RCL food has gone downhill fast

[laura85]

I know food is subjective, and things vary greatly by ship. On our most recent cruise, Harmony Christmas 2023, the food was incredible! I was prepared to be disappointed by the new menus, but was very pleasantly surprised. Moreover, our entire party consisted of people with high food expectations and they were also extremely pleased with the food. 

[Engineroom Snipe]

6 hours ago, Tatka said:

We are on Symphony. Quality of food and choices are very good. 
First buffet in Windjammer included so much seafood

 

1. Lobster tails

2. Crabs 

3. Various types of clams

4.  Limes stuffed with salmon 

5. Lemons stuffed with tuna

6. Shrimp

7. Paella with seafood.

8. Octopus 

 

Food in MDR is also of very good quality.

 

 

Been forever since I have seen an ice sculpture. Almost like a time machine picture of two decades ago.............

[cruiseboy89130]

8 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

Been forever since I have seen an ice sculpture. Almost like a time machine picture of two decades ago.............

That is because it actually is! Someone is trying to sell a bridge....

[The Fun Researcher]

7 hours ago, Tatka said:

We are on Symphony. Quality of food and choices are very good. 
First buffet in Windjammer included so much seafood

 

1. Lobster tails

2. Crabs 

3. Various types of clams

4.  Limes stuffed with salmon 

5. Lemons stuffed with tuna

6. Shrimp

7. Paella with seafood.

8. Octopus 

 

Food in MDR is also of very good quality.

 

 

Look at that, symphony doing it up right! Way to go
 

[RockHoundTX]

5 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Look at that, symphony doing it up right! Way to go
 

LOL. Well they did: for 1 cruise 😕 They went super extravegant for the first inagural cruise with all the reporters/bloggers/travel agents/big spenders/etc but quickly reverted to "normal Royal WJ" after all the marketing pictures were taken. I was on another RCL cruise the following week and was joking with the WJ head chef and asked him when he was going to "bring out all the good stuff they had on Symphony". He was not amused and made an off-hand remark about how "Symphony got everything" and all the other ships were left struggling to "make do with what was left...". Evidently I hit a nerve. That particular cruise there were a ton of "substitutions".  

[The Fun Researcher]

7 hours ago, RockHoundTX said:

LOL. Well they did: for 1 cruise 😕 They went super extravegant for the first inagural cruise with all the reporters/bloggers/travel agents/big spenders/etc but quickly reverted to "normal Royal WJ" after all the marketing pictures were taken. I was on another RCL cruise the following week and was joking with the WJ head chef and asked him when he was going to "bring out all the good stuff they had on Symphony". He was not amused and made an off-hand remark about how "Symphony got everything" and all the other ships were left struggling to "make do with what was left...". Evidently I hit a nerve. That particular cruise there were a ton of "substitutions".  

Good info and context!  Thank you.  It is definitely a night and day difference from what we've become accustomed to.  

[Tatka]

9 hours ago, RockHoundTX said:

LOL. Well they did: for 1 cruise 😕 They went super extravegant for the first inagural cruise with all the reporters/bloggers/travel agents/big spenders/etc but quickly reverted to "normal Royal WJ" after all the marketing pictures were taken. I was on another RCL cruise the following week and was joking with the WJ head chef and asked him when he was going to "bring out all the good stuff they had on Symphony". He was not amused and made an off-hand remark about how "Symphony got everything" and all the other ships were left struggling to "make do with what was left...". Evidently I hit a nerve. That particular cruise there were a ton of "substitutions".  

We are cruising now actually, so not the first cruise.

 

We cruise 5 times a year. 4 from NJ and once from Baltimore. On various ships. Food choices and quality defer.

 

Cruises out of NYC/NJ on average a bit more expensive because less competition and many people don’t spend $$$ on flights. This could be a reason for somewhat better food. Although food quality defers even between ships from NJ. 

Edited May 26 by Tatka

[Tatka]

17 hours ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

Been forever since I have seen an ice sculpture. Almost like a time machine picture of two decades ago.............

Yes.. I noticed too. 🙂 

[gmachar]

On 5/17/2024 at 8:29 AM, dougp26364 said:

I have not and will not read through every post.

