Riviera MDR Review- December 23 - now

[Robjame]

We have eaten about half our breakfasts and half our dinners in the Main Dining room and it is our favourite venue. It is seldom crowded, the service has been excellent and we are very impressed with the wide selection. Now we are slow eaters and don’t do well in the hustle-bustle of buffets. The secret is knowing that food prep takes about 15 minutes and we time our next course request to suit.

‘Breakfasts always start with a selection from a tray of pastries, juices or fresh cut fruit or berries, muesli or yogurt parfaits. Every imaginable egg choice is offered. Similarly there is a wide variety of toast, muffins, though they do arrive in the English cooked but cold style. Eggs Benedict, corned beef hash, lamb chops, kippers are everyday specialties. We have only had one miss which was quickly corrected when a soft boiled egg was hard cooked.

We always find something special on the dinner menu which has items from the specialty dining rooms, and three of Jacques Pepin selections. There are selections of food from around the world and healthy choices. Last night our dinner included caviar, a cheddar cheese soufflé appetizer and duck à l’ orange. All were consistently delicious. There is always a rotating choice of soufflé for dessert or a cheese tray. A sommelier arrives promptly when we sit down and we usually ask them to pair our dinner choices with wine by the glass which has resulted in attentive service.

There has been some reports of inconsistencies but it is not something we have experienced on Riviera.

[shepherd really]

I enjoyed the GDR on Sirena last night in the company of new friends but on a warm weather itinerary we really prefer eating in Terrace Cafe or Waves. I’m still spy enough to dodge and weave through the lines a don’t mind yielding the right of way to the more mobility challenged guests. 
 

Each offers a different experience, sometimes I want to eat and sometimes I want to dine.  I’m happy to have choices.

[PhD-iva]

Thanks for your review. I love the grand dining room and the Terrace Cafe. So hard to choose!

[Robjame]

2 hours ago, shepherd really said:

enjoyed the GDR on Sirena last night in the company of new friends but on a warm weather itinerary

When we left Miami two days ago it was a low of 41 degrees and windy. There was all manner of parkas and toques on the locals. Two days later we are passing Dominican Republic and sitting out on our balcony is comfortable again. It is 27 degrees at home so we weren’t complaining.

[ronrick1943]

Nice review, thanks for taking the time.  In fact are now considering a cruise on “O”.

[jonthomas]

great meeting you Robjame, but didnt see you for the rest of the cruise....

 

yes we had a great time....mainly because of so many friendly people we met....

 

the food was better for me....less sea food in salads...had many more choices....

 

we are not on the Riviera again...she will be in Asia... we will be on the "unrefitted" Marina....

[Robjame]

1 hour ago, jonthomas said:

great meeting you Robjame, but didnt see you for the rest of the cruise....

We had so much fun meeting you at the Meet & Greet, Jon. we wondered how you got along with the different food - not too much fish lol. 
‘We are always amazed how you run into the same people on the ship and never seem to see others. And the time always flies by!

[jonthomas]

I love fish....just not the rest, like shrimp, lobster, etc....

 

we played all the trivia....all the activities...came home with a lot of loot...lol

 

now there is a promo for the 600 Obc...but we are pretty much booked up....have only one future cruise cert that has the old promo for price reduction and 300 OBC...they have now stopped that and only offering 100 OBC...wish I had gotten 2 FCCs....Would add on a leg or two to our existing reservations...

 

the new itins come out in April, will use it towards them....

 

I didnt get to find any recommended TAs as I planned to....no one had anyone to recommend...

 

our next is on Viking in March, using up covid credits....O is our line of choice now...

 

next O is in Sept to Alaska...

[ToxM]

We didn’t actually make it to the GDR for dinner at all during thr Christmas cruise, we enjoyed breakfast there a good few times, I also recommend baristas for breakfast if you need some calm. 

[AMHuntFerry]

@Robjame It seems like the GDR is closed for lunch at most ports, but I recommend trying it out when they are open on a sea day. In addition to the regular lunch menu, they offer a special sampler focusing on a region/cuisine (like Lebanese) which I love since you get to taste a bunch of different items without getting (too) stuffed.

[Jancruz]

13 hours ago, Robjame said:

We have eaten about half our breakfasts and half our dinners in the Main Dining room and it is our favourite venue. It is seldom crowded, the service has been excellent and we are very impressed with the wide selection. Now we are slow eaters and don’t do well in the hustle-bustle of buffets. The secret is knowing that food prep takes about 15 minutes and we time our next course request to suit.

