The decline of “traditional” dining

[H&J]

I can say the worst, yet most amusing "traditional" tablemates were experienced on a carnival cruise. The husband BRAGGED about being a "New Yorker" but his "Gracie Allen" former "trophy wife" of thirty years ago let it slip on the last night that they just sold their home in New Jersey. The other elderly Georgia couple just snickered as gentile southern folk would. When making introductions, after the "New Yorker" gave his boast, I admitted I was recently released on parole for securities fraud and rape. I got a swift kick under the table from my wife, the elder GA couple turned their respective heads and laughed. We were off to a great start.

 

I agree with the earlier poster regarding Cagney's for breakfast and lunch. That alone almost justifies the coast of moving up to a suite. My wife said that "where else can I get steak and eggs for breakfast, steak for lunch unless you make it Lovie (shades of Mrs. Howell of Gilligan's Island)."

 

We have a suite booked for February on the Dawn and I think I'm going to avail myself to the three dinner special in the upcharge restaurants if available. About the only negative I can say is that the "truffle fries" in Cagney's are vastly over-rated in my opinion but hey, I like White Castle "sliders".

[janymac]

I am a chef and look forward to each and every cruise that I am able to afford to go on and love NCL for their freestyle as my DH hates to dress up and need to keep him happy!!

I laugh at these comments as most people when they are not on a cruise do not cook for themselves ( I cook almost very night at home also) and they complain about the food quality going downhill.

I get excited to go to the MDR and see what the salad and soup selections are as they are my favorite things and the entrees are always a good selection. I usually do not get dessert but did love when they had souffles every night..just get them or if they have fancy sherbert..

I usually put out over 250 to 350 meals an evening, could not imagine putting out all the food they do at each meal for 2K people each meal.

I applaud them for their effort in putting together the great food that they do a great job IMO. I love that some people freak out when they have 15-20 people at their house for one meal...now cook for 2K!

PS..I love the wings at the blue lagoon ...maybe its the sea air

Bon Appetit..

janymac:p

[CanadaTraveller]

I do not like Denny's or Applebee's. I am happy to spend $100 on an entree for the taste and experience. I love good food. What is confusing for me is I found the MDR to be good to excellent. Nothing that I had was bad. Service was great. Am I easy to please? No. Have I complained in restaurants? Of course. But I found nothing to complain about on my first cruise on NCL. We tried the specialty restaurants, which were great. I am so looking forward to the lamb shank on my New Years cruise. I thought it was delicious.

 

Food is such a personal thing. Think about any family dish where there are comments on who in the family cooks Grandma's recipe the best. Everyone has their own take. And generally, food will score low on a survey. But when NCL analyzes the results, they will correlate to overall satisfaction, and if there is not a strong correlation, it won't be where they focus their attention.

 

In a nutshell, enjoy the experience. You could be home shovelling snow.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[NayRN]

About the only negative I can say is that the "truffle fries" in Cagney's are vastly over-rated in my opinion but hey, I like White Castle "sliders".

 

At last!! We agree!! Cagney Fries are OK....but White Castle!!!!! Only those with great taste appreciate Sliders!!;)

[lisakoivu]

This whole thread leaves me gobsmacked. We've been on 2 NCL cruises. We "dressed up" one night when it was the two of us and went to the MDR. Ate at Garden cafe or on deck every other time. When we took the kids, we never went anywhere but garden cafe. Never got room service. Thought the choice at garden cafe was amazing - could get chinese, could get pasta, could get curry, all on the same night? WOW! There were so many choices, we could never try all that we wanted to. Omlette stations, waffle stations, wow again. I'm almost embarrassed as I read all your posts. It never actually dawned on us to pay to eat in a restaurant when there was so much great food for free.

 

I'm really not sure if I'm bragging or complaining... we opted for a suite on the Jewel this March, so I suppose we'll do the Cagney's thing, but otherwise, we're very happy. We're on the cruise to see sun and waves (this time, on our very own balcony!!!!), we think the food that's free is awesome.

