21 Tips for the Best Cruise Ship Main Dining Room Experience
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 พ.ค. 2023
- From browsing menus in advance to notifying Royal Caribbean of dietary restrictions, here are 21 tips for the best cruise ship Main Dining Room experience.
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I almost hate to share this secret, because it may get overused and perhaps stopped.
On one cruise, we got into a conversation with our main server about popular native dishes from their country. This is what they are all eating behind the scenes we found out. Russians, Filipinos, Indians, etc. The ship prepares all of their favorite, common comfort food for THEM.
So we asked if we could try the dish he mentioned. He was proud to bring us some. "Some" he brought us a ton of his favorite native food. So each night, we asked the different servers if they would bring us some of their food to sample, and each one was very happy to do so, and it seemed the ship had given them the green light on this request in advance, if asked. So every night, we had a guest entree from the menu, as well as a dish or 2 of a more "exotic" foreign dish. They were all delicious and just made dinner just so much more memorable. We started skipping the bread and salads because we knew we'd have a big dinner.
We got to try some dishes that very possibly we may have never had in our entire lives. Every dish was something we never had. Not your stereotypical American version food from those countries, but rather their "go to" dishes they'd eat at home often.
On Explorer of the Seas circa Nov 2018 and made a joke to the Indonesian waitress that we'd "had a Mexican night and an Italian night, and wondered which night the Indonesian night was". The joke went straight over her head, she took off and the head waiter showed up a minute ot two later later and told us he would organise it for the following night. Sure enough the next night came and it was easily the BEST meal we ate on the whole sailing.
I miss formal night where everyone dressed up! It was always enjoyable and everyone looked great!
yes, a great time to step away from things , get dressed up and perhaps for some, celebrate a special occasion! We have become a relaxed
We usually cruise with family members and use traditional meal time. We do our own thing during the day but eat dinner as a family. We tell our teenage sons that they don't have to be "attached" to our hips all day but dining time is 5:30 so be at our table dressed appropriately at that time. Works for us!
5:30....are the kids 4?
@@paulgerrard9227Lol. Yeah, 5:30 seems a wee bit early for dinner.
Last year on Liberty, we were seated at an adjacent table to someone whose topics of conversation were very controversial and the complete opposite of our views. We talked to the dining room supervisor about moving our table, and they were on it. We were moved to the opposite side, table for two next to a window, and no one talking about the extermination of our fellow human beings.
That’s wonderful. Glad RC respects peoples political views and views on sensitive topics. Definitely going to enjoy mine soon.
You mean like the extermination of babies while still in the mothers womb? If so, then I absolutely agree with you and wouldn't want to hear that either
@yuryev1ch940
Are you saying it's OK to exterminate humans once they are outside the womb? Are you taking all these unwanted babies? Are you taking these expected mothers into you home and helping them through their pregnancies?
@@itsjustacomment454 like your name says, it’s just a comment. Don’t get so worked up over someone else’s political view please
Gotta stay in that echo chamber God forbid someone has an opposing view.
Just spent 2 weeks on Oasis. Ate all but 3 of my dinners in the MDR. One: due to excursion, two: show moved to 5pm and the third was last day. Enjoyed every meal. Got to try some items I would not normally choose but because they were featured that day, I tried it and enjoyed it. The food was delicious, warm to hot, and I was out of the MDR within 60 minutes most nights, and once, in 33 minutes. Be mindful that the larger the table, the longer it takes. During my 2nd week, I was able to sit by myself (solo cruiser this time). I did enjoy having the same servers of the set-time dining routine and they made an effort to know what I like: they always brought me a diet coke soon after I sat down. Was very disappointed to hear of Ben and David's experience on Symphony. All I can say is that my experience on Oasis last week and the previous one, was (the complete opposite) amazing.
Last year we did the My Time Dining, and we ended up having the same table and wait staff every night that we used the dining room. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised by this!
We sailed this month on Grandeur and had the same table each night - possibly because we booked the same time every night?
I signed up for this!
It’s something about Matt that always get me hyped to cruise! I haven’t been on a cruise or travel with my husband for a getaway since 2019 that is about to change very soon
I am not disagreeing with you Matt but in regards to formal nights on a cruise I do miss the old days when formal meant tuxedos or dark suits and gowns for women.
