Food / Service / Perks

[euroguy]

I'm a 8 CCL cruisers.  It's been a number of years since I took a cruise for several reasons #1 personal #2 pandemic. I literally just returned today 4/29/23 from a 7 day Mexico trip on Panorama.  I was really disappointed on several levels.

#1 the food quality has dropped so horribly most meats are very over cooked so badly that cant hardly cut the meat not to mention to eat them..pork chop like a rock (even a table mate that like well done meat didn't eat theirs) steaks are very thin and dry, chicken also increadibly dry. Even Mai Mai was dry (my go to fish plate) Most menu selections where basic and no frills. But you can order the $23 meals that are larger & better cuts (I didn't opt for that but probably ly should have to compare) also now they offer less expensive breads i.e. chabotta and simple rolls. I remember being able to get dark and light rye (light rye is my favorite ) nope not any longer, cherries jubilee gone. Nice jumbo shrimp cocktail in glass..gone now you get few tiny shrimp layed in a bowl. Frankly if you want a decent meal you need to go to one of the several specialty restaurants. I did try the one that they cook the food in front of you and it was outstanding but cost me $38 sigh... many times the buffet had better food than the MDR. It's a very big contrast of what's was and now is. My mother still raves about the food from a cruise I took her on few years back. Yes CCL took  big hit with the pandemic and I understand they are recouping but food on a cruise ship is one of the biggest things talk about, I heard this from table mates talking about other cruise lines food. Yes CCL saving by lowering quality and tha help in short term but for long term will hurt them.

#2 table service was not nearly as good as previously, most of the time waiters didn't k own what each other has or was in process of doing, they didn't greet most of my table mates by name. I was fortunate that I made a memorable connection with our waiter and he always greeted me by name but not the others. Additionally if you ordered a 2nd back up meal they would bring both out at the same time, which I have never seen this before. Why is this a problem ? When eating one the other is getting g cold and 2nd it makes a person look poorly that they would order 2 meals.

#3 dining room, here I have a serious bone to pick. Dining at the MDR on cruise ships has always been grand and take your breath away..that wow factor .. the I feel special etc.. NOT on the Panorama the main dining room for early and late seating is in the Horizon dining room which is 1 level and lower ceiling. The dining room where on other ships you would go for breakfast or high tea etc.  Yes the Panaramo has a Grand 2 floor dining room (Vista)  but it's only for the Anytime diners and FYI anytime isn't really anytime, you can't just walk in and be seated you have to set a time # of people and they buzz you when a table is ready for you and if you're a solo traveler you can not be seated with anyone else..you eat by yourself.. I call B.S. on the whole dinning room coordination as one of the greatest experiences on a cruise ship is dinner each night...getting to share a meal with others, having the ability to meet new friends and feel special.  If other people want to just come and go as they please then don't ruin it for the others that want a reallygrand experience.

#4 perks. I remember when being a Gold member meant something, special cocktail hour, and souvenir pin. Nope neither one of those happen any longer. Yes I know it's minor but once again all the little things add up and make you lfeel apreciated and look forward to the next time you travel on the next ship.

I will say I was increadibaly impressed with the Celestial show on the last night certainly a must see and close to a Broadway production show. 

Conclusion... I feel that CCL has made some poor choices by trying to cut expenses in food quality to recover from the pandemic as well as trying to do things with dining rooms to match other cruise lines... which is sad as it has in my opinion ruined the whole dining experience. 

 

[3Sisters]

@euroguy Thanks for your CCL review. I agree that all cruise lines, not just CCL, have begun to reduce food waste and shift around dining menus and offerings due to cutbacks. I also think that crew morale has gone down post-shutdown. Maybe this is due to forced social distancing or not being able to get off the ship or even staff cutbacks, having to do more labor. I really hope that Carnival Cruise Line regains its momentum and continues to impress its guests versus disappointing them with lower quality standards! 

[bingo500]

I would have to disagree with a few of your points. If you got meat that was overcooked that is surprising.  I like my meat cooked very well done and always have to send it back to get it that way on any of the cruise lines.  The only time I don't is if I pay to eat in one of the upscale restaurants. 

