Windjammer vs MDR for Dinner

[Lionesss]

on the anthem there is more than one station for made to order foods. imho the trick [this was our first cruise with rc] to the windjammer is timing.....get there for breakfast before the doors open.....before the herds come in :eek:. get the timing wrong and you will be hunting for a seat....if you are lucky a clean one.the first 2 days are hectic then it mellows. try lunch after one or so ,dinner before 5 or so. as for the quality of the food......i put 5 pounds on:o and i am still going through bacon/sausage withdrawal:D. they [RC] really REALLY NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB KEEPING THE WINDJAMMER CLEAN.

 

 

 

 

 

Just had to say....................................

 

Love your screen name on CC!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Made my day.

 

 

Good one.

[Mjoellnir]

Why not do both? DW needs to eat many small, frequent meals, so our plan is to go to WJ early, grab a small dinner and then do late seating at MDR later.

[impatientlywaiting]

Until our last cruise on Jewel in September, we hadn't stepped foot inside the MDR in 7 cruises. We decided we were tired of eating in the Windjammer for every meal and went back to the MDR for dinner. We were surprisingly shocked and pleased with how much better the food was and so glad we decided to go back to the MDR. We left every night so full we could hardly move! We will continue to eat breakfast (love the made to order egg bar) and lunch in the WJ but dinners will now be MTD in the MDR!

[Setting sail for fun]

We like trying it all. Mostly main dining room, but we sometimes don't feel like dressing for dinner and do the WJ. We usually go to Chops the first night for the discount!

[tserface]

We did a B2B cruise on Adventure this year and decided to spend the second week eating in the WJ. I think a lot of people are missing out. It was quiet, the lights were low, there were plenty of tables. Every night there was a different specialty cooking station with Asian, Italian, etc. We were able to eat in less time, but it felt like we were going a lot slower. It was easy to have time to talk to the people working there.

 

We really enjoyed it. The WJ buffets are very crazy and noisy for breakfast and lunch and you kind of expect that. But, we never expected the atmosphere much more stress free at night. Everyone should try it at least once.

 

You could always go there before going to the dining room and just walk around and see if it looks like something interesting then just go to the MDR if you don't like what you see.

 

We really like the MDR experience and we're not abandoning that for the WJ, but we will certainly make time for a night or two in the WJ on any future cruises.

 

Ironically, we tried the same thing on our recent Princess cruise and their buffet was so ill organized that the experience was not nearly as good. I think buffet is one of the things Royal and Celebrity do especially well.

 

Tom

[Langley Cruisers]

Until our last cruise on Jewel in September, we hadn't stepped foot inside the MDR in 7 cruises. We decided we were tired of eating in the Windjammer for every meal and went back to the MDR for dinner. We were surprisingly shocked and pleased with how much better the food was and so glad we decided to go back to the MDR...

 

That's cool. On our recent Serenade cruise, we went with my sister and BIL. They love the MDR and we love the WJ for dinner, so we compromised and alternated nights in both venues. All four of us loved our decision and we had outstanding meals in both the MDR and the WJ. It was the best of both worlds. :)

[TravelerThom]

You could not be more wrong...

Unfortunately the poster you quoted is often even more wrong than this:eek:

[goneclear]

Most our cruises are 7 night cruises and we always eat at least 3 nights in the WJ. We have always enjoyed our meals there. We also always do at least two specialty restaurants and do the main dining room on formal nights.

To the OP, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the offerings for dinner in the WJ although food opinions do differ very much.

[griffy116]

I don't have a problem with the WJ food. What we have found, as a family cruising together, is that if we eat at the buffet, our conversations are interrupted by someone getting up to go back to the buffet for a different or additional dish. We've usually been pretty active all day and like the idea of sitting down once and getting the food brought to us in courses. We don't miss out on any of the conversations from the others. We look at our time in the MDR as an opportunity to hear what everyone did during the day, what they are planning for the next day while the food comes to us...lol. Gives me a rest before the evening show or the casino.

[Yorkvillain]

How do you know when you have stated many times that you never eat there due to your love affair with the MDR.

 

Lol. What are the odds that she replies to your question? .06%?

[Langley Cruisers]

Unfortunately the poster you quoted is often even more wrong than this:eek:

 

Lol. What are the odds that she replies to your question? .06%?

 

To both of you, I think it is the hope of many regular members here that people who continue to give erroneous information will be corrected on the board. I would hate for a new member/new cruiser to think that the incorrect information is stated as fact. That's all I'm trying to do. :)

.

[cincicruisers]

For our next cruise we plan to dine as follows for 6 night cruise

 

Eat Windjammer 2 nights

In Suite dining 1 night

Specialty dining 3 nights

 

We enjoy the windjammer and there is always a wide variety to chose from. As others have stated there is a whole other ambiance at dinner.

[cruisevv]

They are usually at a station nearest the center of the WJ, and thus nearest the kitchen where they have grills. They won't be at any station not connected to the center of the WJ. I've seen them on at least 3 classes of ships because we often eat in the WJ for dinners. It is much quieter and more relaxing than the dining room. Also, believe it or not, we end up eating LESS if we eat dinner there as we can take small portions and don't have as many courses as the MDR.

 

Thank you! I'll have to check it out.

