Breakfast

[*jess*]

I LOVE breakfast in the MDR! We try and go as much as possible, there are a few mornings where we had slept too late due to the night before though and didn't make it....

 

Regardless, it's totally worth it and we love that we're served the breakfast. We get to talk with the wait staff, meet new people, and it's so relaxing and less crowded!

[Lefty Writer]

MDR is the way to go if you are not in a hurry for anything! The Eggs benidict are my favorite! they have been doing it for as long as I have been cruising, No dress code just no bathing suits.. They also do a mean lunch!:D

 

Thanks...... Now I AM HUNGRY

 

Yep!

 

That's my fave breakfast in the MDR. Just remember to order the Hollandaise sauce on the side or it tends to be a bit dry.

[JoFromFL]

Another opposing view. I found the breakfast food to be marginally okay. I find the omelette and eggs cooked to order at the buffet to be much better than in the MDR. Now, we do almost always eat, and enjoy, dinner in the MDR. But for breakfast, buffet all the way. EXCEPT debarkation day, then definitely MDR.

 

I will caveat this by adding that breakfast is an all morning event for us. We booked our balcony room intentionally aft, directly under the Lido deck buffet. Early morning, DH or (in the past, before I became disabled) I would go up one flight of stairs and grab a pot of coffee and some pastries, fruit and yogurt. With our location, it was easier and faster than room service in the morning. After our leisurely pre-breakfast and coffee on the balcony, just before breakfast ended, we would head for the buffet and get our omelettes or eggs and/or whatever else we were in the mood for. Seems like by this time, we had no trouble finding a nice table with a view to enjoy our breakfast.

 

After spending all morning on breakfast, we rarely had lunch. When we did, sometimes it was MDR, but more often fish and chips or deli. Maybe a sandwich from room service since our lunch was generally early afternoon. Then, by late seating dinner, we were plenty hungry for a wonderful MDR dinner. We were surprised by how mediocre breakfast was compared to dinners, which we always found delicious.

[ccruisequeen]

Never tried til 2009. Will have breakfast there every morning now. Love the menu because the food is FRESH.

 

MDR is the way to go if you are disabled as well, since you don't have to balance trays. I love the egg beaters over the other scrambled eggs; they seem fresher.

[Sargent_Schultz]

Some pictures from a MDR breakfast here:

http://www.zydecocruiser.net/CarnivalMagic/MENUS/index.htm

 

Juice served within seconds of sitting down and never more than a 5 minute wait between courses being served.

[vermonter16]

We love eating breakfast in the MDR. And here's my DH's secret - you can get pretty much anything you want in an omelette, even though the menu only lists ham and cheese. ;)

 

And, I LOVE the chicken sausage! Yummy. Plus the bagel and lox...smoked salmon. It's nice to get up in the morning and be served rather than hunt for tables, balance plates, wait for people to make up their minds, etc.

 

Because of DH having a heart attack and bypass he no longer gets to eat whatever he wants. However - on this cruise, we will be dining most mornings in the MDR for breakfast so he can have his eggs benedict!

 

That's a great tip about getting anything in an omelette....could I get mozzarella cheese if I wanted? Green peppers? Sausage and ham? Onions? ....Gosh I'm hungry today!

[CanWeGoYet?]

Some pictures from a MDR breakfast here:

http://www.zydecocruiser.net/CarnivalMagic/MENUS/index.htm

 

Juice served within seconds of sitting down and never more than a 5 minute wait between courses being served.

 

I read the menu, then looked at the pictures - and kept right on through the lunch, dinners, etc. Thanks a lot! Now I'm hungry & I'm sure not on a cruise ship. :D

[fun!melis]

I LOVED the Breakfast.......

 

DONT wear a hat.......I did and it was a carnival hat and I had to take it off... no biggie for me but if you dont like hat head ladies pull the hair back. ;) I had major hat hair lol hubby was like WOW but oh well....:p

[smokenmadelia]

My vote is for the eggs benadict. But the french toast sounds good to. And now the secrets out about lunch too.

[Name Of The Game]

It's not a secret...it's listed in the Fun Times!

[TriciaEMTB]

All I can say is.... Om nom nom nom.

[okwriter]

An opposing view: when you hear "relaxed", you should be thinking "slow". Not just slow, "very slow".

 

If your ideal breakfast is an event that takes at least 60 minutes to complete, then go for it. If you're anxious to get on with your vacation (be it on a port-intensive itinerary where every minute on land counts, or soaking up the sun on a lounge chair that will be snapped up in the time it takes you to order the juice that you order before your meal) and don't want to be stuck in a stuffy dining room, then skip it.

 

I've had one breakfast in the MDR. I ordered waffles. They brought me two one-quarter waffles. It took a long time. If it is a port-day, I don't want to be stuck on the ship. If it is a "sea day", I want to make sure our family gets chairs together. The buffet food is excellent. You can find a table outside and it is quick.