 

We went on two CC cruises and thought the food in that main dining room was AWFUL, few choices, small portions, although the service was awesome. And their equivalent of Garden Cafe was terrible, very few choices as well, half of what NCL has, no omlettes, no waffles.

 

IMHO, the worst day at the garden cafe is better than the best day in CC dining room.

[luddite]

I think there is a floor to food quality that the main population will accept. I'm probably pretty mainstream when it comes to my food quality demands, and I can assure you that if their food became "inedible" there would be a mass exodus. They're willing to sacrifice those who demand higher quality for the savings associated with lowering the bar to a level acceptable to the majority. Go under that bar and it hurts them badly.

 

Love the beer segue. :) I just scored 6 bottles of Goose Island BCS Coffee, and a very hard to find Goose Island Cherry Rye Stout. It's their BCS aged in rye barrels with sour cherries. I hear it's amazing. They sold out in 15 minutes. Now I just have to get to Chicago to pick up my beer. haha

 

The bar has absolutely been lowered. So far, it hasn't bottomed out.

It is undeniable that the menu has been knocked back. Lots of items that were there are gone. Quantity of selections is down. I've never claimed it was inedible but a LOT of that menu isn't as agood as a boil-in-bag form any TGI McChilbee's Garden chain that is only suitable for getting fed on a road trip. We absolutely avail ourselves of some pay-venues on the ship.

The Carny folk now have fried chicken, meatloaf and mac-cheez on the evening menu. That is a HORRIBLE developement. Cheap, edible, but still horrible for a dinner menu in a restaurant that has waiters and cloth napkins.

 

We completely missed the Bourbon County Stout around here. Insert a sad face .......

[SuiteCruiser]

I do not like Denny's or Applebee's. I am happy to spend $100 on an entree for the taste and experience. I love good food. What is confusing for me is I found the MDR to be good to excellent. Nothing that I had was bad. Service was great. Am I easy to please? No. Have I complained in restaurants? Of course. But I found nothing to complain about on my first cruise on NCL. We tried the specialty restaurants, which were great. I am so looking forward to the lamb shank on my New Years cruise. I thought it was delicious.

 

Food is such a personal thing. Think about any family dish where there are comments on who in the family cooks Grandma's recipe the best. Everyone has their own take. And generally, food will score low on a survey. But when NCL analyzes the results, they will correlate to overall satisfaction, and if there is not a strong correlation, it won't be where they focus their attention.

 

In a nutshell, enjoy the experience. You could be home shovelling snow.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

Agree 100%. Not really OT, but a bit, as an example, I find everyone has a favourite spaghetti sauce, generally it's the one you grew up with. People rave about someone else's spaghetti sauce and I find it's just "meh". Totally normal.

 

I've had excellent meals on NCL and I've had excellent meals at Hy's (a Canadian chain similar but IMO better than Ruth's Chris) so its not a matter of poor taste or naïveté, it's purely a matter of personal preference.

 

Same meal, everyone is raving about how great it is, one person says it's horrible. More likely that the one person goes back and posts about the "bad" meal than the other 5 writing about how great it was. I saw it time and time again on the Epic where I ate with big groups quite often.

[che5904]

Agree 100%. Not really OT, but a bit, as an example, I find everyone has a favourite spaghetti sauce, generally it's the one you grew up with. People rave about someone else's spaghetti sauce and I find it's just "meh". Totally normal.

 

I've had excellent meals on NCL and I've had excellent meals at Hy's (a Canadian chain similar but IMO better than Ruth's Chris) so its not a matter of poor taste or naïveté, it's purely a matter of personal preference.

 

Same meal, everyone is raving about how great it is, one person says it's horrible. More likely that the one person goes back and posts about the "bad" meal than the other 5 writing about how great it was. I saw it time and time again on the Epic where I ate with big groups quite often.

