How do you rate MDR menu these days?

[dunrobbin]

On 8/21/2023 at 12:00 PM, GimmeOcean said:

The menus showing in the app for our Dec. Anthem cruise are decidedly uninspiring.

 

I hope something changes before we sail or I see us spending most nights at Windjammer.

Sadly, the Windjammer is worse than the MDR. Very  few choices and similar every night.

[cruiseboy89130]

3 hours ago, Ret MP said:

Oh ya, for sure.  One of my problems with the MDR is the tables for two.  They are so close that you can literally reach over, without bending, to the table next to you and grab the salt & pepper.  Also, to get in or out of the chair that isn't next to the walkway, you had to move the table to the left or right to make a pathway to get in or out.  I don't know how they can advertise these tables as "Tables for Two", they are anything but!  Full disclosure:  I haven't been to the MDR in many years, for dinner, I don't know if they have changed that configuration.  But, that is one of many reasons I gave up on the MDR.  My wife and I are happy with our own company and don't want to be sitting on someone else's lap.  

Did not change - but you don't have to talk to the person next to you and a lot of times the next table is empty when you have MTD

[cruiseboy89130]

2 hours ago, dunrobbin said:

Sadly, the Windjammer is worse than the MDR. Very  few choices and similar every night.

+1 plus crowded and the plastic plates ....

[simon.hed]

we are boarding Mariner Saturday. It will be our first cruise since August last year (Harmony). The food a year ago was pretty good to fantastic, we ate in MDR 2 or 3 nights and specialty rest of the time.

 

We are eating MDR first night this trip. We have 3 night specialty dining plus Izumi. So, I suppose that remaining night will be determined by the first night MDR.

 

We have always enjoyed the MDR, it's just part of the cruise experience for us. If the food there has gotten as bad as everyone says, we will figure something out for remaining booked cruises.

[pcur]

7 hours ago, Ret MP said:

Oh ya, for sure.  One of my problems with the MDR is the tables for two.  They are so close that you can literally reach over, without bending, to the table next to you and grab the salt & pepper.  Also, to get in or out of the chair that isn't next to the walkway, you had to move the table to the left or right to make a pathway to get in or out.  I don't know how they can advertise these tables as "Tables for Two", they are anything but!  Full disclosure:  I haven't been to the MDR in many years, for dinner, I don't know if they have changed that configuration.  But, that is one of many reasons I gave up on the MDR.  My wife and I are happy with our own company and don't want to be sitting on someone else's lap.  

My (now deceased) husband used to call that "having dinner with 12 other strangers", or the "cheek to jowl" tables.

[Engineroom Snipe]

1 hour ago, pcur said:

My (now deceased) husband used to call that "having dinner with 12 other strangers", or the "cheek to jowl" tables.

Your husband would have been very happy in a Viking dining hall! I can appreciate that!

 

😁

[Slidell_Cruiser]

On 8/20/2023 at 4:14 PM, ATC cruiser said:

Nothing will change until people stop signing up for more cruises. I doubt they even care about the ratings people are giving, all they care about are future bookings. Once those start to drop, maybe they’ll look into why. They are sailing full, there is no incentive to improve the food quality. Plus it drives people to the specialty restaurants, even more profits.

Totally correct…I’m a TA, PC member and was Loyal since 1997 when the MDR was specialty dining each night.

A number of my $200 deposit sails, now cancelled, are my last donation to RC…

Sail Virgin…superior food, and almost of the prior RC clients are moving there also.

[Ret MP]

7 hours ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

Did not change - but you don't have to talk to the person next to you and a lot of times the next table is empty when you have MTD

Correct.  But, they can hear everything you are saying to your SO.

Yep, if luck prevails

 

[Ret MP]

3 hours ago, pcur said:

My (now deceased) husband used to call that "having dinner with 12 other strangers", or the "cheek to jowl" tables.

And he was 100% correct.

 

My condolences.  

[Ret MP]

1 hour ago, Slidell_Cruiser said:

Totally correct…I’m a TA, PC member and was Loyal since 1997 when the MDR was specialty dining each night.

A number of my $200 deposit sails, now cancelled, are my last donation to RC…

Sail Virgin…superior food, and almost of the prior RC clients are moving there also.

VA does sound like the answer, but it also sounds a little too "Footloose and fancy-free" if you know what I mean.  I'm just an old fart approaching 72 in two months.

