Food Quality

[therealbigredrules]

I'm a little late jumping on this thread but it caught my attention.  We cruised Anthem last summer out of Southampton.  Great cruise overall and the service and staff were fantastic.  We had late seating in MDR.  We enjoy a routine of a set time to eat and really enjoy getting to know our wait staff.  They were fabulous.

However,  the actual quality of the food was below average. It really seemed like they cut back on the quality of every item on the plate.  Maybe an issue with supplier maybe a cost cutting measure???   It calls into question my decision to book again.  So here is my question.....

I'm looking at a Celebrity cruise next year and have concerns that there might be a quality issue with their MDR product too.

Has anyone cruised on Celebrity lately - and how does the food quality in their MDR compare to the that in the Royal?  I'm only asking about the main dining room.  Not specialty.  Thanks in advance for any thoughts / comparison on quality.

[FSUFAN]

I hope this is a short-term hiccup, and not a permanent thing.  Like others have said, I want dinner to be better than I do at home and at least as good as going out to a nice sit-down restaurant. 

I know that RCCL (and other lines) are tweaking their business model in order to gain more revenue and thus profitability.  I just wish that they would slow down on some of the changes.  I once had a boss who used to say as a joke that, "in my life, supposedly, I will eat a bushel of dirt, I just don't want to eat it in one sitting."  Too many changes that affect the customer negatively will do the opposite of what RCCL management is trying to accomplish.

[tonyfsu21]

On 5/3/2023 at 12:58 PM, A and M said:

I am hearing a lot about bad food in MDR and specialty restaurants.    Cruise with Ben and David gave a brutal review of food in MDR.   I had a friend return last month from a Panama cruise and said the food in MDR and Chops was horrible.    I am heading on a cruise in September on Oasis and really hope this was just a fluke and not trending.    If food is horrible,  they may lose a Diamond member to other cruise lines.    What is everyone seeing or Hearing?    Have you had a recent cruise within last couple of months and encountered the same thing?

Out of curiosity, do you think another cruise line would be any different? I would imagine on the very high end lines there has been little to no noticeable change in food quality. The cost cutting methods are pretty much standard for big box cruise though and I really don’t see any potential upside to leaving (especially as a diamond member). The C&A benefits at Royal Caribbean are arguably better than any other comparable cruise company and the food quality/service is directly associated with recouping money from a rough couple of years during the pandemic. Multi billion dollar losses require cost cutting strategies and unfortunately the consumer ultimately pays the price. I hope this MDR issue does not become standard and food quality eventually gets better but only time will tell. 

[OCSC Mike]

Food on Wonder was excellent last week. I have a semi-live blog in the Live Blogs forum if anyone is interested.

We were in Sky Class and had many good meals in CK (not the norm for us, we only had a suite b/c my generous FIL treated our extended family). I enjoyed Park Cafe for both breakfast and lunch, El Loco Fresh was good for making tacos (pre-made items were not good and guac was bad IMO) and was empty for basic breakfast items including made to order omelets, didn't get to hit the WJ as much as I would have liked but it had plenty of options and items were hit & miss as they usually are in my experience (Indian food good as usual), Sorrento's was better than usual (thin and crispy), and Mason Jar brunch was one of the best meals of the cruise.

We have Wonder booked two more times next year and as great as CK and the suite life is, I'm looking forward to eating in mostly included venues.

You may notice I left out the MDR. We haven't been fans since long before covid or menu changes and don't eat there often. That said, some family members ordered a few items from the MDR menu up to CK for dinner and the food was fine, not great, not terrible, which is kind of how we've always felt about it.

As someone who loves to eat on cruises, I found the food quality just fine. Just one man's opinion of one recent cruise, of course.

[ChessE4]

2 hours ago, tonyfsu21 said:

Out of curiosity, do you think another cruise line would be any different? I would imagine on the very high end lines there has been little to no noticeable change in food quality. The cost cutting methods are pretty much standard for big box cruise though and I really don’t see any potential upside to leaving (especially as a diamond member). The C&A benefits at Royal Caribbean are arguably better than any other comparable cruise company and the food quality/service is directly associated with recouping money from a rough couple of years during the pandemic. Multi billion dollar losses require cost cutting strategies and unfortunately the consumer ultimately pays the price. I hope this MDR issue does not become standard and food quality eventually gets better but only time will tell. 

To your point, I believe other cruise lines have similar food quality/staffing issues.  A line we selected for a special 2024 trip because of its itinerary has had many poor reviews for declining food quality, and food was always touted as its strong suit.  