Right yes people should dress the part...maybe if they did a best dress contest etc it would entice more people to dress up look good and take pictures
We do the my time dining each night, but we request the same servers. We have never had to wait more than 5 to 15 minutes. We just got back from a five day on the Navigator and Vipin and Simon were absolutely fabulous. They anticipated our every need and were the best waiters we have ever had.
I really like the main dining! I love that the portions sizes are smaller. I always eat too much on a cruise.
Just returned from my first RC cruise. Adventure of the Seas. I was only on cruise prior to this. Video is spot on. We did the buffet often, but the main dining room is fantastic. We made reservations and had no trouble getting in and seated. Waiter and Assistant Waiter were great. Food is excellent and you can order what you want from the complimentary list. We ordered two shrimp cocktails and two onion soups each time.
GREAT tips!! Also, with My Time, we've been able (with reservations) to request the same table/waiters. The Head Waiter for that area of the MDR came by on the first night and asked if we would like to keep the same table and waiters. It worked for us!
Love this, thank you!! So excited for my two cruises booked!
We cruised with our little ones on Carnival and the food was much better than than the specialty dining or lido deck. Our kids actually enjoyed dressing up both nights having the same staff treat them like royalty just made it worth the dining experience. My daughter was able to order the steak from the main menu with a side of fries instead of the kids menu.
The way you did the drinks lol, I don’t know what’s included and not included cos you said it all in one sentence 😂
Just it playback a few times lol
I love all the tips...it helps to know all the changes since my last cruise 16 years ago
Great video as always!! Love the segment at the 13:13 mark! That's one rowdy Chef's Table!
These are great tips. We have tried the specialty ones, but are now back to just the MDR for dinner as well as some breakfasts and lunches. We love the MDR because of the wait staff--we have made friends who we have run into on another ship in the future AND they remembered us. As you might guess we got outstanding service. We love learning about their homes and you are totally correct as to them learning our favorites. I almost always order more than one item; although usually not the entree.
I have been viewing these videos recently as our countdown has begun for our next one in July and I want to make sure I haven't forgotten anything or nothing has changed i do not know. Thank you!
GOOD TIPS, THE LAST ONE IS BANG ON!!!
Good video, thank you❤
Fooooooood🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 Thank you!
Wait a minute, at 13:14, is that The Weekend Cruiser in the green shirt? It really looks like him.
Yep!
Great idea re: the dining restrictions. I just put information about my bariatric/gastric surgery to the 'special needs' folks, and I'll also mention this to my server and the MDR supervisor.
I've been looking at the food options for the MDR and I'm excited to try it especially new foods. Our cruise isn't until next year and I know the meal options can change in a year but at least I can get an idea of what to expect.
My wife and I loved our recent cruise (Serenade of The Seas) out of Tampa. This video brings back some wonderful experiences!
Awesome!
On two cruises I had used the dining room. The first one I used 6 out of 7 nights. The second one I used it the first 3 nights then the buffet for 3 nights and solarium bistro the last night.
I love the main dining room! Would choose the MDR over Windjammer any day.
Thanks Matt!
Good to know portions are small and we can order more than one Entree. We have My Time Dining on day 1, wanted to assess our experience. If Great we’ll Dine on Casual days for more intimate experience!
I must say… your Video has really been helpful for me ( we are first time Cruisers) this is my Birthday trip.
I must say, I feel that my experience will be smooth transition.
See Some of you on Saturday on the Harmony ❤️🚢❤️
1:04 iced tea is included for free as well 🙌. However, I always get the soda 🥤 beverage package when I go on cruises and I always make good use of it.
Hey Matt, been subscribed for awhile now & although I haven’t done a RCL Cruise yet.. I do enjoy the cruise tips 👍 I’ve used the MDR breakfast tip on other cruise lines as well! Love the ease & less stress than the buffet ❤
First-time cruiser here. That tip is a Keeper!👍
Breakfast is the unsung hero of the MDR. I think it goes overlooked, but it might be one of the best meals on the ship.
Oh my, that french onion soup looks divine!
It was one of the classic options on the old menu. I ate it every night of our cruise on Mariner in January! It was amazing!
It used to be available every night. Not anymore.
