How long does dinner take?

[golf4me2010]

On Bliss soon. I know they block out 2 hour windows for a dining reservation. 

 

In general how long on average would a party of two adults sit for dinner? We dont see ourselves rushing nor will we want to sit for two hours either. 

 

60 to 90 mins maybe on average?  Thanks

[roger001]

I figure one hour minimum.  If you must hurry, tell you server and they can speed it up some.  Otherwise, it is a very no hurry event.  

[steelersfan4ever]

too long, lol

[NutsAboutGolf]

One trick which doesn't work for everyone, skip the starters and simply order two entrees.

[debenson0723]

Really depends on how fast you eat,  the time you are there and which venue.  Specialty restaurants tend to be a bit more leisurely  In my experience, the MDR can be anywhere from 45-90 minutes depending on the time.  I have never come even close to spending 2 hours at dinner but like someone else mentioned, let your server know (or sometimes they will ask up front) if you have a show reservation.

[pinklucky61]

only been 6 cruises, but seems roughly an hour, even when we did specialty restaurants

[Peachypooh]

On our last cruise on the Encore the server asked if we had other evening plans. This

was the first time this was asked of us. We said yes when we did and no when we

didn't. I think next time I will just say yes (even if our plans were a walk out on deck) 

because sitting for the 1-2 hours it takes normally is too long for us. When we said yes

we were in and out in an hour.

[HowardK]

More people such as 6-8 in a MDR can drag out to 2 hours even before desert especially in the 7:30-10:00pm time frame.

I've learned over the years if you ask for certain items quicker or tell them you have a show they are sometimes helpful and accommodating. From my experiences specialty restaurants have been quicker as they have more of a financial incentive to turn over the table.

In my opinion and experience you should be able to clear out a specialty meal in under an hour

[4774Papa]

5 hours ago, golf4me2010 said:

On Bliss soon. I know they block out 2 hour windows for a dining reservation. 

 

In general how long on average would a party of two adults sit for dinner? We dont see ourselves rushing nor will we want to sit for two hours either. 

 

60 to 90 mins maybe on average?  Thanks

We enjoy taking our time at dining and enjoying company at our table.  We normally take minimum of 1.5 hours, sometimes more.

[itf]

Breakaway was brutal in January - 1.5 hours a night and half the time it was cold when it came out.

[BirdTravels]

6 hours ago, golf4me2010 said:

On Bliss soon. I know they block out 2 hour windows for a dining reservation. 

 

In general how long on average would a party of two adults sit for dinner? We dont see ourselves rushing nor will we want to sit for two hours either. 

 

60 to 90 mins maybe on average?  Thanks

We usually order a couple of appetizers, an entree, dessert and coffee. We enjoy having a nice dinner. So we budget  2 hours. If you order multiple apps, you won’t make 60 minutes.
 

The goal is not to cram down the chow as fast as you can. People get frustrated because Denny’s is fine dining to them and white tablecloths and a well paced dinner is just foreign to them.   

[zqvol]

One hour max, unless you drag your feet. They can get you in and out in 45 minutes if you want to go that quick. We have done it many times.

[cmarsh31]

Groups of 4-10 on the Joy last summer. Every.single.meal took 2 hours. It reached the point where we just went to the buffet because it was excruciating. 

[GettotheSun]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

The goal is not to cram down the chow as fast as you can. People get frustrated because Denny’s is fine dining to them and white tablecloths and a well paced dinner is just foreign to them.   

 

Wow, that was a bit harsh?  lol

 

I have to say I am not used to spending anywhere close to 2 hours eating dinner in a restaurant.  And our kids would agree with not wanting to spend that kind of time in a restaurant.  This isn't Michelin dining.  

 

 

 

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, GettotheSun said:

I have to say I am not used to spending anywhere close to 2 hours eating dinner in a restaurant.  And our kids would agree with not wanting to spend that kind of time in a restaurant.  This isn't Michelin dining.  

