Food on Onward - 15 Dec 2022

[retiredtman]

        I would appreciate current comments on food quality in the MDR and speciality restaurants.  Also, I know we can purchase a 3 or 4 speciality dining package, but how much does it cost per night without a package?  Is it worth it?

[takemewithyou]

One night in MDR…..food quality and service just fine.  We had an experienced server I recognized from previous cruises.

Last night on Patio…..had lamb medallions.  Perfect.  Other 3 at our table all pleased with food.  We were the only people eating out there so we had a private chef and server!,  LOL

Tonight will be Aqualina.  Have talked with 3 other couples who had great experiences there and said it was their favorite so far.  We will post what we think.

Suite breakfast in Aqualina is better than our experience last year at this time.

So far, so good.

Oh and we went to Greek night in Windows….food selection was great!  Sat on Sunset Veranda.  It was great.  And I do have experience with Greek food.

Edited December 15, 2022 by takemewithyou

[luv2travel90266]

The specialty restaurants are a step above the main dining room. If you are ordering steaks I found Prime C to be equivalent to any good steak house. The cuts of beef in the main dining room are inferior.

 

Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed the food on my last cruise. There are dining packages offered at a discount but can be done once you board. 

[takemewithyou]

Ok…..finished dinner in Aqualina.

Brutally honest here……it has never been my favorite restaurant and tonight was no different.  
I tried to find out info about the lobster being served.  I asked where is it from.  Maine? (Where I am originally from).  Could not get a straight answer.  Is it from N Atlantic or is it Caribbean?  He said I think it is from Mexico.  So I passed on it.  My spouse did get it.  Was supposed to be in a sauce with shrimp, scallops and calimari.  We had heard from acquaintances onboard that there is no calimari or scallops onboard….that the shipment came in and Azamara refused it because it was sub standard.  We were trying to find out if it had these and server said yes.  There was none!

I chose the veal chop because it had been recommended from someone who just had it the other night.  It was huge, about 1.5 in thick.  I ordered it cooked medium.  First couple of bites were good.  Then as I got a bit more in to it, it was tough.  Very tough.  The table next to us had the same thing and hers was also tough.  We both reported it.  The meals were complementary because we were in suites. Had we paid $35 for it we would have been very disappointed.  Anywhere else on the ship would have been better.

In fairness, the lobster ravioli was ok.  The hazelnut soufflé was good.

When speaking with the restaurant manager at end of meal, we found out the reservations we made were early on embarkation were messed up!  They had us down for 2 more times in Aqualina (oh no!) and only 1 reservation in Prime C (our fav).  It should have been 2 and 2.  Never had that happen before.  My advice:  Make then give you confirmation at booking time.  I asked for it and was told, you will receive confirmation on the day of.  I am glad we found this mistake before all times were gone.  As it is, we have 8 pm seating instead of preferred 6 pm.

[retiredtman]

Does anyone have a photo of the current menus?

[Piaa]

We sailed in August on the Onward and thought the food to be just OK nothing outstanding in either the main or specialty dining rooms (MUCH better food on Celebrity Edge which I found really surprising)

[marinaro44]

23 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

Ok…..finished dinner in Aqualina.

Brutally honest here……it has never been my favorite restaurant and tonight was no different.  
I tried to find out info about the lobster being served.  I asked where is it from.  Maine? (Where I am originally from).  Could not get a straight answer.  Is it from N Atlantic or is it Caribbean?  He said I think it is from Mexico.  So I passed on it.  My spouse did get it.  Was supposed to be in a sauce with shrimp, scallops and calimari.  We had heard from acquaintances onboard that there is no calimari or scallops onboard….that the shipment came in and Azamara refused it because it was sub standard.  We were trying to find out if it had these and server said yes.  There was none!

I chose the veal chop because it had been recommended from someone who just had it the other night.  It was huge, about 1.5 in thick.  I ordered it cooked medium.  First couple of bites were good.  Then as I got a bit more in to it, it was tough.  Very tough.  The table next to us had the same thing and hers was also tough.  We both reported it.  The meals were complementary because we were in suites. Had we paid $35 for it we would have been very disappointed.  Anywhere else on the ship would have been better.

In fairness, the lobster ravioli was ok.  The hazelnut soufflé was good.

When speaking with the restaurant manager at end of meal, we found out the reservations we made were early on embarkation were messed up!  They had us down for 2 more times in Aqualina (oh no!) and only 1 reservation in Prime C (our fav).  It should have been 2 and 2.  Never had that happen before.  My advice:  Make then give you confirmation at booking time.  I asked for it and was told, you will receive confirmation on the day of.  I am glad we found this mistake before all times were gone.  As it is, we have 8 pm seating instead of preferred 6 pm.