Just got off Serenade with a group of 12. I'm an extremely picky eater and all 12 of us have different tastes. Not one of us was disappointed in the MDR at all! Service and food were great as usual. The only hiccup was due to a very rude couple that stole one of our assigned tables for 6 and refused to be moved! They even yelled at my family members that arrived first. The staff did all they could but had to split us up that first night to avoid a bigger scene and ruin everyone's night in the vicinity. To apologize, they gave us all free champagne the next night and it wasn't even their fault. That's the kind of service that keeps people coming back!
Enjoy trying new dishes in the MDR.
Hi Matt, I am a woman (64) from Europe, with a severe chronic illness (muscle- connective tissue- and bone disease) and other diseases. I have a son (now 29) who also has the same muscle- and connective tissue disease and other diseases as well. So w would like a calmer ship with no little kids!! I love kids but with our problems we can not deal with the noise they make anymore, certainly not in the restaurants. And would love to have a 'promenade' with shops and so on the ship to.
I would love to take a cruise someday for a longer period of time, with my son, but we can't stay in one room together 24/7.
Reasons: we often cannot sleep at night because of the excruciating pain, but sometimes I need to be able to rest while he works (he has to take his laptop with him on a cruise because he is a self-employed author!!) and vice versa, for example: if I want to watch TV and he wants to rest. So a separate sleeping area would be ideal!! A twin bed, preferably in a separate room.
I would really like a balcony (preferably shady, because I can't stand the sun! And the son has a sun-allergie!) so that he can work outside or I can read outside. And then enjoy seeing and hear the soothing waves!!!
So an outside cabin with a balcony and separate sleeping area.
On top of that, there are other problems too!!
1) Neither of us can stand for long, so queuing is hell for us! Like with the boarding!! And we can't move far either (if the room is far from the elevator, for example, that would be problematic!!). Is there a solution to such problems?
2) None of us have internet on our mobile phone/smartphone (not advisable for medical reasons (drowsiness!!))!! What to do about those apps that you should use for all kinds of things???
3) Would love to have room service too, because sometimes we are in so much pain that we could barely move to go out to eat! But that would probably cost too much money.
I am a (complete) vegetarian and my son also likes it, although he does like minced meat, haha. We love to have a wide choise in restaurants (buffet, Italian, as long as they have vegetarian food on their menu!!).
4) Neither of us has a driver's license, so we should be able to stay in a hotel really close to the port where the ship is docked, a very short distance away (because we can't walk far!!!). Or is there a solution for that too???
And then, some questions:
- until what time can one eat something or order something via room service?
- May people take a swim in the pool in the evenings or at night times (because in day time I can not stand the sun on my skin!! Turn into a dalmatian, so to speak.), So I like to swim when it's dark and a bit colder, even more than like cold ICE-water, btw; LOL!!
BUT:
Why do you want to take a cruise, you might ask?
I love the sea: that smell, that air, that beauty, that power!!!
Have been dreaming of taking a cruise for so long.....
O yeah, my son and I do NOT smoke nor drink alcohol!!! We need to take lots of medication and that together with alcohol is a big NO GO!! And smoking with asthma would be very dumb, do you not agree ;-)
So I hope it will come true one day 🤞🏻🤞🏻 XXXXXXXXXX Pinkie, warm greetings
You know something, my last two week cruise was in January and I got the unlimited specialty dining package. Me and my fiance never steeped in the MDR once. The food was so out of the is world at the specialty restaurants. We even made friends with a waiter at Jaime's on Anthem of the Seas.
We sailed on Odyssey earlier this year and we thought the food was really good. We had quick service too. My time dining.
Ben and David just posted a video about the new menus and their horrible experience with extremely long waits and cold food.
I saw that vid. Sooo much depends on the ship you’re on 😮I think that was a first for them on a Royal ship.
