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Dining and Mask wearing and UDP


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Hi!  Have been stalking for a bit, first time poster :).  

We are scheduled on Allure for July 25th in a Grand Suite 2 bedroom.  I'm remaining hopeful that we'll actually sail but I'm considering my options for dining, as I don't see the point in dealing with the mask wearing in between bites when I have my own awesome table on my own awesome balcony.  Will I be able to get take out from the specialty restaurants and bring it back to my room? If so, do I need to reserve this or can I just call down and order and then pick it up later? Or do I have to order in person?  Can I do unlimited orders from each restaurant to bring back to my room to have a huge feast? Can I also order take out from CK? 

I will miss being served by wait staff, but it's worth it to avoid the awkwardness of masks while dining (unless they move a lot of their dining outdoors, then I'd opt for that.)

 

Thanks for your feedback!!

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I have done take out at the specialty restaurants before, but it was only myself ordering.  

Some of the specialty restaurants can easily manage takeout orders and even have containers such as Johnny Rockets and Izumi sushi.  They've never had issues doing takeout orders when I've attempted.

I did an order at Chops once.  I did make a reservation and when I showed up I told the host that I just wanted to do a to-go order instead and they tried very, very hard to convince me to sit down and order.  They even offered to seat me outside when I tried to use the argument that I wasn't properly dressed to dine there ?.  I was only ordering a steak, not a full three-course meal.  They turned my order around really fast and gave it to me on a real plate with a room service cover.  I was responsible for carrying it back to the room, so keep that in mind if you are contemplating a huge order.

As for whether to make reservations, I can see both sides of that argument.  If you make a reservation and you are planning to do takeout, you just took away a table from someone else that may have wanted to dine there.  Although I would hope that the reservation would help them with the pacing of food orders in the kitchens as well, so not a huge loss for the restaurant itself.  It never hurts to ask if you want to do something non-traditional like this.   I will just say even ordering that single plate at Chops felt very awkward and out of place.  They were really nice about it, but it's definitely not the norm and probably not something they really would want to encourage.  They likely aren't going to take an over the phone order either.  That's reserved for those in Star Class, and even then the Star folks are ordering their meals through their Genie.

As for dining outdoors, 150 Central Park and Izumi are the only specialty dining restaurants that I can think of that do not have outdoor dining.  Sabor is open to the boardwalk and not entirely indoors.  Chops and Giovannis also both have some Central Park seating.  If you were really concerned about dining indoors you could ask to be seated in the outdoor areas.

 

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I do not want to have to wear a mask when indoor dining and keep taking it on and off.  But I am not that concerned about it at this time.  No ships are sailing and the rules keep changing.   Sometimes daily.  I will wait until they are sailing and have set the restrictions.  I don't think the wearing masks indoors while eating will stay anyway.  It will be changed before sailing actually occurs.  IMO

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1 hour ago, Linda R said:

I do not want to have to wear a mask when indoor dining and keep taking it on and off.  But I am not that concerned about it at this time.  No ships are sailing and the rules keep changing.   Sometimes daily.  I will wait until they are sailing and have set the restrictions.  I don't think the wearing masks indoors while eating will stay anyway.  It will be changed before sailing actually occurs.  IMO

I really hope that you are right on this. Rule is absolutely insane. Especially when cruising with fully vaccinated people!

 

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Based on my Singapore sailing, upon being seated, the wait staff immediately bring you water, so you can remove the mask. We were not required to put the mask on between courses. 
 

Basically, get seated, as long as some item for consumption has been placed in front of you, the mask can come off until the end of the meal. 

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12 minutes ago, LogicallyLazy said:

Based on my Singapore sailing, upon being seated, the wait staff immediately bring you water, so you can remove the mask. We were not required to put the mask on between courses. 
 

Basically, get seated, as long as some item for consumption has been placed in front of you, the mask can come off until the end of the meal. 

The concern in the US are CDC requirements that prohibit that.  Removing your mask for an extended meal service is expressly prohibited.  

We are all hoping with the easing of mask protocols there can be some sanity brought to the mask policies on board if vaccinated.

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Thanks, everyone, for your input.  I'm hoping that they will provide more outside dining options so that we aren't stuck wearing masks in between bites and sips while indoors. I'm also really hoping they will make it easier to order take out from various restaurants so that we can eat on our balcony if the mask situation doesn't get sorted. 

More to be revealed, I guess!

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Where on the RC site does it say you have to wear masks throughout dinner?  I haven’t been able to find that anywhere.   I’m not even sure why you have to wear masks at all if everyone except children are vaccinated on the cruise.  Either the vaccine works or it doesn't.  That’s why so many people don’t want to get the vaccine, the CDC acts like it doesn’t actually work when they know it does!

 

 

 

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36 minutes ago, ChrisK2793 said:

Where on the RC site does it say you have to wear masks throughout dinner?  I haven’t been able to find that anywhere.   I’m not even sure why you have to wear masks at all if everyone except children are vaccinated on the cruise.  Either the vaccine works or it doesn't.  That’s why so many people don’t want to get the vaccine, the CDC acts like it doesn’t actually work when they know it does!

Royal has not released any protocols.

The CDC has the noted requirement but so far no US sailing is permitted absent of any approvals granted by the CDC so it's a moot point.  

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1 hour ago, ChrisK2793 said:

Where on the RC site does it say you have to wear masks throughout dinner?  I haven’t been able to find that anywhere.   I’m not even sure why you have to wear masks at all if everyone except children are vaccinated on the cruise.  Either the vaccine works or it doesn't.  That’s why so many people don’t want to get the vaccine, the CDC acts like it doesn’t actually work when they know it does!

It's part of the specific guidelines that the CDC released with respect cruiselines being allowed to begin cruising from US ports.  Basically the CDC published a lot of asinine health and safety protocol recommendations for the cruiselines to begin sailing, which still requires approval by the CDC to even get a certificate to be allowed to sail.

Royal hasn't announced what their actual protocols will be yet since the recommendations that the CDC are making aren't keeping up with the CDC's constantly changing recommendations for everything else in the US.  Unlike the CDC, Royal doesn't want to publish guidelines yet then have to backtrack and make changes as thing constantly evolve which leads to confusion.  They're in a holding pattern waiting to see how what CDC is going to change their position on next before they announce their policy.

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