The Rules of the MDR

[mariaw8889]

OP might want to add these to the list, or maybe ask them to be posted at MDR door :)

 

 

Rules of Etiquette and Home Culture, 1886

22.Do not play with the table utensils or crumble the bread.

 

23. Do not put your elbows on the table, or sit too far back, or lounge

 

24. Do not talk loud or boisterously

 

25. Be cheerful in conduct or conversation

 

26. Never allow butter, soup or other food to remain on your whiskers

 

27. Never wear gloves at the table, unless your hands are for some special reason unfit to be seen.

 

28. Never make a great display when removing hair, insects or other disagreeable things from your food. Place them quietly under the edge of your plate.

[bigque]

hmmm...will there be referees or umpires to enforce the rules?...any instant replay allowed?...do I get to throw a flag?...maybe we ought to start a new trend.........everytime YOU think there's a violation, you hold a small flag up. Pretty soon other passengers will wonder...what's with the flag?....those "in the know" will say..."there's been an etiquette violation".....just a thought. :)

 

For the elbows on the table:

 

 

Illegal Use of of hands, arms or body!

 

:D

[spcopps]

Maybe you could explain to me in some sort of logical way what makes forearms acceptable but the area where the arm and forearm articulate is such an offensive part of the body? Or, for that matter, how do the two areas separate animals from non- animals? Come to think of it, in all of the biology classes that I ever took I can't remember the elbow having any part in the classification system of human and non-human animals. Now, we could consider the opposable thumb as a more reasonable separation but since that would include all of the primates we would have to figure out what to do with all of the great apes in the MDR.

 

Putting elbows on the table is just being "lazy". If you are to tired to hold yourself up, without propping on the table, you need to excuse yourself and leave the table. We all know that a lot of the time, not always, when someone has their elbows on the table they are "propping" not just resting their arms. I always have my kids put their drinks on the right side of their plate and they are to put down their utensils before taking up a drink. Guess what, they are now 8, 4 and 4 and do these things without thinking about it, so they don't see it as a rule, it's just normal behavior for the dining table. This rule kind of plays in with the don't slouch rule. If we are out, and I notice them slouching while waking, I will tell them hold your head and shoulders up, stop slouching. I see nothing wrong with wanting them to have some pride in themselves and not seem as if they are always too tired to hold their own body weight, let's not even get started on dragging your feet when walking. As I stated before, nobody else's manners bother me, but this is what I expect from my family.

[MrsPete]

I have been reading about people's horror stories about dining in the Main Dining Room or those who enjoyed meeting others. If RCCL could have these rules then here we go ala Ms. Manners:

 

1. All parties shall arrive on time in a presentable fashion. If its formal night dress accordingly.

 

2. If you are late or cannot make your assigned dining time kindly call or preferably go down in person and speak to the Maitre D.

 

3. If your child becomes antsy or starts crying or throws a fit kindly excuse yourself and take your child and you outside of the dining room to a quiet place.

 

4. When people are introduced kindly respond with your name. Please don't stare at your dining mates even if English is not your first language try to communicate in other ways.

 

5. Don't assume everyone speaks your language. Try to learn some phrases in other languages depending on where the cruise departs from. You may not be perfect but you will get a fun language lesson.

 

6. Look at the menu and be prepared with your order when the waiter or waitress comes. If you want more of one item say so. Please don't over order.

 

7. If you want a table for two please email the Dining Department before your cruise or go to the Maitre D.

 

8. If for some reason you are not comfortable with your table assignment please let the Maitre D know in a respectful manner. Don't bash them for not being able to get your table request the first time around.

 

9. If you must leave early for one reason or another let your waiter or waitress know to see if he or she can speed up the dining time.

 

10. If you are not willing to spend the time dining or don't want to participate in the formal dining nights please go to the Windjammer or other dining venues.

 

11.If an item does not taste good don't complain. Kindly say to the waiter or waitress that this item was not what you expected it to be and see if you can get a replacement. Don't nit pick or pick around your food looking for ways to make it taste better.

 

12. If you ordered the wine package kindly offer to see if anyone wants a glass or two if you know you can't finish the bottle. A lot of times they will reciprocate.

 

13. Don't ask personal questions of your table mates. General conversation topics are good. Remind kids to act their best and if they start to get wild remove them promptly.

 

14. When you are finished place your silverware with the handle facing out and put them together to signal you are done.

 

15. Always have your napkin in your lap and please no elbows on the table.

 

16. When you are done wait until others are generally done eating or ask in a pleasant way if you can excuse yourself so as not to keep the others eating alone especially if there is a single cruiser.

 

17. Always greet the dining room staff and smile at the end of the evening thank them. Compliment them on what items you liked and tell them about improvements they can make.

 

18. If you know you want more of a drink as the waiter or waitress to bring either a pitcher or two iced teas or a carafe of coffee so as not to make them run back and forth all the time.

 

19. Wait until others are served or if you see at least two to three people starting to eat you can begin or you could say Do you mind if I can start with my soup? I'm sure your dining mates will understand and appreciate you asking them if you can start so as not to make them watch you eat.

