when prices keep going up.  Like you, dining is an important part for us and some of those issues I mentioned are such easy fixes.  I'm not the biggest Sorrento's fan, but when it was hot and fresh on Ovation it was actually good, probably the best Sorrento's experience. 
We like Royal and has its pro and cons just like other lines we've sailed, such as Carnival and Princess, we just wish they would be more consistent with the food.  We will be trying Celebrity and Virgin Voyages this year.  Looking forward to both!       

I guess since I live in Los Angeles I am spoiled with great Mexican food, but each time I've had El Loco Fresh I thought it was bad.  Had the Kummelweck on Harmony in Nov 2022.  I was very excited to try it, especially since people in our Facebook group raved about it while they were on the sailing right before ours.  Everything about that sandwich was awful!  The bread was stale, the meat was tough and very low quality.  Those people claimed to know their Beef on Weck sandwiches too, so that was a major disappointment! 

Yes I agree with you on that.  I'm ok with a fee, but $90 is just excessive.  When I see pricing like this, it just makes me shake my head and become turned off by Royal.  I have done four sailings with them in the past year and decided to continue to try other lines.  Of course, that doesn't mean I won't return to Royal, but for me they have pros and cons just like the rest of them.  For example, sailed on Navigator of the Seas out of LA for the 3 day, and did the same a few weeks ago on Carnival Radiance.  I actually liked the food better on Carnival (I'm no stranger to Carnival btw), but Navigator as far as a ship goes, blows Carnival Radiance away!  

When I found out what they are charging for this, my mouth literally hung open.  Will this price fluctuate depending on the sailing?  The cheapest ICON sailing I'm seeing is for $1651.00 Now assuming that's for an interior and one STILL has to pay that price for Crown's Edge, that is just INSANE!!  

Just an update
We disembarked from our Ovation to Alaska on May 19th and overall the cruise was FANTASTIC!!  We had such great weather from our 2 days prior in Vancouver and 1 day post cruise in Seattle.  The only time we saw a little rain was in Sitka.  We were so lucky to have that kind of weather.  
As for the WJ and MDR food..well I would say WJ was about a 6.5, some foods were quite good and some were really bad.  Our first day for lunch was not good at all with cold burgers, soupy mac and cheese, and stale hard hamburger buns.  A few other items for lunch were bad too.  The rest of the cruise was hit or miss for the WJ.  We liked the Mediterranean food in the Solarium Bistro.  Went to the MDR 3 times and really enjoyed our meals.  They were definitely more fresh, tasty and hot compared to WJ.  
And since we are on the Ben and David topic who are one of our favorite YouTubers...the day before the cruise my girlfriend and I were at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in Vancouver.  We almost didn't make it there out of debating if it would be worth it.  As I was looking out into the wonder of nature I hear her say, "oh my god we love you guys!"  And there they were, Ben and David.  I just couldn't believe my eyes!  We might cruise at the most twice a year and never thought we would run into them.  They had just gotten off with Stef from their 16 day NCL Spirit from Hawaii.  We had such a great conversation and must have chatted with them for about a half an hour.  I brought up the Symphony MDR experience and asked if Royal had contacted them.  You all guessed it, the answer was NO.  Anyhow, I wish we had taken a picture with them but didn't want to be a bother.  
Meeting them was one of the many highlights of this trip, and next to our first time sailing to the Caribbean out of New Orleans in 2017, it's probably the best out of 9 cruises we've taken, and our best vacation so far!

