Which is a better boarding day meal on Freedom - Giovanni's or MDR Chops menu with the Key?

[SAmome]

Trying to decide if want to get the Key.

 

Also, is the app fairly accurate as far as menu in MDR?  On the 3 night is there a weaker menu night to skip?

 

Showing on app,

Friday - Prime Rib

Saturday Beef Tenderloin

Sunday - Garlic Tiger Shrimp

If that's enough to go on to visualize menus lol.  

 

Thanks!

[Biker19]

On 9/3/2022 at 8:00 AM, SAmome said:

Also, is the app fairly accurate as far as menu in MDR? 

For the current sailing, yes.

Only get the Key if it's within a couple of $ of Stream which you would have bought anyway.

[HicksRA]

I’d skip the tiger shrimp. Almost impossible (for me) to get them out of the shell without ripping them to bits. Not worth the trouble. 
I prefer Giovanni’s over Chops. 

[pamwigs]

We will see. We are having lunch on embark day at Giovanni's. 

[PWP-001]

On 9/3/2022 at 8:00 AM, SAmome said:

Trying to decide if want to get the Key.

 

 

Thanks!

Since you mentioned Freedom as your ship, I'll share that for the August 19, 2022 3 day cruise, I had The Key and lunch in MDR.  While the menu states Colossal Shrimp Cocktail, they passed off the normal MDR small shrimp cocktail.  As she served it to me, I called out the mistake, only to be told this is all they had.  I don't know if it was a 'one-off' for my cruise or just RCI cutting a corner.

 

The crab cakes at breakfast for disembarkation were very good, if that helps sway your decision.

 

If you do decide on The Key, I'd be interested if they pull the same shrimp switch. 

[rudeney]

I'll bet they won't use the "colossal" shrimp.  Lunch for The Key is not prepared by Chops - it's made in the MDR galley by those cooks.  The giant shrimp are likely stored in the Chops refrigerators, and the MDR uses whatever they have on hand in theirs.  I'm not downplaying The Key lunch - it is definitely better than fighting the crowds in the Windjammer, but I think people expect it to "be Chops", and it's not truly the Chops experience.  Jan and I ate in chops about 7 times on our last cruise, and we have decided it's our favorite RCCL dining experience.  We love the atmosphere, decor, the view and it's quiet.  The staff is excellent and each waiter serves less than half the seats that the MDR staff does, so you get much more personal service.

 

No back to the question at hand, I'd pass on The Key and eat at Giovanni's.  Again, small venue, more attentive staff, and the dishes are prepared in the cook-to-order kitchen by the chef and staff of that restaurant.  

 

As for the MDR menus, I noticed that it changed on Voyager.  Prior to the cruise, they had "lobster night" listed on Day 6, but once on the ship, it was actually Day 5.

[notscb]

1 hour ago, rudeney said:

I'm not downplaying The Key lunch - it is definitely better than fighting the crowds in the Windjammer, but I think people expect it to "be Chops", and it's not truly the Chops experience. 

 

You're 100% on the money. In my experience, the shrimp were the normal MDR shrimp, but the steak was above the normal MDR standards for sure. I have to say, doing lunch in the MDR on embarkation day set a much calmer and relaxed tone for my entire vacation vs fighting the crowds on the main deck and in the Windjammer.

On 9/3/2022 at 8:00 AM, SAmome said:

Also, is the app fairly accurate as far as menu in MDR?

It was accurate when I was onboard in May. The wait staff even asked me to pull up the app vs bringing a menu to the table in the MDR.

 

On 9/6/2022 at 4:11 PM, Biker19 said:

Only get the Key if it's within a couple of $ of Stream which you would have bought anyway.

Yup. The sales on the Key make it worth it only if it's within a few bucks per day of the surf+stream and you were going to get the surf+stream anyway.

[RedIguana]

9 hours ago, notscb said:

Yup. The sales on the Key make it worth it only if it's within a few bucks per day of the surf+stream and you were going to get the surf+stream anyway.

 

9 hours ago, notscb said:

but the steak was above the normal MDR standards for sure. I have to say, doing lunch in the MDR on embarkation day set a much calmer and relaxed tone for my entire vacation vs fighting the crowds on the main deck and in the Windjammer.

This. notscb pretty much nails it with these comments.

I've done the Key twice, both times it was within $80 total of the difference between surf and stream for 2 vs the Key price. Once when it was first out, and the lunch was actually in chops, and then just a few months ago. The new menu is very limited vs first time, no porkbelly appetizer 😭, but a decent steak. If you have a tender port the Key is great. 

[CamaCama]

Read it wrong. Giovanni's for sure.

Edited October 12, 2022 by CamaCama