[asquared17]

3 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

Loco Fresh was good for making tacos (pre-made items were not good and guac was bad IMO) and was empty for basic breakfast items including made to order omelets

wait stop are you telling me el loco fresh was open for breakfast????

this was my old breakfast haunt on oasis after her amplification and i was so sad that she’s been closed for breakfast since the restart. 

if so, this gives me hope they are reopening ELF as a breakfast venue!!

@WAAAYTOOO tell dan!!

ps: agree with you 100 percent about the ELF guac quality. sub par at best. sabor on allure/harmony does it better. (though you do pay for it )

[OCSC Mike]

6 minutes ago, asquared17 said:

wait stop are you telling me el loco fresh was open for breakfast????

this was my old breakfast haunt on oasis after her amplification and i was so sad that she’s been closed for breakfast since the restart. 

if so, this gives me hope they are reopening ELF as a breakfast venue!!

@WAAAYTOOO tell dan!!

ps: agree with you 100 percent about the ELF guac quality. sub par at best. sabor on allure/harmony does it better. (though you do pay for it )

Yes, open and very empty when I happened to walk by.

Only had Sabor once on Harmony... guac was amazing. Used to be made table side. I don't even want to see the jar the ELF "guac" comes out of, lol.

[A and M]

Update to Original Post

 

     Just Disembarked From Oasis of the Seas today (10/1/23).   The food and service in MDR was great.  The dishes were hot, we didn't feel rushed, the service from staff was amazing.   We also ate lunch in Eindjammer, the food options were plentiful,  the food areas were not a mess, the food that needed to be hot was hot, and what needed to be cold was cold.   I am happy to report that the complaints that I have been reading about didn't occur for me. 

 

[BobbieS]

We were on Freedom in August and had a great experience in the MDR. Food was good and service was excellent. 

[urgentgorgoroth]

It's concerning to hear about the recent feedback regarding food quality on cruises, especially when it comes to the Main Dining Room (MDR) and specialty restaurants. A bad dining experience can indeed leave a lasting impression.

[drcalvert]

Just got back from a short cruise on Voyager. We had 12 total in our group with a frw being new to cruising. Wife and I are diamond members and were marride on Liberty. And we were really shocked on how the quality of the MDR had really seem to slip. We ate at the specialty resturants and were please. Our friends said they also were not happy with the MDR food quality. And the new cruisers were somewhat disappointed, as they heard the food was great.  The service was great, as usual! Just the food didn't taste as good as it use too. Now, maybe this is just specific to Voyager. I sure hope so... We are going on Harmony in a fee months. And I dont want to feel that I have to go to specialty resturants to enjoy my dining while on vacation. If Harmony is the same poor quality a I believe we will start looking for new cruise line. I sure hope not!

[happy cruisers 2]

On 5/3/2023 at 9:23 PM, Traveling Mike said:

*** My question is what expectations do you have?  5 start restaurant or local restaurant or better than you can cook.

Just as people are all so different, I think expectations must be all over the place too.  For a ship to feed thousands of people, I personally feel it's unrealistic to expect 5 star food quality in every meal.  Local restaurants certainly vary too.  If the great majority of MDR meals onboard are better than we typically eat at home, or even in a local restaurant, we're quite pleased.  If we paid extra for a specialty dining experience, I would then have a higher expectation.  Overall, we have been happy with MDR meals -- even when we occasionally get something that isn't quite what we expected.  Our attitude is that we are fortunate to be able to cruise and have a decent variety of choices in different foods that we maybe don't normally have at home.  If we don't like something, we might eat more of what we do like.  We never go hungry.  Maybe we're too easy to please.

[OCSC Mike]

Just now, happy cruisers 2 said:

 If we don't like something, we might eat more of what we do like.  We never go hungry.  Maybe we're too easy to please.

This largely sums it up for me. No such thing as "too easy to please" in my book though. We all like what we like.

[JS514]

On 5/3/2023 at 9:24 PM, Jill said:

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

Their debt is not my problem.   They increased their cruise fares.  I cruised NCL last summer - best food I have ever had on a cruise in both the MDR and in the speciality restaurants.

[SpeedNoodles]

3 hours ago, JS514 said:

Their debt is not my problem.   They increased their cruise fares.  I cruised NCL last summer - best food I have ever had on a cruise in both the MDR and in the speciality restaurants.

I thought the food on NCL was fair.  The first day I had a scallop appetizer and the scallops were, and I am not exaggerating, smaller than the nail on my pinky finger.   The servers were slow and perpetually confused.

