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Best Off Menu Request?


4ensic

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How many have ordered something off the menu?  I don't mean a dish available another night, but something Royal doesn't offer at all.  How'd it turn out?

Friends I cruise with do this on occasion and the results are usually worthy of a specialty restaurant.  They usually ask early on the voyage for something generic like "Filipino food" for a meal at the convenience of kitchen staff  (basically we'd be happy with a crew meal). Usually a chef comes around that evening and makes suggestions.  On the Freedom, the chef (Filipino!) volunteered to prepare different meals for two nights.   He did  family style meals of: pancit bihon (Rice noodles with pork and vegetables), sinigang (sour fish soup), chicken adobo , goulay (local vegetables), and lumpia Shanghai (pork filled eggroll). 

What's your experience been?

 

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+1 on Indian food.

On Majesty of the Seas, they had some very good Indian food all the time in the Windjammer, if you knew where to look. We casually mentioned how we were enjoying that Indian food to our head waiter in the MDR the first night and every night he provided an Indian dish in addition to the regular menu items. It was awesome. Boy, did we look forward to the MDR. We would have gladly traded out one of the listed entrees for the Indian dish, but he insisted that it be additional, not replacement.

We noticed that there were several chefs and cuisine managers from the Indian subcontinent listed in the WJ.

For the cost of a few plates of food, Royal locked us in as customers for the foreseeable future. Cheap customer retention costs for them. Good food for us. That works.

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On our July 2 cruise on Mariner of the Seas, the executive chef came around and asked everyone how the food was. My son Brandon who is 13 said his steak was great but wanted to know when he could have a quesadilla. The chef told him it wasn’t going to be on the cruise menu and I thought saw son get very sad. Then the chef said just tell your waiter tomorrow “Chef McDonald” said I could have a quesadilla and we will make you one.  It was awesome.

 

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On 8/27/2018 at 9:31 AM, Matt said:

I always order Indian curry in the MDR and it usually comes out quite good.

I did this in January (I believe taking a cue from you).  Unfortunately our server, for some 

reason, waited until we were nearly finished our dinner the next evening and I was already

pretty full, but I did try it and it was excellent!   Wish I had known...

 

They really are such good people, and seem to take a lot of pride in their jobs with our satisfaction being their goal.

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While we were on the Disney Magic, my son, who was 6 at the time (he's now 13) was not into the children's menu (he's a foodie, not picky). Our waiter in Animator's Palate asked him what he would like, instead. My son replied "a venison steak, please". (I thought, "oh brother"). The waiter replied, "how would you like it cooked?" My son replied, "how my mom makes it." I said medium rare, and that is exactly what our waiter brought out for him, plus french fries. ?  FWIW: We have left Disney, since they've priced us out of our Alaska cruise. We are giving RCCL a try for the next couple of years and see how it goes, but for price and amenities that I WANT (to pay for), Royal seems like a no brainer.  We are cruising to Alaska July 2019 in an Owner's  suite. At the time of booking, that was the same price as a regular ocean view on DCL. The junior suite on Royal was the same price as an inside stateroom on DCL (at time of booking).

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On 8/25/2018 at 11:22 PM, 4ensic said:

Friends I cruise with do this on occasion and the results are usually worthy of a specialty restaurant.  They usually ask early on the voyage for something generic like "Filipino food" for a meal at the convenience of kitchen staff  (basically we'd be happy with a crew meal). Usually a chef comes around that evening and makes suggestions.  On the Freedom, the chef (Filipino!) volunteered to prepare different meals for two nights.   He did  family style meals of: pancit bihon (Rice noodles with pork and vegetables), sinigang (sour fish soup), chicken adobo , goulay (local vegetables), and lumpia Shanghai (pork filled eggroll). 

OMG.  I'm sooo doing this on my next cruise.  Brilliant!

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This isn't off-menu, but on our last cruise (Adventure Nov '17) our waiter left a little bit to be desired so we hit the Windjammer two nights.  One night they had an Indian food section that was solid, and the butter chicken was the best I've ever had.  Another evening was "Caribbean Night" that was to die for.  The jerk chicken was moist, spicy... great stuff!

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8 minutes ago, bcarney said:

This isn't off-menu, but on our last cruise (Adventure Nov '17) our waiter left a little bit to be desired so we hit the Windjammer two nights.  One night they had an Indian food section that was solid, and the butter chicken was the best I've ever had.  Another evening was "Caribbean Night" that was to die for.  The jerk chicken was moist, spicy... great stuff!

Ahh yes, the hidden gems of dinner in Windjammer.

