POLL- What's MORE important. Great Food or Great Service?

[Kuki]

We all, of course, want great food and great service on a cruise... but which do you think enhances your cruise experience more... GREAT food or GREAT service?

[Thomas]

Great service. I can get by with mediocre food if the service is outstanding but even the best food can't make up for poor service, especially if you can't get the great food served to you.

Regards,
Thomas

[cap'nkruzer]

Service..I say ...Service !!! Even if the food is less than expected, good service can take the edge off. I can get mediocre food at home but ms.kruzer smiles when she throws it at my plate. Makes ALL the diff. ;-))
SSaFWs..ED

[sue]

Service is more important

Food, even excellent service cannot make a bad meal taste good.

[LisaK]

Eventhough both are just as important. I would have to choose service. Great service can make up for less than stellar food quality.

[Donna]

Good food first, will help take away from having bad service, which I've been fortunate enough not to have expierenced while cruising.

[JeanS]

The food definately! We had poor service once on a cruise...a quick word to the matre de fixed that problem, food would be another issue...

If the food is good enough to make me think I died and went to heaven, that means the chef is one step from God. If that's so, I'll serve myself and even bus the table after I'm done eating. It's a lot easier to replace waiters and busboys than it is to replace the chef. In other words,in my opinion, the chef is the nucleus of the dining atom. No nucleus, no atom!

[ArkJudy]

Bad food!

I love great service, but I agree that great service can't compensate for bad food.

Great Serivce!! Then food.

[Marc]

Thomas:

Did you say you served bad food? What was the name of your restaurant again?

marc

[pamda]

Shhh, Marc. Thomas does not know that I have been offered the most important assignment of shadow restaurant critic for Jacksonville.

So far as food/service, it's not a tough pick as an admitted foodie. The best service in the world can't compensate for mediocre or just plain awful food. I can count on the fingers of both hands the meals I've had on cruise ships that I would consider anywhere near "great."

Some people do LOVE the service aspect. And great service is a treat. But talented and attentive servers should not be required to present lousy food.

Me, I'd rather "dish up" for myself if the food is exquisite or, even, darned good.

For a long time, I warned folks off Celebrity's "first night veal." After a lot of people said, "What are you talking about? It was wonderful!" I ordered it again, TWICE, both on Connie and Mercury when we did back-to-backs. It was just as bad (if not worse) than I remembered. And I sent it back, both times.

So, I just don't expect great food on cruise ships. And, while the waitstaff is usually more than competent, I don't expect what I would call great service, either.

[Trip]

I'd rather have a bad waiter serve me great food, than have a white gloved waiter put down an unappealing meal in front of me....Trip/ Monday Chat Host

I agree with Trip. I can overlook bad service, but the meal is why I'm at the table.

Nope, the service! I had good meals on the Summit but the whole service aspect on Celebrity would make me never chose them again! So I had food a little better prepared than other cruises, big deal, no matter where I went on that ship, I rarely got a single smile or even a nod, didn't matter if it was a bar, buffet or dining, all the same service.

Robotic and boring, give me less great food and a little more service with a smile.

Susie

[rollerdonna]

Our last cruise, the food was disappointing and the dining room service mediocre, but we didn't let it spoil our cruise. service everywhere else on the ship was fantastic, and as long as I don't have to shop, cook, or wash the dishes, I don't complain too much about the food!

donna

Service for me, because even if one or two things are bad, you can always find something to eat that will please you. Also a good waiter will alert you to which items on the menu are the best choices.

[cruisingks]

I posed this question to dh this morning. He´s definitely a service oriented person. As long as he doesn´t have to starve, he´s happy. If promised service isn´t up to par, then he´s unhappy. It´s as simple as that.

I claimed that I thought service was more important and dh promptly told me that that was the best joke I had told in ages. He claims that I am one of the most food oriented people he knows.

He´s right. Of all the vacations we´ve taken I can only remember three service oriented highlights. On the other hand I can rattle a list off of culinary highlights that leaves me wanting to raid the fridge.

karen

[mbuckellew]

I would have to say FOOD. I would buy soup from the Soup Nazi if it was delicious.

Cheers,
Michelle B.

[zeno]

Food - especially since I do not like overly obsequious service.

[CathyM]

Food is first....I'm used to bad service living in Miami. And being an ex-New Yorker, I can make a joke out of any bad situation.

Live...Love....Laugh...and cruise!

I'd have to take great food. I can handle average service.
Sharon