Food - I'm concerned

[DragonMouse]

Regarding a "menu change"....I'm concerned.

 

Last year we tried RCI and I was not really pleased with the food. It was OK...but nothing outstanding. Buns for the burgers were always cold and the Pizza was bland. The rest of the stuff was meh...They had a few things that I thought were pretty good otherwise...I preferred Carnival

 

On Carnival (on all our "previous" sailings) the food was better than RCI...of course there were some things I liked, other things I didn't...I never starved. I loved the pastrami sandwiches, mac and cheeze and chocolate melting cake...The burgers on Carnival were often fresh and they'd toast the bun for you if you wanted...my son totally LOVED the "Calzons" (at the pizza place)...RCI did NOT have Calzons HUGE bummer for him. Granted on the Conquest I "hated" the fish and chips and a few other things...but they were easy enough to avoid when I had other yummy stuff.

 

I'm hearing some "negatives" about a "menu change" What menu change did they effect. We're scheduled on the Spirit in July to Alaska.

[TKDgirl2456]

I didn't notice a change in Lido, burgers or pizza, but they did rework their MDR menu and added a "didja ever" section to the appetizer section. The "didja ever" section is things you'd normally not try, such as shark, sushi, alligator & frog legs. I didn't mind the menu change, but I did notice a drop in the quality of the food. I just got off my 5th Carnival cruise & the food was sub-par. The pizza wasn't as good as I remembered and there was a lot of inconsistency in the MDR. Some nights, our chocolate melting cake was perfect and others, it was like chocolate syrup. Some nights, I'd order a rare steak and it would come out perfect, other nights, it would come out medium well. I don't know what's going on with Carnival & their food, but I think they need to get their act together in the kitchen. I hope the food on the Spirit is more consistent than on the Valor.

[Jbird81]

Although this was my first Carnival cruise with it being after the menu change, I wasn't dissatisfied with the menu at all, infact it was the exact opposite. Didja ever section was a nice new feature, if the Escargots appear on it for you, try them for sure, they're amazing. :)

[matj2000]

Just go to "Denny's" and you can get a preview of the new Carnival menu..

[Sargent_Schultz]

I think the food is fine and the passengers are increasingly chronic complainers.

 

Here are the newest menus and some food pictures:

http://www.zydecocruiser.net/menus/new_11_11/index.htm

 

On our Carnival Spirit Alaska cruise, in addition to the regular menus, there was a fish special every night that was listed in the Capers/Fun Times.

[eyegirl]

we just got back from a 15 day hawaii cruise on the spirit. The food was just ok...don't get me wrong...we didn't starve but didn't love the entrees, The starters and desserts were wonderful, though!

The buffet was really "odd". There were many "stations" but very spread out, so if you didn't walk around the entire deck, you didn't really know all that they had for lunch. Also, there was difficulty finding seating at the lunchtime buffet because alot of people hung out at the table to play cards and read.

The pizza bar was open 24 hrs...complete with calzones for your son! The deli was open from 11:00 am-11:00 pm, they had wonderful sandwiches.

 

You should have a wonderful time...although the food is not fabulous, it sure beat cooking and cleaning up afterward :D

[d76dots]

Regarding a "menu change"....I'm concerned.

 

Last year we tried RCI and I was not really pleased with the food. It was OK...but nothing outstanding. Buns for the burgers were always cold and the Pizza was bland. The rest of the stuff was meh...They had a few things that I thought were pretty good otherwise...I preferred Carnival

 

On Carnival (on all our "previous" sailings) the food was better than RCI...of course there were some things I liked, other things I didn't...I never starved. I loved the pastrami sandwiches, mac and cheeze and chocolate melting cake...The burgers on Carnival were often fresh and they'd toast the bun for you if you wanted...my son totally LOVED the "Calzons" (at the pizza place)...RCI did NOT have Calzons HUGE bummer for him. Granted on the Conquest I "hated" the fish and chips and a few other things...but they were easy enough to avoid when I had other yummy stuff.

 

I'm hearing some "negatives" about a "menu change" What menu change did they effect. We're scheduled on the Spirit in July to Alaska.

 

We're just off the 15 day Spirit to Hawaii in December. I've never sailed Carnival before (only one cruise previous to this and it was with Celebrity) so I can't compare Carnival before and after the change, but my opinion of the food was....nasty! I know you'll find others that said it was just fine, but his is our opinion.

 

I had read many, many reviews saying how great the food was on Carnival so I was thrown for a loop when we started eating on the ship. We're from the Chicago area so we're used to good food and lots of it. I actually lost weight on this cruise, which is the good thing (plus Hawaii was fantastic!).

