New Menus????

[lbgraves]

I will be emailing them as well. I know we're really talking about the menus here but, I totally agree about the CB, I was VERY DISAPPOINTED!! Our first cruise was great they came around to all the tables (the kids loved it) but our second cruise .... We couldn't even see them unless we stood up. The music was so loud my kids were covering their ears. needless to say we will be skipping it on this cruise! I know times are a little tight right now but I don't think they should be cutting back on the food. DCL is NOT the cheapest cruise line out there and they sure can't start acting like it

The CB is now back to how it was your first cruise where the characters come around to all the tables.

 

[skohrs]

FYI -
Got off the Magic on Saturday (4/4/09). Still using the old menus. The Chef de Cuisine from Animator's (Charles) said that they will be converting to the new menus in June. Charles was our guide on the Galley Tour and he was also the Chef doing the cooking demonstrations in the Art of Entertaining series offered onboard.

 

[churchlady]

I'm so happy the Magic will be the same for our May 23rd Tortola!

 

[Morgey24]

I hope the new menus are in place for our June Magic trip! We are adventurous eaters -- DD (13) will try/eat anything and I think the new menus look great. Can't wait until they roll out personally.

(We have a joke in our family from our first Disney Cruise. DD was 7. She sent back the chicken noodle soup at Animator's and told the server, "take this back please, it is too greasy." From then on it was the adult menu all the way! We still laugh about it.)

 

[loveysbydesign]

FYI -
Got off the Magic on Saturday (4/4/09). Still using the old menus. The Chef de Cuisine from Animator's (Charles) said that they will be converting to the new menus in June. Charles was our guide on the Galley Tour and he was also the Chef doing the cooking demonstrations in the Art of Entertaining series offered onboard.

Does that mean that since our cruise starts May 30th we will get to try the old and new menus??? That would be neat!

 

[lbgraves]

I doubt it. When they switch it will be for the full week so it may be the first full week cruise in June.

 

[djd7292]

I doubt it. When they switch it will be for the full week so it may be the first full week cruise in June.

ARGH... we are on the June 13th cruise so may not know if the menus have changed until we are on board.

No prob for me... I will try anything at least once (with in reason).

 

[skohrs]

Does that mean that since our cruise starts May 30th we will get to try the old and new menus??? That would be neat!

When we took the galley tour, they did have photos of all of the new menu items posted in the galley for the crew to look at. I suspect that they may be working on the new items little by little and trying out the new items so the chefs learn to cook the new items before they are fully implemented.

 

[RedSox68]

We didn't eat dinner in any of the restaurants but guest services gave us these menus to order from when we were selected Family of the cruise. (!!) Family of the cruise meant we could order room service from any of the restaurants and not just the normal room service menu. We also got special treats sent to our room every day.

Thanks for uploading all the menus. I see very little changes (lack of steak as a back-up item), but some new additions that look exciting. Glad they left the Pirate menu pretty much the same!

 

[epcotrulz]

I just saw the photos of the new food on the Galley Tour last week -- it all looked very good to me. Can't wait to try the Lobster Mac & Cheese on our 2010 European cruise!!

This was on the Magic.

 

[RLccweems]

When we took the galley tour, they did have photos of all of the new menu items posted in the galley for the crew to look at. I suspect that they may be working on the new items little by little and trying out the new items so the chefs learn to cook the new items before they are fully implemented.

I'm hoping to do the gallery tour....where did you sign up for this on the ship?

 

[knewton64]

If the Magic's menus change to there being nothing I will eat, I will just go to the DR with my family, greet our server as always, let my family order and then go to the buffet and bring back a plate of what I will eat and eat with my family.. I shouldn't have to do that, but for what I am paying I will not be forced to eat food I don't like

....you bring up a great idea - I hadn't thought of that but why not?? I agree with you train of thought...
" but for what I am paying I will not be forced to eat food I don't like."
************** 184 more days *********************

 

[mmackeymouse]

Thanks for uploading all the menus. I see very little changes (lack of steak as a back-up item), but some new additions that look exciting. Glad they left the Pirate menu pretty much the same!

