Carnival's Steakhouse - Worth the price?

[mistyinca]

Have you ever been to a prime grade steakhouse? A prime grade steak at such a restaurant is close to $40 alone not counting soup, salad, sides, appetizers, beverages, and dessert.

 

When we go out to a place like Ruth's Chris, my husband and I spend about $160... and that is sharing a dessert and no alcohol.

[ERTHDOG]

Hey Dave!

 

I can't wait! I have my reservation for the second sea evening.

 

fancy that , so do we ;):D

 

dave

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...

 

Make sure to try the wasabi mashed potatoes as a side...so yummy!! I can't wait! I have my reservation for the second sea evening.

 

Agreed --- it's the best side they have, IMHO! We even ask for a bit of extra wasabi on the side, just to kick it up a notch. :D

 

Tom

[jessemon]

Much more succinct than my ramblings!!

 

Tom

Hey Tom....What's up ????

I figured that was all that was needed....

Short...sweet...now let's eat.....:D:D:D

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Hey Tom....What's up ????

I figured that was all that was needed....

Short...sweet...now let's eat.....:D:D:D

 

Counting the days to our return to DREAMING! :)

 

Enjoy your next one (a couple of days before ours)!

 

Tom

[RWolver672]

For me, it's not even a matter of the money. I tried it and simply didn't care for the experience. The service was way too invasive, in my opinion. You never got a chance to just sit and relax and talk to your companions without having one or more servers hovering about...:(

 

I couldn't agree more. We did it once and will never do it again for that reason. You'd go to take a bite and somebody would be there asking how you were enjoying your meal or bringing something on a bent spoon that looked like seaweed for you to try. Some people enjoy this but we'd rather be left alone to eat and enjoy our meal.

[MamaParrotHead]

YES it is worth the price. Oh my dear lord yes. :D

[SoonerOne]

We tried it on the Valor this past New Years Eve. We wanted to like it and come back raving however that was not in the cards. I would not pay for it again. In fact DS, DH and myself agree we wouldn't bother if it were free. The service we had was far from outstanding and it was not crowded-there were only 2 other people on the side where we were.

 

When we arrived 7 minutes early the server asked us if we would like to wait in the bar area since we were "sooo early". It all went downhill from there.

 

Glad to hear someone else did not have a good experience. I was starting to think it was just us. However, another couple we knew on our cruise, went on the same night and were not impressed either. We also wanted to come back with a positive report, it just did not turn out that way. Host Mach has done some wonderful reviews on the Point on the Conquest, so we were really looking forward to it.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Well, to be totally fair... we have (get this ALSO on the Glory) had a couple of events which detracted from the intended experience.

 

There was the time, after the elimination of live music, where they (more than one evening) were determined to play music that THEY wanted to hear rather than what should have been played. Think of the specialty restaurant atmosphere with BLIND MELON and PINK playing. :rolleyes: I brought it to their attention, but the correction was short lived. THAT was pathetic. I wrote to Carnival about that situation, and I have not seen it happen again (though I am in a watchful waiting mode).

 

We have also been the recipient of the excess attention of one waiter. It seemed, after the 2nd or 3rd night there that he felt we were his friends, and proceeded to hang around for several minutes at a time relaying his troubles to us. I MEAN GEESH !!! I think he took our kind nature and small talk the wrong way.

 

Other than those isolated occurances, it has been a VERY positive experience.

 

Tom

[MrPete]

We have also been the recipient of the excess attention of one waiter.

 

We had the same thing. We attributed this to a lack of activity. There were maybe 4 tables with patrons the night we went.

 

The good thing is we were done in 2 hours.

[shakwurst]

i guess it all depends, i got the best steak ive ever eaten in the one on glory. Was a veal steak, but then again the lobster i had was just ok

[osiebosie]

The food at the speciaty restaurats would be better if I could bring the leftovers home with me...

 

 

Shay

[mistyinca]

The food at the speciaty restaurats would be better if I could bring the leftovers home with me...

 

 

Shay

 

So true!

The first time, I could only eat about half my steak because I was so full. Later that evening when I was hungry again, I wish I had it to finish! I wonder if they'd let you take the rest back to your room! :o

 

I know...I get really hungry after a long workout. This time when I go, I'll go workout a couple of hours before our reservation. Then I'll be very hungry!

Edited January 27, 2010 by mistyinca

[Mikayla's Mom]

Agreed that I have read some great reviews and am excited. There are 9 in our group including a 10 year old and 15 month old. Both very well behaved.

 

Question...was told to make sure we didnt book the steakhouse on the "formal" nights because they serve better food in the MDR and we would not want to miss it. Is this true? I have us going the last night of our cruise as a final to the week.

 

Thoughts?

[BKozaki]

This all sounds to me that it depends on the ship, time of year and your own preference. I am (for lack of a better term) a "Foodie". I really enjoy food so I am one to try anything! I also appreciate good service. Unfortunately some folks got some crappy or seemingly over bearing service. But with the ratio of good to poor reviews I would conclude that poor service is the exception.

 

As far as the price, I have to agree with Misty! $60 for a couple is cheap for a place that serves Prime beef! I have also eaten at top end Steakhouses (Morton's, Mastro's, Chop House, etc) and never get out of there without spending $200 (no, I don't do this all the time!). $40-50 a steak, $9-10 per side, $9-10 per dessert, $10-25 per appetizer... It adds up. But I also get that fact that why spend when you get a decent meal in the MDR. So again, personal preference.

