Embark Day MDR Lunch

[cruzsnooze]

Yes they will lie to you and say only the buffet is open. They also lie about early dining times for fixed time early seating. They confirm 6 PM but when you get your seapass card it will say 5 :30 and they will say this cruise had too many people wanting early dining. It doesn't make sense that such a nice cruise line uses these tactics.

[Northern Bob]

Why don't you just go grab a burger or a slice of pizza by the pool instead?

 

We are booked on the Island for a Southbound cruise in June with a Land Tour first. The train doesn't even get to the ship until 6:30 PM and we are scheduled for 5:45 PM Traditional Dining. I know we can do the Buffet but will we be able to do a MDR meal somewhere?

 

Northern Bob

[Ron the Rev]

I'm worried there won't be any butter on the table.... [emoji6] [emoji3]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Never mind you won't go short on the calorie count :D

[4cats4me]

Was on the Regal 4/10/16 - 4/17/16 out of FLL.

 

We do not like buffets, but were unable to eat in the MDR on embarkation day. The reason was that we were unable to get on the ship before lunch in the MDR closed. We were at the pier and in line before 11 A.M. Princess didn't actually let anyone on the ship until 12:30. The lines to check in were absolutely awful. Princess does not have a good system to process that many people onto the Regal.

 

The following Sunday, we were dreading disembarkation, but much to our surprise, at 8 A.M. we walked off the ship with no line, collected our bags and cleared customs in about 15 minutes.

 

 

 

We too were on this sailing and couldn't believe how bad the lines were when we arrived to the port at 1:15. After arriving we were onboard within 15 minutes though

The lines aren't usually like that. The previous cruise had had Noro so they were most likely delaying boarding a bit due to that

 

The buffet on the regal is excellent. We did eat at Alfredo's instead of the buffet on that day though because we anticipated horrific crowds at the buffet. if Alfredo's had been packed, we would have alternatively gone to the pool to get pizza instead

Edited April 22, 2016 by 4cats4me

[PescadoAmarillo]

The embarkation day lunch menu is not the same on all ships. Even if you see a familiar and favorite item (the beef entrée, for example), on the Emerald it was generally beef tenderloins, not the sliced beef that my DH so dearly loves. On some ships, the salmon has been replaced with trout (or some other fish) that our waiter advised against.

[OCruisers]

We've always found the MDR embarkation day lunch to be quite tasty! :)

Sometimes, we don't make it on the day we embark but always go on our "turnaround" days when staying on the ship for the next sailing which is the embarkation day for some others.

[geoherb]

We are booked on the Island for a Southbound cruise in June with a Land Tour first. The train doesn't even get to the ship until 6:30 PM and we are scheduled for 5:45 PM Traditional Dining. I know we can do the Buffet but will we be able to do a MDR meal somewhere?

Generally they will have open seating in all the dining rooms when there's a late sailing from a port on embarkation day with lots of passengers not scheduled to arrive until late afternoon/early evening.

[Corinda]

I always hit the MDR on embarkation day...but on the Crown 2/2015 - it was open but I couldn't get a beer. How can I start a cruise without my Grolsch!!! Had to wait until AFTER the drill....YIKES

 

Am hoping for better this June on the Royal :)

[Montrealais]

Last December, 2015 dh and I were on the partial Panama Canal Cruise. As soon as we were on board, around 12:00, we went straight to the open dining room. The matre d insisted that we go to the buffet. We refused and said that we checked with customer relations that YES, from 12:00-1:30 cruisers may certainly dine in the MDR. He nastily said, well you were misinformed, that only cruisers still in transit (back-to-backers) are allowed to eat in MDR. So then I said, we refuse to leave and that I will call up customer service to complain and I asked for his name. Suddenly he said, "ok for you I will make an exception." So me being me said, "ok, for you I will also make an exception and not complain." Any way, let's just say dh and I were very irritated about the whole thing. Meal wasn't great, but pleasant after we made an effort not to think about the argument with matre d.

