Food on Symphony and minor review 10/15 Sailing

[pfdaxe358]

Just off Symphony and not sure if it's a post-Covid thing or what, but the food was very subpar from any other pre-Covid cruise we have been on. Is this just on Symphony or fleet wide? Is it a way to upsell specialty dining and packages? So what do I mean by subpar? The food was extremely bland with not much flavor. It seemed no matter what we ordered in the MDR or ate at WJ, Park Cafe etc., there was very little flavor. I remember how rich the food tasted on previous cruises and bragged to friends about the food on RC. Also, the selection in WJ didn't change much as in the past and the selection of pastries was almost non-existent. Maybe 3-4 of the same packaged style items every day. As others have noted, the food was luke warm at best. I'm a big foodie and was disappointed with this as I was looking forward to some nice savory meals. Now, to be fair, my mother, who's a cruise specialist TA, is currently on Odyssey in the Mediterranean and stated the food was lovely. One great thing on this sailing was the crew. EVERYONE was so welcoming, friendly and accommodating. Dennis the CD and the 2 comedians were outstanding. Flight was beyond amazing and the ice shows were also very good. Hiro was really good for the first half before being stopped for winds. This cruise was super crowded with a lot more kids onboard than we had anticipated but most were behaved. School still out...it's been 2+ years 😉 These were just me and my wife's observations as your thoughts and tastes may have been different.

[Rysyonok]

1 hour ago, pfdaxe358 said:

The food was extremely bland with not much flavor. It seemed no matter what we ordered in the MDR or ate at WJ, Park Cafe etc., there was very little flavor. I remember how rich the food tasted on previous cruises and bragged to friends about the food on RC. Also, the selection in WJ didn't change much as in the past and the selection of pastries was almost non-existent. Maybe 3-4 of the same packaged style items every day.

 

Thank you for your review. Have you tried all the free venues, e.g., Solarium Bistro, El Loco? Have you tried any paid ones - or have you seen how much they were booked? What kind of promotions were being pushed for paid food venues, prior to the sailing and onboard?

 

WJ used to have a hidden gem that I call "chef's night off"; it's when on a formal night all the more senior crew are pulled to MDR, and some genuinely ethnic dishes come out, the kind you both can't name and can't resist 🙂 Has there been no changes like that at all?

[pfdaxe358]

49 minutes ago, Rysyonok said:

 

Thank you for your review. Have you tried all the free venues, e.g., Solarium Bistro, El Loco? Have you tried any paid ones - or have you seen how much they were booked? What kind of promotions were being pushed for paid food venues, prior to the sailing and onboard?

 

WJ used to have a hidden gem that I call "chef's night off"; it's when on a formal night all the more senior crew are pulled to MDR, and some genuinely ethnic dishes come out, the kind you both can't name and can't resist 🙂 Has there been no changes like that at all?

We did try Solarium Bistro a couple of times for breakfast and lunch and was pretty much the same food selections offered in the WJ and of course we hit Sorento's and Promenade Café for snacks. Again, both were disappointing. The pizza was wafer thin and the selection at the Café was minimal and always the same. We didn't do any specialty dinning on this cruise as we have in the past. We just felt that the food that we always really enjoyed at the many "included" venues has slipped to what we considered cafeteria food. Oh...and don't get me started on the "prime rib". Pure leather. Shame as the rest of the ship is exceptional. 

[blueslily]

Oh man. Sorry to hear that for you and me both.Sailing on Symphony in December. Hope included food improves by then. Glad you enjoyed everything else. 

[taglovestocruise]

Sailed Ovation four weeks ago and Quantum two weeks ago.  Ovation had the best MDR, Bistro and Windjammer food of any cruise I have taken. Quantum was the absolute worst food served on any Royal ship I have sailed. Booked Chop's and Jamie's on both ships,  both were absolutely fantastic. 

[LinRon3]

We just got off the same cruise.  We didn't do specialty dining, but we always feel 'privileged' to doing any cruising at all.  We ate at the MDR most nights, and the food was amazing to us [but remember, we're old folks from the farm used to stale bread and hot dogs for dinner].  WOW...we are BLESSED indeed to be on the SYMPHONY!!!  We could be in Ukraine fighting for our lives!!!  Anyway, the ice shows and production crews were...how can I say...we had TEARS in our eye they were so good...especially FLIGHT and 1977 [and even ISkate 2.0].  This was our third mega ship and two voyager class...and the ICE and PRODUCTION crews were best ever [Hairspray...uh..not so by me, but I don't like being preached at].  Overall, SYMPHONY is a great ship, a great crew, and superlative in a lot of ways [Harmony beats them in some ways...like Park Cafe in Cent. Park].  IT"S ALL GOOD..if you're a cruzer'.  But we understand, there is comparative realization.  We'd put the Symphony at least on PAR with the HARMONY...mabye just simidge above the ALLURE.  But heck, what do we know?  We're just from 'down on the farm'.  