 

 

And are you saying they wouldn't let your family sit together in the MDR at breakfast? That's odd because it is open seating. :confused:

 

Since you've only done it once, maybe you should try it again.

 

On second thought, please stick with the buffet. Breakfast in the MDR is a casual, relaxed experience. It's not for everyone. ;)

[bluesky8130]

We are earlier risers (often up before 6 am even on vacation) and we love going to the buffet. We love sitting on the deck while enjoying our morning coffee and the best part is that there are minimal crowds that early. We did have breakfast in MDR during our first cruise but we like the buffet option.

[funinthesun1964]

I've had breakfast in the MDR on two different ships; on the Splendor; we were with friends and they wanted to go to MDR. Service was incredibly slow..we thought we would never get out of there. We asked for things that we never did receive. So, we didnt try it again until Ecstasy..and there we enjoyed MDR for breakfast twice! Both times, excellent service, good food. We especially liked the first time when we were seated with two other couples; we enjoyed meeting and talking with them. The second time we went, it was just us; but excellent service (our dinner waiters!) and good food. French toast was excellent! As much coffee and OJ as I wanted! We will try it every ship from here on out..on sea days only, or if I dont want to/not in a hurry to get to port.

[near the beach]

Breakfast from the buffet can be faster than in the main dining room. Once you have filled your tray you can find a seat and then go get your drinks and you’re ready to eat.

 

It has never taken over an hour for us to eat breakfast in the main dining room. You walk in the main dining room and you are taken to your seat. You are given a menu and then served coffee, water and juice. Your order is taken. Then you are offered pastries and muffins. It will take a little time to get your food because it is being prepared while you are seated and waiting.

 

Another good thing about eating in the main dining room is you are not serving yourself with the same utensils that the hundreds of people before you used.

 

If you like to sit outside on the lido deck while you eat or don’t mind carrying trays of food the buffet may be for you.

 

If you like to be served for breakfast then it would be the main dining room for breakfast.

 

If you sleep late your only option will be the buffet.

[crusinpsychRN]

Get the hollandaise sauce on the side or it's hard.

[H82seaUgo]

there was a time breakfast was also assigned seating, at assigned times, with your normal team of waiters.

that was cut back to just the waiter, and then with alternative dining, open seating.

this is when it got s l o w.

the menu has always been static, and once they started making made to order omelets upstairs, i kissed the mdr goodbye for my morning meal, except when i need to get that egg benedict.

[vermonter16]

I think I'm going to opt for breakfast in the MDR....and then maybe up to the buffet to see what they've got ;)

Are folks sure that you can put whatever you want in your omelette?

[cmorie]

Another opposing view.

MDR breakfast wasn't that great to me. We only ate there once. Next cruise..probably won't go at all. I LOVED the buffet instead. Our service wasn't super slow but the portions were small. I guess I could have asked for seconds but why when I can load up at the buffet ;-)

[H82seaUgo]

[quote name='vermonter16']I think I'm going to opt for breakfast in the MDR....and then maybe up to the buffet to see what they've got ;)

Are folks sure that you can put whatever you want in your omelette?[/quote]

only ham, cheese, or plain in the mdr.

[vermonter16]

And here's my DH's secret - you can get pretty much anything you want in an omelette, even though the menu only lists ham and cheese.

I'm wondering because another poster added the above.

[fireofficer5]

The buffet food tools for the pax. are not the most hygenic.
That was we put everyones germs in our mouth.
With the MDR its just the waiters germs.:p:D

[vermonter16]

[quote name='fireofficer5']The buffet food tools for the pax. are not the most hygenic.
That was we put everyones germs in our mouth.
With the MDR its just the waiters germs.:p:D[/QUOTE]

Yesterday I worked our local polling precinct as an election official....half of everyone was coming sniffling, coughing, sneezing, and then handing me their ID...yuck, yuck, yuck. I cruise in 3 days....I don't want those germs!!! Now I'm at work with sniffling, sneezing, coughing folks using my phone...OMG....I want to run away!

[farler05]

We love the MDR for breakfast & lunch!! We've had slow service & we've had fast service. Really just like any other restaurant. I like the eggs Benedict, although it's occasionally over cooked. I just send it back. I like sitting down, ordering & having my food brought to me. I'm not a fan of waiting in line or being disgusted by the person ahead of me that feels the need to pile on 10 pieces of bacon on their plate. You just don't see the gluttony that you see at the buffet. Skip the food trough & head for the MDR. It's a much better experience.

[fireofficer5]

[quote name='vermonter16']Yesterday I worked our local polling precinct as an election official....half of everyone was coming sniffling, coughing, sneezing, and then handing me their ID...yuck, yuck, yuck. I cruise in 3 days....I don't want those germs!!! Now I'm at work with sniffling, sneezing, coughing folks using my phone...OMG....I want to run away![/quote]
If you like to drink adult beverages, start now.
That way nothing will matter about having a runny nose.
And internet surveys say beer, wine and liquor kill any germs from any where, that you may have, may get or even think of.
The internet cant be wrong.;)