NCL vs RC food

This is a random sampling of RC menu main courses::

 

Linguini vongole

Coq au vin

Seared duck breast

Prime rib

Porcini mushroom farro risotto

Chickjen marsala

Horseradish crusted salmon

Grilled pork chop

Baked polenta and feta cheese

Seafood linguini

Almond crusted snapper

Braised pork shank

Roasted duck

Roasted beef tenderloin

Vegetable pot pie (easier & less expensive to make from scratch than from frozen)

Lasagna al forno (again easier and cheaper to make fresh) I have seen it being made on board.

Roast jerk spiced chicken

Braised short rib

Butternut squash risotto

 

Maybe a lasagna or a pot pie, but this would be easily a money loss considering the equipment and labor cost on a cruise ship.

 

I have worked in places that used items even as disgusting a frozen pre-marinated Black Diamond steaks, chicken wrapped around a piece of ham and cheese then breaded and frozen. The price is a bout three time that of fresh ingredients and all they do is save on labor costs. On a cruise ship the least thing they are concerned with is LABOR COSTS, compared to a US based restaurant.

 

Whether it is making a tray of Lasagna or laying out a few hundred orders of Chicken Cordon Bleu it is not only less expensive to produce fresh, considering the facilities, labor cost and staff in a large cruise ship's galley, but it also takes less time to heat up than five or six hundred 20 below zero door stops since the fresh product is made from room temp or refrigerated ingredients.

 

 

I can tell you it would be a serious mistake for ANY restaurant to attempt buying and serving almost any of the above dishes pre-made and frozen from any outside source. The cost alone would be prohibitive and the quality highly inferior as well as noticeable to most folk with a few functioning taste buds.

 

Sorry but once again just from my experience and careful observation and consumption of cruise ship food and its preparation.

 

This link is self explanatory and shows you this isn't Catered Food or Sysco pre cooked crap.

 

 

bosco

I am pretty familiar with the menus and agree some maybe many, items are made on ship.

I think what I will do, and encourage others to do ,is ask the question at the Q&A sessions that occur on the ship and on galley tours.

As I said I'm a D+ and stockholder so I want RC to be as great as possible.

Have been on RCL and NCL. In my personal opinion the food is much better over all on NCL. Plus there are more options both free and paid on NCL.

We also think that the bars are nicer on NCL.

Huge NCL fans. We loved RCL but prefer NCL.

Do not believe the continental breakfast pastries and croissants are made on the ship, because I have had the exact same items many times at Hyatt hotels.

 

 

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Or at every business meeting as a welcome offering that is held in any hotel.

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I think with NCL it depends on the ship. I was on the Spirit last year and the food was excellent. I was on the Dawn this past March and it was mediocre.

I think RCCL's food is very good, but I'm easy to please, and eat a variety. My husband's a beef-eater, so he complains more than me.

We find neither of these two lines has great food. It's adequate for us, but not great.

Each has things that we like though, and which we miss.

For example we like smoked salmon for breakfast and NCL is no longer offering this, but has eggs Benedict which we love.

Royal offers escargots in MDR , although they switched from every day to first 3-4 days.

Norwegian removed lobster night, although I cannot say that we miss warm water lobsters, but can eat them occasionally.

On our last cruise on Star we liked lunch offerings in buffet more than we had on RCCL lately.

MDR menus on Star for dinner were very repetitive, but new menus on RCCL aren't great either.

We really enjoy chicken wings in O'Sheehan's on NCL.

All and all we enjoy many things with these two lines, but food isn't their strongest point.

We find neither of these two lines has great food. It's adequate for us, but not great.

Each has things that we like though, and which we miss.

For example we like smoked salmon for breakfast and NCL is no longer offering this, but has eggs Benedict which we love.

Royal offers escargots in MDR , although they switched from every day to first 3-4 days.

Norwegian removed lobster night, although I cannot say that we miss warm water lobsters, but can eat them occasionally.

On our last cruise on Star we liked lunch offerings in buffet more than we had on RCCL lately.

