Anyone enjoying the new menu selections?

[Magicat]

From a previous lobster picture, it seems like the size of lobster is inconsistent.  This one from our friends on the Radiance last month looked very small.  I don't think I would be very happy if they charged me $16 for another one of these scampi tails.

 

 

Edited March 17, 2023 by Magicat

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 3/15/2023 at 9:40 AM, cruiseguy1016 said:

I don't eat in 5 star restaurants every night at home so I don't know what it's like to have 5 star choices and 5 star quality every night.

I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that nobody has expected a 5 star quality or choices from MDR or buffet food on RCI ships in many years.

But it's now getting even worse than 3 stars out of 5.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 3/15/2023 at 12:28 PM, dleahy4444 said:

This does not bode well for our upcoming Oasis sailing in May. I am not a foodie by any means

I'll post a thorough review upon my return from Oasis on Apr 9. With pics and honest opinions.

I am a glutton, and not a very picky one at that, and I have until now found RCI food to be mostly good, with some outstanding dishes, and some that should be shunned forever (looking at you, Beef Stroganoff with pickles).

[Itchy&Scratchy]

18 hours ago, pittnh said:

And some of the other ones which I assume were new were definitely hits, especially the poblano soup (warning it has a kick), the Asian pork bao taco’s, and the Coconut Shrimp.

just an FYI - these are not new. We had them on the Allure in June 2022.

[dleahy4444]

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I'll post a thorough review upon my return from Oasis on Apr 9. With pics and honest opinions.

I am a glutton, and not a very picky one at that, and I have until now found RCI food to be mostly good, with some outstanding dishes, and some that should be shunned forever (looking at you, Beef Stroganoff with pickles).

If you can post your review that would be awesome. I’m not expecting fabulous food but hope for reasonably good food and service

[cruiseboy89130]

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

looking at you, Beef Stroganoff with pickles)

That one was one of my all-time favorites!😒

[Itchy&Scratchy]

6 minutes ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

That one was one of my all-time favorites!😒

it was disgusting.

[cruiseboy89130]

4 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

it was disgusting.

I always loved it!👍

[horseymike]

On 3/15/2023 at 9:56 AM, welshrich said:

Sailing in two weeks and looking forward to seeing the new menu.  I've read about complaints about the food for years but have yet to come off the ship lighter than when I went on.

 

Maybe RC are looking at going more like the Norwegian way with having just a couple of basic free venues and then all the others for a fee to encourage people to spend more.

It’s all about the Benjamins.

[KansasK]

PCUR, thank you for your honest review of the food.  I hope that it will do some good.  I will be on the Harmony on April 15, and we have one dinner at Chops, and the rest in the main dining room. If the unacceptable food is to push us to the specialty restaurants, they would need a huge number of them. I think people will stop cruising who don't want to pay for specialty restaurants.  

[alfaeric]

It's pretty amusing to consistently see that "honest" almost always means negative.  Which means that the handful of people who think the food hasn't changed, and it's ok are lying.  

 

You wonder why people don't post reviews very often.

 

If you are looking for a crappy time, you will certainly find it.  Good luck with that.  

 

Or better yet, if you are far enough out, please just cancel your cruise.  Prices are high enough for those of who are not "honest" already.

[yancycruiser]

We were one of the first to experience the new menus earlier this year and had no issues with the menus or quality of food.   Like most of you, we can't afford or eat in five star restaurants.  Bottom line, in our opinion the food and selection is still very good.

 

[Mum2Mercury]

On 3/15/2023 at 9:40 AM, cruiseguy1016 said:

I was happy with the food selection and quality on Voyager 2 weeks ago. But again, food quality is a very subjective topic. I don't eat in 5 star restaurants every night at home so I don't know what it's like to have 5 star choices and 5 star quality every night. The selections and quality were as good or better than what we have on a nightly basis at home, and I can say that because I'm the cook in our house.

I think it's safe to say that more than 99% of us don't eat in 5 star restaurants every night at home ... yet to hear some posters talk about this and that being disgusting, awful, etc., you'd think they do nothing but eat at the best of the best restaurants every day. 

