Morganno Posted June 20, 2019 Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 We were on explorer of the seas 18-24 May from Southampton and bought the 3 meal package onboard. Our first was at Giovanni's. The waiter was very energetic and eager to please but he didn't really explain how it worked very well. We were a group of 6 and we were chatting and looking at the menu while he was taking the orders. Some of us ordered anti-pasti some appetizers and some just wanted entrees. However we didn't realise that all would be served separately and in order. So first out came 2 anti-pasties and nothing else then the appetizers then the entrees. We entered at 6 and those that wanted the entrees weren't served until 7.45. Also some wanted the risotto as the main as they were vegeterians but it was obviously kept on the burner too long and was mush. None of our meals was particularly hot. I wanted to complain but the person eating didn't want to make any fuss. Anyway long story but can't recommend giovannis on the basis of the meal we had. However Chops and Izumi were absolutely fantastic, food served hot and atmoshpere great especially Chops the ribeye was succulent and perfectly cooked. We are on Harmony this August and want to try again with the restaurants but not sure which ones to go for given our experiences on Explorer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcoler18 Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 Thats disapointing, we are on Adventure in October and have got the 3 meal package. Dont fancy Izumi so were going ot do Chops twice and Giovannis, hopefully its better on Adventure. Morganno 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaMG Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 OP, I think you may just have been unlucky. We did Giovanni's and Chops once each on our Navigator cruise last November. Both were good but for us Giovanni's was the better one. DH had the mushroom risotto and thought it was delicious. We have the 3 night package for our next cruise on Adventure this coming November and will probably do Giovanni's twice and Chops once. We're not sushi fans either. Morganno 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaCruise Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 We tried Giovanni on Independence last year. The food was very good but had similar issue with slowness. DH complained to the manager and they brought us a bottle of wine to our stateroom the next day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 15 hours ago, Morganno said: We are on Harmony this August and want to try again with the restaurants but not sure which ones to go for given our experiences on Explorer. Harmony doesn't have Giovanni's but rather Jamie's Italian. I've always enjoyed the food at Jamie's on the other ships. It lends itself to be more of a casual Italian experience rather than Giovanni's. Just remember that the appetizers and pasta dishes lend themselves to be more of a family-style dining experience where the entire table shares them, so the meal gets delivered as such. In addition to Chops, Harmony also has Central Park 150 which you may enjoy as a specialty restaurant. I would suggest trying out the restaurants that weren't available on Explorer. Harmony has a lot more to choose from for specialty dining! Wonderland is an experience in itself, but is more of an experiment with food that doesn't always appeal to the masses. Then you have Sabor which is Mexican food..excellent margaritas and guacamole and the food was decent, but I don't always feel it has the same value as the other specialty restaurants. tiny260 and Morganno 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markm Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 15 hours ago, Morganno said: We were on explorer of the seas 18-24 May from Southampton and bought the 3 meal package onboard. Our first was at Giovanni's. The waiter was very energetic and eager to please but he didn't really explain how it worked very well. We were a group of 6 and we were chatting and looking at the menu while he was taking the orders. Some of us ordered anti-pasti some appetizers and some just wanted entrees. However we didn't realise that all would be served separately and in order. So first out came 2 anti-pasties and nothing else then the appetizers then the entrees. We entered at 6 and those that wanted the entrees weren't served until 7.45. Also some wanted the risotto as the main as they were vegeterians but it was obviously kept on the burner too long and was mush. None of our meals was particularly hot. I wanted to complain but the person eating didn't want to make any fuss. Anyway long story but can't recommend giovannis on the basis of the meal we had. However Chops and Izumi were absolutely fantastic, food served hot and atmoshpere great especially Chops the ribeye was succulent and perfectly cooked. We are on Harmony this August and want to try again with the restaurants but not sure which ones to go for given our experiences on Explorer. Off your topic. We also will be sailing the Explorer of the sea out of Southampton in October and wondering how the onboard entertainment was, think we may have been spoiled on our last cruise aboard the Oasis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 4 hours ago, markm said: Off your topic. We also will be sailing the Explorer of the sea out of Southampton in October and wondering how the onboard entertainment was, think we may have been spoiled on our last cruise aboard the Oasis @markm When we sailed out of Southampton on the Explorer, we found that some of the performers were hard to understand because of accents (ours!) or because of references embedded in jokes. We thought the performances were well-executed, we just couldn't enjoy them as much as we wanted. It helped to dine with Brits who gave us background on the performance the night before or the scheduled performance that evening. We also found the food to be distinctly different - don't expect the bacon we have in the US. Lots of meat pies. Folks were slow to leave the WJ. They tended to "homestead" at breakfast or lunch, so the crew made announcements over the public address system. All of these things are normal when you experience a different culture, so just be flexible. Meeting locals during the cruise was very rewarding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skid Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 21 hours ago, Morganno said: We are on Harmony this August and want to try again with the restaurants but not sure which ones to go for given our experiences on Explorer. 5 hours ago, AshleyDillo said: Harmony also has Central Park 150 which you may enjoy as a specialty restaurant..... Wonderland is an experience in itself We were at 150 Central Park on Symphony last month. It was one of the best restaurants we have been to on land or sea. Service and food were impeccable. You can see the menu and some pictures from from my live blog here Scroll about 1/3 of the way down page 5. And halfway down page 4 has Wonderland. Morganno 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markm Posted June 22, 2019 Report Share Posted June 22, 2019 thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morganno Posted June 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 On 6/21/2019 at 12:33 PM, WannaCruise said: We tried Giovanni on Independence last year. The food was very good but had similar issue with slowness. DH complained to the manager and they brought us a bottle of wine to our stateroom the next day. Our food wasn't that bad that we needed to complain it's just one of these things like others have said perhaps he should have explained the set up of the restaurant better nice getting the bottle of wine though. I hope it made up for a disappointing meal? On 6/21/2019 at 8:27 PM, Skid said: We were at 150 Central Park on Symphony last month. It was one of the best restaurants we have been to on land or sea. Service and food were impeccable. You can see the menu and some pictures from from my live blog here Scroll about 1/3 of the way down page 5. And halfway down page 4 has Wonderland. Thanks for this really want to try 150. I'm going to book it for my wife's birthday. Will probably end up going for the three meal package again as I want to try Sabor and Jamies as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morganno Posted June 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 On 6/21/2019 at 3:05 PM, markm said: Off your topic. We also will be sailing the Explorer of the sea out of Southampton in October and wondering how the onboard entertainment was, think we may have been spoiled on our last cruise aboard the Oasis I'm sorry to say we were quite disappointed with the entertainment. We sat in for the love and marriage show which was on during the afternoon. The East Coast boys (ie Jersey Boys) were fantastic to watch but the rest of the sailing was poor. It was in May though perhaps it'll pick up the boat had just transferred from Oz. When your Cruise Director is billed as the main act and one evening there wasn't a main act but a movie then you know it's been a poor week. mom2mybugs and Skid 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skid Posted June 23, 2019 Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 31 minutes ago, Morganno said: I'm sorry to say we were quite disappointed with the entertainment That is really unfortunate. Usually Royal's entertainment is a cruise highlight for us. Having that end up sub par would annoy me also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FManke Posted June 23, 2019 Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 We really enjoyed Giovanni's when we went last, enough to rebook again on our next cruise with Chops+1. Maybe the issues had to do with the size of your group. Not a excuse, just a thought. It shouldn't have happened regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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