MDR menus on Star for dinner were very repetitive, but new menus on RCCL aren't great either.

We really enjoy chicken wings in O'Sheehan's on NCL.

 

All and all we enjoy many things with these two lines, but food isn't their strongest point.

Next time you're on a RCCL ship, talk to the head waiter for your section. You can request escargot on additional nights. They need a day's notice, though. I had them every night on one cruise.

RC food in the free venues is cafeteria slop and seems to degrade by the week. Paid restaurants are also in decline on RC where it's comparable to a lower-mid level chain for the paid venues on RC Boats. These are my experience on RC the past couple of years on Harmony and Allure

NCL/Carnival all have vastly superior food in free venues and paid venues based on my experience (limited to Escape only on NCL) and a few different Carnival ones.

I've left out the much superior free and paid options on other cruiselines like Princess, HAL, Celebrity as I think most already know RC is not comparable to them

RC food in the free venues is cafeteria slop and seems to degrade by the week. Paid restaurants are also in decline on RC where it's comparable to a lower-mid level chain for the paid venues on RC Boats. These are my experience on RC the past couple of years on Harmony and Allure

 

NCL/Carnival all have vastly superior food in free venues and paid venues based on my experience (limited to Escape only on NCL) and a few different Carnival ones.

 

I've left out the much superior free and paid options on other cruiselines like Princess, HAL, Celebrity as I think most already know RC is not comparable to them

Well, I'm going to disagree. I would not categorize Windjammer food as "slop". I found the HAL buffet to be really nice. They have an entire appetizer section for lunch and dinner, very good sushi, very good Italian, also. All in the buffet, which is served fresh by the staff who cook it behind the counters. Pasta is cooked to order.

We find neither of these two lines has great food. It's adequate for us, but not great.

Each has things that we like though, and which we miss.

For example we like smoked salmon for breakfast and NCL is no longer offering this, but has eggs Benedict which we love.

Royal offers escargots in MDR , although they switched from every day to first 3-4 days.

Norwegian removed lobster night, although I cannot say that we miss warm water lobsters, but can eat them occasionally.

On our last cruise on Star we liked lunch offerings in buffet more than we had on RCCL lately.

MDR menus on Star for dinner were very repetitive, but new menus on RCCL aren't great either.

We really enjoy chicken wings in O'Sheehan's on NCL.

 

All and all we enjoy many things with these two lines, but food isn't their strongest point.

RC from my last two trips also don't have Smoked Salmon for breakfast (at least not in windjammer or dining room)

Next time you're on a RCCL ship, talk to the head waiter for your section. You can request escargot on additional nights. They need a day's notice, though. I had them every night on one cruise.

I will definitely do this on our two next cruises.

RC from my last two trips also don't have Smoked Salmon for breakfast (at least not in windjammer or dining room)

I remember in 2016 salmon was discontinued, but later reinstated.

Carnival's food? Seriously? Unless you count variety of fast foods as a better food...

We'll let you know in about 50 days. DH and I are NCL Gold members trying our first RCI cruise November 10th.

I must admit I'm sad to see many saying the NCL food is superior, especially given the very high premiums RCI charges in their specialty restaurants. Because of the high premiums, DH and I might stick to the inclusive restaurants on our Anthem cruise. I would have liked to at least try Wonderland, but at $63CAD per person as a surcharge it's just not worth it. Highest NCL premium charges are only about $45CAD.

We are platinum plus on NCL so we get two free specialty dinners each cruise and find them to be the best meals we have on any ship. The difference between RCI and NCL for all other meals is variable ship by ship. We prefer buffet to formal dining and enjoy RCI more than Carnival or Princess, the only other lines we have sailed. Gonna do 18 days on the Ovation, which should be a real test of potential boredom at the dinner table.

I hate the thought that someone is making those terrible RCL desserts from scratch! We found speciality restaurant quality exceptional on RCL, nearly as good as NCL but though the MDR was below average. Would not “pay” for it for sure. To be honest, we didn’t enjoy NCL MDR either... banquet dining isn’t for us. We found desserts pretty lacking on RCL even in speciality dining. Assumed they were premade for sure.

