Is Dinner Really 2 Hours?

[NewbieCrsr]

I've read several places on here to allow two hours for eating in the MDR, but I'm a picky eater...and don't eat much (I'd never make it through an appetizer, main course, and dessert), so would I have to stay for the whole 2 hours or in theory, could I have my meal and leave in an hour?

[marci22]

You could speak with your waiter the first night and tell him/her that you only want the entree delivered, and that you would like to leave within one hour. That request seems fairly easy to accommodate. You could also get room service or eat in the WJ at your leisure.

 

It might be difficult if you are sitting at a large table. Part of the dinner experience is chatting with your tablemates and it might be awkward to be served your entree during salads and then leave in the middle of everything.

[jerin]

If you do traditional dining, the courses are brought out to everyone at about the same times. If you're concerned about not wanting to wait on everyone else, go with the My Time Dining. The servers there have more flexibility with when they can get things from their part of the kitchen, so you can condense your timetable if you'd like.

[marci22]

btw if you do choose MTD book it early as it tends to fill up quickly from my own experience.

[MAZANDSTEVE]

I've read several places on here to allow two hours for eating in the MDR, but I'm a picky eater...and don't eat much (I'd never make it through an appetizer, main course, and dessert), so would I have to stay for the whole 2 hours or in theory, could I have my meal and leave in an hour?

 

 

We had a table for 2 and chose not to eat with others and it was about an hour because we were not waiting around for other people.

[octagonmike]

You need to book My Time Dining and reserve a table for 2 every night if you ask me.

 

We chose My Time Dining but opted to dine with others and we enjoyed their company, however, it did generally mean Dinner lasting between 90 minutes and 2 hours.

[pltag]

If you're concerned about not wanting to wait on everyone else, go with the My Time Dining. The servers there have more flexibility with when they can get things from their part of the kitchen, so you can condense your timetable if you'd like.

Jerin is RIGHT !! MTD would be a great option for you. My wife is sort of a picky eater and more importantly for both of us.... there is no better way to kill a good BUZZ than 2 hours in the main dining room !!! :D :D We chose MTD on our last cruise and loved it. We ate at about sunset most nights (7:30 ish) and it was beautiful. We could stay and relax or get a quick soup and salad and back out to have fun!

[Paul65]

It can be stretched to 2 hours, but in my experience, it is generally closer to an hour and a half. It tends to move along a little faster than it did years ago, because the menu has been collapsed to just three courses: starters, entrees and desserts.

 

It can certainly be done in an hour, especially if everyone at your table is of the same mindset to get through dinner relatively quickly. If you are at a table with other guests who want a more leisurely pace, though, it could be somewhat difficult for the servers, as they usually bring out each course at the same time for everyone at the table. In that situation, you could choose to 1) request a table change so that you're either only with your own party or with others who want a similar pace 2) skip dessert and simply leave after the main course.

[lovemylab]

When I have dined with others it has usually taken 75-90 minutes. When I did MTD it was normally an hour or so.

[cb at sea]

You won't (hopefully) just be gulping down food! Dinner is a social time, and having tablemates is what makes it fun! You'll talk, order, talk, eat, order another course, talk, eat...drink, decide on dessert, talk, eat....it's not a "fast food" enviroment!

[BillOh]

I've read several places on here to allow two hours for eating in the MDR, but I'm a picky eater...and don't eat much (I'd never make it through an appetizer, main course, and dessert), so would I have to stay for the whole 2 hours or in theory, could I have my meal and leave in an hour?

 

 

It depends, on many occasions we have purposely made dinner 2 hours and loved every minute of it. Other times we have gotten tables where we were closest to the stations the wait team uses and everything comes fast. On some occasions we have told the waiter or assistant waiter that we are trying to get to a certain show and they go out of their way to make sure we can.

 

Personally, we have had such great tablemates, we get the second seating so that we are not rushed out the door.

[NewbieCrsr]

I did sign up for MTD initially and about 3 weeks ago made all my dinner reservations for the whole cruise. I was reviewing everything the other day and noticed that it still had a two hour timeframe in there "6:45-8:45" or "6:30-8:30".

[MrsPete]

Two hours is probably the maximum time -- 1.5 hours is more realistic. Still, it's a big time commitment every single day. Personally, I enjoy a lengthy dinner in the MDR about four times during the week.

[BroncosFan2010]

It depends on how many people are at your table, if everyone gets there at the same time, and how quickly everyone eats.

 

I like taking my time and enjoying dinner, so DH and myself get a table for two and enjoy our meal. If we are in a rush, we can make that known and then get out if needed.

[NorbertsNiece]

Judging by what I've seen dinner starts for some on boarding in WindJammer and ends at breakfast in the MDR on disembarkation day.

