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Best night to skip MDR for Specialty Restaurant?


Matt

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We're trying to decide which night we should skip dinner in the main dining room and eat at one of the specialty restaurants.  Which night(s) do you usually opt for?

For me, it depends on a couple of things. #1: I check the menus each afternoon after lunch is served to see what peaks my interest. If I see nothing that is really appealing, then I will book a specialty restaurant. Unlike most people, I don't book specialty restaurants in advance. And to my surprise I normally can get in just by reserving the same day.

 

#2: I've taken cruises where I opted to not participate in formal night activities, and didn't pack a suit. So on formal nights my wife and I ate in specialty restaurants. Nor surprisingly most people eat in the main dining room on formal nights because of the special entertainment, menu, and or formal night activities. Probably us repeat cruisers that know the routine and know what to expect have and done formal nights over and over again opt for something different.

 

Having been on 5 Royal Caribbean cruises I look for certain menu items that I enjoy eating on Royal Caribbean cruises and will pick and choose nights to eat in the main dining room based on when those menu offerings are available. Still mourning the loss of the vidalia onion tart! 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Hmmm now that is an idea.  Specialty restaurant in lieu of formal night.  Sign me up.   Is there a place where I can find what night is what?  Like night 2 is formal, night 4 is dressier casual, etc. Makes packing so much easier.

Depends on the ship and itinerary but most 7-night cruises I've been on, the first formal night is the second night

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  • 3 weeks later...

We decided to skip both formal nights in the MDR in favor of Chops Grill and what a good decision it was. The food was amazing on both occasions as was the service and it felt really intimate and romantic.

 

If it helps our cruise was 12 nights and the formal nights were the first sea day(Tuesday) and the first sea day of the second week(Wednesday).

 

Day 2 & Day 10

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We decided to skip both formal nights in the MDR in favor of Chops Grill and what a good decision it was. The food was amazing on both occasions as was the service and it felt really intimate and romantic.

 

If it helps our cruise was 12 nights and the formal nights were the first sea day(Tuesday) and the first sea day of the second week(Wednesday).

 

Day 2 & Day 10

When I go to Chops I could skip steak all together and just eat the salad and all the sides! :)

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I know what you mean the sides are fantabulicious and you could eat them all day but I miss the Steaks already as they have to be some of the best Steaks we have ever had.

 

We are already counting down the days till our next Chops meal and the amazing Giovanni's desserts, you were so right about the Tiramisu :) :) .

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ha!  I don't think there's anything wrong with eating only in the Windjammer but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't miss the MDR experience.

 

I love the MDR; in fact, I prefer the traditional dining over "My Time" (and I've actually only done the Windjammer once at dinner time, and only because my brother in law who was on the cruise insisted).  It's having to schlep a garment bag half way across the continent (so I can wear a suit for a few hours just like I do at the office) that I dislike.  And the obligatory photographs of me in that suit that my wife insists on purchasing, of course. :)

 

Actually, I've also not done any specialty restaurants on board.  I'm fine with the main dining room, but on our next cruise I may try to persuade my wife to do one of them with the special chef (Chef's Table, can't recall the name offhand).  I think she would enjoy that and I'm hoping for extra bonus points with her for suggesting it, LOL.

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It's having to schlep a garment bag half way across the continent (so I can wear a suit for a few hours just like I do at the office) that I dislike.  And the obligatory photographs of me in that suit that my wife insists on purchasing, of course. :)

I totally understand what you mean here.  Especially with airfare costs for luggage, I get why it's such a hassle.  Granted you can rent a tux and not deal with the ordeal but I'm not sure it's a savings value  :lol:

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I wish my wife would let me get away with that.  :)

And when I say "didn't pack a suit" I mean I didn't pack a suit jacket, tie or slacks. But I did pack button down dress shirts, one for each night and a few pairs of dress pants. So we can eat dinner dressed in what I would say is work clothes. We have never eaten dinner in the Windjammer, but I wouldn't be opposed to. The less formal clothing is great because you can do "lifestyle" photos and they still look nice because you are semi dressed up. Also looking nice at dinner gives you the freedom to eat where you want without screaming "formal night" when you walk in the room. 

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  • 5 weeks later...

So here is my question....What do the new descriptions of MDR nightly fair translate to?  My last cruise was in '09 and everything was still Formal Night / Carribean Night  etc.  I am headed on the Oasis in March and now I see the below listings:

 

Mojo, Saffron, Pimento, Shitake, Basil, Jasmine and Pomodoro (In that order)

 

I know Saffron and Jasmine are formal nights but what are the food types.  I really want to skip the equivalent of Carribean night, but dang....I am confused and sure would love some advice.  I want to eat at no fewer than two specialty resteraunts so what nights should they be on?

