Does anyone opt not to eat in the MDR during the entire cruise??

[Let'sGo!]

Our last 7 day cruise had 5 port stops -- so we decided in advance not to eat in the MDR. We went to Chops one night and Portofino the other... the rest of the time we went to WJ and LOVED the flexibility of it! (Plus, I found I took fewer clothes!)

 

We did find ourselves sitting in the same area of the WJ every morning for breakfast and in the evening for dinner... so we got to know the waiters in those sections. They automatically would refill our drinks, and would grab my husbands soda cup and get him his Coke. We gave the tips that we would have otherwise given the waiter and asst waiter - to them.

 

Unless I'm travelling with family that really wants to eat in the MDR, we may never eat there again!

 

Ann

[cruising bean]

oWe always eat in windjammer or other venues. We are vegetarians and find the mdr food not to our liking. We also want to enjoy the ship and activities on board and dressing and dining for hours is not our style. Also being vegetarian can be uncomfortable when seated at a large table and others insist on commenting on what we are not eating. We are vegetarians for health reasons, we never comment on others choices but they feel free to comment on ours. It does not make for an enjoyable evening. We also do not care for the vegetarian options on the menu. The WJ has more choices for us and we can sit where we want . We do MTD and prepay grats. On the Oasis we never ate in dining room did not miss it with Solarium cafe and Park Cafe.

We also don't enjoy formal nites so we can avoid those. We have cruised enough to know what we like. Everyone should get to enjoy their cruise their way .

[sn2792]

Instead you opted for other places to eat, either venues that charge (for which I know the gratuity is added) or other no fee options. How would the tipping thing work??

I can actually see for a number or reasons never using the MDR. Just wondering what the proper thing to do is in that case. Of course I would notify the MDR staff if that was my intent.

These are the questions that run through my mind when dreaming/obsessing about booking my first cruise in 30 years. TIA!! :)

 

We have done this on our last two cruises on Oasis and Allure and will do this again on our Oasis cruise in October. We signed up for My Time Dining so that gratuities are prepaid. We have booked a specialty restaurant for each night. Although tip is included in the price, we always leave additional.

[ryano]

It has never taken me 2 hours to eat in the MDR :confused: In fact, with MTD and a table for two, I was in and out in about an hour last cruise unless we just wanted to take our time.

[ryano]

I personally can't imagine NOT eating in the MDR for the majority of the cruise. Going to dinner and chatting with other couples has been the absolute highlight of several of our cruises. My wife and I still laugh about our first cruise together on the Jewel and an older couple we met at dinner. Very outspoken and brash. I wouldn't trade the memories we've made in the MDR of multiple cruises for anything. To each their own, but we happen to LOVE the 'production' as others have put it. :p

 

Same here. I understand people "hate" the MDR but Im not one of them. In fact, its one of the highlights of my cruises. After going going going all day, the MDR is my time to relax and actually enjoy my meals.

 

Im on vacation and want to be waited on and service so far has always been excellent. I have no desire to go to a buffet and fix my own plates and Im not much of a fan of having to pay extra for specialty dining either. To each their own for sure. :)

[sn2792]

We have done this - used MTD, and ate at Windjammer nightly. We had a little one with us who needed to eat early and quickly, so it was more relaxing all around to just go to the Windjammer. While we did do the pre-paid gratuities for MTD, we were a little surprised at the end of the cruise that we were given vouchers with an envelope for our waiter, assistant waiter and Maitre D'. We were a bit confused about what to do with the tip money, and had assumed it would just go to the pool. Maybe they messed up? At any rate, I think my husband just brought them down to the dining room and asked them what to do with them.

 

They always give you the vouchers if you pre-pay or add them to your sea pass card once on board. You don't need to do anything with the vouchers, they still get the money.

[Langley Cruisers]

It has never taken me 2 hours to eat in the MDR :confused:

 

Agreed, Ryan. The very longest for us was about 90 minutes.

 

If you tell the wait team that you have to be somewhere, they will absolutely do what they can to expedite your dinner.

.

