Are You a Specialty Restaurant Enthusiast Because of Poor Food Quality in the MDR?

[calliopecruiser]

I thought they got rid of Baked Alaska parades because they were fire hazards, and fire is always a great fear on ships. I think any kind of parade of food is a lousy idea, unless it's carts of dim sum dumplings!

[K32682]

I thought they got rid of Baked Alaska parades because they were fire hazards, and fire is always a great fear on ships. I think any kind of parade of food is a lousy idea, unless it's carts of dim sum dumplings!

They seem to have scaled back and replaced the flambé with candles and sparklers but the "tradition" does continue.

[Beachdude]

The reason passengers with higher incomes appear snobbish is because we don't have much in common with them. We met a very nice family on our last cruise who were enjoyable.

 

But as we tried to get to know each other better because we enjoyed each others company, the more we found that we couldn't relate with our experiences. The wife is the head of their IT department of a major fortune 500 company and the husband was a retired international banker. Retired is relative because he was still a busy businessman. Both of our families recently had weddings of our children, but even they felt uncomfortable talking about feeding 700 guest at their reception with several bands. I could say they were snobbish, but they were quite humble and enjoyable. The relationship, as has other couples like them we have met over the years, just got a little awkward over the length of the cruise.

 

Sally and I have met several very nice wealthy families over the years of traveling and will meet many more. But we find it easier to cruise ships more to our level of income simply because we met more people with common interest and experiences. It's really that simple.

 

Burt

[squick64]

On my first few cruises, I was with others, and we ate in the MDR most of the time and the steakhouse once, basically. On my last cruise, I ate in the MDR a couple of times and found it quite disappointing. I ended up paying quite a bit for specialty food that was really good. On my next cruise, I've bought a 7-night dining package for a 9-night trip. I'll eat in the MDR 2 nights plus the 2 nights on the connecting cruise beforehand. On my RCCL cruise next year, I plan to eat specialty at least half the time.

 

As much as I don't like spending the extra money, part of the travel experience for me is to have interesting meals with unusual foods or interesting approaches (like the hibachi grill on NCL). And of course, I'm more likely to choose the specialty on a line that's likely to have lower-quality food (pretty much always the cheaper lines--I'd expect a luxury line to feed me very well in the MDR).

 

My one concern with all these specialty options and dining packages is that the MDR will increasingly decline in quality across the board. Then again, options are options, just like when you're nickel and dimed on an airline. Maybe the food (or other aspects of the MDR) gets worse, but you'll have people who are happy to have lower quality for free and others who would rather pay extra for something better. It takes all kinds.

[sloopsailor]

Don't they all look so precious waving their napkins? Compared to enduring that silliness a quiet dinner in a specialty restaurant has considerable appeal.

 

Who wouldn't want someone's whirling napkin high over their head and spreading their crumbs and mouth residue all over the place? It's the joy of sharing their meal with each other. :evilsmile:

[Beachdude]

My one concern with all these specialty options and dining packages is that the MDR will increasingly decline in quality across the board. Then again, options are options, just like when you're nickel and dimed on an airline. Maybe the food (or other aspects of the MDR) gets worse, but you'll have people who are happy to have lower quality for free and others who would rather pay extra for something better. It takes all kinds.

 

This is the plan and has been in the works for a few years. Eventually the MDR will turn into a buffet much like the lunch MDRs are now. And why not, we've seen many posters on these forum say they don't really care that much what they eat or how they dress.

 

It's extra profit from folks willing to pay for better tasting food and more a more elegant surroundings. And a somewhat formal buffet (whatever that turns out to be) requires less wait staff (a lot less wait staff). Plus plus for the Cruise lines, and really for the passengers as well because most everybody gets what they want. I'm sure they still provide dancing waiter if that's what the customer wants.

 

The only folks who don't care for it are the minority (me included) who enjoyed the special elegance of cruising. But I guess that was lost after 9-11.

 

Burt

[Velvetwater]

I am not sure that extra space and smaller rooms is worth the price tag tbh, but each to their own.