 

20, Please do not snap your fingers to get the attention of the dining room staff. Kindly say excuse me Sir or excuse me Madam could you please bring me at your next earliest opportunity? And don't forget to sincerely thank them.

 

21. Enjoy and be happy and don't try to nit pick every little thing that goes wrong.

I find two problems here:

 

As several other posters have stated, sharing an extra-cost bottle of wine with tablemates isn't necessary.

I agree that it's polite to compliment your wait staff on something that you particularly enjoyed, but I wouldn't stop to complain to them about something negative -- especially if that something was beyond the wait staff's control. If it's a matter of preference (i.e., sauce was too bland, keep that to yourself); if something really bad happened (i.e., poor service) bring it to the attention of the head waiter at the door.

 

The rest of this is just GOOD MANNERS. Unfortunately, in our anything-I-want-is-just-fine society, good manners have been brushed aside as unimportant.

[newlifeca]

Number 21 seems to disagree with numbers 1-20...

 

21 rules is way too many for vacation in my book.

 

Agree

[BeachChik]

So when 4 people show up for dinner at a 10 top table, since the other 6 people are in the Windjammer due to the 21 rules of the MDR, does it really matter how much room each person is taking up? Does the elbow rule only apply at crowded tables?

 

:eek::D

 

LOL! But it makes sense. ;)

[Zach1213]

Putting elbows on the table is just being "lazy".

 

I guess my definition of a true vacation is being lazy ;)

[Zach1213]

I find two problems here:

 

As several other posters have stated, sharing an extra-cost bottle of wine with tablemates isn't necessary.

I agree that it's polite to compliment your wait staff on something that you particularly enjoyed, but I wouldn't stop to complain to them about something negative -- especially if that something was beyond the wait staff's control. If it's a matter of preference (i.e., sauce was too bland, keep that to yourself); if something really bad happened (i.e., poor service) bring it to the attention of the head waiter at the door.

 

The rest of this is just GOOD MANNERS. Unfortunately, in our anything-I-want-is-just-fine society, good manners have been brushed aside as unimportant.

 

If I share my wine, they better share their martini. And I don't want a cheap one either...I expect the vodka to be at least Chopin quality, or the gin to be at least Bombay quality :)

[spcopps]

I guess my definition of a true vacation is being lazy ;)

 

Ok you got me there..but you get the idea..have a little pride in yourself (not you personally). Being lazy is getting room service, but even then my kids better not let me catch those elbows on the coffee table. This and chewing with your mouth open are my MAJOR issues with my kids at the table, and they know not to do either.

[Ocean Boy]

Ok you got me there..but you get the idea..have a little pride in yourself (not you personally). Being lazy is getting room service, but even then my kids better not let me catch those elbows on the coffee table. This and chewing with your mouth open are my MAJOR issues with my kids at the table, and they know not to do either.

 

And heaven help them if they touch that glass of water with their left hand.:eek:

[bonsai3s]

For the elbows on the table:

 

 

Illegal Use of of hands, arms or body!

 

:D

 

Mike...that's exactly what I was thinking about...just way too funny!!! Thanks!!!!!! :)

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

SCARY MOMMY!!!:eek::D

[EVALUATOR]

Ok, here we go again.

 

As an etiquette practice session we decided to go out to eat this afternoon. Not wanting to ruin the dining experience of others, we decided to go to KFC for starters. (Actually Mrs E. wanted some of their mashed potatoes.)

 

So I go up to the register and order the meal and bring it back to the table. Before taking the meal out of the bag I attempted to properly set the table.

 

That's when things went terribly wrong. I centered the plate. I got the knife. I put it on the right side of the plate next to the right handed drinking glass.I put a small plate and knife at the top left for the roll and butter.

 

And then...

 

 

What side does this go???:D:D:D

[galavant3]

Ok, here we go again.

 

As an etiquette practice session we decided to go out to eat this afternoon. Not wanting to ruin the dining experience of others, we decided to go to KFC for starters. (Actually Mrs E. wanted some of their mashed potatoes.)

 

So I go up to the register and order the meal and bring it back to the table. Before taking the meal out of the bag I attempted to properly set the table.

 

That's when things went terribly wrong. I centered the plate. I got the knife. I put it on the right side of the plate next to the right handed drinking glass.I put a small plate and knife at the top right for the roll and butter.

 

And then...

 

 

What side does this go???:D:D:D

 

Love this!

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

Sporks go wherever sporks wanna go!!!:D

[karajeboo]

Sheesh people, lighten up! Sounds to me like OP was just posting common sense with a little tongue in cheek. These are not really "rules." And I really don't understand why anyone would choose to go to the MDR for dinner, and NOT use simple good manners. If you can't do that, stay home and go to McDonalds.....

 

Same for formal night. It's called "formal" night for a reason. You know this when you book the cruise. If you don't want to dress up, that's fine, just don't ruin it for those of us who enjoy the chance to dress up as a family.

