Which cruise line has the worst food?

[pacruise804]

I'll go slightly obscure and say Gateway Clipper out of Pittsburgh has the worst food (mainstream price, but not really the type of cruise line I think we are discussing 😉 ).  

 

On a more serious note, I have sailed the 3 mass market plus Princess and have found food I enjoyed and food that was nearly inedible on each line.  Service and atmosphere contributes as much to me for enjoyment as the actual food, good service can elevate mediocre food and poor service/location can lead me to find faults where I might not have noticed otherwise.  In this respect NCL had the worst dining experiences (specialty or MDR).

[Hlitner]

DW just reminded us of a thought we have previously discussed.  Consider if you would be willing to take out your partner or family to a land-based restaurant that served the same food you get on a cruise ship.  Having dined on more then eighty different ships of many lines we can say, with no hesitation, that we would not go to a land based restaurant that served the meals we have received on any ship!  That being said, we would pay for what we received in some of the alternative restaurants.  Which one's?  Aqualina on Azamara and Murano on Celebrity quickly come to mind.  We have also said we would be willing to pay for a land based Qsine although that venue has since been discontinued by Celebrity.  

 

Hank

[sparks1093]

43 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

 A prime steak should be better than a select steak but I've had good and bad of both because of preparation. One of the worst steaks I've ever had anywhere was an prime aged rib steak that was butchered and cooked improperly on an upscale small ship cruise line that heavily advertises and promotes its food quality. We also had the worst lobster we've ever eaten on the same ship in the same specialty restaurant that served the lousy prime steak. On another ship of the same cruise line the next year we had none of those problems.

 

 My experience and opinion are based on numerous fairly long cruises ranging from 3 to 8 weeks in duration. Even on a single ship we've seen very noticeable differences in the quality of the final product when an executive chef changed mid cruise.

 

This year we even saw a change in how particular dishes were prepared under a single executive chef. We had  experienced an ongoing problem with how they were preparing fish, which we explained to the maitre d' and we showed him exactly what it was. He immediately got on the phone to the executive chef and thereafter we never had a problem...and we order fish quite often. This was on a mass market line. They weren't serving fancy species of fish prepared in an exotic way. These were cheaper types fish prepared simply, but made quite edible based on more careful preparation.

Yes, even quality food can be "butchered" in the wrong hands but made side by side in the same kitchen by the same person the quality of a prime cut should be noticeably better than a lesser cut. 

[navybankerteacher]

5 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

DW just reminded us of a thought we have previously discussed.  Consider if you would be willing to take out your partner or family to a land-based restaurant that served the same food you get on a cruise ship.  Having dined on more then eighty different ships of many lines we can say, with no hesitation, that we would not go to a land based restaurant that served the meals we have received on any ship!  That being said, we would pay for what we received in some of the alternative restaurants.  Which one's?  Aqualina on Azamara and Murano on Celebrity quickly come to mind.  We have also said we would be willing to pay for a land based Qsine although that venue has since been discontinued by Celebrity.  

 

Hank

Because we both like to cook - and experiment, we find that we can enjoy much better food at home (at much lower cost) than eating out - excepting, of course at true fine restaurants (usually serving ethnic specialties).   The other exception of course is the local coffee shop for an occasional breakfast - they serve great steak and eggs, and pancakes  with boar sausage - and real maple syrup.

[PORT ROYAL]

4 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Yes, even quality food can be "butchered" in the wrong hands but made side by side in the same kitchen by the same person the quality of a prime cut should be noticeably better than a lesser cut. 

 

LOL.  Same Chef?

 In the Verrandah we had the Wagu, it was ruined, sent it back and took the Rib Eye,  which was superb. 

[Aquahound]

17 minutes ago, George C said:

I used to love NCL cruised them over a dozen times Norway was a great ship in 1980’s had honeymoon on the Norway also, about twenty years ago I thought they went downhill, will never cruise them again. There are too many other lines to sail.

 

Back in the day, NCL was my favorite line.  My first cruise was on Sunward II, and I cruised several times on Norwegian Sea (aka Seaward).  However, my last cruse on Sea was right after they switched to Freestyle, and it was a disaster.  It was a long time before I tried that line again.  Sadly, the food never got better.  

[George C]

3 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

Back in the day, NCL was my favorite line.  My first cruise was on Sunward II, and I cruised several times on Norwegian Sea (aka Seaward).  However, my last cruse on Sea was right after they switched to Freestyle, and it was a disaster.  It was a long time before I tried that line again.  Sadly, the food never got better.  

The first cruise I took my girlfriend on was 1988 on the third or fourth ever sailing of the Seaward we got engaged on Sovereign of the seas in 1990 and married in 1991. Cruised that ship 6 times , agree it was about 20 years ago when freestyle came out and they went downhill. That ship had the first specialty restaurant I ever saw and it was great on top deck.

[Aquahound]

2 hours ago, George C said:

That ship had the first specialty restaurant I ever saw and it was great on top deck.

 

Ha!  Same here.  Port side, aft.  It might have been Le Bistro.  For some reason, it's one of the only spaces I can still visualize from that ship.   That, and the main dining room because of how bad it vibrated. 

 

[navybankerteacher]

3 hours ago, George C said:

The first cruise I took my girlfriend on was 1988 on the third or fourth ever sailing of the Seaward we got engaged on Sovereign of the seas in 1990 and married in 1991. Cruised that ship 6 times , agree it was about 20 years ago when freestyle came out and they went downhill. That ship had the first specialty restaurant I ever saw and it was great on top deck.

