Do You Visit MDR for Any Formal Nites?

[John&LaLa]

Wait wait wait! Self serve beer, did I miss something here? :what:

 

You snooze you lose. Thread is on main board

[LizzieandLuke]

Beer might make Sorrento Pizza palatable

 

I knew it was missing something:cool:

[biomedbob]

I'm a boy...but when I tried to get into the MDR....they though:confused:t I didn't fit and told me to put some shorts or other approiate stuff on!

[MNfamilycruiser]

...and I'm perfectly fine with thoughts about MDR attire. I'm enjoying the responses, whatever they are. It's not a huge deal.

 

Yes, I am too. I like to know the why...it helps me think ahead to possible scenarios for future cruises.

 

I didn't even answer, because my answer would be it depends.....

How long of a cruise is it? 3 day? 12 day?

How big of a group am I with - 10 people? Just my family of 4? Just my husband?

What was the day in port like? Did we get back late from a tour? Did we just spend 6+ hours hiking up to and on a glacier? (Alaska - we skipped that formal night!)

How much OBC do we have to spend on alternatives?

[John&LaLa]

I'm a boy...but when I tried to get into the MDR....they though:confused:t I didn't fit and told me to put some shorts or other approiate stuff on!

 

Good for you, but what are you talking about

[Paulette3028]

We go to the MDR every night. The buffet is for our breakfast and some lunches. We're on vacation and like to be served. We enjoy having tablemates. Getting dressed into something other than shorts or sweats is fun sometimes. I guess, to each their own. It's your vacation, right?

 

I agree a great deal. We enjoy the MDR. Only on ships that have an Izumi, do we indulge in a specialty restaurant, and we would not do it on a formal night. We generally breakfast in the WJ and do lunch there...maybe once or twice on a cruise have breakfast in the MDR. I really have not enjoyed lunch in the MDR , so WJ it usually is. We do love having tablemates and several times we have actually made friends that we look forward to cruising with again....or at least keep in touch with. Our 'dress up' however isn't as formal as tuxedos and gowns, but it is suits and skirts with glittery tops. It makes for a fun time at sea.

[thegima]

We don't do the MDR at all. Not our thing. We eat later in WJ when it's quiet, or book a specialty restaurant. Lot of people seem to really enjoy it though, to each their own!

[TXMary]

Our first several cruises we ate in the MDR every night including both formal nights. DH wears a tux and I wear a long gown. The more we cruised, we started doing just the second formal night. Still do the tux and gown. Not a big fan of the new menus so we don't always eat in the MDR anymore. It's easier these days to do whatever you feel like doing and we like the choices. When we do formal nights, we couldn't care less what anyone else is wearing or doing. Different strokes and all that. :)

[Paulette3028]

Our first several cruises we ate in the MDR every night including both formal nights. DH wears a tux and I wear a long gown. The more we cruised, we started doing just the second formal night. Still do the tux and gown. Not a big fan of the new menus so we don't always eat in the MDR anymore. It's easier these days to do whatever you feel like doing and we like the choices. When we do formal nights, we couldn't care less what anyone else is wearing or doing. Different strokes and all that. :)

 

DH and I are part of those than enjoy the MDR for dinner. What others are wearing matters little to us, as long as they are dressed. I have little desire to be seated with other diners who have just walked from the pool deck to the dinner table, without visiting the shower first.

[xpcdoojk]

None.

 

I can't say none, but I try to book specialty restaurants on formal night. We no longer do the formal night routine (although it really isn't like in the old days) anymore. We try to travel lite. Last trip we took was a land vacation to Italy for 3 weeks in 2004, had 2 giant suitcases each and a carry on and a backpack. I will never forget arrivng at Marco Polo airport at 10pm in Venice in September it is 85 degrees, we take the bus to the plaza, then schlep the suitcases (not all rolling) over about 3 bridges on the Grand Canal.... this after 9/11 and the airlines changing how they treat luggage (ie 35 / 25 bucks a bag). We now travel for up to 24 days with a single 20 Kilo bag (44 pound) and a backpack. So, no formal wear. No 15 pair of shoes to match the outfits. On cruises I ride the flowrider, so that means a wet suit and several rash guards.

 

So, in the last 6 years we have done maybe 2 formal nights.

 

jc

Edited September 10, 2015 by xpcdoojk

[John&LaLa]

I can't say none, but I try to book specialty restaurants on formal night. We no longer do the formal night routine (although it really isn't like in the old days) anymore. We try to travel lite. Last trip we took was a land vacation to Italy for 3 weeks in 2004, had 2 giant suitcases each and a carry on and a backpack. I will never forget arrivng at Marco Polo airport at 10pm in Venice in September it is 85 degrees, we take the bus to the plaza, then schlep the suitcases (not all rolling) over about 3 bridges on the Grand Canal.... this after 9/11 and the airlines changing how they treat luggage (ie 35 / 25 bucks a bag). We now travel for up to 24 days with a single 20 Kilo bag (44 pound) and a backpack. So, no formal wear. No 15 pair of shoes to match the outfits. On cruises I ride the flowrider, so that means a wet suit and several rash guards.

 

So, in the last 6 years we have done maybe 2 formal nights.

