Chef’s Table

[Clarea]

16 minutes ago, barbeyg said:

 

 ... And they skimped on the wine, compared to other ships. I’m not talking about quantity, but quality. We had a Caymus for the main course, which was very nice, but the wines for the other courses weren’t quality ...

 

 

 

I've read similar comments about Chef's Table several times.  Even if they did give us a big break on the price, I still don't think I'd book Chef's Table without seeing the wine list.

[LuCruise]

1 hour ago, barbeyg said:

 

We’ve done the Chef’s Table before. And other than that, we loved Adventure. Let me say that first. 

 

It was in the dining room, on a tier of the large staircase, and hard to hear the explanations of the courses and the wines. We personally prefer a smaller, more intimate venue so we can hear, and chat around the table. And they skimped on the wine, compared to other ships. I’m not talking about quantity, but quality. We had a Caymus for the main course, which was very nice, but the wines for the other courses weren’t quality, but rather an everyday wine we would pick up in the liquor store to have with dinner. There were no alternatives offered when someone at the table couldn’t drink a particular wine, nor was there a white with the main course for those who chose fish. It really felt like they were trying to save money for themselves. And I’m not a wine snob, just have been led to expect more from other experiences. 🙂 The food was very good, but I wouldn’t pay that price for just the food. 

 

We booked ahead of time with a shipboard credit. They probably offer a discount onboard. Wouldn’t recommend it any other way. Not bad, just not worth the price listed. 🙂

 

Thanks for explaining.  How long ago was your cruise?  That's disappointing about the wines offered, especially as it's supposed to be first class.  That's really bad to if its too noisy to hear any of the explanations. So think we'll wait until we're on board and see if there's a sale.  If not, we'll select another specialty or gallery tour or something.  (We want to do something special or different on our Adventure cruise).  Overall it sounds really nice though and something we would never do or experience otherwise.

[barbeyg]

1 hour ago, LuCruise said:

Thanks for explaining.  How long ago was your cruise?  That's disappointing about the wines offered, especially as it's supposed to be first class.  That's really bad to if its too noisy to hear any of the explanations. So think we'll wait until we're on board and see if there's a sale.  If not, we'll select another specialty or gallery tour or something.  (We want to do something special or different on our Adventure cruise).  Overall it sounds really nice though and something we would never do or experience otherwise.

 

Our experience was last December (2018), early in the month.  

 

And, if you want to check out the venue, go to the back of the dining room, to the top level of the staircase, where there is a platform in the center with the table on it.  It's a few steps below the top level of the dining room. Like Host Clarea, we will wait till we board in the future, and ask to see the wine list now.  I will say that every single time (including this one) we have really enjoyed the table mates we were sharing the experience with.  It's hubby's favorite 'markup' thing to do.   

[paul1815]

Does the chef actually introduce each course or plate?  I've had an experience (not RCI) where the chef greeted us at the beginning of the meal and we never saw her again.  Not much of a "chef's table" without the chef!

[LuCruise]

3 hours ago, barbeyg said:

 

Our experience was last December (2018), early in the month.  

 

And, if you want to check out the venue, go to the back of the dining room, to the top level of the staircase, where there is a platform in the center with the table on it.  It's a few steps below the top level of the dining room. Like Host Clarea, we will wait till we board in the future, and ask to see the wine list now.  I will say that every single time (including this one) we have really enjoyed the table mates we were sharing the experience with.  It's hubby's favorite 'markup' thing to do.   

Thanks for describing how to find the location.  Good idea.  

 

Different question....my one concern is more of a physical issue where I cannot sit for long periods of time (and I know the meal can be 2-3 hrs in length).  From the way you describe it, it seems like it would be easy enough to get up a couple times, right?  I don't want to affect the experience for others though if this would be distracting.

 

[Clarea]

9 minutes ago, LuCruise said:

Thanks for describing how to find the location.  Good idea.  

 

Different question....my one concern is more of a physical issue where I cannot sit for long periods of time (and I know the meal can be 2-3 hrs in length).  From the way you describe it, it seems like it would be easy enough to get up a couple times, right?  I don't want to affect the experience for others though if this would be distracting.

 

 

No problem, people get up and use the restroom all the time.

[LuCruise]

4 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

No problem, people get up and use the restroom all the time.