 

Very similar to an example I've used often, if you have 8-10 people in a restaurant for dinner all eating the same food, you will have 8-10 different opinions on how good or bad that food is.

 

BTW on a side note - had to look up Hy's I had never heard of it before now. But then again I try to avoid going downtown when at all possible. :D

[H&J]

Add a White Caste to the "upscale" dining and I'd be like a possum locked in the smokehouse. Oh please, only a $10 upcharge.

[luv2cruise53]

Personally , i don't think the food is that bad, some people are never happy, they will complain about anything, even fish that have a fishy smell, huh?

 

I agree food is not bad etc.....But heres the thing....Fish is not supposed to smell fishy. This is an indication it is not fresh, It does not mean it is bad per se...but fresh fish when cooked will not smell like anyhting but the seasonings used to prepare it. I worked for Legal Sea foods in Boston for many years and this is not an opinion...It is a fact.

 

This is a big misnomer and most people should not be expected to know this.

 

here is another funny fish thing.

 

Scrod is not a fish...I always had people say to me did you catch any fresh scrod today? Scrod is a generic term in any restaurant for the ....White(fish) catch of the day. it could be any white fish that they are serving. This is usually haddock or cod. If it is cod then it is spelled scrod.....If it is haddock it is spelled schrod IF IT IS NEITHER then it is spelled whichever way you want. Most fish and chips are made with scrod or schrod.....:D

[NayRN]

I agree food is not bad etc.....But heres the thing....Fish is not supposed to smell fishy. This is an indication it is not fresh, It does not mean it is bad per se...but fresh fish when cooked will not smell like anyhting but the seasonings used to prepare it. I worked for Legal Sea foods in Boston for many years and this is not an opinion...It is a fact.

 

This is a big misnomer and most people should not be expected to know this.

 

here is another funny fish thing.

 

Scrod is not a fish...I always had people say to me did you catch any fresh scrod today? Scrod is a generic term in any restaurant for the ....White(fish) catch of the day. it could be any white fish that they are serving. This is usually haddock or cod. If it is cod then it is spelled scrod.....If it is haddock it is spelled schrod IF IT IS NEITHER then it is spelled whichever way you want. Most fish and chips are made with scrod or schrod.....:D

 

Yummmmm!!! Did a Canada/New England cruise on the Dawn a couple years back with a stop in Boston. After a car tour of Boston, we had the driver drop us off at Legal Sea Foods near the port! OMG! I'm drooling just thinking of it!:o

[pris993]

Personally , i don't think the food is that bad, some people are never happy, they will complain about anything, even fish that have a fishy smell, huh?

 

Sorry we eat a lot of fish, if it smells fishy it is old, no wonder folks are complaining.

[pris993]

We are taking our first NCL cruise in 10 years. We were not that impressed with the food on NCL ten years ago, so we see. We don't really cruise for the food. We are very selective about what we eat -- generally find something that will satisfy our needs. We eat better at home.

[DMH15]

I think there is a floor to food quality that the main population will accept. I'm probably pretty mainstream when it comes to my food quality demands, and I can assure you that if their food became "inedible" there would be a mass exodus. They're willing to sacrifice those who demand higher quality for the savings associated with lowering the bar to a level acceptable to the majority. Go under that bar and it hurts them badly.

 

Love the beer segue. :) I just scored 6 bottles of Goose Island BCS Coffee, and a very hard to find Goose Island Cherry Rye Stout. It's their BCS aged in rye barrels with sour cherries. I hear it's amazing. They sold out in 15 minutes. Now I just have to get to Chicago to pick up my beer. haha

 

You make sense on the food issue. I have never been a fan of banquet settings. I'm more Le Bistro/Il Adagio setting. Or ensuite.

 

Wish I liked beer. My sister loves it. She is always trying to get me to taste some new one. But, just not me. Darn.

