Specialty Restaurants question

[anniversarygirl]

Hi I'm a soon to be Mariner cruiser with a couple more questions. Are all the restaurants free but require reservations? Do these restaurants adhere to the dress code ie formal night, casual night or can you dress however you want any day? Thanks!

[Merion_Mom]

Hi I'm a soon to be Mariner cruiser with a couple more questions. Are all the restaurants free but require reservations? Do these restaurants adhere to the dress code ie formal night, casual night or can you dress however you want any day? Thanks!

 

There is an upcharge. Currently it is $20pp at Portofino and $25pp at Chops. Dress is always smart casual, regardless of the main dining room's dress code that night.

[jimpop]

Hi I'm a soon to be Mariner cruiser with a couple more questions. Are all the restaurants free but require reservations? Do these restaurants adhere to the dress code ie formal night, casual night or can you dress however you want any day? Thanks!

There will also be a Johnny Rockets on board...$3.95 upgrade per person...there will be other areas on the promenade to eat and they are free...except for drinks. (except tea, lemonade or water) The windjammer buffet is also free and it is more casual...shorts, shirts and shoes....they will ask you to cover up if you try to go in with only your swimsuit...even if you are wearing shorts and your bikini top...seen it happen numerous times...Hope this helps...Jimmy

[anniversarygirl]

Thanks Merion and Jimmy,

 

Reading these boards makes you get a glimpse into what the cruise entails but

its still so fuzzy in my head.

 

One more question, why do people choose to eat at these restaurants versus the dining room? Is the dining room used only for dinner? Where do you eat for lunch?

 

Thanks again.

[silentbob007]

The pay restaurants are for people who want to have a special dinner, wish to upgrade the quality of their food, like the extra dining expereince, etc. It is just something different that is offered at a price for those who use the service.

 

Dining room is open for breakfast and dinner every day, and for lunch on sea days. Otherwise, there is the buffet and other food venues throughout the ship, as well as room service.

[Merion_Mom]

Thanks Merion and Jimmy,

 

Reading these boards makes you get a glimpse into what the cruise entails but

its still so fuzzy in my head.

 

One more question, why do people choose to eat at these restaurants versus the dining room? Is the dining room used only for dinner? Where do you eat for lunch?

 

Thanks again.

 

Ah, so this is your first cruise?

 

Lucky girl - your life will never be the same again. ;)

 

As silentbob says, try Room Service. It's included in the price of your cruise. (just tip a couple of dollars) You can get breakfast in the morning, snacks, sandwiches, salads, drinks, wine, all day long - you can even get a full dinner delivered during dinner hours!

 

There is also the Café Promenade, which is almost 24 hours. (they close briefly around dawn for some cleaning;) ) You can get neat sandwiches, pizza, cake, cookies, fresh fruit, ordinary coffee, tea, hot chocolate.

 

Ben and Jerry's. (extra charge)

 

Johnny Rockets. (as jim said, $3.95 cover charge for all you can eat; drinks extra) - a 50's style diner, complete with jukeboxes and dancing waiters.

 

Windjammer Buffet. Open pretty much all day, with closures of about half an hour in between meals. There is a help-yourself soft-serve ice cream (it's really frozen yogurt) machine.

 

Main dining room on THREE DECKS. It's gorgeous - it will take your breath away.

 

Chops steak house. YUM. $25 a person, which includes gratuity, but many people leave additional because the service is so outstanding.

 

Portofino - northern Italian/continental - $20 a person. same as for Chops.

[beachchick]

Thanks Merion and Jimmy,

 

Reading these boards makes you get a glimpse into what the cruise entails but

its still so fuzzy in my head.

 

One more question, why do people choose to eat at these restaurants versus the dining room? Is the dining room used only for dinner? Where do you eat for lunch?

 

Thanks again.