The cruise lines are now using the largest dining room for anytime dining due to its popularity and there are times when you can walk in and be seated without taking a pager.

If you want ambience at dinner then it's best to go with an early or late seating which I personally despise. 

I travel solo most of time and have never been told I have to sit alone using anytime dining. It is usually the opposite where they try to force you to sit with other people. 

I don't like sitting with strangers so for me sitting alone is preferred.

Carnival's dining situation is no different that most other cruise lines.

I will be on the Horizon in two weeks so I will be anxious to see how the dining is this time around.

My biggest concern is the entertainment at night as the last time I was on board it was horrible. I was on the Conquest so hopefully it is better on the newer ships.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@bingo500 I appreciate this alternate perspective! Cruising is truly such a personalized experience, and it can be personalized which is why so many love it. As you mentioned, some guests prefer to be on their own or stick with their group and others are social butterflies looking to constantly engage with others; with cruising, you can have both! I usually enjoy dining with others, but I also really enjoyed sitting just with my family on my more recent, strict sanitary measures/masked cruises. Do you enjoy going to any of the specialty restaurants onboard, or do you usually stick to the buffet style and MDR? Hopefully, the food comes out to your liking for your upcoming Carnival Horizon cruise in May. Have you seen the outdoor fun area onboard? The ship offers a good amount of outdoor activities, which could be fun if you enjoy trying new, and niche things! 

[FJB]

You can’t expect to pay 2019 prices and get the same service and quality.   Charge me what you must to keep service and quality what it was in 2019. 

[3Sisters]

@FJB I didn't think of it like that! That's a really thoughtful perspective. The industry has changed, and we can't expect it to be the same after such a massive shutdown. I'm thankful the cruise industry is operational, and now basically mask-free, with lesser restrictions. If I have to pay more for a cruise and continue to receive good service, then that's what I will do. Although it definitely hurts to see the prices go up, I'm still very appreciative of this opportunity to enjoy the cruise experience in a more "normal" way. 

Here is another fresh perspective on cruising costs. Let's talk about the cost of fueling the cruise ship! Based on a recent article, the average cost of fueling a ship is around $80,000 to $2 million a day. This is a huge range, depending on the size of the ship and the length the ship has to travel, but I didn't really even think about the cost of fuel and how it dictates the overall per-person stateroom cost! Sometimes all it takes is to see things from another viewpoint to realize how privileged we really are to be able to travel on such an amazing work of artistic engineering. 

[Mr.Bill]

Good points, each year just a little less....what you used to have is gone.  MDR is the Lido on a personal scale....in fact, it's same food? Wha...??  Now, I know what pop said when we had the good old days. And elegant night...hahaahahha....t shirts with a color, and dress jeans....my o my.

[euroguy]

Yep good ol' days.. I do hope the food standards improve as time goes on to what was once before.  I for one dressed formal with my Tux on day 2 formal night. I think k I saw one other person in Tux. I can personally  attest that a well fitted (yes I own mine) still tun heads.  I had a gal walk across the dining room to me and stated "I couldn't help notice you when you walked in and I wanted to tell you how amazing  you look". This was one of many compliments received that night. Which now leads me to start a new topic for discussion.

[Cruising Caribbean]

@euroguy If you are turning heads with your tux, I would say that's a sign to keep on doing it! It sounds like you took the time to put your best face forward, and that's always impressive!

What are some things you miss about the food onboard CCL ships? For me, it's more about switching it up. I remember the buffet items would change slightly each day. Nowadays, I notice buffet items each day are just a copy-and-paste ordeal. This reminds me of parenting, sometimes you offer new things over and over and the kids don't eat it and complain. Eventually, parents give up and just offer the staples the kids will actually eat and stop offering a variety because it's likely to be scritnized. I wonder if this concept applies to dining onboard a cruise ship.

Unluckily for my children, I don't give up and will reoffer the same plate of cold food to them for dinner if they don't try it during lunch. I'm definitely not a quitter.

