Best Food in the MDR - which cruise line/ ship?

[OzKiwiJJ]

I've found it varies from ship to ship within a line, and probably depends on who the Executive Chef is at the time.

 

For example:

We've done five Princess cruises in less than three years and each ship varied.

1. Sun Princess Dec 2014 - excellent

2. Dawn Princess Aug 2015 - below average

3. Golden Princess Mar 2016 - average

4. Sun Princess Aug 2016 - just above average

5. Royal Princess Sep 2017 - just above average

 

We've also done two Celebrity cruises, both on Solstice, and had two totally different MDR experiences.

1. Dec 2015 - below average

2. Feb 2016 - almost excellent

 

We did a Carnival cruise on Legend in Nov 2016 and the food was excellent.

 

We did a Royal Caribbean cruise in March 2015 and the food was variable - there were about five outstanding dishes that I tried and the rest were average.

[sullaRaffaello]

I do not doubt your memory, but the France is long gone and Queens Grill is not an MDR, but a sailing-long specialty restaurant.

 

The Queens Grill is not a specialty restaurant, but the MDR of those in the QG staterooms.

[navybankerteacher]

The Queens Grill is not a specialty restaurant, but the MDR of those in the QG staterooms.

 

See Post #43, which handles this bit of sophistry.

 

Cunard's Queens have MDR's (the dining venues being discussed on this thread), and the Queen's Grill happens to be the SPECIALTY RESTAURANT in which those in QG staterooms are entitled to dine.

[princeton12321]

See Post #43, which handles this bit of sophistry.

 

 

 

Cunard's Queens have MDR's (the dining venues being discussed on this thread), and the Queen's Grill happens to be the SPECIALTY RESTAURANT in which those in QG staterooms are entitled to dine.

 

 

 

I really don't agree with this- the Verandah is a specialty restaurant- it's optional and you pay extra for it if you're in the smallest inside or largest suite. If you're in QG and this is your assigned dining room, it's the MDR.

[CarrieAP]

We have been on Disney, NCL and Princess so I will rate the quality of MDR food.

 

1. NCL

2. Disney

3. Princess

 

We loved NCL food options and thought wow this is better than DCL. DCL we have done 12 times so MDR got really boring as they serve the same menu over and over again. Princess was very good but NCL surprised us with how good MDR as we had lower expectations. Love them all though! Also when we did Princess we only went to MDR once as their buffet and other dining options were so good and fit our time schedule better.

 

Here is my list of best food options when you include (buffet, specialty dining, MDR, quick serve food options).

 

1. Princess

2. NCL

3. Disney

 

Agree. After a 5 year break in cruising took my first NCL and Disney cruises this year. Very pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food on NCL. Disney on the other hand disappointed, expected much more given the premium price they demand.

[navybankerteacher]

I really don't agree with this- the Verandah is a specialty restaurant- it's optional and you pay extra for it if you're in the smallest inside or largest suite. If you're in QG and this is your assigned dining room, it's the MDR.

 

"MDR" in most contexts means the dining facility to which the basic fare entitles passengers. It is simply silly to insist that a PREMIUM restaurant - even though the PREMIUM fare QG passengers pay. I suppose you would also argue that every alternative

restaurant on an NCL ship for which a passenger who has prepaid the premium meal plan is also an MDR because it is included in his overall cruise cost.

[declansdad]

We've sailed Carnival, Disney and NCL.

 

MDR food has been the best on Carnival followed closely by Disney. NCL was way behind in food and service.

[new_cruiser]

I don't have much interest in Windstar for normal ports, but they do Tahiti, Asia, and Iceland well. Probably quite a few more. Next Spring, 13 night repo: Japan to Alaska, a suite for $1699... that's mass market territory. I plan to at least cherry pick the deals.

 

Are you going on the Yokohama to Seward repo? If you are, you might join the roll call.

