Dining Rooms- worth it?

[GUT2407]

Whatever floats your boat I guess, on longer cruises well do a bit of everything, MDR, horizontal court, room service, grill, specialty.

 

Shorter cruises obviously less time, so less variety, 1st night grab buffet and eat on deck as we sail out of one of the most spectacular harbours on earth.

 

Next cruise is only 7 nights, but three great harbours, Sydney, Hobart (but sail out is midnight) and Port Arthur, so not sure how we'll share it out.

 

But getting the Sunday Best on is nice now and then too.

[riclop]

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?

 

On the Regal/ Royal the buffet is much better then the MDR. The Regal has the worst MDR experience in all our cruises on ant line. So the last time we ate in the buffet and it was much better.

[OzKiwiJJ]

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:

 

Usually the MDR dinner menu will be on display in front of at least one of the MDRs (often the one that serves lunch on sea days) during the afternoon. On Golden it was also on display near the Horizon Court.

 

We much prefer the ambience of the MDRs, especially for dinner, but also lunch and breakfast where possible.

[cruzsnooze]

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?

 

With the exception of formal nights there is no dress up. Any pair of slacks and shirt or blouse will do. On formal nights people get less and less dressed up but Khaki and buttoned or polo shirt will do.

[LokiPoki]

We found MDR much, much better than buffet - we stuck to MDR for most meals because of my dietary issues (and they were wonderful in dealing with those) - but even comparing things that were fairly similar (fruit, salads, etc) the quality was far better in MDR than buffet as it had not been repeatedly pushed and scraped around by other passengers...additionally when the buffet was extremely busy there wasn't great policing of bad passenger behaviours - particularly people touching food with their bare hands, and even picking up and replacing things they didn't want.

 

I could not fault the food I had any night - beautiful fresh salads, which they topped up with things like fresh avocado, walnuts, beans, fresh cut fruit, vegetables cooked as I like them (not sautéed in butter or drowned in oil) - but even rest of my group eating meals as listed on the menu could not find fault. Our only meal "fail" was in the pizzeria - with 24 hours notice they made me a gluten free base, which looked fantastic on the plate, tasted revolting and was so dense I could have brained someone with it. Toppings all round were pretty poor - have seen frozen pizzas with better topping - but it sounded from talking with other passengers that they were pretty hit and miss - people either loved or hated what they'd had, very little middle ground.

 

No big deal as far as dressing for dinner - but I do agree with comments elsewhere that the enforcement (or not) of dress policy is somewhat sexist...I, as a not unattractive young woman wore long shorts more than once, but my brother in a very similar pair was asked to change. Formal nights not really a big deal - some people obviously really enjoy it and get right into it - the ladies in their nice dresses/gowns and gents in a tux - but we were told that smart/dressy pants & a nice shirt or blouse was quite acceptable for us & shirt/tie fine for the boys. A certain member of my group wore a tux t-shirt to our second formal night and wasn't questioned - but that said, we'd got to know 2 of 3 head waiters in our dining room pretty well by then, and think as I came in for a bit of special treatment they probably gave our whole group a little more leeway than might have been given otherwise.

Edited May 21, 2016 by LokiPoki
Added extra

[renesir]

My hubby and I always dine in the MDR. We are not buffet diners unless it's to grab something fast on our way out for an excursion. Except on formal night you can go casual. Don't get me wrong you can't go in shorts and sandals but dress pants and a polo is fine for most evenings. You will enjoy it. We always enjoyed the food in the MDR too.

[skynight]

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?

Depends on what you mean by 'extra trouble to dress up'. You will have to wear long pants with a nice shirt on smart casual evenings, but this generally how the Princess demographic dresses every smart casual day for all evening activities, not just dining. On formal nights if you don't want to dress according to the code suggestions you can dine elsewhere.

 

What is meant by 'wait'? Meals in the DR will take 1 1/2 to 2 hrs to go through all the courses. It is a little quicker if you dine at a table for two. If you wish to dine in 20/30 mins, then the DR isn't for you.

 

I enjoy the selections at all free and surcharge dining venues, from a burger at the grill to the lobster tails on formal night. But, in general, I find the DR a more relaxing experience and it is method to control your food intake. The DR menus are posted outside the DR each day, so you can check in advance to see what you may enjoy.

[Zooguy]

I've thought a lot about this subject, and this is what I've concluded. The MDR is best for people who are not so much into the food, but are more interested in slow, social dining perhaps with a bottle of wine.

