Breakfast questions

[jaykat]

From what I have read, you can have breakfast in either the MDR or the Windjammer. I'm not sure why, but it seems that most people have breakfast in the Windjammer. Is that because it is much quicker? Is the breakfast service in the MDR very slow?

 

Please advise of the pros and cons of having breakfast in one place or the other! :)

[ktravel]

DH and I prefer MDR b/c we can be waited on We also like meeting new people at breakfast

[Merion_Mom]

From what I have read, you can have breakfast in either the MDR or the Windjammer. I'm not sure why, but it seems that most people have breakfast in the Windjammer. Is that because it is much quicker? Is the breakfast service in the MDR very slow?

 

Please advise of the pros and cons of having breakfast in one place or the other! :)

 

People like the Windjammer for breakfast because it is a buffet.

 

You can eat at your own pace, when you want, and eat as much or as little as you like.

 

Some people also don't like to face strangers in the morning, and they seat you at large tables in the main dining room.

[aussiespirit]

We are going on an 18 night cruise soon on Rhapsody, we plan to eat breakfast in the Main Dining Room on days at sea but we are most likely to use the Buffet dining on Port days, this way we can get up early, have a good breakfast and be ready to go ashore as soon as we are allowed, on previous cruises we always had lunch in the MDR on sea days as it was lovely to meet new people every day and to be able to take out time over lunch.

[Cruisinfrombmore]

There's also another option... room service!!! The last cruise we ordered room service every morning for breakfast. There's not a huge menu but they do have a basic selection of hot foods (bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, etc) and some good other items, especially the fruit plate! We love eating breakfast in privacy and drinking our coffee/tea on the balcony. This give us a chance to wake up slowly before facing a ship full of people! To us, this is our very favorite option.

[138east]

I think a lot of folks simply don't realize that the MDR is open for breakfast and lunch and they also don't realize how much better the food is in the MDR.

 

There is yet another option which a lot of folks don't use much - get your food from the WJ and carry it back to your room or even outside on the pool deck. When I was cruising with my mom, I did this often for breakfast or lunch. The Cafe Promenade is also open for coffee in containers with lids and pastries. Room service is just fine, but for me the timing doesn't always work - either I'm waiting around for them or they come too soon.

[schmoopie17]

Some people also don't like to face strangers in the morning, and they seat you at large tables in the main dining room.

 

On our last cruise we asked for, and were given, a table for two each morning.

[bouhunter]

There's also another option... room service!!! The last cruise we ordered room service every morning for breakfast. There's not a huge menu but they do have a basic selection of hot foods (bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, etc) and some good other items, especially the fruit plate! We love eating breakfast in privacy and drinking our coffee/tea on the balcony. This give us a chance to wake up slowly before facing a ship full of people! To us, this is our very favorite option.

 

We always do room service when the ship is in port - as you said it's nice to eat on the balcony:) And on port days Windjammer is CRAZY busy because so many people want to eat at the same time before getting off the ship. At sea days aren't so busy because people are coming in over a longer time frame.

[Euphemus]

We always do a mixture of all the recommendations above depending on our mood or plans for the day. Some days it's breakfast in the room, some days it's a quick 'graze' at the buffet, some days it's a sit down in the MDR, either alone or with larger groups.

 

I don't know that one is inherently better than another...it's only 'better' in the sense that it suits you.

 

I will say that of all of these, I prefer room service or the MDR. The buffet is usually a logistical choice on a port day. Certainly on the last morning, the LAST place I want to be is the WJ: it's full of grumpy people about to get of a cruise ;). If available, we eat in the MDR on the last morning.

[bobmacliberty]

There's also another option... room service!!! The last cruise we ordered room service every morning for breakfast. There's not a huge menu but they do have a basic selection of hot foods (bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, etc) and some good other items, especially the fruit plate! We love eating breakfast in privacy and drinking our coffee/tea on the balcony. This give us a chance to wake up slowly before facing a ship full of people! To us, this is our very favorite option.