 

Personally, the best food I have ever had came out of my own kitchen (and off my husband's grill).  I don't expect the ship to equal what I can cook myself, especially as I am able to tailor it to our specific taste.  

On 3/15/2023 at 10:11 AM, lovesthebeach2 said:

... unfortunately I highly doubt that more attention will be given the menu ... 

Oh, I think the menu will continue to shift every couple years, and people will continue to wail each time it happens.  

On 3/15/2023 at 12:52 PM, lovesthebeach2 said:

We were not on Oasis for our last experience that I spoke of above. I would speak to the Maitre D (and maybe slip a little 💵) when you board the ship and let him know about your group. I’m sure he will make sure things are perfect.  Congratulations!

I suspect that'll just result in a slightly lighter wallet.  

On 3/15/2023 at 1:21 PM, sjb317 said:

... some dishes are excellent and some are disappointing with most falling in between. Protein portions were typically a good size but the sides with them were small. One night I had one pieceof broccoli, one carrot slice and a serving of mashed potatoes that was maybe 1/4 of a cup.😂 ... 

This is to be expected:  you'll find some things you really like, some things you just don't love.  

These too-small vegetable portions concern me.  I need my vegetables!  

On 3/15/2023 at 2:11 PM, cruisegus said:

I've now been on several cruises using the new menu.  Food is still cafeteria quality as it has been for years now ... 

Y'all have been to some pretty good cafeterias. 

4 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

... (looking at you, Beef Stroganoff with pickles).

I liked the Beef Stroganoff, but I wouldn't call it a favorite. 

44 minutes ago, alfaeric said:

... If you are looking for a crappy time, you will certainly find it ... 

Now that's true.  

[pcur]

4 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

just an FYI - these are not new. We had them on the Allure in June 2022.

Agree.  These are items that were on the previous menus.  

 

As I've mentioned, it not just the dish of food itself, it's the lower quality ingredients and ineptitude in the kitchen.  Much bigger issue than just taking away some of the dishes from the menu.

[KansasK]

5 hours ago, alfaeric said:

It's pretty amusing to consistently see that "honest" almost always means negative.  Which means that the handful of people who think the food hasn't changed, and it's ok are lying.  

 

You wonder why people don't post reviews very often.

 

If you are looking for a crappy time, you will certainly find it.  Good luck with that.  

 

Or better yet, if you are far enough out, please just cancel your cruise.  Prices are high enough for those of who are not "honest" already.

I don't think the people who are enjoying the food are lying.  I think maybe they got better food, maybe it was served hot/warm instead of cold, and maybe the kitchen was not inept for them. 

 

I don't think all negative reviews are honest. I thought that PCUR's post was honest, though.

 

I'm 30 days out, so I am not far enough out to cancel my cruise, and do not want to, anyway. 

 

Hey, let's just all overeact and take offense at everything - not.

 

[dleahy4444]

I’m rather surprised at the tone of some of the responses on this thread,  somewhat berating the  posts and opinions voiced others. I think people are entitled to their opinion on their experience, which is what I thought this forum is for. It’s ok to say you loved the food as well as it’s ok to say that you hated it. I’m more interested in the “why”, why did you love it, why did you hate it?  Maybe some people are over critical, and maybe some people don’t complain even when faced with subpar food or service. Hopefully most are like me: not too fussy but since this isn’t free I do expect the  food and service to be reasonably good, or at least ok.  In any event I appreciate the many people who have posted with specific observations and suggestions regarding the items now bring offered 

[Stede Bonnet]

18 hours ago, pcur said:

A table mate on the Enchantment, who pre-ordered dinner every night for the next night to make sure it was gluten-free, had a gastric attack one evening. The kitchen had scraped off the sauce and served it to her, instead of cooking it separately.

 

That is insane!!!

[PMO]

We sailed on Anthem in November and Edge in February. On both ships we asked for an extra plate of vegetables for the table. Depending on the size of the group they brought one or two plates. We never asked for specific ones just what they were serving with the meals that evening. We did have a terrible time with Celebrity Edge changing from no early or late seatings. We didn’t have an opportunity to place any reservations ahead of time and it was a mess!!! 

