Looking for pics of food from RCI's Navigator of the Seas

[harrismo]

We've never cruised before but food is always an important part of our vacation experience. I'm curious what we can expect from the Main Dining Room and the buffet as well as the upcharge specialty restaurants like Giovanni's Table and Chops Grille.

[harrismo]

Well, I see this has been viewed 90+ times since I posted the question last night but so far zero responses so I'm guessing food pics are scarce. Could anyone maybe do some comparisons to land based food chains for me? Is the buffet food similar to say a Golden Corral? How about the Main Dining Room food, would it compare to an Outback Steakhouse? Better? Worse? I usually do a Google search and get Yelp or Trip Advisor reviews -with pics- of almost every land based restaurant when we travel, but so far I haven't been able to find out much at all about what to expect on board the Navigator. I'm feeling very fish out of water'ish here because we've never cruised before and I just have no idea what to expect.

[Gonzo70]

While I have not specifically sailed on the Navigator I have sailed on a variety of RCI ships and the food is rather similar across the fleet.

 

Food on a mass market cruise ship's main dining room is hard to compare to a land based restaurant as the logistics are so different. A better comparison is to a large banquet hall - but even then there are some differences. Keep in mind that thousands of meals need to be prepared simultaneously - so much is prepped in advance and pre-plated versus being cooked to order. Food cannot be too exotic as it has to appeal to a vast array of people (so the menus are more similar to large chain restaurants then true ethnic restaurants - i.e. expect Giovanni's Table to be more like Olive Garden than an authentic Italian venue). The budget for included food is rather low on a mass market cruise ship - so there is not going to be high end ingredients such as prime or choice cuts of beef in included venues (at Chops you can receive better cuts of meat than in the buffet and main dining room, but for a surcharge to dine there and then an additional surcharge on top of that if you want prime steak). Also by virtue of being out at sea much of the food is previously frozen and there is a lack of local ingredients and fresh food (mass market cruise lines rarely take in food from local ports, but instead have food shipped from specific providers regardless of where the ship is sailing).

 

That said it is amazing the job the ships do under these constraints. I live in Chicago so have access to a wide array of fantastic restaurants and I dine out a few times per week, anywhere from ethnic joints to Michelin 3*. On cruises the food (even in the pay restaurants) cannot compare to a good quality land based venue, but I have nevertheless enjoyed almost all of my meals while cruising. There is a pretty wide selection of food to choose from and the nice thing is that the waitstaff aims to please; if you do not like something they are happy to bring you something else (and the nice thing about this is that if you see something on the menu you have never tried before you can "gamble" and give it a go and have it replaced if it winds up not being your cup of tea). If you love something, you can easily order seconds. If two or three appetizers sound enticing you can order all of them. The dining rooms are fairly elegant looking (though the main dining rooms tend to be on the noisy side) and even though the food is far from haute cuisine, meal times on cruise ships can be a very enjoyable experience. The food in the specialty venues is definitely a step up from the main dining room and buffet (and nicer ambiance with significantly more space between tables and fewer guests per staff), but still for logistical reasons not comparable to an upscale land based venue. My wife and I do tend to partake in some specialty restaurant dinners while cruising; in addition to being a step up it is nice to have some variety and not just restrict oneself to one or two venues.

 

Since food is important to us when we cruise we seek out venues we can check out during the trip to supplement the meals on the ship. We often have a nice meal on land during our pre-cruise stay in the port of departure and try to have a couple nice meals during port stops. Some of these have been fantastic and memorable.

 

Provided you are not extremely picky or have overly lofty expectations most likely you will enjoy the vast majority of your meals on the ship but do not expect any of them to compare quality wise to your favorite land based venues.

[cb at sea]

I don't do buffets, so I can't compare...more like my college dining hall (which was buffet style, only THEY served you, like a cafeteria)...

 

I would say the dining room is akin to a Ruby Tuesday or Chili's...along that line. Some items are quite tasty...some are very blah.

 

The "up charge" restaurants are worth it, if you want a more "upscale" experience. The fee you pay includes the tip....just so you know!

 

On RCI, you won't go hungry, but do not expect "haute cuisine" by any means.

Edited January 8, 2015 by cb at sea

[harrismo]

Thank you Gonzo70, I really appreciate you taking the time to explain things so thoroughly and thank you cb at sea for the land based references. Between your two responses I feel like I have much better idea of what to expect.

Edited January 10, 2015 by harrismo

[Greektreats]

Go to Royal Caribbean message board and you will find lots of information, in addition to some photos.