[DonnaK]

I personally can't imagine NOT eating in the MDR for the majority of the cruise. Going to dinner and chatting with other couples has been the absolute highlight of several of our cruises. My wife and I still laugh about our first cruise together on the Jewel and an older couple we met at dinner. Very outspoken and brash. I wouldn't trade the memories we've made in the MDR of multiple cruises for anything. To each their own, but we happen to LOVE the 'production' as others have put it. :p

 

 

This is exactly how we feel. We LOVE eating in the MDR. Even my teen daughters feel that it is the highlight of the day to come together for dinner in the MDR each night

 

And, for those who called it a "production", we've never had a meal in the MDR which lasted 2 hours. More like an hour and 15 minutes at most, even with a large table. Any faster, and we'd hear complaints of "feeling rushed"! lol

[Bookish Angel]

We generally prefer a more casual and less-crowded environment, so unless the MDR offers something very appealing, we eat elsewhere. We always tips the appropriate amount, however.

[Room Service!]

It has never taken me 2 hours to eat in the MDR :confused: In fact, with MTD and a table for two, I was in and out in about an hour last cruise unless we just wanted to take our time.

 

It can take that long to eat in the MDR, ... if you eat with others.

 

We usually only eat in the MDR on the first night. As others have said we like the WJ for the casualness. We also like to sample a little of this, little of that. It is not a long drawn out meal ... unless we want it to be.

I don't need to be waited on at my meals. Not having to plan, cook and do the dishes makes me quite happy. :)

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

I think I've been on 17 cruises, I have eaten in the MDR less than 5 times, TOTAL.

 

For us, it takes too long, we probably won't be any more impressed with the food than say WJ or other venues, and mostly, we don't like sitting with strangers because chances are we won't have very much in common to talk about.

 

To me the MDR is just awkward unless you have a private table for your party. And I don't need dinner to take 2-3 hours, I have other things I'd rather do.:)

[UCF_Knight]

I personally can't imagine NOT eating in the MDR for the majority of the cruise. Going to dinner and chatting with other couples has been the absolute highlight of several of our cruises. My wife and I still laugh about our first cruise together on the Jewel and an older couple we met at dinner. Very outspoken and brash. I wouldn't trade the memories we've made in the MDR of multiple cruises for anything. To each their own, but we happen to LOVE the 'production' as others have put it. :p

 

I feel the same way. Starting with my first RCCL cruise which was my honeymoon cruise where they put us with 4 other honeymooning couples (oh the stories we shared), the MDR has provided many good memories. I just can't imagine eating in the Windjammer for dinner. But, as you say, to each their own.

[GeraldOfHouston]

It has never taken me 2 hours to eat in the MDR :confused: In fact, with MTD and a table for two, I was in and out in about an hour last cruise unless we just wanted to take our time.

 

After 28 cruises, the last five or so were all in the Windjammer. In the past I have always been assigned a table where the service was the slowest ever. So many times others were finished and leaving before we got the dessert menu, and at times it took every bit of 2 hours. I suppose there is eating and there is dining, but I now prefer eating. I too would rather be doing other things in the evening other than waiting for the next course. I've never found any problem with the food in the WJ. Ice Cream in the WJ is the perfect dessert for me. As for meeting and visiting with other people, the Cruise Critic problem has been great.

[Kteacher]

We're planning on not eating in the MDR on the Allure. After many cruises we've noticed a real decline in the quality of the MDR food, and service has been spotty-great on some ships, not so great to down right horrible on others.

There are so many different dining venues available now that we are going to try different spots each night.

[lrn2cruise]

We HATE the MDR and only go there when someone we're traveling with insists or on formal night. Dinner is just such a production and most nights we would rather just eat and move on to the next activity.

 

FYI: We book MTD and prepay gratuity. Having a set time for dinner and then not showing up would be rude to our tablemates and it's nice to not have to worry about gratuities at all!

