Is on-board food really that bad

On Jul 23, 6:57*am, number6 wrote:
On Jul 23, 8:06*am, Kurt Ullman wrote:



In article
,

*number6 wrote:
On Jul 22, 11:23*pm, bringyagrogalong wrote:
If food, which is included in the fare, is of good quality and
variety, why do they also have restaurants on board where you can eat
at an additional cost?

Is the food really that bad that you would willingly pay to eat
anywhere else?

Regular dining is fine ... The specialty restauants are extras mainly
for the ambience ... calmer quieter more intimate ... although also
the cuts of meat ... the size of the shrimp ... the choice of
desserts ... are somewhat better ... but nothing about regular dining
is bad ...

* *Kay & I eat at least once in the specialties. After awhile the main
dining becomes "home" and we like to go "out" once a week. We like the
change of environment, pace, etc.

Exactly as we look at it ... On our transatlantic/Iberian peninsula
cruise earlier this year ... 3 specialty restaurant meals blended
nicely with the 13 day cruise ... and 7 sea days overall ...

I just can't imagine having three restaurants. Why not go on a small
cruise boat where the food is gourmet and made to your order every
day? It's like having your own personal chef for the duration.

--Margery
Quasar Expeditions
http://www.galapagosexpeditions.com

Bill wrote:

Think of it as eating at Applebee's vs. eating
at a higher end restaurant when you're at home.

Er. . . we "top out" at Applebee's when it comes to find dining with the
Nonnys. Are you saying that there can be something better?

--
Nonny

Nonnymus
I'm not who you think I am. I'm not who
I think I am. I am what I think you think I am.

IMHO, the specialty restaurant food is what you got in the main dining room
10-15 years ago. All the lines have made their main dining menus less
appetizing and the specialty restaurants are to bring in more money for the
cruise lines. Again, JMHO but I really think accurate after cruising
regularly for the last 30 years.

"bringyagrogalong" wrote in message
...
If food, which is included in the fare, is of good quality and
variety, why do they also have restaurants on board where you can eat
at an additional cost?

Is the food really that bad that you would willingly pay to eat
anywhere else?

We never eat in the specialty restaurants,since we are not big eaters,we
are quite content with the food offered in the main dining room,or at
the buffet. And do not think the cruise lines should charge for dining
in another room.


cruise lover

Sometimes you feel like getting some food not on the regular menu like
lobster or filet mignon.......

---
http://www.moviesitearchive.com/travel


On Jul 22, 9:23*pm, bringyagrogalong wrote:
If food, which is included in the fare, is of good quality and
variety, why do they also have restaurants on board where you can eat
at an additional cost?

Is the food really that bad that you would willingly pay to eat
anywhere else?

On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:22:46 -0700 (PDT), HikeBandit
wrote:

On Jul 23, 6:57*am, number6 wrote:
On Jul 23, 8:06*am, Kurt Ullman wrote:



In article
,

*number6 wrote:
On Jul 22, 11:23*pm, bringyagrogalong wrote:
If food, which is included in the fare, is of good quality and
variety, why do they also have restaurants on board where you can eat
at an additional cost?

Is the food really that bad that you would willingly pay to eat
anywhere else?

Regular dining is fine ... The specialty restauants are extras mainly
for the ambience ... calmer quieter more intimate ... although also
the cuts of meat ... the size of the shrimp ... the choice of
desserts ... are somewhat better ... but nothing about regular dining
is bad ...

* *Kay & I eat at least once in the specialties. After awhile the main
dining becomes "home" and we like to go "out" once a week. We like the
change of environment, pace, etc.

Exactly as we look at it ... On our transatlantic/Iberian peninsula
cruise earlier this year ... 3 specialty restaurant meals blended
nicely with the 13 day cruise ... and 7 sea days overall ...

I just can't imagine having three restaurants. Why not go on a small
cruise boat where the food is gourmet and made to your order every
day? It's like having your own personal chef for the duration.

The perception is that it's too expensive.

Your company's cruises, for example, sound very interesting, and I'd
love to go on one, but a week on one of your ships would cost two or
three times what I would pay for a week on Princess or NCL (though not
to the Galapagos).

You might, by the way, want to update your web pages to show 2009
cruises instead of 2007 cruises.



--Margery
Quasar Expeditions
http://www.galapagosexpeditions.com

On Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:17:31 -0400, wrote:

HAL gave a free dinner in an optional restaurant to their high-level
Mariners Club members, once a cruise, but I think that this has bit the
dust.

NCL claims to give a free dinner in Le Bistro to Platinum Latitudes
members (14 or more cruises).

Given NCL's general administrative incompetence, I suspect that
sometimes that benefit gets lost.

On board food is whatever you want it to be.

Optional extra cost restaurants were so greatly rejected initially that
NCL dropped their charge for Le Bistro, but soon brought back the charge
and it has become a staple.

HAL gave a free dinner in an optional restaurant to their high-level
Mariners Club members, once a cruise, but I think that this has bit the
dust.

Optional restaurants do give a nice venue to celebrate special occasions
for long dinners and an opportunity to "show-off" for those who cruise
for that purpose.

Ferry ships in Europe offer everything a la carte including the show,
the cabin, and food choices from gourmet to fast food.

Easy Cruise does al la carte cruising in the med and caribbean, but I
don't think that this is what Americans want in cruising and Europeans
prefer all inclusive
pricing including tips and wine and beer.

Inspector Gadget

HikeBandit wrote:

I just can't imagine having three restaurants. Why not go on a small
cruise boat where the food is gourmet and made to your order every
day? It's like having your own personal chef for the duration.

--Margery
Quasar Expeditions
http://www.galapagosexpeditions.com

It depends on why you enjoy cruising. I like the ships and I enjoy
being at sea. The entertainment onboard is one of the highlights for me,
not so much the food.

Becca

[Default] Thus spake Bill :

bringyagrogalong wrote:

If food, which is included in the fare, is of good quality and
variety, why do they also have restaurants on board where you can eat
at an additional cost?

Is the food really that bad that you would willingly pay to eat
anywhere else?

The simple answer is that the specialty restaurants have a
somewhat higher quality of food and/or preparation that some
people are willing to pay for. And it's not a matter of that the
dining room food is "bad" (except for NCL, IMHO), it's just that
the specialty restaurants are better, or at least different.
Some folks are happy to in the dining room for their entire
cruise and don't feel the need for anything else. Some people
would probably even be happy to eat at the pool grill. It's all
personal taste. Think of it as eating at Applebee's vs. eating
at a higher end restaurant when you're at home.

We have only had one complaint in food. Our first cruise was a
Carnival 5 day on the Celebration. After the 3rd night, the lettuce
left something to be desired. Since then, it seems that most of the
lines have been taking on short term perishables at various ports.

And on something like a 14 day East West PC cruise, you can't stuff
enough food into the freezers and fridges.