[FOXTROT]

On our May cruise the food was great. The food on our Jan. cruise was very good. Hopefully the food on our cruise next month is that good.

[Another_Critic]

3 hours ago, Ret MP said:

VA does sound like the answer, but it also sounds a little too "Footloose and fancy-free" if you know what I mean.  I'm just an old fart approaching 72 in two months.

You will finally meet the minimum age for HAL.  😄

[Ret MP]

9 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

You will finally meet the minimum age for HAL.  😄

We could have walker races.  

[Engineroom Snipe]

13 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

We could have walker races.  

RCI could make a fortune selling mandatory embroidered Tennis balls to protect the deck on the walkers.

 

"Only official scuff-resistance tennis balls approved by RCI (available at the towel station for a fee) will be allowed for any walker races performed on-board."

 

😉

[Ret MP]

39 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

RCI could make a fortune selling mandatory embroidered Tennis balls to protect the deck on the walkers.

 

"Only official scuff-resistance tennis balls approved by RCI (available at the towel station for a fee) will be allowed for any walker races performed on-board."

 

😉

Ya, maybe they could do that instead of charging for Pizza and/or Cookies.  Wattchyatink

[Engineroom Snipe]

17 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

Ya, maybe they could do that instead of charging for Pizza and/or Cookies.  Wattchyatink

On second thought, the walkers would not be feasible for the MDR since the tables are so close to each other. Maybe there could be a small fee to have additional room around your table, similar to airlines charging more for seats that have more legroom.

 

🤔

[pcur]

16 hours ago, Ret MP said:

And he was 100% correct.

 

My condolences.  

Thank you!  He was an incredibly dry humor, funny guy.  He used to wear a tee shirt to the Windjammer breakfast buffet that said, "I'm up; I'm dressed; what more do you want?!!"

[Engineroom Snipe]

4 hours ago, pcur said:

Thank you!  He was an incredibly dry humor, funny guy.  He used to wear a tee shirt to the Windjammer breakfast buffet that said, "I'm up; I'm dressed; what more do you want?!!"

"But honey, you forgot your pants......", to which he responds dryly, "I have on sporty underwear."

 

I like the man just from your description.

[BecciBoo]

On 8/24/2023 at 12:37 PM, cruiseboy89130 said:

+1 plus crowded and the plastic plates ....

And no trays, I've hated missing the trays, you have to make multiple trips to get food drinks and dessert.  Wish they'd bring the trays back.

[Ret MP]

26 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

And no trays, I've hated missing the trays, you have to make multiple trips to get food drinks and dessert.  Wish they'd bring the trays back.

Yep, and by the time you get everything to your table, the main course is cold, not that it was "HOT" to begin with.  And I don't mind not being "HOT", I just don't want cold.

[thefog]

Instead of making your shareholders happy,try improving the qualtity of the MDR  food to make your clients happy.

[ReneeFLL]

On 8/21/2023 at 9:17 PM, thefog said:

I swear their trying to push cruisers away from MDR just to boost speciality dining room where there is a charge.

I have thought this for the longest and have posted about it. Some people disagreed with me, but I believe it even more so these days. I won't pay for specialty dining when I have already paid for food.

[sjb317]

We just got off of Mariner this morning and I would rate the food in the MDR a 6.  This was our 3rd cruise with the new menu and it seems as though the food has gotten worse with each cruise. A few dishes were very good, chicken chettinad and butter chicken to name two but most were just ok to bad.  
 

We had a very nice meal in Jamie’s and the hot dogs at the Doghouse were great!😂

 

Sherri🙂

 

 

Edited August 27, 2023 by sjb317

[Airbear232]

For us, we feel the quality of MDR food has gone down substantially over the years.  I would say this both in terms of the quality of ingredients as well as the skills of the cooking staff.  When we started with Royal a shrimp cocktail appetizer would have large fresh shrimp.  Today, you get much smaller and not so fresh shrimp.  In the past, bread in the MDR was fresh and hot.  Today, cold and stale.  Overall, DW and I feel the “old” MDR was in line with a specialty restaurant experience today.  

[LobsterStalker]

2 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

I have thought this for the longest and have posted about it. Some people disagreed with me, but I believe it even more so these days. I won't pay for specialty dining when I have already paid for food.

I have also been of this belief , and have also posted about it. I'll just say if I can't enjoy a for free /fare included meal anymore without an upcharge , my cruising decisions will become a lot more scrutinized!

 

Cheers