Breakfast - MDR or Buffet?

[JandKMom]

What is the best option?

[spookwife]

personal preference. I will say this.. the service in the MDR on our Century Cruise last week was sooooo slow that it would have been a serious negative impact on any hard and fast plans for that day.

 

the food was quite good in either location. the negative about the buffet is when you order an omelet or other MTO egg dish.. if you fill your plate with everything else first it will be cold by the time your eggs are done, and if you go the other way, the eggs are cold by the time you fill your plate and find a place to sit.

[bbeltmom]

Actually the BEST option (imho) is deliverd on my balcony :D and second best is BLU.

 

I actually prefer the buffet to the MDR. I too found the service slow in the MDR. However, as a previous poster notes, if you MUST have an omlette you might want the MDR over the buffet.:rolleyes:

[wallie5446]

On sea days we go to the MDR for a laid back sit and chat with others start to the day. On a port stop it depends on if we get up and about with any time left before we go ashore, as to weather we go to the buffet, or do room service on the balcony. Confused? Yup! Lots of wonderful choices, which is why we keep coming back for more:)

[JandKMom]

Thanks all! My kids LOVE a buffet, so we will probably do that. Maybe try the MDR one day. No Blu for us, unfortunately.

[txflood33]

Actually the BEST option (imho) is deliverd on my balcony :D and second best is BLU.

 

 

Can you ask for room service delivery at a specific time....for example, call the night before and order XXXXX for a 7:30am delivery? or is that asking for too much?

 

How crowded is Blu at breakfast?

[spookwife]

Can you ask for room service delivery at a specific time....for example, call the night before and order XXXXX for a 7:30am delivery? or is that asking for too much?

 

How crowded is Blu at breakfast?

 

easily done. they may limit it to continental offerings for anything prior to MDR hours but otherwise.. no worries at all. the MDR will almost certainly be open by 7 or 730 every morning.

 

never had access to Blu so cannot answer

[ClaudiaB]

Absolutely you can get room service at a specific time. There are general times like 7-7:30, 8-8:30, 6:30-7, etc etc on the card you put on your doorknob the evening before. I always put the exact time I want it and circle it. Usually they'll be pretty close. We like it about an hour before we want to leave the room for port - relax on the balcony, get ready. And feel free to write in what you want if it's a normal type thing. I never paid much attention to what was on the menu, just wrote in what I wanted if I wanted it. We've had pretty good luck with omelets being completely hot. We split an omelet and have a yogurt and juice and maybe a muffin and then we're good to go. They'll even bring you a bowl of berries if you like.

The way it works is you'll get a phone call (you can use it as a wake up call) and they say they're on their way. Within 5 minutes you'll have your delivered meal.

This is the way we do every port day. We can get ready, brush our teeth and only head out the door once, rather than going back and forth.

[ClaudiaB]

Never had a problem getting into Blu in the morning. They are busy at times but always handle it well. No worries.

[Montana]

In April the MDR service was slow and food cold. Yes I am talking eggs. We switched to buffet for better options.

[Compass Rose Monica]

I find the MDR to be a good selection if you have no plans and no need to rush off somewhere.

 

Otherwise, I dine in Blu or the buffet area.

 

Monica

[pris993]

What is the best option?

 

Early in our cruising history, we did the MDR (only option at the time), then we did the buffet, now the only option for us is RoomService. Love to have breakfast in the cabin!

[ghstudio]

many folks forget about breakfast in Blu....one of the reasons we book aqua now. No searching for tables, no more watching someone pick through the bacon or bread with their fingers, no more long waits for a cold breakfast in the MDR.

[mompolo]

We've decided a few cruises back, to make the MDR our breakfast spot. We haven't had any slow service or cold food - so I think it may be different ships/servers. We like that our food is freshly prepared and no one has picked it over. Also, we very much enjoy meeting new people every morning and discussing our plans for the day.

[cruiserjt]

Sometimes we just try to go family style in the Buffet. My DH and DD#1 go to the omelet station and each order one to share; myself and DD#2 go off to the waffle station and pick up drinks and any other goodies (hash browns, muffins etc) on the way. Usually timing works out and we all are seated together for breakfast - everyone has a half of an omelet and waffle plus a small sample of what they might like to go get more of! The challenging part with the family is to all get something we like, nothing gets spilled as we try to find a place for four to sit down.