Perfect.  Thanks!

[barbeyg]

Absolutely what Bob said.  After that much wine, plus water, I couldn't sit for 3 hours without taking a bathroom break.  And I don't think anyone would mind if you needed to 'stretch your legs'.  No one else's experience would be bothered by that.  

 

Enjoy your cruise!  

[dpostman]

On 4/26/2019 at 6:47 PM, Redsky5292 said:

We are sailing the Brilliance next April and are considering booking the Chef’s Table for one night of dining. Does anyone have experience with this?

 

Since we've never done Chef's Table on a cruise ship, I cannot vouch for it's worth yet.  That being said, from what I've read, Brilliance (Radiance Class ships) has probably one of the best venues for Chef's Table on RCI ships.  We have a Cruise on Brilliance coming up in August.  It is for our 25th Anniversary, and we absolutely wanted to do CT so as soon as it was available in the Cruise Planner, we immediately booked it.  I know it might be cheaper once on board, but the date we wanted was important to us and did not want to take a chance that it might be sold out.  However, I just checked in the cruise planner, and the Chef's Table is still available for purchase for all 12 nights of our cruise.  Time is set for 6:30 every night.

 

This will be a Baltic Cruise and we chose day 8 because we are scheduled to be in Finland with a 3pm departure.  That gives us plenty of time to get back to the ship, have a snooze, shower and be ready easily by 6:30.

 

We also have a 3 night  dining package to spread out among the 11 remaining nights.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

dp

Edited May 31, 2019 by dpostman

[Hoopster95]

1 hour ago, dpostman said:

That being said, from what I've read, Brilliance (Radiance Class ships) has probably one of the best venues for Chef's Table on RCI ships. 

 

In my Brilliance review from last year, I posted photos and description of Chef Table...

the very best Chef's Table ever for me on any RCL ship.

(click on "Hoopster95 replied to a topic" to go directly to the Chef Table review)

 

 

Like all dining on Royal, it really comes down to the ship, the Hotel manager, who the Chef is, what product (wine list) they'll allow to be served, if the food is being sourced from the absolute bottom cheapest sources (ie. North America) or from better suppliers (ships in Europe).

 

If Chef Brown (Jamaican) is on Brilliance for your sailing, book Chef table immediately! Look at the photos and the selection of wines we received. It's been the only full course meal on RCL that I could justify comparing to a luxury cruise line. Totally superb and the wines were superb as well.

 

However.... this was last year. Who's the Hotel manager now? Who's the Chef? How are the books (ie. do they need to save money)? Who knows what you'll get this year.

Edited May 31, 2019 by Hoopster95

[LuCruise]

Hoopster95, your experience on Brilliance looks amazing!  You even got the Wonderland World dessert?  Room looks perfect too with it being intimate and private.  Thanks for sharing.

[Tracey]

On 4/26/2019 at 5:58 PM, vacationlover_mn said:

Is it really worth the $99 pp that I see for my oasis cruise?

We did it on the Oasis and it was prenominal!!  Plus on the Oasis it is in the Coastal Kitchen/Suite Lounge in an alcove between the two so you have great ambience. I would love someone to start a thread of where they are located on the different ships because that would really make a difference! At least in my opinion. There also were only 9 of us so not a full table and we celebrated 2 birthdays and 1 anniversary(ours). The chef and host were so awesome.

[Tracey]

On 4/26/2019 at 7:15 PM, NouCruzer said:

 

If you are flexible, wait to book until you're on board.  Often, but not always, you can negotiate hefty discounts if they need to fill spots.  I've been offered 50% off.

 

To the OP;  if you enjoy fine wines and food, it is a great experience.  Worth trying once and then let your experience and the cost dictate whether you return in future cruises.

 

We were offered a discount because they needed to fill seats and we don't drink wine but they gave us wine anyway so we wouldn't look awkward. We both did try some.

[Tracey]

On 5/31/2019 at 10:36 AM, paul1815 said:

Does the chef actually introduce each course or plate?  I've had an experience (not RCI) where the chef greeted us at the beginning of the meal and we never saw her again.  Not much of a "chef's table" without the chef!

On the Oasis in August 2018, yes the chef came and explained every coarse and the host every wine that went with that coarse.