Is cruising really all about the food?

no, i do really enjoyt he food but that is not why i cruise. I go to relax and beon vacation. Its great when you dont have to cook ot clean stuff for a week :). the hardest part is going home and having to cook supper after working

For us its part of the overall experience, but not a reason to cruise. We rarely find a restaurant that cooks better than we can cook at home, so I wouldnt base any vacation solely on food.

NO ... We don't cruise to eat. At home we can go to nice restaurants!

LuLu

~~~

Not for me. When it comes to the food, I enjoy watching others stuff themselves and how frantic they become when its feeding time.

I enjoy being unplugged from everything. No phones, computers,work, or daily life troubles. It's a chance to surround yourself with beautiful scenery, and learn about customs and people from all over the world.

That's funny !!! I have wondered where people put all that food.

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Food is an important aspect of taking a cruise. And compared to our land-based vacations, taking a cruise works out to be cheaper many times because we're not dining out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As someone else said, though, I don't cruise for the food. I cruise to relax.

Food is almost the least interesting thing for us, comes right before bingo.

Nope - for me cruising is about getting a taste of different countries and total relaxation; of going to the late show in the main theatre knowing my bed is only steps away; being able to get a yummy fru-fru drink whenever I want it. The one thing I do love about the food is knowing that something safe and edible (I have food allergies and intolerances) awaits me on board if I'm in a port where the meal choices don't suit my stomach issues.

It's about the total relaxation of being on the ocean for 7 days. For me, that includes not having to cook or do dishes, or even think about the day to day stuff at home. I was hooked the first night I fell asleep to the gentle rocking of the ship moving through the waves.

Certainly not the reason we cruise, but we do expect the food to be at least good, preferably very good.

I think once upon a time cruising was a great deal about the food but very much less so now.

 

In the days when food was excellent on the ships and dining was an event, the sort of people who cruised made luncheon and dinner their activity for social interaction and entertainment.

 

Today's cruiser wants to 'grab a burger' at lunch and many are annoyed if they are held longer than 45 minutes in the MDR at dinner.

 

Some of the change is the result of the change in who is cruising and much of it is the cut back in quality and quantity offered by cruise ships.

 

Late Night Buffets used to be an event.

Most ships don't even have them anymore.

I remember when we would go just to admire the magnificent presentations and photo ops were mandatory. It was almost impossible to not want to take out a camera and snap a photo or two.

 

Dinners were 6 or 7 courses and very graciously presented and enjoyed.

Most of us don't eat that way anymore. Society and the times have changed dramatically and cruise ships reflect some of those changes.

 

We have cruised so much and the food is of so little interest to us now, we just about never gain so much as a pound anymore. We eat to satisfy our hunger not because the food is so tempting....... to us.

Yes, this is pretty accurate and it changed in 2002 as a result 9-11. The industry took such a huge hit that food was the first casualty.

I have to kind of smile at the folks who don’t cruise for food, but to relax. They don’t cruise for the food because it’s nothing special to cruise for. They don’t know how fine dining in an elegant dining room with a well seasoned staff was an event to look forward to every night. It was hard not to impress passengers before 2002. One waiter with three assistances for two tables, service was excellent. And the food was not something that you would find at home except at 5 star restaurants.

However, the cost of cruising today is about the same as 10 years ago, so you truly get what you pay for.

Burt

Yes, this is pretty accurate and it changed in 2002 as a result 9-11. The industry took such a huge hit that food was the first casualty.

 

I have to kind of smile at the folks who don’t cruise for food, but to relax. They don’t cruise for the food because it’s nothing special to cruise for. They don’t know how fine dining in an elegant dining room with a well seasoned staff was an event to look forward to every night. It was hard not to impress passengers before 2002. One waiter with three assistances for two tables, service was excellent. And the food was not something that you would find at home except at 5 star restaurants.

 

However, the cost of cruising today is about the same as 10 years ago, so you truly get what you pay for.

 

Burt

I agree to an extent. I think part of it is that as ships have gotten increasingly larger it's become increasingly difficult to prepare anything better than the most basic of institutional banquet food to feed the masses.

Yes, this is pretty accurate and it changed in 2002 as a result 9-11. The industry took such a huge hit that food was the first casualty.

 

I have to kind of smile at the folks who don’t cruise for food, but to relax. They don’t cruise for the food because it’s nothing special to cruise for. They don’t know how fine dining in an elegant dining room with a well seasoned staff was an event to look forward to every night. It was hard not to impress passengers before 2002. One waiter with three assistances for two tables, service was excellent. And the food was not something that you would find at home except at 5 star restaurants.