[MyLittleGhanima]

All of you people who are complaining about the quality of food, I have to ask, could you please describe with more specificity WHAT is wrong with the food? This is a pet peeve of mine in real world too - people rave or rant about a food, but never describe in detail what they thought was wrong with it. Is it too greasy? overcooked? undercooked? salty? bland? Are you objecting to the presentation? Portion size? "Horrible" tells us nothing. (EDITED TO ADD - I'm not actually requesting a description in this thread, just mentioning it for your future reviews.)

 

As a person who doesn't eat seafood, I know it's selfish, but I'm not at all disappointed that the shrimp & lobster offerings in the MDR are lesser than in the past. I'm more than happy that my fare isn't overly subsidizing these things that I can't ever eat. If they're a main feature of the luxury lines, well then I think I will never go on them. It would be a huge waste.

 

I agree with someone who posted earlier that they didn't understand why many here think that the food is the most important part of the trip.

[luddite]

You make sense on the food issue. I have never been a fan of banquet settings. I'm more Le Bistro/Il Adagio setting. Or ensuite.

 

Wish I liked beer. My sister loves it. She is always trying to get me to taste some new one. But, just not me. Darn.

 

Beer. Everything needed to make bread is in beer. Beer being made smells a LOT bread being baked. If she is GIVING you the beer to taste it's a no-lose situation.

 

Gotta love LeBistro!

[sparks1093]

The Carny folk now have fried chicken, meatloaf and mac-cheez on the evening menu. That is a HORRIBLE developement. Cheap, edible, but still horrible for a dinner menu in a restaurant that has waiters and cloth napkins.

 

 

As long as there aren't spots of gravy or sauce on the menu I don't really care what else is;). I had the opportunity to try the meatloaf and mac and cheese on our Carnival cruise and I gotta say it was pretty good. DW ordered them because there was nothing else on the menu that she could have or wanted on those nights, so offering that type of fare isn't that bad.

[mjsshipboy]

One thing that concerns me is reading the recent reviews of many NCL ships (coming from many that loved their cruise) is the wait for freestyle dining. So many state they wait 30 - 45 minutes for a table and then miss the show. It is also very common to hear how the service in the MDR is suffering. With the wave of all the specialty restaurants I too wonder if the service and quality is suffering in the MDR.

We usually always eat in specialty restaurants. The service and food are excellent. But our last cruise we did eat at the MDR on Sky. The service was horrible. Once the food came, no one checked in to see how things were, no one came for re-fills, and they could not even handle a coffee order right. This is another reason we tend to stay away from the MDR.

 

Let's step off the ship and enter the "Real World".

Go to the Cheesecake Factory.

Any city. Any day.

 

Cheesecake Factory does not accept reservations. If you want to dine at the peak time, expect a wait of up to 60 minutes for a table. If you want to dine there without a wait, go earlybird or at 9pm.

 

The concept of Freestyle dining is supposed to be the same as the real world. You choose when you want to go and where you want to go. For the shows, the food and even the cruise itself.

 

I personally hate crowds. So I would never sail during the holiday season. If I had to, for whatever reason, I would just have to deal with the crowds. (Cruising for Thanksgiving and complaining about the number of people and the number of children is like going to Walmart on Black Friday and complaining about the lines).

 

Also, on the cruise, I would make conscious decisions. I would NEVER dine in the Main Dining Room on boarding night. That is always the busiest night and people are not into the swing of things yet. Even on a regular "two-seatings" cruise, on the first night, they are struggling to get main seating out before second seating starts.

 

The first night of the cruise is an ideal time to do a specialty restaurant. there is ALWAYS space available. The restaurant is quieter and so you tend to get better service.

 

Also, if I wanted to dine in the main dining room, there are certain times I would avoid. If the 7pm show lets out at 8pm... guess what... 7.45pm is THE best time to go.

[fergusonvt]

I love the freestyle dining concept and found plenty of places with great food to eat at with NCL that were free. We never waited for a table in two NCL cruises and ate in one of the MDR's most nights.

