What's your take on the $14.95 steak?

[rccruisers]

Hi, I voted no to the 14.95 steak. You shouldn't have to pay for anything in the dining room......You pay enough just to go on the cruise.

 

I've been on 23 cruises with rccl...and have seen in the last few years the food on the line go downhill a bit. Cruised on the Grandeur of the Seas in August.....first time didn't have the Gala Buffet in dining room, and this was a 9 day cruise.

 

Dont get me wrong, rccl is a great cruise line .. we enjoy them. We have a lot of perks with the line, but cruise lines are doing anything now to save money.

[ilinda]

I think the only answer is to not participate in paying for the extra's. At some point, if no one pays for the extra's they will get rid of them and most likely increase the fare for sailing. That gives you a choice to not sail with that line. I will not sail with them at this point until they get rid of the additional fees for the steaks. This is just one more way of the nickel and diming that they have been doing for the last several years.

 

End the RCL "pay-per-entree" scam

[cruisePRN]

Jumbo shrimp cocktail $5

Baby shrimp cocktail included in fare

 

Creme Brulee $5

Sponge cake included in fare

 

Asparagus $5

Potatoes included

 

Field green salad $4

Iceberg lettuce included:D

[BrainChemicals]

Jumbo shrimp cocktail $5

Baby shrimp cocktail included in fare

 

Creme Brulee $5

Sponge cake included in fare

 

Asparagus $5

Potatoes included

 

Field green salad $4

Iceberg lettuce included:D

 

Don't forget toilet paper, $2 a roll

soap and water included in fare

[MrPete]

How about, "Would you like a chair with your table?"

[Mikki]

Until they take that away as well. :eek: Imagine the looks on the pax faces when they are told, God forbid, they can only order one of each course. :eek:

 

 

2005,(may have been in 2006, can't remember) Explorer of the Seas, you could only order one Lobster Tail or the Steak. Not both and only one of each. Didn't go over too well with the pax, lots of complaining people. Next night you could only have one desert.

 

Nothing unusual about the cruise and it wasn't full. Also, this is the cruise that I noticed that the dinning room wasn't full. Many people ate on the Lido Deck. Had 2 Ocean View cabins (our choice) and was asked if we wanted to upgrade to a balcony for an additional $100 per cabin. We didn't want a balcony as we were traveling with my two "daredevil" grandsons age 10 at the time.

 

:D

 

Kate

[mike1117]

Extra fee items don't belong in the dining room. Put it in Chops and an extra $5-10 for the organic choice if they want, but not in the dining room.

[new22003]

Hopefully this is not a trend but sadly I think it is. Cruise lines would love to make everything but hamburgers and fries ala carte. They just use things like this to test the waters so to speak.

[oldmabel]

I will gladly spend the difference in the specialty restaurants (well worth it and that's my choice), but in the main dinning room they will have a revolt on their hands. The price you pay for the cruise itself should be more then enough. They already have us paying a fuel surcharge to help them out.

 

There's other cruise lines out there that are just as nice and people may have to start to use them.

[genovakid]

It is hard to believe that they would cause many longtime passengers to now consider going to another line after this bone-headed move. You would think they would have learned from United Airlines trying to charge pax going overseas in coach for their meals. It took about 2 weeks or so for them to reconsider. I have found the ships beautiful, but personally the food in the dining room not very good. I also found Chops not that great. They are becoming one line that you just may want to pay for the food if what you can get is far superior of what they serve now. Keep writing and voting, as just maybe management will understand that they have made a very bad decision on this one and will do as United Airlines did and shelve this stupid idea. As a matter of fact, if they worried more about the quality of product they were putting out and not so much to nickle and dime pax, they would sail at 100% occupancy and not worry about the pennies!

[jobob]

The smaller ships don't have the 'Specialty Restaurants'. The test ships still offer the 'alternate steak' on some of the nights and prime rib. I want to be able to order the '$14.95 steak' - it's one of the best cuts. If someone doesn't want to order it that's their choice. I WANT TO HAVE THE CHOICE TO ORDER IT.

[FitzLA]

So you want to charge a $15 premium on a steak? great.. do it at CHOPS!

People are already willing to pay $25 to eat there.. maybe they will pay $40 for the special organic cut of beef.

 

Have you been to Chops? The $14.95 steak in the dining room would be a down grade from what you get at Chops. The meat at Chops is a better quality already.

[FitzLA]

You do have that option - in the specialty restaurants onboard.

 

 

What if I am on a ship that doesn't have any specialty restaurants? What if I am cruising with a group of friends and family, and no one else wants to eat at the specialty restaurants? Then I would be glad to have that option in the dining room. You have to start thinking outside of the box. You people make it sound like they are shoving this steak down your throat. It is an option. Take it or leave it. Up to you! :rolleyes:

[jemma73]

It's against my beliefs to pay extra for food on any cruise! I pay enough already for what I am served in the diningroom. Keep the regular sirloin and drop the $14.95 steak unless it moves up into the fancy charging restaurants.

[FitzLA]

It's against my beliefs to pay extra for food on any cruise! I pay enough already for what I am served in the diningroom. Keep the regular sirloin and drop the $14.95 steak unless it moves up into the fancy charging restaurants.

 

 

Here is the thing, first time poster. :rolleyes: You still have the option of the regular sirloin as well as the added benefit of the $14.95 steak. So you can still have what you want, and so can I.

 

No need to move it to the "fancy charging restaurants". ROFL!

[cruisinnorth]

Hi All,

 

I looked at the results of the poll as of a minute ago... 20 percent of the folks who replied say they are fine with it as long as the free steak is still offered. and nearly 69 percent indicated... NO WAY! Stop this nonsense now!