I recall Norwegian Sea had a pretty decent smal chop house on an upper deck - but I think it was starboard side aft.  The food - and especially the service - in the MDR was so bad, that I tried to avoid it as much as possible.  The Lido (or whatever NCL called the cafeteria) was reminiscent of an inner city school cafeteria — the no-extra-charge breakfast beverage was like Tang — this was when HAL still had fresh squeezed OJ.

[Cruzaholic41]

NCL. Period. Even airplane food is better than NCL. 

[clo]

4 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Because we both like to cook - and experiment, we find that we can enjoy much better food at home (at much lower cost) than eating out - excepting, of course at true fine restaurants (usually serving ethnic specialties).   The other exception of course is the local coffee shop for an occasional breakfast - they serve great steak and eggs, and pancakes  with boar sausage - and real maple syrup.

I also love to cook and try not to compare cruise food to what I can fix at home. But, I tell ya, the escargot we had on Oceania (Jacques) was the best I've had including what I make at home.

 

[Aplmac]

Having now done 14 cruises

2x Ocean Village Two, 1 x Carib.Princess

and 11 on various Carnival ships, we've been fairly happy

with Carnival and Carnival Corp. foods all round.

 

Unrealistic expectations ruin many an MDR experience.
I don't expect Cordon Bleu, do you? Seriously?

on a mainstream cruise line? It's not gonna happen!

 

[PORT ROYAL]

22 minutes ago, Aplmac said:

Having now done 14 cruises

2x Ocean Village Two, 1 x Carib.Princess

and 11 on various Carnival ships, we've been fairly happy

with Carnival and Carnival Corp. foods all round.

 

Unrealistic expectations ruin many an MDR experience.
I don't expect Cordon Bleu, do you? Seriously?

on a mainstream cruise line? It's not gonna happen!

 

Understand your direction of approach.  But for my part it is receiving appalling food even for a mainstream cruise line.  Potato mash that slid from one side of a plate to another.  Spagetti Vongole with two small clams and a lump of congealed pasta.  Raw carrots. Chicken that when cut into bled.  The list could be even greater.  This was just one of the off many off putting items that ensured that this cruise cruise line received only one cruise from us.

 

Edited April 9, 2020 by PORT ROYAL
Typo

[Aplmac]

21 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

But for my part it is receiving appalling food even for a mainstream cruise line.  Potato mash that slid from one side of a plate to another.  Spagetti Vongole with two small clams and a lump of congealed pasta.  Raw carrots. Chicken that when cut into bled.  The list could be even greater.  This was just one of the off many off putting items that ensured that this cruise cruise line received only one cruise from us.

 

That sounds fairly serious!!

Shouldn't you be naming Names? ..and Ships? ..dates?

[PORT ROYAL]

9 hours ago, Aplmac said:

 

That sounds fairly serious!!

Shouldn't you be naming Names? ..and Ships? ..dates?

 

One has previously done so.

[Smurf2017]

To avoid us having to go through all your previous posts for the answer, couldn't you at least point us in the general direction please?

[Smurf2017]

We travelled on only five of the major cruise lines and without any shadow of a doubt am happy to name MSC as the worst we have experienced. We have travelled on two of their ships and found both had poorly presented food which in the majority of cases was barely lukewarm. All that backed up with appalling customer service means we will not be trying them again anytime soon.

[marco]

And yes...it is subjective.  Particularly after reading the preceding post.  We were on our 4th MSC cruise this past February and it was one of the better dining experiences we've had adn we've been on many cruises on many different lines and ships.  We sailed out of Miami to the Caribbean, we have never sailed on MSC in Europe and folks who have sailed both have said the difference is practically like sailing on two different lines and the overall experience was much better when sailing out of the US..  Also, we've noticed a big difference in the dining experience on different ships of the same line.

Edited April 10, 2020 by marco

[PORT ROYAL]

1 hour ago, Smurf2017 said:

To avoid us having to go through all your previous posts for the answer, couldn't you at least point us in the general direction please?

Azura - Pronounced on board as -   Árrszoorááh

With the pronoucation forced through the nasal cavity

 

Edited April 10, 2020 by PORT ROYAL
Typo

[richstowe]

21 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Having dined on more then eighty different ships of many lines we can say, with no hesitation, that we would not go to a land based restaurant that served the meals we have received on any ship! 

I normally nod my head in agreement at your comments . This one made me do a double take . I'm surprised at your comment . 🤯 

Cruise food is not fine dining . It is not innovative , exciting or revelatory . At it's best it compares to quality country club food . I am normally very happy with this .

Back to the thread question - NCL . 👎

[clo]

28 minutes ago, richstowe said:

we would not go to a land based restaurant that served the meals we have received on any ship! 

Did you actually read this? I don't think that's terribly critical when you consider the sheer numbers that a ship vs. a restaurant will serve in a day. There's also what I call the LCD factor. Lowest common denominator. I've often that most ship's restaurants have to 'dumb it down' at least a smidge in order to please most of the passengers. I don't know if this is what Hank was saying, just my opinion.

[donaldsc]

Can I include the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Staten Island Ferry line?  LOL!!!

 

 

DON

Edited April 10, 2020 by donaldsc

[lenquixote66]

6 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

Can I include the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Staten Island Ferry line?  LOL!!!

 

 

DON

I was not aware that the SI Ferry that I took every day to go to work at one time served food .

[donaldsc]

1 minute ago, lenquixote66 said:

I was not aware that the SI Ferry that I took every day to go to work at one time served food .

 

I was sort of kidding.  However, I believe that there are food trucks outside of the terminals at both ends and you can carry the food on board.  The food truck food might be better than some of the stuff you get on cruise ships.

 

DON

Edited April 10, 2020 by donaldsc

[njhorseman]

11 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

I was not aware that the SI Ferry that I took every day to go to work at one time served food .

Sure did. They used to have a snack bar on the ferry boats.