Chef's Table...is it worth it?

My husband and I will be taking our first Mediterranean cruise next September on Vision of the Seas. We're wondering if a trip to the Chef's table is really that much better than what they serve in the MDR...is it worth the money?

Also, please share the experience...for instance, does it include any behind the scenes?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

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We think it is! We've gone to the Chef's Table many times on different ships and have never been disappointed. The food has been delicious and the wine is usually nice. We always wait to book till we're onboard to get a discounted price.

We got our last two Chef's Tables for half-price, and I would have a hard time doing it again, even at 50% off.

We always enjoy the Chef's Table and try to do it on most of our RCL cruises.

We've done chefs table on one occasion made reservations on board and tried it because I believe it was offered to us at 50% off the regular price.

Enjoyed it but would not do it again even at a heavily discounted rate.

Having said that I would definitely advise you to try it if only once just for the experience and if you could get an excellent discount.

I've done it 4 times and loved it every time. Never got it at 50% off though. How did you do that?

I've done it 4 times and loved it every time. Never got it at 50% off though. How did you do that?

Crewmembers approached us on boarding day offering a discount. I just kept saying it's too much money and held out until they got to 50%.

We did the chef's table on an Alaskan Cruise in 2013 and absolutely loved it. A small, intimate group with EXCELLENT food and service. I highly recommend it.

Does the chefs table vary across the fleet or is it the same format on all ships? We did it on Anthem and were unimpressed compared to Princess. Was wondering if it’s nicer on the other ships. Sorry have not done the research just asking while I’m here for future reference.

We saw the venue for Chef's Table on Brilliance last year and were impressed. We didn't try it because we were sailing with 13yo DD. Next year DH and I will be on a Rhapsody for our anniversary and are considering celebrating it at Chef's Table. Is there a dedicated venue on Rhapsody as well?

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We managed to get our discount by just talking to the waiter for about five minutes as he approached us in the Windjammer on boarding offering speciality dining packages.

We had already booked FNDR but I think by holding a pleasant conversation and listening to him also by telling him that we had never dined at Chefs table would possibly like to dine there but we thought it was to expensive he offered us the discount.

As I said previously cannot honestly remember the exact discount but pretty sure it was 50%.

Have done it every time on each of our cruises and loved it. Great way to meet other people who enjoy food and wine matching. Have booked again for our September trans-pacific. Just wish on cruises leaving Australia that they featured some of our fine wines rather than US wines.

We did Chefs Table on Allure last month and it was so worth it. We found each course to be better then the last and the wine went perfect with each course. I am not much of a wine drinker and can be a picky eater, that being said I don't know that there was a drop of wine left in the glasses or a morsel of food on the plates!!!

Looking forward to our next Chefs Table!!!

I can't speak from personal experience, however our daughter and son-in-law and 3 other couples (friends of theirs) did the Chef's Table and they said said it was wonderful. They enjoyed all the wine pairings and DD said that the food was very, very good. She did NOT have many nice things to say about the food in the MDR or Windjammer as a comparison.

I am not a wine drinker, so for me it would not be worth it. If you are a wine drinker and a foodie" like our daughter, I think it might be a good fit for you! :)

We saw the venue for Chef's Table on Brilliance last year and were impressed. We didn't try it because we were sailing with 13yo DD. Next year DH and I will be on a Rhapsody for our anniversary and are considering celebrating it at Chef's Table. Is there a dedicated venue on Rhapsody as well?

 

 

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Lisa,

I have done the Chef's Table on the Rhapsody and it is in a beautiful dedicated venue! I have also done the Chef's Table on Freedom, Allure, and Enchantment but the Rhapsody is my favorite! It is a great anniversary dinner idea!

Does the chefs table vary across the fleet or is it the same format on all ships? We did it on Anthem and were unimpressed compared to Princess. Was wondering if it’s nicer on the other ships. Sorry have not done the research just asking while I’m here for future reference.

SOME things vary. The wine pairings are different based on what they can get on board but mostly the menu is the same across the fleet.

That being said, I am not sure how long ago you tried it on Anthem, but when we had it on Freedom in June, it was a new menu for us...after 4 times with the previous menu. I have never sailed Princess so I can't compare, but I have done Carnival's Chef's Table as well and enjoyed them both.

Lisa,

 

I have done the Chef's Table on the Rhapsody and it is in a beautiful dedicated venue! I have also done the Chef's Table on Freedom, Allure, and Enchantment but the Rhapsody is my favorite! It is a great anniversary dinner idea!

Fantastic! Thanks so much for the info!

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Crewmembers approached us on boarding day offering a discount. I just kept saying it's too much money and held out until they got to 50%.

Great tip! I will try it to see if it works for me!

We've done Chefs Table onboard 3 times, one Splendor, Rhapsody, and on Celebrities Eclipse.

