Food in decline?

[Mick B]

Oh, and if you manage to get off the ship thinking you have escaped the food, then if its Coco Cay or Labadee, then think again!

 

Had some good grub at those places!

 

Funny looking back, because when we first started cruising we would spend a lot of time in the WJ trying various deserts. Now we don't bother that much. Its not because they are no longer nice, but because we are actually trying to cut down on eating - it all sounds a bit ironic really.

 

Mick.

 

[OCSC Mike]

7 minutes ago, Mick B said:

Oh, and if you manage to get off the ship thinking you have escaped the food, then if its Coco Cay or Labadee, then think again!

 

Escape the food? I only get off the ship at CocoCay BECAUSE of the food, lol.

[lovesthebeach2]

I think the food choices and quality vary ship by ship. 
For example, in October we cruised a 27 day B2B on Odyssey and the food choices and quality in the WJ were far better than we had in a long time. I would rate it an 8+

 

We also just did a B2B on Radiance and it was terrible.  Both the choices and quality were subpar. They pretty much served the same stuff every day, except for dinner because they mimics the MDR mostly. Cheap mystery food swimming in red sauce every day, multiple choices of that, burgers, hot dogs, pizza, fries, mashed potatoes. I didn’t starve, but for what we paid for the NYE cruise, I won’t cruise Radiance again and it was always one of our favorites. And yes I did voice this to the WJ manager in a nice way when he saw me wandering around with an empty plate every day and came over to me. My rate for it is 2.

[ONECRUISER]

25 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

Ziplock bags are not just for sandwiches when cruising.

 

The universal food pantry that goes with you!

 

😁

Same, always have bunch of baggies for my Cookies and milk later

[Engineroom Snipe]

8 minutes ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

I think the food choices and quality vary ship by ship. 
For example, in October we cruised a 27 day B2B on Odyssey and the food choices and quality in the WJ were far better than we had in a long time. I would rate it an 8+

 

We also just did a B2B on Radiance and it was terrible.  Both the choices and quality were subpar. They pretty much served the same stuff every day, except for dinner because they mimics the MDR mostly. Cheap mystery food swimming in red sauce every day, multiple choices of that, burgers, hot dogs, pizza, fries, mashed potatoes. I didn’t starve, but for what we paid for the NYE cruise, I won’t cruise Radiance again and it was always one of our favorites. And yes I did voice this to the WJ manager in a nice way when he saw me wandering around with an empty plate every day and came over to me. My rate for it is 2.

This sounds like my Enchantment cruise in April of 2022.

[Moltar]

How dare you  enjoy the food on the ship don’t you see how it goes in this forum you must despise it. Or someone from Alabama will get very upset.

[JeffT237]

10 hours ago, twonpcb said:

I know this is a very touchy subject but I have seen several posts regarding how Royal’s food quality has gone south recently.

You probably won't find the answer you are looking for on this board, YouTube or any social media platform. I'm just as guilty of reading and watching many people's views on food and all things cruising, however in the 3 cruises we have done (not all on RCI) post pandemic we have found most of the complaints about the onboard experiences to be overly exaggerated.  After too much time on CC I have questioned should I even cruise anymore, but once onboard most of those concerns quickly went away.  

 

If you do chose to cruise on Royal I'm willing to bet you will find the food to be good, whether that be the included food or if you choose to do speciality dining.  If you're that concerned stick with Celebrity since you already know you like it.  Best of luck with whatever you decide, it's still cruising!

[OCSC Mike]

58 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

Ziplock bags are not just for sandwiches when cruising.

 

The universal food pantry that goes with you!

 

Indeed! I started out bringing a couple for cookies... now we bring more than we need "just in case." One has become my wife's chocolate croissant bag b/c in the past we have seen chocolate come and go and that's one of her favorite things. Of course on our last 2 cruises they had them every morning in SL/CL and we didn't need to be taking extra but better safe than sorry.

[Oxo]

JMHO! FOOD is very subjective! If you only cruise one cruise line you have made up your own mind on the quality, selection, presentation, quantity, etc. of the food on that cruise line. Your opinion may be excellent to poor. That is based on your taste.

 

If you cruise on more than one cruise line, you have something to compare Cruise Line food against.

 

We cruise most cruise lines and have no favorite. They each have their pluses and minuses.

 

However, they all, repeat, All have cut back in all aspects of food, entertainment, loyalty perks, etc.

They all have increased prices in all aspects of cruise costs, drinks, Speciality Restaurants, etc. 

 

Will this change? Yes, they will continue to cutback, increase prices and more.

 

What can we do? You and I have a choice. Spend your money wisely, find the best price and get the best bang for your buck. It's your money, your choice. If you want to cruise, accept what is offered. We cannot change what they do. People make suggestions daily on these forums and some people agree, others don't want change. 'I don't want that big ship or I don't want to change Happy Hour with my cruise line. Leave it as it is as I'm happy the way it is.'

 

We have many Cruise Lines to pick from. Now, it's our choice.

 

Happy Cruising! 

 

[Engineroom Snipe]

1 minute ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Indeed! I started out bringing a couple for cookies... now we bring more than we need "just in case." One has become my wife's chocolate croissant bag b/c in the past we have seen chocolate come and go and that's one of her favorite things. Of course on our last 2 cruises they had them every morning in SL/CL and we didn't need to be taking extra but better safe than sorry.

I should have put in the legal disclaimer about not using the bags for any type of perishable food since most mini-bar coolers are just that, a cooler.

 

Cookies, pastries, and other normal room temperature items, have at it!

