Is on-board food really that bad

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?

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.

"Bill" wrote in message
...
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.

That' so true. We have never opted to eat at any "specialty" restaurant &
have never regretted it. The food in the regular dr's is fine with us. If we
were at home & ate out it the "regular" food would suffice so why spend the
extra money for something a little bit better? I look at it as though I've
already paid for a good meal & now have to pay again & for us it doesn't
justify the extra quality. On the other hand my brother-in-law was on a
cruise & never ate in the regular dr once, opting for special meals every
night & thought it was great.

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 ...

"Boomer" nospam.aol.com wrote

That' so true. We have never opted to eat at any "specialty" restaurant &
have never regretted it. The food in the regular dr's is fine with us.

For trhe most part, I agree. On most cruise lines, the food in the dining
rooms and buffets is pretty good, or as good as it can get when you are
trying to prepare and serve 3000 meals in 4 hours.


If we were at home & ate out it the "regular" food would suffice so why
spend the extra money for something a little bit better?

Special occasion... or just maybe "putting on the Ritz" and doing something
that you don't normally do. Sometimes, it is just fun! Sometimes it can be
the difference between just getting something to eat compared to a nice
dining experience.

I agree that I don't like the model where the majority of "restaurants" on a
ship have additional costs, but cruise lines like Carnival, Princess and
Royal Caribbean may give you one or two specialty restaurants and still
maintain good quality in the dining rooms.


--
George Leppla http://www.CruiseMaster.com

October 26, 2008 Sleazy 5 http://www.cruisemaster.com/sleazy5.htm
Feb. 8, 2009 Solstice Valentine http://www.cruisemaster.com/solstice.htm
May 10, 2009 ALASKA http://www.cruisemaster.com/moagc4.htm

Food is, of course, a really subjective area. Some people love Brussel
Sprouts or liver - I find them revolting. The food on most ships in
most dining rooms is decent - some cruiselines have better food than
others, but again, it's a subjective taste. The specialty restaurants,
however, give you a choice to have a change of venue for dining, not
to mention a special food. For instance, NCL's french restaurant has a
chocolate fondue that is really amazing.

Dining room has always been fine for me, although I usually end up in
the buffet because I don't like to spend huge amounts of time on meals
on my trips. I've also discovered that the buffet usually has the same
food (at least on NCL) as the main dining room, so I feel I'd rather
spend the time enjoying a mai tai in a quiet corner listening to the
ocean than sitting and waiting for the food to be served. Not going to
the dining room for most meals has the added benefit of gaining little
or no weight on a cruise.

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.

In article ,
"George Leppla" wrote:


I agree that I don't like the model where the majority of "restaurants" on a
ship have additional costs, but cruise lines like Carnival, Princess and
Royal Caribbean may give you one or two specialty restaurants and still
maintain good quality in the dining rooms.

Also some of the specialty areas are more fun. For instance the
Johnny Rockets on the bigger RCCL ships.

"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?

As others have said, it's very much about presentation. You might even use
the term entertainment.

Sometimes you'll get something very unique in a specialty restaurant. Or
something so memorable, that you'll always remember it. The goat cheese
soufflé in the Celebrity specialty restaurants is in that category - simply
outstanding. I've even made it at home a number of times (the recipe was in
the Celebrity magazine). And even better was the mandarin orange crème
brule in Todd English on the Queen Mary 2. That's the best dessert I've
ever had. Period. Case closed.

Another interesting (and free) specialty restaurant on the Queen Mary 2 was
the one called Chef's Galley, which is basically an "Emeril Live" at sea.
You get to eat the exact same meal that the chef prepares (though chefs
behind the demonstration area prepare the larger quantities required to feed
the 6 tables of guests).

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 ...