We hand wrote a few extra items for room service breakfast on the card that you hang on the door...things that we knew were available but were not listed on the menu. No problem...everything was delivered promptly. Love the breakfast on the balcony option.

 

I you have not done room service, be sure to have cash ready for a tip. I thought that I could add the tip to whatever I had to sign. There was nothing to sign, so we had to scramble to find some money.

[OKC Cruisers]

DW and I also do a combination of all the options depending on our daily mood and plans. WJ can be a hassle at peak times and can be hard on the nerves! We have used room service and found that even though certain things are not listed on the small menu, you can "write it in." We were able to get omlettes with the ingredients we wanted brought to our room with a pot of coffee, fruit plate and pastry plate. Then sit out on the balcony and enjoy!

[cruisegirl1]

We generally have breakfast in the cabin or the dining room. We rarely use the buffet. If we are in a hurry we pre- arrange for an early room service breakfast. That way we can get ready while the breakfast is coming, eat and be done. We find it even faster than the buffet.

 

We usually have a dinner table for two so we actually like being seated with strangers for breakfast or lunch. That way, we can perhaps meet new folks, with no strings attached. We have met folks for breakfast and have enjoyed each others company that we have gotten together for specialty dinner.

 

 

M

[cb at sea]

Love the dining room breakfast...no searching for syrup, butter or jam....no juggling plates of food and utensils while searching for a table...in the dining room you're seated, and all condiments, juice, etc...will be on your table. So much nicer than the buffet!

[sjb317]

We go to the WJ or have room service for breakfast, we like informality of both. The MDR seems more formal, even at breakfast or lunch. I feel like I have to dress a little better (nicer flip flops:D) and be more social, which is difficult at breakfast! Imo, the food in the WJ is better at breakfast than the MDR, especially the made to order omelettes.

Sherri:)

[cruisegirl1]

We go to the WJ or have room service for breakfast, we like informality of both. The MDR seems more formal, even at breakfast or lunch. I feel like I have to dress a little better (nicer flip flops:D) and be more social, which is difficult at breakfast! Imo, the food in the WJ is better at breakfast than the MDR, especially the made to order omelettes.

Sherri:)

 

MDR dress is very casual at breakfast or lunch ( especailly for breakfast). I often wear shorts/tee over a swimsuit and wear "regular" flip flops. We are morning folks so a larger table is no problem. You can ask for a table for two if you don't want to socialize but want to try the MDR.

 

 

It is nice to have options

M

[sjb317]

MDR dress is very casual at breakfast or lunch ( especailly for breakfast). I often wear shorts/tee over a swimsuit and wear "regular" flip flops. We are morning folks so a larger table is no problem. You can ask for a table for two if you don't want to socialize but want to try the MDR.

 

 

It is nice to have options

M

 

It is nice to have options and while I realize the MDR is more casual dress for breakfast and lunch, it still seems more "formal" to me than zipping down to the WJ or having room service(very informal, I can eat in my jammies:D). I think I would feel uncomfortable going in wearing a swimsuit with coverup.

Sherri :)

[niko40]

we used the diamond breakfast on our last cruise and realy enjoyed it very relaxed and the food was excellent

[harryfat1]

From what I have read, you can have breakfast in either the MDR or the Windjammer. I'm not sure why, but it seems that most people have breakfast in the Windjammer. Is that because it is much quicker? Is the breakfast service in the MDR very slow?

 

Please advise of the pros and cons of having breakfast in one place or the other! :)

 

One reason some people prefer windjammer is due to language barrier. English may not be the native language to all the cruisers. Buffets are easier to navigate if you can't read the menu.

[traveling1969]

Each has its good points. My take:

 

Windjammer: More variety; omelets, eggs and toast served hotter (right off the fire); if you decide you want something else you just go get it without having to find a waiter and wait; longer hours if you sleep in; better views.

