Skipping The Dining Experience

[hithere]

We were on Jewel of the Seas in January and we decided to try just using the windjammer.

 

It was a disappointing experience. There were a few really good nights but more poor ones with the same pretty awful food repeated over and over. I think this was more this ship and maybe even this cruise.

 

On the Enchantment we made it a point to visit the windjammer before going to dinner every night... just to see what they had. We made some windjammer main courses into appetizers by getting very small samples. I have to say this time we found the food not only good but very good. It would have been a pleasure to eat there everynight.

[Ocean Boy]

On Celebrity you need to make reservations and are charged $2/person (tip) to do the alternate dinning. Do you need to make reservations for RCL? And, what is appropriate tip for wait staff for this venue?

 

Unlike Celebrity, you do not need a reservation and there is no charge. As far as tipping goes it is up to you. Since we eat there every night and sit in the same area, we usually have the same waiter every night. I usually tip him at the end of the week what I would have tipped the dining room waiter.

[rollie]

Thanks Oceanboy.

 

Rollie

[Philly Steve]

We'll probably have dinner in the DR a couple of times during our upcoming 7-day cruise. Funny, we always make it a point to have lunch at least once in the DR during cruise vacations.

[luckyprincess]

Unlike Celebrity, you do not need a reservation and there is no charge. As far as tipping goes it is up to you. Since we eat there every night and sit in the same area, we usually have the same waiter every night. I usually tip him at the end of the week what I would have tipped the dining room waiter.

I thought you DID need a reservation for Chops and Portofino (Poster was asking about alternative dining, thought thats what this was) and that you were charged $20.

Am I wrong about this?

[Bakincakes]

I thought you DID need a reservation for Chops and Portofino (Poster was asking about alternative dining, thought thats what this was) and that you were charged $20.

Am I wrong about this?

 

 

You are correct. You need a reservation at both and there is a $20 charge. Though I thought I read that they are increasing the charge to dine there.:confused:

[BobBeaSea]

I thought you DID need a reservation for Chops and Portofino (Poster was asking about alternative dining, thought thats what this was) and that you were charged $20.

Am I wrong about this?

 

I believe Ocean Boy was referring to the Windjammer for dinner, there is no charge.

[GeraldOfHouston]

Boy - - - I'm glad I found this thread. On the last two cruises on Voyager class ships, I skipped the dining room and ate in the Windjammer. I sort of felt guilty for doing that, but not any more!! I've met some great people in the dining room, and some not-so-great. My problem with the dining room is that I have always gotten a table which is the last to be waited on and served, and the last to leave the dining room. In the Windjammer, you can eat quickly and do other things, and there are so many other things to do in the evening hours. I suppose there is eating and there is dining. After 26 cruises, I will stick with eating. I meet so many great people at the Meet and Mingle, and in the Concierge lounge. In November, I'm going on the Freedom of the Seas, and will probably stick with the Windjammer.

[sgttami]

On one cruise we NEVER ate in the dining room OR Windjammer..for any meals.

 

We did Chops/Portofino/room service...or ate in port or skipped dinner!!

 

DH would get some fruit/cereal/coffee and bring it back to the cabin in the AM. On cruises we eat breakfast OR lunch...never both so if we were on a sea day, we might skip breakfast, grab a burger and take it back to the pool or cabin in the early afternoon!

 

Our most relaxing trips are those where we don't do the entire dining room thing!

[aqhacruiser]

We live by schedules at home so try to avoid them on vacation. I like the dining room but 6pm is too early and 830 is too late. We always have late seating but it gets old after awhile walking out of dining room after 10pm everynight so now we mix it up. Eat in dining room one night, Windjammer the next, back in dining room, Portifino on a couple of nights, etc. If we do eat in the dining room we are on time and I would not " release " my table as I want to have the choice to eat there when we want to. We really like the Windjammer as we can eat when we choose which is around 7-730, do not feel rushed between courses like in dining room, service is Windjammer is very good as staff is not rushed like in dining room and we enjoy the choice of all the selections also instead of a limited menu in dining room. :) We go the first night and tell our tablemates not to ever wait for us as we enjoy eating in several areas so if we are not there at 830, we wil not be joining them. We definitely eat in the dining room the last night to give our tips and to thank our waitstaff:) I'm not sure how open seating will do on RCCL but for now we do our own version of Freestyle! :D

[Tikibird]

Boy - - - I'm glad I found this thread. On the last two cruises on Voyager class ships, I skipped the dining room and ate in the Windjammer. I sort of felt guilty for doing that, but not any more!! I've met some great people in the dining room, and some not-so-great. My problem with the dining room is that I have always gotten a table which is the last to be waited on and served, and the last to leave the dining room. In the Windjammer, you can eat quickly and do other things, and there are so many other things to do in the evening hours. I suppose there is eating and there is dining. After 26 cruises, I will stick with eating. I meet so many great people at the Meet and Mingle, and in the Concierge lounge. In November, I'm going on the Freedom of the Seas, and will probably stick with the Windjammer.

