Majesty buffet questions

[TGreen1016]

My family will be cruising on 7/25 aboard the Majesty (Boston to Bermuda). This is my family's first cruise (six of us are going), and I was wondering about the buffets and the Cafe Royale. I have read several threads, so I've gotten a look at a couple of menus in the main dining rooms. Although the selections all look great to me and my husband, we do have a couple of non-adventurous people with us and wonder what kinds of foods are available at the buffets and the Cafe Royale and the quality of same. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! :D

[Happy ks]

There is usually something for everyone on the menu, they will even have a kids menu in the dining room. However, I am an avid "non-buffet" person, I will only go there if I have no other choices. You will find the staff to be very accomodating to your kids and any other "picky" eaters. Please don't discount the dining room experience, you're paying for it, so enjoy the service!

[debjo]

FOR TGreen1016...

We went on the MAJESTY just one month ago. There were 10 in our family & friends group (one in a wheelchair). We had decided in advance to spend most of our dinners together in the main dining rooms each evening...that would give us a chance to touch base with each other and reflect on our day's activities. Because of our large group and wheelchair needs, we discussed our dining plans with the maitre di in advance for our meals to be at 5:30 each evening...you could say we "made reservations" although reservations are not necessary for the main dining venues. We found that with our large group, even eating at the earliest possible time (5:30 pm) made it nearly impossible to get to the "early" show in the Palace Theatre on time. Since the meals are served in "courses", the wait staff tended to wait until everyone had finished with the previous course before serving the next one. This made our meal time last about two hours or more each night. We really didn't fret too much about this...dining is supposed to be relaxing. So, if you plan to go to the "early" show, because of your mid-sized group, you should probably plan on having a lengthy (but relaxing) meal in either of the dining rooms.

 

We ate in the Cafe Royal Buffet several times for both breakfast and lunch on those days when we were in port and had shore excursions to report to at scheduled times. The Buffet definitely is a quicker meal, although it was hard to find seating for everyone in our group at a table together. Often times, we had to wait for an available table to open up...especially when you were eating at a popular time. If the inside dining area seems full after you've negotiated the buffet line, you an "overflow" down the stairs to the Royal Observatory for breakfast and lunch. By night, the Royal Observatory turns into the Italian Pasta Cafe (reservations only dining). For those days that we were "at sea", we ate breakfast and lunch in the main dining rooms...even those meals were lengthy because of the "serving" process. We especially enjoyed eating in the Seven Seas Dining Room at the rear of the ship. Getting a table by the window, you are able to see the trail of the wake of the ship and perhaps catch a beautiful sunset in the evening!

 

As far as the food goes...I'm a finicky eater and I have to say, I preferred eating in the dining rooms. I enjoy being "waited" on and the relaxing quieter atmosphere. There was usually a fish entree, a beef entree, a vegetarian entree, and a pasta entree...definitely something for everyone's palate. In addition, there was the choice of the "always available" Grilled Chicken Breast, Steamed Vegetables, and Baked Potato with Condiments. There were some evenings when the "adults" in our party ordered their dinner selections from the Children's Menu. Remember, even though the food is served to you, you don't have to clean your plate! Also, if you like the potato choice from one entree and the meat selection from another entree, you can ask for you selections accordingly...you don't have to "order" it as it is written in the menu. This is particularly important if you have any special dietary needs. The wait staff is happy to accommodate your particular tastes.

 

The Buffet always had an assortment of foods to choose from. There was a seperate "station" for vegetarians and occasionally a seperate one with selections from India.

 

For those who may just want to grab a "quick" bite to eat, the Piazza San Marco on Deck 10, at the rear of the ship, has a mini-buffet style area (outdoor seating only) with hot dogs, pizza, burgers, fries, salads and fresh whole fruit. This is open 24 hours a day, although we found it closed at 3:00 am in the middle of one stormy night due to the inclimate conditions. We had mixed comments about the food from this area. All thought the hot dogs decent. The hamburgers were just tolerable. The pizza was either good or bad depending on if it was just out of the oven or not. All in all, it was good for a quick snack. Another place great for a late night snack was near the casino...a table would be set up with finger deserts and steak-on-a-stick (one night that we found). Don't forget, there is a limited room service menu always available.

 

In conclusion...our preferences were for the dining rooms, but make sure that you budget your time accordingly and allow for a lengthy meal there. HAVE A GREAT TIME ON YOUR VERY FIRST CRUISE!

 

Debjo

[TGreen1016]

Thank you so much for the info. Yours were the menus we were reading in another thread. We are all very excited about our first cruise - just 27 days to go! I learn a lot from just reading your posts, Debjo. Thanks again! :)