The Main Dining Room is a staple experience on Royal Caribbean cruises. However, many passengers may opt to skip the dining room in favor of specialty restaurants or a quicker, casual meal at the buffet, leaving them wondering if they should tell their waitstaff that they won't be there for dinner.
The question was recently asked in a Royal Caribbean dining Facebook group, where a cruiser debated whether they should let their waiter know about the nights they plan on dining elsewhere.
"We have reserved specialty dining on days 3, 4, [and] 5 of our upcoming 8-day trip. Should we let the [Main Dining Room] know that we won’t be there for those dinners but WILL be back for days 6 & 7?" they asked.
While you aren't required to let your waiter know, many cruisers consider it common courtesy.
If you choose traditional dining (i.e., the early or late seating) and know you’ll be missing a night (or two), it's polite to let them know.
That way, they won't be waiting on you and can better manage their table assignments and service flow for the dinner seating. It also helps them know if the table will be used for My Time Dining guests.
The responses were largely in agreement, stating that it's polite to let your waitstaff know when you won't be there.
"We always let our waiters know when we will not be there," said one user.
Another added, "Assuming you have the traditional, set dining time, common courtesy would be to let your waiter know you won't be there on those nights so the waiter and your fellow table mates are not waiting on you before starting their meal."
"[T]hey will tell you it's not necessary, but it is common courtesy to let them know," someone else agreed.
One cruiser wrote, "It's simple courtesy to let them know the evening before as often the waiters will have prepared for you to show up. Our waiters frequently have our preferred beverage ready and even the cheese plate that we usually order to share at the table."
If you have My Time Dining, your server may ask you to request them the next night. If you have no intention of returning to the dining room, you can simply say that you have other plans.
However, if they don't ask, there's no need to inform them, as My Time Dining is on a first-come, first-served basis — it's not expected that you will have the same waitstaff each night, like with traditional dining.
If you have traditional dining, you can relax knowing that your assigned table and servers will be ready to welcome you each night you choose to eat in the dining room, even if you skip a few.
Read more: Royal Caribbean My Time Dining versus Traditional Dining
Why cruisers might skip the Main Dining Room
The Main Dining Room is designed to be a flexible option for cruisers. Although many choose to eat there every night since it's included in your cruise fare, others may prefer the intimate setting of specialty restaurants.
You can either purchase a specialty dining package or pay the individual cover charges at restaurants like Izumi, Chops Grille, Hooked, and more.
Another reason passengers might skip the dining room is for a quick meal at the buffet, rather than devoting time to a multi-course dinner. There are also more choices than in the dining room, so you can mix and match to create your perfect plate.
The good thing is that you can choose how you want to mix up your cruise dining experience (or not).
And if you do decide on a whim to skip the dining room, it's okay. Cruising is all about flexibility, and your waiter will understand the last-minute change of plans.
Read more: 11 reasons eating at the cruise buffet instead of the dining room is better