Excellent four-scallop appetizer in Aqualina last night.

[Host Jazzbeau]

23 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

I tried to find out info about the lobster being served.  I asked where is it from.  Maine? (Where I am originally from).  Could not get a straight answer.  Is it from N Atlantic or is it Caribbean?  He said I think it is from Mexico.

OK, so I'm not from Maine.  Only visited 40 years in a row, but still definitely 'from away.'  But even I know never to order lobster when you're not in Maine [I give lobster rolls a slightly wider radius but it still stops at NYC].  If it was Maine lobster, it wasn't swimming this morning – so too old.  If it was Caribbean lobster – different species, not interested.  Mexico? – really?  Bottom line: you had all the information you needed to not order this.  🤣

[marinaro44]

7 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

OK, so I'm not from Maine.  Only visited 40 years in a row, but still definitely 'from away.'  But even I know never to order lobster when you're not in Maine [I give lobster rolls a slightly wider radius but it still stops at NYC].  If it was Maine lobster, it wasn't swimming this morning – so too old.  If it was Caribbean lobster – different species, not interested.  Mexico? – really?  Bottom line: you had all the information you needed to not order this.  🤣

Right.  The obsession with lobster on a cruise ship baffles.

[uktog]

I think it depends on whether you have regular access to lobster at an affordable price or if it’s a treat even to get a Mexican one. For those of us that it’s a treat it used to make one night in the MDR very special. 
(yes I know you can get it in a specialty and that as expected the standard of all food there should be higher but the majority of guests benchmark their food experience on the MDR). 

[Grandma Cruising]

Maine lobster not the only good lobster - try a North Sea lobster from Scarborough or Bridlington - really good. I think the issue is cold water or warmer water lobster. The same applies to prawns (shrimp). There’s no comparison in taste between a North Sea prawn and a king prawn from warmer waters. I much prefer the smaller, but much tastier North Sea prawns and North Sea lobster.

[takemewithyou]

4 hours ago, uktog said:

I think it depends on whether you have regular access to lobster at an affordable price or if it’s a treat even to get a Mexican one. For those of us that it’s a treat it used to make one night in the MDR very special. 
(yes I know you can get it in a specialty and that as expected the standard of all food there should be higher but the majority of guests benchmark their food experience on the MDR). 

Yes, thank you.  Where we currently live we do not have very good access to lobster….period.  I have shipped it in from Maine….several times.  I found Luke’s Lobster in Miami at Brickell City Center Mall.  Now, that was a treat.

It is still a disappointment to not have decent lobster in Aqualina.  The point was….I was asking a question about origin of the lobster that Aqualina staff should be able to answer.  

[takemewithyou]

12 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

OK, so I'm not from Maine.  Only visited 40 years in a row, but still definitely 'from away.'  But even I know never to order lobster when you're not in Maine [I give lobster rolls a slightly wider radius but it still stops at NYC].  If it was Maine lobster, it wasn't swimming this morning – so too old.  If it was Caribbean lobster – different species, not interested.  Mexico? – really?  Bottom line: you had all the information you needed to not order this.  🤣

It’s not too “old”.  A frozen tail is fine.

yes, you are still “from away”.

[takemewithyou]

34 minutes ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Maine lobster not the only good lobster - try a North Sea lobster from Scarborough or Bridlington - really good. I think the issue is cold water or warmer water lobster. The same applies to prawns (shrimp). There’s no comparison in taste between a North Sea prawn and a king prawn from warmer waters. I much prefer the smaller, but much tastier North Sea prawns and North Sea lobster.

I would have been happy with any N Atlantic lobster.

[Mackdogmolly]

45 minutes ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Maine lobster not the only good lobster

I’m from New England, and I used to think Maine lobster was the only way to go. Imagine my surprise when I found myself in Caye Caulker, Belize during their Lobster Festival one July - so good!! My DH still doesn’t believe me!

Betsey

[kml246]

We are the couple that recommended the veal chop at Aqualina to @takemewithyou. Sorry! Both Nan and I had it the night before, it was excellent, and again two nights later and it was also excellent. Excellent. We're going back there tonight to have it a third time. The shortage of scallops and calamari vanished and they had it on the menu the other night.

 

 I ordered a lobster tail with the veal chop both nights, and though it was small, it was tasty. Not as good as the cold water lobsters I catch up north, what good for a cruise ship restaurant.

 

 I had a ribeye steak at Prime C the other night. It's usually my favorite steak, but not that night. It was undercooked and somewhat rubbery. The next visit to Prime C I ordered the lamb chops. They were very tasty but not hot enough. Nan had the pork chop on both nights and enjoy them.

