All meals in the main dining room?

Hi everyone.

I'll be cruising for the very first time on Nov 26th, on the Crown Princess. Most of my questions have been answered scrolling through these forums or on the Princess website, but I can't for the life of me find any info on how meals work.

Can all meals be eaten' in the main dining room? Or are breakfast and lunch in the buffet only, and then supper in the main dining rooms if you want?

All meals are available in the MDR, but not all are open for breakfast and lunch, but at least one will

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are available for all passengers, included in your cruise fare, in the main dining room. The MDR is usually closed or only one is open for lunch on port days -- specific details on availability will be included in the daily patter.

Hi everyone.

 

I'll be cruising for the very first time on Nov 26th, on the Crown Princess. Most of my questions have been answered scrolling through these forums or on the Princess website, but I can't for the life of me find any info on how meals work.

 

Can all meals be eaten' in the main dining room? Or are breakfast and lunch in the buffet only, and then supper in the main dining rooms if you want?

We prefer the MDR so know how Princess has it set up. All dinners are in the dining room. All breakfasts during certain hours are also. Lunch in the MDR is only on sea days. Buffet is available all the time for meals. International Cafe also always open.

All meals are available in the MDR, but not all are open for breakfast and lunch, but at least one will

Thanks! So you can opt for table-service dining at every meal, if I understand correctly?

Breakfast and lunch will be available during limited hours in one of the three traditional dining rooms. The buffet is also open all day.

For dinner you will have a reserved table and time for traditional dining, or you’ll be assigned to Anytime dining and show up at that dining room at whatever time you like, but probably wait for a table. The buffet and specialty restaurants are also open for dinner

Breakfast can be in the main dining room or the buffet, you choose.

Lunch on non port days in the main dining room or the buffet, your choose.

Dinner in the main dining room or buffet, your choose.

There are other included dining options too.

Thanks! So you can opt for table-service dining at every meal, if I understand correctly?

You can have table service dining at every breakfast and dinner. Table service lunch on port days is a rare thing, I wouldn't expect it to be available.

Thanks! So you can opt for table-service dining at every meal, if I understand correctly?

Unless something has changed in the past month, there is NO lunch in the dining rooms on port days. Breakfast and dinner every day, but lunch only on sea days.

Jim

Thanks Jim for pointing that out - we have never stayed on the Ship for lunch on a port day, so I was unaware of that situation.

I am looking forward to trying Alfredo's which is always available on the newer ships.

I believe that Sabatini's is also open, as an option similar to Alfredo's, on many other ships.

But, I am not sure about which full-service restaurants would be open on all days.

If mobility issues might make the buffet a challenge, I would want to make sure that any limitations/disability were on record, and contact somebody onboard as soon a boarding. Hopefully assistance would be available.

Unless something has changed in the past month, there is NO lunch in the dining rooms on port days. Breakfast and dinner every day, but lunch only on sea days.

 

Jim

Unless the time in port is not during lunch --i.e., an overnight stop that departs in the morning. Technically not a sea day, but at sea during the lunch hour. So one should always check that days patter for exact availability on any given cruise.

I am looking forward to trying Alfredo's which is always available on the newer ships.

I believe that Sabatini's is also open, as an option similar to Alfredo's, on many other ships.

But, I am not sure about which full-service restaurants would be open on all days.

 

If mobility issues might make the buffet a challenge, I would want to make sure that any limitations/disability were on record, and contact somebody onboard as soon a boarding. Hopefully assistance would be available.

As stated, you can eat in the main dining room with table service every morning for breakfast, every sea day for lunch, and every evening for dinner - just not for lunch on port days.

I have always found assistance available in the buffet for people with mobility issues and for people with dietary issues. If you have difficulty carrying your plate, there will be someone to carry it for you - and to serve the plate at your request. If you have dietary issues and are concerned about cross-contamination, then do not serve yourself from the buffet - talk to the head chef in the buffet and he will serve your plate from the kitchen (before other passengers have a chance to switch serving utensils and cross-contaminate).

Unless the time in port is not during lunch --i.e., an overnight stop that departs in the morning. Technically not a sea day, but at sea during the lunch hour. So one should always check that days patter for exact availability on any given cruise.

