I'm not much of a cruise person either, OP. I've gone on three now - including one to Alaska - and they are just not for me. I hate that you get so little time in the places where you stop - plus, like you said, the food is terrible, the shows are ridiculous, all that stuff.

For me, the only good thing is that they are a good thing for multi-generational trips. That's why I do them from time to time - so we can have kids and grandparents all in the same place.

I think people who drink - and people who aren't very comfortable travelers on their own - really like cruises. I don't drink and I prefer doing my own thing, so, you know, not the target market.

But we just got back from one - the third I've gone on - and it really was a good way for everyone to be together. Just understand what you're getting into. You won't eat great food, you won't explore the world's most beautiful places to your heart's content, you will get to get super blasted while watching some truly awful comedians with your extended family.

Upcharge restaurants are mostly found on mass market lines, providing an option for people who don't mind paying for a different dining experience aboard, while keeping costs down for passengers who are not as selective in their tastes or whose budgets are a limiting factor. On 6-star lines like Regent, there are no upcharge restaurants. Any passenger can eat in any dining venue, although the specialty restaurants have limited capacities so it's usually not possible to eat there more than a few times per cruise. The main dining room, however, is able to accommodate everyone who wants to eat there, and many passengers prefer it to the specialty options. The cuisine is usually uniformly excellent to outstanding in all the restaurants (read the comments on cruisecritic.com); the specialty restaurants exist to provide regional or style foci for passengers who want something a little different from time to time.

The presence of upcharge restaurants is a clue that the food in the main dining venue is going to be a little (or a lot) more pedestrian. That's not to say it will be bad, just probably unremarkable. The upcharge restaurants are there to provide a comparatively elevated experience but foodies are better off on more luxury-oriented lines, if budget allows.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I feel you. It’s exactly like the time I went to Paris and everybody told me how great the food was going to be but when I got there, the fries were soggy, the chicken nuggets were gross and the chopped steak had some kind of “special sauce “ on it that I think was just ketchup and mayonnaise! Really horrible. The only good thing was that in the box with the food was the traditional French toy, which, in this case, for some reason was a little yellow minion.

But I learned my lesson and I will never never never go to Paris again

Someone went to Paris for chicken nuggets?

Are there really three different PPs who don't understand that this never really happened and that this PP is deriding the OP??? She's pretending to be a tourist in Paris who ate at McDonald's and didn't like her happy meal-- "the box", the toy, the nuggets, the special sauce. If true (it's not) it would be a ridiculous and unfair critique of the food in Paris.

Not sure how well it works as an analogy to the OP, but still, I can't believe folks didn't get it.

Anonymous wrote:OP, I think what people are responding to you your initial post where you said you were fighting every day. It’s reasonable to be disappointed in the vacation and to think the food sucked but kind of incomprehensible why you would fight about it.

It’s too bad RC has gone that far down hill since the pandemic. I hear a lot of people saying NCL is bottom of barrel or Csrnival but both of them have pretty okay upcharge restaurants. The last two cruises I did we paid for club level which did make some difference on the food.

I have traveled on RC to the Caribbean since the pandemic. It was fine. They serve reasonable portions in the dining room. If you don't like something, they will immediately try to make it right. Another entree, whatever. While you think the food is mediocre, the service is excellent. You don't get that service around here.

If I ever left the room, the attendant always checked in to tidy up.

Adding my vote that OP is pretty out of touch with reality. Would be shocked if she has friends.

We just came back from an Alaskan cruise with family last month. We had a great time spending it with my parents and extended family. Alaska is so beautiful. You don’t go for the food, you go for the scenery and nature.

We are used to fine doing and Michelin star restaurants. We knew going in not to expect such. Food was OK, not terrible. It’s obvious OP was clueless about what to expect on a cruise because she didn’t do her research. And even if she said she doesn’t blame her SIL, it’s obvious she does from her posts. Taking no accountability or responsibility for her inaction and easily complaining and blaming others. Honestly, I would never want to travel with OP going forward.

Anonymous wrote:OP I feel you. It’s exactly like the time I went to Paris and everybody told me how great the food was going to be but when I got there, the fries were soggy, the chicken nuggets were gross and the chopped steak had some kind of “special sauce “ on it that I think was just ketchup and mayonnaise! Really horrible. The only good thing was that in the box with the food was the traditional French toy, which, in this case, for some reason was a little yellow minion.

But I learned my lesson and I will never never never go to Paris again

Someone went to Paris for chicken nuggets?

We're headed for Alaska (land portion on our own, followed by a 7 day cruise on Princess) this month. OP, when I saw your title, I thought you were condemning Alaska or all cruises, which concerned me. I'm not an experienced cruiser and hardly any of the onboard activities interest me, but we're giving it a try in order to see SE Alaska. I usually post on Tripadvisor, but I'll try and circle back with a report on our experience.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Re: food on cruise ships -

I’ve cruised multiple lines and the food is largely the same.

The upcharge restaurants aren’t markedly different—except for the sushi.

Pro tip: generally speaking, don’t order chicken or pasta. Go for the specials—particularly the vegetarian or Indian (or other ethnic) option. Why? The chefs are typically from countries where the more ethnic meals are from, and they tend to have better seasoning.

Seafood is hit or miss. I’ve had some very good seafood on cruises.

But yes, chicken and pasta are bland. Steak is hard to screw up.

