Is the MDR so bad?

[amsred2]

Hi all. I will be sailing on the Allure for my first RCL cruise in September. I am a seasoned platinum cruiser on Carnival but due to some of the downgrades, I am giving new lines a try. One thing we have always enjoyed was the MDR, sitting with others (sometimes making lifelong friends) and trying all the different dishes. I must admit that I have tried everything Carnival has to offer (I will miss the Chocolate melting cake) so am looking forward to trying RCL offerings. In my research, there seems to be a lot of chatter/pressure about purchasing the specialty restaurants. So my question is, will we really be missing out if we skip the specialty places and just eat in the MDR?

[Clarea]

Hi all. I will be sailing on the Allure for my first RCL cruise in September. I am a seasoned platinum cruiser on Carnival but due to some of the downgrades, I am giving new lines a try. One thing we have always enjoyed was the MDR, sitting with others (sometimes making lifelong friends) and trying all the different dishes. I must admit that I have tried everything Carnival has to offer (I will miss the Chocolate melting cake) so am looking forward to trying RCL offerings. In my research, there seems to be a lot of chatter/pressure about purchasing the specialty restaurants. So my question is, will we really be missing out if we skip the specialty places and just eat in the MDR?

Only you can answer that question. I suggest you try some nights in the MDR and some nights in a specialty restaurant and decide for yourself.

[Oceansaway17]

most MDR are pretty good. Getting a good waiter and communication to them is important.

 

remember, you don't have to do the cooking or dishes so already you are ahead. And they take special requests and you can order all or much as you can eat. So if you like appetizers go for it.

I once had 4 bowls of soup it was so good.

[emory2001]

I love the MDR and specialty restaurants. Side note: desserts at the main buffet (Windjammer) are awful, save your calories for a MDR dessert, which are much better.

[Oceansaway17]

however, I would say the buffet area is where one can find those good cookies. yum

[Steelers0854]

We are on the Oasis right now. I have not been impressed with the MDR food, and you are going to cry when you try the RCCL version of the chocolate melting cake. The speciality restaurants are the best we have had at sea. I would HIGHLY recommend getting the dining package (we did the 3 night and felt that was perfect for us) as it’s a heavy discount from the individual prices.

 

But food is so subjective really only you can tell so YMMV.

[toyman55]

It's subjective. What you may consider good, others may not but then that may be also be true of the specialty restaurants. I've seen posts from people who said Chops and the CL were disappointing..

[nhraformula00]

MDR food on Carnival and R.C. are really about the same. 15 Carnival cruises and 4 R.C. Have not done a specialty rest yet.

[FirstAnthem]

We were very happy with the MDR food on Oasis a couple of weeks ago. We had one dinner in a specialty restaurant. We ate at Giovanni’s Table. Giovanni’s was a step above the MDR absolutely, but had we not had Giovanni’s, we never would have thought negatively about the MDR. We were loving our dinners all week! And honestly, the Giovanni’s night, we missed the MDR! We loved our wait staff so much, and had great dinners as a family all week. We are cruising again next year, and yes, we will go to Giovanni’s again, because it WAS that good. But I wouldn’t want to sacrifice any more nights than one in the MDR. You build a rapport with the wait staff, and having traditional dining, we liked the nice routine.

[katiel53]

My thoughts are that the MDR food sounds much better than it tastes. My last couple of cruises on Allure we got the 5 night dining package as on the previous trip on Allure, we thought the food wasn't that good, so we ate at some of the specialty restaurants.

 

Our next cruise we have the 5 night package and our TA gave us a free dinner, so that leaves one night. We booked Hibachi for that night, so we won't be having any dinners in the MDR.

 

Many people love the food in the dining room and I have seen lots of people post that the food was "amazing." I guess it all depends upon what one is used to eating. Go with an open mind and it might just be great for you.

 

You won't know until you try. Enjoy!

[George C]

I find mdr hit or miss , on last cruise did it 3 times and 2 of the meals were good, we do eat most meals in specialty and had the 5 night package last few cruises

[loman]

I like the mdr . And I am looking forward to my fall cruise on the Allure to enjoy it once again .Its banquet quality food and that's what I am expecting , so no issues for me. .

If thats not what you want , you have options at extra cost.