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Oh come on people... stop with the food is prepared of the ship and microwaved. Some of you just be talking and don’t have a clue! I have been on ship tours which include a tour and talk on the galley area and these people are making you fresh food on the ship daily. You have to see the amount of fresh produce and non frozen meats that they stock on these ships. They have a dedicated bakery area that is continuously preparing fresh breads and desserts. The breads and desserts by the way are made in on area for all the venues on the ship. Some of you do not have any idea what it takes to prepare the amount of food they have to prepare each day for as many people they have to prepare for breakfast, lunch, dinner and meals in between for the various venues on the ship. Other than the specialty dining venues there is no way they can cook meals to order and season food to everyone’s liking. You can’t compare this (mass produced) food to your 5 star restaurants that are feeding a couple of hundred people or so each night to a ship that has to put out food for 2 to 4 thousand plus people depending on the ship each day!

People on here want to call the food slop and compare it to this place or that resort. I think they do a hell of a job for what they do each day. It is not a easy task but they are ask to do it 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year! Geeze lighten up and take a tour and see!

NCL also gets huge bonus points for the ships that have a 24-hour O’Sheehans.

I have not cruised NCL, but had a cruise booked on the Escape and had to cancel. I can say that one thing I was REALLY looking forward to was the variety offered late at night at O'Sheehans. I do like a late night snack and find that RCI's "free" fare to be very limited (pizza, finger sandwiches).

Regarding other dining venues on RCI, I think the MDR is very good. We've never had a strong reason to step to specialty dining. My biggest challenge most nights is trying to narrow down the number of appetizers that I want because so many of them interest me.

The buffet has a wide variety and depending on what you choose, excellent food. I'm not one to grab a burger or a whole chicken thigh at a buffet. That's a waste of a good meal opportunity IMO. I like a variety of very small portions and the Windjammer has wonderful choices for that.

Desserts... One area where I think RCI needs some serious help. I'm not a dessert eater, but have sampled those that looked appealing. Overall lack of flavor, lack of richness.

We did the Galley tour on the Liberty earlier this year, and EVERYTHING was being made from scratch. For sure the bread and rolls, soups, and the entree stations were being prepared using fresh ingredients. Meats (beef, pork, lamb) are brought in fresh cryovac'd.

Dan

I have not cruised NCL, but had a cruise booked on the Escape and had to cancel. I can say that one thing I was REALLY looking forward to was the variety offered late at night at O'Sheehans. I do like a late night snack and find that RCI's "free" fare to be very limited (pizza, finger sandwiches).

 

Regarding other dining venues on RCI, I think the MDR is very good. We've never had a strong reason to step to specialty dining. My biggest challenge most nights is trying to narrow down the number of appetizers that I want because so many of them interest me.

 

The buffet has a wide variety and depending on what you choose, excellent food. I'm not one to grab a burger or a whole chicken thigh at a buffet. That's a waste of a good meal opportunity IMO. I like a variety of very small portions and the Windjammer has wonderful choices for that.

 

Desserts... One area where I think RCI needs some serious help. I'm not a dessert eater, but have sampled those that looked appealing. Overall lack of flavor, lack of richness.

 

We did the Galley tour on the Liberty earlier this year, and EVERYTHING was being made from scratch. For sure the bread and rolls, soups, and the entree stations were being prepared using fresh ingredients. Meats (beef, pork, lamb) are brought in fresh cryovac'd.

 

Dan

We did Escape this year. O' Sheehans is the best late night dining at sea, I think. I mean, it's NOT that great of food, but having a full service option with a server and menu 24/7 is pretty cool.

The specialty restaurants were good. Buffet was mediocre. Really, I think "it's a buffet" and "it's a dining room on a cruise ship" applies. The food was all pretty similar to what you would expect on any other line. Some items better, some worse.

