Question about the steakhouse

[Cruisegirl6]

The last cruise on Carnival that I took and had the steakhouse which was two years ago, I honestly can say a few things:

 

1- The MDR was just ok, typical banquet type food selection that had banquet type food quality. We found the MDR dinners to be just ok, nothing special but we are getting food. The staff on that ship in the MDR were overworked with more tables/people to serve so the service was lacking. The second evening we decided to give the steakhouse a try and we loved it so much that we dined there every evening of that cruise! There was always something different to order and we always asked for the same waiter Ivan, he was just perfect! Now, we are three adults my other half and myself and father in law and we don't think Ruth Chris is anything special other than a steakhouse that is better rated than Long Horn (and we hate Outback ugh) but I can tell you our meals/steaks for the 6 evenings were above Ruth Chris quality!

 

One of my favorite steakhouses is Mortons, I always say Mortons is well above Ruth Chris....with this being said, we feel the extra charge of $35 per person is NOTHING because if you dine at a fine steakhouse, you will be paying $45 plus for just the steak! Yes, we are paying for the meal but if you think of the price of the cruise which includes entertainment, activities, food and the room, your not paying much at all in fact on Carnival your paying cheap (and yes, getting cheaper quality less selection and less variety). We also have a trip to Aruba coming up this summer, the hotel alone and its not the Ritz Carlton or the Hyatt Regency its a Marriot and that is costing is $3200 just for the hotel, so you can see the price of a carnival cruise is nowhere near that price unless you get a suite, but what I am saying is that the steakhouse extra charge is nothing and all worth it and you get much better quality/selection/variety than you would in the MDR.

 

In the MDR on all my Carnival ships (I have been on 53 cruises so far and I am 51 years old, and probably out of those 53 27 have been on Carnival) the service in the MDR is always a hit or miss and that beverage service on ALL the cruises have been lacking and sometimes a real disappointment...if we are lucky which didn't happen on too many occasions that beverage service/cocktail service would come to us twice during our dinner. Dining in the Steakhouse your also getting overall perfect service.

 

The complimentary bottle of wine you get during the first night dinner at the steakhouse is the crapiest wine we ever tasted, we asked for red and it tasted like red wine vinegar, couldn't drink it!

 

We love the steakhouse on carnival ships and on the Valor this May have reservations for at least 5 evenings there (1 evening we will be having dinner in Aruba as the ship docks till 10pm), but I think when we dine the first night in the MDR which would be on the second evening as I feel the first nights menu is horrible, I bet we won't be going back to that MDR for dinner on that cruise again, but I am going to give it a try. ;)

[Cruise life]

When our children were younger the MDR was practically a necessity since carrying two trays of buffet food is nearly impossible, especially while keeping contact with your charges. I will say the staff in the buffet was very good at helping us when they saw we were struggling with two kids and four trays in the past- but we prefer sitting down together, meeting new servers, and talking. The Miracle offers ocean views and entertainment coming up from the atrium (when scheduled) which is a plus or a minus depending on your style of music. The night we ate there we had an enjoyable time listening to the country singer below, as well as a gorgeous sunset view. The Sunshine offers a more intimate experience on deck 4. It was darker and more like a Ruth's Chris in the evening. Both meals were delicious and both servers/helpers were amazing. The length of time eating is much shorter due to the quicker service, but not rushed at all. Although we were not rushed to leave in either restaurant, I suppose that could be an issue when they are fully booked. We would not spend extra on our children because they would not appreciate the steakhouse meal, and there were zero children each time we ate there. We did get the free Merlot offered last time, and, although not a wine we would normally purchase, it was fine and we enjoyed everything we tried. I agree for some it may be preferable to eat each evening meal there if the MDR experience is not enjoyable for whatever reason and the price is low compared to Ruth's, Morton's or other high end steakhouses. The sides, however, are small compared to Ruth's.

 

 

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[Cruisegirl6]

You can ask for more sides. :)

[mistyinca]

I haven't had the steakhouse since 2011. Then, and each cruise prior to that, it was very high-end quality and was comparable to a Ruths Chris.

 

I sure hope it hasn't gone down this much in quality, though IMO Ruths Chris doesn't seem as good these days either...

[ZJ13820]

If u book the first or second night u get a complimentary bottle of wine if that helps u decide :)

 

The complimentary bottle of wine is offered on the first evening and the first cruise elegant evening. The second evening is cruise elegant on a majority of itineraries, but not all. (Mine was third day on recent seven day cruise).

Edited January 19, 2015 by ZanzibarJackson

[cd4lsu]

My wife and I will be sailing on the dream in June and we were thinking about the steakhouse. We have eaten at Chops Grille on a Royal Carribean ship and really enjoyed it, so I was wondering if anyone has had both and how they compare. I can't imagine the quality or options being too different, although at Chops you can order as much as you want.

[Cruisegirl6]

You didn't mention when you dined at Chops which year and which ship....

 

Its been two years since I been on a Carnival ship that had the steakhouse so I am comparing my steakhouse experience on the Dream two years ago to Chops that I went on the Allure this past may....I have also dined a number of times at Chops on the Liberty of the Seas and the Freedom of the Seas...with this being said, we found Chops on the Allure to be not as good as they were on the other two ships but its possible that Chops has cut back on all of its ships we just can't say for sure as its been awhile since we been on those other two ships.

 

Chops on the Allure this year has cut back and the service is not like it was on the LOS and the FOS, its a bit downgraded not too bad. Chops added more startchy/carbohydrate sides and took away some of the better sides, they also took away the Porterhouse Steak and I believe the filet mignon which was 12 punches is now is replaced by the petit filet mignon....they took away the 18 pounce t-bone steak also. If you want the porterhouse they added an extra charge of $19 on top of the Chops fee. If you choose the lobster that is an additional $21.00.

 

We were 7 adults and dined at Chops two evenings this past May on the Allure...the first evening we thought it was just a bad night when it came to both the quality of the food and the service so we went a second night to experience the same.

 

NOW, I have to say Carnival's steakhouse is much better, above RC Chops!

[cd4lsu]

We dined at Chops on the Navigator in August. It was the same menu has you mentioned. The service was a little slow, but we liked what we had. I thought the pretzel bread was a nice add.

 

If the steakhouse is better on Carnival, then I think we will definitely try it.

 

 

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[Cruisegirl6]

You must give it a try!

[gay head]

We ate at the steakhouse on the Breeze.The steaks were okay but it was the ahi appitizer that was delicious.I wish that I had ordered two of those instead of the steak.It was pertectly prepared and the grade of the ahi I was excellent.It is a really nice experience to have dinner there.

[tatelek]

The complimentary bottle of wine is offered on the first evening and the first cruise elegant evening. The second evening is cruise elegant on a majority of itineraries, but not all. (Mine was third day on recent seven day cruise).

 

 

O I went on the second night asked and got one

 

 

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[ZJ13820]

Just thought I would put this out there as well, and I am not sure if offer is available at the other steakhouses, on the Valor last week on the first evening, guests were offered 50% off any bottle of wine on the menu if they did not want the complementary bottle.