Specialty restaurants vs. main dining

[Mountaineer0313]

Hubby and I are sailing Millennium to Alaska next August. On all of our previous cruises (Royal Caribbean), we always bought the specialty dining package because we prefer to not sit like cattle in a pen in the main dining room (which is how it was on our one and only experience in the main dining room on Radiance of the Seas). But I'm seeing there's not a lot of specialty dining options on Millennium. I already booked the Tuscan Grille for the first night at a discount, but it's looking like we're going to have to eat in the main dining room. How is the service and food here? Is there a way to request a table that isn't clustered around several other tables, or preferably one by a window, and have the same server every night?

[Bo1953]

3 minutes ago, Mountaineer0313 said:

Hubby and I are sailing Millennium to Alaska next August. On all of our previous cruises (Royal Caribbean), we always bought the specialty dining package because we prefer to not sit like cattle in a pen in the main dining room (which is how it was on our one and only experience in the main dining room on Radiance of the Seas). But I'm seeing there's not a lot of specialty dining options on Millennium. I already booked the Tuscan Grille for the first night at a discount, but it's looking like we're going to have to eat in the main dining room. How is the service and food here? Is there a way to request a table that isn't clustered around several other tables, or preferably one by a window, and have the same server every night?

Upon boarding go to the MDR scope out the tables and put your request in with the Maitre d'.

 

You do not indicate if you are eating Traditional or Select, either way no worries.

 

We found the service and food exceeded our expectations, then you may hear from some who think it will not, food is subjective and objective, as well... LOL

 

I have a dietary regimen which I follow closely and the kitchen went above and beyond to accommodate as did the pastry chef!

 

Great sailing you have signed up for.

 

bon appetite and bon voyage

[sound_guy0918]

I can't speak specifically to the Millennium, but our experiences in the MDR on X are tangibly superior to RCC.  Taste, temperature, service, food quality are consistently on par with the restaurant in a fine hotel, such as a Radisson or boutique hotel.  There are several two-tops that are not clustered together, although probably not by a window.  If you want to have the same server, simply let the host/hostess know when you check in.

[Mountaineer0313]

1 minute ago, Bo1953 said:

Upon boarding go to the MDR scope out the tables and put your request in with the Maitre d'.

 

You do not indicate if you are eating Traditional or Select, either way no worries.

 

We found the service and food exceeded our expectations, then you may hear from some who think it will not, food is subjective and objective, as well... LOL

 

I have a dietary regimen which I follow closely and the kitchen went above and beyond to accommodate as did the pastry chef!

 

Great sailing you have signed up for.

 

bon appetite and bon voyage

 

Thank you. It looks like, according to the booking, we have traditional dining at 6 pm. Now, considering on this cruise, we have a few stops where we'll be in port til later, we'll probably eat dinner off the ship. But I do like that I can maybe put in a request for a certain table.

We're very excited. We sailed Alaska last year and it was the trip of a lifetime. I scored an aft facing balcony and several perks on this sailing and only ended up paying about $500  more than we did last year, with no perks and a regular balcony, all on a completely refurbished ship. We can't wait to go again.

[Mountaineer0313]

2 minutes ago, sound_guy0918 said:

I can't speak specifically to the Millennium, but our experiences in the MDR on X are tangibly superior to RCC.  Taste, temperature, service, food quality are consistently on par with the restaurant in a fine hotel, such as a Radisson or boutique hotel.  There are several two-tops that are not clustered together, although probably not by a window.  If you want to have the same server, simply let the host/hostess know when you check in.

 

Thank you! Looking forward to eating well while on the ship.

[I_r_a]

Hi M,

 

>Is there a way to request a table that isn't clustered around several other tables, or preferably one by a window, and have the same server every night?

 

Yes.  Ask for anytime dining and then request a particular table for 2 when you show up at the dining room.

Depending on the time, you might have to wait.

 

Ira

 

 

 

Edited November 19, 2019 by I_r_a

[phoenix_dream]

When you have traditional dining, you may or may not get your table preference.  When you board, go to the dining room and ask the Maître d where your table is.  If you don't like it, you can request a different location, but I have to tell you that is not always possible.  They will try, but sometimes it just doesn't work out if the ship is sailing full.  If you can get select dining, you have a better chance of getting a table location and type that you want, although at times that will mean a wait.

