PAYING for Pizza in Sorrento’s

[cublet]

6 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

I know you know this, and not being snarky or anything but charging for a second or third entrée is way different  than simply saying some cruise lines are charging to eat in the main dining room

Hello,

 

easyCruise used to charge for food immediately. But I question whether it merits (or merited, as it has gone) the classification of being a 'cruise line'). Nor do I think the cafeteria type venue would pass as a MDR or the portion of pizza as a starter never mind a main course.

 

And you had to pay to have your beds made.

 

I am both pleased and proud NOT to be speaking from experience, but from watching a TV prog about the vessel.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[CanadaRob]

It is a tradition when we get on, grab a couple of slices instead of WJ and then we’re good for the rest of the cruise, most times.

Agree with others, continued watering down of a brand until it is no longer recognizable.

 

[The Fun Researcher]

8 hours ago, cublet said:

Hello,

 

easyCruise used to charge for food immediately. But I question whether it merits (or merited, as it has gone) the classification of being a 'cruise line'). Nor do I think the cafeteria type venue would pass as a MDR or the portion of pizza as a starter never mind a main course.

 

And you had to pay to have your beds made.

 

I am both pleased and proud NOT to be speaking from experience, but from watching a TV prog about the vessel.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

Never heard of easyCruise, and dang that’s pretty crazy.  No wonder they are long gone. (2005-2010). Charging for MDR and making beds seems like a crazy business model, and history seems to prove that.  Didn’t last long.

[ReneeFLL]

21 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

MSC is charging for entrees after the first, Carnival is charging for entrees after the second.

Do those entrees taste good or are they as bad as some of Royals? Lately some of the meat in the MDR has been nothing but gristle. The filet mignon the other day in the Pinnacle luncheon was great. Why can’t they have decent meat all the time? Not expecting filet mignon, but at least meat which isn’t dried out and with a lot of gristle.

 

Edited August 20, 2023 by ReneeFLL

[not-enough-cruising]

4 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

Do those entrees taste good or are they as bad as some of Royals? Lately some of the meat in the MDR has been nothing but gristle. The filet mignon the other day in the Pinnacle luncheon was great. Why can’t they have decent meat all the time? Not expecting filet mignon, but at least meat which isn’t dried out and with a lot of gristle.

 

I can’t say, I haven’t been on epithet line (I have Carnival Jubilee booked) 

I agree with you, the quality of the food served recently has been abysmal 

[Ret MP]

16 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

Do those entrees taste good or are they as bad as some of Royals? Lately some of the meat in the MDR has been nothing but gristle. The filet mignon the other day in the Pinnacle luncheon was great. Why can’t they have decent meat all the time? Not expecting filet mignon, but at least meat which isn’t dried out and with a lot of gristle.

 

I've mentioned this a couple of times here, this site.  But, worth repeating:  On our Alaska cruise on the Ovation, in May 2022, my wife, my buddy, his wife, and I, went to Wonderland.  My buddy and I ordered the same thing, the beef ribs (don't remember what they called it) and mine was Okay to ~good.  My buddy's was a big blob of wiggly, jiggly fat,  No muscle whatsoever.  So, I blame #1, the person that plated the plate.  #2, the person that allowed the fat to get into the cooker, #3, the purchasing agent that bought the crap to begin with.  #4, The person that delivered the crap.  #5, "CUTBACKS".  I didn't like Wonderland before that experience and I dislike it even more after that experience.  But, I'll go if someone in my party hasn't been before.

[bstreep]

Um. Oh my.  It’s been 2 years since we did our last RCCL trip, and a week since we got off of NCL.  Radiance is a dump. Literally.  It smells like sewage.  They had the doors open yesterday with the temp near 50.  Our balcony is uninhabitable.  The ship looks like a 1990 Holiday Inn on the inside.

 

Pizza, the topic of this thread, is nearly inedible. It used to be very good.  No, the pizza at the Cafe isn’t any better. 
 

First night we are at Izumi.  The spider roll was so bad I spit it out and almost puked.  The soft shell crab was rotten. My grandfather owned a Chesapeake crab factory, so I know my crabs. The sushi was decent, the rolls unremarkable. We both said, even without the bad crab, if this was a restaurant at home we’d never go back. 
 

Last night, Cagney’s.  Wow.  It wasn’t good.  The lobster bisque was fishy and way over salted. And BROWN. Dark brown. Waiter, who was fabulous (tipped $20 cash), said the chef said it was salty from the lobster.  I threw the BS flag on that.  Lobsters are not naturally salty. The bread was COLD inside.  “Fresh baked”? My a$$.  Wife’s bacon/pork belly was good.  Tuna tartare was good, except the chopped avocado was rock hard.  Not ripe. Ruined the dish.  Wife’s Caesar salad was ok.  I had rack of lamb.  Just tossed onto a pate. Not properly trimmed, not arranged. A tasteless goo encircled the plate. Tasted ok, but not at all tender (ordered rare). Wife had the filet (rare).  Tough and tasteless. Didn’t hold a candle to the steaks on NCL, which were fabulous.  Noticed only the NY strip says “Prime” anymore.  The sauces were gelatinous - no flavor. Like they had been diluted with water and corn starch to cut costs.  The sides were bizarre.  Only sour cream for potato, had to use the leftover butter from bread. No bacon, no cheese, no chives. No fresh pepper.  Asparagus hung down on the table.  Horrible presentation. And they can 10 minutes after the meat.  Desserts: key lime pie with a layer of cake in it (? the worst I’ve ever had) and apple pie with 5 or 6 bits of apple in it. The rest was apple flavored goo.  The desserts weren’t worthy of the MDR. This is supposed to be a PREMIUM restaurant, that we paid $90 for!  
 

So, yeah.  RCCL is cost cutting. Bean counter is in charge .  Staff knows too. They are great. But they just keep apologizing.  Several have asked us about NCL.  I think they are fed up.  We were going to book a family cruise while onboard 6 adults and 7 kids.  Hello NCL! 

Edited August 20, 2023 by bstreep

[cublet]

15 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Never heard of easyCruise, and dang that’s pretty crazy.  No wonder they are long gone. (2005-2010). Charging for MDR and making beds seems like a crazy business model, and history seems to prove that.  Didn’t last long.

Hello,

 

To be fair, that isn't a phrase I use often, Stelios Haji-Ioannou founded easyJet - and quite successfully - and thought he could extend the model to cruising. Whilst that failed, there are still 24 companies in the group with the 'easy' moniker.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet