Boycott ala carte dining?

If no one used ala carte dining, and just ate in MDR, I wonder if quality would improve in MDR? Not trying to stir the pot here, but years ago, when there were no other options, the quality of the food seemed alot better, with great service. Evereyone seems to say the food is good, but not like it was years ago, and a big factor that changed (wuth exception of economy), is the surcharge type dining options. What are your thoughts?

If no one used ala carte dining, and just ate in MDR, I wonder if quality would improve in MDR? Not trying to stir the pot here, but years ago, when there were no other options, the quality of the food seemed alot better, with great service. Evereyone seems to say the food is good, but not like it was years ago, and a big factor that changed (wuth exception of economy), is the surcharge type dining options. What are your thoughts?

That the dining rooms would need 3 seatings at dinner and lines would be very, very long at breakfast and lunch.

The food quality is not a function of the options. It's a function of the costs going up and people whining whenever fares are raised. Everyone wants to cruise with what they did 5-10 years ago and pay less. Not possible.

Yes, the MDR food was better but the cost of the cruise took a much bigger bite out of your pocket. The trend now is to charge extra for some things that not everyone cares about while keeping prices down for everyone.

My overly simplistic answer, not trying to demean your question is that they need X amount of money and if they don't lower the quality here, or charge you more there, they will just find another way. MDR food hasn't changed too much since I started cruising in 2006. I'll do one premium dining on a cruise, but that is about my limit.

Yes, the MDR food was better but the cost of the cruise took a much bigger bite out of your pocket. The trend now is to charge extra for some things that not everyone cares about while keeping prices down for everyone.

Yes, makes sense. I actually found an old stub from 1996, on a cruise to bermuda. It was for me and my wife. came to $2875 for an outside cabin..I Just booked a Bermuda on Explorer for family of 4 and got 2 rooms, for $3,050 for interior promenade rooms..So cost def. went down for cruise itself.

If no one used ala carte dining, and just ate in MDR, I wonder if quality would improve in MDR? Not trying to stir the pot here, but years ago, when there were no other options, the quality of the food seemed alot better, with great service. Evereyone seems to say the food is good, but not like it was years ago, and a big factor that changed (wuth exception of economy), is the surcharge type dining options. What are your thoughts?

We've always had fantastic service in the MDR and the quality of the food has always pleased us. I think people look at the good old days through rose-colored glasses. ;)

It's a function of the costs going up and people whining whenever fares are raised.

Whining the cruiselines can accept. Switching to another line is another thing entirely. When all the other lines lower fares by making service and feature changes it forces the rest to follow in order to keep their fares in line - again, otherwise people will walk.

I have a hunch people could eat in specialty dining venues every night (and many do) and total with cruise fare would still be less than 15 years ago. Main factor, more than cutting quality or features, is ships are larger so better economies of scale - especially for crew positions (versus staff) where eone power system engineer (with help from more modern automated system) can support 3,000 pax as well as 1,000.

My overly simplistic answer, not trying to demean your question is that they need X amount of money and if they don't lower the quality here, or charge you more there, they will just find another way. MDR food hasn't changed too much since I started cruising in 2006. I'll do one premium dining on a cruise, but that is about my limit.

Can I ditto, Bill?

I've been cruising Royal since 1993 and I think that the included food has actually improved! Have larger pax loads on larger ships possibly affected the ability to create truly incredible meals- maybe. But overall, I found the food rather pedestrian and not very varied in the "good old days" . I've been a vegetarian all my adult life, and there are more ethnic and healthy options than ever before.

Most ships have free alternatives outside of the MDR and WJ now, whereas those were the only options before.

In the 90 s I had to beg a waiter to fetch me some non fat yogurt or skim milk- now its out all the time. If you didn't want the chicken, beef or fish, you had the pasta. Today, there are all sorts of ethnic foods and vegetarian offerings on the standard MDR menu. Do I expect anyone to feed 2-6 thousand people and have it be gourmet- no! But if you'd like that experience, you can pay for the alternative venues and get that. If they offered it "free", they couldn't scale it up and keep the quality, and our cruise fares would go up.

Count me among those who says, keep fares low (I like about $100 per day per person) and let everyone buy the pieces of their vacation they have to have. If I wanted an AI I can book one ( at $200- $400 PP PN)

W.

Sequin, I love that C&A badge for steerage...hysterical...did you make that?

My overly simplistic answer, not trying to demean your question is that they need X amount of money and if they don't lower the quality here, or charge you more there, they will just find another way. MDR food hasn't changed too much since I started cruising in 2006. I'll do one premium dining on a cruise, but that is about my limit.

Simple answer but right on! The biggest difference I've noticed is less choices.....especially the desserts..

But you are right.........as a public company they have to get a certain return for their shareholders either through more charges or less quality and I believe it is a combination of both.

This is not to say it is just Royal Caribbean.........we sail RCCL, Princess and HAL and they all are doing the exact same thing.

I love that C&A badge for steerage...hysterical...did you make that?

Steerage Society was created by a member of our upcoming Roll Call who is much funnier than I. It is the "most inclusive club in the world"™ As the creator says..