 

Most of the Windstar repositioning cruises are attractively priced.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

Are you going on the Yokohama to Seward repo? If you are, you might join the roll call.

 

Most of the Windstar repositioning cruises are attractively priced.

 

No, but It caught my eye, and definitely something I would consider doing later. That's one of my favorite features from Celebrity, the repositioning cruise value and ports offered. Windstar seems like a great alternative as well (along with the food).

[VitaminSea53]

Thanks for all your responses. I think I see a trend that is helpful but in the end IT IS SUBJECTIVE! :-)

 

 

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[Flatbush Flyer]

Thanks for all your responses. I think I see a trend that is helpful but in the end IT IS SUBJECTIVE! :-)

 

 

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Only subjective to a degree. There's always the reality of what various lines spend on food per passenger, which at the very least affects the quality of ingredients.

Perhaps someone wants to dig up a CC post of several years ago, which cited a published comparison that showed lines like Crystal and Oceania spending more than twice what is allocated by many other lines.

Yes, it translates to relatively higher fares. But, food quality is very important to many cruisers and this is one situation where "you get what you pay for."

 

 

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[Cruzaholic41]

Time for a dose of reality. Cruise lines buy food in bulk. And with anything bought in bulk, the more you buy, the less it costs. Therefore, a huge cruise line like CCL or RCI is going to spend less per person than a small cruise line, for the exact same products. I hate to burst some bubbles here, but almost all the cruise lines buy from the exact same vendors. So unless the comparison is between 2 lines carrying the same # of guests, the amount spent means nothing.

 

Cruise food is cruise food. Unless a ship is buying ingredients in every port like some river lines do, it isn’t going to be fresh.

 

As for the op’s question, I really don’t have an answer. I’ve cruised a lot of lines from luxury down to mass market. I really can’t pick one that’s consistently better than all the others. There is no such thing as a “gold standard” in cruise food. That said, my dinners on river cruises have been consistently better than my ocean cruises.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Time for a dose of reality. Cruise lines buy food in bulk. And with anything bought in bulk, the more you buy, the less it costs. Therefore, a huge cruise line like CCL or RCI is going to spend less per person than a small cruise line, for the exact same products. I hate to burst some bubbles here, but almost all the cruise lines buy from the exact same vendors. So unless the comparison is between 2 lines carrying the same # of guests, the amount spent means nothing.

 

 

 

Cruise food is cruise food. Unless a ship is buying ingredients in every port like some river lines do, it isn’t going to be fresh.

 

 

 

As for the op’s question, I really don’t have an answer. I’ve cruised a lot of lines from luxury down to mass market. I really can’t pick one that’s consistently better than all the others. There is no such thing as a “gold standard” in cruise food. That said, my dinners on river cruises have been consistently better than my ocean cruises.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Flatbush Flyer]

Logic to a point. What you may be forgetting is that: While each of those corporations, as well as NCL, may buy many foodstuffs from the same distributors, the premium/luxury lines in the corporation's "stable" get the best and most (per capita) of what they've purchased. Prime beef vs Choice (or less); imported vs domestic bakery ingredients; lobster every night vs maybe once a week, etc..

 

 

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[Miami girl123]

Here in Miami there is a company called: ships supply someone from this company shops either at Publix Winn-Dixie or Walmart for certain products that they need on the ships. They will call the stores ahead of time order in bulk and the stores will have it ready for them. Mind you it’s only certain items like a certain brand of cereal sometimes ice cream, dry goods and sodas.

 

 

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[Stateroom_Sailor]

Time for a dose of reality. Cruise lines buy food in bulk. And with anything bought in bulk, the more you buy, the less it costs. Therefore, a huge cruise line like CCL or RCI is going to spend less per person than a small cruise line, for the exact same products. I hate to burst some bubbles here, but almost all the cruise lines buy from the exact same vendors. So unless the comparison is between 2 lines carrying the same # of guests, the amount spent means nothing.