I totally ahree with you. There ARE some new changes that look exciting, and hopefully will convert to great dishes.

I think people's concern are not with change itself, but rather a) decline in the quality of ingredients used/cuts of meat/ etc, etc. We know the economy sucks. But, as long as DCL is charging fule fare, charging a premium, there is absolutely no excuses to trying to save a buck in the dining area. Perhaps, if they were slashing their base prices, as would likely be appropriate in the economy, people would be a little more forgiving of DCL's cutbacks.

and b) the lack of customer service in regards to getting the exact food that they want. Getting a plain steak should NOT be an issue. To me, the fact that they refuse to get a steak made plain is so stupid, it is laughable. The fact that one poster mentioned it is more difficult to get a bowl of rice or plain baked potato now, to me is so stupid, it is laughable. Now, maybe it IS coming from the chef. But, you would think that the servers would stand up for their customers, and say, "This is what they want. It's not a big deal." or at the very least, "My gratuities depend on how great of service I provide these people, and your stubbornness is not allowing me to provide them with what they want. Now, swallow your pride and make a plain steak."

 

[codenamejack]

I hate to suggest it, but part of the issue may be that they get things frozen/pre-prepared and that's how it comes, meat and sauce frozen together in the same package. I have no idea - I'm just speculating.

The restaurant business is not at all glamorous from the other side. Things come in mass packages and they have to feed a lot of people. A cruise ship would have to deal with limited space on top of that. The logistics must be a nightmare. It's not going to be like a little intimate 5-star restaurant where they custom make all fresh food just for you. And even when the food is fresh, they're making it in big batches. Can you imagine how many chefs and how much kitchen space they'd need to make each entree one at a time?

Maybe someone who's taken a galley tour can tell us more about how stuff is prepared?

 

[Momof4girls]

I hate to suggest it, but part of the issue may be that they get things frozen/pre-prepared and that's how it comes, meat and sauce frozen together in the same package. I have no idea - I'm just speculating.

The restaurant business is not at all glamorous from the other side. Things come in mass packages and they have to feed a lot of people. A cruise ship would have to deal with limited space on top of that. The logistics must be a nightmare. It's not going to be like a little intimate 5-star restaurant where they custom make all fresh food just for you. And even when the food is fresh, they're making it in big batches. Can you imagine how many chefs and how much kitchen space they'd need to make each entree one at a time?

Maybe someone who's taken a galley tour can tell us more about how stuff is prepared?

You're absolutely right. I watched a huge special on cruise line cuisine and on top of what you've already mentioned, they are also DILIGENT about preventing food illness. They just can't risk all those people getting food poisoning. So, many cruise lines (not entirely sure about DCL specifically) use products that are pasteurized, pre-packaged, etc. Not that you're immune to food poisoning in any kitchen, but they do their best.

We leave tomorrow and cruise in a week. I will be SURE to follow-up with the food. We're pretty hard core foodies and even our kids have a high standard, but we're lowering our expectations in preparation. (Trying to take it all in stride and have a nice trip no matter what we eat.) That said, you can be sure we will give an objective assessment of the quality. We're not Olive Garden folks

 

[skohrs]

I hate to suggest it, but part of the issue may be that they get things frozen/pre-prepared and that's how it comes, meat and sauce frozen together in the same package. I have no idea - I'm just speculating.

The restaurant business is not at all glamorous from the other side. Things come in mass packages and they have to feed a lot of people. A cruise ship would have to deal with limited space on top of that. The logistics must be a nightmare. It's not going to be like a little intimate 5-star restaurant where they custom make all fresh food just for you. And even when the food is fresh, they're making it in big batches. Can you imagine how many chefs and how much kitchen space they'd need to make each entree one at a time?