 

Chops and Portofino are usually only open for dinner. They're small-scale "supper club" type restaurants. A quieter, more intimate atmosphere; usually the minimum age for children is 13 (although many ships allow reservations with younger children if they are for very early in the evening). The menu is smaller and doesn't change throughout the cruise. Rather than being mass-produced (not that the dining room food is bad; it's usually quite good), many of the dishes in the specialty restaurants are prepared individually.

 

Some people go to the dining room for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For breakfast and lunch, there are set hours and open seating (that is you will not have an assigned table and table mates); for dinner, you will have a set dining time (usually called "main" or "late") with an assigned dining table and assigned table mates. Some people love the large tables where they can be assigned seating with many new people; others prefer smaller tables where they can dine with only their family/traveling companions. (We're of the latter persuasion and enjoy meeting people in other venues throughout the ship.)

 

Some people go to the buffet for all meals. The hours are usually long, so you have quite a range of times to choose from. There's breakfast, lunch, mid-afternoon "snacks" (on some ships), and dinner. (If you get the feeling that you can pretty much eat your way through the cruise, you're right. We don't focus so much on that, so I'm sure I'll miss some of the options.)

 

There's the Promenade Cafe (no extra charge), which has sandwiches, pastries, pizza, and other goodies (try the cookies and the croissant sandwiches!) almost 24-7. There's also the option of JR's, as mentioned for the "diner" meal of burgers, fries, etc. at $3.95 per person (plus the cost of shakes or sodas, if you order them). JR's is open many hours throughout the day. (IMO, it's a heavy meal, but it's fun to do for lunch one day and then have a lighter supper; it can get very loud and the serving staff sing and dance at times, which we don't like, but many people do.) There's also room service, which has no additional charge, but most people do tip the delivery staff a few $ for small orders and a bit more for large ones.

 

Hm...They used to have little munchies brought around on trays at the various lounges late in the evening, but I really don't remember what or where. They used to have a late-night deck/pool party, which had really good food. They also used to have one midnight dessert buffet; it was lovely, but I can't vouch for the taste because it was mobbed and we just got a few chocolate-covered strawberries and called it a night. It's been a while since we were on Mariner, so things have probably changed.

 

Attire in the dining room will be casual (which is "resort casual" of long pants and collared shirts for men and pants/slacks/capris/skirt and top or casual dresses for women) most evenings and formal (which can be tux or dark suit for men and long gown or cocktail dress for women) two evenings. They may still have one "smart casual" night in the dining rooms, which is (as mentioned) also appropriate for the specialty restaurants every night. This is kind of "dressed up" casual. A sport jacket, tie, and slacks for the men and a nice (but not formal) outfit for women. For smart casual, my DH has taken to wearing one of his dark (navy, black, grey) high-end, v-neck cashmere sweaters (not cardigan) with a dress shirt and tie instead of a jacket. He looks very nice, IMO, and fits right in with the rest of the gentlemen. I usually wear a dress or slacks that I would wear to a nice restaurant.

 

If you want to dress really casually (that is shorts, t-shirts, etc.) for dinner, your choices are the Windjammer (which gets kind of "fancied" up for dinner with tablecloths as so forth and has most, but not all of the dining room items available), JR's, the Promenade Cafe (not really a full meal, but there is food), or room service. Some people do not feel a need to respect the dress suggestions and do go to the dining room or specialty restaurants in shorts or other super casual attire. Sometimes they are refused entry; other times, they are allowed to dine anyway. The suggestions are just that and not requirements. However, we feel that it is respectful to both the cruise line and our fellow pax to wear the type of attire that is suggested. When we don't want to dress formally on a cruise, we simply dine at a specialty restaurant, the buffet, or use room service on formal nights. With luggage allowances being decreased, more people are going for the more casual options, rather than lugging the formal duds and all the accessories. There are rental options for those who want to go formal, but don't want to schlep it onboard.

 

The bottom line is that there are many options for both food and attire.:D

 

beachchick