8-Night Independence Menus (New Fleet Menus) 1/9/10 Sailing

[SherriZ366]

thanks for posting. We are doing the same itinerary on Liberty in Feb. 2011.

[Nan-L]

I just got off of Freedom and the one thing we ALL complained about was the dinner menu's .

I just filled a survey sent to me from RC and explained why we were not happy!

I cruise 2-3 times a year and every few years we cruise RC with the kids and grandkids, we were supprized at the menu....they used to be very good!

Will not cruise with them till they change it...there were many nights that nothing was good to choose from...sorry I don't cruise to eat pizza or pasta as my main course.

After cruising other lines I really can not justiy the extra cost on this line.

[mehitabel]

I do see a lot of pasta dishes, but I also see duck, beef, lots of seafood, and other dishes that seem nicely prepared. It's not five-star dining, but I don't believe it's advertised as such. You'd have to cruise on a different line for true gourmet dining, wouldn't you?

 

In addition, I know there are other dining venues, not necessarily the extra-fee ones, that provide lots of other options. I'm very excited to sample these new menus and to try the other places onboard too. And if cutting menu costs a little keeps our fares affordable, I'm fine with that too.

[LustforLife]

Last cruise I had on RCI was 6 years ago and the food was OK. Not wonderful but decent. It had been much better in years past. If it's declining even more so, I'll stick with Celebrity or Holland America. Food does steer which cruise line I stick with. Since my last RCI cruise I've had 4 cruises on Celebrity and find the food to be much better. Although the last one with the new Van Staden menus had declined since our previous cruise. I think cut backs are a factor. I will not remain a loyal customer unless I feel I am getting a quality product.

[luvscruising2007]

Between the 'eat the same thing every nighters' and the 'at least I don't have to cook and cleaners' those menus will soon be featuring fruit salad soup and tilapia hash every night.

 

 

Ewwww; Yuuuukkkk!!!:eek:

[LustforLife]

Last cruise I had on RCI was 6 years ago and the food was OK. Not wonderful but decent. It had been much better in years past. If it's declining even more so, I'll stick with Celebrity or Holland America. Food does steer which cruise line I stick with. Since my last RCI cruise I've had 4 cruises on Celebrity and find the food to be much better. Although the last one with the new Van Staden menus had declined since our previous cruise. I think cut backs are a factor. I will not remain a loyal customer unless I feel I am getting a quality product.

 

Sorry, I have to correct myself. Last RCI cruise was not 6 years ago. It was 4 years ago.

[Bellalago Breeze]

Many thanks to the OP for all the work typing in the MDR menu. You said you would also post the new Portofino menu. If and when you get a chance to do so, I'd appreciate it. That's our favorite place to eat.

[crusinmama06]

At first I saw the title and I was like :D

 

Then I read the menus and I was like :eek:

 

And now thinking about it I am more like :(

 

Why? Why? Why Royal Caribbean? Why are the menus on Carnival (and I am NOT a Carnival fan) better on Carnival than on Royal Caribbean and the price is less?

 

How hard is it to come up with a good food product? This has been the one major complaint that we keep seeing over and over again. We rarely see the same complaint on the Carnival board.

[SDPadreFan]

Why? Why? Why Royal Caribbean? Why are the menus on Carnival (and I am NOT a Carnival fan) better on Carnival than on Royal Caribbean and the price is less?

 

Oasis and Allure have to be paid for. I don't think things are going to get better for a while.

[katiel53]

I just got off of Freedom and the one thing we ALL complained about was the dinner menu's .

I just filled a survey sent to me from RC and explained why we were not happy!

I cruise 2-3 times a year and every few years we cruise RC with the kids and grandkids, we were supprized at the menu....they used to be very good!

Will not cruise with them till they change it...there were many nights that nothing was good to choose from...sorry I don't cruise to eat pizza or pasta as my main course.