@@justwatching190 They've been on many RC cruises. Maybe this was more of a ship issue on that cruise. They've done other reviews of Royal ships and dining, but this last one was brutal. Note, they cruise pretty much for a living. For my family, we cruise occasionally, and have found the food very good, if not excellent up to now. (Just the fact we don't have to cook or wash dishes and can pick different dishes...!) Don't like dinner at the Windjammer. Breakfast and lunch are great, though. As for Ben and David, they are rather picky. Following the B&D reviews, we will make sure to tell our waiters we like our food hot! 😊 Also, I grew up on Cuban and "Caribbean" food, so we're going to skip that night. I KNOW I can cook it better, and don't want to be disappointed. 🤷♀️ Maybe Johnny Rocket's that night to break up the monotony! 🙂
I agree Moonbeam! I’m there just get waited on!🤗
@@justwatching190 they have sailed on 20 RC cruises
We had a very similar experience to Ben & David on our last 2 RC cruises (since the new menus this Feb) after always having great MDR experiences before (12 previous RC cruises). Our food was much less impressive than ever before (smaller portions and lower quality cuts of meat), many unappealing options. I've always had 2 entrees served at the same time on the same plate as I only eat the meat, I don't eat any bread, appetizers, sauces or side dishes. "I'm sorry Madam, this is not permitted". I had to finish one serving before they would bring me another! I've always had a small dish of melted butter as my sauce: "I'm sorry Madam, this is not permitted". I've always had just cheese for dessert; "I'm sorry Madam, this is not permitted". The wait staff was very apologetic, but they cannot do anything to accommodate their guests now if it's not how it's offered on those dang new menus!
Also 3 terrible lunch/breakfast experiences in MDR, which have always been enjoyed in the past. No cream for coffee, no butter for toast. Cold food, items forgotten and wait staff that never returned to the table to check on these things. Walked out and went to buffet to eat.
Just came off the Independence of the Seas three day cruise. Found the new menus lackluster at best. The New York steak was super thin, maybe being 1/2 inch thick. Some of the meats we received were overcooked and dry. We had similar feelings about the buffet. The only thing that was consistently good was the grilled fish. This is not the pre-Covid RCL I remember.
I cannot imagine ordering more than one of a course. Those portions already look more than sufficient. They all look very yummy though, Thanks for the tips.
Personally, I usually get two appetizers because there’s usually more than one item on the menu that I want to try. (But I definitely stick to only one entree and one dessert tho.)
All your tips are wonderful. I travel solo would very much like to hear one tip per vlog geared for solo travelers. Like, would a solo traveler be seated at a single table or with a grroup.
This question goes out to all those who had a poor experience with the MDR food: did any of you choose to eat at the specialty restaurants after having such a bad experience in the MDR? And if you did, how was that food? Just curious, because my experience with the MDR was nothing but excellent, but that was last year (Symphony of the Seas). My experience with the specialty restaurants was even better than MDR.
My husband and I just returned from Wonder of the Seas and for the first time in 15 Royal Caribbean cruises, we experienced horrible food. We couldn't find anything on the MDR menu that appealed to us, the food taste was awful and many times the food was cold. My husband got food poison on the fourth night. We did talk to the head waiter who tried to put the blame on the hard working waiters who noticed the plates each night had most of the meal remaining on them. We hate to complain about food especially when there are people who don't have food at all to eat and we are not hard to please but the food quality has really gone down lately on royal Caribbean. We actually walked out of the MDR two nights because the food was awful. We aren't the type of people who typically would do something like that. The best thing I ate all cruise was the roast beef sandwich in Park Cafe and Sorrento's Pizza.
Wow. That's disappointing to hear. I haven't cruised since before the pandemic, but will be going on Ovation next week.
Wow so awful to hear, going on Harmony in about 2 weeks, hoping for a good experience
Did you do late dinning? 5:30pm or 8:30pm? What time did you eat?
We had 5:00 early traditional dining.
@allanc5743 hey we will be on Ovation of the seas for the Alaska cruise from May 11th to May 19th!
Is that Brandon The Weekend Cruiser in green shirt at 13:14?!
We always choose My Time Dining and have found that we always get the same table with the same wait staff. No need to book early or late seating in order to get the same experience.
True, but that isn’t always the case. The only way to *guarantee* that same-table and same-waiter experience is by selecting early dining or late dining.
I wonder if when they go to Spain the sale for hurricane season here in the United States do they change up the breakfast is two bit more of the European crowd
Great job RCB ! Thank you ! 🤓
For starters….I love your blog…..1st time on Royal. On embarkation day …will the main dining be open for service? Or is it just the Windjammer are your only choices on embarkation ?
Are there any links to sample menus for the included restaurants, such as Windjammer and others?
