The food was disappointing

[simplelife]

We eat in the MDR almost exclusively. I think the food is very good, considering the number of people they are feeding at once; I don't expect gourmet in a mass-produced context. love the fact that I am waited on, the food is nicely presented, and I do not have to lift a finger. Each cruise I am blown way by how good certain dishes are, and even if I do not like something, the waiters notice immediately and offer to make it right or bring something else.

[simplelife]

I agree it is what we used to.

 

The one evening we had to eat in the MDR due to the fact is was mothers day and couldn't get a reservation at the steakhouse, I had that short rib and honestly I can relate to what you just said, to me and my daughter who had the short rib it tasted totally fatty and greasy, could not eat it at all! It was our last time in the MDR for dinner.

 

Sorry you had a bad experience. Did you ask them to bring something else? They would have been happy to.

[simplelife]

. The 1st night I ordered the pot roast. Now I know pot roast can be fatty, but this was nasty ! The food at the brunch was better then what was served in MDR for dinner. I found plenty to eat, but just felt it wasn't as good as it use to be. Still can't wait to go again !!

 

Agreed on these points. I have found the first night's food to be of lower quality than the other nights - and I agree the pot roast is one of the few things I haven't liked. I agree that the Sea Day brunch is by far the best meal.

There is still plenty to eat that I do like (the waiters really will bring something else if you not like something - sometime I order several appetizers rather than an entrée)

And I too can't wait to go again! :)

[Who Cares?]

Does anyone know if the Valor has the American Table or the older menus?

[esdoorn]

The food might be amazing, but it is much better than what you will find at a Cuban All-inclusive resort!

[sayaguru]

We were on Glory last month and we enjoyed the food. My hubby mainly eats steak and except for the fact that he had to ask for medium/well (instead of medium as it was undercooked) he said he never had a bad steak (he's fussy with steaks too). We were onboard for 2 weeks so I tried most things. Some weren't amazing but I couldn't complain about any meal (well one- the tasteless prawn cocktails). The bread was lovely.

Deserts were good but would have liked more choices.

 

On Splendor the food was pretty good but the bread was not so good. Not much choice and didn't seem very fresh.

 

Glory was American Table. Splendor was not.

 

We only ate at the buffet once. I think that is not up to scratch.

[DaveCroozer]

As a soon to be first time cruiser on the 'Pride, the threads of great/poor food is concerning.I think the mantra of " just send it back" is the best course of action.

 

As the home cook, I'm to blame for the family of foodies I'll be bringing going aboard. Also, as our foody Pied Piper, I can apprciate the magnitude of feeding a thousand people an hour!

 

But, isn't that what we're being sold and paying for, not substituted cuts of beef, or food over/under cooked. It sounds to me like Carnival just can't run manage the kitchens and patron's perceptions and expectations determine the reviews.

[shdixon]

All I have heard about cruises is how good the food is. I thought it was one step above cafeteria food. Very disappointing. I didn't go hungry, but I certainly was not impressed. Except for Guys Burgers :-)

 

 

I was on the dream last year and I would have to agree with you. Chef table was only thing that wowed me. Food was meh. It would not stop be from cruising again (i have another in a couple of months) i just wont get fat which is a good thing. Breakfast buffet may have been some of my best meals. In years past I over ate. Not anymore but I dont travel just for food. I look forward to drinks lol

[Jana60]

Food is very subjective and whether it is good or bad is often a matter of the opinion. I have cruised on four different cruise lines and on each of these there were some food items I like better than all the other cruise lines but none of the cruise lines had absolutely perfect food and none were clearly superior to all of the others. Of the ones I have experienced including Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, princess, and Carnival I find I prefer carnival for many items. I like the chocolate croissants best on Princess and the escargot best on Carnival.

[KatieCharlotte]

It's so true that food is subjective. My DH thinks Carnival's food is pretty good but a little too fancy. :rolleyes: If I brought foodie friends, they'd say the opposite. I love that the food is generally not spicy, so I can enjoy it (I'm Midwestern, okay :D), but my friend with very different taste buds thought the dishes could use a bit more spice. Some people roll their eyes at the fried chicken and plain chicken breast, but those dishes make my kids very happy. I'm sure people from Maine aren't thrilled by the lobster, but around here the only place that serves it is Red Lobster. I could happily eat steak every night, while my friend who prefers kale might struggle to find something appealing.

 

Carnival can't possibly please everyone. I do think they do a good job appealing to the average American's tastes, while cooking on such a large scale. I avoid almost all cooked dishes on the buffet, but there are plenty of other choices.