They also really annoyed me when we were at specialty restaurants and asked to take some of the meal back to the room (dessert - we were very full) and they flat-out refused. So we had a bite or two and they just threw the rest away. 

[JS514]

11 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

I thought the food on NCL was fair.  The first day I had a scallop appetizer and the scallops were, and I am not exaggerating, smaller than the nail on my pinky finger.   The servers were slow and perpetually confused.

They also really annoyed me when we were at specialty restaurants and asked to take some of the meal back to the room (dessert - we were very full) and they flat-out refused. So we had a bite or two and they just threw the rest away. 

 

Most likely Bay Scallops.  Probably each server would give a different answer to the desert.

[SpeedNoodles]

2 hours ago, JS514 said:

 

Most likely Bay Scallops.  Probably each server would give a different answer to the desert.

I've had Bay Scallops.  These were about a quarter size of that. And maybe each server would give a different answer, but apparently they had a meeting and all decided to give the same one.  Never again, lol.

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

3 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

I've had Bay Scallops.  These were about a quarter size of that. And maybe each server would give a different answer, but apparently they had a meeting and all decided to give the same one.  Never again, lol.

 

At the Pinnacle/Diamond luncheon on the past few cruises they have had a scallops appetizer that was prepared much the same as the escargot app in the MDR with butter and garlic.  I didn't even know you could GET scallops that small !  Like @SpeedNoodlessaid, they were the size of my fingernail. They didn't taste bad, but they were TINY.

[SpeedNoodles]

18 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

At the Pinnacle/Diamond luncheon on the past few cruises they have had a scallops appetizer that was prepared much the same as the escargot app in the MDR with butter and garlic.  I didn't even know you could GET scallops that small !  Like @SpeedNoodlessaid, they were the size of my fingernail. They didn't taste bad, but they were TINY.

They were so small that I tasted, well, nothing.  Absolutely nothing.

[Gadget Hackwrench]

On Vision of the Seas I was informed by a waiter that very few people liked the Mexican night dinner. When we asked how could a meal on such a wonderful ship actually be undesirable, he told us he would show us the entire menu the following night. What I did not understand at the time was that he would actually bring out every single dish on the menu, except the desserts because those were great. And he was right, they were all subpar. I learned a valuable lesson, always trust the waiter.

[loki007]

just got off Odeyssey Saturday. The MDR food was excellent. Service was a little slow but not terrible. Surpisingly the let down was Coco Beach Club. This was our 4th time there and the food has always impressed us. The cabana burger was comparable to something from the Windjammer and the lobster sandwich was not good. 

[Charles Burkes]

My family of 6 took an 8 day RCL cruise (our 3rd) to Aruba over the Thanksgiving holiday and the consensus of opinions on food quality was the same - terrible! Sadly, it didn’t seem to matter where we ate either! Whether choosing to eat from the MDR menu, eating at a specialty restaurant, the Windjammer buffet, or brats on the boardwalk… we all sadly agreed, the food was mediocre at best. We’ve never having this experience before and hate to criticize but, outside the reliable soft-serve ice cream and Sorrentos pizza (both GREAT!), something really should be done about the quality of food. We LOVE cruising but, the dining /food experience is a significant source of our enjoyment and for this cruise, it was an unexpected and unfortunate disappointment. 

[ChessE4]

3 hours ago, Charles Burkes said:

My family of 6 took an 8 day RCL cruise (our 3rd) to Aruba over the Thanksgiving holiday and the consensus of opinions on food quality was the same - terrible! Sadly, it didn’t seem to matter where we ate either! Whether choosing to eat from the MDR menu, eating at a specialty restaurant, the Windjammer buffet, or brats on the boardwalk… we all sadly agreed, the food was mediocre at best. We’ve never having this experience before and hate to criticize but, outside the reliable soft-serve ice cream and Sorrentos pizza (both GREAT!), something really should be done about the quality of food. We LOVE cruising but, the dining /food experience is a significant source of our enjoyment and for this cruise, it was an unexpected and unfortunate disappointment. 

Thanks for the honest review.

[bretts173]

On 12/31/2023 at 10:31 PM, Charles Burkes said:

My family of 6 took an 8 day RCL cruise (our 3rd) to Aruba over the Thanksgiving holiday and the consensus of opinions on food quality was the same - terrible! Sadly, it didn’t seem to matter where we ate either! Whether choosing to eat from the MDR menu, eating at a specialty restaurant, the Windjammer buffet, or brats on the boardwalk… we all sadly agreed, the food was mediocre at best. We’ve never having this experience before and hate to criticize but, outside the reliable soft-serve ice cream and Sorrentos pizza (both GREAT!), something really should be done about the quality of food. We LOVE cruising but, the dining /food experience is a significant source of our enjoyment and for this cruise, it was an unexpected and unfortunate disappointment. 