 

Cruise food is cruise food. Unless a ship is buying ingredients in every port like some river lines do, it isn’t going to be fresh.

 

As for the op’s question, I really don’t have an answer. I’ve cruised a lot of lines from luxury down to mass market. I really can’t pick one that’s consistently better than all the others. There is no such thing as a “gold standard” in cruise food. That said, my dinners on river cruises have been consistently better than my ocean cruises.

 

Why not start your own company, and sell to all the smaller lines? Surely if the luxury lines are paying double (x2), you could obtain the same status (x1), by combining all their demand. You'll get a song and dance by offering (x1.5), and reduce our cruise fairs significantly.

 

That's the opportunity any cruise mass market cruise line would have, if your #'s were correct. Why wouldn't NCL want to make millions, playing middleman, with their account?

 

I don't doubt that the mass markets are getting food a bit cheaper, but no one would pay double. Competition works just as much when the cruise line is the customer, as it does from us the passengers. Paying any more than 25% as a small purchaser, doesn't make sense, because it would create a market within itself. If they're paying double, it's because they're buying more expensive food.

[chesswiththedevil]

I've been in carnival, ncl and celebrity. I've liked carnivals the best and they have the best dessert in MDR

 

 

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I've only sailed Carnival and NCL and I agree. I was looking forward to NCL because I thought that the food would be a big step up and it was in fact a big step down. I was surprised to say the least and the best meals that I had on that trip BY FAR were the excursions but hey, I was in France and Italy so what are you gonna do? ;p

[Aquahound]

I was looking forward to NCL because I thought that the food would be a big step up and it was in fact a big step down.

 

If I had to pick one cruise line as having the worst MDR food, it would be NCL.

[Flatbush Flyer]

If I had to pick one cruise line as having the worst MDR food, it would be NCL.

 

 

 

If I was a mostly mass market sailor, I would hope that having FDR (cofounder of Oceania) now at the helm of the whole NCL family (including NCL, Oceania and Regent) would find NCL aiming to do better. Then again, maybe keeping NCL at the lowest level (e.g., food quality) is meant to encourage passengers to move up.

 

 

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[Aquahound]

If I was a mostly mass market sailor, I would hope that having FDR (cofounder of Oceania) now at the helm of the whole NCL family (including NCL, Oceania and Regent) would find NCL aiming to do better. Then again, maybe keeping NCL at the lowest level (e.g., food quality) is meant to encourage passengers to move up.

 

Who knows....you might have a point.

 

My theory all along is that NCL tries harder than other mass market lines to push people to specialty restaurants....as shown by having so many of them on board their ships. I liken them to the Spirit Airlines of the cruise industry.

 

Good to know about Oceania. As ships become more and more crowded and chaotic, I'm starting to grow tired of the mass market industry. I can see myself on lines like Oceania in the near future. I almost pulled the trigger on Azamara last year, but the timing didn't work out too well.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Who knows....you might have a point.

 

 

 

My theory all along is that NCL tries harder than other mass market lines to push people to specialty restaurants....as shown by having so many of them on board their ships. I liken them to the Spirit Airlines of the cruise industry.

 

 

 

Good to know about Oceania. As ships become more and more crowded and chaotic, I'm starting to grow tired of the mass market industry. I can see myself on lines like Oceania in the near future. I almost pulled the trigger on Azamara last year, but the timing didn't work out too well.

 

 

I'm a big cheerleader for O because the value/quality quotient just can't be beat- particularly the further from home you disembark, which requires flying. We pretty much always take the O Life air credit (and DIY air with points/$ combo), which can be a couple thousand dollars. Add the O Life OBC and significant TA OBC plus not having to pay for internet/specialty dining et al. (as well as avoiding hordes, nickel-diming etc.) and you soon have a "net daily cost" for your cruise that may be only a few dollars more than "wannabes" like Celebrity or HAL but still provide a far more quality laden experience.

 

Do the math and try one cruise to see the value/quality.

 

 

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