[sweetsixteencruisers]

It's so true that food is subjective. My DH thinks Carnival's food is pretty good but a little too fancy. :rolleyes: If I brought foodie friends, they'd say the opposite. I love that the food is generally not spicy, so I can enjoy it (I'm Midwestern, okay :D), but my friend with very different taste buds thought the dishes could use a bit more spice. Some people roll their eyes at the fried chicken and plain chicken breast, but those dishes make my kids very happy. I'm sure people from Maine aren't thrilled by the lobster, but around here the only place that serves it is Red Lobster. I could happily eat steak every night, while my friend who prefers kale might struggle to find something appealing.

 

Carnival can't possibly please everyone. I do think they do a good job appealing to the average American's tastes, while cooking on such a large scale. I avoid almost all cooked dishes on the buffet, but there are plenty of other choices.

 

 

I totally agree! You may like a dish, that I dislike. Everyone has different tastes. DH and I never eat at the buffet and then there are some folks that's the only place they eat. Everyone is different!

[brepri_h]

I'm not a huge fan of the buffet but I do love the food in the MDR for both breakfast and dinner.

Edited October 27, 2015 by brepri_h

[dallas52]

We eat in mdr every night unless we miss our time but that doesn't happen now that we get anytime dining.

[beshears]

I have not read any of your postings, but this is my view.

 

I have cruised for over 25 years, cruising on several ships during this time, many of them Carnival. In regard to your comment about the food, anyone can be "nit picky," and a lot of people are. There is always plenty of food on the ships to eat, and if there is something you don't like, and you are in the dining room, you can ask your server for something else. It isn't like you have to eat what you "thought" you would like. Now if you go to the "paying" restaurants, I'm sure you might find better food, but we have always found in the dining room, or buffet, there was always something that we could eat, that would fill us up.

[Travel R]

 

But, isn't that what we're being sold and paying for, not substituted cuts of beef, or food over/under cooked. It sounds to me like Carnival just can't run manage the kitchens and patron's perceptions and expectations determine the reviews.

 

For a newbie cruiser, I think you have a better handle on this subject than many of the more seasoned cruisers.

[Cruisegirl6]

When the ship has a steakhouse, we dine there every night as we find the food in the MDR to be just ok nothing more, and the buffet food to be the same. When we cruise on the Fascination as we will be doing again next month, there is no steakhouse unfortunately, we ALWAYS loose weight, I gained 4 pounds the past few months so after that cruise I am all good. :D

[maldenmusic]

Never had a problem finding something I like to eat.

[Flatbush Flyer]

I have not read any of your postings, but this is my view.

 

I have cruised for over 25 years, cruising on several ships during this time, many of them Carnival. In regard to your comment about the food, anyone can be "nit picky," and a lot of people are. There is always plenty of food on the ships to eat, and if there is something you don't like, and you are in the dining room, you can ask your server for something else. It isn't like you have to eat what you "thought" you would like. Now if you go to the "paying" restaurants, I'm sure you might find better food, but we have always found in the dining room, or buffet, there was always something that we could eat, that would fill us up.

 

 

Perhaps that should be one of Carnival's new tag lines: "food that will fill you up."

[Who Cares?]

Never had a problem finding something I like to eat.

 

Same here. While the MDR isn't Ruth Chris's, I don't expect it to be when I'm paying $50 per person, per day for the entire cruise. There are many cruises where the cost of the Steakhouse would be more than or equal the cost of the rest of the cruise and I value my money too much to splurge in such a way when the MDR and the buffet are perfectly acceptable and inclusive of the cruise price.

[Who Cares?]

Perhaps that should be one of Carnival's new tag lines: "food that will fill you up."

 

If one wants fancy food they can always sail Regent or Crystal and pay those prices. Carnival's food is very good for the price paid.

[Jana60]

When the ship has a steakhouse, we dine there every night as we find the food in the MDR to be just ok nothing more, and the buffet food to be the same. When we cruise on the Fascination as we will be doing again next month, there is no steakhouse unfortunately, we ALWAYS loose weight, I gained 4 pounds the past few months so after that cruise I am all good. :D

 

That's ridiculous and if you've done that you not only limited yourself to an extremely narrow menu you've also deprive yourself of some delicious dishes! For that matter the steakhouse choices are available in the main dining room for a small fee!

[Cruisegirl6]

Jana60 we don't even eat even once a year in a fast food establishment. just don't eat that stuff so perhaps that explains why we do not eat in the MDR on Carnival ships that have the steakhouse, you can't compare what you get in the steakhouse to the MDR, no way! I would like you to explain exactly what you say I am missing out on good dishes, such as? I do admit the chilled soups remain to be delicious as well as some desserts, but do tell me what is good that I am missing out on?

 

The Steakhouse certainly does not have a narrow menu at all! There are 8 different appetizer choices, 4 different salad choices and 10 main entree choices, certainly one can dine at the steakhouse and not eat the same meal. They have NY Strip 14 ounce always perfect and grilled to perfection, the Cowboy Steak 18 oz Rib Chop, the 18 oz Prime Ribeye Steak, 9 oz. filet mignon, Surf and Turk...lobster tail and filet mignon, broiled lobster tail, Rosemary Chicken, Grilled Lamb Chops double cut, Maine Lobster Ravoli, and a Grilled Fish, how could you possibly say thats limited??? You DO NOT get the same steak in the MDR even with the uncharge fee, its different.

