Royal Caribbean - how does dining work?

[ehanpaul8]

I'm having trouble understanding how dining works on a Royal Caribbean cruise, specifically Oasis of the Seas. We're booked for 5:30pm traditional dining.

Main dining room questions:

• The main dining room is really one large 3-story ro https://showbox.tools/ om, but there are 3 "main dining rooms", with one for traditional timing, one for my time, and one for walk-ins?

• Does the menu in the MDR change at all, or is it like going to the same restaurant 7 days in a row?

•   https://speedtest.vet/ Is there a limit to the amount of food you can get? I know some stuff is an upcharge, but could we (group of 5) get like 12 appetizers and no main courses and 7 desserts and nobody cares, or is it pre-defined 1:1:1 type deal?

• What happens if one day we don't want to/can't go at 5:30, or aren't feeling hungry yet, or don't want to be bothered going? Do we have to call and cancel our time, or inform them in any way?

General dining questions:

• Can you eat whenever you want, as much as you want, as often as you want? Like could I grab a hot dog from the boardwalk hotdog place every hour if I felt so inclined?

• Do I need a reservation to any of the other included places or are they just mostly walk up type things.

Thanks for sticking with me to the end. Any answers or additional information is also appreciated.

[AshleyDillo]

11 minutes ago, ehanpaul8 said:

The main dining room is really one large 3-story room, but there are 3 "main dining rooms", with one for traditional timing, one for my time, and one for walk-ins?

Usually the My Time Dining and the walk-ins will be on the same level.  Since you have an assigned early dining time, you will be assigned to a specific level and keep the same table for every meal.

13 minutes ago, ehanpaul8 said:

Does the menu in the MDR change at all, or is it like going to the same restaurant 7 days in a row?

The menu changes daily, but there is always a section of "favorites" that will be available every day.

14 minutes ago, ehanpaul8 said:

Is there a limit to the amount of food you can get? I know some stuff is an upcharge, but could we (group of 5) get like 12 appetizers and no main courses and 7 desserts and nobody cares, or is it pre-defined 1:1:1 type deal?

There is no limit.  If there are several things you are interested in, feel free to order them all.  The appetizers typically aren't a shareable size and are scaled down to feed one person, more like tapas.  They aren't shared plates, so anyone who wants a specific appetizer should order their own.  Also keep in mind they usually will only plate one item in front of you at a time.  If you ordered a salad an an appetizer, they would bring out the salad and once you were finished with the salad, then the appetizer would come.

16 minutes ago, ehanpaul8 said:

What happens if one day we don't want to/can't go at 5:30, or aren't feeling hungry yet, or don't want to be bothered going? Do we have to call and cancel our time, or inform them in any way?

Since you are scheduled for a set dining time, if you don't want to go there isn't anything you need to do.  However, I don't believe they will allow you to make another reservation to eat in the My Time Dining level.  You could always ask.  On those days you aren't feeling the Main Dining Room you can always eat at the other places on the ship.  Oasis has a lot of choices (some at an extra cost) so you should be able to find anything.  The Windjammer (buffet) hasn't been open for dinner on the recent cruises because they aren't opening it with the lowered capacity, but normally Windjammer is available for dinner.

18 minutes ago, ehanpaul8 said:

Can you eat whenever you want, as much as you want, as often as you want? Like could I grab a hot dog from the boardwalk hotdog place every hour if I felt so inclined?

• Do I need a reservation to any of the other included places or are they just mostly walk up type things.

Yes, as long as they are open you can hit up Boardwalk Dog House over and over again for all your hot dog needs.  You can order two dogs at one time if you like.  El Loco Fresh is another complimentary option where you can visit as often as you like. Park Cafe in Central Park is the same way.  You will not need a reservation for any of the other included places with the exception of Solarium Bistro for dinner.  That's an included dining option that you could decide to do instead of the Main Dining Room, but reservations are recommended there as space is limited.  The other included options (Cafe Promenade, Sorrentos, Park Cafe, Boardwalk Dog House, and El Loco Fresh) are all quick-service style places.

Oasis is a great ship for a first-timer with so many included options!  Don't forget that Solarium Bistro and Johnny Rockets will be open for breakfast and are also included, so gives you some other options than the Main Dining Room and Windjammer for breakfast.

 

[teddy]

1 hour ago, ehanpaul8 said:

Can you eat whenever you want, as much as you want, as often as you want? Like could I grab a hot dog from the boardwalk hotdog place every hour if I felt so inclined?

This was a concern of mine on my first cruise in 2019 on Mariner since I don't always eat on a set schedule.  I never went hungry.....I actually ate too much.