If you're there for good food along with greatly enhanced options and selection, the buffet is for you. As someone else contributed earlier, the buffet on the Royal and Regal is particularly outstanding.

Edited May 21, 2016 by Zooguy

[gdisney]

...If packing is an issue just pack 1 pair of pants and 2 nice shirts and alternate...

 

That's exactly what I do, mix and match to save on packing. No one really notices or cares ;)

[jawhoffman]

We just returned from an Alaskan cruise and ate in both the MDR and the buffet and enjoyed both tremendously. We chose anytime dining so we could check the menu and then choose, depending on our schedule, where we wanted to eat each meal. Worked great for us and we felt very comfortable in our jeans on casual nights in the MDR.

[elliair]

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?

 

DH and I prefer to eat our meals in the buffet. Occasionally we'll go for lunch if there's something on the menu we want. Rarely do we go for dinner as we don't care to wait. We always get a table for 2 if we do go. Most of the items on the menu isn't for us, and if I want lobster we'll go to the steak house. We're looking forward to our Carnival Legend cruise, I read the menu over and we'll definitely go to the MDR. We booked the steakhouse for the first night - free bottle of wine!:D

 

In the buffet on Princess they occasionally have these breadstick twists that have seeds on them. They are the best things and not available in the MDR that I have seen.

[roomba920]

Depending on the evenings entertainment schedules the dining room can be much slower than the buffet option. However, dressing up for a special evening of a nice formal sit down dinner is part of the whole experience, so I would recommend you participate at least one formal evening.

[cb at sea]

On vacation, I'm never in a hurry to do anything....a nice, sit-down meal is great! You don't have to "dress up"....just slip on a pair of decent pants, and a collared shirt, and you're good to go!

Edited May 22, 2016 by cb at sea

[shredie]

DH and I prefer to eat our meals in the buffet. Occasionally we'll go for lunch if there's something on the menu we want. Rarely do we go for dinner as we don't care to wait. We always get a table for 2 if we do go. Most of the items on the menu isn't for us, and if I want lobster we'll go to the steak house. We're looking forward to our Carnival Legend cruise, I read the menu over and we'll definitely go to the MDR. We booked the steakhouse for the first night - free bottle of wine!:D

 

In the buffet on Princess they occasionally have these breadstick twists that have seeds on them. They are the best things and not available in the MDR that I have seen.

 

The bread sticks do show up once in a great while in the MDR. I haven't been on Carnival for more than a year, so I would be interested in what you think. Come back and tell us how things compare now. I don't know if they are still doing American Table, so I'm curious. I have always found the Princess DR food a little better than Carnival but much prefer the Carnival buffets.

[FritzG]

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.

 

We always book first seating in the mdr, but we often go to HC for a later dessert. In the past we've felt that the dinners offered in HC were comparable to those in the dining rooms.

 

However we just got off the Ruby this morning, and we found the food in HC to be very limited in selection and very poor quality. This was our 7th cruise on the Ruby, and this was the first time we've been disappointed with the food. Even at breakfast and lunch the selection and quality were poor.

 

The dining room food for all three meals was good to very good.

[OzKiwiJJ]

I've thought a lot about this subject, and this is what I've concluded. The MDR is best for people who are not so much into the food, but are more interested in slow, social dining perhaps with a bottle of wine.

If you're there for good food along with greatly enhanced options and selection, the buffet is for you. As someone else contributed earlier, the buffet on the Royal and Regal is particularly outstanding.

 

I disagree. On some of the ships the quality of the buffet food is not as good as in the MDR. Perhaps if going at peak time the offerings will be fresh and hot, but if dining later the food has often been sitting around for some time.

 

For those that prefer dining later I believe the MDR is far better.

 

Also I would say that the buffet is for those that don't enjoy good food, served at a pace that enhances the enjoyment, but is good for those that prefer to fill (overfill?) their plates and eat quickly.

Edited May 22, 2016 by OzKiwiJJ

[shredie]

I disagree. On some of the ships the quality of the buffet food is not as good as in the MDR. Perhaps if going at peak time the offerings will be fresh and hot, but if dining later the food has often been sitting around for some time.

 

For those that prefer dining later I believe the MDR is far better.

 

Also I would say that the buffet is for those that don't enjoy good food, served at a pace that enhances the enjoyment, but is good for those that prefer to fill (overfill?) their plates and eat quickly.