After cruising other lines I really can not justiy the extra cost on this line.

 

Would you please look at the menus again and tell us which night's menu you didn't have on Freedom? Freedom is a 7 night and the menu is for an 8 night cruise and I'd love to know which night's menu wasn't on your Freedom cruise. Thanks so much.

[LustforLife]

Oasis and Allure have to be paid for. I don't think things are going to get better for a while.

 

and of course the problem is...once people become complacent with the new food just as in the past when it went downhill from what it was years ago...it will never get better. It's all about the bottom line. As long as no one is "jumping ship", saving money will be priority over passenger delight.

[cantw8togo]

We are just off the IOS and the food was hit and miss. Some things were great and others were over cooked. This was our first trip with RCI and overall our dining experience was disappointing to the point where may not come back. To complicate our dining issues, our 6 DS is allergic to dairy and shellfish which they did not always handle properly. He was brought a fruit plate with yogurt on it and was told not to touch the yogurt. :eek: It took 50 minutes in the Windjammer to find the right person to talk to and then to find out what food was suitable. (You need to speak to a Sous Chef, not the Head Waiter, Dining Room Manager or the Head Chef in the Windjammer.)

 

After reading this thread before we went, I was cognizent of some of the cutback issues and was more aware when dining that some of the better cuts of meat or more expensive ingredients weren't being offered. To their credit, when my DH saw our son's full lobster tail and mentioned that he should have ordered that, the Head Waiter in the MTD brought out a second dinner for DH. Desserts were hit and miss as well and virtually nonexistent in the nondairy dept. It's a good thing that our 6 yr old likes jello because that was his only option every night. We did spring for the B & J's sorbet a couple of times but that wasn't until after we finished eating in the dining room.

 

It was by no means all bad, but it wasn't fantastic either. We have had better dining experiences with other cruise lines but the dining is just part of the overall cruising experience. RCI will have to work harder to get us back though.

 

JMHO

 

N.

[laxlove6]

Isn't it tough to get non-dairy desserts at most land based restaurants?

[cantw8togo]

Isn't it tough to get non-dairy desserts at most land based restaurants?

 

 

Yes, it can be, but there are places that offer dairy free desserts. Johnny Rockets' apple pie and chocolate brownies don't contain dairy however they only serve the apple pie on board the IOS. Ben & Jerry's also makes some great fruit sorbets that are dairy free. Both are available on board for an additional fee which I resent having to pay for when we have already paid for dining. There should be equivalent options available in the MDR.

 

When we cruised on the Volendam last year, they had a variety of fruit sorbets that are freshly made on board . The sorbets on the IOS are technically sherberts as they contain dairy. How hard would it be for the food division to substitute a sorbet for a sherbert? I'm sure that only those with dairy allergies would know the difference because it would mean that they would be able to enjoy a dessert with the rest of their party. I'm sure that some of this comes from a lack of awareness, but how long have they been doing this and how many people do they serve daily? I'm sure that we are not the only ones. Thank you for letting me rant. I'll go and send that email to RCI about our dining experience now.

 

N.

[klg94msn]

Thanks for the info. We are less than a week away from our first RCI cruise and I'm trying to approach the MDR with an open mind after reading so many reviews, but really, any meal that I don't have to cook and clean up after is a good one. :D

 

My biggest issue with the menu is that the dessert menu contains dairy in most every dish. My 6 yr old DS is allergic to dairy and shellfish and he loves dessert. How many different ways can they prepare a fruit plate and keep it interesting? If the for purchase restaurants can offer dairy free desserts (brownies and apple pie in Johnny Rockets, Ben & Jerry's sorbets), then why can't the MDR? Maybe he will want to join the AO staff for dinner at Johnny Rockets some of the nights.

 

It is great that the MDR has recognized that there are those that want/need low fat or sugar free desserts. Let's see them become a bit more diverse in their offerings.

