I know I'm gonna get flamed, but Windjammer is AWFUL

[ksuds]

I eat in the WJ. Not really a huge fan as I feel they have gone down a little in quality.

Breakfast- why can they have real toast? I have never received a piece of white toast from them they hasn't come out like a crouton. Also, since they have bread, bacon, and tomatoes, why can't they have lettuce and mayo so we can make BLT's. Some ships do have mayo out, but others do not. When you ask them for it in the morning, they have to run around like they are not allowed to give it to you. Other than that, they do have a large selection.

Overall temp on everything could be warmer.

[houstoncruisers2001]

All buffets, whether on land or at sea, that need to feed thousands of people at the same time will not please everyone, every time, every day.

It's the nature of the beast.

Throw in the fact that there are a lot of picky eaters, a variety of nationalities, many different expectation levels and with individual tastes being so subjective.....it's a wonder any of us gain weight on a cruise....but we do for the most part.

I'd much rather "suffer" through having a cold piece of freaking toast on a cruise ship as i'm about to hit the pool deck than have the ultimate piping hot toast of my wildest toast loving dreams in my own kitchen as i'm heading out my door to work.

[Debde]

[quote name='critterchick']We've enjoyed Jewel's WJ more than any other ship we've sailed on.[/quote]

We've always loved eating almost all of our meals in the WJ so I'm pleased to read you feel she is of one of the best!!
Do you know if the WJ has gold card seating somewhere?? Brilliance had a small area that came in very handy for a meet up spot. Hoping one is on Jewel too.

[Toddcan]

Thread Title needs to change to something like "WJ sucked for me on this particular cruise" It's not always horrible, I'm sure.

I guess I have to thank my lucky stars that I am easy to please and not easily put off or irritated by stuff like this.

We split our breakfasts probaly 50% between MDR and WJ, depending on how much time we have before our next event. But, I have never left the WJ thinking that is was a horrible experience. I always am thinking about our day, and what cool things we will be doing. The WJ is just to get me some decent slop to stop my stomach from growling. If I don't like the way the eggs look - I move onto something else.

[ahecht]

I will agree with the previous poster that said it varies from ship to ship. My experience on Jewel of the Seas matches up with other people's posts here - the food was MUCH better than I expected, everything was hot and fresh, and there were some truly standout dishes (the BBQ ribs, make-your-own pizza, nachos, curries, etc). Independence of the Seas was just so-so. I have seen many similar complaints to yours from Liberty recently, so I would believe that it's not one of the better Windjammers.

[BuccaneersFan]

[quote name='dealer9296']No flaming from me....we went through this about the Liberty a couple of weeks ago.

My conclusion is food that people are use to eating.......some people are used to good food (not expensive) but food that is hot, food that is seasoned properly or seasoned at all. There are good cooks and there are bad cooks. I have seen restaurants on land I wonder how they stay in business.......I think it is because some people settle for less because that is what they are use to. There are families that live on fast foods and to get meals like on WJ is like home cooking. If you watch the plates in the WJ it looks like quantity not quality counts to a lot of people.

I also think that complaints are from repeat cruisers that know and have had better, a lot have cruised different lines. I can't believe how many 1st time cruisers there are still today. If this was my first cruise and I had never cruised before Hmmmmmmmmmmmm!!

Perhaps the Market will take care of this problem at least keeping the prices down. I ate in Chops for the 1st time last cruise.......maybe this was the plan all along. :)[/QUOTE]

I 100% agree with you! In my opinion the Windjammer is a decent buffet restaurant, not terrible and not amazing either, just middle of the rode and with any middle of the road restaurant (actually any restaurant at all) there is always going to be dishes that are better than others and there are always going to be screw ups from time to time (dry meat, cold food etc.) In everyday life I will never eat at a buffet restaurant because A) I always over eat and B), the quality of the food is never very high. After all, what kind of Ribeye Steak are you getting for $9.99 all-you-can-eat! :D

[Traci1960]

[quote name='Ocean Boy']Same with us though I did have some issues with the Windjammer on our first cruise on Oasis.[/quote]

In 2 weeks I will be on our first RCCL Cruise. We have sailed NCL and Carnival.... Question on the buffet - We never eat there for dinner, but for lunch on SeaDays is possible. Carnival had Guys Burgers and Cantina Burritos (FOC) The Buffets have serving stations for Burritos, Mongolian, Deli, etc.....Does RCCL have serving stations? Themes that change daily?