 

🫢

[marci22]

21 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

One has become my wife's chocolate croissant bag b/c in the past we have seen chocolate come and go and that's one of her favorite things. Of course on our last 2 cruises they had them every morning in SL/CL and we didn't need to be taking extra but better safe than sorry.

They only put out 2 at a time in the D lounge and one guy always took both. Couldn't find them in WJ. Maybe it was you haha. You have to fight for the chocolate croissants.

Edited January 12 by marci22

[Engineroom Snipe]

1 minute ago, marci22 said:

They only put out 2 at a time in the D lounge and one guy always took both. Couldn't find them in WJ. Maybe it was you haha. You have to fight for the chocolate croissants.

🤺

[OCSC Mike]

1 minute ago, marci22 said:

They only put out 2 at a time in the D lounge and one guy always took both. Couldn't find them in WJ. Maybe it was you haha.

 

If there were only two, I'll admit, I definitely would have taken both (sorry, happy wife...) but the CL on Allure in October had plain, chocolate, and almond every morning... and plenty of each.

[Engineroom Snipe]

2 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

If there were only two, I'll admit, I definitely would have taken both (sorry, happy wife...) but the CL on Allure in October had plain, chocolate, and almond every morning... and plenty of each.

So I was premature about selling tickets to the fencing match?

[OCSC Mike]

2 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

So I was premature about selling tickets to the fencing match?

 

Tough to answer... I'm a lover not a fighter... but I would be hoarding the croissants for the sake of love so... 🤷‍♀️

 

Another chocolate croissant anecdote I like sharing... We were on Indy in 2022 for 7N and there were no chocolate croissants to be found (we had a great time as always but the DL/CL was terrible as far as snacks). My wife asked the crew member who put out the breakfast spread on day 2 if there were any and he said he'd check but didn't find any. Not sure we even spoke to him again but on day 6 I went up to get coffee without my wife and there was a covered plate sitting on the concierge's desk with 5 chocolate croissants. He concierge said the crew member we had asked days ago finally found some and remembered my wife. Those are the crew members and gestures that stick with you.

[clackey]

We did Carnival and Royal last year.  Yes the food has declined, both in selection and palatability, but I never went to bed hungry.  Cruising is still the cheapest vacation for us.  I have priced AI Resorts and can't come close to a cruise.

[cruisegirl1976]

As long as I don't have to cook, the food is always good 🙂!

[lovesthebeach2]

2 hours ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

Ziplock bags are not just for sandwiches when cruising.

 

The universal food pantry that goes with you!

 

😁

 

2 hours ago, ONECRUISER said:

Same, always have bunch of baggies for my Cookies and milk later

we take cookies to our cabin to snack on at night and I also bring ziplock baggies for them, along with the long crispy breadsticks if they have them. But lately the cookies aren’t what they used to be….even hardly see chocolate chip, except in the Crown Lounge on Radiance. I miss the white chocolate, macadamia, cranberry ones! Those were my favorite!!

 

[OCSC Mike]

3 minutes ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

I miss the white chocolate, macadamia, cranberry ones! Those were my favorite!!

 

Can't remember if there were cranberries, but I definitely had white chocolate macadamia on Allure in October. Big fan! There was actually a steady supply of just about every flavor, IIRC.

 

It doesn't ruin the cruise but it's disappointing when something you like isn't available on a particular sailing.

[Another_Critic]

I had not seen mudslide cookies for a while.  Was surprised to see them quite often on the recent Anthem TA.

[OCSC Mike]

41 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

I had not seen mudslide cookies for a while.  Was surprised to see them quite often on the recent Anthem TA.

 

They were on Allure in October. Only RC cookie my picky wife likes besides chocolate chip.

[Tree_skier]

7 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

We were just on the Odyssey over NYE and I found that the food had improved in the last 9 months.  Much more variety in the WJ and better quality.  While we did not eat in the dining room we had family that did and they said the same thing.  Also had friends on board the Wonder over NYE and they agreed they had seen a improvement.

 

Is it back to pre covid times, probably not but for me anyway it has improved post covid.

We saw the same thing on Harmony in Dec.  Over the course of the last 12 months there has been incremental improvements. I'm sure that some will always complain no matter what but I think things are getting better.

 

 

[Tree_skier]

5 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

As someone who doesn't exercise and enjoys eating quite a bit when cruising (pus a handful of drinks per day), this is why I'm afraid of a cruise longer than 7N, lol. This Yank still isn't sure what a stone is, but I can gain 8-10 lbs. on a 7N cruise. But like you said, most of it comes off very quickly once back home. A good portion of it for me is water weight/swelling which is common on cruises.

We did a B2B in Dec on Harmony...  It was my first time doing 14 days in a row.

 

I gained 10 lbs and was happy that that was all.  I ate like a Boa Constrictor and drank like prohibition was starting the week I got home.

 

I've dropped 5 off it so far. 🙂 

 

Edited January 12 by Tree_skier

[OCSC Mike]

1 minute ago, Tree_skier said:

I gained 10 lbs and was happy that that was all.  I ate like a Boa Constrictor and drank like prohibition was starting the week I got home.

 

I consider that "doing it right." 😁

[Ourusualbeach]

12 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

We saw the same thing on Harmony in Dec.  Over the course of the last 12 months there has been incremental improvements. I'm sure that some will always complain no matter what but I think things are getting better.

 

 

I had a conversation with the HD  and he said that Miami got the message loud and clear on the feedback forms.  He also said that a lot of the supply chain issues have also been worked out but he definitely was not blaming everything on that