Not going to Dining Room for Evening Dinner

[Jamump]

On our next cruise, we have decided not to go to the dining room at all for dinner. This will be our fifteenth cruise, so we know all about the great dining room benefits. However, this is just our personal choice for this one cruise - we have a lovely suite and will either eat at the other restaurants or the Windjammer or call room service.

 

MY QUESTION: Is there someone onboard ship who we should notify about this? I do not want the waiter and assistant to be setting up for us every night. I would like our seats to be available if someone wants to change dining times. Should we notify RCCL before the cruise? Should we notify the Head Waiter or the Purser/Guest Releations desk?

 

Any input or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Beffy1167]

I don't know if you need to notify anyone in advance, but it sure would be nice if you notified the maitre'd when you get aboard. There may be some people desperately wanting your dinner seating time--people who would be eternally grateful to you for freeing it up for them. (Whether or not you ever know who they are! ;) )

[kruz]

We did the same thing last cruise...it was, by the way...a wonderful decision!!! We had a really nice romantic dinner on our balcony one evening ....others in the Windjammer with a guitar player and others in

Chops and Portofinos....

We just went to the dining room and informed whomever was on duty.

I really think this should be listed as an additional choice when booking...

early, late or on your own!

[Jish]

My partner and I have made the same decision for our next cruise, glad to hear it works out well.

[PammyHound]

I am sooo tempted to do the same!! Maybe for our February cruise since it will be our 5th on Carnival. Our cruise next month is our first on RCI and we are looking foward to seeing how their dining rooms operate.

[cruisernh]

I would like to hear from others that have done this and if they are happy with the decision. It sounds like something that I would like to do. For room service can you order the menu items? we will have a GS.

[Jamump]

Thanks for the input. Last cruise I know that between 6 pm and 9 pm Room Service was the same as the dining room menu. I am not sure if it is the same on all ships. On one cruise we had filet mignon, shrimp cocktail, salad and dessert in our cabin on the balcony through room service. It was wonderful.

[springtxbill]

During dining hours you can get anything from the dining menu. It's already there and ready to go.:)

[Mike&Nancy1539128145]

We've never eaten in the dining room the previous 2 cruises. How weird does that make us? I seriously thought about doing it the next time, but that might not happen either. We have also never had dinner on our balcony, but plan on doing that a lot this time. I'm sure we're missing out, but a cruise has never been ruined yet. On Voyager we let the Maitre'D know the first afternoon, but still got a call from the wait staff the third day asking where we have been. I felt bad the message was never relayed, next time I will follow up on this myself. I'd say whatever floats your boat...pun intended.

 

Nancy

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

We did this on the Vision in Alaska, I wanted to be either on our balcony or the Windjammer, I hated being in the DR for dinner with the drapes drawn and could not see the Alaskan scenery!!!

 

***

[ColoBlu]

If you didn't use the dinning room service would you still need to pay the tip?

 

Thank you ahead of time.

[NoVa Mimi]

On our last cruise we only ate in the dinig room the first night. After that we ate in Windjammer, and once in Portifinos. We really enjoyed the change, and will most probably do it again. We did miss out on the lobster however as they didn't have that in Windjammer.

[yarlenna]

On our next cruise, we have decided not to go to the dining room at all for dinner. This will be our fifteenth cruise, so we know all about the great dining room benefits. However, this is just our personal choice for this one cruise - we have a lovely suite and will either eat at the other restaurants or the Windjammer or call room service.

 

MY QUESTION: Is there someone onboard ship who we should notify about this? I do not want the waiter and assistant to be setting up for us every night. I would like our seats to be available if someone wants to change dining times. Should we notify RCCL before the cruise? Should we notify the Head Waiter or the Purser/Guest Releations desk?

 

Any input or suggestions would be appreciated.

Unless you import someone from outside the ship to take your seats, I am afraid that your watier will be setting up for you every night. This is why NCL went to mandated tips. The service IS given - just elsewhere. I would not like to show up for work every day for a week and be made to stay at the ready but not be permitted to earn my salary. You can make your seats available for someone to switch to - by telling the maitre d' while everyone else is trying to make switches (first day.) But, you will always end up with a space reserved for you. "They also serve who only stand and wait."

[yarlenna]

If you didn't use the dinning room service would you still need to pay the tip?

 

Thank you ahead of time.

If you must show up at work every day in an uncomfortable uniform and are not allowed to leave until the end of the shift, must you be paid? The waiter is the cruise ship passenger's employee. If we don't compensate them for their time, nobody will. I guess it is up to you, but my mommy always taught me to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

[aqusis]

Yes you should tip. Most tips are pooled and the folks in the Windjammer who served you will get their share. Most of the WJ folks, are doing double duty and you'll also see them in the dining room.

[springtxbill]

You need to still tip as the waiters and asst waiters take shifts in the Windjammer and other food areas when not in the dining room.