The MDR certainly works well on the quieter days!!

[virginialucy]

I'd love to do breakfast in the MDR, but in two cruises so far I don't think I've even been awake when they stop serving breakfast there (I blame the drink packages. :p) I wish they'd extend the hours...the buffet is usually way too crazy.

 

Sent from my ADR6300 using Forums mobile app

[artmc]

One of the best things about balconies is that they are such great venues for eating quiet breakfasts. Every time we did it the food was delivered at the exact time scheduled. There's no extra cost, though it's customary to tip a few dollars. Given the promptness, it saves time and stress on port days. You don't have to worry about buffet line-ups and seating availability, or MDR service. The menu might be somewhat limited, but we found it more than adequate. (If they still have smoked salmon omelettes, try them.)

 

If it's a sea day we might go to the MDR. The food is good, you get to meet other passengers and if service is slow, you're in no hurry to go anywhere, unless you have some planned activity. Of course you have to dress more formally than in the buffet, and some might not want to dress for breakfast and then go back to their rooms to change into deck chair/poolside casual attire.

 

We might also do buffets on sea days because, again, there's no real dress code and when when you're finished you can go straight to the pool area, plop yourself down on a deck chair and vegetate - my perfect sea day.

[LetsGetWet!]

personal preference. I will say this.. the service in the MDR on our Century Cruise last week was sooooo slow that it would have been a serious negative impact on any hard and fast plans for that day.

 

the food was quite good in either location. the negative about the buffet is when you order an omelet or other MTO egg dish.. if you fill your plate with everything else first it will be cold by the time your eggs are done, and if you go the other way, the eggs are cold by the time you fill your plate and find a place to sit.

We were on Century the week after you. Omelettes AND various versions of eggs benedict to order were great in the buffet. I followed my usual buffet practice - head to the eggs station you want (omelette or benedict) first. When I get to the front of the line, I order my omelette or benedict, and say "I'll be right back." Generally I can get the other hot items I want in the 2-3 minutes it takes them to make my eggs, and head back there for them to add it to my plate. Worked out well for me.

 

I'd say the quality & selections at the buffet were every bit as good as the MDR, so unless you just want to relax over a leisurely breakfast, head to the buffet.

[LetsGetWet!]

I'd love to do breakfast in the MDR, but in two cruises so far I don't think I've even been awake when they stop serving breakfast there (I blame the drink packages. :p) I wish they'd extend the hours...the buffet is usually way too crazy.

Agreed! They even stop serving it too early in the buffet! MDR breakfast ended at 9:30 and even buffet breakfast stopped last week on Century at 10:00 AM! Way too early on vacation, especially if you're enjoying the nightlife! :)

[drychi]

If my only choice is the buffet or MDR per the original post, my wife and I prefer the main dining room. We like the table side service and the ability to talk to new persons about their experiences in life and in cruising. We have had many great conversations this way.

Having said that, I would add that our favorite breakfast spot on any Celebrity S-Class ship is Blu.

[ghstudio]

it's kind of funny....a year ago, someone would have injected their favorite breakfast spot was the aqua spa cafe....in fact it used to be our choice. How times have changed....we don't even consider that option any more.

[Lastdance]

We do the buffet in the mornings and arrive way before it opens. The food is always good, warm/hot and not a lot of people to get in our way. I know...one has to get up quite early to do it that way, but it is the best for us on port days! Then we just sit and relax for a while at one of our favorite tables...Life is Good!

[JandKMom]

What time does the buffet open? The MDR?

[CanWeGoYet?]

Awesome breakfast menu when I was in a CC cabin quite a while back, but ordering food that is supposed to be served hot didn't work well.

 

It was always on the cool side by the time we got it. Except for the coffee, of course.

[hcat]

Drawback to MDR is they seat you and do not take orders til a table is filled which can take some time. Then it takes long to take all the orders and then serve them....Also we are not always in the mood to chit chat at breakfast,.,

 

we prefer Blu but if we only had buffet as a choice we'd go with that....or Bistro on 5.