[BuccaneersFan]

[quote name='houstoncruisers2001']
I'd much rather "suffer" through having a cold piece of freaking toast on a cruise ship as i'm about to hit the pool deck than have the ultimate piping hot toast of my wildest toast loving dreams in my own kitchen as i'm heading out my door to work.[/QUOTE]

LOL that is freaking hilarious!! HAHAHAAAA :D So true!

[critterchick]

[quote name='Debde']We've always loved eating almost all of our meals in the WJ so I'm pleased to read you feel she is of one of the best!!
Do you know if the WJ has gold card seating somewhere?? Brilliance had a small area that came in very handy for a meet up spot. Hoping one is on Jewel too.[/quote]

No gold card seating - they could use that little room that Brilliance did, but they don't. They have a very nice breakfast in Chops, though. We never had a problem finding a seat, as most people wanted to eat inside - we love the outdoor seating, which hasn't yet been wrecked in the revenue enhancement program.

[pam_1024]

[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=magenta]Not a fan of WJ for meals, but I enjoy the afternoon snacks. LOVE the bread pudding! :)[/COLOR][/FONT][/B]

[nbsjcruiser]

[quote name='ksuds']I eat in the WJ. Not really a huge fan as I feel they have gone down a little in quality.

Breakfast- why can they have real toast? I have never received a piece of white toast from them they hasn't come out like a crouton. Also, since they have bread, bacon, and tomatoes, why can't they have lettuce and mayo so we can make BLT's. Some ships do have mayo out, but others do not. When you ask them for it in the morning, they have to run around like they are not allowed to give it to you. Other than that, they do have a large selection.

Overall temp on everything could be warmer.[/QUOTE]

I feel your pain when it comes to toast. I hate cold or hard toast. As I mentioned in another post, pick out a piece that doesn't look too bad and ask them to run it through the toaster again.

[Debde]

[quote name='critterchick']No gold card seating - they could use that little room that Brilliance did, but they don't. They have a very nice breakfast in Chops, though. We never had a problem finding a seat, as most people wanted to eat inside - we love the outdoor seating, which hasn't yet been wrecked in the revenue enhancement program.[/quote]

thanks!!
The breakfast on Brilliance was not good. Way too slow. Not much selection. Most will scratch heads but we really do like the WJ and prefer it over MDR food any day!! Would rather make our own plates!! I will give Chops a try and see if Jewel does it any better!
I am really looking forward to my last few Sea View fix's!!:D
Thanks so much again!!:)

[Ocean Boy]

[quote name='Traci1960']In 2 weeks I will be on our first RCCL Cruise. We have sailed NCL and Carnival.... Question on the buffet - We never eat there for dinner, but for lunch on SeaDays is possible. Carnival had Guys Burgers and Cantina Burritos (FOC) The Buffets have serving stations for Burritos, Mongolian, Deli, etc.....Does RCCL have serving stations? Themes that change daily?[/QUOTE]

RCI does have serving stations but what you find can be variable from ship to ship and even sailing to sailing. Yes, the things you mentioned will be there and plenty more. I will warn you that lunch on sea days can be pretty crowded and that is especially true on Oasis and Allure (I noticed you have Allure in your countdown). However, once you are seated I think you will find just about all you would be looking for. You will find a few differences from day to day but lunch tends to be very much the same offerings throughout the week. Dinner tends to have a bit more variation. Edited January 10, 2014 by Ocean Boy

[travelplus]

[quote name='SailingDeanna']Okay, seriously fellow cruisers. I am a huge RCCL fan. I am a middle class american who hardly eats at 4 or 5 stars restaurants. I am just an "average Joe". I have taken many RCCL cruises, and by far this is the worst Windjammer experience.

In the morning, pancakes, french toast, toast, etc were all cold! So bad there were a few times I couldn't even swallow it.

The meat is ridiculous. The infamous CC honey stung chicken is as dry as a bone. The hamburgers are something that would be served in a school cafeteria. No quality meat at all.

It takes the entire cruise to figure out what to avoid.

I do give credit to the salad bar, it was nice. But even the dressing was so cheap. I had Blue Cheese dressing that squirted out of a bottle with a very small tip. So it was runny, not creamy or chunky like it should be.