While I appreciate your views, I've seen just as many say Sorrentos is horrible but other food is great. 

 

Just proves taste is subjective.

 

 

[Aron_Ross]

On 6/3/2023 at 3:35 PM, Geezer Of The Seas said:

El Loco Fresh: Loved the concept but the wave of humanity made the grab n' go burrito and tacos the thing to do. Couldn't get close to the fixins'.

Park Cafe: Had 2 of the vaunted Kummelweck sandwiches. Apologies to Royal, but I've made those out of leftover London Broil on a Kaiser roll with horseradish, mustard, and sliced onion. Mine are better, but again, the only game in town. 

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! 

[Ryan79]

1 hour ago, Aron_Ross said:

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! 

Ditto to every single word!!

[Aron_Ross]

On 12/31/2023 at 3:31 AM, Charles Burkes said:

My family of 6 took an 8 day RCL cruise (our 3rd) to Aruba over the Thanksgiving holiday and the consensus of opinions on food quality was the same - terrible! Sadly, it didn’t seem to matter where we ate either! Whether choosing to eat from the MDR menu, eating at a specialty restaurant, the Windjammer buffet, or brats on the boardwalk… we all sadly agreed, the food was mediocre at best. We’ve never having this experience before and hate to criticize but, outside the reliable soft-serve ice cream and Sorrentos pizza (both GREAT!), something really should be done about the quality of food. We LOVE cruising but, the dining /food experience is a significant source of our enjoyment and for this cruise, it was an unexpected and unfortunate disappointment. 

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!       

[kristophestucker]

I haven't set sail on a cruise yet, but I'm always on the lookout for great food vibes, both at sea and in everyday life!  Your experiences matter, and I'd love to hear how your recent cruises went especially the food part! I've heard mixed reviews, so forming an objective opinion seems key. On a personal note, I've had a few not-so-great food experiences during cruises. That prompted me to be a bit of a food prepper – packing some canned goods, dried fruits, and even Beef broth for a quick fix just in case the ship's offerings aren't up to par. A little microwave magic, and voila! A delicious plan B.

[ChessE4]

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.

[A and M]

Update

 Don't think I ever posted an update from my cruise from end of September 2023.   The food we had in the MDR and Windjammer was excellent.   What was supposed to be cold was, and what was supposed to be hot was as well.   We didn't feel rushed and the service was fantastic.   We also ate in the Solarium Bistro and several Specialty restaurants.   Very pleased that we didn't encounter terrible food or service.  

 

PS..sorry if this a repeat post.  The memory is the first to go...l

[Michael Vitale]

Just finished 5 nights on Radiance.  Service was wonderful.  Food in MDR was acceptable for the most part.  Portions small, menu limited.  Prime rib ok, beef tenderloin very good.  Skipped the MDR the rest of the cruise based on menu.  However, the drop in quality in the Windjammer is stark.  When we began cruising, the Windjammer was an event.  Officers wandered around proudly.  Roving bar, fruit carvings, huge displays of deli, fruits, desserts.  Chocolate night !!!  I remember cookouts on the pool deck with again, huge displays of fruit carvings, and bread offerings.  Sadly, the WJ has become a small version of Golden Corral.   Who ever heard of carving stations serving chicken ?? 

[ChessE4]

We almost never had dinner in WJ, just breakfast and lunch. For lunch I made myself a salad and tried sauteed fish plus dessert. I assume that is still available?

[WAYNO]

I continue to try to defend the restaurants, but Day 1 on Oasis yesterday in Windjammer, absolutely no clean tables, and nobody clearing tables.  My Wife asked a manager what could be done.  He brushed her off and walked away.  Folks cleared tables themselves, piling the mess on other tables or pushed dirty plates aside, just so they could have dinner. 

I do not want to jump on the bash-wagon.  I would like to know why so many restaurant services are lacking.  Are they short on employees?  Did they misjudge the dinner crowd and didn't schedule enough workers?

 

 

[FionaMG]

It shouldn't be so hard.

Bring back trays and set up racks where people can stow their dirties after their meal like we all do at shopping centre food courts.

[Ampurp85]

I saw this on Wonder in Jan and Allure last week. I honestly think quality as a whole has gone down.