Splendor was fantastic, chef was really engaging, and the Somellier was a fellow aussie.

onboard Rhapsody was the chefs first time hosting, and he was very clearly very nervous in his presentation, and didn't seem particularly interested in explaining the process and thinking behind each dish.

On board the Celebrity Eclipse, Chefs Table was something else entirely.

We met Executive Chef Darren in the wine bar, followed by a galley tour and finally into the private dining room.

The chef dined with us for part of the evening, and prepared the main course, and also desert table side.

In the ~11 days after the chefs table outting, we would often see Chef Darren in the buffet and he continued to be very engaging each time we saw him, chatting about different things and getting some great tips about places to go in the ports we were visiting.

If you've never done a degustation type dinner before, I would highly recommend.

If you've dined in Michelin Starred establishments, I'd probably suggest giving it a miss.

Would we do it again? Not unless it was gifted to us.

We just did it on Brilliance, in a dedicated venue. We really enjoyed it, loved the food, wine and other participants. Will do it again, but only with a dedicated venue, not in the Windjammer or Solarium Cafe. We are undecided about Anthem (our next cruise). It appears to be on a private level between dining rooms. We are wondering if it would be harder to hear the descriptions (and have conversation) sandwiched between the two. [emoji846]

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We got our last two Chef's Tables for half-price, and I would have a hard time doing it again, even at 50% off.

We've done chefs table on one occasion made reservations on board and tried it because I believe it was offered to us at 50% off the regular price.

Enjoyed it but would not do it again even at a heavily discounted rate.

Having said that I would definitely advise you to try it if only once just for the experience and if you could get an excellent discount.

Can you elaborate more as to Why would you NOT be doing it again? What was the trigger that disappointed you ?

Can you elaborate more as to Why would you NOT be doing it again? What was the trigger that disappointed you ?

No trigger, food and wine were just not worth the money to us.

We just did it on Brilliance, in a dedicated venue. We really enjoyed it, loved the food, wine and other participants. Will do it again, but only with a dedicated venue, not in the Windjammer or Solarium Cafe. We are undecided about Anthem (our next cruise). It appears to be on a private level between dining rooms. We are wondering if it would be harder to hear the descriptions (and have conversation) sandwiched between the two. [emoji846]

 

 

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I seem to remember on Anthem that it is in a nice separate room in the back of Chops.

We have done Chef’s Table on a number of RC ships and they are very nice. Food is significantly above most of the restaurants (about on par with Wonderland). Long meal, but it is usually fun talking to others there. We have often met people we talk to the rest of the cruise. Wines are mixed and generally not that special (but I am a wine snob) although some are good.

One issue. We have some food restrictions. Used to be that we could get substitutes that were quite good. Substitutes have gone downhill lately ( particularly this summer on Brilliance)

I've done it on Grandeur and Anthem. I would have done it on Independence, but at the time, they didn't offer it on the Independence. I also did it on Carnival Pride twice so I have comparison between the two.

Is it worth it? Well, that depends on you. Are you a foodie. Do you like wine pairings? I've been blown away every time I've done Chef's table. Since I plan for it, I probably will never get the discounted price as I'm usually booked prior.

The difference between Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Foodwise, they are comparable. However, Carnival will give you a tour of the kitchen and cooking demonstrations as part of Chef's table. Royal Caribbean does not. On the flip side (here's where the wine pairing comes in), Royal Caribbean specifically pairs a different wine with each of their courses, while Carnival has only one chosen white and red that go through the entire meal. Both will give you unlimited wine though. It was 4 years between by stints with Chef's Table with Carnival and the first time, there were more waiters and assistants, which I coined wine ninjas, because they would sneak around without you seeing them and fill up your glass. I never thought I finished a glass of wine, but in reality, I had polished through maybe 4 glasses (To give you an idea how much I drink, Chef's table is probably more than I drink for the rest of the year). 2nd time around, there were only 2 and they didn't quite kept the wine ninja labels this time around.

Nonetheless, I find the experience to be well worth it. The ONLY time I will say don't, is if you've done it recently. I've heard anecdotal evidence that they do have a set menu for a period of time and if you do it soon after, you may get a repeat menu. But on the other hand, they will easily handle allergies, requests and deviations with the same dedication to the primary menu. They won't just give you a throwaway dish if you're allergic to something. They will prepare something that will be equally impressive to suit your restriction (dietary/allergies/religious observations etc).

I am a foodie and a wine guy. We did it on the Anthem September 2016. I would not do it again, if it was free. We had a boor at the table who dominated the table. The meal took almost 4 hours. My wife and the wife of the other couple left after the main course. I stayed until dessert, but it was an absolutely miserable experience. The sommelier and the waiter were very slow bringing the next wine or food. The conversation was dreadful. The food was good, about equal to Chops (that is where it was on the Anthem). It was a nice room, the wines were good, not great.

Would not go for free. I could not get my wife to go again, if they paid her.

JC