[griffy116]

We honestly love the MDR. The food is a matter of tastes and opinions on what they consider good. Maybe our tastes aren't as sophisticated as others so maybe I should explain what our tastes are so that you can compare and decide before taking my opinion. We're perfectly happy with a steak at an Outback Steak House, even though we've eaten at a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. We still enjoy a meal at the Olive Garden even though we've had wonderful pasta in Italy. We even love Red Lobster. I can eat a basket of their biscuits by myself, even though we've enjoyed fabulous bread right out of the oven in France and had fresh fish on the Amalfi coast. We love the choices available in the MDR and we've never had a bad meal so eating in the MDR is something we enjoy. WE even look forward to it. My adult grandson has traveled a great deal and says he has never had escargot he enjoys more than what he gets in the MDR and the duck is one of his favorites. The Vidalia tart is one of my favorite appetizers and it's back on the menu after a brief absence. We love getting to know our waiters, going straight to our table each night, knowing our waiters know our preferences. We know that if we can't make up our mind we can order two. We know that some people prefer the Specialty restaurants and that's fine, but we haven't ever felt the need to go to them, even when we've had a lot of on board credit or a great price. Everyone has different tastes and different opinions. Give it a try and see how you feel. They are offering deals all over the ship to try them so you always try one of them if you aren't satisfied. Your taste in foods might be completely different than ours.

[VillaHappy]

I think that you will be just fine. The MDR is elegant and the staff really does try to please you. We were just on the Oasis last month, and ate in the MDR every night. Sure, there were more high end options, but our food picky kids would have made eating there a total waste of our money. So, MDR it was!

[bighairtexan]

I have 20 cruises on Carnival and about equal on RCI and more on Celebrity (which is my line of choice). ALL of them IMHO have seen downgrades of various proportions over the years. But after a 10 year hiatus from Carnival, I went on the Breeze in January. That will definitely be my last Carnival cruise. AMONG other things I was really shocked about how poor both service (though it was VERY FRIENDLY and cordial, those folks were grossly understaffed), and food and just the entire MDR experience. I used to LOVE their melting cake. I got it 3 times on Carnival. First it was overdone and beyond melting. 2nd time it was great. Last time I wondered if they'd bothered putting it in the oven at all.

 

So though I don't LOVE the MDR experience on any of the 4 lines I cruise most frequently (add Princess in there), I find them all better than Carnival and in descending order I'd put them Celebrity, Princess and RCI, but not THAT much different. I found my last Carnival experience to be the worst MDR out of many cruises by a large margin. So go with an open mind and if you like Carnival MDR I think you'll find RCI either as good or better.

 

PS: I do like the specialties on ALL of the lines and also some of Carnival's included venues like Blue Iguana. I just found their MDR a HUGE downgrade (seriously? You can't put a white table cloth on the tables except formal night?)

[time4u2go]

Yes.

[dreadpirate3]

In our non-cruising lives, we're foodies and enjoy trying new foods on a regular basis, cooking, and trying new cuisine.

 

In our cruising experiences, we have primarily dined in the main dining room on each ship, and this past cruise, dined in Chop's Grille and Giovanni's Table. Chop's Grille was excellent, and the service and food topped the MDR. Giovanni's Table felt unnecessarily fussy, had improperly cooked protein, and we felt the pasta and risotto dishes were far too large for first courses. I would not visit Giovanni's Table again and pay full price.

 

Our MDR service team was fantastic, the food was great and hot, and my only disappointment was in choosing a fried fish dish one night that was less than hot and crispy when served. My new plan for ordering from the MDR is to order the fish of the day, unless the roast duck or steak is more appealing. We really enjoy the MDR.

[davekathy]

We always enjoy all the meals we select in the MDR. Breakfast, lunch and diner.

[tortoisegirl]

We were on Explorer last fall and were impressed with the MDR. I had lowered my expectations as I had read so many reviews saying it had gone down hill, and we hadn't cruised on Royal in about 7 years, but that wasn't necessary. I think Royal (and NCL) overcharge for specialty restaurants. Although we enjoy them more than the MDR, its not by much, and I think our money goes further on land, especially with what they are charging now (like $49pp for Chops on some ships).

 

However, food is subjective, and neither of us is foodies. We just expect our food to be satisfying, as described, served at an appropriate temperature, and to not be kept waiting too long. As said, my expectations are lower as I don't have to buy the food, cook, or clean up. Also, I understand it won't be gourmet when cooked in bulk.

 

If you don't like what you got, ask for what you do want, as they aim to please (and will typically ask if they can get you something different or if something was wrong if you don't finish it). They can accommodate off menu requests, especially when done the night before.

