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How much do you use the MDR?


mcoler18

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On our upcoming 8 night cruise on Adventure we have booked the 3 night dining plan at £51.00 which we thought was a really good price, we are planning to do Chops twice and Giovanni’s once.

We are definitely going to do the first formal night in the MDR, but after that will probably just see what happens, we have a 5 year old and a 9 year old and our dining time is 8.30pm I really cant see them wanting to eat at that time going on until 10pm. If they are happy to go in the kids club we will probably use the MDR more but if not I could probably only see us going in once or twice for dinner.

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We've done BOGO twice but otherwise have dinner in MDR. We line the food and also like getting to know our waiters.

We also like going on sea days for lunch. Great salad bar and they also gave good items on menu.

DH and I enjoy it for breakfast for the Eggs Benedict, but our kids prefer Windjammer so we don't always make it.

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1 hour ago, WannaCruise said:

We've done BOGO twice but otherwise have dinner in MDR. We line the food and also like getting to know our waiters.

We also like going on sea days for lunch. Great salad bar and they also gave good items on menu.

DH and I enjoy it for breakfast for the Eggs Benedict, but our kids prefer Windjammer so we don't always make it.

We have only done Jewel and Allure in the past, Jewel prior to having kids and I think we used the MDR most nights then.

I prefer breakfast in the MDR, much more civilised and stops me going completly over the top on the amount of food I put away ?

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Really depends on the ship.  We usually prefer the specialty dining.  On the Oasis class with more options, we'll do 4 nights specialty and 3 in MDR.  We have Serenade coming up, we'll do 3 specialty and 4 dining.  We never eat dinner in the Windjammer.

IT helps that we don't have young children.  That would have definitely been a factor is we did cruising way back when our kids were young.

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3 hours ago, mcoler18 said:

On our upcoming 8 night cruise on Adventure we have booked the 3 night dining plan at £51.00 which we thought was a really good price, we are planning to do Chops twice and Giovanni’s once.

 

We are definitely going to do the first formal night in the MDR, but after that will probably just see what happens, we have a 5 year old and a 9 year old and our dining time is 8.30pm I really cant see them wanting to eat at that time going on until 10pm. If they are happy to go in the kids club we will probably use the MDR more but if not I could probably only see us going in once or twice for dinner.

 

As others have stated, for dinner we enjoy getting to know the wait staff at the MDR, and the food is good -- much nicer than what we eat at home.  We eat at specialty restaurants only when we have a voucher from our agent or Royal -- we haven't been that impressed with them, although we admit that if you want a particular entree, specialty restaurants are an excellent option.  We really like formal nights in the MDR.  For other meals, we may try the MDR once, but the hours of operation don't always suit us, and the made-to-order food is sometimes lukewarm.  The WJ is our go-to place for lunch and some breakfasts.  (The Harmony's Solarium Bistro is a good option when the WJ is crowded.) 

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We tried specialty once.  It was nice and fancy but for the extra money we didn't feel like it was all that much better than MDR.  We really like the main dining room where the waiters get to know you and what you want and expect.  By day 2 or 3 they know what to have when you sit down ready (drinks, etc).  They also will pay attention to things you like extra of (breads,sides, etc),  We feel more pampered in the main dining with the extra attention you get from building the personal relationship with the waiter and asst waiter.  The food is usually really good too!  We value the personal-ness a bit more than the better food (but again the MDR is very good).  We would rather put the money in to shore excursions, escape rooms, other activities, etc and experience those since the MDR is usually VERY good and the experience for us isn't that much better in specialty dining.  Just our thoughts and opinions...

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3 minutes ago, FManke said:

We like the specialty restaurants just for a change of scenery. I don't know that the food is any better than the MDR sometimes, but it is more intimate, which is a nice change from the MDR.

Agree, more intimate like sitting at a candle lit table in a fancy restaurant with dimmed lights.  The atmosphere is pretty nice.  Less hectic than MDR since theres less staff and guests.

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1 hour ago, FManke said:

Our last cruise, we tried all venues on Serenade at least once, except for MDR breakfast. The idea of a plated breakfast just didn't do much for us. Maybe we should give it a try next time around.

We always eat breakfast in the MDR.  We have found it's a great opportunity to meet new people because they want to fill the tables, unless you specifically ask for a small table, they put people together as they arrive.  We've had many great breakfast conversations with total strangers.

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41 minutes ago, FManke said:

We like the specialty restaurants just for a change of scenery. I don't know that the food is any better than the MDR sometimes, but it is more intimate, which is a nice change from the MDR.

This is what we like about it and we feel like we get more attention from the servers since they have fewer tables to care for.

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1 hour ago, FManke said:

Our last cruise, we tried all venues on Serenade at least once, except for MDR breakfast. The idea of a plated breakfast just didn't do much for us. Maybe we should give it a try next time around.