Maybe someone who's taken a galley tour can tell us more about how stuff is prepared?

From the Galley tour I took earlier this month, I can tell you that it looks like everything is prepared from scratch. I don't think the meals are precooked and frozen. At least that is the impression I got from Charles (the Chef de Cuisine from Animator's). There is not any actual cooking going on during the galley tour. It is done between lunch and dinner service.

 

[skohrs]

I'm hoping to do the gallery tour....where did you sign up for this on the ship?

You just go to guest services on the first day and tell them you want tickets for the galley tour. They will tell you what times are available and ask you how many tickets you want. They are free, but they are first come first served. (Same thing goes for tickets to the Alice in Wonderland/Mad Hatter tea party for kids . . . not worth the time spent attending this tea party IMHO as DD6 and DS6 did not like it at all).

 

[mmackeymouse]

I hate to suggest it, but part of the issue may be that they get things frozen/pre-prepared and that's how it comes, meat and sauce frozen together in the same package. I have no idea - I'm just speculating.

The restaurant business is not at all glamorous from the other side. Things come in mass packages and they have to feed a lot of people. A cruise ship would have to deal with limited space on top of that. The logistics must be a nightmare. It's not going to be like a little intimate 5-star restaurant where they custom make all fresh food just for you. And even when the food is fresh, they're making it in big batches. Can you imagine how many chefs and how much kitchen space they'd need to make each entree one at a time?

Maybe someone who's taken a galley tour can tell us more about how stuff is prepared?

Well, they WERE able to cook plain steak before, and as far as I know there has not been a change in the "logistics" of the ships that would prohibit them from doing it now. Plus, I don't know if the menus still say it, but they used to say "cooked to order" which to me means it is individualized to your preferences.

We leave tomorrow and cruise in a week. I will be SURE to follow-up with the food. We're pretty hard core foodies and even our kids have a high standard, but we're lowering our expectations in preparation. (Trying to take it all in stride and have a nice trip no matter what we eat.) That said, you can be sure we will give an objective assessment of the quality. We're not Olive Garden folks

Not trying to be thick, but what does this mean? I only ask, because for some people, Olive Garden is the absolute nicest place they go. Others consider OG to be low level Italian food. So were you saying that you expect more from food than OG offers or that your palates are more middle of the road and that you do not need OG type fare to enjoy your food?

 

[RedSox68]

If the Magic's menus change to there being nothing I will eat, I will just go to the DR with my family, greet our server as always, let my family order and then go to the buffet and bring back a plate of what I will eat and eat with my family.. I shouldn't have to do that, but for what I am paying I will not be forced to eat food I don't like

Are you talking about going to Topsider's buffet at dinner time? I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, if they haven't changed their evening dining since we last cruised, they don't have the buffet for dinner. Topsider's becomes a sit down restaurant at night with tablecoths, waitstaff, etc.

Now someone who has cruised more recently may know whether they went back to the buffet for dinner. While we enjoyed going there for dinner as an alternative to the noisier dining rooms (it's much quieter in Topsider's at night), I personally wish they would go back to the buffet for dinner. It really is a nice alternative to the more "formal" menu dining and is a nice break from the hustle bustle of the dining rooms.

 

[skohrs]

Are you talking about going to Topsider's buffet at dinner time? I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, if they haven't changed their evening dining since we last cruised, they don't have the buffet for dinner. Topsider's becomes a sit down restaurant at night with tablecoths, waitstaff, etc.

Now someone who has cruised more recently may know whether they went back to the buffet for dinner. While we enjoyed going there for dinner as an alternative to the noisier dining rooms (it's much quieter in Topsider's at night), I personally wish they would go back to the buffet for dinner. It really is a nice alternative to the more "formal" menu dining and is a nice break from the hustle bustle of the dining rooms.

As of the March 28, 2009 Western, Topsider's was NOT a buffet at night.