Royal changing main dining room menu

[soapbxking]

1 hour ago, nelblu said:

Look up a thread titled "New Menus on Symphony"

Gracias 🙂

 

[soapbxking]

6 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I just googled menus, as suggested.  Here's what I found: 

 

Symphony, Day 1 

Appetizers

     Classic Caesar Salad 

     Spinach & Artichoke Dip 

     Chilled Shrimp Cocktail 

     Escargots a la Bourguinonne

     Vegan Roasted Tomato Soup

     Maryland Crab Cake  

Entrees 

     Battered Fish & Chips 

     Southern Fried Chicken 

     Grilled Pork Chop 

     Aromatic Chicken Saag

     Spaghetti Bolognese

     Vegan Herb-crusted Portabello 

     Slow-roasted Prime Rib 

     Maine Lobster Tail ... $16.95 + 18% tax 

     Chops Grille Filet Mignon ... $19.99 + 18% tax 

     Surf & Turf ... $34.99 + 18% tax 

Dessert 

     No sugar added Warm Blueberry Cobbler w/ice cream 

     Boston Cream Pie 

     Ice Cream 

     Royal Cheesecake

     Vegan Peanut-Caramel Bar 

     Key Lime Pie 

 

Symphony, Day 2 

Appetizers

     Classic Caesar Salad 

     Classic Wedge Salad 

     Crispy Buttermilk Calamari

     Baked French Onion Soup 

     Vegan Creamy Butternut Squash Soup 

     Escargots a la Bourguinonne

Entrees 

     Fragrant Herb-Crusted Salmon 

     Chicken Cordon Bleu 

     Classic Beef Bourguignon 

     Seafood Linguine 

     Curried Lamb Rogan Josh

     Vegan Spring Pea & Asparagus Risotto 

     Roasted Beef Tenderloin 

     Maine Lobster Tail ... $16.95 + 18% tax 

     Chops Grille Filet Mignon ... $19.99 + 18% tax 

     Surf & Turf ... $34.99 + 18% tax 

Dessert 

     No sugar added Layered Peach Trifle 

     Ice Cream 

     Toasted Almond Profiteroles

     Apple Blossom a la Mode 

     Vegan Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies 

     Creme Brulee 

 

Symphony, Day 3

Appetizers

     Classic Caesar Salad 

     Garden Mixed Salad

     Crispy Parmesan Arancini (mushrooom)

     Italian Minestrone 

     Vegan Golden Polenta Fries w/ Spicy Dip 

     Seared Beef Carpaccio 

Entrees 

     Pan-seared Filet of Sole 

     Chicken Parmesan 

     NY Strip Steak 

     Creamy Mushroom Risotto 

     Spiced Lamb Kofta 

     Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese 

     Garlic Shrimp & Vegetable Linguine 

     Maine Lobster Tail ... $16.95 + 18% tax 

     Chops Grille Filet Mignon ... $19.99 + 18% tax 

     Surf & Turf ... $34.99 + 18% tax 

Dessert 

     No sugar added Dark Chocolate Custard 

     Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Cake 

     Ice Cream

     Lemon Curd Tartlet 

     Vegan Crumbly Oat & Berry Bar 

     Classic Tiramisu 

 

Symphony, Day 4 

Appetizers

     Classic Caesar Salad 

     Green Lentil Soup 

     Asian-style Pork Bao Tacos

     Baked French Onion Soup 

     Vegan Honey-soy Tofu & Avocado Salad 

     Crispy Coconut Jumbo Shrimp 

Entrees 

     Garlic-herbed Buttered Tiger Shrimp 

     Steak Diane

     Grilled Caribbean Chicken 

     Pesto Tagliatelle 

     Rustic Chicken Korma 

     Vegan Stuffed Grilled Eggplant 

     Jerk Seasoned Pork Chop 

     Maine Lobster Tail ... $16.95 + 18% tax 

     Chops Grille Filet Mignon ... $19.99 + 18% tax 

     Surf & Turf ... $34.99 + 18% tax 

Dessert 

     No sugar added Coffee Pot de Creme 

     Royal Chocolate Cake 

     Ice Cream 

     Carrot Cake 

     Vegan Chilled Banana Cocoa Custard 

     Pineapple Sunshine Cake 

 