 

jc

 

We are opposite. No worries on luggage, usually, and we never do specialty on formal night. I will say that CK is changing that. We will start treating that as MDR when Oasis comes to PC

[LincolnLog]

Wow, only 4 posts before the "Maine lobster is better" post. I think we all know that, but thanks for sharing

 

Hey at least they put more effort into their answer than this guy did into his:

 

None.

[LincolnLog]

We rarely visit the MDR and certainly not on formal nights. We find the MDR too noisy, too crowded, and too pretentious.

 

???

 

What's pretentious about the dining room?

[xpcdoojk]

We are opposite. No worries on luggage, usually, and we never do specialty on formal night. I will say that CK is changing that. We will start treating that as MDR when Oasis comes to PC

 

Yes, rub it in I live on Cocoa Beach, and I can back up with my moving truck for my cruise...:D

 

I live in flyover country and schlepping luggage is not a joy.

 

jc

[John&LaLa]

Yes, rub it in I live on Cocoa Beach, and I can back up with my moving truck for my cruise...:D

 

I live in flyover country and schlepping luggage is not a joy.

 

jc

 

This is rubbing it in

[Virtopia]

I usually only do the first formal night and try to avoid the MDR the second formal night. I have 2 new Royal Caribbean cruisers with me for this upcoming sailing though so we'll probably do both nights in the MDR, but I've already advised them that I won't be dressing up for the second one.

Edited September 10, 2015 by Virtopia

[setsail]

Hey at least they put more effort into their answer than this guy did into his:

 

"None" was one of the op's choices so that's what I chose. Maybe you should stick to answering the question.:rolleyes:

Edited September 10, 2015 by setsail

[niksmom630]

We always go to the MDR on formal nights. I enjoy the menus, and would never miss the key lime pie! [emoji4] We've tried a few of the specialty restaurants, but when we have, we usually choose another night with our least favorite menu.

[NJcruisenewbie]

...and note that the tone of my response was meant to be humorous. Relax.

 

Then you might want to actually try to put some humor in your response.

 

IMO, the formal night menus aren't so much better than any other night.

 

I'm another one of those lobster people who much prefer a whole Maine lobster to any other option and don't consider what's served on Royal to be all that great.

[RocketMan275]

???

 

What's pretentious about the dining room?

 

"Pretentious" is just another way of saying "over-rated". But that's just our opinion. Some prefer the more structured MDR experience. We prefer the more relaxed H/C. It's a matter of equally valid preferences.

 

FWIW, we're discussing trying the MDR again on our next cruise. If we do, it won't be on a formal night. We're retired now and after forty-five years of 'dressing-up', we prefer to avoid 'formal' occasions. Once again a matter of preferences.

[Diplomacy]

No, I do not go to Formal nights in the Main Dining room.

 

Furthermore, I typically get offended if/when the one night per cruise I happen to decide "sure, I'll eat in the main dining room"(9 times out of 10 i'm not hungry at my assigned "dinner time" anyway...) they tell me to buzz off because they have decided that I can't wear a neutral button-down beach shirt on "formal night." All it is is a marketing ploy to sell their photography package anyway.

 

Incredibly unprofessional and discourteous. I always mention the steward by name in my end of the cruise comment card, if this happens.

 

Aside from that, I basically ignore whatever is going on in the main dining room. Bland, tasteless food, slow wait-staff, really not much to see after you've gone once per ship.

Edited September 10, 2015 by Diplomacy

[TC1957]

We always eat in the MDR. We have "dressed" (me in suit, wife in a nice dress). The food is sometimes better those nights, but not always. Given the level of participation we observed in "dressing" those nights we made the decision that on future cruises we will probably dress as we do on the other nights and save the packing space.

 

I know it is a horror to some...but we will still dine in the MDR on those nights.

[Diplomacy]

???

 

What's pretentious about the dining room?

 

What about it isn't pretentious? They serve poorly done attempts at unnecessarily "exotic" dishes, like duck or veal in an attempt to elevate a cafeteria to be something its not. Even the idea of having a maitre` d`or "reservations" at the front of the room, while potentially a logistical necessity, is undeniably pretentious... and that's BEFORE you consider the idea of turning someone away at the front door because they are wearing cargo pants instead of a tuxedo. Really?

[cjdixon4]

Then you might want to actually try to put some humor in your response.

 

IMO, the formal night menus aren't so much better than any other night.

 

I'm another one of those lobster people who much prefer a whole Maine lobster to any other option and don't consider what's served on Royal to be all that great.

 

NJ, I'm over that conversation from yesterday. I do appreciate your formal night comment, though! ;)

[davekathy]

No, I do not go to Formal nights in the Main Dining room.

 

Furthermore, I typically get offended if/when the one night per cruise I happen to decide "sure, I'll eat in the main dining room"(9 times out of 10 i'm not hungry at my assigned "dinner time" anyway...) they tell me to buzz off because they have decided that I can't wear a neutral button-down beach shirt on "formal night." All it is is a marketing ploy to sell their photography package anyway.

 

Incredibly unprofessional and discourteous. I always mention the steward by name in my end of the cruise comment card, if this happens.

 

Aside from that, I basically ignore whatever is going on in the main dining room. Bland, tasteless food, slow wait-staff, really not much to see after you've gone once per ship.

 

I needed a good laugh today. However Rodney Dangerfield was a lot more convincing about not getting respect and much funnier.