• Noon arrival in Aarhus
  
• Noon departure from Aruba
  
• 1:00 pm departure from La Paz
  
• 1:30 departue from Mykonos
  
• 2:00 pm departure from Stockholm
  
• 2:30 pm departure from Cartagena
   
  

Depending upon your itinerary, you might find a DR open for lunch on one or more of your port days

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Deleted Post

Welcome to Cruise Critic! :)

Breakfast & Dinner will be served in the Main Dining Room every day.

Lunch will be served in the Main Dining Room the day you board the ship (Noon - 1:30 PM) and on all AtSea days.

No lunch in the Main Dining Room on Port days unless your ship is not arriving until the afternoon.

Enjoy your Crown Princess cruise! :D

We prefer the MDR so know how Princess has it set up. All dinners are in the dining room. All breakfasts during certain hours are also. Lunch in the MDR is only on sea days.

Exactly.

The original poster asked "All meals in the main dining room?"

I simply don't understand how some posters can answer yes.

The answer is yes, except for LUNCH ON PORT DAYS.

End of story!

Breakfast and lunch on sea days and perhaps other days will be in one MDR usually the MDR on deck 6 midship but can move. Breakfast is usually 7 AM to 9 AM and lunch when served is 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM. Lunch in the MDR is normally served on the day you board but is a well kept secret. If you ask a crew member they will tell you that the MDR is not open.

The answer is yes, except for LUNCH ON PORT DAYS.

 

End of story!

Unless the ship is not in port during the lunch window -- there are days when the arrival is later or the departure is earlier than the normal lunch schedule -- in which case a MDR could be open and that info would be available in that day's patter. Your story ends a little prematurely

I have never had breakfast or lunch in any dining room on any cruise. I usually prefer the buffet.

However lots of the answers to the OP questions have helped me think about something I 'may' consider on my next cruise.

Well done OP.

PS enjoy your cruise and your food :D

I have never had breakfast or lunch in any dining room on any cruise. I usually prefer the buffet.

 

However lots of the answers to the OP questions have helped me think about something I 'may' consider on my next cruise.

 

Well done OP.

 

PS enjoy your cruise and your food :D

Dobby

MDR is THE spot for breakfast on the last day

Hi everyone.

 

I'll be cruising for the very first time on Nov 26th, on the Crown Princess. Most of my questions have been answered scrolling through these forums or on the Princess website, but I can't for the life of me find any info on how meals work.

 

Can all meals be eaten' in the main dining room? Or are breakfast and lunch in the buffet only, and then supper in the main dining rooms if you want?

I don’t go to the buffet to eat at all. I eat Breakfast in the MDR (or room service), Lunch in MDR (or international cafe), Dinner in MDR. This will be the first princess cruise I have coming up I may check out the buffet since it’s the Royal and I’ve seen enough people say it’s better than the MDR. As a note: in port days I am off ship.

To the OP:

There is something called Traditional Dining. If you OPT for Traditional Dining, you will be assigned to a specific dining room, and to a specific table for either the Early Dining Time or the Second Dining Time. Every evening, you MAY go to your assigned table at your assigned time and enjoy the companionship of the other people at your table for a fine repast.

You are free to go to the buffet or to a Specialty Restaurant or to order room service instead. [Plus pizza, the grill, ...] If you plan to skip dinner at your assigned table, I is considerate for you to let the other people at your table know in advance so that they don't wait for you.

Anytime Dining is an alternate to Traditional Dining. There will be one or two dining rooms for the AD people. These people show up any time (hence, the name Anytime Dining) during the dinner hours and are seated at whatever table is being filled at that time. There is sometimes a wait for an available table.

The AD diners are also free to go to the buffet, the Specialty Restaurants or order room service, etc.

Breakfast and lunch (on sea days) are just like Anytime Dining for everyone. You can go to whichever dining room is open and they will seat you at whatever table is convenient for the restaurant staff. Or you can go the buffet or ....

In the old days, they followed the same seating for breakfast and lunch as the dinners. For all three meals, I would be seated at my "usual" assigned table, but I would often be the only one at my table for breakfast, because everyone else was going to the buffet. As fewer and fewer people went to the Dining Room for breakfast and lunch, they adapted and stopped the assigned table and assigned hours, making these meals "anytime" for the main dining rooms.

But you can eat in the main dining rooms all three meals, except for lunch on some port days.

Enjoy!

Can I just say I miss lunch in the MDR? Don't get me wrong, I understand the reasoning against it, but I do miss it.