[shofer]

When I saw the new menus online, my first thought is none of this is new.  We did a family cruise (14 couples, including my parents) in 2001 and RCI had "theme" nights back then.  The waiters had different vests each night to coordinate with the theme.

[pittnh]

On 3/17/2023 at 3:38 PM, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I'll post a thorough review upon my return from Oasis on Apr 9. With pics and honest opinions.

I am a glutton, and not a very picky one at that, and I have until now found RCI food to be mostly good, with some outstanding dishes, and some that should be shunned forever (looking at you, Beef Stroganoff with pickles).

 

the Tofu Tacos on Mexican night were something to behold, as were the cookies & raspberry (literally one raspberry on the dish with two hard, boxed cookies).  I don't like to dwell on the negative but I think its best to warn people about these two dishes..

 

But the Beef Tenderloin on French night, the poblano soup, warm chocolate cookie & lobster tail all were outstanding.

Edited March 18, 2023 by pittnh

[stepmor99]

I was on the Enchantment of the Seas for an 8 day cruise last week. After reading all the griping about the new menu here on this board, I did not know what to expect.

 

We were a family of 11 and our MDR experience exceeded our expectations, which is an accomplishment since we had older teenagers and two younger kids (6 and 8 😎 ) in our group). Food is subjective but we had no complaints about taste or quality of ingredients. The Indian selections, although many of us were unfamiliar with this cuisine, were delish and I'm glad we ventured outside our food comfort zone to try them. Even though the menu was not as extensive as in the dining room last May on the Oasis (old menu), everyone found something to their liking. There was only one night where the vegetarian in our group had little choice but it was because of her extreme dislike of mushrooms...plenty of selections in the WJC for her otherwise. We found the precooked cheeseburgers in the WJ very good, as was the roast beef sandwich in the Solarium.  The options in the WJC for both breakfast and lunch were more than adequate. And no one at our table was served the wrong order and food temp was consistently warmer than I expected after reading the complaints on this board.

 

I guess I consider myself blessed that our experience wasn't marred by any dining room problems. The loudest complaint I heard was that they ran out of soft serve ice cream one afternoon!

 

But to reiterate, food and expected service is subjective. Maybe my bar was set lower than others but none of us ever left a meal unsatisfied and for our group, choices were plentiful.

 

I'll definitely cruise with RCCL again. The changes to the MDR menu will not deter me.

[perfect match]

On 3/17/2023 at 2:34 PM, pcur said:

  A table mate on the Enchantment, who pre-ordered dinner every night for the next night to make sure it was gluten-free, had a gastric attack one evening. The kitchen had scraped off the sauce and served it to her, instead of cooking it separately.  I watched her abdomen swell up in 10 minutes after she ate a few bits.  Startling and, well, unacceptable.

This is totally unacceptable! Sometimes I feel like people think I’m just being difficult because I question everything related to my food allergies. I’m not. I’m just trying to stay safe and healthy. I’m sure that me having an allergic reaction in the middle of the MDR would create a far greater disturbance than my questions ever will.  Unfortunately I’ve found out the hard way that it is in my best interest to be sure I know exactly what is on my plate and how it is prepared before I eat it. So far I’ve never had a problem on a cruise ship and I hope I never do.

[latebuyer]

Thanks for those posting your favorite dishes. This is more helpful then hearing the same complaints about the food over and over.

[wisminIowa12?]

Was recently on Oasis (Feb 2023), loved the new menu’s.  Thought food was excellent.  Only one nights selections didn’t sound great so went to the new barbecue restaurant.  Amazing.  

[Tomnsgirl]

On 3/15/2023 at 9:46 AM, CruiserLucas said:

We're sailing on Vision in May. This will only be our second cruise on Royal, our first being in late February 2022, and at that time we thought the food was waaay better than what we were getting on our Carnival cruises, especially in the MDR. That time we were on Harmony. I'm looking forward to the menu for the MDR personally. The selection and themes look good to me. What I'm wondering is if the size of the ship will make a difference. With less specialty dining options on Vision, will that mean more attention is given to make the MDR food better there? 

Food selection is horrible, same options everyday. Sailed on vision 2/27-3/10/23