[KeroTravel]

Have you had Covid?  I've read and spoken to people who say their taste buds take forever (if at all) to return to normal.

[Ret MP]

On a cruise ship, especially Royal, I don't think I've had a meal that I would come into a social media forum and complain about.  NO!  I'm not finding fault with those of you in here that have.  I'm just saying that it hasn't happened to me.  I've dined around the world in a lot of the higher-end restaurants and some of the best Big Box restaurants and many many Ma/Pa corner restaurants.  So, I think I know what a good meal tastes like.  I also know what a bad meal tastes like, Military Mess Halls come to mind!  But, many of those were very good too. 

 

Is Royal's buffet and other included eating venues "WORLD CLASS"?  No, of course not.  But, to me, they have always been acceptable. Now, I'd like for Royal to swap dessert recipes with Rustbucket Cruise Lines, Inc.  Rustbucket Cruise Lines, Inc., does a couple things better than Royal, that's desserts and Spa.  But, I'll never cruise Rustbucket Cruise Line, Inc., again.  But, that's a whole other story, for another day.  

 

Sorry if your meal(s) wasn't up to par!  

Edited October 26, 2022 by Ret MP

[pfdaxe358]

14 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

On a cruise ship, especially Royal, I don't think I've had a meal that I would come into a social media forum and complain about.  NO!  I'm not finding fault with those of you in here that have.  I'm just saying that it hasn't happened to me.  I've dined around the world in a lot of the higher-end restaurants and some of the best Big Box restaurants and many many Ma/Pa corner restaurants.  So, I think I know what a good meal tastes like.  I also know what a bad meal tastes like, Military Mess Halls come to mind!  But, many of those were very good too. 

 

Is Royal's buffet and other included eating venues "WORLD CLASS"?  No, of course not.  But, to me, they have always been acceptable. Now, I'd like for Royal to swap dessert recipes with Rustbucket Cruise Lines, Inc.  Rustbucket Cruise Lines, Inc., does a couple things better than Royal, that's desserts and Spa.  But, I'll never cruise Rustbucket Cruise Line, Inc., again.  But, that's a whole other story, for another day.  

 

Sorry if your meal(s) wasn't up to par!  

Same boat as you as far as world traveler and ate at countless places in my 58 years. My point was the food doesn't compare to every other Royal cruise we had been on. The quality and variety/selection changes weren't like every prior cruise. I had to ask my wife if I was imagining it and she agreed that it was a disappointment on the sailing. We expected better from Royal. But like mentioned, it could have been the ship and maybe where they sourced for this itinerary.

[Ret MP]

4 minutes ago, pfdaxe358 said:

Same boat as you as far as world traveler and ate at countless places in my 58 years. My point was the food doesn't compare to every other Royal cruise we had been on. The quality and variety/selection changes weren't like every prior cruise. I had to ask my wife if I was imagining it and she agreed that it was a disappointment on the sailing. We expected better from Royal. But like mentioned, it could have been the ship and maybe where they sourced for this itinerary.

Could be a lot of issues, for sure.  

 

And I just want to make it clear that I, in no way and stated, don't/didn't find fault with your post or your review.  I was just sharing my experience with the food on the cruises that I've been on.  

[pfdaxe358]

16 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

Could be a lot of issues, for sure.  

 

And I just want to make it clear that I, in no way and stated, don't/didn't find fault with your post or your review.  I was just sharing my experience with the food on the cruises that I've been on.  

Appreciate your input for sure. Believe me, we are beyond grateful, blessed and lucky to even have an opportunity to sail and be able to vent a bit. Overall, we're all lovers of this lifestyle that not everyone can afford or endure.

[neverbeenhere]

I'm guessing that your invisible plane uses some type of fuel and that it might be kind of expensive now, but surely you could have taken the short flight to enjoy meals at the various islands that you were near.

 

 

 

 

Hope your next cruise brings better cuisine.