 

 

Hi. I recommend contacting RCCL in advance of your cruise, letting them know about your child's needs. They should be able to give you some guidance in navigating their food choices. Also, a brief meeting with the maitre d and/or chef on the day that you board could get some better options. I've travelled with a child (not mine) who is anaphylactically allergic to dairy, even in trace amounts, and once the staff understood the severity, they were very accommodating.

[cantw8togo]

Hi. I recommend contacting RCCL in advance of your cruise, letting them know about your child's needs. They should be able to give you some guidance in navigating their food choices. Also, a brief meeting with the maitre d and/or chef on the day that you board could get some better options. I've travelled with a child (not mine) who is anaphylactically allergic to dairy, even in trace amounts, and once the staff understood the severity, they were very accommodating.

 

We did contact them before hand and received the standard email reply about contacting the Dining Room Manager when we board. We tried to do this, but we were told to speak to them when we are seated for dinner. At the time it felt like a bit of a brush off, but it turns out that there are several DR Managers in the MTD and you need to speak to the one in the area that you are seated in. We had a great Dining Manager, but a couple of dud Waiters and the Assistant Waiters were better than the Waiters.

 

My issue with the Windjammer was that I had to go through three people to get to someone who knew who that I needed to speak to a sous chef to find out what was safe.

 

Despite our precautions, our DS still ending up having a reaction. Thankfully he is not anaphylactic. Bravo to you for travelling with an anaphylactic minor that wasn't your own.

 

N.

[flcraigs5]

Thanks for posting the Menu. We are on the Indy March 20th and its nice to see what the offerings will be :)

[flcraigs5]

Wow thanks for Posting the Menu. We are on the Indy March 20th and its nice to know the offerings :)

[MAHA]

I am still wondering if they have the Beef Tendeloin on the 1st formal night? It's usually the Chef's Selection.

Thanks!

Mary Anne

[UCONN Women Rule]

Thanks for posting the Menu. We are on the Indy March 20th and its nice to see what the offerings will be :)

 

Hello

Come on over to out thread and meet some of the people who'll be on your cruise. Here's the link.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=776371

[djneph]

I am still wondering if they have the Beef Tendeloin on the 1st formal night? It's usually the Chef's Selection.

Thanks!

Mary Anne

 

Sorry for taking so long to answer your question. Wife and I have been busy at work and home. I double checked my photos of the menus

 

yes Fillet of Beef is available on 1st formal night.

[MAHA]

Sorry for taking so long to answer your question. Wife and I have been busy at work and home. I double checked my photos of the menus

 

yes Fillet of Beef is available on 1st formal night.

 

Thanks for your reply. I appreciate it. We have always looked forward to the Filet of Beef on the 1st formal night.

Mary anne

[judydoc]

We came off the Independence a month ago and the menu has definitely changed. We enoyed their beef so will miss that! You still can get a steak off the available anytime section, can't you?

[orville99]

That was my guess as well.... :rolleyes:

 

So I guess they'll have to start looking for new ways to make some of these other choices into soups -- because I predict a fair amount of leftovers...

 

Any food prepared in the kitchens must be consumed within very strict health department timeframes. The max time anything can be "leftover" is two hours - so you may get some holdovers between seatings, but once the second seating is done, anything that's left gets trashed.

[StaceyCT]

On the Serenade 1/23 sailing (seven nights), the menus were kind of a blend between those that have been circulated here on CC for a while than to the one the OP posted.

 

As a vegetarian, I am thrilled with the number and diversity of veggie offerings. I say kudos to RCCL! Since my dining companions were omnivores, I mostly just tried one veg dish per course, but wish I could comment on them all (and yes I know you can order more than one, but unless I was ravenous I didn't because I hate wasting food).

 

Since I really only noticed the veg dishes, I'll comment on which I recall seeing on our cruise and which I didn't, plus some comments on quality.

