Transatlantic Cruise Dining and entertainment

[DJ VINCE]

Sorry if the question has been raised before, but didn't found a topic about it.

We are on the Wonder of the Seas cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona and I'm curious to know if the MDR and Windjammer would just have repeated menus after week 1 or is there more variation ? Same question for the entertainment especially now that that doesn't seem to be up to par yet on the Wonder. This is our first cruise longer than 7 days that's not a back2back so we are a bit in the dark on what to expect.

 

 

[twangster]

Typically on a TA they will repeat some menus verbatim but in different order, or if they find themselves with excess protein of one kind or another they will produce a new menu that has one or two variations of that protein such as two chicken entrees among some other entrees.  

They don't typically take repeat the same cycle of menus day 1 through 7 in exact order but they'll pick one or two from days 1 through 7 and they become day 8, then 9 and so.  

So it could look like menus 1, 2 3, 4, 5 6, 7, 4, 3, 5, 2 or it could 1, 2, 3, 4 ,5, 6 ,7, 4, new menu, 4, 5, 2.

It all depends what the head chef and food and beverage manager decide to do on that sailing based on consumption trends for that crossing.  

[twangster]

For entertainment that depends on the ship.  Oasis class for example have more going on but they typically will perform the main shows the same number of times while the aqua and ice casts might have an ad-hoc show that isn't a published show but the cast doing some personal favorite routines.  

Entertainment is complicated because they often have to build the sets around other theater uses such as destination talks, Captain's Corner, Love & Marriage, etc.  They are not going to build the set for a Broadway show twice on one sailing.  Once it has been used and re-stored it won't likely come out again.  

[MattG]

I have seen unique menus for 12-night cruises as well, so you should see 5 additional menus beyond the normal 7-night menus

[WAAAYTOOO]

22 minutes ago, MattG said:

I have seen unique menus for 12-night cruises as well, so you should see 5 additional menus beyond the normal 7-night menus

I think this is an important point.  There are waaay more than 7 "unique" menus on the ships.  There are probably dozens.  Some have been semi-retired over the years but as far as I know, they still exist.

Many years ago, we happened to experience just how many different menus options there are.  For reasons that don't need to be described here, we went with one of the MDR managers into a closet where the paper menus live.  There were piles and piles of menus (it was actually a huge mess !!); many that I had never seen before.  So there is no shortage of options for different menus.  The limiting factor, of course, is whether or not the ship has the supplies/ingredients (and perhaps, talent) to prepare some of the less-well-known menus.  If the menus repeat over the course of a longer cruise, I would guess that it's b/c of the lack of resources (food and/or chefs familiar with their preparation) on the ship and NOT b/c they don't have any other options.

[Riley]

5 hours ago, DJ VINCE said:

Sorry if the question has been raised before, but didn't found a topic about it.

We are on the Wonder of the Seas cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona and I'm curious to know if the MDR and Windjammer would just have repeated menus after week 1 or is there more variation ? Same question for the entertainment especially now that that doesn't seem to be up to par yet on the Wonder. This is our first cruise longer than 7 days that's not a back2back so we are a bit in the dark on what to expect.

 

 

You can always request something different or order off the vegan menu (no really - some of the appetizers at least are really good, like the grilled peach salad). We usually request a side of grilled veggies regardless of the day's offering, for example, and it's never been a problem. 

[Audrey V.]

I am just grateful for a paper menu. Hate having to put my phone over a coded block.

[Pattycruise]

1 hour ago, Audrey V. said:

I am just grateful for a paper menu. Hate having to put my phone over a coded block.

If I could put 100 I would!

[DJ VINCE]

Thanks guys really interesting to know how they manage it.
I was a bit afraid that the menu would be starting to look unappealing after week 1 because of eating the same items over again. We had that on Carnival once on a B2B and got a bit bored tbh. Might book a few speciality dining restaurants nevertheless to mix things up.

[DJ VINCE]

8 hours ago, Audrey V. said:

I am just grateful for a paper menu. Hate having to put my phone over a coded block.

I like to have both, its just easier to preview everything in advance, but in the MDR its fancier to keep the paper menu.