There always the buffet. Don't be surprised if it takes longer than an hour in a seated restaurant. 

[LaCal]

You can let the restaurant know you have a show to go

to and they’ll speed the dining up 

 

[GettotheSun]

43 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

There always the buffet. Don't be surprised if it takes longer than an hour in a seated restaurant. 

 

Yes, there is always the buffet.  And I have no doubt my kids will go there several times, and I'm sure the parents will try it too!!

 

 

I didn't explain this but for us we don't eat dessert at dinner at a restaurant, so we have apps and dinner...and we're done.  So, my expectation would be we are done in about an hour, or hour 15,...but 2 hours to have appetizers and dinner?   That's slow service.  But I'm basing my opinion on land experiences (home or resorts).  

 

[zqvol]

23 minutes ago, GettotheSun said:

 

Yes, there is always the buffet.  And I have no doubt my kids will go there several times, and I'm sure the parents will try it too!!

 

 

I didn't explain this but for us we don't eat dessert at dinner at a restaurant, so we have apps and dinner...and we're done.  So, my expectation would be we are done in about an hour, or hour 15,...but 2 hours to have appetizers and dinner?   That's slow service.  But I'm basing my opinion on land experiences (home or resorts).  

 

Two courses will not take an hour, but if you have a large party 6 or more it is a bit slower, not because of NCL, but because everyone at the table spends more time talking than they do eating.

[GettotheSun]

2 minutes ago, zqvol said:

Two courses will not take an hour, but if you have a large party 6 or more it is a bit slower, not because of NCL, but because everyone at the table spends more time talking than they do eating.

 

That makes sense.  Just the four of us.

And our kids...<here we go> are two of the most well behaved kids on the planet.  Well one of two.

[Turtles06]

On the Gem last month, the excruciatingly slow service in La Cucina turned our dinner for two into a nearly two-hour affair.  I wanted to shoot myself.   No way should that have been a two-hour meal. 

 

At Cagney's on the same cruise, our server asked us at the outset if we were in a rush.  (This was asked just about everywhere.  I guess some folks are hurrying to make a show.)  We said no, we'd like to sit and enjoy our meal.  Well, the instant we finished the first course, the second was served, which made us wonder how things could have been faster if we'd said we were in a hurry.

 

The best pacing was in the MDRs.  Typically about 90 minutes or fewer if we had dessert.  Could have been out faster if we needed to be. 

[shof515]

13 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

On the Gem last month, the excruciatingly slow service in La Cucina turned our dinner for two into a nearly two-hour affair.  I wanted to shoot myself.   No way should that have been a two-hour meal.

When i was on the Dawn in November, i had a similar experience at the Bamboo. Took about 1 hour for them to bring the starter/appetizer followed by another hour wait for the entree

[oteixeira]

I am the opposite of most of the commentators.  I tell the server I will NOT order the entire meal at one time, and we order each course during or after eating the previous one.  Keep in mind there are apps, then salads/soups, then entrees, then dessert, then coffee.  It's not just 2 courses for most specialties.  The Italian is 5 food courses.

I just got off the Escape yesterday, most of our meals were over 2 hours, but I was on vacation, and it was my choice to enjoy my meals at a slower pace.

[hladygirl]

We usually go to the MDR as soon as it opens. Usually 1 hour total then plenty of time for game shows, theatre shows and casino.

[P_Mcruisers]

6 minutes ago, shof515 said:

When i was on the Dawn in November, i had a similar experience at the Bamboo. Took about 1 hour for them to bring the starter/appetizer followed by another hour wait for the entree

We sailed on the Dawn in October on a b2b. We dined twice at the Bamboo and yes it took a considerable amount of time to be served. I did not time it but it was the longest wait of any restaurant. 

It would be interesting going forward if this continues.

Dawn will sail to Europe soon. 

[megansdad1]

I always order an app, main and dessert.  I am typically never in a rush.  I think we pushed 90 minutes only a couple of times.