Don't go to specialty restaurants

The more people that go to these restaurants the more expensive they become. If this trend continues I can see having to pay to go to the MDR and the only included food on your cruise will be in the buffet. I have been to 5 star restaurants and the service and the food in the specialty restaurants are anything but.

Too each their own.

MDR is still very good. Specialty restaurants are excellent. Specalty restaurants are never going away so I feel like you're wasting your breath.

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I agree. Unfortunately, it is supply and demand. People like to feel they are getting an "exclusive" experience and are willing to pay for it.

I, personally, wish they would just charge me a little more on my fare and have all the dining options available.

I have had mixed experiences but I believe in freedom and choice. Not for me to advise other people what they should do.

As for myself, I will go to a speciality restaurant if it appeals and price would be a factor in making that choice.

The more people that go to these restaurants the more expensive they become. If this trend continues I can see having to pay to go to the MDR and the only included food on your cruise will be in the buffet. I have been to 5 star restaurants and the service and the food in the specialty restaurants are anything but.

Same thing with stateroom prices.:)

The more people that go to these restaurants the more expensive they become.

If you don't go, what difference does it make?

MDR is still very good

Meh...i don't think it's bad but just a small step above the Windjammer. The ambiance is still enticing (for the most part).

People like to feel they are getting an "exclusive" experience and are willing to pay for it.

For us the MDR has become "not worth it" for more than a night or two on a 7 night cruise. We usually go the second formal night and another random night in there but at least two nights in specialty dining and the rest is casual. It takes too much time (plus getting ready), for whats on the table. The service has been consistently solid and no complaints there but these ships offer so much now it's not worth the trade off.

I like the buffets better than the MDR...much quicker...

I like the buffets better than the MDR...much quicker...

More variety too.:)

The more people that go to these restaurants the more expensive they become. If this trend continues I can see having to pay to go to the MDR and the only included food on your cruise will be in the buffet. I have been to 5 star restaurants and the service and the food in the specialty restaurants are anything but.

So by that logic everyone should also stop drinking as well?

The thing that I like about cruising is that there are choices. No one is forcing you to do anything or sail on one particular line. If you don’t like something then you don’t pay for it or you sail on another line.

Some like to gamble, some go to the spas others buy the drink packages. We don’t do any of those but we do dine in the specialty restaurants 4-5 nights on every cruise. If and when we feel that it becomes too expensive then we will look at other options but I’m certainly not going to stop going them in the meantime.

The more people that go to these restaurants the more expensive they become. If this trend continues I can see having to pay to go to the MDR and the only included food on your cruise will be in the buffet. I have been to 5 star restaurants and the service and the food in the specialty restaurants are anything but.

You're not the boss of me! ;p

I like having the nicer experience available to me. Nope, it's not 5-star, but it's a huge step up from the main dining room. And i'm on vacation - I don't worry about nickel-and-diming on vacation.

We prefer the specialty restaurants because the MDR is loud, the My Time Dining tables are too close together, and it takes too long. Also, we think the food quality isn't very good and I don't usually care for anything on the menu. As someone else said, the specialty are a more intimate and personalized experience and that's what we're looking for.

The more people that go to these restaurants the more expensive they become. If this trend continues I can see having to pay to go to the MDR and the only included food on your cruise will be in the buffet. I have been to 5 star restaurants and the service and the food in the specialty restaurants are anything but.

Maybe you should not go to 5 star restaurants to keep their prices down for everybody else.

I like the buffets better than the MDR...much quicker...

As do I. And apparently a lot of people agree with us judging by the number of people eating dinner in the Windjammer on Allure last week. It is becomming too popular.

As do I. And apparently a lot of people agree with us judging by the number of people eating dinner in the Windjammer on Allure last week. It is becomming too popular.

How was Allure? Any review from you?

I hope you stayed away from Sorrento's! ;)

How was Allure? Any review from you?

 

I hope you stayed away from Sorrento's! ;)

I went once. The pizza was BAD.

I'll post some thoughts after I get home. Happy to answer questions while I'm sitting in the airport.

I am not going to repeat what others said but I TOTALLY AGREE with micmacmissy, I don't care how much it is, I am on vacation and I agree with dpplepp too!

If my going there jacks up the price, well, you weren't going there anyways so you have nothing to worry about...I think even paying $50 per person for a meal in a specialty restaurant is CHEAP.