 

Really? :rolleyes:

[MaChere]

We have enjoyed the MDR for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. Anytime dining, rather late. We enjoy the quiet and calm atmosphere, and also enjoy being seated with others randomly to hear great excursion and cruising stories. Have met some delightful folks this way. Rarely eat in HC. On early excursion port days, we will order room service breakfast. Have enjoyed Crown Grill and Sabatini's once each. We also have eaten the pub lunch in Wheelhouse Bar and also the HC Crab Shack. Enjoyed those as well. But generally we eat in the MDR. Hard to find a bad meal if you ask me.

[Mom33]

I disagree. On some of the ships the quality of the buffet food is not as good as in the MDR. Perhaps if going at peak time the offerings will be fresh and hot, but if dining later the food has often been sitting around for some time.

 

For those that prefer dining later I believe the MDR is far better.

 

Also I would say that the buffet is for those that don't enjoy good food, served at a pace that enhances the enjoyment, but is good for those that prefer to fill (overfill?) their plates and eat quickly.

 

We try to eat in all the venues at one time or other. If we want a relaxing meal we go to the Dining room. If we are trying to see a show at a certain time, we might use the buffet or IC for a quick meal.

 

We enjoy good food! :D We disagree with your view point.

[Mud_Shark]

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:

 

If the time issue is your thing - yes, dining in the MDR is slow. We like it. It is an event, not just a meal. We choose traditional dining at a large table (for 8 or 10). That way we get to know maybe 3 or 4 other couples or some singles. We look forward to 'catching up' with what everyone has done that day. We have settled into the early traditional seating, which is usually 5:30pm, and it takes a good 90 minutes to a full 2 hours sometimes if we linger over dessert. We simply check the evening shows and determine if we want to get out in time for them or linger. If we do skip dessert, you can be sure I will get my calories at the International café after the show.

 

We skipped the formal nights on our last cruise simply because we did not want to pack and haul (and pay airline fees) for an extra bag. So we went to the buffet instead one night, and did the Crown Grill the other night. Both were good, but we found ourselves missing our tablemates. Maybe if we found we were not a good fit with our tablemates we might gravitate to the buffet more often.

 

Don

[satxdiver]

The HC (buffet) offers good food, a wider variety but it is off a hot table which means it may have been prepared 20 minutes earlier or more. The MDR offers a better quality of food in a dining atmosphere IMO. Sometimes some food offered in the MDR will show up in the HC. If you want to have a quicker meal in the MDR ask for a table for 2 or 4. If you want to have the "dining experience" pick a table for 8 but the meal will take a lot longer. It does offer a better opportunity for socialization.

 

As for formal nights, minimum dress for males is docker pants and a long sleeved dress shirt and shoes. There will be quite a few dressed in a similar manner. Dragging along more formal clothes is not required. Women can wear just about anything if they put on some sparkles. I have found the food served in the MDR on formal nights to be better than the other nights. However just remember that food is subjective. Ask 10 people and you will get 10 answers!

[jshyshka]

On the Regal/ Royal the buffet is much better then the MDR. The Regal has the worst MDR experience in all our cruises on ant line. So the last time we ate in the buffet and it was much better.

 

 

To each their own - our group loved the main dinning room - great service and good food. We thought the buffet was OK but, well - it was a buffet :-)

[floridalover5623]

On the Regal/ Royal the buffet is much better then the MDR. The Regal has the worst MDR experience in all our cruises on ant line. So the last time we ate in the buffet and it was much better.

 

To each their own - our group loved the main dinning room - great service and good food. We thought the buffet was OK but, well - it was a buffet :-)

 

Still the buffet on the Regal and Royal offer selections & quality of prep that rival the other ships & make it a great alternative to the slow service of the dining room. These ships offer something for everyone.

[sunsetbeachgal]

After cruising the Royal and Regal we have started having a couple of dinners over the course of a cruise in the buffet. Especially on long days where you just feel like dressing casually, and it is nice not having to worry about waiting for a table or slow, inattentive service. We like the variety of foods and making your own salad. We also enjoy the theme nights in the buffet, especially the German night.

Edited May 23, 2016 by sunsetbeachgal

[shredie]

Yes. Theme nights. That's one reason to eat in the buffet. They don't do these in the DR. The Bavarian night is always popular.