Just an update
We disembarked from our Ovation to Alaska on May 19th and overall the cruise was FANTASTIC!!  We had such great weather from our 2 days prior in Vancouver and 1 day post cruise in Seattle.  The only time we saw a little rain was in Sitka.  We were so lucky to have that kind of weather.  
As for the WJ and MDR food..well I would say WJ was about a 6.5, some foods were quite good and some were really bad.  Our first day for lunch was not good at all with cold burgers, soupy mac and cheese, and stale hard hamburger buns.  A few other items for lunch were bad too.  The rest of the cruise was hit or miss for the WJ.  We liked the Mediterranean food in the Solarium Bistro.  Went to the MDR 3 times and really enjoyed our meals.  They were definitely more fresh, tasty and hot compared to WJ.  
And since we are on the Ben and David topic who are one of our favorite YouTubers...the day before the cruise my girlfriend and I were at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in Vancouver.  We almost didn't make it there out of debating if it would be worth it.  As I was looking out into the wonder of nature I hear her say, "oh my god we love you guys!"  And there they were, Ben and David.  I just couldn't believe my eyes!  We might cruise at the most twice a year and never thought we would run into them.  They had just gotten off with Stef from their 16 day NCL Spirit from Hawaii.  We had such a great conversation and must have chatted with them for about a half an hour.  I brought up the Symphony MDR experience and asked if Royal had contacted them.  You all guessed it, the answer was NO.  Anyhow, I wish we had taken a picture with them but didn't want to be a bother.  
Meeting them was one of the many highlights of this trip, and next to our first time sailing to the Caribbean out of New Orleans in 2017, it's probably the best out of 9 cruises we've taken, and our best vacation so far!

WAAYTOOO and booboo yes I totally agree with you!  It's all about how you approach them and not throwing a tantrum or becoming demanding and obnoxious.  That's not in my nature anyway.  I should have definitely said something on Harmony with the cold tasteless food rather than wait for the survey, and when those biscuits on Navigator were like stones, but I just didn't want to bother anyone.  No longer will I stay quiet and will kindly speak to someone.
The reason my girlfriend and I chose Royal in the first place was to try something different instead of what we were familiar with.  When you end up with food that is just ok, it makes me think, "why should I pay a little more for this cruise line when it's not that much better than the others?"  And those other lines being Carnival and Princess.  We've learned when compared to Royal, they each have their pros and cons overall.  My last Princes cruise (Royal Princess, pre covid 2019) the buffet was shockingly pretty damn good!  It was the best buffet we ever had out of the 9 cruises we've been on.  The Princess MDR was not good and found Royal does a better job, but that was the old menu.  We haven't tried the new Royal menu yet and are about to next week.  
On our Freedom of the Seas cruise, I was very impressed by how a gentleman in a blue suit (food and beverage manager possibly?) made some suggestions as I was serving myself on the last night in the WJ.  He saw that I was selecting the lamb shanks and suggested I use the au jus gravy, which was as he put it...created with the lamb shank drippings.  I would have never know about that gravy if it were not for his suggestion.  My point is, I guess it depends on the ship and their staff, but that guy showed me he cared about the food.  Of course I mentioned his name in my post survey.  If I remember correctly, his name was Richard from Jamaica.  We don't expect cruise buffet food to knock our socks off, we just ask that it's hot, has flavor and not over cooked.      

Saw this video too and I was disturbed.  It's also making me nervous for my upcoming sailing on Ovation in about 7 days.  I've been on three cruises with Royal since May 2022.  First ever was Freedom exactly one year ago, Harmony in Nov then Navigator earlier this year.  My girlfriend and I are more buffet people and noticed the Windjammer was inconsistent from ship to ship.  Dinner in WJ on Harmony was terrible.  The food was cold and tasteless, and you better believe I let them know in the post cruise survey.  On our last night on Navigator there were some cheese biscuits that were so hard they could kill a person if thrown at them.  So here is a question, rather than wait to address a food issue in the survey, can I just kindly talk to the head food and beverage person in the WJ?  Is it ok to just let the server know? 
I would like to think Royal will certainly hear about Ben and David's review and take some action. 

We did all MDR on our recent 5 night on Grandeur, and while some things were hit or miss I loved the Caribbean night menu. The roasted chicken might be my favorite plate of food I've ever eaten in an MDR - it was so well done. 