Everyone is welcome. You do not even have to be human. There are no dues, no officiers, no rules except to have fun. There will be optional uniforms and the secret handshake is so secret that no one knows it. The Steerage Society was created to end the class warfare and envy created by all the different and discrimatory levels of the Crown and Anchor Society.

Everyone is welcome. You do not even have to be human. There are no dues, no officiers, no rules except to have fun. There will be optional uniforms and the secret handshake is so secret that no one knows it. The Steerage Society was created to end the class warfare and envy created by all the different and discrimatory levels of the Crown and Anchor Society.

and

The Steerage Society is for the rest of us!! The society welcomes Crown and Anchor Gold, Emerald, Platinum, Diamond and even first time cruisers. The society does not discriminate against anyone, even Pinnacle Club members. In fact, you don’t have to go on a cruise or even be human to join. It is free to join. No application, No qualifications, No dues, no regular meetings, no officers and best of all no rules. In fact, all members can give themselves the same title Leonardo DeCaprio gave himself in Titanic, “King (or queen) of the World” Stand on the bow of [the ship] while proclaiming for best effect

The Steerage Society is for the rest of us!! The society welcomes Crown and Anchor Gold, Emerald, Platinum, Diamond and even first time cruisers. The society does not discriminate against anyone, even Pinnacle Club members. In fact, you don’t have to go on a cruise or even be human to join. It is free to join. No application, No qualifications, No dues, no regular meetings, no officers and best of all no rules. In fact, all members can give themselves the same title Leonardo DeCaprio gave himself in Titanic, “King (or queen) of the World” Stand on the bow of [the ship] while proclaiming for best effect

and...

To be a member just say “I want to join” and you are in. Any member can give you a lifetime membership card that you can proudly show your friends. They will want to join too!!! Just give them a membership card and you will be a hero in your own mind!

To be a member just say “I want to join” and you are in. Any member can give you a lifetime membership card that you can proudly show your friends. They will want to join too!!! Just give them a membership card and you will be a hero in your own mind!

OK, mostly this is fun stuff for our Transatlantic Roll Call (Mariner Chapter) but who knows, it could grow. We could be bigger than Crown & Anchor, bigger than RCI or even RCCL! Steerage Society could be bigger than the whole cruise industry! YOU TOO can be a member because after all it "IS the most inclusive club in the world"™

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I want to join :D

Steerage Society was created by a member of our upcoming Roll Call who is much funnier than I. It is the "most inclusive club in the world"™ As the creator says..

 

 

Everyone is welcome. You do not even have to be human. There are no dues, no officiers, no rules except to have fun. There will be optional uniforms and the secret handshake is so secret that no one knows it. The Steerage Society was created to end the class warfare and envy created by all the different and discrimatory levels of the Crown and Anchor Society.

and

 

The Steerage Society is for the rest of us!! The society welcomes Crown and Anchor Gold, Emerald, Platinum, Diamond and even first time cruisers. The society does not discriminate against anyone, even Pinnacle Club members. In fact, you don’t have to go on a cruise or even be human to join. It is free to join. No application, No qualifications, No dues, no regular meetings, no officers and best of all no rules. In fact, all members can give themselves the same title Leonardo DeCaprio gave himself in Titanic, “King (or queen) of the World” Stand on the bow of [the ship] while proclaiming for best effect

and...

 

To be a member just say “I want to join” and you are in. Any member can give you a lifetime membership card that you can proudly show your friends. They will want to join too!!! Just give them a membership card and you will be a hero in your own mind!

OK, mostly this is fun stuff for our Transatlantic Roll Call (Mariner Chapter) but who knows, it could grow. We could be bigger than Crown & Anchor, bigger than RCI or even RCCL! Steerage Society could be bigger than the whole cruise industry! YOU TOO can be a member because after all it "IS the most inclusive club in the world"™

Phew! I was worried for a moment, I just got to "diamond" and was worried I'd be disqualified! My dog wants to join too, she really does not love cruising, because it means the people put all their stuff in THOSE bags. And shortly after THOSE bags appear, the people disappear :eek: But if she had a club, maybe she wouldn't be so lonely!

Your TA already sounds fun! Have a great cruise. Sorry everyone, for going OT.

Why on earth would I want to boycott the on-board specialty restaurants? I enjoy an occasional change from the MDR. And yes, the specialty restaurants do have an upcharge, but it's far less than you would pay for an equivalent meal in a restaurant on land.

I do agree that the quality of food (and service) in the MDR's has gone down, over the years. But, I don't think that doing away with the specialty restaurants would necessarily remedy that. As other posters have pointed out, the MDR's would just be struggling to feed more people, with the same time, space, and staffing constraints. Just my $.02 ;)

Yes, makes sense. I actually found an old stub from 1996, on a cruise to bermuda. It was for me and my wife. came to $2875 for an outside cabin..I Just booked a Bermuda on Explorer for family of 4 and got 2 rooms, for $3,050 for interior promenade rooms..So cost def. went down for cruise itself.

Given a modest 3% inflation per year over that time period and your $2875 cruise costs more like $4500 in 2012 dollars.

