Are You a Specialty Restaurant Enthusiast Because of Poor Food Quality in the MDR?

Just wondering if any cruiseline or ship has upped their game in the complimentary MDR from your previous experience?

I get tired of the time consuming element of specialty restaurants and making reservations......then paying extra for food on a cruise that has been paid for.

If their is a trend of better food in the MDR of any ship, let me know because I like dining in the MDR.

Several years ago when HAL started to serve poorer quality food in the main dining room (JMO) we headed for the specialty restaurants.

For years now I pre-book the specialty restaurants to ensure that we got the times we want.

As 5 star Mariners (well over 1000 days on HAL alone) we get 50% off the specialty restaurants.

I can not tell you if the main dining room food has improved since we choose to eat in the specialty restaurants.

I've found the "specialty" restaurants to not be worth the added money...it's the same food they USED to serve in the MDR....but their "better" dishes, they now charge more for. Nowadays, you can't be cruising for the food. The quality simply isn't there anymore. Just eat what's served in the MDR...you won't starve, but you'll be able to afford a REAL 5-star restaurant upon your return home!

Just wondering if any cruiseline or ship has upped their game in the complimentary MDR from your previous experience?

 

I get tired of the time consuming element of specialty restaurants and making reservations......then paying extra for food on a cruise that has been paid for.

 

If their is a trend of better food in the MDR of any ship, let me know because I like dining in the MDR.

Why pay extra for a specialty restaurant or even go on a cruise line where the MDR food is of a lesser quality than what you'd be served in the specialty location(s)?

The ideal cruise industry concept of "specialty" is based on the practice of offering a limited, repeating menu (perhaps a single extra offering per evening too) with a regional or otherwise narrow focus employing the particular expertise of select chef(s) onboard.

On Oceania, for example, there is no extra charge for a specialty restaurant. Even then, the GDR and Terrace Café will often have daily entree items highlighting some of the specialty settings' dishes.

This is not uncommon on many of the Premium/Luxury lines (though some [other than Oceania] do charge extra beyond a basic allowance of several complimentary specialty reservations. At he bottom line, all the food is "specialty" quality and the big difference is the menu.

On our last Princess cruise (2015 WC) the MDR meals were poor, both for the quality of the meats, lack of vegetables and the temperature the meals were served. Unfortunately, the Steakhouse was no better. We went twice and they were unable to cook a steak - options were raw or well done. In 104 days we only visited the specialty restaurant twice, where we normally went about once per week.

Never returning to Princess, so can't comment on whether the quality has improved.

We are moving to smaller ship premium lines, trying Viking Ocean for our next cruise. The MDR meals are reported to be very good and while they have 2 specialty restaurants, they are both complimentary.

Another option is Oceania, where the MDR meals are reported to be excellent.

We cruise many different lines (14 to date) and have generally found that all the mass market lines have significantly cut-back on both quality and quantity in their MDR dining. Many will tell you that Oceania has pretty decent cuisine, but that often comes at a higher price when compared to the mass market lines. Last year we spent 21 days on a Celebrity ship where we dined in their specialty restaurants for 16 nights (10 of those was in their excellent upscale Murano restaurant). We purchased a dining package and managed to get it during a 20% off sale which meant we averaged $25 per person for our dinners. Having cruised a lot on Celebrity we thought it was a good deal :). We had previously booked Aqua Class (where your assigned DR is Blu) but found that Murano is in an entirely different class. And by booking a well located regular balcony instead of a lousy located Aqua Class cabin, we saved more then enough money to pay for the dining package :).

Hank

We prefer the specialty restaurants as in our opinion they provide a significant level of food quality, selection, and presentation over that of the MDR. Over the years the MDR menus and overall level of quality and variety IMO has declined in an effort to control costs, and although still a good meal and value, it is not the same as it used to be and certainly not on the level of that served in the specialty restaurants.

The argument of why pay a premium for something you have already paid for isn't valid, as the food offered in the MDR is what you are paying for with your base cruise fare. If you want a higher level of food quality than that, you pay the extra fee. In other words you are getting exactly what you pay for at the level you choose to pay.

And no, CB, the food in the specialty restaurants is not the food they used to serve in the MDR. It is better than that served in the earlier years and what is served in the MDR now has just declined. The specialty restaurants are a different level altogether.

Nope, not us. We try the specialty restaurants because we enjoy variety. We also enjoy the more personalized service, the quieter atmosphere, and the made to order meals. We enjoy the MDR as well, but like to try different things while on vacation. We can dine at the same restaurant at home as often as we want when we are not on vacation. But when on vacation, we like to treat ourselves. It's not because of poor quality in the MDR.