Also if you like more seasoning that the typical mid westerner from say BFE Kansas, bring some spices. The food can be extra bland. I love traveling to foreign countries and ordering the local food so my plate has found tourist spots serve up bland food in hopes of not offending Karen from Ohio (or wherever). If you're Mexican or Indian and traveled to spots like Disneyland you'll know what I'm talking about.
Stupid comment, but whoever the narrator is, they have a good voice. Some voices are no good for listening time and time again. His is the kind that is easy to listen to,
That's THE Matt, the owner of the blog. Some people say he looks like Brad Pitt.
Great Video! I love the tip about ordering off of the kids menu! I’ve always had the palate of a child 😂, so I’m happy to know I have MORE options if I don’t like the “adult food”.
Thanks for the information! If I choose traditional dining, can we decide to not show up on a particular evening and try to make a reservation for my time dining? or if we can’t make a my time dining reservation (because we chose traditional dining already) can we walk in and simply not show up for a particular night in the main dining room? Or is that rude?
As far as we are concerned Royal Caribbean has the best food!!😊😊
Recent you tube video very similar to this - invest in a food thermometer, they may get the hint 😂
We are booked on Icon and was wondering when you said some items are chargeable in the main dining room, will it state that on the menu?
I kept waiting to hear "UP NEXTTT" 😅
My brother cruised on Oasis OTS a couple months ago & had little positive to say about the current state of the MDR. Slow service, small portions, very limited choice & cold food. Staff cuts are affecting everything.
I’ve never had that situation on a cruise, even the two I’ve taken this year with Royal on Anthem and Liberty. Breakfast and lunch service was pretty slow in the MDR 😅but dinner service was always great and the food was always at least an “9 out of 10” any time of day in the dining room
Random question. Are there protein shakes available on the cruise ship for after a workout or meal replacement?
1:00 why did you combine all the drinks into one? is this a guessing game of which one is included and extra?
We did my time dining for years pre-Covid and it worked great. Same waiters on most nights and could book anywhere from 6 to 7:30 and be seated immediately. No more! There is no longer a dedicated floor and staff for my time dining. The earliest you can reserve my time dining is 6:45. Our table is usually not available at 6:45 because the first main dining is not finished. They basically squeezed a third dining time between early and late. We’ve experienced this on many cruises and ships since Covid. We called and changed all dining to early seating until this is resolved, which probably will never happen now with reduced staff.
Yeah - my time dining is very hit or miss. We have had very different experiences over the past couple years. We just sailed this month on Grandeur and it was perfect. We had reservations for 7pm and were seated promptly each night.
Hi :) we are cruising on quantum in march next year :) it is our first royal carribean Cruise :) i was just wondering how soon do they put the exact menus for the cruise on the app? Is it just a few days before the cruise or weeks or earlier? We can see a menu currently but i dont think it's correct as it's the same menu every night with no theme.
Should be able to view it 2-3 months ahead of time. Same menu fleetwide
I have just booked my first cruise on icon of the seas and I am wondering if I purchase the non alcoholic drink package, if I am eating in the main dining room and want a coke with my dinner do I need to take the cola freestyle cup with me?
13:15 Is that The Weekend Cruiser? 😂
I try to do the earliest traditional dining on every cruise. But the last few cruises I've been having the same problem every time. I put traditional timing, but it keeps being switched to my time? Had anyone else had the same thing happen to them?
I really hope the food is better than it looks 😄
I see the pdf's of the new menus online - but how would I know what nights are going to be what menu? 9 Night Eastern Caribbean and Bermuda Cruise on Liberty of the Seas out of Bayonne Asking so I know when to book speciality dining - Thanks!
Two or three days before the cruise it will populate in the app.
The steaks in the main dinning are great, but of course the specialty steakhouse restaurants are even better.
Now one thing they could do to save plenty of money without affecting the service or the quality of the food would be the slow the ship down by one or two knots you would save a lot of people doing that in the tons
Are shorts and a t ok for kids in the main dining room on non formal nights?
Did that menu show Escargot on MEXICAN NIGHT/
So on lobster night since I don’t eat shell first can I order two entrees? One being the lobster and then say a steak. Slide the lobster over to my wife (for her to enjoy a second one). Or will they charge us extra for that?