 

 We only ate in the MDR the first night. The food was decent, but the service was erratic and the atmosphere was chaotic. Very noisy.

 

 This is our first Azamara cruise and we are enjoying it. We booked a few more cruises while on board. 

 

Kevin 

 

[hamrag]

To bring the discussion back on topic, we recently returned from an MSC Yacht Club cruise in the Antilles Caribbean. The Onward was in ports alongside us for 3 days running, St Maarten; Dominica and St Kitts I think. 

 

We met a couple from Onward, in the passing in one of the port jewellery stores who said the MDR food did not meet their expectations. No idea if they were regulars, or first timers, didn't ask. We did ask if they had tried either of the speciality restaurants, the answer was no.

 

Off the thread topic, I know, but we also asked about tonic water and the answer was the awful Royal Club. For their comfort we were able to advise that is the same swill that MSC use in their bars, despite the fact it's fever tree in the YC cabin minibar.

Edited December 19, 2022 by hamrag

[KevintheIrishDJ]

On 12/15/2022 at 4:58 PM, luv2travel90266 said:

The specialty restaurants are a step above the main dining room. If you are ordering steaks I found Prime C to be equivalent to any good steak house. The cuts of beef in the main dining room are inferior.

 

Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed the food on my last cruise. There are dining packages offered at a discount but can be done once you board. 

I thought the NY steak (available every day) was very good

[uktog]

29 minutes ago, KevintheIrishDJ said:

I thought the NY steak (available every day) was very good

Funny, that was the dish we tried twice and had to send back twice, on another evening people either side of us had it and had to send it back.  Sounds like it is a hit or miss dish

[Host Jazzbeau]

3 hours ago, hamrag said:

To bring the discussion back on topic, we recently returned from an MSC Yacht Club cruise in the Antilles Caribbean. The Onward was in ports alongside us for 3 days running, St Maarten; Dominica and St Kitts I think. 

 

We met a couple from Onward, in the passing in one of the port jewellery stores who said the MDR food did not meet their expectations. No idea if they were regulars, or first timers, didn't ask. We did ask if they had tried either of the speciality restaurants, the answer was no.

 

Off the thread topic, I know, but we also asked about tonic water and the answer was the awful Royal Club. For their comfort we were able to advise that is the same swill that MSC use in their bars, despite the fact it's fever tree in the YC cabin minibar.

Yes I remember running back to my cabin to get a bottle before the bartender ruined my G&T!

[JYDCruise]

2 hours ago, uktog said:

Funny, that was the dish we tried twice and had to send back twice, on another evening people either side of us had it and had to send it back.  Sounds like it is a hit or miss dish

That's too bad - if any dish shouldn't be hit or miss in a professional kitchen, it's a steak.

[luv2travel90266]

3 hours ago, KevintheIrishDJ said:

I thought the NY steak (available every day) was very good

Tried it once and it was tough and gristly. Was an inferior cut and not what you expect to be served in a restaurant.  Lots of opinions but other dishes from Azamara's kitchen were good to excellent so never tried again. 

[Grandma Cruising]

6 hours ago, luv2travel90266 said:

Tried it once and it was tough and gristly. Was an inferior cut and not what you expect to be served in a restaurant.  Lots of opinions but other dishes from Azamara's kitchen were good to excellent so never tried again. 

That’s our experience too.

[uktog]

8 hours ago, luv2travel90266 said:

Tried it once and it was tough and gristly. Was an inferior cut and not what you expect to be served in a restaurant.  Lots of opinions but other dishes from Azamara's kitchen were good to excellent so never tried again. 

That was exactly our experience you described it far better thanks! 

[hamrag]

10 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Yes I remember running back to my cabin to get a bottle before the bartender ruined my G&T!

Having experienced this shambles on previous MSC YC cruises, we asked if they had schweppes or even britvic. Yes, was the reply so we asked for the gin to be served neat on ice with the tonic. 5 minutes later the butler appeared with schweppes ginger ale....which is fine with gin, but not our preference. I said I'd be back in a couple of minutes with our minibar fever tree, to be told no I'll call the butler and they'll bring me a couple of bottles. Nope, that way the bottles are not chilled!

 

I got the bottles from our minibar, gave them to them as they are paranoid about serving to you. That was when the second problem kicked in....they haven't seen the fever tree advert that if tonic is three quarters of the G&T, then it has to be the best tonic etc. On an Italian ship they have no idea about proportion of tonic to gin, so we gave up and focused more on the Italian (and very nice) favourite which is Aperol Spritz. That we find to be very refreshing, especially on the pool deck in hot climates!

Edited December 20, 2022 by hamrag