Just back (Freedom): opinion on $14.95 steak and MTD...

[Boo Boo]

Ok, just back from the Freedom (almost finished the washing, still recovering from the jetlag and a nasty cold that I picked up on the cruise... :( ).

 

The following are just opinions, but I thought that i would share.

 

Tried the $14.95 steak - it was nice, but not amazing. I didn't try the normal dining room steak, so can't do a direct comparison. The "$14.95 steak" was heavily seasoned (lots of pepper - but I like it that way) and a nice piece of meat. It was a bit thinner than I would buy to cook at home (wasn't very thin, but I like thicker steaks) and came out over cooked (I asked for Medium, but got "verging on well done"). I enjoyed it, but it wasn't an amazing steak. Husband tried a bit of mine (second to last night) and liked it. He said that he would order it the next night (our last night), but I talked him into going to Chops again instead - which we did (at $25 per person for the whole Chops experience, it is better value). Good to hear that they are thinking of trialling a Fillet instead - that might be a better seller in the Dining Room.

 

Did MTD (My Time Dining) and wasn't bowled over with it... I prefer Traditional Dining, BUT it depends what you want from a meal. I don't think that our Freedom cruise was at full capacity (the cabins were sold out, but I think that a lot of cabins only had two people in).

 

PROS:

- We ate early every night (between 6.15 & 6.30pm) - we NEVER had a wait for a table: were always seated straight away.

- We never had any problem getting a table for 2.

- If you want a "quick dinner, then out", this is for you: you could EASILY eat a four course dinner in 45 minutes, possibly less.

- It didn't matter if you took a bit of extra time getting ready: we didn't reserve tables - we just turned up.

- We still had good service.

- I may be odd, but I really like the fact that you have to pre-pay tips: I think it is a lot fairer on the servers and I really don't think that service suffers as a result.

 

CONS:

- Although we always got a table for 2, the tables are often VERY closely spaced. So you may be at a table for 2, but you end up being part of a virtual "table for 6". It is quite nice and friendly, but if you are tired or have a stinking cold (which i did at the end of the cruise), then you might not feel like you want to be on a table for 6 (hence why you wanted a table for 2 in the first place)...

- If you want a leisurely. laid back dinner, then this can feel rushed. Traditional dining the servers know that they have 2+ hours befor ethe next seating, in MTD they don't really know how many people they have when: so they want to free up the table fairly quickly.

- Depending on when you time your dinner (and because dinner can be so quick), you will probably miss any dining parades/speeches etc. Ok, maybe I am sad, but I still love these: they are just a part of cruising and I think that RCCL does them pretty well.

- Although the service was still good, it just didn't feel as good as previous cruises: not because the servers were any less good, just because I don't think that you get the same "buy in" from them as on traditional dining. On traditional dining they know that you are theirs for the week, on MTD they don't know if you are coming back from one night to the next... I did make a point of sitting in the same waiter's area each night we ate in the main dining room (we ate at Portifino once and Chops twice), but it wasn't quite up to the traditional dining service for me. This isn't really a surprise since I found the same on Princess Anytime Dining a few years ago...

 

Hope that helps anyone trying to choose between MTD and traditional dining. These are obviously just my personal opinions. I can honestly see MTD suiting some people - it has a lot going for it - it just isn't for me: back to Traditional Dining for us next time.

 

Boo

[PattyG12]

You've answered many of my questions/concerns about MTD. I think I'll stick to traditional dining for our Freedom cruise next year.

[temple1]

Thanks, Boo Boo. I think you covered my concerns about My Time Dining. Glad you had a great cruise, but sorry to hear about your cold. Drink lots of fluids.

[Boo Boo]

Glad to be of help.

 

Great cruise :)

 

Think that my stinky cold may have been made worse by over-doing (way too many times) on the Flowrider :D (you can tell I am not sorry, can't you ;) )

[temple1]

It is amazing how much more you can do with a stinkin cold when you are away from home and having a good time. :D

[Boo Boo]

It is amazing how much more you can do with a stinkin cold when you are away from home and having a good time. :D

 

Oh definitely! :D

 

BUT, my tip of the day is not to mix those fabulous "DayQuil" (that you can get in the US) with alcohol... Fortunately I only did this on the MIA-Houston flight (we were flying MIA-Houston-London) - AND I only had about 5 sips of wine - BUT I passed out for the rest of the flight and took a couple of hours to wake up afterwards... :o

 

Boo

[Toddcan]

Thanks for your thoughts. I see it in a different way than some of the other posters: your post has caused me to think that I might just want to try the MTD.

[temple1]

Oh definitely! :D

 

BUT, my tip of the day is not to mix those fabulous "DayQuil" (that you can get in the US) with alcohol... Fortunately I only did this on the MIA-Houston flight (we were flying MIA-Houston-London) - AND I only had about 5 sips of wine - BUT I passed out for the rest of the flight and took a couple of hours to wake up afterwards... :o

 

Boo

 

LOL - Sounds like my experience mixing Dramamine with alcohol. :D

[Tranquil Waters]

Great post, Boo.

 

So refreshing to just have an honest, straight forward evaluation of a cruising experience. So often we get "cheerleaders" on either side of the fence ;) that describe everything in over-the-top terms. Everything was PERFECT. Or everything was AWFUL. And since I have a hard time believing any vacation is totally perfect or totally awful, I don't find those reviews very helpful. You described your experiences to us - what you found good and what you found to be not so good. And then you gave us the reasons why you thought as you did. Good job!!!!!! :)

[Boo Boo]

Thanks for your thoughts. I see it in a different way than some of the other posters: your post has caused me to think that I might just want to try the MTD.

 

Good - I was hoping that my review would put both the positives and the negatives :). I definitely think that MTD WILL suit some people - it does have a lot going for it, it just depends what you want from your dining experience...

 

Forgot to add, another positive, is that it is easier to get a "prime" seat on MTD. Say you want "a table for 2 by the window/balcony edge", then you could ask for that and will probably get it (if you go at one of the less busy dining times). Certainly getting a table for 2 by the window, in our waiter's section, wasn't a problem at 6.15/6.30pm... On Traditional Dining I have always taken getting a table for 2 ANYWHERE as fantastic - if it wasn't in the best location, then that was the price I was willing to pay...

 

Have a fantastic cruise, whatever you choose :)

 

Boo

[Boo Boo]

LOL - Sounds like my experience mixing Dramamine with alcohol. :D

 

Ooohhh, that sounds good too! :D

 

Actually, I know a lot of people would consider being knocked unconscious as a great way to fly ;). I just wished that I was in bed when the affects took hold :o

 

Thanks Tranquil Waters, that is what I was aiming for :)

 

Boo

[Love2cruise58]

Thanks for the review. I too had been wondering about MTD but DH and I really enjoy the whole MDR experience... getting to know your waiter and table mates, etc. After reading your review I think we will stick with MDR unless something drastic happens...

Good luck with your cold, I always worry about getting sick when on a cruise ship cuz I hate to miss all the action by not feeling well.

I was thinking about asking my doctor for a Z-Pack to take along just in case....