 

This is exactly how we feel. MDR is just too fussy for us on vacation. It is so nice to see people in the beautiful clothes, etc, but it just is not for us. We like to get up from the table and go get what we need. We just want to move on to the next activity too

[PH8]

Just an FYI(and Im sure all of you know this),but make sure you let them know the first day,you won't be eating in the MDR......can free up some seats for others looking to switch dining times.....plus the waitstaff will not be looking for you to show up,

[Debde]

We did find ourselves sitting in the same area of the WJ every morning for breakfast and in the evening for dinner... so we got to know the waiters in those sections. They automatically would refill our drinks, and would grab my husbands soda cup and get him his Coke. We gave the tips that we would have otherwise given the waiter and asst waiter - to them.

 

Ann

 

That's how we do it. I do not pre-pay tips, get to know the WJ servers and just tip them at the end of the cruise.

I also tip my room service and specialty dining and it all works.

[critterchick]

It has never taken me 2 hours to eat in the MDR :confused: In fact, with MTD and a table for two, I was in and out in about an hour last cruise unless we just wanted to take our time.

 

Lucky you.:). We have switched to MTD because the service always seems to move better with a table for 2, and we can have a dining experience of an hour or so. I've been a at several traditional late seating tables where the waitstaff was simply overwhelmed and for a couple of nights we had to choose between dessert and going to a show. DH calls it "death by dinner."

 

To the OP, we have had several short cruises where we didn't go to the MDR at all. In those occasions, our dining tips went to the night WJ crew. On longer cruises, we will usually go to the MDR a few times just for variety. Now that our tips are prepaid, we only tip the WJ crew the amount we would normally add to our MDR envelopes.

[S.O.C.I.O.C.A.T.s]

We may eat in the MDR for lunch or perhaps breakfast in the diamond section but not for dinner. Have found that the 2 1/2 hour dinners and making small talk with strangers are not for us anymore. Usually eat in WJ or specialty restaurant. That way we can go to the early theatre showing (7pm) and have rest of evening free for late night spa or swimming or whatever.

[bbbearden]

Not us, we do MTD intend MDR. We enjoy the MDR, but also like the for fee places.

[B-52]

We have been doing MTD ever since it was introduced. More simple, quicker, casual.

But even then, on our last 9 night cruise for example, we did specialty restaurants twice, WJ once, room service once, (GS) and dinner in port once.

So that meant we were in the MDR 4 out of 9 nights? And that includes the first night when we like to meet everyone?

 

I'm one that can't stand the WJ any time of day, for MANY reasons, not just the food....if the WJ was better, we would be there more often and less MDR, if at all.

[whyrlygig]

We haven't eaten in the main dining room in 10 years. Just not our thing.

[JamesEM]

On our last cruise we did not eat in the MDR at all, instead we ate in the Windjammer. DW and I are big salad and vegeable eaters, and we don't eat a lot of meat.

[Cassicruiser]

Same here. I understand people "hate" the MDR but Im not one of them. In fact, its one of the highlights of my cruises. After going going going all day, the MDR is my time to relax and actually enjoy my meals.

 

Im on vacation and want to be waited on and service so far has always been excellent. I have no desire to go to a buffet and fix my own plates and Im not much of a fan of having to pay extra for specialty dining either. To each their own for sure. :)

Couldn't have said it better myself. For us the main dining room is one of the highlights of a cruise - when else can you go to a beautiful dining room every night, be served by attentive waiters and have a lovely leisurely meal. We eat in the WJ for breakfast and lunch, but would not give up our late seating MDR experience. But I agree - to each their own.

[Cotswold Eagle]

I am a solo cruiser (most of the time) and I enjoy traditional dining for the opportunity to meet and get to know new people. It has always worked out better than dining on my own. However, I recognise that some folk don't want company at dinner and some don't want to eat in the MDR at all.

 

A big 'thank you' to those who have already said if they don't want to use traditional dining they will either book MTD and not go (although I guess that takes up limited space if you aren't intending to use it) or let the wait staff know they will not be going to the MDR. I have suggested several times to RCI that they should have a dining option of 'not using MDR', which would let them allocate table space more efficiently - on my last cruise I found myself alone on a table for 10, the time before I was with one couple, before that with one other solo male. Of course, these arrangements can be changed after the first night (and Head Waiters are pretty good at being proactive, in my experience), but it would be a lot easier if HQ knew some people had no intention of using the dining room at all.