 

MDR: service, service, service; more elegant with linen tablecloths and individual salts, peppers, butter etc.; did I mention service? Oh and for those who DON'T care to sit with others: we always state "A table for two please.". We have had to wait a few minutes on occasion but we have always been accomodated.

 

Ah, it's nice to have choices:). Bon Voyage!

[ramby]

Is there a window of time during breakfast when WJ is the MOST crowded? For example, if the ship arrives in port at 8am, is it most crowded at 7:30 or is it always crowded at a later time?

[volleyballmom87]

On busy port days we always go to the Windjammer. Sea days always MDR (they have real coffee - in other words it is actually brewed by the pot). I know it sounds like no big deal but it makes a HUGE difference to a coffee drinker.

 

We will likely be in the MDR more this trip as we are only doing 2 excursions on our trip so we can move a little slower on port days as well.

[MrsPete]

For several reasons, we almost always have breakfast in the Windjammer:

 

We like to have breakfast fairly early, and the Windjammer opens much earlier than the MDR.

We're not particularly social that early and don't really like to be seated with others.

We like to sit near the windows and look out to sea (or if we're coming into port, look at the islands), and it's much easier to get such a table at the Windjammer.

We like the selection at the Windjammer and the immediacy of serving yourself. DH loves the carved ham and made-to-order eggs. I like the miso soup.

 

On the other hand, if we want pancakes or French toast, we'll go to the MDR. Those things aren't particularly good in the Windjammer (because they'd sit under hot lights). Also, the MDR had a special "chocolate breakfast" on our last cruise, and I was glad we went to the trouble to go to that. It was just a little something different.

 

One negative about Windjammer's breakfast: I sometimes like a Diet Coke for breakfast, and their bar isn't up and running early for breakfast. I like to bring my own from home for just this purpose.

[ehfl]

We prefer to eat breakfast at the WJ. We enjoy looking at the island and port while we plan our day. They seem to have a wider selection of food at the WJ, and enjoy getting a fresh made omlette from the omlette station.

[cravingthis]

DW and I also do a combination of all the options depending on our daily mood and plans. WJ can be a hassle at peak times and can be hard on the nerves! We have used room service and found that even though certain things are not listed on the small menu, you can "write it in." We were able to get omlettes with the ingredients we wanted brought to our room with a pot of coffee, fruit plate and pastry plate. Then sit out on the balcony and enjoy!

 

Sounds great! I didn't know you could order omelets from room service, I thought it was just scrambled eggs.

[negc]

I think a lot of folks simply don't realize that the MDR is open for breakfast and lunch and they also don't realize how much better the food is in the MDR.

 

There is yet another option which a lot of folks don't use much - get your food from the WJ and carry it back to your room or even outside on the pool deck. When I was cruising with my mom, I did this often for breakfast or lunch. The Cafe Promenade is also open for coffee in containers with lids and pastries. Room service is just fine, but for me the timing doesn't always work - either I'm waiting around for them or they come too soon.

 

Can't say that I agree that, for breakfast at least, the food is much better than what is available in the Windjammer which has a much more extensive variety of foods and allows you to take as little or as much as you want. My last experience in the main dining room for breakfast brought me an ice cream scoop portion of scrambled eggs and only one chance to get toast and pastries since as soon as the assistant waiter had made one pass at our table, he headed off to another section of the dining room and was invisible for the rest of the meal. Service was slow and not especially attentive. On our recent Liberty cruise, we were upgraded to a suite and were able to take our buffet selections into Chops where wait staff served us juice and coffee/tea and made breakfast a very civilized event. Liberty's Windjammer even had waffle makers so it was possible to get freshly made waffles as part of the breakfast offerings. Food wasn't plated and portion-controlled and sitting on the counter in the galley waiting for the MDR waiter to pick it up and deliver it to our table. On Radiance class ships, our favorite area of the Windjammer is the outside area in the aft of the ship where al fresco dining is especially pleasant.