 

I did love the ship. I thought it was in very, very good condition for being 10 years old. I was expecting it to be kind of "old" looking, but really didn't find that at all. I felt the decorating of it was kind of "Vegas" like.

 

In the MDR on formal night my DH was so looking forward to the lobster tail and jumbo black tiger shrimp. What a disappointment it was. The lobster tail, when taken out of the shell, was about the size of a piece of perch! The Jumbo shrimp were not jumbo..they were very, very small also. Even our waiter whispered into my husbands ear, "I'll bring you two to start. You look like you like to eat seafood."...so my husband was excited to get 2. When it came to the table, the man at the table across from us asked what it was to his waiter and then told him, "well, you'd better start me off with about 6 of them!" His waiter said he couldn't do that but would start him with 2 and if he wanted more then he'd place it. As we ate, the man kept saying, "keep them coming, 2 at a time!"

 

I don't eat seafood so I got the prime rib. I had to send it back because i could not cut it with the steak knife because it was so tough. When I got the next one, I believe it was the same piece, but with gravy on it! It was still tough, so I just ate my baked potato and called it a night. After dinner we went up to the deli and i ordered a sandwich to eat.

 

They still had the calzone and I had one. It was good, but there wasn't much inside it. Since I'm a borderline diabetic, I decided it wasn't worth getting too often because of all the breading.

 

The burgers on the grill out on the Lido deck our first couple of days, if I remember correctly, were fresh made and delicous. After that they switched to frozen patties, so not as good and very greasy...but better than most of the stuff in the other venues.

 

The steakhouse was very good, but I kind of have a sore spot with having to pay an additional $30 per person, plus tip for food that should have been offered in the MDR. Sorry, some may not agree with me, but that's my opinion.

 

I did not like much of what was offered in the MDR each night and felt it wasn't worth going. We did go 4 times for dinner, trying to give them another chance. Actually our first night was excellent, but then it went downhill after that. Some very strange options for food and they seemed to cover everything in some kind of sauce or gravy (from Chicago when you do that you've covering up bad meat/food/taste). Even when I asked for the sauce on the side, they still poured it over my entree.

 

As for the Lido buffet, not much of a choice here either. It seemed that whatever they had in the MDR they had a version of it here also! If you don't like what is in the MDR why do they think you're going to like it on the buffet next to some kind of Asian mix food?

 

They did a special ethnic meal each day, but I don't know where they came up with their entrees and sides. When you think German I think brats, potatoes, kraut, etc., but it had really different things and most had Thai, or similar in the name, so I guess it was the Thai version of each nation.

 

I ate a lot of salads. The salad bar was always fresh, which was good, but you can only eat so much salad before your stomach starts feeling bad. I ate a lot of fresh veggies with low fat ranch too...but again, you can only eat so much of that.

 

I tried the pizza and wasn't impressed. They put tons of sauce on it and it was a sweet sauce. With all the sauce, the crust was soggy.

 

I did like the cook to order pasta they offered each day at lunch; however, being boarder-line diabetic I needed to stay away from it, but I did splurge occasionally to get something good.

 

The fruit was nice and fresh and I certainly ate my fill of that at each meal also. Good thing I like fruit!

 

Desserts for me were a hit or miss. The sugar free one they had the second night was really good, but each night they did the same dessert and just changed the flavor of the topping. Got tiring.

 

Some of their other desserts were good and they had this walnut bread dessert thing that was out of this world! YUM! We brought along some ziplock baggies and I loaded up 2 plates of this bread and brought it back to our room and put them in the baggies to have for breakfast for the next few days! I'd love to have that recipe!

 

I loved having the ice cream and frozen yogurt machines...especially the strawberry frozen yogurt! I didn't think I would ever tire of it...but I did. I think I filled in my hunger with this too many times (only once a day, but it just got too much).

 

Our last day, before we disembarked the breakfast was out of this world! I wondered where they had this food the whole cruise!!! Everything was so good.

 

I know quite a few of the people on the boards that hae sailed with Carnival Spirit many times were not pleased with the new menu either, so I'm hoping all wrote to them about their displeasure (I did and got a reply that they would forward it to the head of that department) and maybe they'll make some changes...not just change the name of the food.

 

Let us know after you sail how it is!

[Peddler&Tass]

I think the food is fine and the passengers are increasingly chronic complainers.

 

Totally Agree...

[Harris Jeffer]

AS with all the cruises I have taken in the last 2 years, the food and passenger services have been cut back. Way back!

 

It is apparent that Carnival branded cruiselines have been made to cut back in order to keep cabin prices lower. I am not sure how much more the cruising public will accept......but time will tell Just do a search of the complaints @ Carnival, Princess etc....and you will see that food is a big issue!