Our second cruise was on Vision (smaller ship) and I was concerned about the same thing because there was no Cafe Promenade.  Again, I ate too much.

[Chadster]

2 hours ago, ehanpaul8 said:

Can you eat whenever you want, as much as you want, as often as you want? Like could I grab a hot dog from the boardwalk hotdog place every hour if I felt so inclined?

I have to admit that one of the many reasons I'm excited about sailing on Oasis in September is because I'm looking forward to doing exactly this.

[Yo2slick]

On 8/27/2021 at 8:26 AM, ehanpaul8 said:

Can you eat whenever you want, as much as you want, as often as you want? Like could I grab a hot dog from the boardwalk hotdog place every hour if I felt so inclined?

By day 5 of a 7 night cruise I'm usually tired of eating 

We usually do My Time Dining as it works way better for us.

Ill always snack during the day.  If I pass the pizza place, I grab a slice.  Pass the ice cream machine, Ill grab a cone ect...  We eat whenever we feel like it.  Might cruise through the buffet and check it out, might order room service or see if there is room at a specialty restaurant if we feel like it.  We just go with the flow and it usually works out great.  You will not go hungry I can assure you!

[CrimsonCruiser]

I'm pretty sure my answers will echo what other have said but...I want to toss my 2 cents in anyway hahaha

Main dining room questions:

• Quote

  The main dining room is really one large 3-story room, but there are 3 "main dining rooms", with one for traditional timing, one for my time, and one for walk-ins?

  Yes, the dining rooms all connect across three decks and depending on where you sit you can look up or down to the others. For the purposes of organizing guests, however, each floor is treated as a separate dining room with its own name and everything (usually following a theme). You will be assigned a dining room on your seapass card and that's the one you go to whenever you want to eat in the MDR for dinner. (I believe lunch and breakfast, due to the lower crowds, are all in one room)

• Quote

  Does the menu in the MDR change at all, or is it like going to the same restaurant 7 days in a row?

  It does! There are about 3-5 standard items that will always be on the menu for each category (apps, mains, desserts) and 3-5 new items. I personally like to aim for the new items since they are usually unique to the chef onboard or maybe inspired by the port we were in that day. But the standard items ensure that I will never not have something I'm not going to be happy to eat.

• Quote

   Is there a limit to the amount of food you can get? I know some stuff is an upcharge, but could we (group of 5) get like 12 appetizers and no main courses and 7 desserts and nobody cares, or is it pre-defined 1:1:1 type deal?

  While I haven't personally tried it, I have it on good authority that you can order as much as you want in the MDR and while you might get funny looks for choosing to have all apps for dinner, I don't think they will get mad at you. We have skipped apps or dessert and the ship doesn't come crashing to a halt out of shock hahaha. I've also heard you can ask for smaller portions of the mains if you are just curious but don't want to potentially waste a full plate of food.

• Quote

  What happens if one day we don't want to/can't go at 5:30, or aren't feeling hungry yet, or don't want to be bothered going? Do we have to call and cancel our time, or inform them in any way?

  Might I suggest My Time Dining. You can go at the same time every day or later if you were having too much fun to make the set time. I believe it's good courtesy to call and say you won't be able to make it, just so they can make use of your table, but there were plenty of times we just kinda forgot to do that and didn't show up and there was no issue.

General dining questions:

• Quote

  Can you eat whenever you want, as much as you want, as often as you want? Like could I grab a hot dog from the boardwalk hotdog place every hour if I felt so inclined?

  As long as the food is out there and your stomach can take it...you can grab it. There's a reason one of the jokes about cruising that you'll come back a minimum of 5lbs heavier than you left

• Quote

  Do I need a reservation to any of the other included places or are they just mostly walk up type things.

  Reservations are really only needed for specialty dining or large groups in the MDR and I think this is really just a matter of space. I do believe you could try to just walk in but there is a possibility they won't have room to seat you. Good thing is it's easier to cancel a reservation than to try to plan something without it.

additional information is also appreciated.

Cafe Promenade and Sorrentos are great grab and go places especially for late night eats. A slice of 'za and a dessert on the promenade or boardwalk while you wind down from the day are just...*chefs kiss*

[loki007]

On 8/27/2021 at 9:26 AM, ehanpaul8 said:

General dining questions:

• Can you eat whenever you want, as much as you want, as often as you want? Like could I grab a hot dog from the boardwalk hotdog place every hour if I felt so inclined?

•  

You could literally stand at the Dog House and eat dog after dog. I generally eat my weight in Sorento's Pizza while on board. Even if I'm not hungry I have to grab it when I walk by. If you get the drink package same goes for cocktails