Windjammer for Dinner

Is the atmosphere in Windjammer a little nicer at night? I thought I read somewhere that there are servers there at night. What do they do? It seems we would still go through the buffet line.

 

We just booked a mid November cruise and my mom said the travel agent never asked about a dining preference. So I'm afraid we'll end up with late seating. I don't think my dad will be too happy with eating that late. We're a party of 6. I wonder if we'll end up eating there some nights. (We really like eating in MDR too, even for breakfast )

Whoever booked should call and find out about their dining time. If what you want isn't available, get on the waitlist, and check again when you board the ship. They WANT you to be happy!

 

The WJ for dinner isn't as much of a madhouse at dinner as for other meals, but the selection isn't the same as in the dining room. I'm not a fan of buffets, but many are.

Is the atmosphere in Windjammer a little nicer at night? I thought I read somewhere that there are servers there at night. What do they do? It seems we would still go through the buffet line.

 

We just booked a mid November cruise and my mom said the travel agent never asked about a dining preference. So I'm afraid we'll end up with late seating. I don't think my dad will be too happy with eating that late. We're a party of 6. I wonder if we'll end up eating there some nights. (We really like eating in MDR too, even for breakfast )

Check your cruise invoice. That will have your evening dining preference on it and if you're wait listed for TD or MTD. We've never dined in the WJ in the evening but have wandered up there in the evening and the atmosphere is nothing like during the day. Lights turned down and quiet. Very nice. It's still self serve.

Contact the TA and ask. They might have put you in MTD so you can just pick the time you wish to eat. With a party of 6, I’d suggest making reservations either before you leave or as soon as you get on the ship.

 

The WJ is quieter and nicer at night. Still a buffet but they should serve your drinks.

Is the atmosphere in Windjammer a little nicer at night? I thought I read somewhere that there are servers there at night. What do they do? It seems we would still go through the buffet line.

 

We just booked a mid November cruise and my mom said the travel agent never asked about a dining preference. So I'm afraid we'll end up with late seating. I don't think my dad will be too happy with eating that late. We're a party of 6. I wonder if we'll end up eating there some nights. (We really like eating in MDR too, even for breakfast )

 

 

We always go to the MDR .It is like going to a cafeteria vs. a restaurant. I never saw service in the Windjammer.

We always eat dinner in Windjammer... not a fan of the MDR and taking an hour or more for dinner. Have found the food in WJ comparable to the MDR food and you can get whatever you want in the portions that you desire. Many times there is the same selection of entrees they have on the menu in the MDR. Try it and see what you think!

 

Alternate choice... if you are assigned to a dining time that you are not happy with, visit the dining room as soon as they open on embarkation day. Likely there will be several others trying to get out of what you want and it won’t be a problem. Don’t be afraid of My Time Dining instead of the main dining room. You can reserve a time of your choice... we used to dine right when they opened and always got our own table.

 

 

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The MDR menus are readily available but is there any way to know what will be available in the Windjammer each night?

The MDR menus are readily available but is there any way to know what will be available in the Windjammer each night?

 

When I was on EOS a few months ago there were 8 or 9 station in the buffet.

 

When you enter the line on the right as you enter at night had a fish, beef, chickne and past entrees ,sometimes 3 fish cooked differently, 1beef and 1chciken.

 

The next station would be one of the Daily specials like Thai or Mexican or Chinese, the station next to that would cook or mix some of what you want or serve ice cream, then there were a few dessert stations an Asian station that varied with a lot of variety .

 

You really need to at least walk around each meal and look at each section as they are not all the same food. Same with breakfast, the first line is few eggs, a few meats, some potatoes or biscuits, then waffles, pancakes, fruits. omelette station.

 

At breakfast an lunch the line on the right as you came in was usually closed getting ready for the next meal but it was open on sea days when there were more people eating but would close earlier.

 

I enjoyed the WJ food I could pick and choose after seeing what I liked, wait staff would bring drinks, dessert.

Thanks everyone. I looked at the invoice from the TA a little closer as was suggested. I'm glad to say we're on MTD. That's what we really hoped for. I thought we had to prepay for gratuities for that, but we weren't charged for those yet. On the smaller Carnival ships I've been on we never needed reservations. It sounds like it's a little more important on RCI. I'll make sure we do that.

To reiterate or iterate ,when I am on a cruise I like to be served .To me the WJ is the equivalent of a cafeteria.

To reiterate or iterate ,when I am on a cruise I like to be served .To me the WJ is the equivalent of a cafeteria.

