How many nights do you eat in specialty rstaurants on your cruise?

[bigque]

2 times on a 7 day with the exception of our last cruise on Adventure which only had 1 specialty restaurant. We usually cruise during our anniversary so one of the two days is just to have a different ambiance on our anniversary and the other night is just to do something different for one night. We usually do the WJ for breakfast and lunch and do not want to go back for dinner. For us it has nothing to do with the MDR not being good as we like the MDR and we know that the free stuff is already in the cruise fare but when we cruise we plan and budget for it so it is not a problem! :cool:

[moonltnite]

We just were on the Allure - 7 nights - and ate at specialty restaurants 5 of the 7 nights. We only ate in the MDR the first night (which was surprisingly good) and the second formal night (which was disappointing - food.... service was great).

 

Specialty restaurants we tried:

Chef's Table (fantastic experience)

150 Central Park (our second favorite - great food and service) - 2 nights

Chops (food was good - service a bit rushed)

Giovanni's (third favorite)

[sealeggs]

None.

[micmacmissy]

We just were on the Allure - 7 nights - and ate at specialty restaurants 5 of the 7 nights. We only ate in the MDR the first night (which was surprisingly good) and the second formal night (which was disappointing - food.... service was great).

 

Specialty restaurants we tried:

Chef's Table (fantastic experience)

150 Central Park (our second favorite - great food and service) - 2 nights

Chops (food was good - service a bit rushed)

Giovanni's (third favorite)

 

Were they easy to book on board? It's hard for me to make reservations- I'd rather leave it up to that week, but don't want to wind up eating at 5pm or 9pm. Did you book all of those ahead of time?

[moonltnite]

Were they easy to book on board? It's hard for me to make reservations- I'd rather leave it up to that week, but don't want to wind up eating at 5pm or 9pm. Did you book all of those ahead of time?

 

 

Yes, I booked them ahead - so I could get the times I wanted. Otherwise, you risk not being able to get in at the time you want.

 

 

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[johnjen]

OP, you'll get a variety of opinions on this.

 

We did three specialty restaurants for our first time June last year on Anthem. Chops, Jamie Oliver's and Chef's Table. This coming June we're only doing one, the mystery dinner theater in Giovanni's on Brilliance.

[bluebeard39]

Last Cruise on Radiance of the Seas we did 6 nights in specialty and the last night in MDR. They asked me why I didn't dine in the MDR so I told them nicely that I was a very picky eater just not to upset them.

[tlaffin]

Usually just one - we usually like getting to know our waiter and assistant waiter in the MDR and seeing them each night!

 

 

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[Desert Cruizers]

Only once on our 2nd cruise. Not that we didn't enjoy the evening, because we did, We had met a couple whom we shared the same Wedding dates so chose to eat at Chops during our cruise. Since then we have chosen to stay with our early main dining. I am sure we would dine again in a specialty restaurant. A good occasion would be on our first Oasis cruise next year with family.

[Surfguyxxx]

Being a gay couple, we get looks and questions beyond belief. "Where are your wives; are you two best friends" etc. I go to the specialty dining venues almost every single night. No questions asked, better service, even better food and absolutely nobody giving us looks of disgust (yes, to this day). A few extra dollars is worth it to me. After 28 years together, it works for us.

[moonltnite]

Being a gay couple, we get looks and questions beyond belief. "Where are your wives; are you two best friends" etc. I go to the specialty dining venues almost every single night. No questions asked, better service, even better food and absolutely nobody giving us looks of disgust (yes, to this day). A few extra dollars is worth it to me. After 28 years together, it works for us.

 

 

It's pretty sad that there's still so much ignorance and bigotry out there.

 

 

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[ABoatNerd]

How many nights eating in a specialty restaurant?

 

None. None on principle.

 

I have paid for the MDR and expect good to excellent quality amenities, food and service given I have traveled on RCL and Celebrity.

 

I expect this every single time I cruise. My expectations are exactly in line with the advertising from the service provider at the time I book.

