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Food - I'm concerned

DragonMouse

By DragonMouse,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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travelingtriumphess

travelingtriumphess

Posted
Posted
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. :)

Escargots on the Carnival were a life changing experience for me. I love Carnival food. The first [on Ecstasy] (and especially) the second [on Conquest] I was so impressed with the food. One lunch we went to the MDR, they served Trout Almondine! It was to die for. And And a Grand Marne` brule was absolutely delightful. I'm never quite sure what people are complaining about. If you don't like something, try something else. But personally, I found very little I didn't like. Yum!

Thanks,

T. Umph

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Flydude1063

Flydude1063

Posted
Posted
Well, I knew the OP's palate wasn't refined when she and her dh had an "entry" instead of an entree

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

LOL....you said what I was thinking for quite awhile, but wasn't sure if I should post. I have to admit, I got a big laugh out of "entry".

 

We've always had good luck with Carnivals food. Of course it's not gourmet, but it's always been tasty, and well presented. And when you consider what all you're getting for your cruise dollar, it's really quite a bargain.

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beerman2

beerman2

Posted
Posted

Haven't sailed in 2 years but the food we had on the Freedom was very good.

Going on the Victory is April and looking forward to it and I'm POSITIVE I won't starve.

 

 

Agree with the posters who say try serving 3000 people in approx. 3 hours. I'm guessing there is no restaurant that DOES that. That may have a little to do with it. And where else can you get as many enrty's (LOL) entree's that you want. And it's PAID FOR!

 

As far as the buffet being spread out Aren't they suppose to be that way.

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DrLookGood

DrLookGood

Posted
Posted
What a unbelieveable ostentatious display, the thing that makes it completely laughable is the claim of a "refined palate" on the cheapest of ships. Sarcasam- uh waiter? This wine dosen't taste like Chateau Lafite? (waiter) it dosent because you ordered 2 buck chuck.

 

Where did I say that I am looking for fine cuisine? I said I want nice meal - meaning well prepared. While of course I would like more upscale dishes, I realize that it is not possible. Nevertheless whatever is offered should be well prepared. We have a local diner here that offers "steak and pierogies" dish. I think it is $11. I don't know what cut of meat they use, but obviously not the best. Nevertheless they manage make taste good (and great for $11) without overcooking and under-cooking. This is not a new restaurant, they've been here forever and are very successful.

 

Regarding the price point, there are ways to achieve excellence/refinement without charging a lot. For example, here if you don't want to pay the price tag of La Belle Vie (easily $200 per person after all is said and done), you can go to Travail or Victory 44 and have similar meal for much cheaper (Traivail is something like $60 per couple for 10 course tasting menu). You sacrifice ambiance, but for the price they are charging you get a great deal/meal.

 

I don't complain that Carnival does not have 3 kinds of smoked fish for breakfast a the buffet like Celebrity does. I understand it is not possible at that price point. All I am asking for (yes, here I go again) is that the food is well prepared.

 

And yes I do think I have more refined pallet than many people. I don't have many things that I would not eat. I've met someone recently who does not eat any vegetables. He told me he never learned how to. The only way it would happen if his parents fed him stuff out of the box all his life. Prior experience does count. It is amusing to me how people gush about "Didja" menu. Yes, I "did ever try" everything on that menu before. And no, I don't have entitlement attitude. I grew up in almost third world country (not quite, but pretty close); I had to work hard for everything I have. So, I do understand that not everyone has an opportunity to experience better food and better service. And that was the point of my original post - people are willing to settle for less because they don't know any better.

 

And by they way, it is not 2 buck chuck anymore, it is 3 buck chuck and I highly recommend it for cooking (cheaper than cooking wine).

 

 

I agree it may not look like what Chicago Chop House might serve, but it certainly tasted good and it was cooked to a close enough temperature. Looks aren't everything. How much would you pay in Chicago for what you think is an acceptable filet?

 

On our recent cruise, I REALLY liked the lamb shank... The picture perhaps doesn't do it justice, but another person at our table also ordered it and we agreed it was wonderful. I'll try to take a better picture next time.

 

DSC_4126.JPG

 

 

I know Carnival is not perfect, and sometimes there is a clunker cut of meat or a bad server, some combination, whatever. Perhaps even a bad cruise overall (but never in my experience).

 

If I don't like something and it isn't because it was overcooked or undercooked, I ask my server to bring me something else. No problem. If it continues, I escalate it to management. No problem.

 

After the cruise, there is nothing that can be done to improve your experience on the ship.

 

You can't please everyone, all the time, with every dish, but in mass market affordable cruise lines, I don't think anyone does it better than Carnival.

 

You are right about restaurant prices, etc. However, as I said before all I want is the food to be well prepared and for it not to sit too long under the hot lamp and then under the plate covers. It will also be nice if there was consistency in the way food comes out. When they served filet mignon on our last cruise, one our dining companions had completely raw (not rare) filet (complete with the grizzle), while my husband had well done filet. Both asked for medium rare. My frog legs came out with nice char/crust, while my son's did not have char at all (they were appetizingly pasty white).