 

However, the cost of cruising today is about the same as 10 years ago, so you truly get what you pay for.

 

Burt

Yes, good point about 9-11 being the start of the dramatic changes.

It is also true that the cost of cruising for a percentage of the ship is the same as years ago, however, those in the pricey suites are dining/eating in the same venues and they are paying a considerable per diem. For new cruisers who never experienced what we did years ago, they likely don't care what they have missed. For those of us who sailed in those same suites years ago and still do, in the identical cabin, on the very same ship are saddened at some of the changes.

The cruise lines are eager for us to end our cruising days, I suspect. They likely would be happy for us to not tell 'newbies' what they are missing :D and they don't want to hear our moaning and groaning about the 'good old days'. :D They'll be happy to sell our cabin to someone else.

I also cruise for the itineraries and the relaxation of the sea days. I used to do a lot of land trips until I got tired of the packing and unpacking each day. The unpack once and pack up again once is what really sold me on cruising. The dining aspect of the cruise, while it is nice to have someone cook for me and wait on me, is probably the least important thing for me when it comes to cruising. Although I usually enjoy a couple of meals in one or two of the specialty restaurants as a treat, I am not a foodie, so whatever they are serving usually works fine for me.

I would agree with some of the other posters that the dining experience is not what it was 20 or 30 years ago, but all things change over time, some things for the better, some things for the worse. I have always enjoyed myself regardless of the changes. That is why I continue to enjoy cruising.

My friend and I have been having a discussion. She says the food is the reason people cruise. I disagree. I am just curious what others think . Is food really the " fun" of cruising?

Not for me. While I do enjoy the food and getting to try new things, it's more about the relaxation and reconnecting with DH or family without all the daily distractions. Throw in visiting some great places and it's the perfect vacation get away for us.

I agree to an extent. I think part of it is that as ships have gotten increasingly larger it's become increasingly difficult to prepare anything better than the most basic of institutional banquet food to feed the masses.

The Voyager of the Seas in 1998 (99?) was the biggest ship at the time and the food was outstanding. The staff was so good that we felt like we were losing family at the end of the cruise. Increasing passengers only means increasing staff to keep up quality service. In fact, a higher staff to passenger ratio is what the higher end cruise lines brag about in their marketing. So it's logical that losing few staff raises revenue. Sadly quality suffered and still suffers today.

Ironically Royal Caribbean was the first line to make a noticeable change in food quality after 9-11. Before that, they were considered the top line of the lower end lines for quality of staff and food. After 9-11, we felt Carnival was one of the better lines for a few years. Strangely while our favorite Cruise experiences are Disney, I never felt their food was up to par with Carnival. The service was very good but not the food.

My prediction is that eventually either Carnival or RCCL will start experimenting replacing evening dinning with buffets. Today’s passengers at the lower rates aren't in to elegant dining or high end taste. They want in and they want out without changing the clothes they wore while at port. Some may laugh, but folks that sailed in 2000 would have never thought cruising would fall to what it is today. It's kind of like the frog in the pot of bowling water, if you don't really feel the change as the temperature is slowly raised, you don't realize how good you had it.

The only reason folks don't cruise for food today is they don't know how good it was. Of course that also goes for the quality of intertainment, room stewerds, butlers and pool entertainment. If they only knew. Turn up that water up another degree or two and it wont be long before suffergirl15 will be bragging about the buffet fine dinning on her last cruise. They even had cloth napkins. :D

Burt

yes & no.

we cruise for the destinations and for reason that cruising allows us to holiday without having to worry about trying to find food that is gluten free, spend hours in buses or cars, unpack every night and repack.

The food is important to me because on a cruise I no longer have to worry about trying find a place to eat, on a cruise it's all there cooked for me and I know it's safe to eat. As someone who gets VERY ill if I eat gluten traveling had become just a stress until we went on our first cruise. So we cruise for the destinations, the total relaxation and ease of holidaying and because I can eat safely on board.

The world could end and i wouldn't know it unless someone mentioned it in the elevator.

It's kind of funny that you mention this. When DH and I were on a cruise 9 years ago, we were in a shop in St. Thomas and heard about a shooting at a courthouse and the shooter was on the run. Imagine our surprise when it turned out that this was happening in Atlanta - where we lived (albeit in the suburbs). Yep - if we hadn't been in the shop at that time, we would have never known what was happening in our own city until we got home the next day.

