Chops grille worth it for $54

[djefferis]

The ONLY problem with those comparing their favorite “local” steakhouse to Chops.

 

How many of your “locals” are walkable from your stateroom ? 
 

Chops is the ONLY choice of steakhouse aboard the ship - if you want a quality steak while aboard a cruise - it’s Chops or settle for a lesser steak in the MDR or wait until your off the ship. 
 

Same with the casino - I mean Vegas is filled with casinos that offer much better payouts and better odds on table games and will blow away the rewards offered by a cruise casino - but if your on a ship (or other venue where gaming options are limited) they don’t have to be competitive- just open - to attract business. 
 

If your going on a cruise solely for a great steak - your doing it wrong. Getting a pretty good steak aboard a ship is about the best you can ask for.  You cruise for a lot of reasons - things like specialty dining are just there to enhance the experience for those who wish to oartake - not to draw you aboard. 
 

I’d also point out the majority of the great steakhouses people point out here where you can get a better steak for $54 don’t offer a view of water at all and very infrequently offer any type of “discount”. Stop into a butcher shop or counter at your local grocer and price a high end steak to fix at home - it’s less than $54 - but not by much it feels at times. 

Edited August 9, 2021 by djefferis

[bouhunter]

19 hours ago, jfio1021 said:

If your professional cruising opinion is chops grille worth it for an extra 55 bucks, are the quality of the steaks that much better than main dining room. Is it not even your favorite speciality restaurant on the oasis class ships? 

55.00 per person?   NO.

[billslowsky]

39 minutes ago, djefferis said:

Chops is the ONLY choice of steakhouse aboard the ship - if you want a quality steak while aboard a cruise - it’s Chops or settle for a lesser steak in the MDR or wait until your off the ship. 

That it's the only place doesn't improve the quality or value.

[ryano]

Id pay 30-35.  Not 54.   Im hoping to at least get the three night package at discount and it will definitely be one of my choices. Wonderland and Izumi, the other three.  

[boscobeans]

1 hour ago, djefferis said:

 . Stop into a butcher shop or counter at your local grocer and price a high end steak to fix at home - it’s less than $54 - but not by much it feels at times. 

Hand cut, SUPER MARBLED NY STRIP $13 a pound every day of the week..  Sure I have to drive 5 miles to get a HUGE 2 pound amazing steak for  $30.

There is NO WAY chops, and yes we have been there many times, has ever served a steak like this.

 

Chops is good for what it is, ambiance (sometimes), service (sometimes) but not quality or value. 

 

I have been cutting meat since the day I was born and lived over my grandfather's butcher shop and am pretty sure the steaks you get at the MDR and those at Chops come from the same Cryovac only maybe from the best side of the primal piece.

 

Last visit was on the March 7th fiasco from Baltimore. The entire meal, from the medium sized still semi frozen shrimp to the the mediocre sized asparagus served by a disinterested waiter was a joke. 

 

Maybe better luck on the Anthem this November, we will see. 

Edited August 9, 2021 by boscobeans

[luckyinpa]

On 8/8/2021 at 7:02 PM, mek said:

So true about the atmosphere.  Someday I would like to do the lagoon lunch in Tahiti, where the tables are in the water and honestly, they could serve me a Pop Tart and I would probably think it was the best meal ever!

this was nice. we ate here 2 times as it was across the street from our resort. 

 

http://naviosseafood.com/en/

[bitsnerd]

Absolutely, it is!

[Ashland]

Oh, I remember the old days when Chops was $25 pp.

[vacationlover_mn]

On 8/8/2021 at 11:44 AM, jfio1021 said:

If your professional cruising opinion is chops grille worth it for an extra 55 bucks, are the quality of the steaks that much better than main dining room. Is it not even your favorite speciality restaurant on the oasis class ships? 

No.  We only go when we have UDP

[grandgeezer]

Our last cruise on RCL was in October of 2018 was on the Allure, in a Grand Suite. It was a B2B and our travel agent gave us dinner for two, in Chops, for each week. We enjoyed the food, service, and ambiance in the suite dining room that we weren’t even going to Chops. We had tried them on a previous cruise and wasn’t impressed. About the second day they started calling us to make a reservation. The fifth day we finally gave in and booked for that night. The night before we both had the rib eye in the suite dining room so we ordered the same thing in Chops so we could compare. There was no comparison, the suite dining room was far superior in all aspects of the experience. The second week we didn’t bother going back no matter how many times they called. I guess the don’t get reimbursed by the travel agency if not used. Maybe it’s improved by now or experience changes ship to ship.