Symphony, Day 5

Appetizers

     Classic Caesar Salad 

     Escargots a la Bourguinonne

     Fried Chicken Empanadas 

     Grilled Sweet Corn Cakes

     Vegan Tortilla Soup 

     Roasted Poblano Pepper Soup 

Entrees 

     Chipolte-lime Crusted Salmon 

     Pulled Pork Enchiladas 

     Carne Asade

     Spaghetti All'Arrabbiata

     Spicy Shrimp Jaffrezi 

     Vegan Crunchy Chili-crusted Tofu Tacos

     Pollo a la Mexicana 

     Maine Lobster Tail ... $16.95 + 18% tax 

     Chops Grille Filet Mignon ... $19.99 + 18% tax 

     Surf & Turf ... $34.99 + 18% tax 

Dessert 

     No sugar added Coconut Layer Cake 

     Soft-baked Chocolate Chip Cookies

     Ice Cream 

     Caramel Flan

     Vegan Toffee Cheesecake 

     Tres Leche Cake 

 

Symphony, Day 6 

Appetizers

     Classic Caesar Salad 

     Escargots a la Bourguinonne

     Chilled Shrimp Cocktail 

     Vidalia Onion Tart 

     Vegan Bright Citrus Avocado & Melon Salad

     Baked French Onion Soup 

Entrees 

     Broiled Lobster Tail ... second entree costs $16.95 

     Lemon Butter Baked Cod 

     Autumn Turkey Dinner

     NY Strip Steak 

     Cheese Tortellini Pasta

     Butter Chicken 

     Vegan Stuffed Red Bell Pepper 

     Chops Grille Filet Mignon ... $19.99 + 18% tax 

     Surf & Turf ... $34.99 + 18% tax 

Dessert 

     No sugar added Strawberry Shortcake 

     Warm Chocolate Cake 

     Ice Cream 

     Red Velvet Cake 

     Vegan Chocolate Creme Brulee

     Baked Alaska 

 

 

Symphony, Day 6 -- yes, I know we already had a 6, but this is how it's labeled  

Appetizers

     Seafood Fritters

     Chilled Shrimp Cocktail 

     Baked French Onion Soup 

     Traditional Greek Salad 

     Vegan Pan-seared Asparagus 

     Mediterranian Tapas Medley 

Entrees 

     Moroccan Spiced Ahi Tuna

     Chicken Marsala 

     Clams & Linguine 

     Grilled Mediterranian Steak 

     Chicken Chettinad 

     Vegan Vegetable Moussaka 

     Braised Lamb 

     Broiled Lobster Tail ... second entree costs $16.95 

     Chops Grille Filet Mignon ... $19.99 + 18% tax 

     Surf & Turf ... $34.99 + 18% tax 

Dessert 

     No sugar added Cappuccino Chocolate Mouse

     Dark Chocolate Brownie 

     Ice Cream 

     Warm Apple Cobbler 

     Vegan No-bake Lemon Tart 

     Creme Catalana 

 

Thanks!  wow

 

[Mum2Mercury]

Having typed all that -- Y'all are welcome -- here's my analysis: 

 

- Each evening seems to offer 6 appetizers, 7 entrees (ignoring the for-cost items), 6 desserts.

- Looking at the old menus, they seem to offer 4 appetizers + 5 classic appetizers ... 5 entrees + 4 classic entrees ... 3 desserts + 6 classic desserts.  

- So, yes, roughly 30% fewer options.  

 

- Note that the full Maine lobster is gone ... you can get a for-charge lobster tail each evening.  It is less expensive than the full lobster was, which is fair ... but $16.95 is expensive for a small lobster tail. 

- Note that a second lobster tail costs extra.  

- I see many of the classics are still here ... but they aren't offered every day; for example, Shrimp Cocktail and Escargot used to be an every-day option -- now they show up, but only a couple times during the week.  On the other hand, Roasted Chicken, a "plain eater's choice" is gone altogether.  