I also chuckle when I read from people who say they are upset that they can't get the same quality meals in the MDR as they used to in the past. They always conveniently ignore that the cost of cruising today is significantly lower than in was the past in their complaints. If they wanted the same quality as in the past, they certainly can go to the more expensive "luxury" lines. They have similar food quality and service as before, but at prices that are comparable to before when inflation is factored in.

Prices today would be 3X as much if the cost of cruising kept up with inflation over the last 35 years. But the complainers would never willingly pay that much for a cruise. You can't have top level service and quality as mass market prices. Instead they complain about how it used to be, while pocketing the savings.

And then there is the Oceania fan extolling the virtues of his favorite cruise line - again. Yes, absolutely I would expect the food and service to be better on Ocianiae. For the money it costs to cruise their ships, they BETTER have fantastic food and service. Otherwise people would be getting scammed out of their money.

Wait for it - in the next few posts he will adamantly defend his favorite cruise line with all kinds of figures and claims that they are no more expensive than the mass market lines. Which is an impossibility since they are in business to make a profit. You can't charge the same and provide a higher quality product. It isn't economically feasible. I ran the numbers - it does cost significantly more. Otherwise they would go broke.

I only eat dinner in the specialty restaurants, as they have, IMHO, better food, service and atmosphere.

Just wondering if any cruiseline or ship has upped their game in the complimentary MDR from your previous experience?

 

I get tired of the time consuming element of specialty restaurants and making reservations......then paying extra for food on a cruise that has been paid for.

 

If their is a trend of better food in the MDR of any ship, let me know because I like dining in the MDR.

I personally do not believe that specialty restaurant dining is superior to MDR dining.

We think the difference is like choosing between banquet dining (crowded tables, loud neighbors, hit or miss service, about half the food Luke warm at best...) or fine dining at speciality restaurants. We will pay for the elevated experience, food and service any day!

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Depends on the Cruise Line!

I personally do not believe that specialty restaurant dining is superior to MDR dining.

Are you serious? So lets compare Celebrity Solstice Class MDR to Murano. In Murano one can order whole Dover Sole which is perfected prepared and filleted tableside. In the MDR one might get tasteless farmed Tilapia which is generally dried out. In Murano a couple can order exquisite Chateaubriand which is carved tableside and can be cut with a fork. In the MDR one might order a ground meat off the everyday menu. We could go on an on and even do some comparisons with other cruise lines. I will grant you that the alternative restaurants on some cruise lines are not even close to Murano...but in nearly all cases they are far superior to that line's MDR.

Hank

I personally do not believe that specialty restaurant dining is superior to MDR dining.

Have you ever tried a specialty dining restaurant? All the ones I tried were better in various ways, especially food quality and service level. Many also had unique selections not typically found in the MDR. Theme restaurants come to mind, such as Quzine on Celebrity and Palo on Disney. .

Just wondering if any cruiseline or ship has upped their game in the complimentary MDR from your previous experience?

You might try Regent Cruises' Compass Rose restaurants. Their current menu is proving quite popular.

WE do not dine in specialty restaurants becasue we do not want to pay extra. We are not dissatisfied with MDR quality or quantity. In fact, we often find more things we want to order than space we have. ON over 40 cruises we have only dined twice in a specialty restaurant, both on the same cruise as one was a gift from our TA, the other comped by the cruise line as a perk for collectors cruise 24 days. We were not impressed and won't go back. EM

We used to do the steakhouse a fair bit, but now it’s not a seperate venue on most Princess ships (our main line) it’s not worth it, really lacks the ambiance.

The problem with a lot of speciality restaurants on cruise lines is they are either an Americanised version of my favourite world food or they are a dated steakhouse (who really eats at those style places anymore?). There are maybe one or two hits it seems (Indian food on P&O etc) but these seem few and far in between when looking at reviews,menus and occasionally trying them myself.

I am not going to pay extra for a bland Italian or over sweet asian meals or even more money for a 'Gourmet' dining experience that only offers style over substance and does things already done to death...ie pea foam and meat lollipops.

I generally think the food is better quality but I will save my money for real stuff on land as general free food options on the ship are not too bad at all for the cruise price you pay and perfectly acceptable given the variety. Celebrity come top on this if you are wondering.

Have you ever tried a specialty dining restaurant? All the ones I tried were better in various ways, especially food quality and service level. Many also had unique selections not typically found in the MDR. Theme restaurants come to mind, such as Quzine on Celebrity and Palo on Disney. .