They also have a buffet breakfast in the MDR and I prefer it to the Windjammer.  No problem finding seat or having someone take your seat.

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I have almost always eaten dinner in the MDR. Maybe one night here or there at specialty. However, we are starting to explore the specialty dining options more since we are tired of the same menus in the MDR across the fleet.

Last cruise we did the BOGO package and next month we booked the 3 night package. Especially with the larger ships, there are so many more options. Once in a blue moon we will even eat in the Windjammer due to shore excursions ending late.

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4 minutes ago, ChrisK2793 said:

 

We’ve never done dinner in the Windjammer ........ is it better quality/taste than the stuff they serve at lunch?  Sometimes we’ve thought it would be nice to go there when we don’t feel like taking 2 hours for dinner, but never followed thru.

 

No it is not better quality and taste!  Think buffet ribs sitting there to be picked or going to a restaurant and getting ribs where they are served to you when they are cooked.  If you go to MDR and say you need to hurry they will get you out in an hour or less.  We do this when there's something we want to do and dinner gets in the way.

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I love going to the MDR for breakfast on every cruise everyday.  Oh I will graze at the Windjammer after the MDR breakfast for a little pastry or muffin.  I don't think I've ever had lunch in the MDR.  I'm not really a lunch person.  I always go the the MDR for dinner too.  I like getting to know the waitstaff.  

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Just now, MaryS said:

I love going to the MDR for breakfast on every cruise everyday.  Oh I will graze at the Windjammer after the MDR breakfast for a little pastry or muffin.  I don't think I've ever had lunch in the MDR.  I'm not really a lunch person.  I always go the the MDR for dinner too.  I like getting to know the waitstaff.  

Agreed!  love the personal feel of having the same waiters everynight!  We will walk through the "mouth jammer" in the evening watching people grab hotdogs, burgers, pizza and can't believe people choose that over MDR food!  

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We are going to stick to main dining for our 2 booked cruises, except 1 night where my mother-in-law will be keeping our daughter for the night allowing my wife and I to have a date night during our sailing.  I like the specialty restaurant options, but we are going to focus our extra spending elsewhere.  I will be "sneaking" to Izumi a few times though :)

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I have never done any specialty dining. I love the classic MDR experience (knowing my waiter, trying different foods, etc....) and I cant see paying for food when great food has already been paid for? I will admit ive been accused of not having a discernible palate. Im not a foody, and food is fuel to me. Just my two cents....

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I'll stick with the MDR too. I used to sail with Disney and everybody was saying "Oh, you must go to Palo's!.....Palo's is well worth the price, trust me!.....Palo's must be experienced!", etc, etc. (Mainly from the Disney Suite Snobs who lowered themselves to speak with me). You would think it was going to be one of the finest meals you'd ever have. So I tried it. Mistake. It was Olive Garden with nicer napkins. Cost me $120.00 with a couple drinks for 2 of us. And that was years ago. Plus I was required to wear a tie. Not gonna fall for that kind of hype again.

 

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On 9/6/2019 at 10:23 AM, MaryS said:

I love going to the MDR for breakfast on every cruise everyday.  Oh I will graze at the Windjammer after the MDR breakfast for a little pastry or muffin.  I don't think I've ever had lunch in the MDR.  I'm not really a lunch person.  I always go the the MDR for dinner too.  I like getting to know the waitstaff.  

We never seem to get waiters that keep my coffee cup from getting empty. We do MDR for breakfast occasionally, though.

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On 9/6/2019 at 7:06 PM, Fuzzywuzzy said:

I'll stick with the MDR too. I used to sail with Disney and everybody was saying "Oh, you must go to Palo's!.....Palo's is well worth the upcharge.....Palo's must be experienced!", etc, etc. (Mainly from the Disney Suite Snobs who lowered themselves to speak with me). You would think it was going to be one of the finest meals you'd ever have. So I tried it. It was Olive Garden with nicer napkins. Cost me $120.00 with a couple drinks for 2 of us. And that was years ago. Plus I was required to wear a tie. Not gonna fall for that kind of hype again.

 

For $120 that better come with a "happy ending"

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On our upcoming Allure cruise we have 4 nights planned in the MDR. We will be at Izumi for the first formal night (we aren't really a fan of them), going to the Windjammer after St. Maarten (for something a little bit more laid back), and then to Sabor after our day at Labadee. 

We like the MDR and an occasional formal night (husband loves lobster night) but sometimes for dinner just enjoy something a bit more low key. 

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I think a lot of a cruise is dependent upon how many cruises you have sailed and what is important to you.  I say that because our last few cruises we have used the Ultimate/Unlimited dining plan.  We enjoy the ambiance of the specialty restaurants as well as the better service we get in the specialty restaurants.  I feel the food in the MDR sounds good, but lacks flavor other than salt.