 

Jan60, I notice you live in Oklahoma how could you compare the wonderful steaks you get there in good restaurants to what you get on Carnival??

Edited October 27, 2015 by lyndamr

[berrieh]

The Steakhouse menu is amazing and I love the quality, but I'd never want to eat there all 7 nights so I can see how someone might see it as limiting. There is something "fun" about the menu changing nightly (to me).

 

I love love love the Steakhouse, but the MDR has better desserts in my opinion (not that I can eat dessert by the time I finish a Steakhouse meal generally....:p). They also have some options the Steakhouse simply doesn't - pork, comfort foods, Indian vegetarian is actually really good (it varies and I wish they'd call it whatever actual "dish" they're serving, but I've never been disappointed). There are also more "interesting" apps in the MDR, though all the apps we've had at the Steakhouse are divine!

 

Not a big fast-food fan and rarely even eat at a chain restaurant, but I've had more "hits" in the MDR than "misses" personally and never found it to be awful. It's like fun wedding food or something to me - makes me feel like it's a holiday. Our sweet spot for the steakhouse is 2x in a one week cruise. At the MDR, it's banquet food but lots of variety and trying things is easy peasy. The worst that happens is it's cold or something more than the food actually being BAD. C'est la vie with banquet food, that happens. I send it back if it bothers me and it's never not been fixed lickety split - but I've only done that twice ever. I can deal with not-super-hot food, but if it's COLD and not supposed to be, I send it back politely. Other than that and a few dishes that I tried knowing they may not be to my taste, I haven't been that disappointed in the MDR.

 

That said, if someone wants to dine at the Steakhouse on Carnival every night and can afford it, it's a good value with fantastic items, and I certainly can't blame them! The atmosphere there is so much better than the MDR.

 

Edit: I will say that NOTHING on board a Carnival ship that is supposed to be spicy has EVER been spicy to me or anywhere near acceptably spiced EXCEPT ONE TIME where somehow the waiter could get me Indian Vegetarian "Indian hot" (I joked about it, and this awesome waiter checked for me - I don't know how they did it as meals are pre-prepared I thought; no other ship/waiter/time did this happen though and I've asked a few other times since - maybe if I asked the day before and didn't have Anytime Dining it could be accomplished); this includes Indian food, Mexican food, the "Mongolian Wok" whatever it is, etc. Hell, I've even had wasabi that wasn't really spicy! I don't blame Carnival for this but the American palette though. :) I've even heard people say the Mongolian Wok or Indian lido food was spicy onboard and on forums!!! So, I know it's just palette variation.

Edited October 27, 2015 by berrieh

[Cruisegirl6]

Berrieh that may explain things, I don't eat Indian food its probably the only cuisine I don't eat next to sushi....I have to be gluten free and I can't have dairy so that explain why the desserts don't matter to me but the Chocolate Sampler dessert in the Steakhouse is the best! It consists of four different desserts the bittersweet chocolate cake, banana pannacotta, tiramisu and Chocolate marquis, its exquisite! The Cheesecake is very delicious, and sometimes they have the Red Velvet cake its very good, but I used to be able to have these until now but they do make me a gluten free dessert don't know what its called but its wonderful, one never know it was gluten free its in kind of a creampuff/cake format. Never asked what the name of it was lol.

 

Your correct the MDR is banquet quality food which is ok I admit that. You also are correct, the atmosphere and service exceeds the MDR and yes, we can afford it, we actually wonder how they able to just charge such a low fee to eat there?

 

The Mongolian is NOT spicy at all, at least for us too.

[berrieh]

lyndamr, I agree the chocolate sampler is good (I can think of MDR desserts I prefer even to that, but I do like the sampler), but I don't like having the same dessert twice and am not a fan of the other desserts at the Steakhouse (not because they're bad quality but because cheesecake bores me and I'd never pick it, and I prefer apple desserts to be ice cold and the Washington apples is served warm - I HATE warm apples with a passion; the dessert has sat in the room fridge and been OK the next day but nothing special in my book - a lot of the MDR desserts are fun and interesting; the Steakhouse cheese plate is supposed to be far superior but I can't eat a bunch of meat then a bunch of cheese so never tried!). I also agree that the $35pp is a deal for what you get, but everyone has to budget somewhere so I get people saying it's expensive. Edit: Also I imagine for people with kids (we don't have any) it would be annoying to pay $35pp for most kids to go unless you have foodie kids.

 

Never seen the velvet cake! Velvet cake is my favorite, so I'd snap that right up. :)

Edited October 28, 2015 by berrieh