Formal Night Food in a casual atmosphere

[tlangland]

We are soon to be sailing to Alaska on the Regal Princess. :D

 

Being a smaller ship it only has the one Traditional Dining Room - Palm Court and then the 24-Hour Casual Dining room Cafe del Sol (which is probably like the Horizon Court on the other bigger Princess ships). No Anytime Dining Room. :(

 

We do not plan on attending the Traditional Dining Room on formal nights, due to extenuating circumstances.:rolleyes:

 

However, what if there is something on the menu at the Palm Court (like let's say lobster, etc), that we do not want to miss. Can we order it at the Cafe del Sol? :confused:

 

Or, if we are on an excursion and can not return for our Early Seating assignment, can we still get that evening's menu at the Cafe del Sol? :confused:

[coiran]

I think the Cafe Del Sol is the "Horizon Court" of the Regal - you cannot order from a menu - you get whatever is on their menu for the day.

 

I don't know what your circumstances are, but the formal night is a very nice affair - I think that on the Alaska cruises the rules are bent somewhat - but a five star smart casual would probably be allowed. Explain to the maitr de about your circumstances and he will probably help out.

 

Ron

[sunworshiper101]

I am not sure if they offer this on the regal, but on other ships I know they will bring you the food via room service if you order early in the day. That might be something to try.

 

They used to put the leftovers on the buffet, and I think they still do, but I have never seen lobster there. I have seen king crab legs, beef wellington and a few other things.

 

good luck :p

[calikak]

This is from a recent review of the Regal that someone posted here:

 

"At night (and until 4AM) they divide the Café Del Sol in half, the starboard side becomes the dinner buffet and later on a light snack buffet, and the port side becomes The Bistro. The Bistro features tableside service with cooked to order entrees. We decided to try this late one night (just so we could report on it!) We were the only people there when we went, however several were eating snacks on the other side. Morisnfan ordered the salmon pasta, and I ordered the steak. After a short wait they came out steaming hot and were delicious. This was are first time eating at The Bistro and is definitely a good option if you are tired of your tablemates but still want to be waited on for dinner. In addition to these entrees, there was also Chicken Kiev, Tilapia and a few others as well as a salad bar, several appetizers and of course desserts."

 

I bet if you begged and pleaded with them in the Bistro they'd bring you a lobster tail on formal night. :)

[Ula]

I do not know all the Princess ships and their rules, have never seen lobster in the buffet, but they do have some fancy supper dishes. For our first two cruises my husband had some jaw problems and did not feel comfortable in formal situations. :( So anytime to us was buffet. Sit here, sit there it was buffet for us anyway. It was fun to walk in all dressed up. Had the nicest talks with people.

Those problems have been corrected with the skill of a surgeon, and thanks to these boards I learned about lobster night. We are still anytime, but upon boarding I will reserve Lobster night at a place. I already told Rich. He is excited also. The other nights buffet whenever. :)

[Pam in CA]

You're going to love the Regal Princess. Now that the Royal Princess has left for P&O, the Regal is my favorite ship.

 

The Cafe Del Sol is the Regal's buffet area, the equivalent to the Horizon Court on many other Princess ships. If you want "Anytime" dining, your best bet is Le Bistro. It's a sit-down-and-order restaurant.

 

One thing to keep in mind if a ship is in port and sails away a little later, they adjust the dinner times for the traditional seatings. Most of the time, unless you race up the gangway at the last minute, you'll be able to make an early seating.