 

And anyone that has been to a real fish market, the fish is all very fresh and it does smell um.... fishy.

[valleyvillage]

Subjectivity rears it's foody head! :eek:

"Fishy" to some means it smells like fish. Good fish. Fresh fish.

My Mom likes fried halibut because fresh grilled salmon smells, to her, fishy. To me, it smells like fresh grilled salmon.

No mass produced banquet type food is ever going to please everyone all the time.

The one thing I have learned is that you never have to eat a BAD meal on NCL. If you don't like the looks, taste, temperature, whatever...just send it back nicely and you will be satisfied! But it takes some interaction.

THURSTON! Call that waiter person over here and tell him...something!

[johnsak123]

Friends of mine who I sail with on NCL insist it is all the same kitchen. I dont necessarily agree since the food is cooked right at cagneys or the japanese place.

On another note food is subject to one's personal taste.

I for one think the food in the MDR is quite good and i have eaten there as well as many of the specialty restaurants.

I will agree that the service can be, at times lacking but for the most part excellent.

On a more hilarious note my friends and I sat for 30 minutes without service while we watched everyone try to figure out who was going to wait on us. Finally the restaurant manager came over and chatted us up and took our order. I am not much of a talker(believe it or not) but my friends had a "lovely" conversation with him about how he felt NCL should not sail in the middle east because of Israel and other negativity towards Jews and Israel. I dont usually take offense to senseless bigotry and stupidity but my friends sure did. How they got on the subject was still mind boggling to me

Que sera sera

Enjoy!!

[swedish weave]

Johnsak --- Your friends are "almost" right. The two MDR's are served by the same kitchen, but the specialty restaurants are not.

[SnorkelBabe]

Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand why so many folks think eating is the be-all and end-all of the cruise experience.

It's not just you. :) I cruise to see the ports and to be out on the ocean. I enjoy good food and service but I don't eat every meal at Morton's at home, so I don't need it on a ship, either. Even in Denver, we can do the foodie thing at home for a lot less money.

 

We're no cruise food experts, just planning our third cruise now, but our first was back in 1991 on the Southward. I don't remember being impressed with the food way back then. And being disappointed with the baked Alaska after they made such a to-do about it. But that was a little four-day trip, maybe they saved the upscale experience for longer trips.

[LandlockedCruiser01]

I'm only 29 and couldn't afford to cruise until recently, so I don't have the old days of yore to compare anything to. But even then, I strongly prefer the old-school cruise dining. It makes for special experience, rather than stopping at a gatronomical gas station to add fuel to your body, so you can get through the next 3 to 6 hours. I like the assigned seating; it's a great safety net of sorts for solo cruisers. It's better to share a table with strangers than with books or e-readers. And I like the elegant setting of tablecloths and good china; this way, you know you're in a restaurant and not a glorified cafeteria.

 

My experience on a Fun Ship earlier this year was very much like that. It had the right balance of fun of modern cruising (heck, they had waiters dancing) and elegance of fine dining. I was satisfied with the foods I got; it wasn't superb, but very much edible. And the assigned tablemates were great. But I'm sure I'd be more comfortable with Freestyle dining if I wasn't cruising solo, though. Time will tell. I have a feeling that the Freestyle concept was developed specifically for families and couples, since they make up the majority of cruisers.

[weltek]

 

Also, on the cruise, I would make conscious decisions. I would NEVER dine in the Main Dining Room on boarding night. That is always the busiest night and people are not into the swing of things yet. Even on a regular "two-seatings" cruise, on the first night, they are struggling to get main seating out before second seating starts.

 

The first night of the cruise is an ideal time to do a specialty restaurant. there is ALWAYS space available. The restaurant is quieter and so you tend to get better service.

 

Liked your whole post and agree that the best time to do specialty venues is embarkation night. It's why I rarely worry about lobster night...the lobster isn't worth writing home about and I'd rather circumvent the first night MDR chaos. This is a good point to bring up when someone asks for "tips and secrets."