[jingle5616]

Wait!!!  They are advertising the steaks as "PRIME" grade.  I've never had a mediocre prime steak!  Are the steaks not really prime and RC pulling a bait and switch?  I haven't been on RCL since 2007 and perhaps I shouldn't step foot on board if my expectations of eating an advertised Prime steak isn't going to happen.  Something isn't right here.......

[bouhunter]

On 8/8/2021 at 12:44 PM, jfio1021 said:

is chops grille worth it for an extra 55 bucks

NO

[Rogueperson]

I love a good steak, but if i'm going to shell out $55/person, I'm going to be a little more picky.  Chops is decent, but i've run the gambit of a great steak and a mediocre steak with the same order (but different ships).

 

At $25.00 back in the day, it was definitely worth it.  At $55.00, I'm just going to spend a little more and go to Chef's Table and get a much better meal.

 

From what i hear, you get a better steak at Giovanni's/Jamies.  I have yet to test that theory.  Its usually a little cheaper than Chops.

[twangster]

I get the company has a lot of loss revenue to try to make up for but the increasing prices of specialty has put me off.  

 

On a CDC simulation cruise they offered 50% off so I did Chops.  It's been nearly 2 years since I had done Chops so I figured why not?

 

If people don't buy it at the current price point it won't become the new norm.  

[George C]

Remember you get unlimited appetizers and deserts included in meal .

[footzz]

On 8/9/2021 at 6:35 AM, djefferis said:

Chops is the ONLY choice of steakhouse aboard the ship - if you want a quality steak while aboard a cruise - it’s Chops or settle for a lesser steak in the MDR or wait until your off the ship. 
 

 

While it's true that Chops is the only 'steakhouse' aboard the ship, there are several other dining venues that also serve quality steaks. You can also order a Chop's steak in the main dining room.

Edited September 13, 2021 by footzz

[Iamcruzin]

 I have never found the steakhouse on any cruise line to be a true quality steakhouse. They are more like Outback or Longhorn. At $25 to $30 I would book it for one of  the not so formal nights as the MDR on those nights gets packed. At the current price I will just go along with the herd and line up at the MDR.  If anything I would order one of the pay for steaks in the MDR.

[Iamcruzin]

50 minutes ago, George C said:

Remember you get unlimited appetizers and deserts included in meal .

The same applies in the MDR as well. You can build your entire meal on just appetizers and desserts and skip the main entre if you like.

[Iamcruzin]

On 8/8/2021 at 12:44 PM, jfio1021 said:

If your professional cruising opinion is chops grille worth it for an extra 55 bucks, are the quality of the steaks that much better than main dining room. Is it not even your favorite speciality restaurant on the oasis class ships? 

No it isn't  Don't forget they also add in an 18% gratuity in addition to the daily gratuity that you are already paying.  So it's more like $65 pp. This might explain the lack of service that some have reported. No sense going the extra mile if the gratuity is automatic.  

[orville99]

We only dine at Chops when we use the BOGO voucher. That gets the price down to about $30/pp which is at the very edge of appropriate value for what you get.

[Cruise a holic]

Sometimes, you can get a special rate the first night.  If you go on board , proceed to the restaurant and ask the manager.  If they aren't booked you might score a buy one, get one free.  Food very good- not Peter Lugers, ( A premium NY steak house), A nice experience rather then dining in a big catering hall which the MDR is..

[PCHENG]

Not worth it for 55 dollars, and it is far from my favorite specialty on Royal ships.  IMHO Jamie's Italian, Giovanni's Kitchen and 150 Central Park all offer a better dining experience for less money.  

[Ashland]

3 hours ago, George C said:

Remember you get unlimited appetizers and deserts included in meal .

And so is the gratuity.

[livinginyellow]

OMG We ate at Chops last week on Oasis. Hadn't eaten there since we got engaged on Indy in Feb. 2016. It was everything we remembered - and more. The food was FANTASTIC and the best part was the service. Our server kept reminding us that we were in a specialty restaurant and to use it all up - we weren't going to do a salad, but he got us one anyways just to try, and we were so stuffed we didn't want to do dessert, only some ice cream. He got us two slices of some cake to go anyways. It's that kind of thoughtfulness that make a restaurant like that worth it. Sure, it's expensive, but both the food and the experience are not one you are going to get on land. 

[Rogueperson]

4 hours ago, George C said:

Remember you get unlimited appetizers and deserts included in meal .

Its sometimes the same thing.  The beef Carpaccio appetizer i got at Chops on Allure, was in the MDR for dinner a couple days later.  A dessert (I can't remember it now) that I got at Chops that night, appeared for lunch the next day in the MDR.