 

Our last several cruises as well as our future cruises booked are on Oasis class ships and there are quite a few specialty restaurants.  We tend to go to Chops several times on a cruise as well as to Giovanni's on Allure and Jamie's on Harmony.  When we went to Chops the first time, we loved the waiter we had so we requested  him every time we dined there.  The same with Jamie's or Giovanni's.  

 

I love breakfast in the MDR, but with using the UDP, we don't eat breakfast on sea days as we get to have lunch in a specialty restaurant and there is no way we could eat a big lunch and dinner.  To us, because we have cruised many times, port excursions are not important any longer so the specialty restaurants are our excursions.  I realize not everyone feels as we do and that's great as there are choices for everyone.

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We love the main Dining Room. We can order fast and  be on our way to have more fun within an hour or usually less. We also love the food. I usually get prime rib sometimes twice each cruise. I love the lamb dishes and the duck!  And did I mention lobster. There are many many other dishes that are very good! But, occasionally, I will order a steak from the specialty restaurant.

 The major problem with the specialty restaurants is that it takes so long. Granted the food is very good also, but you have to pay. 

  In summary, we usually eat only in the Main Dining Room and on a rare occasion eat in a Specialty restaurant or the Windjammer.*

   * Exceptions: We enjoy the fun Mexican Specialty restaurants, like Sabor,  for lunch. And, we do want to try Hooked on Seafood when we cruise on a ship that has that.  

 

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Only been on 2 cruises, so somewhat constrained point of view, but we ate in the MDR every single night of our very first cruise (minus one night for me when I did Chef's Table solo), and I also ate in the MDR every breakfast and most sea day lunches. We found the food totally fine at all of our meals, and our wait staff at dinner was always great and attentive. And we loved the company we had at our meals, whether assigned table-mates for dinner or the random guests I got seated with at breakfast or lunch when I requested a shared table.

I'll be experiencing the MDR on Anthem for dinner for the first time this October; last year's Anthem sailing we were in a JS and had dinner in CK every night (#goTeamCK!!), but we did eat in the MDR for breakfast once. Only once. That was a disaster, because of how Anthem splits the MDR into four separate small venues but only opens one of them for breakfast; it's a madhouse, insanely crowded and busy the whole time. Never again for breakfast on Anthem, will just do Wind Jah'mehr or Cafe Two70 or Solarium Bistro.

I'm hoping that dinner on Anthem will be better, since we have late traditional seating. If that goes well, it will (to me, anyway) prove a theory I've developed over the last two years while reading others' reviews of the MDR and comparing with my own experiences.

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We sailed on Allure a couple of weeks ago (right before Hurricane Dorian); had the three-night specialty dining package (did specialty on night 2, 3, and 7). We split breakfast in the Windjammer and Solarium Bistro. Loved doing lunch in the MDR--great selections (both a menu and buffet option). Only did MDR for dinner on a couple nights, including our second formal night. (Did first formal night for specialty dining; second formal was collared shirt and slacks.)

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@JLMoran  I agree breakfast in the MDR on Anthem is my least favorite.  We did late seating and felt the service was excellent.  We had a group of 10 and our wait staff was on the ball.  By day 2 he knew that my cousin only eats fish due to medical issues, I swear anything and everything served in any restaurant as appetizers that was seafood was placed on our table while we were perusing what to order for dinner.  We all were shocked.  I enjoy the wedge salad, every night he would ask if I wanted it for the next night and it was there.  I eat to live, and I become full after 2 or 3 bites.  The 1st 2 nights he thought I just didn't like the food so he would bring out another entrée thinking maybe I would care for that instead.  My husband had to finally say, stop, whatever she doesn't eat, she makes me eat so as not to offend.  

That was the only cruise we have done only the MDR.  We did so bc several in our group feel no need to pay for specialty dinners.   They are people that cruise typically 2x a yr. and have done so for 20 yrs.   I believe that there are 4 things that makes eating in the MDR a great option over specialty

  1.  Expectations for day 1.  Day 1 always has its hiccups.  Staff change over can be a factor.  Just be prepared, day 2 will run smoother
  2.  New cruisers do not know you can go off menu, just give a days notice.  Instead, they feel that they have to stick with whatever is on the menu.  Frequent cruisers know you can request something off the menu.  
  3.  My opinion, if you can do the late seating.  We have done the early, we have done MTD, but our very favorite is late traditional seating.  We have found the vibe in the restaurant to be really laid back and that the servers are more efficient because it is not as crowded.   I have children, but they are adults now,  and I think that is also why the vibe is more laid back....no flaming, but it is rare to see any kids at the late seating.  
  4.  Many people now buy the specialty packages so those restaurants are filling up more and more, with less people in the MDR, but they still keep that table for you regarding traditional seating.  For waitstaff they do get the grat added in whether or not you eat there, but I am sure that the MDR staff is seeing loss of money now, i.e. end of cruise tipping.  Thus, I have found they have upped their game, so that those that eat there nightly will tip them out.  