[desertheat]

On our last crusie which was a back to back we had dinner in the dining room for the first cruise. Then for the second cruise we only ate in the dining room the first night then chose to dine elsewhere, Windjammer mostly but also Chops and the Seaview Cafe. Some nights, like when they had the Grand Buffet, we didn't even have dinner just waited to have a snack at the buffet. After touring all day, especially in Europe, its nice to come back to the ship and not have to get all dressed up just to sit through a two hour meal.

 

Yes, tell the maitre'd ... even though the message doesn't always get through to the waiter! When we dined in the Windjammer we tried to get the same waiter and at the end of the cruise we tipped him also. We were lucky as our waiter in the Windjammer happened to be our waiter from the first cruise. It was his turn to work the Windjammer for 12 days.

[Candleonwater]

My daughter and I did this recently. We ate in the dining room the first two nights, and didn't return. We were at a table for 2 and, for us, the dinner was still WAY too long and drawn out. We really enjoyed going to WJ for dinner, and next cruise, when we have a balcony, it will be fun to try a dinner out there.

[ColoBlu]

If you must show up at work every day in an uncomfortable uniform and are not allowed to leave until the end of the shift, must you be paid? The waiter is the cruise ship passenger's employee. If we don't compensate them for their time, nobody will. I guess it is up to you, but my mommy always taught me to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

 

 

I alway tip for my service. I have friends who do not tip and it makes me made as ___! My DH and I will tip for our friends service. My DH will walk up and give the server money. I was just wondering because of our last cruise dinner was a 2 hour ordeal and I would love to skip the dinner and it eat else where. Yes, I would tip for my service where ever I eat. I just know alot of people who do not tip because they don't use the service. I for one wouldn't want to be one of these people.

 

Have a nice day

[Criscomia]

I definately would notify the Head Waiter or maitre'd when you board the ship. Someone might be interested in sitting where you have been assigned.

We did that our last cruise also (dining on balcony or in the other restaurant). We loved it. We even dressed up each evening for dinner whether on the balcony or in the other restaurant. We were able to go and eat when we wanted and for how long we wanted. We enjoyed sitting out on the balcony mostly watching the waves go by and seeing the stars.

Have fun and enjoy.

[Criscomia]

To add one more thing about tipping. Since we did not eat in the dining room, we tipped our waiter or the person delivering our food to the room each time we were served.

[FunCruiser56]

Since we are talking about tipping, if we eat in the WJ for a evening do we tip the waiter there? I am not taking away from the dining room waitstaff, just want to know if I should tip in addition if eating in the WJ.

Thanks

Bev

[Brandylee]

This is a great post. Normally when anyone even hints at not going to the dining room they are inundated with replies from people saying they really should go to the dining room because it is an experience not to be denied; it is so elegant; you should go buy a nice dress, get hubby to dress up and just go . . . blah, blah, blah. I always think my Mom must have bought a computer and somehow found this site!

 

We enjoy eating in the Windjammer, Portofinos, Chops and on our balcony much more so than in the dining room.

 

We don't find waiting outside in the hallway for the dining room door to open, and then being herded in to our table with masses of other people very elegant. Two cruises ago we did not go to the dining room at all and on our last cruise (11 day cruise in May) we decided to give it another try. We told our waiter and our tablemates that we would only be in the dining room on casual nights. On the days we did go to the dining room our waiter made us feel guilty about the days we had not been there. I'm sure it had something to do with him worrying that he would not get his tips. We had pre-tipped when we got on board, but we couldn't tell him that! That for one made it uncomfortable, and the only reason we kept going was because we really enjoyed our tablemates, and had promised them we would. But our table was in the middle of the room, the food wasn't all that great, and we were rushed after dinner.

 

Now, Portofinos and Chops ARE elegant, and even in the Windjammer you can go when you want, sit by the window, order a glass of wine, eat exactly what you choose and then linger over coffee for as long as you want. And the atmosphere in the evenings is very nice, comfortable and quiet (not like at lunch time - although we like it then too).

 

Cruising should be fun. We have to dress up enough at home and we like our holidays to be casual. So have fun and don't feel you have to go to the dining room if you don't want to, but I do feel you should tip because as the above posters have said, the tips are (supposedly) pooled so everyone gets taken care of. At times we also tip in the Windjammer, and for sure we tip for room service.

 

Brandy

[jwlane]

If you didn't use the dinning room service would you still need to pay the tip?

 

Thank you ahead of time.

 

 

Waiters and assistants don't just work in the didning room.

[jwlane]

Since we are talking about tipping, if we eat in the WJ for a evening do we tip the waiter there? I am not taking away from the dining room waitstaff, just want to know if I should tip in addition if eating in the WJ.

Thanks

Bev

 

 

No, the tips come from the tip pool.