Just how bad is the MDR steak?

DH and I have booked our first cruise on FOS next spring, and getting a little worried after seeing the MDR menus I've found posted online. DH is a "meat and potatoes" kinda guy, and I'm not seeing much on the menus that will appeal to him. Any kind of protein that he would possibly eat also comes smothered in mushrooms, which is also a definite no-no by him. He would be perfectly happy eating the sirloin every night, but I've heard that the quality isn't that great (and he def likes a good-quality meat!). Are we destined to eat at Chops, Portofino or WJ every night?

DH and I have booked our first cruise on FOS next spring, and getting a little worried after seeing the MDR menus I've found posted online. DH is a "meat and potatoes" kinda guy, and I'm not seeing much on the menus that will appeal to him. Any kind of protein that he would possibly eat also comes smothered in mushrooms, which is also a definite no-no by him. He would be perfectly happy eating the sirloin every night, but I've heard that the quality isn't that great (and he def likes a good-quality meat!). Are we destined to eat at Chops, Portofino or WJ every night?

if he likes "good quality meat" then he may want to order the Chops Filet for 14.95 that is available nightly in the MDR at least once.

The "filet of beef" I have had was pretty good I thought. I would stay away from the sirloin that is available on the alternative listings..I have never heard good things about that steak....They will offer NY Strip one night but its very hit or miss too.

The Prime Rib has been outstanding both times I have had it.

Also, you can request that sauces or mushrooms etc that come with the meal be held off.

My husband hails from Iowa and he eats the steak in the MDR without complaining.

I find it a bit tough and not so as tasty as some steak. You can always pay a little extra and have the CHops steak in the MDR.

For a treat you might book Chops for one night.

Just don't try the steak in the MDR on Carnival. It is inedible. Literally, a 19 year old could not cut and chew it!

Enjoy!

My first visit to Omaha, wife's home, I had to go to a upscale steak place. It was one of the worst steaks I have ever had, the MDR steaks have been better LOL. That said, it varies from cow to cow, or beef shipments to RC. Like was said above the Prime rib has always been great to super good.

I tried the NY strip steak served by the MDR on the last night of our Oasis of the Seas cruise.

I wasn't that happy with it... The MDR aboard the Oasis does offer to bring down a 10oz. filet mignon from Chops each night at an additional charge... but usually the MDR selections are edible to decent.

The MDR NY strip was a disappointment.

Dh and our friend both ordered it. It was pretty bad...very tough. The waiter must have known because he brought them something else to try with out their even asking. :eek:

You can order pretty much anything without the sauces or accompaniments...just tell the waiter!

Hubby often gets the steak....not "prime", but ok! They also have other "plain" standards...chicken, pork, fish....he will NOT go hungry...guaranteed!

My son husband ordered it nightly without complaint. There is nothing else to tell you except for him to try it for himself. Your waiter will gladly bring him one and if it's not to his liking, then he can decide to go for the upsell, or dine in a specialty restaurant in future. It's not a big deal. :)

BTW, I had the worst steak of my life at Chops one cruise, so I will absolutely tell you that food is subjective, obviously.

One more opinion...

The "filet of beef" that is served once a cruise is usually pretty good. The sirloin that is on the menu every night is not.

If you're going to one of the specialty restaurants and you want filet mignon, I would actually recommend Portofino over Chops (if your ship has both of them). On several occasions, we have found that the Portofino filet has more flavor.

I've had the steak in the MDR and sometimes it's a hit and miss. As mentioned from someone else on the thread, they sometimes do have a filet during the week, and it was excellent. The sirloin in my opinion usually is not a great cut on the ship.

I agree with the others...if you want your steak cooked a certain way...naked with nothing on it or just this oppisite, let the waiter know. They are wonderful at trying please you. At least on the R/C ships. I hope you have a wonderful cruise. :D

The MDR Alternative Menu Steaks are nowhere near "Bad!"

They are Sirloins, not Fillets and you can expect them to taste like a sirloin and be a good bit tougher than a Fillet.

On all of my RCI Cruises, only once have I had "Bad" steaks. Actually, they went beyond "Bad" and all of the way to "Terrible!" We raised the issue with our Head Waiter and the Dining Room Manager and it got all of the way up to the Captain and Hotel Director. It turned out that they had gotten them from a new vendor who was promptly removed from the approved vendor list. We did without them for the remainder of that cruise but they did offer us Chops Steaks at half price.

Our first cruise on RCL was on the Enchantment in 2001. The food was sooooo bad I said I would never go on RCL again. I remember the Steaks as our tablemates ordered one every night and I watched him attempt to cut this dry piece of leather and sometimes fail.