We enjoy the specialty restaurants, and feel for the cost, it is worth buying the 3 night (we use a TA, so she gifts us a 4th night).  I am on the fence regarding the ultimate, because at the cost it becomes buy the 3 night + the TA comp + Chefs table @ the same cost as the ultimate.  This is when it comes down to the ship.  I am not a fan of Wonderland (been there, done that, paid the check), I am not a sushi person so if Izumi does not offer hot rocks or teppynaki I could do a pass on it.   Thus, the specialty + Chefs is a better option for us, and that means we will be in the MDR 3-4 nights out of the cruise.

I will say like everyone else that I think RCL MDR does an amazing job regardless of the ship for their lunch on sea days.  Can we all say tutti salad?  If you have not had their spinach gnocchi at lunch, you are missing a treat.  Trust me, being married to an Italian family from NY/NJ, when they all look like they have found nirvana after the 1st bite, than you know it is good.

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MDR only for me, never eaten at a paid restaurant on the ship, except johnny rockets.

I am sure they are great, but $30+ for a meal is a lot of money IMO, especially when I already have a great meal easily worth $20-30 waiting for me at the MDR.

Ill save that $30 and go out to eat when I am not on vacation.

though, I dont eat that much food in my normal life.  When I know I am going out to dinner, I will often eat very small meals that day so I am extra hungry to enjoy that dinner.  When I am on a cruise, eating a big breakfast AND lunch, Im already stuffed when dinner comes around, also contributing to my disinterest to spend MORE money on food that I can barely eat.

also worth noting that I am wierd and do not like steak (not that Im vegan or unable to eat it, just do not enjoy it), so everyones favorite restaurant, chops, holds no appeal to me.

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We like having breakfast in the main dinning room. We had never done that before until our last two cruises.  We did love breakfast and Johnny Rockets on the Oasis too.  We have never done the specialty restaurants before; however, we have 3-night specialty dining on our upcoming NCL cruise in November.  We like having the same wait staff throughout the week.  On our NCL cruise coming up they have my time dining so I guess I will find out if I hate it or love it.  

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3 hours ago, Pima1988 said:

My opinion, if you can do the late seating.  We have done the early, we have done MTD, but our very favorite is late traditional seating.  We have found the vibe in the restaurant to be really laid back and that the servers are more efficient because it is not as crowded.

You're another data point in my theory. Based on everyone's feedback here over the last two years, I'm theorizing that the introduction of My Time Dining has drastically changed the way the MDR gets used. Just from personal and anecdotal evidence, seems to me that the vast majority of passengers who have dinner in the MDR are either doing

  • 5:30 traditional dining; I'm guessing this is now focused on two main "brackets":
    • Elderly folks already used to eating early before turning in early (the "blue plate special" / "diner senior special" crowd)
    • Families with infants or other very young children, who want to put the kids in AO after dinner and have some time to catch the earlier shows before putting the kids to bed and having to stay in their cabins for the night
  • My Time Dining with reservation time between 6:00 and 7:00
    • This group is pretty much anyone from mainstream American home dinner time, who refuse to have their dinner time scheduled and insist on sticking to what they're used to, just like they do on every other vacation, thank you very much

And this just crushes the dining room and kitchen staff. It would totally explain the constant complaints I read about lack of attentiveness, food that comes out less than great, staff that always look overworked, etc. The wait staff never get a chance to breathe, never mind learn about their assigned passengers, because they just can't take the time with so many requiring service at once. And the kitchen is likewise overwhelmed; while we've seen from @twangster's live blogs and others who have done the galley tours that they prepare the evening's dishes well in advance, they still need enough time to get them out of refrigeration and get them to the right temperature, or cook the meats or fish so they're freshly hot, etc. And they get too many orders to give everything the attention it needs, leading to complaints about the food.

 

And then the late traditional shift comes along.

Fewer people want this slot. It's a late time to eat for a lot of people; they don't necessarily want to see the earlier show; the late seating doesn't finish up in time for other performances they want to catch, like the adults-only comedian slot; they'd rather have a quick bite in the Windjammer at that point; etc.

So things naturally slow down, and the staff actually gets to breathe again. Attentiveness returns, food gets prepared better, and the people in this time slot just generally find it a great overall experience.

What do you all think? Sounds about right, or am I missing something?

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Do you prefer to eat in restaurants that are very popular where you can see a lot of people? Or do you prefer the intimacy of a smaller venue. We never eat in the MDR. Its not for us. Too crowded and too loud for us. We prefer the smaller venues for quieter dinners. Its worth the xtra money to us. I think it all depends on what you are used to at home.

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