[chadbeck]

Unfortunately the poster you quoted is often even more wrong than this:eek:

 

I'm pretty sure after seeing so many posts by cb they just respond with the wrong information to just troll the people on these boards. I think he/she just finds it fun

[VacayVik]

We have a teen who loves buffets and we find the WJ a good place for dinner a few times a cruise. We found a large variety of entrees, made to order pizza/pasta sections, Mongolian barbecue, and awesome Indian food on Liberty and Adventure for dinner. On Adventure, the WJ had the lights turned down low, drink service and self-serve draft beer/wine. The servers got our drinks and took good care of removing our plates. It was actually less hectic than the Main Dining Room. They also came around with hand-scooped ice cream and sundae toppings. If it weren't for our daughter, I doubt we would have ever tried the WJ for dinner, but we enjoyed it.

 

On Oasis the WJ was very crowded and the ambience not so nice early on in the cruise. The selection is smaller and the area is smaller. If you are on Oasis class, I would suggest trying it during the latter half of the cruise once people venture out to the paid venues. FYI: The first formal night they had lobster tails and the 2nd they had crab legs. Often had prime rib, too.

 

Enjoy!

Koohiichan

 

 

They have lobster/crab legs at Windjammer? Has anyone else see this? I am going on a 5 night Indy cruise and would be THRILLED if this is the case! :)

[Iluvcruising2]

When we sail on Royal, we eat in the MDR for dinner, but like to go to the WJ after that to check it out. Sometimes, we have a second round of food!

 

I made this video while on the Adventure of the Seas out of Southampton to Iceland and Norway. The objective was to remind myself (and show my friends) what was available for dinner on the cruise ship at the WJ. Maybe it will be a useful reference here too.

 

[YOUTUBE]n32QJIrVd08[/YOUTUBE]

 

I must say after watching this video again, the variety of food offered in the WJ on Royal Caribbean is much more than on the MSC Preziosa (our most recent cruise).

 

A closer look at the Create your own Pizza station on the AOS. We had a lot of fun with this.

[YOUTUBE]sN3ZVJA5fh0[/YOUTUBE]

Edited December 30, 2015 by Iluvcruising2

[Clarea]

They have lobster/crab legs at Windjammer? Has anyone else see this? I am going on a 5 night Indy cruise and would be THRILLED if this is the case! :)

I've only seen lobster at WJ as part of a special suite dinner on Explorer.

[Agutaya]

You could always go there before going to the dining room and just walk around and see if it looks like something interesting then just go to the MDR if you don't like what you see.

 

Tom

 

That only works for MTD or second seating as the WJ usually doesn't open until 6:30 p.m.

 

They have lobster/crab legs at Windjammer? Has anyone else see this? I am going on a 5 night Indy cruise and would be THRILLED if this is the case! :)

 

We've never seen lobster or crab legs in the WJ and we have eaten at WJs a lot.

[The Fun Researcher]

In our four cruises, I have been to the WJ once for dinner. (Some of our adult group got our drink on a little too much in St. Maartin and we didn't make it to dinner in the MDR :) )

 

Honestly, I was surprised to find some of the entrees from the MDR menu that evening. I was super happy about it, because one of them (lamb chops) is something I look forward to each cruise and I was bummed that I thought I would miss them.

 

Anyway, while the food was pretty decent, we are in the crowd that likes the ambiance and all that is included in the service of the MDR. Eating off the plastic plates and drinking from plastic cups, and having to get up for each helping of food in the WJ just leaves a lot to be desired for dinner IMO.

 

It is convenient from a flexibility perspective though. Show up, eat, leave... on your schedule.

 

Dan

[Rala]

to both of you, i think it is the hope of many regular members here that people who continue to give erroneous information will be corrected on the board. I would hate for a new member/new cruiser to think that the incorrect information is stated as fact. That's all i'm trying to do. :)

.

 

amen!

[BillOh]

I'm pretty sure after seeing so many posts by cb they just respond with the wrong information to just troll the people on these boards. I think he/she just finds it fun

 

I"m thinking more for the post count.

[skatie]

I've only seen lobster at WJ as part of a special suite dinner on Explorer.

 

When we sail on Royal, we eat in the MDR for dinner, but like to go to the WJ after that to check it out. Sometimes, we have a second round of food!

 

I made this video while on the Adventure of the Seas out of Southampton to Iceland and Norway. The objective was to remind myself (and show my friends) what was available for dinner on the cruise ship at the WJ. Maybe it will be a useful reference here too.

 

I must say after watching this video again, the variety of food offered in the WJ on Royal Caribbean is much more than on the MSC Preziosa (our most recent cruise).

 

A closer look at the Create your own Pizza station on the AOS. We had a lot of fun with this ]

 

Thanks! That was a great video to show the variety!

[LisaAtlCruiser]

I usually travel solo on my cruises so find the Windjammer easier for me. On lobster night I go to the MDR - but ever other night I eat at the Windjammer. I eat much less when eating there as I just get one plate of food (small portions) and desert. It is such a nice, quiet, casual atmosphere that I prefer it.

 

On my upcoming Anthem cruise though I have reserved all the complimentary restaurants to give them a try. I just hope I don't come home 5 lbs heavier!

[mcatmcat]

I go to windjammer to pick small samples of the dishes I like and looks appealing but then I eat at the MDR at 830,btw I read the menu for that night at the MDR