[Ocean Boy]

Sheesh people, lighten up! Sounds to me like OP was just posting common sense with a little tongue in cheek. These are not really "rules." And I really don't understand why anyone would choose to go to the MDR for dinner, and NOT use simple good manners. If you can't do that, stay home and go to McDonalds.....

 

Same for formal night. It's called "formal" night for a reason. You know this when you book the cruise. If you don't want to dress up, that's fine, just don't ruin it for those of us who enjoy the chance to dress up as a family.

 

And you know how RCI runs their dining rooms on formal night when you the cruise.

[gtsfanatic]

Ok, here we go again.

 

As an etiquette practice session we decided to go out to eat this afternoon. Not wanting to ruin the dining experience of others, we decided to go to KFC for starters. (Actually Mrs E. wanted some of their mashed potatoes.)

 

So I go up to the register and order the meal and bring it back to the table. Before taking the meal out of the bag I attempted to properly set the table.

 

That's when things went terribly wrong. I centered the plate. I got the knife. I put it on the right side of the plate next to the right handed drinking glass.I put a small plate and knife at the top left for the roll and butter.

 

And then...

 

 

What side does this go???:D:D:D

 

Did you point them in the right direction, to indicate you were finished with your meal?

 

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

[Mach1]

For the elbows on the table:

 

 

Illegal Use of of hands, arms or body!

 

:D

 

 

[BeachChik]

Sheesh people, lighten up! Sounds to me like OP was just posting common sense with a little tongue in cheek. These are not really "rules." And I really don't understand why anyone would choose to go to the MDR for dinner, and NOT use simple good manners. If you can't do that, stay home and go to McDonalds.....

 

Same for formal night. It's called "formal" night for a reason. You know this when you book the cruise. If you don't want to dress up, that's fine, just don't ruin it for those of us who enjoy the chance to dress up as a family.

 

Maybe they should make it so people can get the exact same food in the buffet as the MDR. That way people that don't want to dress up can still have to food they want. Until that happens people will dress as they want. The cruise lines don't even enforce the dress code, why people here think they can is beyond me.

 

I fail to understand how someone wearing jeans "ruins" your food if you are all dressed up for formal night. Does your food taste different?

 

I think people need to accept that the mainstream lines are moving in a much less formal direction. I wouldn't be surprised to see more lines move to be similar to ncl with their dress up or not.

[Ocean Boy]

Maybe they should make it so people can get the exact same food in the buffet as the MDR. That way people that don't want to dress up can still have to food they want. Until that happens people will dress as they want. The cruise lines don't even enforce the dress code, why people here think they can is beyond me.

 

I fail to understand how someone wearing jeans "ruins" your food if you are all dressed up for formal night. Does your food taste different?

 

I think people need to accept that the mainstream lines are moving in a much less formal direction. I wouldn't be surprised to see more lines move to be similar to ncl with their dress up or not.

 

Please, NO! I think the food in the Windjammer is better than what they have in the MDR.

[Pushka]

Sheesh people, lighten up! Sounds to me like OP was just posting common sense with a little tongue in cheek. These are not really "rules." And I really don't understand why anyone would choose to go to the MDR for dinner, and NOT use simple good manners. If you can't do that, stay home and go to McDonalds.....

 

Same for formal night. It's called "formal" night for a reason. You know this when you book the cruise. If you don't want to dress up, that's fine, just don't ruin it for those of us who enjoy the chance to dress up as a family.

 

I think from subsequent posts the op was serious. I am curious though as to why what I decide to wear, assuming it is clean, spoils anything for you. There is a delightful picture of a girl wearing what can only be described as obscene and tacky, but as it is long, it is regarded as formal. Its in the fashion thread and I'll post it here. I imagine most of you guys haven't poked your nose into the fashion thread so as a warning, make sure you aren't drinking anything when I find and post it. BBL.

[joe6666]

Sheesh people, lighten up! Sounds to me like OP was just posting common sense with a little tongue in cheek. These are not really "rules." And I really don't understand why anyone would choose to go to the MDR for dinner, and NOT use simple good manners. If you can't do that, stay home and go to McDonalds.....

Same for formal night. It's called "formal" night for a reason. You know this when you book the cruise. If you don't want to dress up, that's fine, just don't ruin it for those of us who enjoy the chance to dress up as a family.[/quote

Take a vote some time. See how many people want to get formal.

The cruise line makes money renting the formal wear.

The cruise line makes money having photographers take pictures of formal night.

The formal nights are an "event" for some, and it costs the cruise line nothing.

I’ll dress nice, sport coat, slacks, shirt with a tie......but formal clothing is too much to ask a few nights or more out of every cruise.

I think the people who enjoy formal night probably love the singing and parading waiters.

[joe6666]

Please, NO! I think the food in the Windjammer is better than what they have in the MDR.

 

Good, more room for the normal people.:)

[Ocean Boy]

Good, more room for the normal people.:)

 

I prefer the fun people.;)