 

Since Celebrity's MDR did not deliver the product they advertised on our last 2 cruises, they are no longer being considered a cruise service provider to our household.

 

I agree with others that the cruise lines are deliberately reducing the quality and enjoyment of the MDR - not participating in their business decision.

[Pedal/Paddle]

First cruise none.

Second cruise twice (Sabor - awesome!).

Next cruise we are doing half of the 10 nights in specialty, the other half in Windjammer.

 

We found that we cannot stand the MDR (or formal night). We feel that the food quality is the same as in the buffet, usually with the same entrees. Also there is more variety, it doesn't take as long if we don't want to linger (sometimes we do), and we can eat healthier in the Windjammer. Especially on the Radiance class, our favorite, we LOVE the outdoor seating in the aft. And the atmosphere at dinner is much different than the rest of the day.

 

We enjoy upscale dining but feel the MDR is like a wedding or conference banquet. Stuffy, food is so-so, and takes forever. Specialty dining is pleasant and relaxed with better food.

[Zoey00123]

After the Chops disaster in December on Liberty, maybe never again - excepting Sabor of course.

 

Can I ask what the disaster was?

[bigbeergut]

Zero. I don't expect the MDR to be anything special, but it is more than adequate. We always do MTD. Dining just isn't that important to us on a cruise. It's about the itinerary and the features of the ship

[caribsun]

Never went to a Specialty Restaurant.

[hallasm]

None at my last cruise - Just back fro a B-to-B cruise - a total of 23 days.

[smtcan]

Being a gay couple, we get looks and questions beyond belief. "Where are your wives; are you two best friends" etc. I go to the specialty dining venues almost every single night. No questions asked, better service, even better food and absolutely nobody giving us looks of disgust (yes, to this day). A few extra dollars is worth it to me. After 28 years together, it works for us.

 

 

Very sad. You would be welcome to dine with us any time. I am shocked that people could be so thoughtless.

 

Sheila

[Freehike]

On our last 2 cruises we have eaten in nothing but the specialty restaurants for dinner.

 

MDR is just tiresome and the Windjammer food has gotten so bad that the thought of eating it just isn't appealing.

 

 

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[Isaboo]

My husband and I usually eat in Chops at least once during a cruise, but the last time we did it was a bit lackluster. Most of the time MDR works fine for our family of five. Our last cruise last summer we ate in the MDR five nights, Windjammer one night and Johnny Rockets once. I really want to try Sabor on our cruise this summer.

 

 

I think once our kids are grown and it's just my husband and I , we'll do more specialty dining;

[flag fan]

I try to go to each restaurant at least once every cruise, and I have only done 7-day cruises so for the big ships (Allure of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas) that means only one night each in the Main Dining Room and Windjammer Marketplace. When I have been in traditional dining I felt guilty not showing up to spend dinner with the regular tablemates but I switched to My Time Dining and have no regrets checking out different dining venues.

[Keksie]

Both formal nights for sure.

[riclop]

2-3 x.

[pspercy]

Can I ask what the disaster was?

 

It was just "off". The 12oz strip was a scrawny bit of nothing. I looked at the waiter and said "This is 12oz ?" I should have made a fuss but let it slide. Waiter was nervous, maybe expecting that.

 

People at next table had the upcharge "aged" steak each, both were very disappointed, said they were tough.

 

Didn't seem to be anyone in charge at the time we were there so we just left shortly after.

 

Been kicking myself since, oh well . . .

[Mywildlove]

Every single night! My husband and I hate the MDR. We hate the food, the crammed packed and loud atmosphere, group dinning, and usually the food is something I don't think our dogs would even eat. However my mom and her husband love it for all the reasons we hate it (they actually like the food).

 

We eat at Chops every night. Our experience has been that the more you go the better they treat you. We always get the same sever and on our last cruise the server had half our order already places by the time we got there when she realized we were going to order the same thing (she still confirmed it is what we wanted before she brought our food out). She even brought us lobsters on lobster night without us even asking.

 

The added fee for Chops is much cheaper than a meal of the same kind at any restaurant on land.