 

I don't think a quiet place to eat is necessarily the best either, I love going to a vibrant tapas bar or a Vietnamese place in the outskirts where everyone is giggling and having a good time over their Pho. As far as decor goes, anything too contrived can make me trust the food less and I am happier in an Indian place ran by a 3rd generation family thats slightly rough round the edges than pay double the price for confused cuisine in some minimalist

 

My main point is I amnot going to pay money on board for a restaurant when the equivalent will be better on land and the food that is free is fine enough....sometimes great.

 

For Mr Oceania. I don't cruise with them because:

 

a) I'm under 35

b) I could buy 3 cruises for the price of one Oc one and I use ships as destination tasters.

 

Plus the Oc decor looks pretty uninspired to be honest...and putting food on Versace plates does not good food make. Also, apart from their Asian I wouldn't give their menus a second glance. Good drinks lists though.

[navybankerteacher]

 

...

 

The only folks who don't care for it are the minority (me included) who enjoyed the special elegance of cruising. But I guess that was lost after 9-11.

 

Burt

 

Mainstream cruise lines - which used to provide an elegant experience to people with substantial travel/vacation budgets - have been very “successful” in widening their market. In stead of appealing narrowly to professional/managerial people willing to spend for quality meals, entertainment and service, they have widened the net to bring in many more people who want low cost vacations.

 

The world has changed - in most cases for the better —- but some things seem to have gotten lost

[sloopsailor]

This is the plan and has been in the works for a few years. Eventually the MDR will turn into a buffet much like the lunch MDRs are now. And why not, we've seen many posters on these forum say they don't really care that much what they eat or how they dress.

 

It's extra profit from folks willing to pay for better tasting food and more a more elegant surroundings. And a somewhat formal buffet (whatever that turns out to be) requires less wait staff (a lot less wait staff). Plus plus for the Cruise lines, and really for the passengers as well because most everybody gets what they want. I'm sure they still provide dancing waiter if that's what the customer wants.

 

The only folks who don't care for it are the minority (me included) who enjoyed the special elegance of cruising. But I guess that was lost after 9-11.

 

Burt

 

The space allocated for specialty restaurants take up valuable space that could be used for more lucrative uses. They don't make money off these venues, but instead charge a fee to recoup the cost of that space, to pay for the waiters and cooks to serve about 50 people per night, and for better quality food ingredients.

 

As for your claim of "a lot less wait staff", I don't see it that way. In the MDR, two wait staff may serve a dozen tables in two hours, with an average of 6 people per table. For traditional, they do it twice a night, or 24 tables. That means they probably serve about 150 people per night. For anytime type dining, they may serve the same number of tables.

 

In the specialty restaurants, a team of two may serve four or five tables at a time, and perhaps 10 or 15 per night. From what I have observed, most tables have 2 or 4 people at them. So, in an evening, that team may serve 60 people max.

 

Not sure how several wait teams of two serving 60 people per night results in "a lot less wait staff" than those same teams of two serving 150 people per night. The math I learned taught me that you would need more wait staff if more and more people opt to dine in the specialty restaurants.

[Heidi13]

I thought they got rid of Baked Alaska parades because they were fire hazards, and fire is always a great fear on ships. I think any kind of parade of food is a lousy idea, unless it's carts of dim sum dumplings!

 

With Princess ships back in the 70's & 80's the Baked Alaska had real candles on the top, but current fire ratings do not permit open flames. On Princess ships for the last many years the candles were replaced with battery powered imitation candles.

 

I don't recall any of our Princess Cruises that they haven't provided the Baked Alaska parade.

[Heidi13]

The space allocated for specialty restaurants take up valuable space that could be used for more lucrative uses. They don't make money off these venues, but instead charge a fee to recoup the cost of that space, to pay for the waiters and cooks to serve about 50 people per night, and for better quality food ingredients.