WAAYTOOO and booboo yes I totally agree with you!  It's all about how you approach them and not throwing a tantrum or becoming demanding and obnoxious.  That's not in my nature anyway.  I should have definitely said something on Harmony with the cold tasteless food rather than wait for the survey, and when those biscuits on Navigator were like stones, but I just didn't want to bother anyone.  No longer will I stay quiet and will kindly speak to someone.
The reason my girlfriend and I chose Royal in the first place was to try something different instead of what we were familiar with.  When you end up with food that is just ok, it makes me think, "why should I pay a little more for this cruise line when it's not that much better than the others?"  And those other lines being Carnival and Princess.  We've learned when compared to Royal, they each have their pros and cons overall.  My last Princes cruise (Royal Princess, pre covid 2019) the buffet was shockingly pretty damn good!  It was the best buffet we ever had out of the 9 cruises we've been on.  The Princess MDR was not good and found Royal does a better job, but that was the old menu.  We haven't tried the new Royal menu yet and are about to next week.  
On our Freedom of the Seas cruise, I was very impressed by how a gentleman in a blue suit (food and beverage manager possibly?) made some suggestions as I was serving myself on the last night in the WJ.  He saw that I was selecting the lamb shanks and suggested I use the au jus gravy, which was as he put it...created with the lamb shank drippings.  I would have never know about that gravy if it were not for his suggestion.  My point is, I guess it depends on the ship and their staff, but that guy showed me he cared about the food.  Of course I mentioned his name in my post survey.  If I remember correctly, his name was Richard from Jamaica.  We don't expect cruise buffet food to knock our socks off, we just ask that it's hot, has flavor and not over cooked.      

WAAYTOOO and booboo yes I totally agree with you!  It's all about how you approach them and not throwing a tantrum or becoming demanding and obnoxious.  That's not in my nature anyway.  I should have definitely said something on Harmony with the cold tasteless food rather than wait for the survey, and when those biscuits on Navigator were like stones, but I just didn't want to bother anyone.  No longer will I stay quiet and will kindly speak to someone.
The reason my girlfriend and I chose Royal in the first place was to try something different instead of what we were familiar with.  When you end up with food that is just ok, it makes me think, "why should I pay a little more for this cruise line when it's not that much better than the others?"  And those other lines being Carnival and Princess.  We've learned when compared to Royal, they each have their pros and cons overall.  My last Princes cruise (Royal Princess, pre covid 2019) the buffet was shockingly pretty damn good!  It was the best buffet we ever had out of the 9 cruises we've been on.  The Princess MDR was not good and found Royal does a better job, but that was the old menu.  We haven't tried the new Royal menu yet and are about to next week.  
On our Freedom of the Seas cruise, I was very impressed by how a gentleman in a blue suit (food and beverage manager possibly?) made some suggestions as I was serving myself on the last night in the WJ.  He saw that I was selecting the lamb shanks and suggested I use the au jus gravy, which was as he put it...created with the lamb shank drippings.  I would have never know about that gravy if it were not for his suggestion.  My point is, I guess it depends on the ship and their staff, but that guy showed me he cared about the food.  Of course I mentioned his name in my post survey.  If I remember correctly, his name was Richard from Jamaica.  We don't expect cruise buffet food to knock our socks off, we just ask that it's hot, has flavor and not over cooked.      

WAAYTOOO and booboo yes I totally agree with you!  It's all about how you approach them and not throwing a tantrum or becoming demanding and obnoxious.  That's not in my nature anyway.  I should have definitely said something on Harmony with the cold tasteless food rather than wait for the survey, and when those biscuits on Navigator were like stones, but I just didn't want to bother anyone.  No longer will I stay quiet and will kindly speak to someone.
The reason my girlfriend and I chose Royal in the first place was to try something different instead of what we were familiar with.  When you end up with food that is just ok, it makes me think, "why should I pay a little more for this cruise line when it's not that much better than the others?"  And those other lines being Carnival and Princess.  We've learned when compared to Royal, they each have their pros and cons overall.  My last Princes cruise (Royal Princess, pre covid 2019) the buffet was shockingly pretty damn good!  It was the best buffet we ever had out of the 9 cruises we've been on.  The Princess MDR was not good and found Royal does a better job, but that was the old menu.  We haven't tried the new Royal menu yet and are about to next week.  
On our Freedom of the Seas cruise, I was very impressed by how a gentleman in a blue suit (food and beverage manager possibly?) made some suggestions as I was serving myself on the last night in the WJ.  He saw that I was selecting the lamb shanks and suggested I use the au jus gravy, which was as he put it...created with the lamb shank drippings.  I would have never know about that gravy if it were not for his suggestion.  My point is, I guess it depends on the ship and their staff, but that guy showed me he cared about the food.  Of course I mentioned his name in my post survey.  If I remember correctly, his name was Richard from Jamaica.  We don't expect cruise buffet food to knock our socks off, we just ask that it's hot, has flavor and not over cooked.      