 

As for temperature, I think us sitting in the back corner of the MDR nearest the kitchen door helped. We also seemed to get food really quickly, faster than any of our previous cruises. We had my time dining and it seems like they try to sit you in the same section each night, so specifically ask the hostess if you didn't like the location (or waiter) the first night if you have MTD.

 

The food is one of the main reasons my husband said he only wants to cruise Royal from now on. That and the service and general atmosphere. We rarely go to the buffet as its a pain to have to hunt for a table, feel like we have to get up for stuff 1 at a time so our table isn't cleared or taken, its nearly impossible to eat a warm meal by the time we sit down, and the food seems better in the MDR. The MDR is especially awesome for breakfast.

[CelticMCO]

We honestly love the MDR. The food is a matter of tastes and opinions on what they consider good. Maybe our tastes aren't as sophisticated as others so maybe I should explain what our tastes are so that you can compare and decide before taking my opinion. We're perfectly happy with a steak at an Outback Steak House, even though we've eaten at a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. We still enjoy a meal at the Olive Garden even though we've had wonderful pasta in Italy. We even love Red Lobster. I can eat a basket of their biscuits by myself, even though we've enjoyed fabulous bread right out of the oven in France and had fresh fish on the Amalfi coast. We love the choices available in the MDR and we've never had a bad meal so eating in the MDR is something we enjoy. WE even look forward to it. My adult grandson has traveled a great deal and says he has never had escargot he enjoys more than what he gets in the MDR and the duck is one of his favorites. The Vidalia tart is one of my favorite appetizers and it's back on the menu after a brief absence. We love getting to know our waiters, going straight to our table each night, knowing our waiters know our preferences. We know that if we can't make up our mind we can order two. We know that some people prefer the Specialty restaurants and that's fine, but we haven't ever felt the need to go to them, even when we've had a lot of on board credit or a great price. Everyone has different tastes and different opinions. Give it a try and see how you feel. They are offering deals all over the ship to try them so you always try one of them if you aren't satisfied. Your taste in foods might be completely different than ours.

what he/she said!

[CelticMCO]

Bad? Never! Part of the experience I like is getting to know the Waiter/Assistant Waiter and building a relationship during the cruise. Usually do one specialty just for a change but not always. Take these boards with a grain of salt regarding horrible experiences and bad food. Do not fall into the money pit of an upcharge for everything....

[amsred2]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I will stick to the MDR this trip...going in with an open mind. Im not going to pre-purchased any dining and am confident we can always find sonething we like.

There are so many options on these mega ships that Im feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the choices. This is one down...a million to go.

[amsred2]

RCI has a few top class ships in their fleet, but the food has never been their strongest part.

I would say MDR food on large Carnival ships is slightly superior.

I see no major issues with MDR food on the large RCI ships, however my advice: be flexible.

It's pretty fine for me to start a dinner in MDR and finish in the buffet, or stop at MDR just for dessert.

Check menus in advance.

A good thing about RCI MDR: they have (or used to have - things changes) escargo every day.

Check for the "lobster night".

Basically you'll need to be in MDR for lobsters (let's say full dinner), and for escargo + something, then a jump to the buffet.

On the Allure, briefly check the Solarium Bistro (a kind of good alternative for breakfast) and the Park cafe (mostly junk, but we had nice desserts + coffee there). Cafe Promenade is good for a sort of "continental breakfast" before it getsc crowded. Some OK items can be found in Sorrento's Pizza (except for pizza) - don't hesitate to take something to put in the fridge for later - create your own menu!

The food does not come to you on the Allure, you'll have to walk a lot to get the best of the available.

Sitting in the MDR all the time to say how awful it was - this is not a formula that works on the Allure (and other mega ships).

 

 

As a note: my experience with RCI specialty dining (from the Wonderland to 150 Central Park) suggested that I stop trying them.

This is the only cruise line where we skip specialty dining.

I love some RCI ships but I'm fully aware of the food quality and know that at list a few dinners will be in the buffet. It does not prevent me from cruising on these beautiful ships.

Real RCI ships are not about the food, they are about many other pleasures.

Don' worry, be flexible.

 

MDR on the Allure of the Seas:

 

 

 

Recommended on RCI ships (lobsters and escargot):

 

 

 

Just to have an idea of the menu (a sample MDR menu on RCI):

 

 

The only specialty restaurant that I would repeat on RCI ships (Chef's Table):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good luck!

Thank you for the detailed answer. This sure helps.