 

As for your claim of "a lot less wait staff", I don't see it that way. In the MDR, two wait staff may serve a dozen tables in two hours, with an average of 6 people per table. For traditional, they do it twice a night, or 24 tables. That means they probably serve about 150 people per night. For anytime type dining, they may serve the same number of tables.

 

In the specialty restaurants, a team of two may serve four or five tables at a time, and perhaps 10 or 15 per night. From what I have observed, most tables have 2 or 4 people at them. So, in an evening, that team may serve 60 people max.

 

Not sure how several wait teams of two serving 60 people per night results in "a lot less wait staff" than those same teams of two serving 150 people per night. The math I learned taught me that you would need more wait staff if more and more people opt to dine in the specialty restaurants.

 

Can only provide info on Princess, but there is no way the Waiter & A/Waiter can serve 75 pax in each traditional seating. With Princess Cruises, the average number of passengers served by each waiter team is about 20, per traditional dining seating. This was as of our last WC in 2015, but it was consistent for a number of years.

 

Other mainstream cruise lines may have a few more, but having seen the Princess waiters rushing to serve 20, I can't imagine them serving 75 pax in 2 hrs.

[sloopsailor]

Can only provide info on Princess, but there is no way the Waiter & A/Waiter can serve 75 pax in each traditional seating. With Princess Cruises, the average number of passengers served by each waiter team is about 20, per traditional dining seating. This was as of our last WC in 2015, but it was consistent for a number of years.

 

Other mainstream cruise lines may have a few more, but having seen the Princess waiters rushing to serve 20, I can't imagine them serving 75 pax in 2 hrs.

 

Your are correct, sort of. After making a comment about "the math I learned", it seems that maybe I didn't learn it well enough. ;)

 

On our Grand Princess cruise last year, our wait staff had five tables to deal with, three seating 8 people, and two seating 6, for a total of 36. That makes about 70 people per night for two seating, not 150 as my faulty reasoning stated earlier. Fortunately, at our table of 8, four people never showed up, so they caught a bit of a break at ours. The server knew their names, but for all ten nights they apparently dined somewhere else.

 

But that is still more than the 40 you said you noticed.

[K32682]

With Princess ships back in the 70's & 80's the Baked Alaska had real candles on the top, but current fire ratings do not permit open flames. On Princess ships for the last many years the candles were replaced with battery powered imitation candles.

 

I don't recall any of our Princess Cruises that they haven't provided the Baked Alaska parade.

That proscription of open flames appears not to apply universally. Here is a link to video of the puerile Baked Alaska nonsense on a Carnival ship from less than a year ago where flames are clearly in evidence.

 

[Heidi13]

Your are correct, sort of. After making a comment about "the math I learned", it seems that maybe I didn't learn it well enough. ;)

 

On our Grand Princess cruise last year, our wait staff had five tables to deal with, three seating 8 people, and two seating 6, for a total of 36. That makes about 70 people per night for two seating, not 150 as my faulty reasoning stated earlier. Fortunately, at our table of 8, four people never showed up, so they caught a bit of a break at ours. The server knew their names, but for all ten nights they apparently dined somewhere else.

 

But that is still more than the 40 you said you noticed.

 

Wow, that is a significant increase. Also a long way from the initial days when they only had a couple of tables and also had separate wine stewards.

[sloopsailor]

Wow, that is a significant increase. Also a long way from the initial days when they only had a couple of tables and also had separate wine stewards.

 

Our servers worked well as a pair. A very efficient team. They even had time to chat a bit with us, and were always smiling. I like to think they actually enjoyed their jobs. For their sake, I hope that is the case.

 

And no wine stewards to be seen anywhere, even in the specialty restaurants.

[Beachdude]

Not sure how several wait teams of two serving 60 people per night results in "a lot less wait staff" than those same teams of two serving 150 people per night. The math I learned taught me that you would need more wait staff if more and more people opt to dine in the specialty restaurants.

 

How much wait staff do you see in the buffet now. As I said, cruise lines are already moving toward this trend for lunch in the MDRs. Salads and desserts are buffet style a well as drinks on some ships. It’s a gradual progression, but that’s were it’s going. Dinner is moving that way as well. It will be gradual, but the moves are made to reduce food cost and staff.