[4774Papa]

3 hours ago, Mountaineer0313 said:

Hubby and I are sailing Millennium to Alaska next August. On all of our previous cruises (Royal Caribbean), we always bought the specialty dining package because we prefer to not sit like cattle in a pen in the main dining room (which is how it was on our one and only experience in the main dining room on Radiance of the Seas). But I'm seeing there's not a lot of specialty dining options on Millennium. I already booked the Tuscan Grille for the first night at a discount, but it's looking like we're going to have to eat in the main dining room. How is the service and food here? Is there a way to request a table that isn't clustered around several other tables, or preferably one by a window, and have the same server every night?

After 11 Celebrity cruises, we rarely dined at the specialty restaurants, due to the prices.  Also, the MDR food is pretty good.

We did like the prices on specialty dining on our Royal cruises.

[Muffinz]

We had an open mind when it came to dining in the MDR on our first cruise last year.... but we were impressed!

food and service was like dining in a 5 star restaurant.... we did not feel we needed to go to any of the speciality restaurants because the MDR was so good 

[Vagabond Knight]

MDR is quite good on Celebrity, IMO.   It's beautiful and classy, and both the food and service are usually top notch.  My only issue on our last cruise,was that the service was kind of spotty at lunch on a couple days, perhaps due to not quite having enough personnel scheduled for the number of people who showed up on the days we went (with the various dining options around the ship, I guess it's hard to know how many will choose the MDR for lunch any given day).  But hey, it was lunchtime, which usually means me grabbing something out of the microwave and eating at my desk while I'm working, and we were in no hurry to get anywhere on the cruise.  The specialty dining options are few, but very nice (QSine Le Petit Chef was a one-and-done for us though, due to the very limited menu and the been-there-seen-that aspect of the video thing).  It does pain me to pay so much per person for those restaurants when we've already paid for our meals by booking the cruise, and it's particularly painful if we've paid extra for Aqua/Blu.  However, when I end up with a bunch of OBC, it's a lot less painful.  You will not go hungry on a Celebrity cruise!  (Of course, I'd love to have lobster every day, but...)  😁

 

 

[neilrr]

The MDR on Celebrity ships' food are always very good.  We have been travelling with them for years. We always have late seating and check out our tables.  We know many of the Maitre'D's and we once heard (in jest of course) "oh no not those two again." We had a good laugh with the Maitre'D. When we first started travelling on Celebrity they had Michel Roux as their head chef -- the food was unbelievable and fabulous in the MDR and the Specialty Restaurants were amazing...  

 

IMHO specialty restaurants should be for a special dinner -- not to be forced to eat there to get decent meal i.e. NCL (don't even get me started on NCL). We do not discuss NCL, Costa, MSC in our home.. As for RCCL they could do a bit of work on their food as well -  as it is average at best. 

 

Celebrity, Princess and Holland America (though Holland tends to cater to an older crowd) tend to be the top of the mass market lines before the big jump to Azamara, Crystal, Oceania, etc.. 

 

Happy Sailing!!!😊

Edited November 21, 2019 by neilrr

[39august]

If you are going to be off the ship until after your assigned dining time, I suggest you request Select dining, which is the same as RCI's Anytime dining. You should do this before you actually board, as Select dining is popular and there might be no availablity by boarding day.  The Ocean View Cafe, Celebrity's buffet,  is very, very good as well. And it is open later than RCI's Windjammer.  There is breakfast and lunch with selected small plates (but you can get all you wish) for no extra charge in the Spa Cafe. There are good hamburgers and dogs at the grill near the pool at no charge.  We've only eaten a couple of times in the dining room on Celebrity ships, but found it a more acceptable experience than the dining rooms on RCI ships.We are Pinnacle on RCI but will not be going back since our first Celebrity cruise two years ago. We have done 5 X cruises since then and have 5 future ones booked. I think you will be pleased with the experience.

[drakes2]

On 11/19/2019 at 4:56 PM, 4774Papa said:

After 11 Celebrity cruises, we rarely dined at the specialty restaurants, due to the prices.  Also, the MDR food is pretty good.

We did like the prices on specialty dining on our Royal cruises.

I'm not a big fan of the specialty restaurants the main dining room is fine not great but always something to my liking. Not a fan  of their french onion soup. IMO mine is much better. I add a touch of cognac  at the end to bring out flavour.

[yorky]

I just wish my wife had taken a photo of the two so called identical main course Steak Diane  dishes in the main dining room and Murano. There would never be another thread comparing the two. The steak dish in Murano was amazing, three times the size and finished table side. Mine in the main dining room looked like a school dinner.