 

B-

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So here is my question....What do the new descriptions of MDR nightly fair translate to?  My last cruise was in '09 and everything was still Formal Night / Carribean Night  etc.  I am headed on the Oasis in March and now I see the below listings:

 

Mojo, Saffron, Pimento, Shitake, Basil, Jasmine and Pomodoro (In that order)

 

I know Saffron and Jasmine are formal nights but what are the food types.  I really want to skip the equivalent of Carribean night, but dang....I am confused and sure would love some advice.  I want to eat at no fewer than two specialty resteraunts so what nights should they be on?

 

B-

 

This is a tough question to answer. I sailed Oasis last December and ate in the main dining room each night. But I only did this because I was part of a group and was the organizer for the cruise and I felt I needed to be with everyone. I want to go back on Oasis with my wife and I plan to eat in the specialty restaurants, most of them, not all. 

 

The menu: If you've cruised Royal Caribbean before then you will see many favorite and usual offerings on the new menus. Alternative selections are still the same, a steak, chicken and fish dish. Also thrown in are a pasta and vegetarian selection. Certain "starters" or appetizers are also available every night such as Caesar salad, escargot (when available, if not substitute sea scallops) and shrimp cocktail. There will usually be a pork dish too. The filet of beef and prime rib is also still on the menu. Filet of beef is first formal night. Lobster is second. Probably the biggest change I noticed was the addition of Indian dishes and more casual dishes like beef sliders. 

 

From what I found, the names for menus really have nothing to do with the dishes offered. The waiter will explain the significance of the name. For example, If some dishes featured saffron or shittake mushrooms during their respective nights, then I missed that dish (with the exception of the mushrooms in puffed pastry starter - never skip that!). I was still able to pick my usual favorites and try some new dishes. In addition to the "always available" selections each night is a trio of desserts that are also available each night. BBB Creme Brulee is one that I would recommend. Also if you're a fan of Baked Alaska, it is back on the dessert menu!

 

Ultimately it will have to you be up to you on which nights to skip the MDR for a specialty restaurant because only you know what you want. I would suggest that you check out the main dining room menu on your stateroom tv or on the actual menu placed out by the dining room after lunch to decide whether you want to eat there or not that night. You can always make specialty restaurant reservations same day. When I was on Oasis the ship sailed with 6,283 onboard and every night when I was strolling through Central Park or other areas I never saw jam packed restaurants. Also no one ever dined outside in Central Park either. So strange. 

 

Enjoy your trip on Oasis of the Seas. It's an amazing ship and an experience in itself. Don't forget to submit a review and let us know what you thought!

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So here is my question....What do the new descriptions of MDR nightly fair translate to?  My last cruise was in '09 and everything was still Formal Night / Carribean Night  etc.  I am headed on the Oasis in March and now I see the below listings:

 

Mojo, Saffron, Pimento, Shitake, Basil, Jasmine and Pomodoro (In that order)

 

I know Saffron and Jasmine are formal nights but what are the food types.  I really want to skip the equivalent of Carribean night, but dang....I am confused and sure would love some advice.  I want to eat at no fewer than two specialty resteraunts so what nights should they be on?

 

B-

We have a list of menus here that should give you a pretty good indication of what to expect on the menu for each day: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/menus

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Tylor/Matt

 

Thanks for the feedback. I am glad to here it isn't terribly hard to get reservations for specialty restaurants. I am a planner so I am sure I will use the online resevation service before our trip on something but that takes the pressure off a bit. Have either of ya'll stayed in a stateroom that has the suite perks?  If so does that help with flexibility of dining options while on the ship?  Matt, I am going to take a look at the menus you have posted and see if I can narrow down my alternate evenings for restaurants.   

 

B-

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Have either of ya'll stayed in a stateroom that has the suite perks?  If so does that help with flexibility of dining options while on the ship?  Matt, I am going to take a look at the menus you have posted and see if I can narrow down my alternate evenings for restaurants.   

 

B-

I haven't but I do know concierge can only help.  Don't forget you can always walk up to the restaurant and ask to be seated.  I know that goes against your planning ahead mentality (mine too).  

 

My advice for booking specialty restaurants is book them online before.  If you can't get what you want before the cruise, go to the restaurant on embarkation day and try again.  Seems to be more availability once onboard.