[Love and Joy]

One of the reasons we request a table for 4 (DH,DD,DD, and myself) is for family time and so we are not in the dining room 2 hours and waiting for others to join our table. We are leisurely eaters and are in and out the MDR in about 75 min. I always see the bigger tables waiting for the table mates to get there sometime 30 min later and it slows down the wait staff and the meal and they there for 2 hours.

[Piepkorn]

I've read several places on here to allow two hours for eating in the MDR, but I'm a picky eater...and don't eat much (I'd never make it through an appetizer, main course, and dessert), so would I have to stay for the whole 2 hours or in theory, could I have my meal and leave in an hour?

 

In all my RCCL trips, I have never had a dinner service last 2 hours. I would guess less than 90 minutes average. Getting out in an hour would be a real 'push' in my opinion.

 

They recommend 2 hours for Chops and Portofino, but there it has averaged about 90 minutes as well. If booking those, I would suggest making a time close to regular MDR seating times, so you won't miss the shows by booking an odd time.

 

Dave

[octagonmike]

Judging by what I've seen dinner starts for some on boarding in WindJammer and ends at breakfast in the MDR on disembarkation day.

 

 

I saw certain persons of a certain nation scoffing so much food last week. Is there really any need to order 2 starters and 2 mains from the menu ? Is there really any need to have 2 burgers, a hot dog and fries as soon as the WJ opens ? Is there really any need to have a whole plate of bacon at breakfast ? No wonder one looked like she had borrowed a pair of elephants legs for the cruise.

[bionicman97]

We usually cruise with 8 to 10 people in our party and our dinner typically last from 1.5 hours to 1 hour 45 minutes.

[Riley13]

One of the reasons we request a table for 4 (DH,DD,DD, and myself) is for family time and so we are not in the dining room 2 hours and waiting for others to join our table. We are leisurely eaters and are in and out the MDR in about 75 min. I always see the bigger tables waiting for the table mates to get there sometime 30 min later and it slows down the wait staff and the meal and they there for 2 hours.

 

Love and Joy: How did you go about requesting a table for 4 - before the cruise or once you were on board? We would like to have a table for 4 also, as this is our last family vacation before our daughter leaves for college. When I booked our Mariner cruise on the phone with RCCL, they did not have an option for a 4 person table...

 

Thanks for any help

[negc]

It can be stretched to 2 hours, but in my experience, it is generally closer to an hour and a half. It tends to move along a little faster than it did years ago, because the menu has been collapsed to just three courses: starters, entrees and desserts.

To say that the menu has been "collapsed to just three courses" is misleading and doesn't really reflect reality and won't be a determining factor in how long it takes you to dine. The "starter" section of the menu contains the same appetizers, soups and salads that were previously shown as separate menu groupings. You can still order any and all of those items so a "three course" meal can just as easily be described as a "four" or "five" course meal.:rolleyes: Speaking to the waiter and indicating that you wish to be served expeditiously will insure that your time in the dining room will not be unnecessarily lengthy.:)

[MIcruiser99]

Love and Joy: How did you go about requesting a table for 4 - before the cruise or once you were on board? We would like to have a table for 4 also, as this is our last family vacation before our daughter leaves for college. When I booked our Mariner cruise on the phone with RCCL, they did not have an option for a 4 person table...

 

Thanks for any help

 

We usually request our table through emails:

 

RestaurantOperationsCoodinator@rccl.com

 

They are usually great at fulfilling our request and if the location is not great, we have asked to be changed when we board the first day.

 

We usually get in and out rather quickly as we are at our own table and not waiting on others to arrive so I don't think we have taken more then 90 minutes for the main dining room.

[Paul65]

To say that the menu has been "collapsed to just three courses" is misleading and doesn't really reflect reality and won't be a determining factor in how long it takes you to dine. The "starter" section of the menu contains the same appetizers, soups and salads that were previously shown as separate menu groupings. You can still order any and all of those items so a "three course" meal can just as easily be described as a "four" or "five" course meal.:rolleyes: Speaking to the waiter and indicating that you wish to be served expeditiously will insure that your time in the dining room will not be unnecessarily lengthy.:)

 

I don't think I was misleading at all. It has been collapsed to three courses or menu categories, which tends to encourage diners to order one item from each category, whereas when it was separated into more sections, it was more "typical" to order multiple "starter" courses. And once upon a time they actually served it as distinct courses. (e.g. They would bring out all the appetizers, then all the soups, then all the salads.)

 

I did not mean to imply that you couldn't order an appetizer, soup and salad. But the separate categories did get collapsed into the one category of "starters." My perception is that this has somewhat decreased the average dining time from what it was, say, 15 years ago.

[foxesden1]

Do they post the menu every day? Is there someone to tell incase you don't go to dinner that night? (not the day before, but the day of the dinner)

 

T

[Paul65]

Do they post the menu every day? Is there someone to tell incase you don't go to dinner that night? (not the day before, but the day of the dinner)

 

T

 

They do post the menus outside the main dining rooms in the afternoon, if you want to preview what will be available.