Have you ever had the chef make you a special meal on a cruise line ?

My husband gets special meals prepared for him all the time on cruises becauswe of his diet restrictions. As for me, though, only once. When a chef came by our table to introduce himself, I told him that I heard that he was famous for his Weiner Schnitzel. I asked him if he was going to prepare it for that cruise. He said yes but the night it was to be on the menu was the night that we would be off the ship for a night excursion. He said not to worry that he would make it special for me the following night and he did. I was quite moved by what he did. By the way, it was delicious.

I never have, but, I may ask for this next time we dine in the steakhouse.

this could be my new favourite food.

https://youtu.be/QCGKvGisptg

Is it really possible to do that?? Have never done or tried.

I'd have also asked to try the curried Goat or Lamb...... sounds like a memorable meal I'd have even gone off diet for a cheat night for that.

We always request a large table so we can meet several people. On one cruise we were seated with some folks who jokingly asked for curried goat every night starting the first night. A few days in, the head waiter came by and asked a lot of questions to determine how serious they were and who at the table wanted this; of course we joined in saying we’d love to have it! The next night, our table was served an exclusive dish – curried lamb, not goat – with all the trimmings! This was one of the most amazing meals we’ve had on a cruise and the head waiter was beaming with pride for making it happen!

Closet I come to the Chef preparing something for me was years ago on the Tahitian Princess. The executive chef was always walking around, we had spoken to him in several occasions.

One morning I walked up to the omelette station and as I got there the cook ran into the back to grab some provisions. The Chef stepped behind the pans and asked what he could get for me. I told him I had no problem waiting for the cook. The chef looked at me and said " what you don't think I can make an omelette?"

I told him what I wanted apologized and walked away with the biggest omelette I had ever seen. He came by our table 20 minutes later with a big smile and asked me how it was. Very special memory.

I've always found the food to be fine - not always fantastic, but like we would find at any huge banquet. I would never consider asking for a special meal! Can you imagine the chaos and time involved if even a small portion of the guests did this? To me, it just seems wrong when there are so many things on the menu, at the Lido buffet and room service that something has to be satisfying that is not a special order.

We have only done the "Chef's Table" (CT) as our special meal. In the beginning it was up to the chef to decide the menu, but that got a little "expensive" for the Carnival and now all the CT are the same set menu for a given amount of time. We found this experience worth it and often recommend it to others even if we aren't participating on a particular cruise. Depending on the chef, it can be as entertaining as some of the comedy shows.

First Chef's Table was aboard Carnival Elation August 2015. It was a delightful discovery, combining two of my favorite hobbies: eating and drinking. While the champagne and wines were NOT first rank, they complimented the appetizers and various entrees. The food was creatively presented and innovative use of ingredients like duck and bacon. Not every dish was as tasty as it was beautiful, such as the sea bass. For $75.00 I made sure I drank my maximum to make up the extra unfilled room in my tummy. The free photo made it all worthwhile.

Then, like the slow learner that I am, I booked my sixth anniversary celebrating my divorce on a solo cruise aboard Carnival Victory Feb. 27, 2017. Like an idiot I booked the Chef's Table, like going on a culinary shore excursion. I was really looking forward to innovation and creativity. What a disappointment! Every damn dish was repeated from August 2015. I was left unfulfilled and slightly angry. I passed on the Escargots Bourguignonne that I LOVE served in the MDR to have a repeat performance in the Library. At least I know the snails are canned. What I don't expect is paying $75.00 for frozen fish and canned mango. Even the photo was terrible. I gave it as a present to my cabin steward.