- If you're a "plain eater" who doesn't like to venture out much, I do see something for you each evening, but I don't see a lot of choices for them.  

- The desserts seem to have taken the greatest hits; that is, they seem least appealing to me.  

 

 

Edited December 15, 2022 by Mum2Mercury

[Nunagoras]

1 hour ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Thing is, a lot of the crew can't have "a better life" at home, and they're almost all young -- some of them want the opportunity to get away from home. 

I fully agree with you regarding low level crew personnel; those ones that usually come from the Philippines, Brazil, or most recently India and a few African countries. Problem is: Very rarely one of those will get training and the proper skills to become a mid-to-top level crew member. Basically; all the individuals I have dealt with on cruises on positions from a supervisor onward to general department manager, as well as guest services or marine officials have been well established western countries individuals. I know some Portuguese ones that used to work on various cruise lines at any market level whom have basically "retired" from the high seas. I was talking of said individuals. And believe me: Most of those individuals are "behind the scenes" ones, but ships can't to be run without them. Wish a waiter: The poor countries provide, solved the travel visa problems that remain elsewhere. Want a sous-chef? Even well established western countries have difficulty to provide right now. Ships of all levels are doing now what they can to maintain minimum standards... But believe me: Compromises would need to be done. I believe the next wave will to be to put specialty coffee drinks at automated machines like the Coke machines some ships have now to alleviate the lack of top bartenders elsewhere. And I could go on. Minimalist menus will be the norm in less than 6 months. NCL has them in some ships. MSC has them already fleet wide. CCL is on the go... Have a nice day!

[goldfish65]

I don't think that's "new" menu. On the blog they said it will phased in in January. 

[nelblu]

1 minute ago, goldfish65 said:

I don't think that's "new" menu. On the blog they said it will phased in in January. 

No matter what, the classic standard options will be gone.  Also, limited to one lobster tail on lobster night with a surcharge of $16.99 + grats for an additional one.  Supposedly, the new lobster is a Maine cold water one as compared to the present Caribbean warm water one.

 

My favorite soup of French Onion which I enjoyed every night is no longer available nightly.  

[Mum2Mercury]

The website from which I took these menus said Symphony menus -- wait, or was it Serenade?  Which one is "testing" the new menus?  

 

Ick to the French Onion Soup.  It was like water that some beef and onion ran by.  

[nelblu]

4 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

The website from which I took these menus said Symphony menus -- wait, or was it Serenade?  Which one is "testing" the new menus?  

 

Ick to the French Onion Soup.  It was like water that some beef and onion ran by.  

Symphony.  To each his/her own taste.

[The Fun Researcher]

22 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

The website from which I took these menus said Symphony menus -- wait, or was it Serenade?  Which one is "testing" the new menus?  

 

Ick to the French Onion Soup.  It was like water that some beef and onion ran by.  

My family eats a lot of French onion soup at various locations and multiple cruise lines and LOVE RCCL's.  Go figure.

 

Dan

[Starry Eyes]

20 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

The website from which I took these menus said Symphony menus -- wait, or was it Serenade?  Which one is "testing" the new menus?  

 

Ick to the French Onion Soup.  It was like water that some beef and onion ran by.  

Royal bigwig recently said the menus would change but they wouldn’t be the menus tested on Symphony…those were test menus not the final fleetwide menus.  One would guess the Symphony test menus reflect the company’s general thought process, but will be refined based on user feedback.

 

DH and I like the French Onion soup, though we don’t need that much cheese.  We just leave the extra.

[cello56]

I am a fairly plain eater. I can't eat cheese, eggs, butter, cream sauces, seafood - except for shrimp, salmon and tuna,  olives, mushrooms. These are not 'preferences' they are food aversions. That means that I simply cannot eat them - the very thought of eating cheese or eggs makes me sick to my stomach. I sincerely hope that with whatever new menu they decide on they will take the 'plain eaters' into account. I also hope that the 'theme nights' will not make the menu out of reach for me. 

