Specialty Dining

[mrizer7773]

Family and I are about to embark on our second cruise. The first we didn't do any specialty dining, only using the MDR every night.

We found the food pretty good, and our serving crew was truly exceptional!

 

Are there advantages to the specialty dining?

Is the food considerably better?

Is the service better?

Why do you choose specialty dining over the MDR?

 

Thanks! [emoji4]

[Clarea]

One of the advantages of specialty dining is that the food is supposed to be cooked to order for you, not fully or partially cooked ahead of time like the Main Dining Room. The food quality and service should also be better than the Main Dining room.

 

However, I'm not sure that either of these advantages are as distinctive in specialty restaurants today as they were say 5 years ago. Our experience lately has not been worth the added cost to us.

[Lionesss]

We usually only eat in the MDR after having a cold experience a couple cruise back on Oasis dining in Chops.

 

But this past summer we tried Chops again and had an excellent meal.

 

Looking forward to next summer dining there also.

 

And since we book a suite we will probably try Coastal Kitchen at least once for dinner.

We have had good meals and so-so cooked meals there, but the service is top notch. Just our food preference.

 

Enjoy

[spookwife]

Family and I are about to embark on our second cruise. The first we didn't do any specialty dining, only using the MDR every night.

We found the food pretty good, and our serving crew was truly exceptional!

 

Are there advantages to the specialty dining?

Is the food considerably better?

Is the service better?

Why do you choose specialty dining over the MDR?

 

Thanks! [emoji4]

 

eye of the beholder. we do prefer specialty dining, partly because we are tired of the MDR menus which haven't changed in a couple of years and the fact that instead of getting plate number 6 of 200 of the Sole from under heat lamps, I am getting something that was cooked 5 minutes after I ordered it.

 

officially, only the best wait staff gets promoted to a specialty venue. Unofficially service can be lacking if it is very busy or your server also has a very large and demanding table at the same time you are there. we have experienced everything form adequate service to phenomenal service.

[hallasm]

At our last cruise (Anthem 9 Nights Canada and New England) we did have dinner in Jamie's Italian - 50% discount the first night of the cruise - for me it was not worth the extra money (normal price $ 30 pp) - the remaining days we did have dinner in MDR except for the last night in Windjammer - you might consider Windjammer as an alternative to MDR - some time they do have some special dining options.

[mrizer7773]

How "kid friendly" are the specialty places?

With an 8yo and a 14yo the MDR was nice because the crew knew exactly what the kids would want before they even asked.

 

We've done the Windjammer for breakfast, but not dinner. Is it just a fancier buffet, or do they do anything extra?

[hallasm]

How "kid friendly" are the specialty places?

With an 8yo and a 14yo the MDR was nice because the crew knew exactly what the kids would want before they even asked.

 

We've done the Windjammer for breakfast, but not dinner. Is it just a fancier buffet, or do they do anything extra?

 

In my opinion specialty restaurants are not special "kid friendly".

Dining in Windjammer does vary from ship to ship - Last time on Quantum Class ships they did announce different themes for dinner each night, but still a buffet.

For a longer cruise you might try different option and I do believe that Windjammer is a better opinion with kids that the extra costs of a specialty restaurant.

[RSLeesburg]

Our son (7) loves the WJ, but he has also enjoyed Giovanni's and Sabor. We never tried him at Izumi, Chops, 150 Central Park, or Wonderland as we knew he would not like the menu items. But, on our last cruise, we saw families order hamburger and fries in 150 Central Park and grilled cheese in Wonderland for their kids, which I am guessing that they got these from MDR for the kids.

 

 

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[cb at sea]

We've never eaten breakfast in the buffet...we always use the dining room. It's very casual at breakfast...shorts/flip flops are fine. Table service..mix and match menu items...it's great!

[grapau27]

When we were on Harmony of the seas 3 night maiden voyage on may 26th we tried 3 specialty restaurants as we got a 40% discount.We went in 150 central park.chops grill and wonderland and it was fantastic and much more intimate than the hustle and bustle standing in queues for the main restaurant.It can be expensive but worth doing at least once during your cruise.

 

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[Rogueperson]

In my opinion, the specialty restaurants, at least on Royal Caribbean are worth the extra money. I've had one bad experience on the Jewel, but all the rest of the experience was awesome. Not sure why it was so bad on the Jewel.

 

Now here's where I differ from others. You will get better service in general from the MDR. At least I have. I use traditional dining so i get the same wait staff and they tend to be phenomenal. The wait staff at the specialty restaurant don't know you, but they are better trained than the MDR. The food at the specialty restaurant is generally a step above in quality from the MDR, but if you have a bad chef, or a bad supply of food (which was one reason i suspect the food was poor on the Jewel), then your experience is wasted.

 

why do I choose it, well, the steaks at chops are usually quite good, but the main reason is to try something different and they make it special. Its akin to a special occasion restaurant you would take your significant other.

 

Now, I should add, that the specialty restaurants maybe something I would try if i have time, Chef's table, is something i will ALWAYS do if available (and also with my wife). This is expensive between 70-95/person, but this dinner is not just a meal, but a dining experience. Its usually a 6 - 7 course meal, each paired with a specific wine. Its an amazing experience. As the specialty restaurants are a couple notches above the MDR, Chef's table is a couple notches above the specialty restaurant (as you can see in price).

[reallyitsmema]

How "kid friendly" are the specialty places?

With an 8yo and a 14yo the MDR was nice because the crew knew exactly what the kids would want before they even asked.

 

We've done the Windjammer for breakfast, but not dinner. Is it just a fancier buffet, or do they do anything extra?

 

Not all specialty restaurants are kid friendly. Izumi Hibachi is a good choice for kids since it is basically, dinner and a show. Sabor, Giovanni's Table, Jamie's or Johnny Rockets would be good choices too. I wouldn't bring an 8 yr old to 150 Central Park or to Chef's Table. It really depends on the kid too. My nephews were horrible to take out somewhere nice, my niece was very well behaved and no issue.

 

WJ is good for dinner. There is usually a make to order section each night, but it really depends on the ship. Oasis WJ for dinner was just OK, but we enjoyed Jewel and Brilliance Windjammers for dinner. They had cooked to order stir fry, make your own pizza, made to order crepes, made to order pasta and other choices depending on the night. WJ will also have some of the dining room choices too and a carving station each night.

[capecruzer]

I like the specialty restaurants just for a change of venue. We find the wait times much longer but YMMV. Our absolute favorite specialty was on Celebrity, Quisine. We didn't love the Ipad part of it but wow, the food journey was incredible. We've also had good luck with Asian-style restaurants. The ones we like the least are usually the steak houses or italian, never seem to be a good value.

 

My daughter and I are doing a 5 nighter in January and I don't think we'll do a specialty. Its short enough that we probably won't need a change of pace, especially since one port stop goes later into the night and we'll most likely just grab buffet or eat off the ship.

[vacationlover_mn]

Sometimes we do SD, sometimes we don't. Usually it's something we decide onboard, because we feel like something different (like Japanese or fancy Italian). On our upcoming trip, we actually prebooked wonderland, because I am SO excited to try it :). And, we did it for the first night, so we wouldn't miss any good nights in the MDR.

 

 

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