Some people choose to be more cost conscious on their vacations while others splurge a little more. The a la carte option allows the mass market lines to capture more of the population. It also allows them to up-sell to some of those who are more cost conscious who might not have even gone on the cruise had the initial price been higher.

isujim and Familygoboston - YOUR IN!!! Dog too! :D As a duly authorized member of the Steerage Society I formally offer you WELCOME. Of course that's all I you get - in. But we sure are inclusive. ;)

Our cat gets really disturbed if we even take out an overnight bag. Hauling out the big ones makes him a terror. Funny how he can judge how long we will be gone by the bag sizes.

Given a modest 3% inflation per year over that time period and your $2875 cruise costs more like $4500 in 2012 dollars.

Excellent point. Now if only my pay had increased at that rate. :(

The Good old days of cruising are right NOW, never will it be this inexpensive again for the same service/cruise etc. The specialty restaurants are great for people who are celebrating a life's event or who enjoy a more upscale dining option and for the small up charge, I wonder how much profit they do make in Specialty dining. We are happy with the MDR, well most of the time, we have had two cruises where the food was better in the WJ. LOL

We have never found a reason, YET, to try a specialty restaurant.

 

Excellent point. Now if only my pay had increased at that rate. :(

Don't worry...gas prices have though! :rolleyes::(

isujim and Familygoboston - YOUR IN!!! Dog too! :D As a duly authorized member of the Steerage Society I formally offer you WELCOME. Of course that's all I you get - in. But we sure are inclusive. ;)

 

Our cat gets really disturbed if we even take out an overnight bag. Hauling out the big ones makes him a terror. Funny how he can judge how long we will be gone by the bag sizes.

 

 

 

Excellent point. Now if only my pay had increased at that rate. :(

thanks!! I appreciate the honor of membership.

by the way.........are our cats related?:)

Its all about money. People want cheap cruises and they get what they want. The same thing happend to the airlines. Traveling by air used to be a luxury experience. Now it is like riding a stinky, dirty, city bus with no free food or drink.

To me, the "good" food and dining experience is now only available in the specialty resturants.

The main dining room has become the Windjammer and the Windjammer has become.... uhm... something less.

All to keep the ticket price down and attract more people to fill the capacity. I suspect that the downward trend will continue until it hits rock bottom like the airlines are now. People get what they want. Cheap.

I'm the opposite of cheap. I want quality and don't care much about the price.

They will continue to implement "specialty" for fee restaurants as long as folks pay for them. If everyone stopped, they'd do away with the concept!

Steerage Society was created by a member of our upcoming Roll Call who is much funnier than I. It is the "most inclusive club in the world"™ As the creator says..

 

 

Everyone is welcome. You do not even have to be human. There are no dues, no officiers, no rules except to have fun. There will be optional uniforms and the secret handshake is so secret that no one knows it. The Steerage Society was created to end the class warfare and envy created by all the different and discrimatory levels of the Crown and Anchor Society.

and

 

The Steerage Society is for the rest of us!! The society welcomes Crown and Anchor Gold, Emerald, Platinum, Diamond and even first time cruisers. The society does not discriminate against anyone, even Pinnacle Club members. In fact, you don’t have to go on a cruise or even be human to join. It is free to join. No application, No qualifications, No dues, no regular meetings, no officers and best of all no rules. In fact, all members can give themselves the same title Leonardo DeCaprio gave himself in Titanic, “King (or queen) of the World” Stand on the bow of [the ship] while proclaiming for best effect

and...

 

To be a member just say “I want to join” and you are in. Any member can give you a lifetime membership card that you can proudly show your friends. They will want to join too!!! Just give them a membership card and you will be a hero in your own mind!

 

OK, mostly this is fun stuff for our Transatlantic Roll Call (Mariner Chapter) but who knows, it could grow. We could be bigger than Crown & Anchor, bigger than RCI or even RCCL! Steerage Society could be bigger than the whole cruise industry! YOU TOO can be a member because after all it "IS the most inclusive club in the world"™

Im not in your rollcall but I SO want to join please!

.

 

I'm the opposite of cheap. I want quality and don't care much about the price.

Not trying to be snarky but "Why Not" try a luxury line then? :confused:

They will continue to implement "specialty" for fee restaurants as long as folks pay for them. If everyone stopped, they'd do away with the concept!

Really:rolleyes:

OP - we don't use specialty restaurants at all. It's not a boycott, but we cannot justify paying more for food when the included food is satisfying to us.

I can agree with part of your reasoning. If people stopped using the speciality restaurants then they would go away. As long as people are paying for the experience and RCCL can make additional revenue they will continue....

Now I disagree with how that will improve the food quality in the main dining room. They are completely separate. RCCL wants to make money... they balence on the line between cruise cost and quality required to retain thier passenger base. I have been cruising since 1989 and have sailed with many lines.. as a consumer I look for the right price for the services that I want.. Currently RCCL fits that bill.. (will sail at least 4 times on them this year) and each time I will include a couple of days in the specialty resataurants.. and visit Johnny rockets if they have one. As I appreciate the option and don't mind paying extra when I choose

Rick