I will state our opinion as we exit Ovation of the Seas post 8 night Alaskan Cruise. 
die to illness, we had stayed away from cruising for 14 years. Our last cruise was the inaugural year on Oasis and we had to cancel our inaugural year cruising on Allure. That’s the time gap between experiences.

food quality overall was poor for lunch and dinner. We always managed to have a good breakfast on the MDR but not so good the one time we tried Windjammer. My chicken parm at Jammies was overcooked and tough. That was a big disappoint. In the MDR we never could get refills on our sodas. They put brown gravy on the prime rib, which was so thin of a cut you could see light through it if you held it up. The grilled NY strip steak was as bad. Fortunately we were in a JS and could utilize Coastal Kitchen for a couple of dinners. That experience was more in line with what we recall the MDR to be.

To be honest, it looked as if they were training a lot of first contract employees. That would explain the service. They were trying hard but just didn’t have the flow down yet. 
The food, however, was generally poor. There’s no excuse I can give them on this one. It’s pathetic they were contemplating charging for Sorrento’s. While edible I’d place it a step or two below Little Ceaser’s. 
we are Diamond level so we’ve been loyal to royal and will continue to be. We booked our next 7 night Canada cruise while onboard.
 

Hopefully this was a one off experience. of. It we’ll begin planning our meals a little differently than we had in the past and lower our expectations 

 

 

[gmachar]

We are just off the Oasis TA and med. For the first time ever we ate in the MDR only once the last week. Ended up at the Windjammer for dinner & found more choices and hotter food! My husband (& some of our table mates) had escargot more than once that was served not even close to warm. As a fish eater, I was disappointed to have few choices - the salmon was good, but must it be almost every night!

Char

[TexCruise371]

42 minutes ago, gmachar said:

We are just off the Oasis TA and med. For the first time ever we ate in the MDR only once the last week. Ended up at the Windjammer for dinner & found more choices and hotter food! My husband (& some of our table mates) had escargot more than once that was served not even close to warm. As a fish eater, I was disappointed to have few choices - the salmon was good, but must it be almost every night!

Char

We did the same cruises and thought the MDR was very good and we ate there there every night. I had escargot every time it was offered and never was it cold. In fact, Maybe it was a waiter issue not getting it to you quickly enough?

 

Edited May 26 by TexCruise371

[Ashland]

Hard to compete with the food on Icon....it was just amazing. Lobster in the WJ...oh my.

[KuffMUp]

We just came off Navigator and the MDR food disappointed. The lobster Mack and cheese was inedible. Lacked any flavor and the cheese save was runny. The baked potato soup was just as bad. But other nights were great. We were recently on Celebrity and found the food underwhelming. But I don’t cruise for the food. I have never gone hungry. I’m not about to jump ship based on a few bad nights. The food is prepared in the same fashion as a large event at a convention. In mass quantities and held for service. Considering how they have to cook for several thousand guests, I am amazed at times that the food is as good as it is. 

[Engineroom Snipe]

6 hours ago, KuffMUp said:

 The food is prepared in the same fashion as a large event at a convention. In mass quantities and held for service. Considering how they have to cook for several thousand guests, I am amazed at times that the food is as good as it is. 

@KuffMUp

 

My wife and I have aligned our expectations on Royal cruise food to be similar to your opinion. We still cruise like you mentioned but we are cruising maybe two times a year instead of three or four. Cruises are still a good deal but far from the great deal they were years ago.

 

Your comments reflect our observations.

[The Fun Researcher]

It really is sad that we're having to realign our thoughts on what to expect from Royal in regards to food.  The high quality of included food is one of the things that hooked us on cruising. 

 

For the most part it's not THAT different, but the higher cost items (that used to set things apart) are now missing.  Things like... lamb chops in the MDR, higher quality proteins in the sandwiches in the Cafe Promenade, etc...

 

On the other hand, I blame things like cold entree's, or things not seasoned properly, on the staff of that particular ship. 