[Cruzface]

I have found Carnival food to be better than RCI, significantly. People need to adjust their expectations. These days, if you want really good food you have to pay extra for it. But the free food is fine most of the time.

[cuyahoga11]

I think the food is fine and the passengers are increasingly chronic complainers.

 

Here are the newest menus and some food pictures:

http://www.zydecocruiser.net/menus/new_11_11/index.htm

 

On our Carnival Spirit Alaska cruise, in addition to the regular menus, there was a fish special every night that was listed in the Capers/Fun Times.

 

Ditto

[kroozers]

I think the food is fine and the passengers are increasingly chronic complainers. quote]

 

Very well said.

[krehberg]

The steakhouse was very good, but I kind of have a sore spot with having to pay an additional $30 per person, plus tip for food that should have been offered in the MDR. Sorry, some may not agree with me, but that's my opinion.

 

 

LMAO, this is my vote for complaint of the year. First, the $30 is inclusive of tip. Tipping on top of that is your choice. Second, yea, while I certainly would love to be able to get Aged, USDA prime beef in the MDR without paying extra, it will never happen, ever, ever, ever.

[SE NC]

Do people really "cruise for the food"! They are fixing meals for thousands of people! You cannot (although I guess some do:eek:) expect the meals to be 5 Star quality feeding so many people!:D

[JennLuvs2Cruise]

You know, food is a very subjective topic. Everyone has different ideas of what is good, what is 5 star quality, what is fresh, what is over salty & so on. Not everyone has the same taste buds or gets appealed to the same types of food.

 

That being said, I personally always LOVED Carnival's food. There has only been maybe 1-3 things that I didn't care for. It's not that they were bad, I just didn't like the flavors and/or textures. I am glad they added a new section to the menu for the food dare devils, such as myself. I personally love shark and alligator meat. It might not be for everyone, but it gives guests the opportunity to try something new & create a new memory. People can walk away from their cruise and say "Wow, I tried shark meat or frog legs for the first time".

[kroozers]

Do people really "cruise for the food"! They are fixing meals for thousands of people! You cannot (although I guess some do:eek:) expect the meals to be 5 Star quality feeding so many people!:D

 

Exactly right. The food is very good. It's not going to be world class. You can't feed 3000 people in three hours any other way. I think they do an amazing job with the food given the challenge of feeding an army in a short amount of time. Food complainers sound ignorant in every thread that appears.

[Martini Mom]

I am looking forward to trying the "Didja ever" choices on my next cruise. :D

[jmps]

We just got back from our first Carnival cruise on the Legend. I, like you, were concerned about the food. We have sailed on Celebrity, RCI, and HAL. We found that we didn't need to worry. There were always choices that we liked.

 

The breakfast is a pretty normal buffet and the made to order omelets were good. Lunch has a lot of choices with the Chinese being the best. Two things we noticed was there was less strawberries, kiwis, rasberries, blue berries, etc... on the buffet than on HAL or Celebrity. There also wasn't an extensive cookie selection (important to my wife and girls :-))

 

I had one burger on deck and it was good. The chicken tenders were great. Pizza was just OK (we are used to good pizza here in Chicago). The Deli area made good sandwiches except for the Rueben.

 

The MDR food always came hot and service was good to excellent (we had anytime dining). The prime rib was very tender and cooked exactly as ordered. The lobster was delicious but not large. The waiter offered to bring two to start and he actually brought another one that we had to split up. We were stuffed with lobster. I heard one person complaing the prime rib was sliced too thin but we thought it was plenty. If you wanted more you could always get it. This seems like a good way to save a lot of waste. I don't understand that kind of complaint.

 

The Mac and Cheese wasn't as good as we thought it would be but it was good. The Melting Cake was awesome.

 

The menu handles a very diverse set of tastes. I did see people order hamburgers and other "comfort foods" (including our party, we got two orders of fried chicken (just OK)). They also had escargot (which we loved) that is pretty broad!

 

Food is very subjective but everyone in our party was happy with the food quality during our week.

[DrLookGood]

I don't think I am a complainer at all, but I do not want to settle for less. Those who think that food is fine just don't know any better. This is not a put down. It is what it is - if you continue to like MDR food on Carnival - you don't eat better food in your every day life - otherwise you would not continue to like it.

 

I just came back from New Year Legend cruise and the food quality in MDR declined from my August Cruise on Legend which declined from my New Year (2011) cruise on Spirit. I really don't care how many people cruise line needs to serve at the same time (presumable they have more people in the kitchen now then when they only had to server 500 or 1000).