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Any perks that you have like staying in a suite or Crown & Anchor status will help getting a reservation in a completely booked restaurant. If you must plan everything, you can pre-book things online. If it doesn't end up working with your schedule you can change the reservation or cancel. Like Matt said, you can always walk up and if there is availability they will seat you. They are more than willing to bend over backwards to make you happy. :D  

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I totally understand what you mean here.  Especially with airfare costs for luggage, I get why it's such a hassle.  Granted you can rent a tux and not deal with the ordeal but I'm not sure it's a savings value  :lol:

My son didn't do a good job of packing for his first cruise and we ended up renting him a tux (grandma had planned the cruise as a family event and we HAD to have dinners together, even had a special huge table in the middle of the main dining room, everyone on the ship knew about the big family on board!) anyway, it was convenient and he looked amazing in his tux! He even learned to enjoy dressing up!

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  • 9 months later...

On my cruise on Navigator on Oct 5th they are offering 20% off all day 1 specialty restaurants. Going to start the cruise right at Sabor for only $20 a person. I can almost taste the table side fresh guac! :D

I can't think of a better way to start a cruise

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We pretty consistently do the specialty dining, regardless of the cruise line, on the first and last nights; that way, we avoid any conflicts with entertainment, formal night menus, etc. the first night is usually an Italian specialty restaurant as they're less formal restaurants which works well with my 7 year old since the kids programming isn't in full swing yet. We save the steak house for the last night to cap off the end of the cruise.

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  • 2 months later...
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  • 4 months later...

My wife and I enjoy the MDR and usually eat there the first night.  We like to sit at a large table to enjoy the company of others and hopefully meet good people from around the World.  We introduce ourselves and soon begin inquiring what our tablemates have planned and ask about any celebrations they may have planned for the cruise.  An Example of what we like to do would be on our next cruise in Sept. We will be celebrating our Anniversary which is actually on Sept. 3rd our Departure date.  We always attend the first night in the MDR so we hold off making a reservation for celebrations until we can get a better Idea of our Table Group plans. I book a cruise and ask for a large table seating in the MDR because I feel that even a mediocre dinner is improved with good people around you. We then make our reservations according to what information is gathered.  We announce that we will not be dining in the MDR (We feel that this is proper) on specific nights and have asked those that wish to join us to please do so. We were given the opportunity to get to know a couple better on our last cruise as we found out that they would be dining in the MDR alone as everyone else had plans somewhere else. We invited the couple to join us and told them that we had a 2 for 1 coupon(we lied to get them to go).  That was the best dinner we had and I cannot even tell you what we ate because it didn't matter! We go on cruises to enjoy new Places and new People. Good food can be found anywhere but it is a gift to find Good people to enjoy the experience. We treasure our MDR friends but are finding that those large tables are becoming empty more often when those that are booked at a large table and then switch to My Time Dining because they did not know that they can request a small table or even my time dining ahead. For those of you that wish to dine alone, book many nights at Specialty Restaurants or do not like crowds please take into account those of us that do enjoy the large table gathering and book your MDR arrangements with us in the back of your mind. Your forethought could help keep my Table full and help us both to have that WoW sailing that we love.  

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I agree with all the comments that for us, formal night is a great night to go to Chops & Giovanni's. I have no interest in bringing anything more than jeans, summer shoes, and casual, short sleeve button down shirts. I've seen info that dressing up is not actually required, but out of respect for those who will be enjoying the dressy experience, we will not go those nights. Reservations are made for both formal nights, and we'll be at Sabor for one other night. 2-3 nights in the MDR is more than enough for me. I'm not much on the fancy schmancy stuff.

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Always avoid formal night...feel like a wedding crasher as I refuse to pack a suit to wear for 2 hrs on a cruise.

 

But that's just me. If it wasn't for not liking the formal night, there really would be no other night to say to avoid the MDR for a specialty restaurant imho.

I'm totally borrowing someone else's phrase but my wife and I view formal night as "adult prom".  It's a good excuse to actually dress up and it's not for someone else's wedding.

 

That being said, I don't think you're wrong at all.  When I was solo on Quantum I did not pack a suit and used your strategy of going to a specialty restaurant instead.

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Just a note about the dress code:  I haven't packed a suit in quite some time and haven't even packed a coat in years.  The last time I packed a coat was on Holland America as they require one in the MDR on formal nights.  Even so, you can borrow one.  I simply wore a dress shirt and tie on the Brilliance, which was more formal being in Norther Europe than comparable Caribbean sailings, and never felt out of place.

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I haven't worn a suit for formal night for the last 6-8 cruises including RCI and Disney. Pair of slacks and a decent button down shirt has been more than acceptable (or at least no one seemed to have any issues). If my wife wants to do a dress up night I will but if she is ok with "casual formal" I don't have a problem :) 

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