Better cruise lines have interesting ethnic options in their buffet. Celebrity offers an Asian breakfast (among other options) as an example.

Tell me your palate is so unsophisticated that you have no business commenting on this thread without telling me ...

So which cruise lines have you eaten in the MDR and the upcharge restaurants?

And which ones were markedly different?

BTDT

Icymi: cruise ships prepare food for the masses. It’s all basically the same. Some lines have better menu options, but none of it is amazing—but most is decent.

FTR, I’m from an upper crust background and I have friends who are chefs. I know good food…and you just don’t find it on a ship. But you can find decent options. Like I said: the vegetarian and Indian options are usually good along with some fish dishes. Why? The chefs are from countries where that’s their jam.

Anonymous wrote:Went on an Alaskan cruise with carnival this summer and had an amazing time. Took some amazing excursions and enjoyed Alaska.

A good perspective. There is a cruise for every taste and budget; alignment results in a good experience. A failure to do sufficient research to ensure alignment between expectations and reality, coupled with inflexible tastes, leads to disappointment.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went on a cruise to Alaska on Holland America maybe 25 years ago. I don’t remember the food or the entertainment specifically, but I do remember having so much fun with my extended family—grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

And remember seeing otters.

My point being, ten years from now, none of you will remember the microwaved frozen chicken cordon bleu you had for dinner one night, or the silly 30-minute musical production you watched on night 3. But your family will remember you acted like a stuck up snot the entire time.

Best perspective on this thread. I did a vacation I wasn’t interested in- Gatlinburg, TN. I didn’t love the crowds and the kitsch, but the memories of hanging with my parents, sister, and nephews are cherished.

Wrong. The attention on my SIL is not the issue- she admits to screwing this up and she hated it as well. We could all afford better and these vacations matter. This kind of vacation requires being really careful and getting very trusted opinions (if I had researched cruises here for example I would've called the whole thing off and it would've saved us all alot of pain). I'm glad some of you can go on vacation and not care and eat chicken cordon bleu or whatever else. But I can't. Our time away is precious, Alaska is far and we wanted to make it count- I'm sharing what I perceive our mistakes.

But you DIDN’T.

If you didn’t do your homework, you forfeit your right to complain.

Besides, as an adult you should know by now that the only good complaining does is to make the trip a nightmare for everyone involved. Do you dislike your SIL that much that you’d ruin your precious vacation AND your own image in one trip?

This right here. Don’t complain or keep it to yourself if you didn’t lift a finger to help research and book this trip.

OP from her initial post and her subsequent responses here sounds like an entitled, spoiled child.

Went on an Alaskan cruise with carnival this summer and had an amazing time. Took some amazing excursions and enjoyed Alaska.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went on a cruise to Alaska on Holland America maybe 25 years ago. I don’t remember the food or the entertainment specifically, but I do remember having so much fun with my extended family—grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

And remember seeing otters.

My point being, ten years from now, none of you will remember the microwaved frozen chicken cordon bleu you had for dinner one night, or the silly 30-minute musical production you watched on night 3. But your family will remember you acted like a stuck up snot the entire time.

Best perspective on this thread. I did a vacation I wasn’t interested in- Gatlinburg, TN. I didn’t love the crowds and the kitsch, but the memories of hanging with my parents, sister, and nephews are cherished.

Wrong. The attention on my SIL is not the issue- she admits to screwing this up and she hated it as well. We could all afford better and these vacations matter. This kind of vacation requires being really careful and getting very trusted opinions (if I had researched cruises here for example I would've called the whole thing off and it would've saved us all alot of pain). I'm glad some of you can go on vacation and not care and eat chicken cordon bleu or whatever else. But I can't. Our time away is precious, Alaska is far and we wanted to make it count- I'm sharing what I perceive our mistakes.

But you DIDN’T.

If you didn’t do your homework, you forfeit your right to complain.

Besides, as an adult you should know by now that the only good complaining does is to make the trip a nightmare for everyone involved. Do you dislike your SIL that much that you’d ruin your precious vacation AND your own image in one trip?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is okay to complain, OP. There are plenty of trips to beautiful places that are awful and it is super annoying to find your upgrade is still cheesy or fake fancy.

OP here, thank you. I'm merely just telling people my experience for informational purposes. Alaska itself is beautiful and definitely worth going to.

Let's not sugarcoat it as "informational purpose." You had a bad experience and blame your SIL for it. That's why you're here.

You can certainly do that, but have you paused for one second to consider your own role in the whole fiasco? You had no curiosity about the place you're visiting, thus doing no homework or research about it. You had high expectations but little to no adaptability to reality, thus the daily fight and pouting about wanting to leave. Your SIL may have done poorly in her selections for the cruise, but you come off sounding like a toddler.

No. If I had a real beef with my SIL, I would've posted about it in the family relationships thread. I'm sharing an experience and I can separate the cruise line from the place. The difference between being on a seriously top cruise line (not one that was known to be good in the past) and RC was minimal to my family and we should've done it. Everyone agreed. I'm sharing my opinion so others can look into this trip in a way I wish I had. Sorry this hit a nerve for you PP but take your moral high ground somewhere else.

This you, OP? If this is how you act when you don’t have “a real beef” I’d hate to see how you act when you do.


It was an argument the whole time cause all I wanted to do was leave.

OP: I paid for the upgrades at Red Roof in and there was still blood splatter on the ceiling.

Carry on.