 

I say try it once!!! This is a vacation!!! Enjoy yourselves! I believe that this is what you are supposed to do on cruises! And if it's crap, don't do it again!:) But I usually give a place two chances to win me over... we are all human, things happen.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...

Question...was told to make sure we didnt book the steakhouse on the "formal" nights because they serve better food in the MDR and we would not want to miss it. Is this true? I have us going the last night of our cruise as a final to the week.

 

Thoughts?

 

While I do feel that way about the 1st "Cruise Elegant" night (thanks to Prime Rib, Duck, and Lobster), I definitely don't feel that way about he 2nd such night, and make a point to dine upscale that evening.

 

Tom

[MamaParrotHead]

Agreed that I have read some great reviews and am excited. There are 9 in our group including a 10 year old and 15 month old. Both very well behaved.

 

Question...was told to make sure we didnt book the steakhouse on the "formal" nights because they serve better food in the MDR and we would not want to miss it. Is this true? I have us going the last night of our cruise as a final to the week.

 

Thoughts?

 

I personally enjoy the last night of the cruise in the dining room. The "Leaving Our Funship" song is a tradition (even though it makes me weepy every time) and I enjoy spending one last evening with our wait staff (whom we've usually gotten to know pretty well by that point) and the opportunity to tip them (in addition to autotips, ;)) after dinner and wish them well.

[Mikayla's Mom]

I personally enjoy the last night of the cruise in the dining room. The "Leaving Our Funship" song is a tradition (even though it makes me weepy every time) and I enjoy spending one last evening with our wait staff (whom we've usually gotten to know pretty well by that point) and the opportunity to tip them (in addition to autotips, ;)) after dinner and wish them well.

 

Uh OH! Have a made a booboo? Do I need to change our date? We have several first timers and I dont want to miss anything "memorable"? :eek:

[MamaParrotHead]

Uh OH! Have a made a booboo? Do I need to change our date? We have several first timers and I dont want to miss anything "memorable"? :eek:

 

I don't know that it's necessarily "memorable" to everyone, but to us it is (for the reasons mentioned above). Whether or not you want to change is up to you. For us, the last night of the cruise is kind of a downer and a time to just get things handled in preparation for the next day. And when we went (we were a party of 10) it took us a good 3 hours to eat. Depending on the size of your group, be prepared that it may take that long when it comes to getting your luggage out and such, and keeping the kids entertained for that long of a period of time.

[osiebosie]

Mikayla's Mom,

 

We don't book the spec restaurant on formal nights. Alot of the booking time depends on the ship's itinerary. For example, if we are in Coz, we may choose that night for the spec rest because we've been to Cozumel so many times and it's not a problem to be back early. Or, another port may have you back on the ship at 4p.m., so that may be a good night to go. It also depends on how many days your cruise is.

 

You may want to keep your reservation, but when you arrive on the ship you can check on times and menus and change your reservation if you wish.

 

Shay

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I don't know that it's necessarily "memorable" to everyone, but to us it is (for the reasons mentioned above). Whether or not you want to change is up to you. For us, the last night of the cruise is kind of a downer and a time to just get things handled in preparation for the next day. And when we went (we were a party of 10) it took us a good 3 hours to eat. Depending on the size of your group, be prepared that it may take that long when it comes to getting your luggage out and such, and keeping the kids entertained for that long of a period of time.

 

We also prefer to have our last night in the MDR to say our goodbyes/tips as you mentioned. We did, however, spend our last night on the Dream last month at Chef's Art -- and felt a bit odd about it. From now on, unless we have a poor waitstaff, we will be in the MDR on the last night (and always the first as well)!

 

Tom

[PunkinsDad]

We have only tried it once, on Conquest 2 years ago, but it was amazing. I defiantly thought it was worth the extra cost.

 

Is it a "must do"......no. But for a special occasion, it's a wonderful treat.

[sixstring]

copied and pasted from a previous post about the supper clubs:

 

Our family was on the Glory Aug. '09, Me, DW, DS, and DD.

 

Reservations were for 7:30. We arrived on time.

 

Some observations about the supper club:

 

There were only about 4 or 5 tables that were in attendance.

 

We had 2 blonde and attentive waitresses that were very attractive.

 

I could barely understand a word they said. Romanian, Slovak, :rolleyes:

 

They explained the cuts of meat, "toonii we hab a beddy find and weel marabilled coots obb beees - tweeble wansis of filley. And deees eees a a streep wit tweeenty wansis."

 

It was like thise for each menu item as it was presented.

 

I smiled and acted like I understood what they were saying, because they were cute...:D

 

My fork and knife were strangely magnetic, and I could attach one to the other by putting them close together, and could hold them up in the air.

 

One of our waitresses found this very funny. When I asked why this was, she laughed and said "weee don' know why dey do dis eeder" - at least I think that's what she said...

 

Food was head and shoulders above the MDR.

 

I'll be back. :)

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...

We had 2 blonde and attentive waitresses that were very attractive.

 

...

 

I smiled and acted like I understood what they were saying, because they were cute...:D

 

...

 

Food was head and shoulders above the MDR.

 

I'll be back. :)

 

I would say that (in general) physical "attractiveness" must be one of the criteria which is used in determining who will be promoted to the specialty restaurant. Overall, compared to the MDR (and IMHO), the staff there are easy on the eyes.

 

Tom

[Nunu]

I would say that (in general) physical "attractiveness" must be one of the criteria which is used in determining who will be promoted to the specialty restaurant. Overall, compared to the MDR (and IMHO), the staff there are easy on the eyes.

 

Tom

 

It's kind of a life lesson in itself. :D