 

 

Bringing a copy of the first day PATTER should take care of such a situation. ;)

 

As CAPRICCIO wrote: «That's terrible and I too would have felt irritated. Did you notice whether the embarkation lunch appeared in the Dining Section of the Patter? It has on all our cruises in the last couple of years. I would have been waiving it in his face. I also would have stopped at customer service after the lunch and filed a complaint.» :eek:

[TracieABD]

Last couple of cruises, there have been no problems that I can remember. I feel like the cruise has started once I am seated in the the MDR.

[Putterdude]

Why don't you just go grab a burger or a slice of pizza by the pool instead?

 

We are booked on the Island for a Southbound cruise in June with a Land Tour first. The train doesn't even get to the ship until 6:30 PM and we are scheduled for 5:45 PM Traditional Dining. I know we can do the Buffet but will we be able to do a MDR meal somewhere?

 

Northern Bob

 

Yes, our experience has been that Princess recognizes there will be staggered and late boarding school in Whitier so there is open dining on that night...you can go to any MDR at anytime.

[Murphey]

Why don't you just go grab a burger or a slice of pizza by the pool instead?

Why waste time being served in the MDR, only to get the same slop?

 

Huh????

[pablo222]

Why don't you just go grab a burger or a slice of pizza by the pool instead?

Why waste time being served in the MDR, only to get the same slop?

 

If one considers the food in the main dining room to be slop,

why purchase the cruise to begin with?

 

The spacious cabins and huge balconies?

[cali-croozer]

Leaving on the Grand tomorrow! This is from my "final information" e-mail received from Princess a couple of days ago:

 

"Shortly after we welcome you onboard your spectacular Princess ship, you may dine at the Horizon Court or in one of the ship’s multiple dining rooms".

 

I will check the patter to see which one is open.

[peety3]

Do you remember what dining room it was Moki'smommy? We are sailing on Caribbean Princess in 2 weeks! It's my in laws first cruise so I think a nice uncrowded dining room lunch would be the perfect start.

Don't rely on past experiences - just keep an eye open when you board. Look for the windows into the two midship dining rooms, and see which one has people eating. Or, when you're in the elevator, ask a very specific question: "Which dining room will be open for lunch today?" If you ask a direct question, the staff has to answer you, even though they'll also try to steer you to the buffet. Or, when you get to your room, check the Patter. Or, just go to the dining rooms - odds are it'll be one of the midship ones due to traffic flow (forward/aft lifts are "managed" to get passengers to their stateroom decks with carry-on bags, while the midship lifts run normally for those who have already boarded).

[Bimmer09]

If one considers the food in the main dining room to be slop,

why purchase the cruise to begin with?

 

The spacious cabins and huge balconies?

 

I have never had a bad meal (slop) in the MDR on Princess. Most were plate lickers with maybe a couple of uninspired or overcooked ones (fish). I've happily eaten maybe 40 MDR meals.

 

Most of the world wish they could be served food that good-at least once in their lives.

 

Methinks thou dost protest too much....

 

Norris

[4cats4me]

If one considers the food in the main dining room to be slop,

 

why purchase the cruise to begin with?

 

 

 

The spacious cabins and huge balconies?

 

 

 

Now that you ask, we never made it to the MDR last week on the Regal [emoji79]either, now that I think about it since the other venues were so good [emoji74] Crowne Grill, Alfredo's, and no, trust me, that balcony on the Regal mini was certainly NOT spacious [emoji81] so we definitely weren't cruising for that. There are many reasons to enjoy a cruise that don't involve a spacious cabin or the MDR, such as ports of call, entertainment, activities, relaxing, and best of all, Movies Under The Stars. [emoji344][emoji344][emoji344][emoji344]

[Lucky TGO]

The MDR is open for lunch until 1:30. We were on the Royal Princess this year and went to Alfredo's for lunch it was very good.

Tony