We were on Odyssey in January and didn't eat in the MDR once because it was our honeymoon and we had specialty dining. Specialty dining definitely was delicious, BUT we ate in the Windjammer several times (and every time for breakfast) and were plenty pleased with it. We found plenty of things we loved even in the Windjammer. We also loved the pizzas and the sandwiches. I'm honestly not sure if we will want to eat much in the MDR when we go on Freedom in Oct, but mostly because it seems like such a time sink! Anyone else feel like its a time sink? Like you spend so much time in the MDR that you could be at the hot tub or shows?
Formal sit down dinners are one of the longest and grandest traditions of ocean travel. Treat it like an event and you’ll not find it at all a “time sink”
We just did Freedom in March. The food and the service in the MDR were very good. We had the same waiters everyday and they made us feel extra special.
For the first time in 20 cruises, we were denied a table for two! I went to the MDR directly upon boarding and even though it is a medical difficulty that makes a group table uncomfortable for us, we were told an emphatic 'no' that we could not dine at a private table!
Strange. Most tables for 4 are just two tables pushed together.
That doesn't right. Are you sure you telling this story correctly? The tables of 4 are just 2 separate tables I thought
Do you make reservations for breakfast and lunch in the main dining or just go?
We have dining package. Should we still get MyTime dining in case we eat there a few nights?
You do not make reservations for the main dining room Breakfast or Lunch. You can just show up. However, I recommend getting there early as possible for breakfast or lunch because sometimes there can be a pretty big line, depending on the ship.
The “My Time Dining” only affects your dinner in the dining room.
It really bothers me to see people coming to the main dining room on formal night with shorts and flip flops on. I understand that people have a right to wear what they want to wear but if it's formal night and you don't want to dress formally then go somewhere else. There are other places to eat on the ship that don't care how you are dressed.. I just wish that people would respect the dress code.
I was recently on the Wonder of the Seas with my wife and family. Here's the best tip of all regarding the main dining room. Don't set your expectations high and you won't be disappointed. Definitely have a backup plan because you will need it. We are long time Royal Caribbean cruisers and are extremely disgusted with the food in the main dining room. HORRIBLE would be putting it mildly. New cruisers may not feel the same way because they have nothing to compare it to, but will still be disappointed. The food on Royal back in the day was second to none in the sea. In fact, it was one of the things that set them apart from other cruise lines. Not anymore, actually they have gone backwards. The food was mostly bland, cold and tasteless. They cover up cheap pieces of meat with nasty tasting gravy. Royal has bee overbooking the ships and this doesn't help the service in the dining room. It has definitely changed to a get em in and get em out atmosphere. The deserts look pretty but have NO taste. They took away the apple blossom which was the best dessert they had and also changed the warm cookie, garbage now. Forgot to mention that I got food poisoning on the ship and lost two days of my cruise. We are only a couple of cruises away from the next tier level but not excited about cruising on Royal anymore. Sometimes change is bad and they missed the boat with this one.
Food has changed a lot across all lines. When nothing appeals to me I order chicken fingers from the kids menu
I actually ordered a grilled cheese sandwich from the kids menu and it was just a cheese sandwich. Not even grilled. Who the heck can't make a grilled cheese.
My daughter just got off the freedom of the seas (nursecon) and she said the service was horrible. Their first round of drinks came after they finished eating. And some of them were wrong (chocolate martini was curdled)
First time cruiser with RC. I saw it posted somewhere that my time dining reservations couldn't be made until 6:45 or later. Is that correct? Would prefer to dine earlier.
6:45 is earliest and likely won’t be seated immediately. Changed after Covid with reduced staff.
My family is going on our first cruise ever. Does anyone know if you miss your dining time due to being in the port can you still show up and wait for a table. Also if you ate at the main dining room and maybe didn’t enjoy the selections can you go over to the buffet after ? Sounds crazy but I was wondering
Yes, you can do those things.
Im thinking of skipping a day at port. I have the unlimited dining package. Will I be able to get lunch somewhere on the boat while at port?
Yes. The main dining room may be closed for lunch in port. The daily news will explain changed
We returned from Rhapsody of the seas out of Barbados 9th-16th April after 16 cruises on rccl we did not have one good meal in the main dining room the worst food we have ever experienced a very repetitive menu.I’m afraid we will never sail with rccl again
Does anyone know where after noon tea is held on quantum?? How much it cost and what food they have for it?
