MDR Ordering

[flormija]

On 2 separate cruises with my family, DS and DH each couldn't decide on what to order. They finally decided and only ordered one item each. When the waiter brought our food, he brought out both items for each of them! Both were very surprised and grateful that the waiter had done this for them. He told them there was no need to decide, that they could have what they wanted.

 

On my last CCL cruise, my waiter did that for me for desert. I love the apple pie, but they had one other thing (can't remember now) that I wanted to try. The waiter offered to bring both items. I decided not to be adventurous, and only ordered the apple pie. The waiter brought out both the apple pie and whatever the 2nd thing was. He said it was so I could try it, and if I liked it, I would know and be able to order it next time.

 

It doesn't particularly matter when you order your second entree, but it does help keep things streamlined if you order them at the same time.

 

Very friendly staff and they usually will bend over backwards to ensure you get everything you want.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[cruisin4fun323]

I for one can say, I cook everyday for my family as well as bake for many in my community as I am good at it and not to proud to say it. We cruise every year as a couple for our anniversary and this year will be our 17th. I starve for 2 months before the cruise just to be able to eat what I want when I want and not be too worried about gaining weight while doing it. Although my food is very good, I annually look forward to the Bitter n Blanc, the White Chocolate Bread Pudding, the Chocolate Melting Cake with a side of fruit to dip in it, as well as the fish, the hotdogs with Cole Slaw and the works when no one is watching, french fries "only when you wait for that fresh hot batch that has just been dumped in the bin", the never ending ice cream, the french onion soup and maybe 2, the stuffed mushrooms, the escargot, and whatever it may be that I want. I usually order 1 meal but if I want to try another even for a bite or two and pass it around so be it. I am not going to worry what anyone else is thinking as I am the one who has to loose whatever I gain. Life is short, if you love it and it is worth the work to get the pounds off I say "GO FOR IT"!!! Those that are judging others should find a better hobby while on board, try BINGO!!!

[dstone]

You do realize that in the MDR, one entree is meant for one person. I find them more than adequate. I am not a supporter of ordering more than one dish for dinner, and I find it quite rude, frankly. Just my two cents...

 

By the way, I'm sure the waiters are pretty unhappy when you order twice, they might not show it, though.

 

Really?!?!? Rude??? In what way?m We almost always order more than one entree and we eat it! My sons (24 and 27) ordered several appetizers, entrees, a salad, and several desserts almost every meal and their plates were clean!!! They ordered them together and the waiter was more than happy to accomodate them.

Several nights I asked for a 1/2 portion of two separate entrees and that worked out well, also.Oh by the way, they are 6'3" and weigh about 175 lbs each - so they are not obsese men. I'm 5'6" and weigh 112 lbs. Kinda equivalent to second helpings at home!!!

Oh by the way we had late dining on the last cruise and the waiter brought 2 lobsters for each of us and then came back with a third for the boys!!

[tropical.dreams]

I have to laugh at how this thread immediately turned into a debate on whether to order one entree or five.

 

The OP asked WHEN to order a second entree. WHEN.

 

OP, If at all possible, you should order them at the same time, because it throws a wrench in the well-timed orchestra of serving thousands of people all at once with a smile.

[parentsof5]

LOL! Thanks everyone.

 

I would like to reiterate to those new cruisers (and I consider myself a new cruiser, having only been on one), don't let this thread disuade you from having a "stranger" table. After reading hundreds of threads, I would say the rude tablemate is more of a rareity.

 

On our first cruise we had a couple our age that were on their honeymoon (we were celebrating our 10th anniversary). We had nice conversation, and rescued them from an exursion. They were at Tulum with the ship (after the exursion they originally picked was cancelled), and we had rented a car and were doing it on our own. Amongst the 50+ guests they were with, they saw what fun we were having and we offered to have them join us. We had a blast the rest of the day exploring Playa del Carmen.

 

We are sailing in March with 3 of our kids, I hope that we are able to have one of the larger tables, so we can meet some new people and don't get stuck at just a family table. Don't get me wrong, I love mealtime with my kids, but would like them to have the full experience of meeting new people.

[laumicmah]

I have to laugh at how this thread immediately turned into a debate on whether to order one entree or five.

 

The OP asked WHEN to order a second entree. WHEN.

 

OP, If at all possible, you should order them at the same time, because it throws a wrench in the well-timed orchestra of serving thousands of people all at once with a smile.

 

Like

[jamerly]

I wouldn't want this thread to disuade any first time crusiers from eating in the MDR with people they don't know. On my first cruise I met a couple from Gibraltar and it was an amazing experience that I would have missed had we eaten as just a family. Granted many of you have been on MANY more cruises than I have... but I've never been seated with anyone who "held up" my dinner or caused me to miss any of my other plans for the evening.

 

I couldn't agree more! DH & I are going on our 5th cruise in March. We have always been seated with strangers & have only met one bummer couple. Fortunately, we were @ a table of 10 & it didn't really matter much.

 

In fact, we've met some people we really liked. Our last cruise was really wonderful. One couple got engaged during the cruise & we got to share in their joy, something that never would have happened if we hadn't gone with the luck of the draw. Our first 2 cruises, we never had a dinner last less than 2 hours (and one took almost 3), but that was due to sub-par service rather than our table-mates.

[sand_and_sun]

You do realize that in the MDR, one entree is meant for one person. I find them more than adequate. I am not a supporter of ordering more than one dish for dinner, and I find it quite rude, frankly. Just my two cents...

 

By the way, I'm sure the waiters are pretty unhappy when you order twice, they might not show it, though.

 

:eek:

 

On my last cruise, our waiter asked me if I wanted another shrimp cocktail (he heard me say that it was my favorite). I was surprised because I didn't realize I was allowed to have more than 1. He said, "it's your vacation, you can have whatever you want". The rest of the week, he always had 2 shrimp cocktails ready for me. I LOVE Carnival!! Order what you want and enjoy your cruise!!!:)