Look at the basics of these venues. Steak, pasta, buffets, either in a lido format, or more formal, not by dress, but within a “special” area, with a food theme, and what do you have? The same dining experience that is available on every secondary highway in the USA and Canada. I will not mention chain reastaurant names, but you get the picture. Why WHY would anyone want the same food you can get in these chains? Not on a ship. BUT, then its all in the mentality of the passenger I guess. The ships in question, in fact the cruise lines, offered poor food for decades, with service to match. Menus that looked good, but did not deliver the goods. The alternate restaurant was born.

When microwaves first came to the general public, and every home has one, in fact, banks gave them away in the early 1980′s if you opened a new account, made there way into the mass market cruise lines, and thus, poof, and shazam, frozen food was catered and “cooked” in micros on cruise ships. I saw them for myself, and was told this by wait staff. Powdered eggs and OJ from concentrate were also passed off as fresh.

There were, and I have been assured by sources, that two major “luxury” hotel chains have STOPPED using boil-in – bag precooked entrees in their very chi-chi diningroom, and have resorted to hiring chefs to actully COOK THE FOOD!!!

Now, look at the bottom line of the mas market cruise lines. I have seen $19.00, $29.00, PER DAY per person, and up, for guarnteed rates for a cruise, with upgrades and just what can anyone expect from those rates? Hotdogs, a sloppy chili bar? Of course the additional restaurants will be extra priced. Pizza in cabin, extra, on some, room service, extra. There was a cruise line, short lived, called Easy Cruise, where everything was extra. Use of sheets, the soap, all food – everything was extra.

I guess the mass market lines think we’re all gullible, but, not stupid. Avoid the nickel and dimers, the charge extra for this and that, and they’ll get the message, maybe.