 

Night five is the only menu that I really don't recognize, but it makes sense since the OP went on an 8 day and I went on a 7 day. Thanks for all the typing, OP!!!

 

ETA: Lots of sugar-free or low fat desserts. They were a turn-off at first, but then I tried a few and they were really delicious; tasted like the "real" thing! Perhaps a similar phenomenon accounts for the number of vegetarian dishes out of proportion to vegetarians in the general population - omnivores do often try a veggie dish and find they really like it. Either that or RCCL's just being cheap :)

 

Night one:

 

Starter:

 

Vidalia Onion Tart – yes, very good

Child Watermelon Gazpacho – yes, quite interesting! I liked it.

 

Truffled wild mushroom linguini alfredo – yes, good

Grilled Mediterranean Quesadilla – yes, pretty good

Aloo Gobi Methi – yes, didn't have

 

Night Two

 

STARTERS

 

I don't see a veggie starter here and I know there was always at least one. Definitely there was a chilled fruit soup every single night, plus usually one more veg starter.

MAIN COURSE

Sauteed Seasonal Mushrooms – Was NOT on our menu

Potato Curry – Probably there but I think I got another veg dish, don't remember what

 

Night THREE

 

STARTERS

Strawberry bisque – yes, tasted as you'd expect (most of the fruit soups were kind of like a very thin smoothie. Pleasant, nothing to write home about)

Insalata Mista – I think this was on most/all of the nights' menus

MAIN COURSE

Eggplant and Roma Tomato Bake – This was called "eggplant mozzarella tower" on my cruise and it kicked a$$! My fave thing all week.

Kaju Paneer Dhansak – yes

 

 

NIGHT FOUR

 

STARTERS

Exotic Fruits w/ mojito jelly - don't recall that one

Jalapeno potato soup – yes, quite nice and rich

Seasonal Salad – yes, didn't try

 

MAIN COURSE

 

Asparagus and Brie Tart – yes, good, rich, didn't knock my socks off

 

Gobi Ki Sabzi – yes

 

NIGHT FIVE

 

STARTERS

Papaya, lychee & water chestnut salad – No, I don't recognize this one

Bread Mushrooms – No, I don't recognize this one

Chilled orange and banana Soup – No, I don't recognize this one

Tomato Salad – No, I don't recognize this one

MAIN COURSE

Wild Mishroom and Goat cheese pizza –No, I don't recognize this one

Bglai Cauliflower – Not sure (the curries, while delicious, all run together after a while)

 

NIGHT SIX

 

Starters –

Eggplant and Kalamata Olive Tartare – No, I don't recognize this one

Creamed wild mushroom in Puff Pastry – Yes, this was GOOD!

Cream of Asparagus – Didn't try; didn't ask if it's veg

Roasted Peach Soup - yes, didn't try

House Salad – yes, didn't try

MAIN COURSE

Greek-Style Vegetarian Moussaka – yes, very nice

Kabuli Chana – yes

 

 

NIGHT SEVEN –

 

STARTERS

Fresh Seasonal Fruits – yes, didn't have

Chilled Golden Delicious Apple Soup – yes, didn't have

Focaccia and Tomato Salad - yes, had it and was disappionted. Too much of some type of lettuce, not enough bread, tomatoes, etc.

 

MAIN COURSE

 

Cheese Tortelloni - yes, delicious and rich

Pan-fried cauliflower cakes – yes but didn't try

Vegetable Vindaloo – yes but didn't try. Warning: vindaloos are traditionally extremely hot!

 

NIGHT EIGHT

 

STARTERS

Spinach Dip – yes, didn't try

Cream of Pumpkin – yes, EXCELLENT

Chilled Raspberry and Pineapple Soup -yes, didn't try

 

MAIN COURSE

Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Calzone – yes, had it (this one is new since the last menu) and frankly, it sucked.

Rice Biryani – yes, but didn't try it (wish I had) because it sounded too much like having just rice for dinner!