The difference between RCI and NCL for all other meals is variable ship by ship.

I agree with this the most of all posts

we have done 4 cruise across 3cruise lines in the last 12 months

just got off the Freedom and it didn't compare to the food we had on the Liberty last year Freedom and Escape both had flaws at Specialty and MDR

Liberty excelled at both

Buffet on the Escape was superior to both Freedom and Liberty

And NCL OSheehans is a plus and something that I missed on RCCL

I'm on a cruise relaxing, there is plenty of food and drink everywhere. I'm just happy to be there at all because cruising is the best vacation money can buy. It's all good. None of it is slop, no way, not fair.

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We did Escape this year. O' Sheehans is the best late night dining at sea, I think. I mean, it's NOT that great of food, but having a full service option with a server and menu 24/7 is pretty cool.

Exactly. I don't expect fine dining at 1am, but something more than pizza and what seems like the same 'ol sandwiches every day of the cruise.

O'sheehans would have been great for something like, say, the wings and nachos. Again, nothing fancy, but it fits my taste buds that time of night after a few drinks.

There are VERY few areas where I feel that RCI is lacking when it comes to a cruise, but late night dining options is definitely one of them. Room service is not an option for us because I'm not going to sit in my room that time of night waiting for food.

Sill love RCI overall though.

Dan

I'm on a cruise relaxing, there is plenty of food and drink everywhere. I'm just happy to be there at all because cruising is the best vacation money can buy. It's all good. None of it is slop, no way, not fair.

 

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but with other options (and many cheaper too on NCL/Carnival) that offer better food, it becomes quite difficult to choose RCI. That is the discussion point, you won't starve on any cruise, but given the higher costs typically with RCI (especially the big boats) but noticeably lower quality food across free and paid options, that is the point.

Windjammer is slop (at least on the allure/harmony)... it's not even food court quality

but with other options (and many cheaper too on NCL/Carnival) that offer better food, it becomes quite difficult to choose RCI. That is the discussion point, you won't starve on any cruise, but given the higher costs typically with RCI (especially the big boats) but noticeably lower quality food across free and paid options, that is the point.

 

Windjammer is slop (at least on the allure/harmony)... it's not even food court quality

My first priority when choosing a cruise besides price of course is the ship. Love Anthem very much.

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We'll let you know in about 50 days. DH and I are NCL Gold members trying our first RCI cruise November 10th.

 

I must admit I'm sad to see many saying the NCL food is superior, especially given the very high premiums RCI charges in their specialty restaurants. Because of the high premiums, DH and I might stick to the inclusive restaurants on our Anthem cruise. I would have liked to at least try Wonderland, but at $63CAD per person as a surcharge it's just not worth it. Highest NCL premium charges are only about $45CAD.

We did the 5 night Dining package on HOTS this summer. It brings the cost per meal down and we think it is much preferred to MDR on experience and food quality. Hope you make it to Wonderland!!! We won’t forget it- a favorite vacay memory for sure!!

We did our first RCI cruise this summer. The ship was spectacular but we found it lacking in evening entertainment and certainly late night food options. We’re night owls so that was a family let down. No deck parties, 80s night, glow party, no outdoor evening fun at all. Look forward to hearing your perspective! Enjoy!!!

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Windjammer is slop (at least on the allure/harmony)... it's not even food court quality

Completely ridiculous thing to say. NONE of the ships from any line I've been on have been truly outstanding at the buffet. Carnival, the breakfast was so bad I went to Blue Iguana. Luckily they had an alternate option. Escape was slightly better but still pretty bad. Really, Harmony has had, BY FAR the best buffet from the cruises we've been on. To suggest it's worst is insane. MAYBE comparable...

As an aside to the fresh baked goods question. On an All Access Tour, they said that they have a dedicated team, working around the clock, to make all the breads and pasties. With the small caveat, that they purchase from an outside source all their hamburger and hot dog buns, since they can had very cheaply. They use quite a large amount of them up, and it was not cost effective to make them on the ship.