Dining Rooms- worth it?

[namowal]

Is it worth the extra trouble to dress up and wait for dining room meals on Princess Cruises? I skipped them on my first cruise because it seemed like a hassle and I was content to get my food elsewhere. Also I've heard claims that the food was nothing special. Is this true? Would I be dressing up and waiting for stuff I could grab myself at the buffet?

[calvin31]

Seems odd to me to want to skip one of the main pleasures of cruising....nice dinners and impeccable service but to each his own. You only have to truly dress up on formal nights however. Regular everyday casual restaurant clothes work for any other day of the week. Buffet is great for me for quick lunches and that sort of thing, otherwise its dining room 100% of the time.

 

 

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[shredie]

Is it worth the extra trouble to dress up and wait for dining room meals on Princess Cruises? I skipped them on my first cruise because it seemed like a hassle and I was content to get my food elsewhere. Also I've heard claims that the food was nothing special. Is this true? Would I be dressing up and waiting for stuff I could grab myself at the buffet?

 

Well, I don't think you need to get all that dressed up to go to the dining room on non-formal nights, but if you are more comfortable in your shorts and T's, then there is nothing wrong with eating in the buffet. They will have a bigger selection than the DR menu has, and sometimes the same food will be repeated in the buffet. The bigger ships (Royal class) have a buffet reported to be better than the dining rooms (in the opinion of some.) Portions are small in the DR (although you can order more.) Look at some menus. On YouTube there are some vids of dining room food. See if you think it looks any better to you. If you decide on the buffet, you won't be alone. I know several people who always eat dinner there.

[BratDet]

We love MDR! Avoid buffet mostly except for odds and ends.

[jennybenny]

You only have to dress up for Formal nights. I think the MDR is worth it.

If you aren't sure, check out the menu and see if you like something before you decide upon the buffet.

[OCruisers]

We much prefer the MDR ... but have cruise pals who had actually rather eat in the buffet or go to Trident Grill. With them it's not a dress issue ... just what they like to do.

To each his own! :)

LuLu

[Alaskan Joe]

Seems odd to me to want to skip one of the main pleasures of cruising....nice dinners and impeccable service but to each his own. You only have to truly dress up on formal nights however. Regular everyday casual restaurant clothes work for any other day of the week. Buffet is great for me for quick lunches and that sort of thing, otherwise its dining room 100% of the time.

 

I could not agree more Calvin! Also the specialty restaurants are even more impeccable $29 more but worth it for at least one night of a 7day cruise. On my first cruise (not even one day:() we did not do the fancy MDR we did the buffet. Now that I know better I regret not doing this my first cruise. I would suggest at least doing the MDR once (preferably the first day) then you have the rest of the cruise to decide what food option is for you. In summary, don't get me wrong my wife and I do love a good buffet but why would you settle for just vanilla ice cream when you can have vanilla ice cream with hot fudge, whip cream, sprinkles, and a cherry on top.

[gdisney]

I don't know, I kind of like dressing up just a little and going to the MDR. Just a much nicer and relaxing experience as opposed to going to the buffet; the buffet just seems a 'cheaper' experience. I've always enjoyed the meals in the MDR; the buffet has been pretty much as good quality wise, but you can't beat the presentation of the MDR. Nor have I had to wait long in the MDR. But to each his own.

Edited May 20, 2016 by gdisney

[RocketMan275]

Is it worth the extra trouble to dress up and wait for dining room meals on Princess Cruises? I skipped them on my first cruise because it seemed like a hassle and I was content to get my food elsewhere. Also I've heard claims that the food was nothing special. Is this true? Would I be dressing up and waiting for stuff I could grab myself at the buffet?

 

It's a matter of personal preference. As you've seen from the responses, most think the MDR is one of the major reasons for cruising. We disagree. We've been on Royal Caribbean twice, Princess twice, and Holland once. We seldom go to the MDR. In our 35 nights on these ships, we dined in the MDR a total of four times.

 

We find the MDR to be loud and crowded, vastly over-rated, and somewhat pretentious. We've found the dining experience in the buffet much more enjoyable. The buffet on the Regal/Royal is particularly great.

 

I would suggest your try the MDR at least a couple of times. You might enjoy it. If you don't, then you'll know you haven't missed anything.

[paul929207]

We like the MDR. We get Anytime Dining so there is little or no wait.

[Thrak]

We almost always eat dinner in MDR. I love my Crème Brûlée. :D

 

We often have breakfast in HC as we tend to sleep in late. If we happen to get up earlier we eat breakfast in MDR once in a while.

 

As for "dressing up" for dinner in MDR, other than Formal Night, I just wear what I normally wear after 6:00 PM on the ship. Smart casual...

[neverbeenhere]

I like Food. You other brothers can't deny... Cruising is for doing whatever you like.(within reasonable constraints) Enjoy your cruise and don't sweat the small stuff.

[moki'smommy]

We rarely choose to eat other than in a MDR setting or specialty restaurant. By "rarely," I mean that in over 400 cruise nights, we have chosen to eat in an buffet or elsewhere maybe 5 nights.

 

You don't have to dress up much, even on formal nights. On my last cruise, where luggage was at a serious premium, I wore black dress slacks, a black knit top, and a lacy overblouse. I seriously didn't feel out of place at all. Normally I would wear a cocktail dress, but....yeah, this wasn't the cruise to carry anything unnecessary.