Edited December 15, 2022 by cello56

[nelblu]

6 minutes ago, cello56 said:

I am a fairly plain eater. I can't eat cheese, eggs, butter, cream sauces, seafood - except for shrimp, salmon and tuna,  olives, mushrooms. These are not 'preferences' they are food avoidances. That means that I simply cannot eat them - the very thought of eating cheese or eggs makes me sick to my stomach. I sincerely hope that with whatever new menu they decide on they will take the 'plain eaters' into account. I also hope that the 'theme nights' will not make the menu out of reach for me. 

You have a big advantage as the Head Waiter can/will assist you with your menu issues.

On Oasis October sail, my granddaughter who is lactose intolerant was given special attention by the Head Waiter.  He and my daughter in law, went over the next night's menu and any changes made accordingly.  Some special dishes were also available.  My granddaughter was treated better than us.😀

Edited December 15, 2022 by nelblu

[Mikew0805]

3 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

I don't think those tables look nearly as nice as the MDR tables with the white cotton table clothes.  Maybe it's just me, but looks cold.  Dishes clanking on the table surface, surface cold to the touch...

 

I'm being picky but it is a significant difference to me

 

Dan

I don't think you are being picky. It's what you like, and I get it.

[SeaTeach]

I do understand that each person has  likes and dislikes when it comes to food. I'm find with either set of menus. The problem for me is the quality of the food. i. e..  I do not wish to eat a fatty, chewy,   tasteless piece of meat.. I also do not consider a  few slices of deli meat with gravy a turkey dinner.

Heat and eat sodium laden food is also not my cup of tea..  Fewer choices of good quality food would be the ideal for me. I'm probably asking for too much!!

[Cherries Jubilee]

I wouldn’t even care about this if they left the steak and the salmon on the menu every night.

 

Honestly their food is not good enough to take away the “safe” options. The more ingredients a meal has, the more the opinions on it will vary. You can enjoy the simple steak and salmon because there is very little to it.

 

 I will try to give whatever they came up with a fair try. I just won’t book anymore cruises with them until I see how I feel about the new food options.

[Cru1s1ng2009]

I have to ton of classics I adore. i can eat ceasar salad and french onion soup every single night. And dont get me started on the fact that i just tried spaghetti for the first time in May and feel like i have missed out all these years... 

things change. sometimes it is to stay with the times. others it is to stay afloat or give customers the best bang for their buck. The fact that we are having a discussion about tablecloth preference and where workers hail from is proof that we are very much talking 1st world problems. 

dont like the new menu then cruise elsewhere. there is nothing in the cruise contract that says nothing will ever change. I think food is one of my top priorities but it wont been a game changer and i assume most people feel the same way. 

 

PS. a food aversion is the same as a preference and NOT the same as an allergy. An allergy can kill you, an aversion will not. 

[Mum2Mercury]

10 minutes ago, Cherries Jubilee said:

I wouldn’t even care about this if they left the steak and the salmon on the menu every night.

 

Honestly their food is not good enough to take away the “safe” options. The more ingredients a meal has, the more the opinions on it will vary. You can enjoy the simple steak and salmon because there is very little to it.

 

 I will try to give whatever they came up with a fair try. I just won’t book anymore cruises with them until I see how I feel about the new food options.

I'd rather see their Fish & Chips instead of the salmon.  

I've liked most of what I've had in the MDR, but you're saying it well when you advocate for the "safe options".  

2 minutes ago, Cru1s1ng2009 said:

I have to ton of classics I adore. i can eat ceasar salad and french onion soup every single night. And dont get me started on the fact that i just tried spaghetti for the first time in May and feel like i have missed out all these years... 

things change. sometimes it is to stay with the times. others it is to stay afloat or give customers the best bang for their buck. The fact that we are having a discussion about tablecloth preference and where workers hail from is proof that we are very much talking 1st world problems. 

dont like the new menu then cruise elsewhere. there is nothing in the cruise contract that says nothing will ever change. I think food is one of my top priorities but it wont been a game changer and i assume most people feel the same way. 

 

PS. a food aversion is the same as a preference and NOT the same as an allergy. An allergy can kill you, an aversion will not. 

