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Quality of MDR-same on all ships?


Harper

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What were your concerns with the quality of the food? Temperature? Seasoning? The overall cook?

Asking because I've found the food to be pretty consistent on the second two, but depending on your servers and how busy it is when you go, the temp part could vary a lot.

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10 hours ago, JLMoran said:

What were your concerns with the quality of the food? Temperature? Seasoning? The overall cook?

Asking because I've found the food to be pretty consistent on the second two, but depending on your servers and how busy it is when you go, the temp part could vary a lot.

All food was certainly luke warm, but that wasn't an issue. More the overall quality of products used. Shrimp was chewy and tiny, not cleaned very well. Salads had limp lettuce that was drowned in lettuce. 

 

Guess we'll just go with unlimited dining and see how that works.

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21 minutes ago, Harper said:

All food was certainly luke warm, but that wasn't an issue. More the overall quality of products used. Shrimp was chewy and tiny, not cleaned very well. Salads had limp lettuce that was drowned in lettuce. 

That's definitely not the same as my experience, on either Freedom (first cruise) or Anthem (2nd and 3rd). I found all the food I ordered had good quality, and to use your examples of shrimp and salads -- I've ordered the seafood risotto multiple times and always had shrimp that were plump and cooked just right, no visible vein left; the scallops were not large sea scallops but the smaller variety (like I've gotten with coquilles St. Jacques) and also tender / not at all tough. My wife regularly ordered the Caesar salad and loved it, the romaine looked very fresh and was crisp / firm and she got the dressing on the side, as requested.

I've also ordered the tiger shrimp appetizer when offered, and it was likewise very good and I didn't find the shrimp tough or overcooked. On lobster night, the lobster tails were a little chewy, but I've always found lobster tails to be that way. Given that the tails are kept frozen until that day, this doesn't particularly surprise me. Vegetables in the meals I've had were uniformly fresh, flavorful, and cooked as I'd expect (tender but not mushy); I've tried hard to remember sending anything back or pushing a plate away, and the only one that really sticks out in my mind is the Beef Terroir served at Wonderland. And that was only because it tasted exactly like my mom's beef stew, which I've hated since I was a kid.

I'm curious which ship(s) you were on. Anecdotally, it seems that Oasis class ships get somewhat more complaints about the MDR, but I've usually seen those more in the context of service than food quality. As you go to smaller ship classes, the feedback about the MDR generally goes up. Which makes sense since they're serving fewer guests at once and can focus a bit better on producing consistent quality and service.

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I was on Harmony with my family last summer, which is an Oasis class ship. I ate in the MDR on the first night, and was very disappointed. The food to us tasted average, and the service was very poor. This was our first RCCL experience, so far we were cruising Disney. We finally had the opportunity to eat at Coastal Kitchen, which was wonderful: "a whole new world".

I will try Symphony this March. This time, I won't have a suite, so I will surely buy a dining package.

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15 hours ago, Harper said:

Maybe we just had off experiences. I’m really thinking it had to do with being in my time dining, our waiters just didn’t seem to care. It’s just hard with a young kid to do the set dining times, I like the flexibility

We had MTD, and different waitstaff each night, but were in Silk overnight, and we dined at different times. Sorry you had a bad experience. 

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On 1/28/2020 at 6:02 PM, Harper said:

We were on Anthem last month and I was very disappointed in the quality of the food in the MDR. We are going on Oasis this summer and I’m considering the unlimited dining package. Would the MDR on Oasis be similar to Anthem, or do the ships differ in quality? 


I’d HIGHLY recommend getting the UDP ...... You can usually get it on sale for $179/adult....... that’s basically $25.57/day.  The food in the specialty restaurants is WAY better than in the MDR.  Just make sure you go and make ALL your reservations as soon as you get on the ship the first day or you may not get the times you want.

IF you’re staying in a Grand Suite or above, you can actually make your UDP reservations thru the suite concierge when they email you about 7 days before the cruise ....... just email back and tell them the dates and times you’d like to eat at each restaurant and they’ll make the reservations for you.

 

 

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Not a big sampling, but we've had consistently very good to excellent food quality and excellent service in the MDR on every ship to date (Majesty, Explorer, Liberty & Allure).

I have chosen appetizers or entrees that didn't wow me (Tiger Garlic Shrimp & Asian Style Pork Tacos for example), but it's more of a personal taste issue versus food quality issue for me.