Luckily a couple years ago I decided to try RCL again (NOS) and the food was much better..... except for the steak ( I ordered one). It was still not good. If your a "steak only" person then you probably should order the 10 oz. filet. I may order one on our next RCL cruise in April (VOS). But not the Sirloin.

DH and I have booked our first cruise on FOS next spring, and getting a little worried after seeing the MDR menus I've found posted online. DH is a "meat and potatoes" kinda guy, and I'm not seeing much on the menus that will appeal to him. Any kind of protein that he would possibly eat also comes smothered in mushrooms, which is also a definite no-no by him. He would be perfectly happy eating the sirloin every night, but I've heard that the quality isn't that great (and he def likes a good-quality meat!). Are we destined to eat at Chops, Portofino or WJ every night?

Definitely do not avoid the MDR because you're nervous about the steak. I agree that the sirloin offered daily is not the best, but the prime rib and filet of beef is very good. The chops filet is excellent as well. I would, however, recommend that you do go to Chops at least once; they have a larger selection of steaks (I like ribeye), and the other items on the menu are AMAZING (IMHO). Specifically, we love the Not-So-Traditional caesar salad, the shrimp cocktail, and the vegetable side dishes. You might be able to get most of that stuff in the MDR, but the Chops food is of SIGNIFICANTLY superior quality--and not just in the steak department.

However, the MDR is very good. DH will like it; I order steak almost every night and have only a few times been disappointed. You can always send it back if you don't like it and order something else (or a few more things). :D

I ordered the MDR steak a few weeks ago on the Freedom and it was awful! It was overcooked and tasteless. I sent it back.

One of my tablemates ordered the CHOPS steak and I tasted it....it was out of this world :)

You can't go wrong with the Prime Rib...it may not be the seared and charred steak you really want, but at least it's tender and good.

The MDR aboard the Oasis does offer to bring down a 10oz. filet mignon from Chops each night at an additional charge...

For the record, the "Steak from Chops" is not literally a steak from Chops. It is similar quality and prepared the same way, but it is done in the MDR galley. This explains too why you can get the "Steak from Chops" on ships with no Chops.

As others have said, go to Chops so you can compare for yourself. If I was paying $14.95 for the steak anyway, I'd go for the full upcharge and get everything else that is Chops.

I've been to Chops many, many times. Once on the Radiance it was horrible. Every other time it was well worth it.

No one has mentioned the lambshank. It has been excellent the three times I tried it.

DH and I have booked our first cruise on FOS next spring, and getting a little worried after seeing the MDR menus I've found posted online. DH is a "meat and potatoes" kinda guy, and I'm not seeing much on the menus that will appeal to him. Any kind of protein that he would possibly eat also comes smothered in mushrooms, which is also a definite no-no by him. He would be perfectly happy eating the sirloin every night, but I've heard that the quality isn't that great (and he def likes a good-quality meat!). Are we destined to eat at Chops, Portofino or WJ every night?

Have ordered the steak in the MDR and also the filet from Chops in the MDR....Enjoyed both with a little bernaise sauce...:)...K.O. near Philly

The MDR Alternative Menu Steaks are nowhere near "Bad!"

You're absolutely correct!

"Inedible" would be a much more accurate description.

DH and I have booked our first cruise on FOS next spring, and getting a little worried after seeing the MDR menus I've found posted online. DH is a "meat and potatoes" kinda guy, and I'm not seeing much on the menus that will appeal to him. Any kind of protein that he would possibly eat also comes smothered in mushrooms, which is also a definite no-no by him. He would be perfectly happy eating the sirloin every night, but I've heard that the quality isn't that great (and he def likes a good-quality meat!). Are we destined to eat at Chops, Portofino or WJ every night?

Just got off the FOS in late October. I and the others in my party felt the strip steak was very good. The Lobster tail on the fishermans plate was very good as well!

My personal opinion for what its worth, but I'm not a certified steak specialist - lol. It tasted like steak and lobster.

This thread worries me a bit. I'd rather not pay extra for a steak that doesn't require power tools.

slizzer on a bad day...

I've found the steak in the room service steak sandwich to be very good. You can order it "naked" so you just get the steak on a plate. It comes with fries so you get a nice steak frites platter.

Normally I choose not to comment on food threads as the issue is so subjectve. I love steak and we have it at home at least once a month. I do indulge more when we cruise. I had the menu sirloin a couple of times on our Mariner cruise last year. I did not expect that it would be the same as the specialty restaurant. On the other hand, I did not expect it to be as tough as shoe leather! One night I only ate half of it. And for me that is unheard of at a meal. I did not say anthing to the waiter, so it is my fault for not speaking up. The staff needs to hear if something is unacceptable.

No one has mentioned the lambshank. It has been excellent the three times I tried it.

Hands down my favorite entree. To me, it was much, much better than any steak in Chops or the MDR.