Just off MG - Noted A Few Changes

[RLM77]

We are just off Mardi Gras (as of May 4) having previously been onboard in mid-January.  Much was just as we remembered it - personal attention from the crew, great service, very good drinks, fantastic music (especially Washboard Joe), very good entertainment at Center Stage.  The Brass Magnolia is far and away my favorite bar at sea, and I've been in my share over the years 😁.  But a couple things have changed, and not for the better.

 

Food quality in the evenings seems to have taken a significant hit.  The Beef Wellington was almost inedible as was a (new?) eggplant parm entree.  A meat lasagne MDR entree that we both enjoyed in January has disappeared.  My fried catfish was tasty enough but was served in about six tiny pieces rather than one or two larger ones.  Even the everyday chicken breast was smaller and more dried out.

 

Also on the subject of food, the quick bite breakfast items in Java Blue have been cut back.  No more grab and go fruit and/or granola.  Also fewer breakfast pastries and sandwich choices.  Sure, there are other places to eat in the morning, but if you just want a light bite with your morning latte Java Blue used to be a one-stop choice.

 

Finally, the A/C in the cabins appears to have been throttled back.  Even on the first and last nights of the cruise when the weather was still somewhat cool we could not cool down the cabin as much as we could in January.  Same at Roatan, which was hot/humid in January and didn't seem much different this time.  The kicker is that it was the exact same cabin (my wife has a disability and we have a favorite ADA cabin).

 

The pressure to reduce costs has apparently not abated even as fares reach record highs.  There is still much to like about Mardi Gras and we are not currently planning on canceling any of our existing upcoming reservations.  That said, Carnival may no longer be our first choice when considering new reservations.

 

Rich

[Drazil65]

Interesting, we have cruised on MG a few times in last couple years and she is currently our favorite ship with CCL.  We find we dont use the MDR hardly at all when on this ship due to all the other eating venues available. Did you eat anywhere else besides MDR for dinner and notice the same issues? 

 

Totally agree with Brass Magnolia bar, good times!  Glad to hear the many other things are still good and up to par, thank you for the updates!

[audcc77]

We’re on the MG in January.  Sorry to hear about your food experience.  
 

We’re on Vista now and the food is superb. Except the biscuits and gravy which was inedible.  Even though I am not a meat person it seems the meat dishes on this ship are really good.
 

 I was just in Sunshine a few months ago and the food was just so-so.   
 

I’m confused why everything is not somewhat consistent given they’re cooking the same dishes. 

[jimbo5544]

We were on her in late Feb and experienced nothing like what you mention.  Special note was our room (Ocean Suite) was 2nd coolest we have experienced.  66.5 at the coldest setting.  Sorry your experience was down somewhat.

[jimbo5544]

Always love the “inedible” comments.

[bar1068]

13 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Always love the “inedible” comments.

I enjoy those comments as well. Particularly this time as we were on the Jubilee this past February, the week after the Super Bowl along with Valentines Day. We booked that cruise very late, and all the specialty restaurants to the surprise of no one, were booked solid for Valentines Day, Pre-cruise menus we looked at suggested they'd have the somewhat then, recently added Beef Wellington as a selection for V-Day,  so we decided on that for our V-Day dinner. We we not at all disappointed, maybe a bit surprised it was better than we anticipated. 

[Frank12]

26 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

We were on her in late Feb and experienced nothing like what you mention.  Special note was our room (Ocean Suite) was 2nd coolest we have experienced.  66.5 at the coldest setting.  Sorry your experience was down somewhat.

We were on the same MG cruise as the OP last week and definitely had the coldest room we have ever had ( 40 cruises).  Square interior.  It was awesome!

[Saint Greg]

54 minutes ago, bar1068 said:

, recently added Beef Wellington as a selection for V-Day,  so we decided on that for our V-Day dinner. We we not at all disappointed, maybe a bit surprised it was better than we anticipated. 

I was disappointed with mine on jubilee. It was way overcooked. The inside of the pastry was black. It just tasted burned. The cheesy potatoes were good though.

 

 

Edited May 7 by Saint Greg

[IntrepidFromDC]

2 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

Always love the “inedible” comments.

jimbo inedible but not useless!  drop da puck!🏒

[IntrepidFromDC]

1 hour ago, Saint Greg said:

I was disappointed with mine on jubilee. It was way overcooked. The inside of the pastry was black. It just tasted burned. The cheesy potatoes were good though.

 

 

That does look wrong.

[jimbo5544]

2 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

I was disappointed with mine on jubilee. It was way overcooked. The inside of the pastry was black. It just tasted burned. The cheesy potatoes were good though.

 

 

Sure looks overcooked

 

[jimbo5544]

3 hours ago, bar1068 said:

I enjoy those comments as well. Particularly this time as we were on the Jubilee this past February, the week after the Super Bowl along with Valentines Day. We booked that cruise very late, and all the specialty restaurants to the surprise of no one, were booked solid for Valentines Day, Pre-cruise menus we looked at suggested they'd have the somewhat then, recently added Beef Wellington as a selection for V-Day,  so we decided on that for our V-Day dinner. We we not at all disappointed, maybe a bit surprised it was better than we anticipated. 

Food is subjective.  This particular meal was never my fav, but to each their own.

[Saint Greg]

36 minutes ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

jimbo inedible but not useless!  drop da puck!🏒

You’ve had their biscuits.

 

[BlerkOne]

The Beef Wellington I had at the cooking demonstration on Carnival Glory was exceptional! Glad they gave me two!

