It seems like most people feel Carnival's food and service quality have declined...

[ConnecticutFlamingo]

It depends. We were on Royal this past October for a 14 day cruise. We planned to eat in the specialty restaurants a few times. We didn't. The food and service in the MDR was exceptional. I can't say the same about Carnival, but I know that when I book a cruise on Carnival. But the Loyal Royals would tell you food and service has declined on Royal. It all depends on what you're looking for.

[Karnyval]

I remember the days when the server would come and scrape the crumbs off the tablecloth between courses. These days it can be difficult to even find a tablecloth!

 

There are still cruise lines out there that provide top notch food and dining service. You just have to pay a lot more for that.

 

Thank goodness we have choices. There's something for everyone.

 

You can pay more and get worse food, too.

[joeyancho]

Scraping crumbs is a mark of a more upscale establishment and none of the mainstream lines meet that definition. If I want that sort of service I know that I have to pay for it and since it really doesn't add to my dining experience I'd just as soon not pay for it.

 

Princess does it.

[jnwinos]

Just back from a cruise on Miracle, out of how many cruises we have taken in the last 11 years worst service and food. Forgot to take DH order, sweating in our food, brought wrong salad 3 times.

But still, I am not cooking or cleaning so I will keep cruising and enjoy.

[glrounds]

Hard to discuss food quality with someone who thinks Applebee's is good.

 

I love Applebee's. My budget is very limited. At Applebee's I can take a friend do a double meal for $22, get an appetizer included leave 5 bucks and get out very reasonably for 3 hours of great conversation, great ribs and sauce, spinach appetizer and excellent service. But, then I'm not that much of a foodie, I guess.:)

[glrounds]

I enjoyed most of the food in the MDR and thought it was quite good overall with a good variety of selection. Some misses as well but overall really good. Think the choices are more contemporary compared to old menu, and the vegetarian options are really good, even for meat eaters like me. Things from the old days like baked Alaska and midnight buffets seem a bit too old fashioned for my taste.The buffet can be hit or miss but most buffets are. Wish there was a tapas/appetizers section in buffet. Like the food choices, love the steakhouse and chefs table, and like eating the local foods in port. Also the chicken fingers are really good.

 

You had to be there. When the lights were all turned off and the waiters came in with the Baked Alaskan flaming in a congo line. Quite amazing. Sure beats the dog'n'pony show of the waiters swinging towels and dancing on the food stands !

 

Having Flaming Cherries Jubilee prepared right at your table was another of the great treats with the lights turned down.

 

But economics is economics. 30 some years ago paid $599pp or $699pp (can't remember) for a cabin on the TROPICALE . . . taking the BREEZE in October for $419pp. There are no miracles :rolleyes: . . . cuts must be made. I still love it to death.:)

[sparks1093]

Princess does it.

 

Given their prices when I've looked I would expect it:).

[Aldeya]

You do realize the American Table menu closely resembles that of the MDR menus on your precious cruise line right? :rolleyes:

 

As far as those who sail both lines, the overwhelming majority prefer Carnivals food over your precious cruise lines food. If you are gonna deny that, prove me wrong. There is no comparing their included options and Chops just wish it could be half the steakhouse Carnivals steakhouses are.

 

Yep, you are a broken record spewing your usual anti Carnival drivel and everyone has caught on and Im sure your opinion means nothing here.

 

Incredible, just incredible. All of this just for someone expressing their opinion.

[sparks1093]

Incredible, just incredible. All of this just for someone expressing their opinion.

 

No, all that for someone that continues to express the same opinion ad nauseum and makes it quite clear that he considers CCL the lowest of the low. You can't walk into a biker bar and yell "Harley's suck" without expecting some sort of backlash.

[Tatka]

HAL also has eggs Benedict in many variations every day. They pre pour the OJ though and it has to be stirred. And it's in a strange place, easy to overlook.

 

I like CCL's escargot in the MDR but not in the Steakhouse. Same for Caesar salad. It's a big chunk in the Steakhouse.

 

CCL has good hot chocolate, lemonade. I like the coffee too. Once on Inspiration it was so strong everyone was putting water in it. Did the Chef's Table and the group of 13 people told him so and he said that's the way people like it. Huh? We all just said we don't.

Is escargots on every day menu?