 

Regarding your earlier post that people are just complainers, I strongly disagree. When I am on vacation, I tend to sweep things under the rug. When our room attendant accidentally knocked down my designer sun glasses, stepped on them and broke them and then just put them back, I did not lodge a complaint. When the child care supervisor overslept and was late by more than an hour to open the day care on port day (in a new port in Mexico which I was not sure was safe for my daughter) causing us to be late for excursion (and insisting that she was not late and we were not yet docked :rolleyes:), I did not go to customer service. I really do tend to just ignore things and laugh at them (those are examples from different cruises).

 

I usually don't send food back and request new one, I just don't eat it. First, it takes too long and second, I can see the waiters are busy as it is. However, during our last cruise I guess I had enough. When firecracker rolls came out barely warm, I did ask the waiter to bring me new ones. He started arguing with me, saying that the rolls were hot when they put them on the plate, but the plate was cold, so this is why they taste like this. Please tell me how you would feel about this? The waiter actually had extra rolls at his station which he gave to me (and yes, they were hot).

 

I used to say that Carnival offers incredible value, but I don't feel like that anymore. I think they should fix their problems with food. And yes, my next two cruises are on a different, more expensive line. But, I would like to come back to Carnival (there are things Carnival does well).

 

"What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." - Oscar Wilde :D

 

Cruise on the SPLENDOR last May/June on the MexRiv

Ship was beautiful

Service identical to 25 years ago

Food in MDR was okay, jumbo shrimp small, lobster small

Choices in the MDR considerable

Buffet was terrific. great salads, 24hr pizza

Cost $659pp inside cabin (today even cheaper $409pp in Feb)

 

Cruise on the CARNIVAL TROPICALE about 25 years ago on the MexRiv

The lobster was huge

The lamb chops were terrific

The fillet mignon was to die for

The buffets were alright

The cost of this cruise - $699 pp

In TODAY'S DOLLARS that would be $1,480 pp :rolleyes:

 

There are no miracles. :)

 

 

 

What is the definition of ADD? I don't believe you got my point...

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crusinpsychRN

crusinpsychRN

Posted
Posted

In the past 2 1/2 years lots of complaints of cold food, warm salad. On Inspiration in December I got some of the worst food ever. 2 breakfasts in the MDR were served cold. French toast and eggs benedict aren't good cold. One morning never got served after 45 min. and left.

 

On Lido's omelet station the guy got mad at me for ordering one egg instead of two over easy. Grits were cold. They made some fresh for me. They were totally runny, too much water.

 

Penne mariscos had 4 pieces of "seafood" in it and it was in a horrible sauce. Everyone at my table sent it back. The one piece of calamari was like chewing a tire. Horrible!

 

Prime ribs gets thinner and thinner.

 

Food tepid on Lido. By the time you find a table it's cold.

 

Got a BLT from room service on white bread, not toasted. ???

 

Did a Behind the Fun tour and the chef was told by 16 of us the coffee was too dark, like mud. Everyone was adding water to it. He said, "No, that's how they like it." No compromise of any kind. He is by far the worst chef on the ships I've been on.

 

Much of the same problem on Legend in September.

 

Pasta dish came out cold. It was warmed up. When the lamb came out cold and it was warmed it got well done. Unacceptable.

 

Don't know what is different that there are so many complaints about food temperatures. A different rule in place to take food to tables? Someone said putting salad in bowls from dishwasher so they were still hot.

 

I did get a shock in the grocery when I saw hot dogs were $5.59 and bacon was over $7. Stopped buying until it goes on sale.

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jagsfan

jagsfan

Posted
Posted
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.

 

Speaking of generalizations, saying Carnival's food is better than what most cruisers eat on

land is a terrible generalization. I am content with Carnival's food, but I believe that it

is not on a par with Ruth's Chris, Morton's, Capitol Grille, etc. Since you don't know where

most cruisers eat on land, I don't think you should assume Carnival's food is better.

Carnival's food, like that of other cruise lines, has suffered because of the economy and the

cruise lines' attempt to keep cruising affordable. There is no way the food is of the quality

it was prior to 2009. It is worlds better than it was in the 80's, though.

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GaNavy

GaNavy

Posted
Posted

The first time I see a fellow passenger stagger from the ship on disembarkation day, emaciated from having nothing edible to eat and dehydrated because drinks were too expensive and the coffee was too strong, then we can talk about bad food.

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kroozers

kroozers

Posted
Posted
They used to be.

 

And if they still did you'd be paying $2000pp for a balcony. Just book a cruise on HAL or Celebrity and pay for it. That's not what Carnival is trying to be anymore. Times change and it sould like you're ready to move to a more upscale cruise line. That's why there are other lines...they offer different things for different tastes - and different prices. Carnival can't do what they once did without raising rates significantly. They are doing fine selling out cruises to those of us who like what Carnival offers.

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halos

halos

Posted
Posted
In the past 2 1/2 years lots of complaints of cold food, warm salad. On Inspiration in December I got some of the worst food ever. 2 breakfasts in the MDR were served cold. French toast and eggs benedict aren't good cold. One morning never got served after 45 min. and left.