Usually no afternoon tea on RC.
been to spectrum. not bad. but MDR menus very very limited. rather eat windjammer
Does anyone know what the recommended daily tip is per passenger? I know there are normally 4 crew members that receive it. (Waiter, Asst. Waiter, Head Waiter, and Cabin Steward)
Guests in non-suite staterooms (including Junior Suites) pay $18 USD per person, per day for gratuities. Those in Grand Suites and above pay $20.50 USD per person, per day.
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog
Awesome. Do you know the breakdown of that $18 per crew member? How much for cabin steward, etc…
You mentioned we get a complimentary lobster tail on the second formal night? Why is it the second formal night I’m so confused lol will they tell us it’s complimentary?
I just got off Ovation of the Seas. Service was great BUT food quality was poor. In fact it was the first cruise I have sailed that food quality was poor. RC is definitely trying to save money. The beef is a much poorer quality, often being very tough. RC has changed from butter to a butter mixture spread. We did complain and the waiter had butter at our table every night. Another item that is certainly lower quality is salad dressing which was watery and tasteless. I am ok with the new menu if they would bring the quality up.
Just got back from a Celebrity cruise and same problem with poor quality beef. We did get plenty of real butter though.
Desserts great in MDR but agree with buffet desserts no flavor
Never had an issue with being able to find something on the menu to eat. Food has always been excellent . If people can't find something to eat in the MDR they are probably used to McDonalds.
Snob. What's wrong with Micky D! 🤣
This counts for most cruise lines.
Lots of whining going on here…News Flash, folks! The MDR isn’t Gourmet Restaurant quality! If food isn’t prepared well, be pleasant but firm and you’ll generally get things resolved just fine
How soon are they posting the menus? We sail in three weeks, and there are still no menus in the app.
I think they'll go up about a week before, hopefully, from past experience. (Btw, BIG sale today on RC drinks, etc!)
It will show up 2-3 days before your cruise in the app
went on our first RC cruise last year. we have been on 10 DCL cruises and the difference was amazing. RC you are a passenger, DCL you are a prized possesion. never again RC
What line is DCL?
@@carole24 Disney Cruise Line.
@James Leder Yes, Disney is excellent in their service. I did one in 2014. This fall will be my first RC. I hope our experience is better than yours. RC is less than 1/2 the price of DCL, so maybe you get what you pay for? We'll see...
Nothing before 8:15 is available for reservation with my time ☹️
We are going on Oasis of the Sea but I have allergies to onions and garlic. Will they be able to accommodate my allergies? Where can I eat?
Contact RC well in advance of your cruise to alert them of your allergies. Ask where (outside of the MDR) you will be able to eat.
Specific allergies should be mentioned on arrival and ensure the waiter understands. Recheck when plates arrive. traces like onion powder etc could pose a risk. They may make a different sauce etc for you. The head chef may even assist. They dont want issues
My kiddo is less than 2 years old. On the second formal night, would it be allowed for her to order her own free lobster and I take the "dad tax"?
Of course!
I am seeking a recommendation for a travel agency to book my future Royal Caribbean cruise? Thanks in advanced
I recommend MEI Travel
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog thanks
Is it 1 bottle wine per person or 2 per cabin? I have heard both. We have 3 over 21 in our cabin.
1 bottle of wine per adult
Thank you! @@RoyalCaribbeanBlog
We only asked once to get an extra entree
Wait is soda not being included a new change? It was still included as of Feb of this year
Soda was never included on Royal Caribbean.
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog interesting, I had no package in Feb and drank coke zero like a fish in the MDR, no charge. I always thought package or not, it was included in MDR
@@MolotovMan1263 your wait staff either screwed
Up or they were being generous!
Definitely a mistake, in your favor!
Does Johnny Rocket still offer free breakfast?
Yes.
@@travisboyd5472 thank you😊
@@Brokenjourneythepodcast only the ones on Oasis class ships…Some of the Voyager-class ships like Navigator have Johnny Rockets that Don’t have free breakfast
Thank you. I'm going on Serenade OTS.
We just got off a 15 night cruise and thought the food was excellent.