‘Breakfasts always start with a selection from a tray of pastries, juices or fresh cut fruit or berries, muesli or yogurt parfaits. Every imaginable egg choice is offered. Similarly there is a wide variety of toast, muffins, though they do arrive in the English cooked but cold style. Eggs Benedict, corned beef hash, lamb chops, kippers are everyday specialties. We have only had one miss which was quickly corrected when a soft boiled egg was hard cooked.

We always find something special on the dinner menu which has items from the specialty dining rooms, and three of Jacques Pepin selections. There are selections of food from around the world and healthy choices. Last night our dinner included caviar, a cheddar cheese soufflé appetizer and duck à l’ orange. All were consistently delicious. There is always a rotating choice of soufflé for dessert or a cheese tray. A sommelier arrives promptly when we sit down and we usually ask them to pair our dinner choices with wine by the glass which has resulted in attentive service.

There has been some reports of inconsistencies but it is not something we have experienced on Riviera.

What a refreshing review..Thanks for taking the time to write a report lately all that has been on this board is complaining..hard to keep reading the same complaints..over and over

Jancruz1

[Jancruz]

1 hour ago, AMHuntFerry said:

@Robjame It seems like the GDR is closed for lunch at most ports, but I recommend trying it out when they are open on a sea day. In addition to the regular lunch menu, they offer a special sampler focusing on a region/cuisine (like Lebanese) which I love since you get to taste a bunch of different items without getting (too) stuffed.

Taste of the World is my favorite lunch and I always check out the menu of which country is the special that day and decide if I want to go to dining room for lunch..I love the Greek plate

Jancruz1

[shank63]

14 hours ago, Robjame said:

‘Breakfasts always start with a selection from a tray of pastries, juices or fresh cut fruit or berries, muesli or yogurt parfaits. Every imaginable egg choice is offered. Similarly there is a wide variety of toast, muffins, though they do arrive in the English cooked but cold style. Eggs Benedict, corned beef hash, lamb chops, kippers are everyday specialties. 

We enjoy breakfast in the MDR when we are not pressed for time to join an excursion. We have been disappointed only once when we ordered the express breakfast, which was fine except for the scrambled eggs.  Otherwise, much more relaxing and satisfying than the Terrace, JMO.

[pinotlover]

Not for mentioned, but one of the things we love about the GDR is the open seating. The Specialties have reservation times which one must/should stay fairly compliant with. In the GDR, if we’re having drinks with friends that have later reservations, had a large lunch ashore, or just prefer to watch a magnificent sail away in Horizons; we can go to dinner when we please.

 

The outside of the Terrace may not be open or desired because of weather. Additionally, the Terrace is mostly an early crowd. Go there at 7:30 and there may only be 6-10 people scattered around the entire restaurant. ( I realize this is preferable to some). Go to the GDR and you most likely can still share and meet new cruisers.

 

Typically good food, good ambience, a dress code and a pleasant evening. Looking back, we have had fewer misses ( poorly done meals) in the GDR than in the Specialties.

[Robjame]

Tonight we ate at the pizzeria which takes over Waves from 6:30 to 9:00. We started with a fantastic appetizer of burrata, tomatoes on roquette drizzled with balsamic and served with slivers of focaccia. Wow! 
‘We each ordered a pizza but next time we will just share one. This is not your Terrace pizza! This is thin crust with the bubbles of charred dough like the finest Toronto pizza in Little Italy. I had a simple margarita and it was wonderful. Like the new Baristas it is under utilized but perfect for a lighter supper.

Mattsimo(sp) from Baristas serves and adds the flair of his Italian banter.

We really recommend this place!

[Woofa]

We loved the MDR for lunch, was mostly empty our last sea day.  Club sandwich was great.  (they cut the crust off of the bread.). We also had dinner a few times in terrace then went for dessert in the mdr to get the soufle.  And we also had the pizza one night in waves.  Delicious, place was empty.  We did not like terrace as much when they did not have the full grill option.  Two nights in a row they did Caribbean in terrace and you could not get the grill items.  

[ronrick1943]

Thanks again for all the information.  We’re just about to get off Silversea Spriti, not rally likely it and we’ve cruised on Regent for awhile — so we’ve booked a 24 night “O” cruise for the end of the year.

Thanks again for all the input—-I will tell you in my experience “O” has the best suite’s compared to the other lines we’ve cruised.  But that’s just an opinion m not everyone will agree.