 

On Lido's omelet station the guy got mad at me for ordering one egg instead of two over easy. Grits were cold. They made some fresh for me. They were totally runny, too much water.

 

Penne mariscos had 4 pieces of "seafood" in it and it was in a horrible sauce. Everyone at my table sent it back. The one piece of calamari was like chewing a tire. Horrible!

 

Prime ribs gets thinner and thinner.

 

Food tepid on Lido. By the time you find a table it's cold.

 

Got a BLT from room service on white bread, not toasted. ???

 

Did a Behind the Fun tour and the chef was told by 16 of us the coffee was too dark, like mud. Everyone was adding water to it. He said, "No, that's how they like it." No compromise of any kind. He is by far the worst chef on the ships I've been on.

 

Much of the same problem on Legend in September.

 

Pasta dish came out cold. It was warmed up. When the lamb came out cold and it was warmed it got well done. Unacceptable.

 

Don't know what is different that there are so many complaints about food temperatures. A different rule in place to take food to tables? Someone said putting salad in bowls from dishwasher so they were still hot.

 

I did get a shock in the grocery when I saw hot dogs were $5.59 and bacon was over $7. Stopped buying until it goes on sale.

 

Even though your complaints are echoed by many, the issue here lies in the people who want to call you a liar or a complainer.

I don't feel pointing out ones negative experience should warrant some of the responses received on these boards.

 

Unlike the CCL bashers who have never sailed the line but scream negativity from the rooftops, people like yourself (and others, like me) have experienced the once pretty much flawless CCL and are just disappointed that there now seem to be noticable flaws.

They came on slow, and you can ignore some, but when they start to pile up a bit, it's disheartening....and if you try other lines, sometimes the flaws you were experiencing on CCL become more pronounced because now you have something else to compare it with.

 

My last two cruises on Carnival were OK. (Liberty/Freedom) I really have no complaints, but the WOW is gone. No longer do they exceed my expectations. Remember when that was what they strived for???

The two cruises I had on CCL prior to those were at the bottom of my list (Fantasy & Triumph). They were not horrible by any means, but had they been my first Carnival cruises, I'd have likely never gone back to the line.

 

 

And if they still did you'd be paying $2000pp for a balcony. Just book a cruise on HAL or Celebrity and pay for it. That's not what Carnival is trying to be anymore. Times change and it sould like you're ready to move to a more upscale cruise line. That's why there are other lines...they offer different things for different tastes - and different prices. Carnival can't do what they once did without raising rates significantly. They are doing fine selling out cruises to those of us who like what Carnival offers.

 

I agree with you!!

 

This is true, but the fact is the other lines are not upscale. NCL, RCI, HAL, Celebrity and Princess are all mass market.

 

I just don't get why the new management is undoing all the repairwork that the previous management made.

Carnival went from a Wal-Mart, party line to something amazing and now is back to being 'Wal-Mart' again.

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Trin1103

Trin1103

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

 

Yeah.........but what Denny's do you know that floats, has an in-house casino, doesn't charge you for food, and stops at Caribbean ports?? :D

 

..Trin..

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Cruzface

Cruzface

Posted
Posted
Yeah.........but what Denny's do you know that floats, has an in-house casino, doesn't charge you for food, and stops at Caribbean ports?? :D

 

..Trin..

 

So true. But I still think to food is better than Denny's. It's more like slightly above average catering food.

 

Carnival, to me, is still the best value because the food is significantly better than RCI. I can't comment on NCL, but I can't imagine their included options are much better...

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halos

halos

Posted
Posted
So true. But I still think to food is better than Denny's. It's more like slightly above average catering food.

 

Carnival, to me, is still the best value because the food is significantly better than RCI. I can't comment on NCL, but I can't imagine their included options are much better...

 

:eek: Denny's????

I make it a point not to go there. IMO, CCL food is better than that.

I love NCL but their mdr options are no better....they are however at this point in time, equal to CCL. CCL used to be far superior IMO, but not so much these days.

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jonbgd

jonbgd

Posted
Posted
I am not familiar with Denny's food, but given that Carnival food is superior to that on Royal and NCL, what is their role model? :p

I had some AWESOME crepes for desert everynight on NCL a couple months ago.(once we found it)

 

 

So from a photo perspective has the presentation gone downhill since Chef Blanc left?

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NewMrsF

NewMrsF

Posted
Posted

Just got back from our Magic cruise...

 

The food was AMAZING

We ate lunch every day in Cucina del Capitano (pasta bar and shortrib lasagna holy goodness!)

The burgers on the lido were delicious (pico de gallo sooooo yummy)

The french toast with sweet ricotta and blueberry compote mmmm

The dinner menus were impressive every evening, soups were delicious (french onion, cream of asparagus)

Didjas were super good (escargot, frog legs, shark fritters, smoked duck etc.)

Dessert HELLO warm chocolate melting cake

I don't know how anyone could find anything to complain about. I was very impressed!

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