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30 minutes ago, bcarney said:

This isn't off-menu, but on our last cruise (Adventure Nov '17) our waiter left a little bit to be desired so we hit the Windjammer two nights.  One night they had an Indian food section that was solid, and the butter chicken was the best I've ever had.  Another evening was "Caribbean Night" that was to die for.  The jerk chicken was moist, spicy... great stuff!

I agree, their Indian entrees are top notch.  Celebrity actually had an Asian food station at the back of their Windjammer-equivalent.  It was freestanding, had a cook, and about 10 entrees from Indian to Filipino and Thai.  Open for all 3 meals.  And this was on a British Isles cruise.  

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Hands down for Windjammer....the Indian food there is great, multiple dishes usually and something I could eat every night. There is always usually a nice surprise or two in the WJ.....haven't eaten in the MDR since my 2015 cruise on Independence and then it was only for 1 night out of 5 night cruise......

 

I found the food in the WJ just as good..more variety...just as hot..much quicker...more relaxed than the MDR.....I have never requested or asked for a special/different dish though...to me that seems inconsiderate ..maybe they love to do it for you..but maybe not..imagine if all 4000 guests wanted there own special dishes on different nights...

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There is absolutely something to be said for the WJ for dinner. No dressing up after a long day in the sun and a huge variety of foods that you may not try otherwise. If my husband and I are travelling alone, that's what we tend to favor over the MDR if we aren't doing specialty. 

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Just now, ellcee said:

Agreed. I never can seem to talk anyone into the WJ for dinner whenever I cruise.

When we cruise with husband's family, it is always MDR every night with special attention paid to formal night and pictures taken with family every night. 

Husband and I take the much more laid back approach when cruising on our own... and no pictures. 

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After seeing CGTLH's live blogs with pictures I am deffinately planning to do some Windjammer recon of my own on my cruise in less than two weeks on Oasis. The night that the MDR has the sliced beef tenderloin the windjammer has it as well but at the carving station and its hot and fresh and charred on the outside rare to medium on the inside (depending which end he slices from) and tastes much better there then it does in the MDR. 

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15 hours ago, KLA said:

When we cruise with husband's family, it is always MDR every night with special attention paid to formal night and pictures taken with family every night. 

Husband and I take the much more laid back approach when cruising on our own... and no pictures. 

it would be the same if we travelled with family...12 cruises so far and avoided it...:2_grimacing:...most of my friends that I travel with prefer the WJ.....I think in 11 cruises so far..its prob been less  than 10 nights out of about 50 nights for the MDR

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7 minutes ago, Oliver said:

My biggest problem with the Windjammer is that I’ll eat too much. I just want to try everything! I don’t have a lot of self control 

I have the same issue at dinner in WJ.  It all looks so good I end up with a massive plate of food.  I really should scout the whole area before putting anything on my plate.

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21 hours ago, Oliver said:

My biggest problem with the Windjammer is that I’ll eat too much. I just want to try everything! I don’t have a lot of self control 

Me either! My plan is to find a small plate by the dessert section to use as my dinner plate. But I'll probably end up going back for seconds and thirds haha. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 8/27/2018 at 8:31 AM, Matt said:

I always order Indian curry in the MDR and it usually comes out quite good.

i asked for chicken tikka masala and sag paneer on a cruise a few years back, didn't give them a heads up, either.  but it came out quick and was delicious.   i might have had naan bread too, if i had told them this request a day ahead.  they seem to like cooking the food of their home for people.

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8 minutes ago, georgeh said:

i asked for chicken tikka masala and sag paneer on a cruise a few years back, didn't give them a heads up, either.  but it came out quick and was delicious.   i might have had naan bread too, if i had told them this request a day ahead.  they seem to like cooking the food of their home for people.

That seems to be the key.  What's exotic to an American might be some chef's family recipe s/he cooked as a youngster.  I'd bet regional US specialties wouldn't go over as well even if the ingredients were in stock ( e.g. a Horseshoe or Jambalaya).

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On 10/1/2018 at 12:17 PM, georgeh said:

just got back from the liberty of the seas.   apparently, indian food is such a popular thing now, it is always offered in the MDR (off menu, but always available).  my wife had some indian dish at least twice.  on the last day, they had a full compliment of indian on the buffet (chicken tikka, etc).

Just off the Harmony.  Our Headwaiter said that there is nonpublished Indian menu nightly with a vegetarian and a meat entree.  They were getting so many requests for different Indian dishes this was a compromise.  Anyone can request either entree 24 hours in advance.  Their Butter Chicken was great and the chef wasn't afraid to use chile pepper.

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