 

 

During our last New Year cruise, all meat dishes in MDR were inedible. By the end of the cruise, I was eating Caesar salad and one or more appetizers - no entries.

In the beginning of the cruise I jokingly reprimanded my son for ordering hamburger (sorry, in my opinion, if you want a hamburger you can get it on Lido - hamburger on the menu takes a place of another dish). On the third night, after my husband tried to eat his entry and then my son's entry (my son left dinner early to participate in youth activity), he gave up and ordered hamburger.

 

I actually like Carnival's deserts.

 

Clearly many on this board disagree and this is why Carnival can get away with lowering food and service quality.

 

Now ... ready... set... flame away...

 

P.S. While I don't necessarily cruise for food, I feel since I made an effort to dress nicely (even not on elegant night) to eat dinner on MDR, I should have a nice meal. Or wait... dressing nicely is not required anymore... I guess nice food went the way dress code went...

[near the beach]

I think the food is fine and the passengers are increasingly chronic complainers.

 

 

I agree...

[skylock]

They still have pastrami sandwiches, mac and cheeze and chocolate melting cake, so you should be fine.

[JennLuvs2Cruise]

I don't think I am a complainer at all, but I do not want to settle for less. Those who think that food is fine just don't know any better. This is not a put down. It is what it is - if you continue to like MDR food on Carnival - you don't eat better food in your every day life - otherwise you would not continue to like it.

 

I just came back from New Year Legend cruise and the food quality in MDR declined from my August Cruise on Legend which declined from my New Year (2011) cruise on Spirit. I really don't care how many people cruise line needs to serve at the same time (presumable they have more people in the kitchen now then when they only had to server 500 or 1000).

 

 

During our last New Year cruise, all meat dishes in MDR were inedible. By the end of the cruise, I was eating Caesar salad and one or more appetizers - no entries.

In the beginning of the cruise I jokingly reprimanded my son for ordering hamburger (sorry, in my opinion, if you want a hamburger you can get it on Lido - hamburger on the menu takes a place of another dish). On the third night, after my husband tried to eat his entry and then my son's entry (my son left dinner early to participate in youth activity), he gave up and ordered hamburger.

 

I actually like Carnival's deserts.

 

Clearly many on this board disagree and this is why Carnival can get away with lowering food and service quality.

 

Now ... ready... set... flame away...

 

P.S. While I don't necessarily cruise for food, I feel since I made an effort to dress nicely (even not on elegant night) to eat dinner on MDR, I should have a nice meal. Or wait... dressing nicely is not required anymore... I guess nice food went the way dress code went...

 

I think this is a terrible generalization. I have dined in many upscale restaurants in Boston, New York, California and such, and I still think Carnival's food is great. I don't compare Carnival's MDR food to the 5 star restaurant Top of the Hub in Boston because it's clear that the MDR is NOT 5 star. However, it's not bad. Its certainly better than what most cruisers eat on land in restaurants. You can't compare Carnival's food to 5 star restaurants because it's just not fair; they are two different fields. So, sorry, but I think your statement is rude & quite offensive considering you don't know what people on here eat on land.

[RuthlessBoss]

Exactly right. The food is very good. It's not going to be world class. You can't feed 3000 people in three hours any other way. I think they do an amazing job with the food given the challenge of feeding an army in a short amount of time. Food complainers sound ignorant in every thread that appears.

All true in my opinion. For those who don't think a taste is right, you can't satisfy all. For the poster from Chicago, you are simply accustomed to a "flavor". I know what that means, I live in Florida, the Chinese food here is passible, but certainly comes no where near my old restaurant taste in Mass. Same with turkeys...There's a big difference in turkey taste depending on where it came from. Northern grown turkeys are far more flavorful.

I see regional taste differences a part of the complaints, but it's being blamed on the cruiseline.

[aidansaunt2004]

I think the food is good overall. I didn't care for the Burrito Bar on the Dream but I think that's personal preference. I was hoping it tasted like Chipotle. I did notice the grilled chicken tasted better at the beginning of the cruise and not so great toward the end of the cruise. That's my only real complaint. I liked the majority of the dishes and there was always something on the menu that I would enjoy. :)

 

I don't dine at "5 star restaurants" and that's because I don't want to. I'm perfectly happy with Olive Garden :D

[TKDgirl2456]

I think the food is fine and the passengers are increasingly chronic complainers.

 

I disagree. I'm not exactly a foodie, but I did notice a decrease in food consistency. If I order a steak rare and it comes out medium well, or if the melting cake is perfect one night and like chocolate syrup the next, I believe that warrants some message-board complaints.