 

 

More specifically it’s the equivalent of a buffet. [emoji16]

We always eat dinner in Windjammer... not a fan of the MDR and taking an hour or more for dinner. Have found the food in WJ comparable to the MDR food and you can get whatever you want in the portions that you desire. Many times there is the same selection of entrees they have on the menu in the MDR. Try it and see what you think!

This is one of the reasons we always eat in the WJ. The other is DS is a picky eater and can always find food in WJ that he likes. Some days in MDR there is nothing on the menu that DS will eat.

More specifically it’s the equivalent of a buffet. [emoji16]

 

 

 

But more specifically, it is LITERALLY the equivalent of a buffet ;)

 

 

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To reiterate or iterate ,when I am on a cruise I like to be served .To me the WJ is the equivalent of a cafeteria.

 

 

 

Is the atmosphere in Windjammer a little nicer at night? I thought I read somewhere that there are servers there at night. What do they do? It seems we would still go through the buffet line.

 

We just booked a mid November cruise and my mom said the travel agent never asked about a dining preference. So I'm afraid we'll end up with late seating. I don't think my dad will be too happy with eating that late. We're a party of 6. I wonder if we'll end up eating there some nights. (We really like eating in MDR too, even for breakfast )

It all depends on you and what ship ypu are on. The Windjammer on Radiance in Australia was one of the best on I have ever experienced they even had Lobster one night. However RCI is so inconsistent from ship to ship and even cruise to cruise. You would have to try it and decide for yourself. I agree with others and get on the wait-list for Early seating or MTD or check with the Maître D once onboard.

Windjammer food has been way above MDR lately, people that don’t go to windjammer and call it a cafeteria are mistaken and that’s their loss, but they shouldn’t give misinformation.

 

Last week they had a crepe and ice cream bar, made to order with service. They had stir fry stations, each night a different theme. We had drink service at our table. Do you know where the cold fruit soups missing from MDR are at? In the Jammer. One night they had one entire line of 6-8 different specialty cakes and servers from Chops were coming out to get slices for people that had seen them. On Italian night they had cones w aged cheese and meats you won’t get in the MDR.

 

But if you like waiting 40 minutes for 3 tiny shrimp and waiters running around stay at MDR. I got to speaking w Jerry the Windjammer manager on last weekends trip and commented how much windjammer has improved and he said that is why they are so busy and consistently rated better than MDR. He was quite proud,

Windjammer food has been way above MDR lately, people that don’t go to windjammer and call it a cafeteria are mistaken and that’s their loss, but they shouldn’t give misinformation.

 

Last week they had a crepe and ice cream bar, made to order with service. They had stir fry stations, each night a different theme. We had drink service at our table. Do you know where the cold fruit soups missing from MDR are at? In the Jammer. One night they had one entire line of 6-8 different specialty cakes and servers from Chops were coming out to get slices for people that had seen them. On Italian night they had cones w aged cheese and meats you won’t get in the MDR.

 

But if you like waiting 40 minutes for 3 tiny shrimp and waiters running around stay at MDR. I got to speaking w Jerry the Windjammer manager on last weekends trip and commented how much windjammer has improved and he said that is why they are so busy and consistently rated better than MDR. He was quite proud,

What ship?

I usually don't have dinner on the Windjammer, but I like to go on the first minutes of the dinner service to admire the set up of the buffet before people ruin it. Is one those moments when you say "Now I'm on a cruise".

 

 

 

My (adult) Grandson always goes with us on our family cruises and always takes a friend. We like having the traditional early dining, to give everyone a chance to do their own thing in the evening. Since dinner is early, they always go to the WJ a few hours later so they enjoy BOTH. My Grandson was thrilled to find they had crawfish on the last cruise one of the last nights. He wouldn't miss dinner in the MDR because he has his "favorites" on the menu, but likes to check to see what the WJ has to offer later in the evening.

I found the windjammer to be better on Navigator then the mdr. One line even had the selection the mdr has. I enjoy it when it is less crowded explorer had a great dinner aswell

Windjammer food has been way above MDR lately, people that don’t go to windjammer and call it a cafeteria are mistaken and that’s their loss, but they shouldn’t give misinformation.

 

Last week they had a crepe and ice cream bar, made to order with service. They had stir fry stations, each night a different theme. We had drink service at our table. Do you know where the cold fruit soups missing from MDR are at? In the Jammer. One night they had one entire line of 6-8 different specialty cakes and servers from Chops were coming out to get slices for people that had seen them. On Italian night they had cones w aged cheese and meats you won’t get in the MDR.