[meatloafsfan]

Of course everyone's taste is different, so I have no expectations of being able to predict what someone else might like, but I am always amazed (this thread isn't the first time I have seen it) when someone states that the beat "meal" they had on the cruise was a hamburger at Guy's. :eek:

 

lucky there is something for everyone :D

 

happy sailing everyone

 

I think sometimes when people express that they loved Guy's Burgers (or chicken fingers, or some other basic food) and it was the best thing they had - it's more a comparative analysis of other food of the same type - i.e. burgers they had off cruise ships versus Guys burgers or chicken fingers on Carnival versus chicken fingers "in real life".

 

For me, when I say that Guy's burgers and fries are amazing and one of the reasons I love Carnival - it's not a reflection on the other food on Carnival - it's that compared to the burgers I eat at home (whether made at home, fast food or local restaurants) Guy's are very good and I would rather have them than just about any other (though nothing will beat Red Robin for me).

[Karnyval]

You had to be there. When the lights were all turned off and the waiters came in with the Baked Alaskan flaming in a congo line. Quite amazing. Sure beats the dog'n'pony show of the waiters swinging towels and dancing on the food stands !

 

Having Flaming Cherries Jubilee prepared right at your table was another of the great treats with the lights turned down.

 

But economics is economics. 30 some years ago paid $599pp or $699pp (can't remember) for a cabin on the TROPICALE . . . taking the BREEZE in October for $419pp. There are no miracles :rolleyes: . . . cuts must be made. I still love it to death.:)

 

Safety is certainly a factor. Even Princess doesn't do flaming these days.

[sparks1093]

I think sometimes when people express that they loved Guy's Burgers (or chicken fingers, or some other basic food) and it was the best thing they had - it's more a comparative analysis of other food of the same type - i.e. burgers they had off cruise ships versus Guys burgers or chicken fingers on Carnival versus chicken fingers "in real life".

 

For me, when I say that Guy's burgers and fries are amazing and one of the reasons I love Carnival - it's not a reflection on the other food on Carnival - it's that compared to the burgers I eat at home (whether made at home, fast food or local restaurants) Guy's are very good and I would rather have them than just about any other (though nothing will beat Red Robin for me).

 

Very true. I always try to compare like to like.

[Luke Dawg]

You had to be there. When the lights were all turned off and the waiters came in with the Baked Alaskan flaming in a congo line. Quite amazing. Sure beats the dog'n'pony show of the waiters swinging towels and dancing on the food stands !

 

Having Flaming Cherries Jubilee prepared right at your table was another of the great treats with the lights turned down.

 

But economics is economics. 30 some years ago paid $599pp or $699pp (can't remember) for a cabin on the TROPICALE . . . taking the BREEZE in October for $419pp. There are no miracles :rolleyes: . . . cuts must be made. I still love it to death.:)

You are right glrounds, I found my first cruise folio/ticket contract, back in 1999, rates certainly have stayed the same for that same inside cabin

[Swampbabe]

I love Applebee's. My budget is very limited. At Applebee's I can take a friend do a double meal for $22, get an appetizer included leave 5 bucks and get out very reasonably for 3 hours of great conversation, great ribs and sauce, spinach appetizer and excellent service. But, then I'm not that much of a foodie, I guess.:)

 

 

 

I understand this is a good deal for you but not so much for the wait staff. You would tie up a table for three hours for a five dollar tip? These restaurants are made for much faster turnover. In effect, you're costing your waitstaff money.

 

Sorry, this is a pet peeve of mine. Unless the restaurant is empty, eat and enjoy conversation elsewhere.

[CdrescherRBL152]

Is this true industry-wide, or is it just true for Carnival? And if so, how much would the quality have to suffer before people would stop cruising as a result of poor experiences/value?

 

 

To say it is most people is a huge overstatement. We have found the food to be outstanding on every cruise. And when I see post on here complaining about the food. The majority of the time I notice two things. One the complainer is still cruising Carnival and two on their last cruise they must have gotten food to eat, as they haven't died from hunger.

[stevec999]

I took my first cruise 20ish years ago (Holiday). There have been many changes, for one I pay less for a veranda cabin then I did for an inside on my first cruise.