Surely you mean you've just tried the spaghetti on RCCI?  Surely you haven't gone your whole life without eating spaghetti?  

[Cru1s1ng2009]

5 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I'd rather see their Fish & Chips instead of the salmon.  

I've liked most of what I've had in the MDR, but you're saying it well when you advocate for the "safe options".  

Surely you mean you've just tried the spaghetti on RCCI?  Surely you haven't gone your whole life without eating spaghetti?  

hahaha. yes, first time eating RCCI spaghetti. It is YUMMY! 

[DaKahuna]

16 hours ago, Cru1s1ng2009 said:

I have to ton of classics I adore. i can eat ceasar salad and french onion soup every single night. And dont get me started on the fact that i just tried spaghetti for the first time in May and feel like i have missed out all these years... 

 

 My wife loves French onion soup.  She does not eat the bread or cheese and eats very little of the onion but devours the broth.   I have been know to order two Caesar salads when there is no other fresh green vegetable offering that I like being served. 

 

On our last cruise I deviated from ordering the burger from the children's menu and ordered the spaghetti and agree.  It was delicious.  I think I had it once on that cruise and twice on the second leg of our B2B. 

 

 

[Mum2Mercury]

Y'all have convinced me to try the spaghetti.  

[Nunagoras]

19 hours ago, Cherries Jubilee said:

I wouldn’t even care about this if they left the steak and the salmon on the menu every night.

 

Honestly their food is not good enough to take away the “safe” options. The more ingredients a meal has, the more the opinions on it will vary. You can enjoy the simple steak and salmon because there is very little to it.

 

 I will try to give whatever they came up with a fair try. I just won’t book anymore cruises with them until I see how I feel about the new food options.

This! TBHH: It seems clear that both MSC and NCL are dealing with this thread the right way. Both MSC (fleet wide) and NCL (at least on the brand new Prima) have solved it by having mostly a fixed menu out of the "plain" classics on top of what there may be a few daily specials: 1 fish, 1 meat and 1 vegetarian that changes daily. NCL introduces a pay for from the specialties. MSC adds a pasta dish to the cart. Either way; a compact menu that compromises to all aboard. The plain eaters would have some 3 or 4 options to chose from. The ones whom wish more complex dishes have other 3 or 4 to chose from. Starters seems to fall short of similar across the board lately: A salad, a cold and a hot, plus the soup of the day and the kids vegetables soup of the day. Same for desserts: A daily special plus fruit plate, cheese plate, ice cream and one or 2 more fixed treats. That would bring a reasonable fleet wide offering. Let's see how RCI will deal with it.

[Cru1s1ng2009]

On 12/17/2022 at 10:58 AM, Mum2Mercury said:

Y'all have convinced me to try the spaghetti.  

it is so good! I am more excited about it than THE Vidalia Onion Tart. 

[bretts173]

On 12/18/2022 at 5:18 AM, Nunagoras said:

This! TBHH: It seems clear that both MSC and NCL are dealing with this thread the right way. Both MSC (fleet wide) and NCL (at least on the brand new Prima) have solved it by having mostly a fixed menu out of the "plain" classics on top of what there may be a few daily specials: 1 fish, 1 meat and 1 vegetarian that changes daily. NCL introduces a pay for from the specialties. MSC adds a pasta dish to the cart. Either way; a compact menu that compromises to all aboard. The plain eaters would have some 3 or 4 options to chose from. The ones whom wish more complex dishes have other 3 or 4 to chose from. Starters seems to fall short of similar across the board lately: A salad, a cold and a hot, plus the soup of the day and the kids vegetables soup of the day. Same for desserts: A daily special plus fruit plate, cheese plate, ice cream and one or 2 more fixed treats. That would bring a reasonable fleet wide offering. Let's see how RCI will deal with it.

Really? I don't want to go to a restaurant and have the same plain boring stuff everyone cooks at home, I certainly don't look for a restaurant like that  on land. The MSC and NCL look significantly worse to me.

[loman]

I dont mind the changes , i can find a thing or two each evening that i would like to eat .