Gerald, we had that same situation on our P&O cruise last Christmas. The service was soooooo slow, it drove me nuts! We were always one of the last tables to finish and we were always having to skip after dinner coffee and rush to the theatre or we would have had bad seats for the show. And the Pacific Star doesn't offer the buffet at dinner so we had no choice but to use the dining room. The people at the table were nice enough but we didn't have anything in common with them.

 

LOL, put us with the "eaters" not the "diners" unless it is a formal dress up night because I do love fashion and nice clothes!

[Ocean Boy]

Hmmm, double post kind of day I see.

[Ocean Boy]

I thought you DID need a reservation for Chops and Portofino (Poster was asking about alternative dining, thought thats what this was) and that you were charged $20.

Am I wrong about this?

 

I was responding to a question about alternate casual dining in the Windjammer. The question was comparing that venue between Celebrity and RCI. There is neither a charge nor reservation on RCI.

[plane2port]

Eating in the casual dining area on Celebrity is very different than eating in the Windjammer on Royal.

 

We also like the flexibility of not eating in the dining room on some nights. On one of our nights on our eastern Med Galaxy cruise, we decided to eat in the casual dining area one night. You need to make reservations before you do so. They add $2 per person to your shipboard account. The menu is varied but somewhat limited compared to the dining room.

 

We went about 7:30 so that we could make the 9:00 show. We ordered and it took quite some time for the food to arrive. It was very good, however. I had a mixed grill that was delicious and HUGE. We did not finish our meal until about 8:45. We did not have time to order desserts and coffee.

 

Later on in the cruise we spoke to the maitre d' about our experience there. We were not complaining--he had asked us if we had any comments about our dining experience there. We told him that the reason that we wanted to eat there was to save time, but that it actually took longer there. He said that this area was used as a training area for wait staff. Also, all food there is cooked to order so it takes longer than the dining room.

 

Just wanted to let you know that the Celebrity casual dining is not a buffet and can take longer that the dining room.

 

Leigh

[BecciBoo]

Just back from Liberty yesterday.

 

Please! If you do decide to skip the dining room....take the time to go to the maitre d' and tell them or call the dining room from your cabin and tell them you will not be eating there!!!!

 

This caused our fellow pirates on our cruise who were sitting all alone at a 6 top to have to endure no table mates for the entire crusie!. We, who sat at a 4 top with two other pirates very near them, could've moved to their table but we couldn't because no one had any idea if these absent people would return one night. And sure enough they never did. That was a shame. RCCL will assign you a table when you book, so if you're not going to show up, please let them know and it will enable those who want the leisurely dining experience like we do not to have to eat alone.:p

[luckyprincess]

I was responding to a question about alternate casual dining in the Windjammer. The question was comparing that venue between Celebrity and RCI. There is neither a charge nor reservation on RCI.

 

Oh darn! I was hoping maybe you meant Chops and I didn't have to pay extra! Oh well, I hear its worth the money anyway!:D

[Ocean Boy]

Oh darn! I was hoping maybe you meant Chops and I didn't have to pay extra! Oh well, I hear its worth the money anyway!:D

 

Nope! You're going to have to come up with a reservation and $20.00 for that one.:D

[misty57]

The idea of dining somewhere other than the dining room on formal nights sounds like something my DH and I might try on our cruise next year. What type of attire do most people wear to dine in Chops or Portofino? I would like to keep the week somewhat casual for a change... less fuss with the luggage:D

[Merion_Mom]

The idea of dining somewhere other than the dining room on formal nights sounds like something my DH and I might try on our cruise next year. What type of attire do most people wear to dine in Chops or Portofino? I would like to keep the week somewhat casual for a change... less fuss with the luggage:D

 

It is "smart casual" on all nights in Chops and Portofino.

 

What you will see is people dressed "nicely" - dresses, dressy pants and blouses, jackets on men, sometimes with ties, nice polo shirts on men with khaki or nice slacks.

 

On formal night, no formal attire is required, but SOME people still dress up.