Saw this video too and I was disturbed.  It's also making me nervous for my upcoming sailing on Ovation in about 7 days.  I've been on three cruises with Royal since May 2022.  First ever was Freedom exactly one year ago, Harmony in Nov then Navigator earlier this year.  My girlfriend and I are more buffet people and noticed the Windjammer was inconsistent from ship to ship.  Dinner in WJ on Harmony was terrible.  The food was cold and tasteless, and you better believe I let them know in the post cruise survey.  On our last night on Navigator there were some cheese biscuits that were so hard they could kill a person if thrown at them.  So here is a question, rather than wait to address a food issue in the survey, can I just kindly talk to the head food and beverage person in the WJ?  Is it ok to just let the server know? 
I would like to think Royal will certainly hear about Ben and David's review and take some action. 

Saw this video too and I was disturbed.  It's also making me nervous for my upcoming sailing on Ovation in about 7 days.  I've been on three cruises with Royal since May 2022.  First ever was Freedom exactly one year ago, Harmony in Nov then Navigator earlier this year.  My girlfriend and I are more buffet people and noticed the Windjammer was inconsistent from ship to ship.  Dinner in WJ on Harmony was terrible.  The food was cold and tasteless, and you better believe I let them know in the post cruise survey.  On our last night on Navigator there were some cheese biscuits that were so hard they could kill a person if thrown at them.  So here is a question, rather than wait to address a food issue in the survey, can I just kindly talk to the head food and beverage person in the WJ?  Is it ok to just let the server know? 
I would like to think Royal will certainly hear about Ben and David's review and take some action. 

The one thing they can control is food cost.  From a VERY reliable source, they are using “no roll” beef. You can Google that. 
 
They are BILLIONS in debt. Honestly, the food on the mega ships has never been mind blowing. How can it be with 6,000 passengers? 
Every other cruise line in this market is having the same issues. 
Adjust your expectations and be happy you won’t gain 10 lbs

I have My Time dining on a cruise coming up in two weeks.  The ship is Ovation of the Seas.  My girlfriend and I prefer My Time and never experienced a wait more than 10 to 15 minutes on two previous sailing.  Now granted we didn't dine in the MDR every night, so maybe that's why we didn't experience wait times.  On both sailings the person at the booth allowed us to reserve a time earlier in the day, and we were seated shortly after arriving.  So I'm not sure why people end up waiting so long?  Could it also be that we are only a party of two?

I tried Dog House on Harmony of the Seas last Nov and thought it was pretty bad.  I tried the Bratwurst...no flavor, the Sicilian...even more tasteless, but the Chicken Apple was pretty good.  The bun was a little hard and stale and best of all, the hot dog guy looked soooo grumpy!  

Yessss!  I remember that whole story about the water falling down Central Park and I did see the video.  Jeez that could have been a lot worse!  I'm actually a little excited about the MDR menus, although I have read some bad reviews, thankfully not on the ships you and I are taking.  I'm thinking of doing a Chops filet in the MDR one night.  When I sailed on Freedom I did that and loved the filet, which made me excited about trying the whole Chops experience on Harmony months later.  Again, just my thoughts...not impressed at all.  Thanks for the healthy wishes.  I just got over a little sinus infection so I should be good to go in 14 days when we embark.  Had I gotten that sinus infection during Alaska, I would have been FURIOUS!!

That’s my plan to help get me in the Alaskan state of mind! 😂🤣