 

Other nights are "cruise casual--for me, that translates into a clean, decent pair of slacks or skirt with a nice tip. For my kiddo, I'll even "make do" with clean jeans in good condition and a nice shirt (NOT a t-shirt with some gross picture on it!). So no, we don't find dressing for dinner to be a big deal at all.

[Montrealais]

For me:

 

MDR = Nice restaurant

 

Buffet = All you can eat place

 

Considering the price of a cruise, I'd rather eat in a nice restaurant (MDR)

 

One thing for sure: in both places you'll be well fed!

[Putterdude]

We don't go on cruising to eat in the buffet, we like being served and try to eat as many meals as possible in the MDR. That's not to say that I won't go to the buffet for breakfast if Dudette wants to sleep in on a sea day....but I really don't care to eat off plastic plates and drink from plastic glasses and mugs.

[EZ2CY]

Is it worth the extra trouble to dress up and wait for dining room meals on Princess Cruises? I skipped them on my first cruise because it seemed like a hassle and I was content to get my food elsewhere. Also I've heard claims that the food was nothing special. Is this true? Would I be dressing up and waiting for stuff I could grab myself at the buffet?

 

The real difference is in ambiance. In the MDR you'll be waited on as in any other "nice" restaurant, given a menu to choose your meal from, be able to order cocktails and wine etc. In the buffet you wait on yourself, except for having water, coffee or iced tea etc poured for you. You'll be able to have delicious food either way.

 

Just noticed you're from So Cal (where life is more casual than the Northeast where I now live.) Flip flops and shorts aren't allowed in the MDR for dinner. If that's a deal breaker for you, then you can get good food in the buffet or in the even more casual spots like The Trident Grill. (No flaming, I grew up in California. Sibs still live there and two think wearing new flip flops IS dressing up. LOL)

[ginabab]

One of our joys is eating together across from each other, and being served at breakfast, lunch and dinner in the MDR

On our Alaska cruise this month we had baked Alaska and floating islands for dessert along with salads, soup and great main courses

We think the MDR food has gotten better over the years

Yum [emoji4] and Big Kudos to Princess chefs, prep staff and servers

[ano]

Is it worth the extra trouble to dress up and wait for dining room meals on Princess Cruises? I skipped them on my first cruise because it seemed like a hassle and I was content to get my food elsewhere. Also I've heard claims that the food was nothing special. Is this true? Would I be dressing up and waiting for stuff I could grab myself at the buffet?

I don't disagree with you. The food is pretty close if not the same. Me myself I would rather pick what I want and as much as I want rather than have someone serve it to me, so often I go to the MDR with my wife, have a small taste and then go to the buffet after. I can go to the buffet, get what I want in half the time it takes for them to serve me.

 

I would still try it once, see if you like it. If not you still can go to the buffet after. We do it maybe 50-50, but I myself like the buffet better, but that's just personal preference. The specialty restaurants are pretty nice but then it becomes a choice of do you REALLY want to commit that much time and money to it? Occasionally maybe but not certainly all the time.

[Pam in CA]

For me, it depends on the ship. I absolutely love the buffet on the Royal so the Regal would be the same. Most of the items in the dining room are available in the buffet plus the tables are set with tablecloths. I've now sailed three times on the Royal (two 17-day trans-Atlantics and one 10-day Caribbean) and have only eaten in the dining room less than six times. I've had some really fun times in the buffet eating with friends.

 

On other ships and cruises, I do late Traditional dining but have no problem going to the buffet if it's been a long day of touring or I feel like skipping formal nights.

 

I personally don't like the brand new menus in the dining room. They've changed since the beginning of the year and gone are some favorites that I liked. No more salmon, tournedos of beef or even hamburgers.

 

My preference in the Traditional dining room is a table for eight. I've met some terrific people and they've made dining in the dining room special.

[moki'smommy]

We don't go on cruising to eat in the buffet, we like being served and try to eat as many meals as possible in the MDR. That's not to say that I won't go to the buffet for breakfast if Dudette wants to sleep in on a sea day....but I really don't care to eat off plastic plates and drink from plastic glasses and mugs.

 

We need a "like" button. You nailed it. And I don't cruise to eat at a McDonald's look alike either.

[Steelers0854]

We find the food in the MDR to be significantly better than horizon court, but food is so so subjective that everyone has their own preferences. So for us we eat in the MDR every evening. But then again we also like getting to know our servers and talking to them each night as well as our tablemates (we do traditional dining).

[Murphey]

The buffet to us is "cafeteria" style. We don't care for it. We would never go to a buffet at home. And, we think it's much easier to overeat there. We love going to the MDR and not having to read the menu "right-to-left" as we do by habit (if you get my gist)! It's a treat (for us). It's "dining" vs. "eating".

Edited May 20, 2016 by Murphey

[anthonyy7]

Except formal nights there is no need to dress up to eat in the MDR. It takes a few min to throw on some pants, clean collared shirt, and remove hat (my pet peeve). If packing is an issue just pack 1 pair of pants and 2 nice shirts and alternate. With anytime dining, I've never had to wait for a table however we eat early between 5-6.

[namowal]

Wow, thanks for all the responses!

I was under the impression that MDR = waiting 45 minutes for mediocre food served on real plates. Not so!

Now I'll have to try it.:cool:

Edited May 20, 2016 by namowal
clarification

[pris993]

If you are smart and selective about what you order you can get a go0d meal in the

MDR, same is true in the buffet... we are very selective.

 

After mean years of crusiing, over 50 curises on 9 different lines, we have come to the conclusion... The Crown Grill is the best bet for us even with add cost.

 

If you want a good meal you can't beat the Crown Grill.