I have to kind of smile at the folks who don’t cruise for food, but to relax. They don’t cruise for the food because it’s nothing special to cruise for. They don’t know how fine dining in an elegant dining room with a well seasoned staff was an event to look forward to every night. It was hard not to impress passengers before 2002. One waiter with three assistances for two tables, service was excellent. And the food was not something that you would find at home except at 5 star restaurants.

 

While I thoroughly enjoyed the service we had on our first cruise "way back" in 1991, it wasn't anything I hadn't experienced before. DH and I really did take that cruise to be able to get away from it all - specifically his boss that would call at all hours with such petty "problems". To this day, cruising has been the best way for us both to relax (except for one trip to an all inclusive).

My friend and I have been having a discussion. She says the food is the reason people cruise. I disagree. I am just curious what others think . Is food really the " fun" of cruising?

No. We cruise for the itinerary, seeing new places.

We enjoy meeting other travelers and swapping stories.

We enjoy being waited on.

We enjoy the entertainment.

We enjoy the activities.

Food is way down the list.

Food is the last reason we cruise. For us, eating on vacation is just something we have to do to keep living. It takes away time from doing other things. We usually go where we can get something quick and skip the main dining room and its hour or so sit down meal.

Dont get me wrong, the food is always good and I do not have to cook, clean or shop, so im happy.

We enjoy the immediate availability of food on cruises, and we enjoy the Main Dining Room for dinners, usually due to compatible tablemates and great conversation. For us, dinner in the dining room is something we look forward to, but not usually for the food ;)

If a cruise was just about the food for us, we'd have stopped cruising and would stay home. We can certainly prepare better meals at home than what is usually offered onboard.

Like many others, we cruise to decompress, to reconnect with each other, to see the ports, and to experience other cultures.

The food is important to me from the point of view of not needing to cook, of having lots of options, of it being a decent quality and service, but if I wanted the finest restaurants I'd leave my apartment and walk around the city. Cruising is about the ultimate style of relaxing whilst travelling for me. I expect the food to be decent but it's not the most important thing.

The Voyager of the Seas in 1998 (99?) was the biggest ship at the time and the food was outstanding. The staff was so good that we felt like we were losing family at the end of the cruise. Increasing passengers only means increasing staff to keep up quality service. In fact, a higher staff to passenger ratio is what the higher end cruise lines brag about in their marketing. So it's logical that losing few staff raises revenue. Sadly quality suffered and still suffers today.

 

Ironically Royal Caribbean was the first line to make a noticeable change in food quality after 9-11. Before that, they were considered the top line of the lower end lines for quality of staff and food. After 9-11, we felt Carnival was one of the better lines for a few years. Strangely while our favorite Cruise experiences are Disney, I never felt their food was up to par with Carnival. The service was very good but not the food.

 

My prediction is that eventually either Carnival or RCCL will start experimenting replacing evening dinning with buffets. Today’s passengers at the lower rates aren't in to elegant dining or high end taste. They want in and they want out without changing the clothes they wore while at port. Some may laugh, but folks that sailed in 2000 would have never thought cruising would fall to what it is today. It's kind of like the frog in the pot of bowling water, if you don't really feel the change as the temperature is slowly raised, you don't realize how good you had it.

 

The only reason folks don't cruise for food today is they don't know how good it was. Of course that also goes for the quality of intertainment, room stewerds, butlers and pool entertainment. If they only knew. Turn up that water up another degree or two and it wont be long before suffergirl15 will be bragging about the buffet fine dinning on her last cruise. They even had cloth napkins. :D

 

Burt

I knew that the quality of food and importance of its presentation had changed on board, but I had never before pinpointed it to 9/11 (I was living in Orlando at the time of 9/11, so I was able to observe firsthand how Disney World changed because of it as an annual passholder). We sailed with Royal Caribbean on the Radiance of the Seas in June 2001, and I remember the food being absolutely amazing. We didn't take another cruise until the summer of 2004 on the Mariner of the Seas, and we were really surprised by how much the food had changed. And I think it was in 2008 when we asked our wait staff what had happened to the midnight buffet in the dining room.... the presentation of food for that event used to be fabulous. It's really unfortunate that they don't do that anymore.

I agree to an extent. I think part of it is that as ships have gotten increasingly larger it's become increasingly difficult to prepare anything better than the most basic of institutional banquet food to feed the masses.

That might be true in some cases but I am comparing apples to apples. Same ship (over 30 cruises on that ship), same cabin (many of those cruises but always same category/identical cabin), same dining table........

DH and I were at Maasdam's Inaugural party and have sailed her repeatedly through the years. We have watched all the changes as they occurred. I might add that many of those changes have been for the better but not necessarily the food. IMO