 

I do remember better service in the MDR. Glasses always full, the little scoops they used to clean up the crumbs. Lots of silverware that was never used :). Dinner was always a 2 hour affair and it seems to be about that now. Understand I have had a couple of times that the service in the MDR was bad and took 2.5 hours for dinner. Fortunately this is an exception and not the rule.

 

The food is different but the quality seems about the same. I had never had the flat iorn steak until one cruise most of the people at the table ordered it every night. I gave it a try (cooked medium) and was very surprised how good it was, not as good as the NY strip in the steak house but good.

 

As far as other lines we tried HAL last February. I found the selection of food in the MDR to be a bit lacking. For the first time ever there were a couple of nights that had absolutely nothing on the menu I wanted. Also the Pinnacle grill was not as good as the steak house on Carnival. We chose HAL based on the itinerary (partial Panama canal) had a great cruise and would use HAL again.

 

We want to see what more money buys so we have a Oceania booked for January. They have a reputation for food so we will see. Of course it is at a price, about four times the cost of our last Carnival cruise.

 

Next May we are going to give Celebrity a try. Lots of cruise lines keep looking until you find the one for you.

[ryano]

Incredible, just incredible. All of this just for someone expressing their opinion.

 

Its one thing to express an opinion. Its a totally different thing to troll this board almost daily only for the sole purpose of spewing the same old tired "Carnival sucks" drivel day in and day out. We got it the first time and a lot of us here are sick of his antics. I will continue to call him out on it whenever I please. I broke no rules whatsoever.

Edited July 27, 2016 by ryano

[Micahs Grandad]

I understand this is a good deal for you but not so much for the wait staff. You would tie up a table for three hours for a five dollar tip? These restaurants are made for much faster turnover. In effect, you're costing your waitstaff money.

 

Sorry, this is a pet peeve of mine. Unless the restaurant is empty, eat and enjoy conversation elsewhere.

 

Good point, will keep this in mind when out with friends in the future.

[Micahs Grandad]

You had to be there. When the lights were all turned off and the waiters came in with the Baked Alaskan flaming in a congo line. Quite amazing. Sure beats the dog'n'pony show of the waiters swinging towels and dancing on the food stands !

 

Having Flaming Cherries Jubilee prepared right at your table was another of the great treats with the lights turned down.

 

But economics is economics. 30 some years ago paid $599pp or $699pp (can't remember) for a cabin on the TROPICALE . . . taking the BREEZE in October for $419pp. There are no miracles :rolleyes: . . . cuts must be made. I still love it to death.:)

 

We understand why the changes that have occurred but do miss the good old days where cruising was an elegant vacation

[ryano]

No, all that for someone that continues to express the same opinion ad nauseum and makes it quite clear that he considers CCL the lowest of the low. You can't walk into a biker bar and yell "Harley's suck" without expecting some sort of backlash.

 

Thanks :) Exactly!

[Warm Breezes]

We understand why the changes that have occurred but do miss the good old days where cruising was an elegant vacation

 

I think you can still get your elegant vacation, just not on Carnival. Many people who are sailing on the mass market lines in this current day want casual and relaxing vacations. The mass market lines are responding to their demands. I'm afraid those who truly want elegant will have to pay the premium to get their elegant on the lines who cater to that market. I personally don't know what those lines are since I am not interested in them and have never researched them, but I am sure they are out there.

[Sparky2]

We've only been cruising since 2003, and food quality has definitely declined. However, I have still found some good items on the menu and certainly do not starve.

[LaFrimaire]

RE: The flaming desserts. Remember seeing dishes like that in my mums cookbooks from the 70s. Would try it but not missing it. When we did the galley tour, was told they don't have any open flames in kitchen and the technology to cook food is different from land-based hotel restaurants. May be why some things taste differently.

[Karnyval]

I think you can still get your elegant vacation, just not on Carnival. Many people who are sailing on the mass market lines in this current day want casual and relaxing vacations. The mass market lines are responding to their demands. I'm afraid those who truly want elegant will have to pay the premium to get their elegant on the lines who cater to that market. I personally don't know what those lines are since I am not interested in them and have never researched them, but I am sure they are out there.

 

The people who want elegant vacations are unwilling and/or unable to pay for them. It isn't just a few dollars. It costs exponentially more to live in the past. One of the reasons a number of upscale niche market cruise lines went bankrupt or were bought before they could.