Has Windjammer gone downhill or is it just on Adventure of the Seas

[Barnum42]

We've just returned from a week on Adventure of the Seas. Our second ever cruise after enjoying a week on one of Adventure's sister ships, Navigator of the Seas in October 2012.

 

Unfortunately, the experience was a disappointment after our time on Navigator. Probably one of the most noticeable drops in quality was at Windjammer. We remembered it as having a lovely variety of food that was very tasty and teams of hard working waiters keeping the tables clear.

 

Now, the waiters are still working their socks off, but detritus on the tables was more common, especially during the afternoon snacks session from 3 to 5. One suspects staff cutbacks as I never saw a waiter standing around doing nothing, they were constantly on the go.

 

As for the food - dull, repetitive and kept under the hot lamps for so long it had dried up and hardened out.

 

The one time they put out something different at lunch time, a taco bar, there were no tacos on it. After waiting several minutes for it to be replenished - I found one of the supervisors who decided to shut it down "to prepare for afternoon tea". Afternoon tea was over an hour away.

 

So, have the cutbacks bitten deep at all Windjammers or is it isolated to just Adventure of the Seas?

[floridafish]

I don't think it was your imagination. While on the Brilliance back in December I thought the variety was very lacking in the WJ.

[George C]

I thought it was bad 6 years ago

[onthelake]

Just did the TA a on INdy from May 4 - 17, and must agree. The dining room food was excellent and the Windjammer a huge disappointment - along with the hours it is open - or more specifically not open.

[bouhunter]

On Jewel in March we did note one thing that's been mentioned here, there seemed to fewer staff in Windjammer than in the past. A few years ago there seemed to always be someone picking up plates, bringing beverages, etc. Last time there seemed to very few staff around.

 

Overall the food seemed pretty much the same as it's been in the past(average and acceptable).

Edited May 30, 2014 by bouhunter

[Glencraigs]

Yes without a doubt it has gone down the hill, now avoiding it for breakfast in favour of room service or diamond lounge.

[hairymelon]

I definitely think it has gone downhill. In fact, I actively avoid going in there now. The food is poorer in selection and I really think there are less staff. I find the whole 'eating' experience to be frantic, noisy and indigestion producing.

[Joe12]

On Serenade last summer, the selection was not as good as other ships and for the first time ever on a cruise I actually hated my meal, It was Indian night and there wasn't even the slightest bit of Western style food.

Park Cafe for me on Oasis

[Barnum42]

Just did the TA a on INdy from May 4 - 17, and must agree. The dining room food was excellent and the Windjammer a huge disappointment - along with the hours it is open - or more specifically not open.

I forgot to ask if the hours were shorter now, as I thought that in 2012 we could nip up there for a drink or snack after 9 in the evening.

[little britain]

Same cruise as OP and repetitive pudding/cakes every day. Tables slow to be cleared and I watched numerous staff walk over or through some dropped scrambled eggs and not one thought to clear it up.

Ps I've written a short review if you want to add your comments. Sorry we never met!

 

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[mcatmcat]

For some reason I didn't like the adventure when I was there. I know I can't compare it to the oasis but the majesty was way better than the adventure

Why?

I still don't know but I didn't felt like I was in a royal ship

 

 

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[emdia43]

We noticed a big difference on Allure. It used to be that Windjammer was our favorite place to eat, but the selection was very poor on that cruise - I think

someone had bought a truck full of chicken thighs because that's all there were at some meals, prepared in different ways, but all looked so unappetizing....

[Barnum42]

. Sorry we never met!

Indeed.

 

We came to Meet and Mingle, but they had not holders for the name badges and my wife was not feeling to special. After they did the sales pitch, everyone started to leave and with someone wanting to lie down, I'm afraid that took priority.

[gypsealin]

You are so right Barnum42. Same food every day and also same desserts. Will try to avoid it from now on. Seems that they have cut back in several ways in WJ. Seems like every time we cruise there is another cut back and we cruise 4 times a year. Not the RCCL it used to be. :(

[berylde]

On Vision in May. Went to WJ on embarkation day and never went back. Awful

[lupinsmum]

We noticed a big difference on Allure. It used to be that Windjammer was our favorite place to eat, but the selection was very poor on that cruise - I think

someone had bought a truck full of chicken thighs because that's all there were at some meals, prepared in different ways, but all looked so unappetizing....

 

My husband and I have just returned from 2 weeks, Western Med cruise

this is our first time with RCI. I can only compare with Celebrity and IMHO

there was no comparison, from the grubby grey thin bath towels to the tasteless food in the MDR, this cruise was like Butlins at sea.