Specialty restaurants are marginally better for food, significantly better for service but very poor value for the money. I've never felt the extra cost was worth the return. In any event, food on cruise ships is more about quantity than quality.

We now normally eat most meals in specialty , better food and service , more room between tables. But now some ships and lines have suite restaurants, we book suites and love perks, celebrity has suite restaurant on all there ships service and food was excellent, rccl only has it on newer ships.

 

And then there is the Oceania fan extolling the virtues of his favorite cruise line - again.

Why not? I like them as well for several reasons, food among them.

Our last 6 cruises were on lines catering mainly to Europeans and the food was definitely of higher quality, better prepared and more varied than on our last HAL and Princess cruises. No need for the specialty restaurants.

If price is the main criteria for a cruise, it is not surprising when the quality of food suffers.

We used to do the steakhouse a fair bit, but now it’s not a seperate venue on most Princess ships (our main line) it’s not worth it, really lacks the ambiance.

Perhaps we should expand this thread to the alternative restaurant options found on various lines. We have been fortunate to have cruised on many different lines and there are huge differences when it comes to these eating venues. We have also been underwhelmed by the Crown Grills on Princess ships. Although we do enjoy cruising on Princess we seldom opt to dine in the Crown Grill. But other mass market lines such as Celebrity, MSC and even RCI have some very interesting higher end alternative restaurants...although they can get pricey. Consider that the full price of some Celebrity restaurants is $50 (and it keeps going up) per person. In the case of Celebrity it is often possible for one to substantially reduce that cost via negotiation or by purchasing a dining package (best done during a 20% Off sale).

We have long been puzzled as to why Princess does not upgrade the quality (and menu) of the Crown Grill. It sometimes feels like Princess is frozen in time when it comes to alternative restaurants while other lines such as Celebrity keep experimenting and innovating with at least some of their alternative offerings. We think that perhaps Princess is just a bit lazy when it come to their alternative offerings. It is relatively easy to train chefs and staff to deal with steaks...but a lot more of a challenge when handling something like Dover Sole and having staff capable of dealing with tableside service and filleting. It seems like Princess is more interested in upgrading their ability to monitor every habit of their customers (the potential of their new Ocean Medallion Program) then improving food offerings.

Hank

No specialty restaurants for us. We like the continuity of same table and same tablemates in MDR, and the menus have a good variety for both us. I am vegetarian, DH is not.

Sometimes. As long as it is not a steakhouse or a venue that does steak and has other items as an afterthought.

We get tired of cruise ship food very quickly. Too much food everywhere and to us it all starts to taste the same after a week or so.

We will do a specialty as a break from the MDR if the focus is on something other than grilled steak.

In our experience specialty dining venues do not necessarily imply great food, service, or quality ingredients. We have had a few very mediocre meals with questionable service in specialty dining venues of various ships. Though there is certainly less variance than in the MDR.

Perhaps we should expand this thread to the alternative restaurant options found on various lines. We have been fortunate to have cruised on many different lines and there are huge differences when it comes to these eating venues. We have also been underwhelmed by the Crown Grills on Princess ships. Although we do enjoy cruising on Princess we seldom opt to dine in the Crown Grill. But other mass market lines such as Celebrity, MSC and even RCI have some very interesting higher end alternative restaurants...although they can get pricey. Consider that the full price of some Celebrity restaurants is $50 (and it keeps going up) per person. In the case of Celebrity it is often possible for one to substantially reduce that cost via negotiation or by purchasing a dining package (best done during a 20% Off sale).

 

We have long been puzzled as to why Princess does not upgrade the quality (and menu) of the Crown Grill. It sometimes feels like Princess is frozen in time when it comes to alternative restaurants while other lines such as Celebrity keep experimenting and innovating with at least some of their alternative offerings. We think that perhaps Princess is just a bit lazy when it come to their alternative offerings. It is relatively easy to train chefs and staff to deal with steaks...but a lot more of a challenge when handling something like Dover Sole and having staff capable of dealing with tableside service and filleting. It seems like Princess is more interested in upgrading their ability to monitor every habit of their customers (the potential of their new Ocean Medallion Program) then improving food offerings.

 

Hank

I agree about Princess. We avoid their boring and unimaginative specialty dining venues. But we have had great experiences on Celebrity, especially at their Lawn Club Grille and their unique and fun Qzine, and on Disney, at their classy Palo.

Not all specialties are, well, special. Fortunately, there are some that are worth trying. And those we will always go to at least once for the variety.

Another plus to many specialty venues - they are adults only for all or part of the evening. Nothing ruins a pleasant meal quicker than a nearby table with tired and shrieking children.