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Chops and Giovanni's, is the food a lot better than MDR?

Natmom

By Natmom,
in Royal Caribbean International

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Natmom

Natmom

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Are those restaurants a lot better than the MDR? DH and I are cruising on our own for our 15th wedding anniversary and I'm happy to pay the up charge if the food/atmosphere is significantly better. Food is a big part of our vacation experience. We have never cruised RCL so we have nothing to go by.

 

 

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TexCruise371

TexCruise371

Posted
Posted (edited)
Are those restaurants a lot better than the MDR? DH and I are cruising on our own for our 15th wedding anniversary and I'm happy to pay the up charge if the food/atmosphere is significantly better. Food is a big part of our vacation experience. We have never cruised RCL so we have nothing to go by.

 

 

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Absolutely, plus a much nicer atmosphere :) Enjoy your anniversary!

Edited by TexCruise371
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gnocchi_mommy

gnocchi_mommy

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In our experience YES. I am not WOWed by RC's main dining room fare though tbh. I really like their buffet and mongolian BBQ/JADE a lot in comparison with my other favorite line ;-) but the MDR food is disappointing in comparison. Chops was really good!! Anniversary meal good :-) I have only eaten at Portofino as part of that mystery dinner theatre thing, and it was really good food as well, not sure how it compared to normal dining there.

Edited by gnocchi_mommy
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derrick22

derrick22

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I was always under the thought that why should I pay for for a meal when I already paid for the complimentary one.

 

Friends always went and raved. So we bit the bullet and went to Chops.

 

WOW what a difference. The food and service is great.

 

We make sure that we go every cruise.

 

Last cruise we took friends who thought like us and they had the same impression.

 

Giovanni's is also excellent.

 

This coming cruise we have two reservations booked. :)

 

Enjoy

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spookwife

spookwife

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Are those restaurants a lot better than the MDR? DH and I are cruising on our own for our 15th wedding anniversary and I'm happy to pay the up charge if the food/atmosphere is significantly better. Food is a big part of our vacation experience. We have never cruised RCL so we have nothing to go by.

 

 

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better, yes. a LOT better? that is subjective. the MDR is quite good to excellent. the atmosphere and quieter venue in a specialty goes a long way to making it a 'better' experience even if the food itself is not significantly higher quality.

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papaflamingo

papaflamingo

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Are those restaurants a lot better than the MDR? DH and I are cruising on our own for our 15th wedding anniversary and I'm happy to pay the up charge if the food/atmosphere is significantly better. Food is a big part of our vacation experience. We have never cruised RCL so we have nothing to go by.

 

 

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What ship are you on? Chops is a very nice restaurant for a special evening. Giovannis is also very nice, and you can do it for lunch.

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1ParticularHbr

1ParticularHbr

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Are those restaurants a lot better than the MDR? DH and I are cruising on our own for our 15th wedding anniversary and I'm happy to pay the up charge if the food/atmosphere is significantly better. Food is a big part of our vacation experience. We have never cruised RCL so we have nothing to go by.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Yes! We always cruise over our anniversary and always book at a specialty restaurant for the anniversary night. We've done both Chops and Portofino and loved both. As others have said, it's not just the food that's better, it's the atmosphere...small dining area w/open views of galley...attentive waiters and relaxed pace. Enjoy!

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nednrom

nednrom

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Posted (edited)
Are those restaurants a lot better than the MDR? DH and I are cruising on our own for our 15th wedding anniversary and I'm happy to pay the up charge if the food/atmosphere is significantly better. Food is a big part of our vacation experience. We have never cruised RCL so we have nothing to go by.

 

 

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Yes, we like Giovanni's and Chops. The food is better than MDR. The service and the food quality differ somewhat from ship to ship -- it is better than on some than others. Costwise, on our Oasis cruise this past week, we boycotted Chops -- they have a cover charge but also charge extra for other cuts of meat. On the other hand we like Giovanni's food such that we ate there twice last week.

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Toddcan

Toddcan

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There are some experienced cruisers who have reported that Chops quality has been reduced. But, I've been 4 times, and loved every experience! We are booked on 3 more nights on our upcoming cruise - twice at Chops, and once at Giovanni's.

 

The restaurant is so much smaller and intimate than the MDR - the pace is slower, and more relaxed. More personal attention from the waiter staff. And to me.. the Steaks are excellent! It can take a little more time than the MDR, so perhaps give yourself 90 mins, or up to 2 hours.

 

IMO - very worth the extra fees.

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Big_G

Big_G

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There are some experienced cruisers who have reported that Chops quality has been reduced. But, I've been 4 times, and loved every experience! We are booked on 3 more nights on our upcoming cruise - twice at Chops, and once at Giovanni's.

 

 

 

The restaurant is so much smaller and intimate than the MDR - the pace is slower, and more relaxed. More personal attention from the waiter staff. And to me.. the Steaks are excellent! It can take a little more time than the MDR, so perhaps give yourself 90 mins, or up to 2 hours.

 

 

 

IMO - very worth the extra fees.

 

 

I'm one that gave up on Chops a while back but we had a freebie from a TA in December on Brilliance and it was the best Chops experience we've had.

 

 

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surfuz

surfuz

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I went to Chops at MOS last year Dec.. food n service is very bad. I think the staff see you as a one off customer.. Hence they don't bother.

 

Sound ironic, I will pay to eat at MDR, but will not pay a single cent to eat at Chops!

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RHilla619

RHilla619

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Happy Anniversary! Please go ahead and book the specialty restaurant of your choice. Our opinion should not matter. :) Having said that, I'm afraid I had the worst steak of my life at Chops. It was awful. BUT... I am in the minority, obviously.

 

you're not the only one! Sailed Oasis 2 weeks ago on the NYE cruise, ate at Chops on NYE. The food and service was horrific! Literally sat for over 20minutes without any water being brought to the table or our drink order being taken. I ordered the 9oz filet and my girlfriend got the ahi tuna, both were almost en-edible; extremely dry and no taste to it at all. Found the MDR to be much better, especially when I paid a $70 cover charge at Chops.

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Flatbush Flyer

Flatbush Flyer

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Happy Anniversary! Please go ahead and book the specialty restaurant of your choice. Our opinion should not matter. :) Having said that, I'm afraid I had the worst steak of my life at Chops. It was awful. BUT... I am in the minority, obviously.

 

 

I'm betting you're not in as much of a minority as you might think.

 

 

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