Yes, the specialty dining is a step up overall and much more intimate, but we have never felt cheated or disappointed after eating in the MDR. We now tend to work in 3-4 lunches and/or dinners in specialty restaurants during the cruise just for the experience. With some of the new and different offerings now on Oasis, I think that number will rise!

 

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On 1/28/2020 at 6:02 PM, Harper said:

We were on Anthem last month and I was very disappointed in the quality of the food in the MDR. We are going on Oasis this summer and I’m considering the unlimited dining package. Would the MDR on Oasis be similar to Anthem, or do the ships differ in quality? 

I think you should go with Unlimited Dining.. Dining is very subjective. Some people think the MDR is great and some people don't... If you tried it and didn't like it trust me you won't like it on ANY of their ships.. The food is all the same and I have been on 48 Royal cruises... I personally have found I don't like the MDR so I get the package every time.. 

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We have found the food in the MDR on Anthem and Adventure superior to that on 5 cruises with Mickey Mouse. That includes falling for the hype and eating at a specialty restaurant (at a hefty upcharge) that was supposed to be wonderful but was not. Far from it.  Or maybe it was the nice tables for 2 we enjoyed in the MDR's in lieu of the DCL rotational dining system which can be awkward at times.

 

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We enjoyed the MDR very much on our last cruise. No issues what so ever. We've chosen to get the Chops plus one this go around, as it offers us a taste of the specialty restaurants we enjoyed the best, but still allows us to enjoy the MDR.

If you think about it, each ships MDR is like an individual location of a chain. Although they should all be following the same service standards and recipes, they can vary from location to location.

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On 1/29/2020 at 8:44 AM, JLMoran said:

 

I'm curious which ship(s) you were on. Anecdotally, it seems that Oasis class ships get somewhat more complaints about the MDR, but I've usually seen those more in the context of service than food quality. As you go to smaller ship classes, the feedback about the MDR generally goes up. Which makes sense since they're serving fewer guests at once and can focus a bit better on producing consistent quality and service.

Or is that the clients on Oasis class ships are how can I say this nicely............. particular.

We have only sailed on the Allure and found the staff excellent, and the food outstanding. We did dine at Giovanni's Table and outside of the mussels, which in all fairness the waiter warned us not to order, it was amazing. We had a great experience at Hibachi  as well. As good as those two specialty restaurants are I'm not sure they are worth the up charge.  Food as many have noted is a subjective topic.

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Food and dining on a cruise ship is so subjective.  You could serve two different people the exact same meal and one could hate it and one could love it. 

That said, I find that a pleasant MDR experience mostly depends on your servers.  If you get good servers who chat, joke with you, etc, it makes the whole experience better, even if the food isn't great.  No matter how good the food is, bad servers will ruin the experience.    

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On 1/30/2020 at 11:42 PM, FroggyFlo said:

I was on Harmony with my family last summer, which is an Oasis class ship. I ate in the MDR on the first night, and was very disappointed. The food to us tasted average, and the service was very poor. This was our first RCCL experience, so far we were cruising Disney. We finally had the opportunity to eat at Coastal Kitchen, which was wonderful: "a whole new world".

I will try Symphony this March. This time, I won't have a suite, so I will surely buy a dining package.

The first night is usually FUBAR, I’d never judge MDR based on the first night. 

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14 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

The first night is usually FUBAR, I’d never judge MDR based on the first night. 

That said, if @FroggyFlo is used to DCL and never had a FUBAR experience on night 1 (or any night) of any prior cruise, I don't know how fair it is to say that Royal has to get a pass on night 1. If anything, that kind of feedback is something I hope was reported on the post-cruise survey so that Royal knows they need to improve. I think a lot of people are coming to Royal from DCL now that DCL's pricing is getting so ridiculous in comparison. If Royal wants to keep those new passengers as repeat guests, they need to be firing on all cylinders in all venues.

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Doesn't the term "first night" just pertain to the new passengers? Why should service or food be any "poorer" on night one than night seven? Hasn't the MDR staff as well as the kitchen staff been working for, God knows how many days in a row. It's just another night for them. Anybody can have a off-night, no matter when.

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Just got off of,theVision of the seas, service was outstanding and we had no complaints about the food at all, steaks were tender and Lobster night was awesome with some prime rib. I don't think you have quite the selection as years ago, but we was at a table of seven and everyone enjoyed their dinning experience.

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What's a FUBAR??? Actually, we did report our disappointment on the comment card.

I also was disappointed by the fact that MTD only starts at 6.30 (if I remember well), and you have to stand in line at least 10 to 15 mn before opening. I wish I could have eaten earlier. Costal Kitchen opens at 5.30, it is convenient to eat early so that you do not miss the shows.

