chops or portofino?

[bubbie617]

Carol:

That's a great story. It's just one more example of how far Royal Caribbean employees will go to please a passenger. I know that there are people who have had less than what they consider tip-top service, but that's never been the case with us. If I want something, I always ask politely and in a friendly way. The employees are there to serve, but they are not our slaves. I have never had a request turned down on a Royal Caribbean ship, and we've sailed many times.

[queenL]

I think Torpeedo hit the nail on the head. It depends on what type of food you prefer. I preferred Portifino's to Chops. I'm a seafood gal and they had some excellent choices on the menu. I don't really eat beef, so when I went to Chops I remember wishing they had more non-beef selections. My husband on the other hand, loved Chops because he is a steak man! Anyways....why choose when you can just do both!

[Sharon I]

Hello,
I am looking for anybody that may have the Cruise Compass from the Jewel of the Seas for the Eastern Caribbean sailing.

[cruisemeister8]

Nobody ever has answered the previous question about whether you can make a reservation in advance of sailing.

So let me ask from a different angle. Where do you go to make this reservation once you ARE onboard the ship? Pursers desk? Chops/Portofino itself?

How early should you make this reservation? The first day onboard? And can you request whichever night of the trip you want? And if one wanted to skip a particular fare in the dining room, where do you find out what's served each night?

[Merion_Mom]

Here's your answer: you cannot make reservations before you board the ship. When you get on board, go directly to the restaurant itself, and someone there will be happy to make a dinner reservation for you. The restaurant is open every night, and SOMETIMES there is a discounted price the first night. The staff should know the menu in the dining room for each night, and will advise you on selecting a night for your dinner in the alternative dining room.

[Mugz]

Have not read all the above posts but just got back.........GREAT PLACE.

 

My girl got the fillet and I the Prime Rib.......best Prime Rib I have ever had.

Sliced from the main cut of meat, then doused in fresh crushed pepper and other spices, then thrown on the grill to crust up and served.......absolutely mouthwatering. HIGHLY RECOMENDED.

[zachnlucy]

I've read on CC somewhere that the Grandeur doesn't have either specialty restaurant. Is that correct?

[TrentS]

Correct... Portofino is only on the Voyager and Radiance class ships, and Chops are only on the Radiance class and Navigator and Mariner.

[Merion_Mom]

In May, Chops will be added to the Enchantment as part of the "stretch."

 

Carol

[Garycruz]

My DW and I are both very much looking forward to trying Chops and/or Portofinos on our November cruise.

 

Having never dined in the alternative restaurants previously, I do have a few questions that I'm hoping someone could help us with regarding how gratuities are handled.

 

Is it customary to tip or does the $20.00 per person include one?

 

Is one expected to tip the dining room staff for the evenings that they eat in one of the alternative restaurants? In other words, if we eat in Chops one night and Portofinos the other, is it expected that we tip the dining staff for all seven nights just as if we had eaten there every night?

 

Any help is appreciated.

 

Gary

[critterchick]

Gary, it's up to you what to do. If you put the tip on your account, the entire recommended amount will go to your waitstaff whether you ate in the dining room one night or 7. If you pay cash and feel that you should adjust accordingly (up or down), that's your right. We don't do that because it's too much work to calculate the difference, and we would feel guilty, anyway - $3.50 isn't much for one passenger, but if everybody did it, it could be a big hit to the servers' income. Just my affluent guilt, I suppose.

 

We do tip an additional amount to the Chops/Portofino staff on the night that we eat there, usually $5 or so.

[luvmikidz]

First, my husband and I both agree that Chops would be the one to choose. Of course, neither of us are big Italian food lovers. He definitely likes seafood, but Chops was excellent. In fact the best meal on board all week.

 

We tipped our wait staff in the dining room for the recommended weekly allowance even though we only ate their one night. The one night we were there it was if we had been there every night. They were really great. We gave a rather large tip in Chops, mostly because we didn't know any better. Maybe we were to generous, but the service was excellent in both Chops and the dining room on the Jewel of the Seas.

[AdamOfCanaveral]

Reading these posts has made me very hungry. We will definitely try both. Maybe more than once if they are serving lunch.:)

[DougnRoz]

Somebody posted that Voyager only has Portifino's - no Chops. Is that true?

[DougnRoz]

I asked for the 15th time in this thread, if Voyager had a Chops. I see that they don't, after reading the thread all the way through. Dummy me. :o

 

Is it because NOS and MOS are streched and Voyager isn't?

[beachguy]

I asked for the 15th time in this thread, if Voyager had a Chops. I see that they don't, after reading the thread all the way through. Dummy me. :o

 

Is it because NOS and MOS are streched and Voyager isn't?

 

(This is beachchick)

 

If you mean Navigator and Mariner, they are not stretched. (I believe that Enchantment is being stretched and, oh shoot, I can't remember which other "smaller"--relative term--ship has already been stretched.) NOS and MOS are the newest of the class, but are the same size as the other Voyager class ships. Mariner is about 1-1/2 years old; Navigator about 1 year older than that. They are the same size as the first 3 Voyager class (also called Endeavor class, I think) ships.

 

There were simply some changes made for the Navigator and Mariner, including adding Chops. I would assume that means that pax said, "Hey! We like having both Chops and Portofinos on the Radiance class. How about it on the Voyager class?" (That's certainly what we said.) The other changes include things like replacing the kids' pool area with other facilities and (our favorite) building the balconies onto the superstructure instead of cutting them out of the ship itself....But please don't get me wrong, we'd cruise on any Voyager class ship if the price (and airfare) were good.:D

 

Anyway, just want to clear up that NOS and MOS have not been stretched. Honest, they wouldn't stretch ships that are that new.

 

beachchick

[Host Kewlguy]

I'm not crazy about paying extra to dine in a specialty restaurant when I already paid for the food in the dining room. I'm tempted to try Chops on the Enchantment in less than two weeks. I will think about it.