MDR: what’s your preference?

[LouisianaCruiser4200]

Would you prefer

1) quick MDR experience of less than an hour with waitstaff that is similar to a land-based experience (quick, courteous but not chatty)

2) longer MDR experience (1.5-2 hours) with waitstaff that strikes up conversation with you.

 

 

I’ve had both and wanted to see other opinions on the matter.

[mdsgu]

Longer. Dinners are part of the cruise experience.

[wareaglefan444]

I would prefer the shorter, with it taking so long now is the reason I choose to skip the mdr now

[ray98]

Quick....I have no need to have courses on a 30 minute cycle. Bring my app, entree 10 minutes later and have a desert menu ready to be served promptly. Out in an hour.

[Qchell]

Totally dependent upon my mood, plans for the evenings, quality of the meal that evening, etc. There have been nights where I very much enjoyed a long relaxing dinner chatting with the waiters and others around us, and there have been nights where I just wanted to have an enjoyable meal and to get on with my evening.

[dmdiver]

While I love chatting with waitstaff, I also want to make it to shows, etc. without feeling rushed to get there. I guess I would opt for about an hour dinner time.

[AD5ZA]

Depends. Sometimes I might be in a hurry to get somewhere and sometimes not.

 

 

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[Oh Not Him Again]

i think they have that....MDR is for the full dining experience....if you want to "grab and go" because you may have something going on, there is room service or the buffet....i think Carnival should really designate this in their literature with something like "Please enjoy our MDR dining experience that will take 90-120 minutes". If time constraints dont allow this, please feel free to visit our buffet or utilize room service for this evening"

[salty dingo]

I choose longer over shorter but I don't care for chatty servers. I like servers who provide attentive service and ask appropriate questions but it's not important if they ask me how my day was, or anything like that.

 

The longer meals provide time to savor each course and to have a nice conversation with those at the table. I definitely don't want to see an "express" option in the MDR. That is exactly what the buffet is for.

[summersigh]

We like longer - we see dinner as part of our evening activities - not as something that takes away from it.

 

That being said ... 2) longer MDR experience (1.5-2 hours) with waitstaff that strikes up conversation with you ..... we've found that dining with the chatty staff is normally an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and a half. Other that occasionally the first night we've never had a 2 hour dinner experience.

[A&Jfamily]

At least with YTD, the waitstaff doesn't have much time to chat, but it is still taking 1.5 hrs on average. That is fine with us - we are on a cruise and enjoy our dinners together to catch up on the day. There is a part of me that misses fixed seating and more of the time to talk but the freedom of YTD wins with shore excursions etc. The compromise with us has been when we get set with wait staff that we like, either at a dinner or breakfast, we request them throughout the rest of the cruise.

[nchikk]

Neither. Why not offer a third option? I prefer option number 1.5, that being a time frame between 1 and 1.5 hours.

[ray98]

The absolute last thing I want is a 'chatty' wait staff. Ask me questions as it relates to the meal and serve the food.

[LouisianaCruiser4200]

Maybe I missed the mark with the "chatty" staff in option 2. It seems like from my experience that if the staff chats with you, they do so with other tables which slows the whole process down. On our last Valor cruise, we were in and out within an hour for dinner which was great. It allowed us to make all the shows. In the past, it's taken well over an hour and a half at dinner which made us miss shows.

[ray98]

Maybe I missed the mark with the "chatty" staff in option 2. It seems like from my experience that if the staff chats with you, they do so with other tables which slows the whole process down.

 

 

Yup.....and you are left sitting there looking at your water glass for 30 minutes. If you truly want an 'upscale' experience having a chatty wait staff is as far from it as you get. In a true fine dining establishment it is all business, the server focuses on professionalism, presentation and what wine should be suggested with our meal instead of wondering what you did today.

Edited April 3, 2018 by ray98

[siestakeys04]

I would be okay with an hour dinner. I can deal with a little talk but not much that is distracting me that my next course isn’t coming no time soon.

[beachbum53]

A maximum of an hour is long enough for dinner. I'm there to eat dinner, not to become "besties" with the wait staff. Same goes at any land-based restaurant we go to.

[LouisianaCruiser4200]

Yup.....and you are left sitting there looking at your water glass for 30 minutes. If you truly want an 'upscale' experience having a chatty wait staff is as far from it as you get.

Lol, yes. Exactly

[teknoge3k]

You should of made this an actual poll!

 

I pick option 1. There is no reason I could possibly think of where it should take me over an hour to eat dinner. No land based restaurant do we ever go in are we there over an hour, unless it's a busy night. Give me my appetizer, my meal and my dessert and let me get on my way. I don't need to sip on coffee and cheese after dinner or wait 10 minutes between dinner/dessert nor am I there to make a new best friend with the staff. I just want to eat and get on with my evening.

[villagenut]

I pick option 1. I am ok with an 1 hour 15 minute meal but after that i am ready to go! A one hour meal from 6-7 gets you out and plenty of time to get a decent seat in show or comedy club. If the meal goes much past 7:15 i feel "rushed" to get to other venues and that is the worst feelin on a cruise.

[Micahs Grandad]

Prefer nice leisurely dinner and happy to chat with tablemates and waitstaff.

[Joebucks]

I don't want either, because it feels forced and stiff. I'm in no huge rush, but 2 hours is too much. I also don't want to go 4-7 days in the MDR and have never had a good interaction with the wait staff.

[steveknj]

Like others have said, depends on my mood and schedule. If I have nothing special going on, I don't mind a leisurely dinner chatting with the waitstaff learning a little about them. If I have a show or other activity to go to, then yeah. I've mentioned to waitstaff that I have an event to go to and they usually will speed things up.

[ncovert]

Would you prefer

1) quick MDR experience of less than an hour with waitstaff that is similar to a land-based experience (quick, courteous but not chatty)

2) longer MDR experience (1.5-2 hours) with waitstaff that strikes up conversation with you.

 

 

I’ve had both and wanted to see other opinions on the matter.

 

For the experience I like the longer. With no where to really be there is no need for a rush. Time to be social and connect. Normally in my day to day I have about 10 minuets or less to eat. The change in pace is attractive to me. But to each there own and I also do see the value in a shorter dinner experience

[jakeT]

If you do MTD. It’s faster, more like 60 minuts.

In regular MDR you enter at 5:30. and they don’t start until 6. Then the app lines in the kitchen so it takes time to get apps. Ect. MTD if you don’t go when it opens. Everyone is at a different point of there meals. So I am on apps and the table next to me is finishing up