The food in the Windjammer was worse than what I remember when I had

School dinners. There were crawling insects on our balcony, our cabin carpet

Had to be shampooed due to sticky marks all over it. A kettle appeared one

Week into the cruise. The MD food was not cooked professionally, meat

And pastry uncooked, vegetables warm and raw, I lived on soup and the

Cheese board for two weeks, we had 2 decent meals, the Indian lunch with a

Charge and Gioviannis again with a charge. The Maître D had a special meal

Cooked for me, pasta with carbonara sauce with "over cooked vegetables"

Again dried out rubbery pasta, and hard vegetables. We were not the

Only ones with these views of the food, many others we spoke to felt the same,

In fact we were 2 of sixty people offered a free tour of the back room kitchens.

The casino was a meeting place for smokers who gathered around an ashtray

6 people deep, sitting on slot machines or the steps of the casino, this

Caused a fog of smoke and was not pleasant for anyone wishing to play

Table games.

This ship gives the impression of being tired and old,Park Cafe was a joke,

I wouldn't feed the rolls,cake or pizza which was dried out and hard

To anyone. I know a lot of people love this ship but I think it is passed

It's sell by date.

[Lilly57]

We were also on the same cruise as the OP. However we enjoyed the Windjammer food selections. Maybe we got lucky, but the food we chose was well cooked, not dry or hard, and we ate there often. Staff were always replenishing the food trays. Our tables were always cleared quickly too. Sometimes we had to wait for waiter service for drinks, and I agree the desserts were very repetitive. We sailed Brilliance a couple of years ago and our impression then of Windjammer was very similar to this one on Adventure. I guess having not experienced it in years before that we cannot comment on how it used to be, but for us (and we do enjoy good food) we were not disappointed. Food and service in the main dining room was very good too.

[05mak05]

We were on a family cruise on the Navigator out of Galveston in early May. Because of young children in the group, we ate in the Windjammer both at lunch and in the evening.

The food was fabulous! Tables were spotless. The minute we put a plate down, it was snatched by a waiter. The Seafood Gumbo was the best I've ever had. At noon it was crowded and we wished that they used the same system as on the Oasis (being seated by an attendant) but, other than that, we were impressed.

[Lilly57]

Must have got lucky with our towels too, they were thick, white and fluffy! Perhaps they've been reading the forums and taken note.

[mcatmcat]

I asked my waiter for another "fishermen plate" and the waiter was like" you have to wait for everybody in the restaurant to order to see if there is any left". Never had that answer in my life traveling with royal

 

 

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[Lpppsp]

We were on Adventure at the start of May on the 4 day cruise, our first RC cruise. I must admit that the wj my least favourite place. the food was fine, the staff were certainly working very hard, but the whole atmosphere just felt rushed, finding a table was constantly a challenge at breakfast and lunch so I found by the time we sat down we were already stressed, it was just so busy! The staff worked hard to clear tables and bring drinks, also staff constantly working to replenish the buffet trays, the queue was a bit of a free for all but my lasting memory was being in the queue behind a gent who was standing at the "chips" section and hearing him yell at the poor guy behind the counter "frites, need more frites" no excuse me, please or thankyou, I was embarrassed to be anywhere near him, a little bit of courtesy and politeness goes a long way in my world!

 

 

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[dmndlil]

My hubby and I were on the May 18th sailing of the Freedom of the Seas and felt that the windjammer there was blah. Same stuff all the time. Only a couple things changed (the carved meat and the international section) everything else stayed the same throughout. No variety like there used to be, and some things just dry and/or overcooked.

[Robinola]

When I go grocery shopping, I am now paying 3 to 4 times the amount I paid last year. I assume it is only going to get worse. I don't see prices of fuel or food coming down all that much, do you? How do you view the future?

[pcur]

We were on the Radiance for 3 weeks in March/April and the WJ food was good, except for the desserts. I especially liked the antipasta offerings at dinner, and we ate dinner there several times.

 

The only time I noticed any overcooked or dried food was just before the 3pm snack time, when we scooted in on a port day for a late lunch.

 

Overall, the quality was good.

[Shabot]

We noticed a big difference on Allure.

 

I saw quite a difference in service on Allure. They're definitely understaffed. On most occasions, there were entire sections without any staff. When someone came from another section to clean, they were only able to carry three or four dirty plates at a time, so when you consider that there are several dozen dirty plates in the section, they'll never catch up.