How Successful are the Specialty Restaurants?

[English Teacher]

We loved Portofino's on Explorer. From the first moment that we walked in, to the end when we walked out, we had a marvelous experience. We enjoyed the food, the ambience, and the service. Yummm!

 

I would also like to say a word for the dining room food and service on Explorer. It was very good, and I have eaten in Paris, Tahiti, and NYC. I have never found cruise food to be "mediocre wedding reception quality." So much depends upon which ship, which cruise, and which stomach you take with you, I guess!

[johnfas]

Thank you! ;)

 

Originally Posted by BruceMuzz View Post

(Mass market dining room food is mediocre wedding reception quality on a good day - especially in the Caribbean).

 

EnglishTeacher, I would have to agree with you. No the food in the MDR is not gourmet, but it is hardly chain restaurant style either. Most of us who cruise for FUN are not looking for gourmet meals everyday. Those who want that, will cruise the five star lines that most of us can't afford. That is why they put the specialty dr in most ships. To give you a taste of something upscale in a better dining atmosphere. You can tell the upitty cats on the board who cruise forever yet would not step into a MDR or who say nothing good about any food served on a cruise. WHY do they still cruise?

And as far a wedding food goes, I can say most of the time the food on a cruise is just as good or better than most wedding meals. It is not only the quality of the food that makes the meal. Its the presentation, variety and service you get with it. And on all the cruises we have been on it has been just fine!

[cruisemom42]

You can tell the upitty cats on the board who cruise forever yet would not step into a MDR or who say nothing good about any food served on a cruise. WHY do they still cruise?

 

Maybe some of us recall the day when the food served in the MDR was as good as or better than the specialty restaurants serve now -- at no extra charge.

 

Of course, to be fair, cruises were more expensive then and ships were much smaller. It's a lot easier to serve a fine dinner for 400 than 4,000. :cool:

 

(P.S. I've cruised forever -- since the 1970s -- and have yet to set foot in a specialty restaurant. So......what does that make me??)

[Nebr.cruiser]

We don't dine in the specialty resteraunts for several reasons, so I often have no idea how full they are, but we cruised the Island Princess in December and every time we walked by the specialty restaurants during dining hours they were practically ghost towns--often no one at all in them, or maybe a table or two occupied. I was quite surprised.

[madelinerose]

You can tell the upitty cats on the board who cruise forever yet would not step into a MDR or who say nothing good about any food served on a cruise.

 

And as far a wedding food goes, I can say most of the time the food on a cruise is just as good or better than most wedding meals. It is not only the quality of the food that makes the meal. Its the presentation, variety and service you get with it. And on all the cruises we have been on it has been just fine!

 

 

Since you quoted me...

 

Uppity? How can you possibly assume I'm uppity? Where did you read that I do not dine in the MDR? Where did you read that I have nothing good to say about any food served on a cruise? :rolleyes:

Isn't your quote exactly what Bruce and I said? :confused:

 

[johnfas]

Since you quoted me...

 

Uppity? How can you possibly assume I'm uppity? Where did you read that I do not dine in the MDR? Where did you read that I have nothing good to say about any food served on a cruise? :rolleyes:

Isn't your quote exactly what Bruce and I said? :confused:

 

 

When Bruce said mass market mdr food is not as good as average wedding fare and you thanked him I took it as a vote of no confidence from you on mdr served food.

I do not know you so cannot possibly assume you are anything, my statement was just a broad statement and should not have included any quotes. Or at least I should not have included yours. I am glad you did not go balistic on me for that insensitive post.

[madelinerose]

When Bruce said mass market mdr food is not as good as average wedding fare and you thanked him I took it as a vote of no confidence from you on mdr served food.

I do not know you so cannot possibly assume you are anything, my statement was just a broad statement and should not have included any quotes. Or at least I should not have included yours. I am glad you did not go balistic on me for that insensitive post.

 

 

My "thank you" meant that, imo, if anyone is expecting more than average banquet-type food from a galley serving 2-5,000 people, their expectations may not be met.

I don't go ballistic. ;)

[johnfas]

Since you quoted me...

 

Uppity? How can you possibly assume I'm uppity? Where did you read that I do not dine in the MDR? Where did you read that I have nothing good to say about any food served on a cruise? :rolleyes:

Isn't your quote exactly what Bruce and I said? :confused:

 

 

When Bruce said mass market mdr food is not as good as average wedding fare and you thanked him I took it as a vote of no confidence from you on mdr served food.

I do not know you so cannot possibly assume you are anything, my statement was just a broad statement and should not have included any quotes. Or at least I should not have included yours. I am glad you did not go balistic on me for that insensitive post. So sorry!

[weltek]

My suspicion is that the cruise lines have these to cater to their upper end clientele, while still offering a mass cruise experience for those not willing to spend bucks. It keeps the suite customers (who perhaps have more money to spend) happy with more exclusive options, and keeps the bare bones cruisers still sailing.

 

NCL just debuted a "Ticket to Dine" specialty restaurant package that will really help fill their specialty restaurants, I suspect. There are different packages to choose from at different price points, so I think people will love the options and these will be popular, just like spa service "packages."

[jocap]

Thank you for this post- I have learned a lot....

Having a speciality restaurant on board was a big influence on our choice of cruise for our 30th wedding anniversary. We chose Ventura- a Grand class ship-partly because of Marco Pierre White's room. It was worth 10x the cost.

And yes, we did splurge on an extra special wine.

jocap.

[Arwenmark]

On NCL there are nights that all the pay restaurants are nearly full and other nights when they are not-it varies by trip and restaurants. They are very successful. The new Oasis has more than one.

 

NCL just went fleet wide with their reduced cost dining plan you can buy for the specialties places, that tells me they are not filling them as they would like.

 

Of course the economy still stinks and so many people who managed to scrape up enough for a cruise can't justify paying extra for food for meals that is already included in their cost.

 

Personally I do not like them.