On the other hand, we liked Windjammer in the evening, because of the themed nights.

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As many others have said, "taste is very subjective". 

Our first cruise on Royal was our cruise on Allure last March. And we thought the MDR on Allure was heads and shoulders above all of our Carnival cruises MDR. There were some misses but still, quality of food in the MDR on Allure was much better than ANY Carnival cruise ship. In our opinion.

We also ate at the speciality restaurant Chops on our Allure cruise. In our opinion, that meal at Chops was worse than any meal we had that week in the MDR. We both agreed that we've had better steaks at Outback steakhouse. Even the sides were terrible. I don't think we finished any of our dishes. before we went we knew we couldn't compare Chops to a Land based top of the line steakhouse. We were just hoping to get a meal better that your "low cost steakhouse". We didn't.

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@FroggyFlo  FUBAR is an acronym, something that I know from being married to a military member. F Upped Beyond Any Repair. aka FUBAR

That being stated, and back on topic.    

I have cruised on multiple RCL ships, and have never had an issue with food in the MDR.

Actually, on our last cruise (Adventure) we did the Galley Brunch tour.  It was quite amazing.  Never did I know that the delicious mushroom soup in the MDR took hrs to make....they actually make their own stock everyday.  They have timers in the kitchen galley for food safety quality.  You''d be amazed to find out how long it takes the kitchen staff to rise in the RCL ranks or how often they are tested from an outside source for quality control. 

Would I consider myself a foodie?  No.  Do we enjoy expensive dinners on a routine basis, such as Capitol Grille in DC?  Yes.  Is the MDR that level?  No!  Is it WAAAYYYY above eating at Outback, Olive Garden, etc., Heck Yes!  

My service has always been amazing, but we have been fortunate enough to have impeccable waitstaff.  I eat small meals, so their food is too big for me to eat.  Our staff always after the 1st night or 2 truly think that I don't care for the entrée and they bring out a 2nd without me asking.  My husband has to say, stop! She doesn't eat a large meal and will force me to eat it so you are not offended! 

On top of that, I absolutely love the wedge salad, which is on the Chops menu, but only 1x in the MDR.  I tell them the 1st night this is my favorite salad.  Every night at dinner they would ask if we would be there the next night?  Yes.  Do you want the wedge salad?  Yes.  It was there waiting for me.  

We do traditional late seating.  I find this the best over any other MDR option (early, or MTD).  I find this great for us for multiple reasons.  

  •  We have no kids, so we can go to the late shows
  •  We always take a balcony.  We go to WJ when they open.  Make multiple dishes.  We make a plate of food with breads, meats, cheeses, olives, etc.  Than grab their specialty items, mongolian, fried chicken, desserts in a cup.  We place them in bowls.  One of us takes that to the cabin.  The other takes the seapass card and gets alcoholic bevs.  The specialties go in the mini-fridge aka cooler.  The plate with breads, meats. etc are enjoyed on the balcony as we get ready for dinner.  There is nothing like sitting on your balcony at midnight after the 70s party eating fried chicken, or mongolian stir fry and some type of dessert cup that they offered earlier at WJ instead of waiting in line for a slice of pizza.
  •  Late seating impo is rarely used.  We find the waitstaff is not inundated with passengers.  It may be due to early seating or MTD, but it always felt like we were their only table.  Food came out hot, and they would bring extra apps.  On our last cruise (Adventure) it was apps we ordered and just extra apps to share.  On Anthem, they knew my cousin due to medical reasons could only eat fish.  The last 2 nights, everything that was fish was placed on our table of 10 to do family style.  
  •  We never missed a show.  They know show times. Again, bc impo many people don't use the MDR for late seating. the staff will ask if you are going to a show and they know how to push out the dinner.  They will politely off the cuff mark, did you see...., you say no, we are going to the late show, they will time it.

As a Jersey girl married to an Italian, we have never felt like Giovanni or Jamies was a WOW!  Living in VA where Five Guys is everywhere, JR can't come close.

Just some food for thought when it comes to MDR.

FWIW, go to the MDR for lunch on a sea day, you will not be disappointed.  Do the tutti salad.

 

 

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12 hours ago, Pima1988 said:

Living in VA where Five Guys is everywhere, JR can't come close.

Sidebar -- we have Five Guys in NJ, too; I find them underwhelming as a burger joint. The one you have to try the next time you're up this way is Smash Burger. That is the best burger joint around here that I've found, bar none.

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