I don't think $50 pp is "cheap" at all! I agree with the OP...they are trying to do away with anything but buffet offerings.....

I have a little different viewpoint about cruising.

I remember when air travel was an experience and people dressed up for the plane ride. Then the airlines started marketing to the groundlings and it has now become like an airborne New York subway ride.

I also remember when an ocean cruise was an experience and people dressed up for the cruise. Then the cruise lines started marketing to the groundlings and it has become like a floating county fair with the Beverly Hillbillies.

We now look at cruising as basic transportation to get from the US to Europe or Europe to the US. We don't expect five-star dining anymore, we expect the shows to be over-amplified, we expect to see feral children run loose, and we expect to see chair hogs.

But we don't expect to pay extra for food when there's plenty in the MDR and the buffet.

I can count on one hand how many times I have been to a five star restaurant. So I don't find myself comparing the specialty restaurants to five stars. I compare them to the MDR and on RCL they are far better. You bet I am not happy with the increasing prices of the specialty restaurants. I was around when Chops was introduced and remember how cheap it was.

These days after 15 years of cruising on RCL, I find myself hitting up the buffet more times than the MDR for dinner. Most recently I have found what a great experience the MDR is for breakfast. I love the french toast and being served.

Agree they are getting too pricey; also if not free Sabor should be a minimal up charge similar to Johnny Rockets - there is no simpler/cheaper food on the planet than Mexican.

The more people that go to these restaurants the more expensive they become. If this trend continues I can see having to pay to go to the MDR and the only included food on your cruise will be in the buffet. I have been to 5 star restaurants and the service and the food in the specialty restaurants are anything but.

Although I've only been on six cruises, the 6 different ships have all had specialty dining. And I think the law of supply and demand is very much in affect. Yes, if fewer people go over a LOOOONG period of time, the cruiselines might offer more free venues, or lower prices, or something. However, they seem to be too sophisticated for that. I always notice tables around the ship, often outside the buffet, where crewmembers are offering discounts for one restaurant or another. It seems like, if something is not selling as well as they'd like, the DO discount. You never know when or what venue it will be (if at all), but they do seem to adjust mid-stream. And then I bet they get their restaurants where they want them to be.

We usually do one (sometimes two) specialty per cruise, sort of a date night. It seems like these venues are small enough that if everyone on the ship does one or two, they would be quite full. So if 50% of the passengers go to a specialty restaurant just once...I'll bet they've paid for themselves. I think you may be spitting in the wind. But I assume you mostly wanted to stir dialogue...so congrats!

I totally disagree with the OP. We go to the specialty restaurants 5 nights at least on every cruise. I love the food and service as opposed to the MDR. I like ordering a drink and getting it served within a few minutes rather than getting it closer to the end of the meal.

I like the quiet in the specialty restaurants as opposed to the din in the MDR. I like being able to choose the time I want dinner as opposed to choosing a time for ATD and having to wait in lines to get to the hostess and then on the formal nights being in a holding area waiting for my table.

So, OP, I will continue to use the specialty restaurants and spend my cruise money as I wish, not as you wish.

I agree with you Tommyj4. I started a thread a couple of years ago i. Which I said that I simply didn’t understand why anyone would want to pay for Specialty Restaurants on board. Someone pointed out to me that for many Americans who live in rural areas, good restaurants are not readily available, so they enjoy trying different cuisine. Coming from the UK where it’s rarely difficult to find somewhere good to eat, that shut me up. It just hadn’t occured to me.

The more people that go to these restaurants the more expensive they become. If this trend continues I can see having to pay to go to the MDR and the only included food on your cruise will be in the buffet. I have been to 5 star restaurants and the service and the food in the specialty restaurants are anything but.

Well you admit to going, but you don't want others to?

If you are not hearing impaired and don't mind cafeteria quality food, good for you. You are welcome to our table in the MDR. We are on vacation and prefer to eat in the Specialty restaurants whenever possible. That is what it is all about, "Freedom of Choice."

The MDR is almost like being at a NASCAR race. The servers speed by and you can't hear anyone at your table speaking to you with the dished clanging. No thanks. Unfortunately not all Royal ships have Specialty restaurants for us to enjoy a quiet, peaceful meal. We however, will survive and enjoy our cruises.