 

I don't know if the cruise lines pay any attention to these boards and the comments therein, but it seems to me there is another, more insidious idea at work here instigated by the minds at RCCL.

 

We, being human, are driven by many things... one of which is the fact that if we see two things sitting in front of us at a store, we will, by nature, think the more expensive one is better. For example go to a CVS or Walgreen's and you see a shampoo on the shelf. One is $7.00 and one is $2.75. The seven dollar one must be better right? Not always... look at the ingredients. The name brand and the house brand are exactly the same in all ways but the price. Check the ingredients.

 

Now we are given the choice of a house steak, served almost every night and the super deluxe version, with a fancy name and a up-cost. What does our human nature tell us... the one with the fancy name must be better. The only problem is we can't be sure the fancy name is any better... there is no list of ingredients... we have no assurance what so ever besides the word of the people trying to sell us the product. And, if we are on a cruise, having the time of our lives, who wants to settle for an inferior product??? And that house steak must be inferior... RCCL is telling us it is... why should we have that.

 

All that is left is the common sense we were hopefully born with. I fully agree with the folks who have posted the opinion that this is not about steak, it is about the future and future trends, and what the cruise lines (plural, you can bet the others are watching to see where this goes) are going to do. I haven't cruised long enough to remember the times without the Soda Card, but wouldn't be interesting to see the CC thread on that change and with the wisdom of hind sight see just where it has led and what it ultimately meant.

 

Just my two cents,

 

Dave

[madforcruising]

Here is the thing, first time poster. :rolleyes: You still have the option of the regular sirloin as well as the added benefit of the $14.95 steak. So you can still have what you want, and so can I.

 

No need to move it to the "fancy charging restaurants". ROFL!

 

The point you miss here is, that at this time I don´t see any confirmation for the regular sirloin not being removed. I don´t know the answer to this as my recent cruise had no oay for steak and the laternative steak was there every night, but for the ships that have the pay for steak it´s been reported that the alternative wasn´t there every night. If that´s the case no I can´t have what I want.

[jobob]

It's against my beliefs to pay extra for food on any cruise! I pay enough already for what I am served in the diningroom. Keep the regular sirloin and drop the $14.95 steak unless it moves up into the fancy charging restaurants.

 

Some of the smaller ships don't have the specialty restaurants. This just adds the choice of ordering a 'specialty restaurant steak' in the MDR. The 'regular steak' is still on the menu some nights and the prime rib. IT IS A CHOICE offered. By-the-way, I think the food is pretty good on the ships and manage to find something to my liking every night. But I would like be able to order the $14.95 steak if I want.

[jobob]

The point you miss here is, that at this time I don´t see any confirmation for the regular sirloin not being removed. I don´t know the answer to this as my recent cruise had no oay for steak and the laternative steak was there every night, but for the ships that have the pay for steak it´s been reported that the alternative wasn´t there every night. If that´s the case no I can´t have what I want.

 

I don't remember the alternate steak being offered 'every night' on any of my cruises. They had prime rib or the alternate steak - one or the other every night.

[jobob]

What is a strip steak?

 

The strip steak is one of the highest quality beef steaks on the market. In the United States and Canada it is also known as striploin, shell steak, Delmonico, New York or Kansas City strip steak. In the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, the same steak is traditionally called a Porterhouse steak. Cut from the strip loin part of the sirloin, the strip steak consists of a muscle that does little work, and so it is particularly tender. Unlike the nearby filet mignon, the strip loin is a sizable muscle, allowing it to be cut into the larger portions favored by many steak eaters.

 

When still attached to the bone, and with a piece of the beef tenderloin also included, the strip steak becomes a T-bone steak or a Porterhouse steak as the latter term is understood in the United States and Canada.

 

The Kansas City strip steak usually has a portion of the bone connected, whereas the New York strip steak is boneless.

[mistamrd]

If there were no "Specialty Additional Fee Restaurants", aboard, this might be a prelude to establishing one. However, the venue to introduce this is in the Specialty restaurant, where you would expect a fee.:mad:

[sdfan]

My problem with it is that I worry we are going to have to wait on one person at the table who hasn't been served his entree while we are eating dessert or worse nobody gets served until their steak is done. And I don't want to sit there for an hour and a half at dinner.

[DON M.]

What is a strip steak?

 

The strip steak is one of the highest quality beef steaks on the market. In the United States and Canada it is also known as striploin, shell steak, Delmonico, New York or Kansas City strip steak. In the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, the same steak is traditionally called a Porterhouse steak. Cut from the strip loin part of the sirloin, the strip steak consists of a muscle that does little work, and so it is particularly tender. Unlike the nearby filet mignon, the strip loin is a sizable muscle, allowing it to be cut into the larger portions favored by many steak eaters.

 

When still attached to the bone, and with a piece of the beef tenderloin also included, the strip steak becomes a T-bone steak or a Porterhouse steak as the latter term is understood in the United States and Canada.

 

The Kansas City strip steak usually has a portion of the bone connected, whereas the New York strip steak is boneless.

 

The quality of a strip steak or any other steak depends on the grade, ageing, marbeling etc. A "select" grade ( or lower) strip steak could also be one of the lowest quality steaks.

[jobob]

The quality of a strip steak or any other steak depends on the grade, ageing, marbeling etc. A "select" grade ( or lower) strip steak could also be one of the lowest quality steaks.

 

'Organic Blank Angus' from a CA ranch sounds pretty good to me.

[reggierail]

I hope RCCL is listening. :rolleyes:

 

The food in the main dining room, IMHO, has been declining in quality over the last several years. Having just achieved Diamond Plus, I feel qualified to make that observation. I truly feel the food on Carnival is now a notch or two above RCCL especially in the beef category.

 

If this is how RCCL plans to improve the MDR food, I feel they are way off base.

 

Reggie :)