 

Americans in general are accepting to the gradual changes. Room service has been changing too. It’s little things, but it’s alot of things over the years.

 

As for specialty dining, have you noticed the prices going up while quality of both food and service going down. Specialty kitchens are scaling down to the point that they are combining with with main dining room kitchen. Staff is the same way. We were turned away from a specialty restaurant on a RCL ship last year even though we had reservations because they didn’t have enough wait staff to clean tables. We got bad service another night because the waiter was new from the MDR. while he was excited to get moved to Specialty dining, he wouldn’t have been surprised to be back in the MDR the next day.

 

Burt

[worldtraveller99]

We will be going on our 1st cruise. I see that speciality dining costs $25 to $45 each per meal. Is that for a 4 course meal and do you have to have 4 courses? Is that price fixed even if you only wanted to have 2 courses?

[Texas Tillie]

We will be going on our 1st cruise. I see that speciality dining costs $25 to $45 each per meal. Is that for a 4 course meal and do you have to have 4 courses? Is that price fixed even if you only wanted to have 2 courses?

 

Like the included dining, you can eat as much or as little as you want, but it's the same price no matter how much you eat.

[XBGuy]

We will be going on our 1st cruise. I see that speciality dining costs $25 to $45 each per meal. Is that for a 4 course meal and do you have to have 4 courses? Is that price fixed even if you only wanted to have 2 courses?

 

It is always a multi-course meal. The number of courses will vary from room to room. We have never been kicked out of a restaurant for declining a course. My wife does it all the time. I will, occasionally, decline dessert, which, for some reason or other, completely baffles most servers.

 

No, there is no discount to the cover charge for eating less. Regarding the previous poster's comment that you can eat as much as you want, it might depend on the room or the cruise line. In the Crown Grill on Princess, for example, there is a surcharge ($10, I think) if you want to order an extra entree.

 

It is not clear that this is a concern, but just so you know, children can also be subject to the cover charge. The policies and rates will vary between cruise lines.

[Velvetwater]

We will be going on our 1st cruise. I see that speciality dining costs $25 to $45 each per meal. Is that for a 4 course meal and do you have to have 4 courses? Is that price fixed even if you only wanted to have 2 courses?

 

They let you take it to go if you are full too.

 

One of the few times we did speciality dining at Jiji's on Carnival a couple behind us realised they were stuffed and the waitresses packed up their desserts for them to take to their cabin to enjoy later.

[rkacruiser]

They let you take it to go if you are full too.

 

One of the few times we did speciality dining at Jiji's on Carnival a couple behind us realised they were stuffed and the waitresses packed up their desserts for them to take to their cabin to enjoy later.

 

Doggie Bags availability may depend upon ship and/or Manager of the Specialty Restaurant. I have read that on some taking food back to one's stateroom was not allowed. (I think this applied more to entree type items, though.) Desserts usually are OK to be packaged for later consumption.

[Velvetwater]

I haven't heard yet of people being denied it...and our friends once took a whole 3 course meal back for their mum who had a funny turn and didn't want to leave the cabin that evening. The waiters were lovely.

 

NCL tried out the 'no food back to rooms' rubbish and people went nuts so that soon stopped. :)

[pacruise804]

We sailed Regal Princess last October and were told we could not take anything back to the cabin from the MDR. We were presented with a cake for our anniversary but had to leave most of it behind since we (including the other two couples at the table) were all too full.

[Texas Tillie]

We sailed Regal Princess last October and were told we could not take anything back to the cabin from the MDR. We were presented with a cake for our anniversary but had to leave most of it behind since we (including the other two couples at the table) were all too full.

 

I think I would have walked out with the cake and see if they had the nerve to call security!

[Cruise a holic]

I think I would have walked out with the cake and see if they had the nerve to call security!

Never a fan of Princess Cruise line. Another reason to consider other options. Other lines would gladly send to your cabin