[mjldvlks]

On 5/8/2024 at 12:19 PM, Pratique said:

. . . Royal president Jason Liberty was recently interviewed by CNBC and he made it clear that they want to eliminate the "discount" they have historically offered over land-based vacations. In other words, to bring prices on par. My takeaway from that comment is that Royal will continue to raise prices while also reducing costs as a way of closing that "discount" gap. And they will do it in a way that effectively sets new customer expectations so that we are at worst reduced to grumbling about so-called first-world problems. They will wow people with new the Icon class ships and make the food issues seem minor by comparison. I suppose, anyway. . . .

Liberty’s background is in finance and accounting. He strikes me as a bean counter who cannot see beyond dollars and cents. He and people like him need to look at the real world and realize the bottom line is important, but you have to have a product consumers want.
 

The so called “discount” has always been a key selling point for cruising. How many of your selling points are you going to sacrifice?  You’ve given up food quality, you’ve given up the “discount,” you’re hacking hard at service. What’s next?  Sooner or later you are going to cut back to the point no one wants your product at any price. There are plenty of examples out there of companies following the bottom line into oblivion. Boeing is the one the comes to mind most readily. Royal is pretty much there for me. 

[Engineroom Snipe]

7 minutes ago, mjldvlks said:

Sooner or later you are going to cut back to the point no one wants your product at any price. There are plenty of examples out there of companies following the bottom line into oblivion. Boeing is the one the comes to mind most readily. Royal is pretty much there for me. 

 

Royal is "flying high" as far as current demand and pricing.

 

I agree that many companies put blinders on and ignore any "naysayers" as they surround themselves with yes people. Anyone who might have opposing opinions within the company is silenced.

 

Boeing's problems derived from corporate taking their past culture of safety for granted. They pushed production over quality. Years ago, in 2019, Boeing left tools and trash in planes delivered to the military.

 

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/boeing-tanker-jets-grounded-due-to-tools-and-debris-left-during-manufacturing/

 

It was just a matter of time until they had major problems. A craftsman taking pride in his work would never leave tools and trash unless he had helpers specifically designated for the tasks of removing them. There was no pride and this was the foreshadowing of current issues.

 

There are multiple CC threads about cut-backs in service and food ingredients. These changes, combined with overall price increases, have decreased the advantage that cruising has over other vacation experiences.

 

I went from four cruises a year to two as I still get competitive prices through my TA.

 

There is no way I would ever pay the the 'retail' prices, even with 20% off. Anything less than 50% off is a non-starter with me for the current level of experience.

 

At 65% to 80% off, I can look past any current deficiency up to a point. My expectations are tempered because I am not paying premium prices.

 

I guess I am still stuck in the past, too nostalgic, but my wallet is speaking as I cut back on Royal Cruising. I always enjoy my cruises, just not as much as I used to.

 

Experimenting with other adventures with those two freed-up weeks.

 

Royal is not the only cruise line with this problem but it is the one I have frequented over the years.

 

My frequency is dropping.

[Pratique]

39 minutes ago, mjldvlks said:

Liberty’s background is in finance and accounting. He strikes me as a bean counter who cannot see beyond dollars and cents. He and people like him need to look at the real world and realize the bottom line is important, but you have to have a product consumers want.
 

The so called “discount” has always been a key selling point for cruising. How many of your selling points are you going to sacrifice?  You’ve given up food quality, you’ve given up the “discount,” you’re hacking hard at service. What’s next?  Sooner or later you are going to cut back to the point no one wants your product at any price. There are plenty of examples out there of companies following the bottom line into oblivion. Boeing is the one the comes to mind most readily. Royal is pretty much there for me. 

I’m on our second cruise this month and I’m not hearing anyone complaining. Business looks good. Ships are full. Drinks are flowing. Short term is all they care about, investors have the attention span of a gnat. I worked for Disney Parks when the bean counters took over a few decades ago and I see the effects of cost cutting but business is booming these days. Investors still not happy. Boeing will be fine because Airbus can’t build enough planes to meet demand. And Royal will be fine because the competition can’t meet demand either.

[PatMunits]

Off the Voyager yesterday. 11 nights cruise Mediterranean.