At what point are we going to all agree, the Windjammer is like eating at a local grocery store food cafeteria line. After you finish eating, you are full, but there is never anything you have to get seconds. It just wasn't good.

Go ahead and flame me. But I wish they would use flames in the Windjammer to at least keep the food warm.[/QUOTE]

You are certainly entitled to your own opinion. I found the Windjammer to be good. Remember your experience on one ship can be totally different from another ship.

The next time you have an issue about a dish ask to be put in touch with the Head of the Windjammer and tell him or her about your experience.

I had a nice chat with the head of the Windjammer and learned a lot about how it operates. Sometimes the burgers are left for too long on the heating lamp or sometimes the worker forgets to set the timer to replace the items.

I have found the WJ to be good but do go to other venues for lunch such as the Cafe Promenade, Park Cafe, Boardwalk Dog House and Main Dining Room. You do not have to eat in the Windjammer if you don't like the food.

[DrD]

[quote name='DrD'] For instance many of my favorite items in the WJ were the Asian dishes, especially some of the soups and curries.[/QUOTE]

I don't usually quote myself but it occurred to me that technically these above food items are in the Jade, not WJ. But it's all kind of one place.

[TheCalicoCat]

Part of the reason we cruise is for the "service" not a buffet, so I try to avoid it. (My husband does take my son, who is 5 there to eat.)

[Langley Cruisers]

[quote name='ahecht']..My experience on [COLOR="Red"]Jewel of the Seas [/COLOR]matches up with other people's posts here - the food was MUCH better than I expected, everything was hot and fresh, and there were some truly standout dishes (the BBQ ribs, make-your-own pizza, nachos, curries, etc). [/QUOTE]

Yea! So Jewel wins the fleet? :D Ohmygosh, the BBQ ribs were unbelievable, and so plentiful! Fall-off-the-bone good! But it's all so subjective. One post here mentioned their best WJ experience was Oasis, and I completely disagree; we found it disorganzed, too small a venue for the size of the ship, lukewarm at best. But... that's what makes it fun.

Blessed to be cruising after the horrendous year I've had. I'll take a lukewarm pancake. Toss it here. :D
.

[houstoncruisers2001]

A good option is the Promenade Cafe if your ship has one. The little sandwiches and snacks might hold you over until dinner.

[Midwestgal]

As with all the cruise lines it varies from ship to ship

[toxicfairy]

Not flaming...but we like it. Dh gets an omelette in the morning and I always do the grits with fruit and nuts. For lunch we grab a bite of this and that. Never really had any problems but we don't expect anything more than standard buffet fare.

[SailingDeanna]

I agree it does probably vary from ship to ship. I have sailed RCCL a lot and this is my first complaining post about them. I sailed less than 2 years ago and there were big changes since then. (Of course, all my opinion)

 

I agree about being happy while on a cruise and don't worry about the food. I never complained to anyone while onboard because I am always happy on vacation. But now I'm home and ready to book again. Therefore I'm reevaluating my experience.

 

I don't really understand the uneducated post comment. I have a Bachelors degree from a well known university.

 

But I must say, I would never go on a land vacation that cost me thousands of dollars for a family of 4, and stop at every grocery store hot deli counter for lunch. It just changes the experience.

 

I am filling out the electronic comments. I'm not sure how much it will help. I think it comes down to cost and profit.

 

By the way, I still love RCCL.

Edited January 10, 2014 by SailingDeanna

[cb at sea]

I don't enjoy buffets, either. The MDR has a MUCH better breakfast, where hot food is brought to you and the condiments are on the table! So much nicer!

[Ocean Boy]

Yea! So Jewel wins the fleet? :D Ohmygosh, the BBQ ribs were unbelievable, and so plentiful! Fall-off-the-bone good! But it's all so subjective. One post here mentioned their best WJ experience was Oasis, and I completely disagree; we found it disorganzed, too small a venue for the size of the ship, lukewarm at best. But... that's what makes it fun.

 

Blessed to be cruising after the horrendous year I've had. I'll take a lukewarm pancake. Toss it here. :D

.

 

I noticed that you are cruising in March as am I. Enjoy the anticipation.

[Langley Cruisers]

I noticed that you are cruising in March as am I. Enjoy the anticipation.

 

Thank you my friend! Already doing so. :)

[Oak Hill Cruisers]

Solution; give a concession to Golden Corral. ;-)