Has anyone been really impressed with Chops lately?

We were not impressed with our one time at Chops on Oasis nearly a decade ago so we have never repeated the experience. Service was not good and got worse after we politely declined wine which we do not like or other alcohol which we rarely consume. The food was definitely not of a quality befitting an extra charge.

The above, combined with similar reviews and me now rarely eating beef keeps us happily away from Chops.

Of all the groups I’m a part of on the internet and Facebook , Cruise Critic members give the worse reviews of Chops Grille!

You are right! The Vegas forum to which I belong and the camping & outdoor message boards never have anything negative to say about Chops!;p;p

Like it’s the worst thing ever! The people who eat there now enjoy it and don’t really care how it was years ago. And dang it wasn’t going to stay $20 forever!

I eat there now (or at least I did a month ago), and I care how it was two years ago. I agree with the price climbing (what price doesn't go up). But the drop in quality is a disappointment.

This was a rather curious post. Was it simply an attempt to make yourself sound better by diminishing anyone who shares an honest opinion? We're not really nitpicking here. I posted an honest question and got a variety of feedback. What's your issue with that?

Was in Chops on Indy 3 weeks ago.

1st time we had tried it.

Both well impressed. Look forward to the next time

Chops and Giovanni's are so variable from ship to ship and cruise to cruise. It's luck of the draw, really.

If you keep the price at around $20 pp it's possible to get decent value. If you're paying more, you're more likely to end up disappointed.

 

Of all the groups I’m a part of on the internet and Facebook , Cruise Critic members give the worse reviews of Chops Grille!

 

Like it’s the worst thing ever! The people who eat there now enjoy it and don’t really care how it was years ago.

 

And dang it wasn’t going to stay $20 forever!

 

This ^

I agree with every single word you said. So true!

.

 

I used to really like Chops, but now, at least in my experience, it was a pale reflection of what it once was.

 

If it was free, I honestly would still have chosen the MDR.

 

 

 

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: Sheesh! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Hmmmmmmmmm...... Yeah right!!!!

Only from behind a keyboard will you say that..

:confused:

So, for a long time, I was a 'specialty restaurant every night' guy. But after our Oasis cruise in August, I think I am now an MDR convert. We did MDR six of the seven nights and it absolutely exceeded our expectations. One night, when our group shrunk from twelve to six due to teens getting into other activities, I decided to head to Chops. I was SO DISAPPOINTED! The steaks were okay, but nothing great. I would have expected better from the most basic local joint at home. The sides? Well, they brought small dished of EVERY side and totally filled the table. All it did was underscore the fact that they're all premade and sitting under heat lamps in the kitchen.

 

 

 

I used to really like Chops, but now, at least in my experience, it was a pale reflection of what it once was. If it was free, I honestly would still have chosen the MDR.

 

 

 

Did I have an uncharacteristically poor experience? What have others experienced lately?

Totally agree. We don’t bother to go there anymore

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You can get a good steak at Longhorn for $15-20. How is that overpriced?:confused:

 

Having been going to Specialty restaurants on RCI since 2009, I can tell you, the quality has crashed and burned.

Opinions vary.

No, Giovanni's is much better. Hands down!

On a certain ship on a certain date, sure......... We like Giovanni's too and have eaten at both MANY times the past 15 years on every cruise. There's no way a statement like that is valid across the fleet.

The biggest reason we won't eat dinner at Chops anymore is the menu revamp where they removed the cheese and onion soup, we LOVED it!

They were serving onion soup in the WJ on AD several nights. It was pretty good. And 'free'.

We just ate at Chops aboard the Explorer last week for the "first night done right" deal......we were with our son's girlfriends parents and I kind of purchased it for everyone as I know what a cluster the first night can be for anytime dining which we had. It was thought that we would be assigned to either Chops or Giovani's Table and I requested 7pm reservations, when we got on board I asked about it and was told that we had to make reservations then that we were not assigned anywhere. I chose Chops and took a 7:15pm time. The father of our son's girlfriend was so impressed with everything that he was happy to repay me later in cash which I did not expect or ask for. He was particularly impressed with the bacon steak appetizer and his steak (16oz ribeye) was perfect. While the service was very good there were some missteps along the way.....we gave him plenty of warning that we all wanted decaf with dessert and it never came. They brought us special anniversary and birthday desserts for our occasions we had noted which was nice.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: Sheesh! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

 

Hmmmmmmmmm...... Yeah right!!!!

 

Only from behind a keyboard will you say that..

 

:confused:

I guess I should add a qualifier: My recent trip was with a group of twelve, and the fewest people we had for dinner any night was six. I find the MDR experience MUCH better with larger parties (6 or more). I find the two tops and four tops kind of get lost in the madness. So, what I said is I would take the MDR over Chops even if it was free ***WITH a larger party****. If I were two or four, I might feel differently.

Better?

IMHO, Chops is still a lot nicer than the MDR but that is because the MDR and Chops have both suffered comparable declines in quality over the years. Those of us who remember how "special" a meal at Chops was 15 years ago cannot but be disappointed. In those days, dining at Chops was like dining at a high quality chain steakhouse on land (think Ruths Chris or Mortons). Now, it is more like the Outback. The huge porterhouse steaks are long gone as is the baked-in-the-crock onion soup. The baked potatoes are much smaller and less tasty and the "colossal shrimp" are still big but no longer "colossal". Nevertheless, I still enjoy a filet mignon steak at Chops a lot more than any entree that I can get in the MDR without paying an upcharge.

We were on Harmony last week. We shared a table and a very mediocre meal at Izumi with two other couples who said Chops was not good and they were unhappy to have wasted the time and money.

no, it's a mid level chain steakhouse quality but priced as a higher end steakhouse.

It's on par with Ponderosa/Outback quality wise based on my experience with it a few months ago

Not us and we didn't have to pay.

After reviewing the menu for chops I decided that it's not worth the $42 pp uncharge. I can't speak of the quality but in my experience on other lines like Princess the steakhouse was no better than a chain restaurant such as Outback or Long Horn. On Princess it was only a $25 pp fee at the time but it wasn't a better experience. I'm much more inclined to book Wonderland. Yes $50 pp is a lot of money for some hardboiled eggs but it's more about the entertainment value and food presentation than what's actually being served. It's an experiences that I can't get at home or on any other cruise line. I see no value in paying $42pp for an average experience. I would be more inclined to pay extra in the MDR if I wanted a better steak. Like all of Royal Caribbean pricing it's just a game. They have to inflate the prices to compel the passenger to book meal packages at a discounted price. If they can get someone to pay extra not to eat in the MDR they are solving two issues, profit from the up charge and a savings from not having to feed them in the MDR and it shifts the traffic away from the overcrowded MDR.