First of all the horrible things:

• the ship was out of lemons only three days after visiting the centre of the lemon universe in Naples
• No more unlimited lobster tails and filet mignons. In fact no free lobsters or filet mignons at all
• Cold appetizers at MDR are the ones to stay away from. They are prepared hours in advance, and then just await their turn in the fridges. By the time they arrive in front of you they remind truck-stop pre-wrapped offerings.
  
  On the positive side of things: changes are noticeable, but the outcome exceeded my lowered  expectations.
  
  I was happy that it was always easy to find scrumptious items to eat at Windjammer, especially during the dinner time. No shortage of choices that I'd happily pay money for at a regular restaurant back home. For example, marinated and grilled vegetables. Poultry, fish, and beef that is not overcooked, and is actually tasty. RCL definitely switched over to sous vide cooking for all chicken and beef filets. As compared to pre-Covid sailings the results now are much more consistent. Even though the MDR steaks are thinner than before they actually a lot more palatable. Steaks do get a grill top treatment prior to being served, so they do have the Maillard reaction results.
  
  Our lunch at Giovanni's on Voyager was exceptional. Much better than dinners at Chop's Grill on Wonder OTS a year ago.
  
  My overall opinion: things are different, but they remain acceptable and better than at regular 4* and 5* all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean. I'm a picky diner. I'm of the opinion that chef's skills are a lot more important than the exclusivity of ingredients picked for a dish.

[Biker19]

51 minutes ago, PatMunits said:

No more unlimited lobster tails and filet mignons. In fact no free lobsters or filet mignons at all

That is normal for a sailing outside of the US. Even in the US, unlimited lobster has given way to upcharge lobster after the first one.

[Patty00]

We took a transatlantic cruise on the Anthem.  The food was good.....no complaints.  Returning to the U.S. we took Cunard, Queen Mary 2.  I have never complained about food on a cruise ship but the food was really bad.  I turned away many dishes.....and I rarely leave anything on my plate.  I have never had such a negative food experience on RC. I am not saying that the food is always great on RC but, my recent cruise on QM2 was a eye opener.  I am RC Pinnacle.

[Cruising89143]

1 hour ago, Patty00 said:

We took a transatlantic cruise on the Anthem.  The food was good.....no complaints.  Returning to the U.S. we took Cunard, Queen Mary 2.  I have never complained about food on a cruise ship but the food was really bad.  I turned away many dishes.....and I rarely leave anything on my plate.  I have never had such a negative food experience on RC. I am not saying that the food is always great on RC but, my recent cruise on QM2 was a eye opener.  I am RC Pinnacle.

I watched a recent vlog of the QM2 and they showed the buffet after boarding and their dinner in the Britannia restaurant. The food looked awful and they basically stated such with the exception of the dessert. I noticed that they visited the buffet thirty minutes prior to the closing time for lunch so that might have affected the buffet offerings. 
 

We were back on the NV last week. We dined in specialty dining for all four nights and the food was much better this time than it was three weeks prior. We only dined in the MDR for lunch on our sea day. It was good but not great. About what I expected. 

[mjldvlks]

20 hours ago, Pratique said:

. . . Boeing will be fine because Airbus can’t build enough planes to meet demand. And Royal will be fine because the competition can’t meet demand either.

Great business model: “it’s awful but it’s all you can get — take it or leave it.”

 

Kind of like a middle finger to your customers. 

[Pratique]

3 hours ago, mjldvlks said:

Great business model: “it’s awful but it’s all you can get — take it or leave it.”

 

Kind of like a middle finger to your customers. 

Sadly that’s the way it is. Some companies like Sears failed to recognize this and are now long gone. But others will repeat the same mistakes as long as they can because they are constantly chasing the bottom line.

 

The crew are constantly asking us if we are having a great cruise but only because they want to hear “yes.” Any other answer usually leaves them stumped and a bit panicked as what to do. The only people asking us “what can we do to make your day better” are the concierges because they actually have some authority and directive to make things right. Fortunately for us things are good so it’s not a big problem, just nit picky stuff that I don’t let ruin my day.

 

One thing I’ve learned is that life is full of disappointments. I try to make lemonade where possible. We still prefer cruising to land vacations. Maybe some day that will change.

[Kbonner]

M-Bayley just sold shares for 7 Mio $. I assume he will re-invest/donate for a better food concept?