 

But if you like waiting 40 minutes for 3 tiny shrimp and waiters running around stay at MDR. I got to speaking w Jerry the Windjammer manager on last weekends trip and commented how much windjammer has improved and he said that is why they are so busy and consistently rated better than MDR. He was quite proud,

 

This person speaks the truth! Wife and I just did the same on EOS. Waited 45 minutes in MDR and got a few shrimp for my app. Ummm, no. WJ had the crepe station one night as well. Lots of different stations and choices in WJ. We went at 730pm each night and it was not busy at all. The people walking around from RC in the WJ are more attentive, got us drinks, etc... Much much more pleasurable experience. And we did things on our time and not MDR time which is bloody ridiculous.

We always go to the MDR .It is like going to a cafeteria vs. a restaurant. I never saw service in the Windjammer.

 

In the evening, there were servers walking around asking for drink orders and bringing sodas and other drinks by request. This was on the Indy at around 3am; for our music charter the WJ is open until 4 am. (But closed from 5pm - 7pm).

 

We thought that was a nice touch, as well as the reduced lighting there at night.

 

The food was actually pretty good, although the hamburgers in the WJ are still awful. When I mentally compared them to Guy's Burgers on Carnival's ships, I cried a little inside.

 

You really need to at least walk around each meal and look at each section as they are not all the same food. Same with breakfast, the first line is few eggs, a few meats, some potatoes or biscuits, then waffles, pancakes, fruits. omelette station.

 

Truer words were never spoken. I've been guilty of bellying up to the first serving "islands" I saw, enjoying the food, and then wandering further in and realizing "Oh heck, I could have had THAT instead!" :D

 

I will say that the Windjammer offerings were remarkably different on the Liberty for our charter in 2015 than on the Independence for all subsequent years. Many of the WJ offerings on Liberty were casseroles or "stuff mixed in a bowl" with names I didn't recognize and no indication of the contents (peanuts? vegetarian? no idea...) I asked some fellow cruisers in a band from Sweden if THEY knew what the items' names meant, and they were as mystified as me. :o

 

Since then the offerings aboard the Indy have been a little less....opaque. And generally better. Now if I could just convince them to bring back the cheesecakes-on-a-stick they used to have at the Promenade Café....... :D

We always go to the MDR .It is like going to a cafeteria vs. a restaurant. I never saw service in the Windjammer.

 

I had great service in WJ on EOS in July. I was at one the specialty lines and picked some food and a waitress said thats not enough, let me have them make you a plate and asked my what I wanted and they whipped it up. Some nights they would get me a table, always brink drinks and water.

 

I was out of town on business for 5 days after my cruise and my brother and I went to to 3 premier restaurants to eat, on the 4th night we went to a bar /burger /fish steak joint and had the best meal of the trip. Great food, great service.

 

 

Sometimes I get tired of the "dining" experience, plus when excursions take you to close to departure time I would rather see where I am going and eat in WJ than cut my time onshore off to get back for dinner. WJ fit my schedule and style and the food was fine.

Windjammer food has been way above MDR lately, people that don’t go to windjammer and call it a cafeteria are mistaken and that’s their loss, but they shouldn’t give misinformation.

 

Last week they had a crepe and ice cream bar, made to order with service. They had stir fry stations, each night a different theme. We had drink service at our table. Do you know where the cold fruit soups missing from MDR are at? In the Jammer. One night they had one entire line of 6-8 different specialty cakes and servers from Chops were coming out to get slices for people that had seen them. On Italian night they had cones w aged cheese and meats you won’t get in the MDR.

 

But if you like waiting 40 minutes for 3 tiny shrimp and waiters running around stay at MDR. I got to speaking w Jerry the Windjammer manager on last weekends trip and commented how much windjammer has improved and he said that is why they are so busy and consistently rated better than MDR. He was quite proud,

Totlly disagree - standing in line for 20+ minutes for a crepe is not my idea of a dinner....the food is almost the same as lunch - cold and mushed up because everybody wants to stir the food - yuk!:eek::mad:

Plasic plates for dinner?:rolleyes::eek:

Totlly disagree - standing in line for 20+ minutes for a crepe is not my idea of a dinner....the food is almost the same as lunch - cold and mushed up because everybody wants to stir the food - yuk!:eek::mad:

Plasic plates for dinner?:rolleyes::eek:

Totally disagree- Always have at least one Windjammer dinner each cruise. Better selection then MDR and always hot. Hot food, hot soup, never a line and friendly wait staff. Although I don't eat lobster the Windjammer has tray after tray of lobster on lobster night, split in half but people take a plate full of tails. and the dessert is far better then MDR. On our last cruise I asked the waiter in Windjammer if I could get a gin and tonic using our Diamond voucher and he went to the Plaza bar and brought me one, he did not ask to see my seapass card . Happy cruising Throben-Hendrrik.