 

 

 

[crazyank]

6 hours ago, RLM77 said:

Finally, the A/C in the cabins appears to have been throttled back.  Even on the first and last nights of the cruise when the weather was still somewhat cool we could not cool down the cabin as much as we could in January.  Same at Roatan, which was hot/humid in January and didn't seem much different this time.  The kicker is that it was the exact same cabin (my wife has a disability and we have a favorite ADA cabin).

This is more than likely a problem with that particular cabin.

[Knights on the Beach]

17 hours ago, RLM77 said:

Also on the subject of food, the quick bite breakfast items in Java Blue have been cut back.  No more grab and go fruit and/or granola.  Also fewer breakfast pastries and sandwich choices.  Sure, there are other places to eat in the morning, but if you just want a light bite with your morning latte Java Blue used to be a one-stop choice.

 

 

What time were you at Java Blue in the mornings? Maybe it just needed to be restocked. Our son and DIL are on Mardi Gras this week and said they've definitely had fruit & granola there the past two mornings.

 

We aren't fans of the MDR on Mardi Gras. We went there only 3 or 4 times over the course of 4 cruises. There are so many better options for dinner on MG that it just doesn't bother us anymore. We have 2 more booked on MG and will be happy with specialty dining or even pizza or a Guy's burger just before they close.

[jimbo5544]

1 minute ago, Knights on the Beach said:

 

What time were you at Java Blue in the mornings? Maybe it just needed to be restocked. Our son and DIL are on Mardi Gras this week and said they've definitely had fruit & granola there the past two mornings.

 

We aren't fans of the MDR on Mardi Gras. We went there only 3 or 4 times over the course of 4 cruises. There are so many better options for dinner on MG that it just doesn't bother us anymore. We have 2 more booked on MG and will be happy with specialty dining or even pizza or a Guy's burger just before they close.

I agree on the assessment of the MDR on this class.

[Knights on the Beach]

Just now, jimbo5544 said:

I agree on the assessment of the MDR on this class.

 

Actually we were on Celebration in December and were surprisingly happy with the MDR food and service. We ate there more than we'd planned to that week because we had such a good experience. And I know someone earlier said the food on Vista is superb this week but that was not our opinion during our cruises 4/14 - 4/28 so we gave up on the MDR and ate elsewhere. We love Carnival but if they're consistent about anything, it's their inconsistency in the MDR. 😂

[Saint Greg]

28 minutes ago, Knights on the Beach said:

 

What time were you at Java Blue in the mornings? Maybe it just needed to be restocked. Our son and DIL are on Mardi Gras this week and said they've definitely had fruit & granola there the past two mornings.

 

We aren't fans of the MDR on Mardi Gras. We went there only 3 or 4 times over the course of 4 cruises. There are so many better options for dinner on MG that it just doesn't bother us anymore. We have 2 more booked on MG and will be happy with specialty dining or even pizza or a Guy's burger just before they close.

It wouldn’t surprise me if they cut back on that stuff. Those coolers don’t even exist on Jubilee.

 

[audcc77]

16 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

Always love the “inedible” comments.

It was the gravy from biscuits and gravy dish which was inedible.  
 

I went to see if it was served again later this week.  And it’s been removed from the menu.  
 

In fact, I went back to see if it was on the menu last Sunday when I ordered it, and it’s for some reason it’s not on there either. 🤷‍♀️

It’s like it never happened LOL. 

 

I’m going to order it next sea day and see if I can get it.  I’m guessing they removed it because people said it was awful.  Watery sewage water is what it looked like.  I poured it over my toast and it soaked in.   I stand by my opinion. 

[RLM77]

6 hours ago, Knights on the Beach said:

 

What time were you at Java Blue in the mornings? Maybe it just needed to be restocked. Our son and DIL are on Mardi Gras this week and said they've definitely had fruit & granola there the past two mornings.

 

 

The reduction in breakfast choices at Java Blue was consistent each day (of a B2B by the way).  The grab and go display case was empty and refrigeration clearly turned off.  I don't believe this was a restocking issue.

 

I completely agree with you about grabbing a burger or other "lunch" item right before closing.  In fact, I wish they would hold these venues open until around 7 PM on casual nights.  Would probably not be worth their time on elegant nights as far more people want to use the MDR on those nights.

[RLM77]

17 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

I was disappointed with mine on jubilee. It was way overcooked. The inside of the pastry was black. It just tasted burned. The cheesy potatoes were good though.

 

 

That looks almost exactly like the meal we were served.  Very overcooked, black something or other inside, and tasted burned.  I stand by my original description of "almost inedible."

[Saint Greg]

Just now, RLM77 said:

That looks almost exactly like the meal we were served.  Very overcooked, black something or other inside, and tasted burned.  I stand by my original description of "almost inedible."

 

Definitely. I didn't eat mine when it tasted burned.

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Definitely. I didn't eat mine when it tasted burned.

That stuff burns me up.  Where did you eat?  Or was the cheesy potatoes good enough,

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, RLM77 said:

That looks almost exactly like the meal we were served.  Very overcooked, black something or other inside, and tasted burned.  I stand by my original description of "almost inedible."

 

3 hours ago, audcc77 said:

It was the gravy from biscuits and gravy dish which was inedible.  
 

I went to see if it was served again later this week.  And it’s been removed from the menu.  
 

In fact, I went back to see if it was on the menu last Sunday when I ordered it, and it’s for some reason it’s not on there either. 🤷‍♀️

It’s like it never happened LOL. 

 

I’m going to order it next sea day and see if I can get it.  I’m guessing they removed it because people said it was awful.  Watery sewage water is what it looked like.  I poured it over my toast and it soaked in.   I stand by my opinion. 

Watery sewage water sounds appetizing. 🤮

 

Edited May 7 by jimbo5544