@Mr.Bill Although many cruise guests don't really follow the typical "elegant" dress code on elegant nights, do you still dress your best on these evenings? I personally love to dress up. Any excuse is a good excuse for me. I guess, I don't care about how others are dressing, I just like to look my very best.

 

[Mr.Bill]

Yes, the dress up is a dying art form...Haha...Do they even have Proms anymore......As for the food....I always visited, the 2nd floor of the Lido area for a fish n chips, tuna tartar..and my far and away best ever bouillabaisse...the cooks, would prepare from scratch, and load it up with sea scallops, shrimp and more.  It was a daily stop and the crew always did a fantastic job. Now, it's seafood shack for $$ and NO bouillabaisse.

[Cruising Caribbean]

@Mr.Bill Off ship, proms are still going strong, and from my understanding, so are the after-parties. Those seafood dishes are making my mouth water! I wish I could say I recall these dining choices, but my cruising experiences pretty much include burger and hotdog options. One of the reasons the MDR is so nice is because of the better variety of fresh seafood options, such as the classic shrimp cocktail. One thing for sure, when I'm out at sea on a ship I love having some good seafood. It just seems like the perfect place to eat seafood, right in the middle of the ocean! The Seafood Shack is a good option, but you just have to be willing to pay the extra prices.

[euroguy]

CCL Food update... well it's been conformed by someone that I know that just returned from a 5 day cruise on CCL and a different ship than what I was on.  He pretty much described the food exactly like I initially posted. He was increadibly disappointed. One example he offered up was the steaks where very thin and over cooked. His g.f. did purches the surf &turf for $23 ( which I didn't but after thought should have to try to compare) he said that the steak she received was fabulous about 4 of his in thickness and cooked to perfection, the lobster was a petite size but cooked properly. He said the taco bar was good but o ly open odd hours and guys burgers was good which I do agree with the burgers where decent but how many burgers can you eat in one trip. 

So now a second person repeating my observations. It's sad that the MDR meals have become so disappointing and in order to have a decent meal is to pay for it as additional expense.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@euroguy It's definitely disappointing to read these MDR food reports and how the food quality has declined. I just thought of an idea to pitch you your new "personal CCL assistant," per our other conversation. I wonder if it's possible for you to receive a specialty dining pass for at least one time while onboard! It's worth shot asking and it may make your cruise experience that much better. I'm hopeful that your Carnival Cruise Line personal assistant will be able to work out a special deal for you to be able to enjoy a superb dining experience onboard. 

[euroguy]

Kendall because of my game play status I should be able to get a comp for specialty dining from the casino. But not a bad thought to ask my CCL personal assistant, I might end up with 2 free dining lololol

[Mr.Bill]

There's shrimp cocktail and shrimp cocktail.  The latest version of the shrimp cocktail includes 4 or 5 of the tiniest shrimp know to man. I think salad shrimp would be a step up....my wife finally discovered she did have 5 shrimp on the plate, one was hiding behind the cocktail sauce.

[euroguy]

Bill you are 100% correct about the shrimp. I posted that as well in this thread initially.  I always looked forward to the shrimp cocktail and in the past been k kwn to order a 2nd this last cruise I was so increadibly disappointed. I remember when the shrimp where nice jumbo shrimp in hanging off the side of a glass filled with cocktail sauce.  This time like your wife when it came my mouth dropped from shock. 5 tiny shrimp layed down in a bowel with cocktail sauce.

I really hope CCL reads these post and makes adjustments. I did provide a feed back review directly to CCL about the food.

[Cruising Caribbean]

@Mr.Bill I have to convince myself that these baby shrimp are wild-caught, healthy shrimps! If you think about these little small framed crustaceans in this way, you may feel more refined by eating smaller bites to satisfy your seafood craving. You could also see this appetizer as a two-in-one special, a tasty snack, and a friendly game of seafood hide and seek. 

@euroguy You were right on the money with your review! I agree that providing feedback directly to the cruise line is a very good idea. If they hear enough of us, maybe something will be done about it!