Dining in cabin for dinner

[EmsMom]

I have been reading on some reviews that dinner is often difficult on the Koningsdam for various reasons.   Has anyone just opted to eat in his cabin instead and if so how did that work out for you?   We can’t get a dining time which is annoying and we like to eat earlier rather than later so I thought maybe we could just order room service.   It was my understanding that you can order from the main dining room menu.   We couldn’t get club orange and really don’t like buffets.  

[lazey1]

If you have not allready done so please call HAL and request to get on the wait list for early dining. If necessary, as soon as you get on board go to the main dining roon and ask the manager for early dining. It may not be possible the first night but you will be on the wait list again. I have done this 3 times on different ships and always got the early dining by the 2nd day.

 

[CruiserBruce]

Once you get on board and talk to the staff, it will be worked out. I absolutely wouldn't be planning on eating in our cabin for this reason.

[erdufylla]

Every cruise is different, but we never had any trouble getting a table in the MDR with open seating on the Koningsdam, even when we were requesting just a 2-top. We tended to go on the early side (5:30 or 6:00-ish) because the teen club always had events at 8pm that we needed to be finished before.

 

We never bothered making reservations because we were just two people and were ok being seated at larger tables with other people if that was the only option, but if you’re concerned about getting a table quickly, especially if you’re a larger group and/or you don’t want to be seated with other people, that could be something you could try.

 

We never tried room service for dinner, so I can’t speak to how quickly it would come. But you might find it uncomfortable for two people to eat a full meal in your room, depending on what size cabin you have. I know in our verandah room, it was fine for morning coffee and some yogurt, but I wouldn’t have wanted to have a full meal for two people in there.

[EmsMom]

5 minutes ago, lazey1 said:

If you have not allready done so please call HAL and request to get on the wait list for early dining. If necessary, as soon as you get on board go to the main dining roon and ask the manager for early dining. It may not be possible the first night but you will be on the wait list again. I have done this 3 times on different ships and always got the early dining by the 2nd day.

 

Thank you.  I’ll give that a try.    😊

[Cruise Suzy]

3 hours ago, EmsMom said:

It was my understanding that you can order from the main dining room menu.

 

Yes. Order within the first hour the MDR is open and request a delivery time. I'd allow at least 30 minutes for them to prep and deliver.

[ottahand7]

We have done so frequently.   It works out great, sometimes the food isn't really hot but that happens in the MDR too. Make sure to check your trays before the waiter leaves.  Salt and pepper frequently missing.  If you want ice water, rolls and butter or coffee make sure to specify.  Those things no longer come along as they had in the past. 

[quack2]

In the not to distant olden days, lobster was always served (no upcharge) on formal night and formal night was a bigger deal.  I refused to pack clothes just for formal night.   So . . . I would order the lobster to be delivered to my room and I would eat (weather permitting) on the my balcony.

[ottahand7]

We do the same.   On a long cruise the novelty wears off really soon.   It is either in cabin or specialty restaurant.  

[Native Floridian 26]

Dinner in the dining room is a daily highlight of my cruise.  I can't imagine missing out on dressing up, getting served, and enjoying the food at a leisurely pace.

 

Please make sure you see the maitre d upon boarding and they will get a table for you.

 

Edited June 15, 2023 by Native Floridian 26

[erdufylla]

1 hour ago, Native Floridian 26 said:

Dinner in the dining room is a daily highlight of my cruise.  I can't imagine missing out on dressing up, getting served, and enjoying the food at a leisurely pace.

 

Same for me. I’m often a solo cruiser, or as good as (traveling with other couples or family members who have their own ideas of how they want to spend their time), and for me, getting to sit at a table with a bunch of strangers and talk with them for the 1-2 hours the meal takes is a highlight of my day. 🙂

[Cruisercl]

This is a bit off topic but kind of related.

Are thr MDR menus on the Nav App; I can't remember.

TIA.🙂

[erdufylla]

8 minutes ago, Cruisercl said:

This is a bit off topic but kind of related.

Are thr MDR menus on the Nav App; I can't remember.

TIA.🙂

They are! Or at least, links to them are. It opens up a PDF in a browser for that day’s menu. I might be misremembering, but I don’t think there’s a way to see future days’ menus, just the current one.

[ottahand7]

10 minutes ago, Cruisercl said:

This is a bit off topic but kind of related.

Are thr MDR menus on the Nav App; I can't remember.

TIA.🙂

Yes they are in addition to the TV.  Usually earlier on TV. 

[Native Floridian 26]

38 minutes ago, Cruisercl said:

This is a bit off topic but kind of related.

Are thr MDR menus on the Nav App; I can't remember.

TIA.🙂

Yes, they show up by noon on the same day.  No peeking ahead.

[Crew News]

MDR menus are the same for each ship sailing on the same itinerary throughout the current season, duration, and location.  If your ship is sailing on the same itinerary and duration (check the HAL website), you can see the MDR menus on the Navigator app.  The daily MDR menus will be the same. 

 

If others post their menus for the same duration, location, and season, you can see the menus there as well.  I have posted the 2023 Alaska 7-Day season menus and will be posting the Caribbean season 7-Day menus in October.

[JeffElizabeth]

14 hours ago, erdufylla said:

Same for me. I’m often a solo cruiser, or as good as (traveling with other couples or family members who have their own ideas of how they want to spend their time), and for me, getting to sit at a table with a bunch of strangers and talk with them for the 1-2 hours the meal takes is a highlight of my day. 🙂

Agree. One of the reasons we cruise is to talk with a new crowd of people. After the pandemic,  I want to get back to the tables for eight. 

[Banditswife]

We usually have the open seating option & frequently head to MDR around 5:30 - 6 PM.  We usually are seated within 5-10 minutes, but sometimes there is a longer wait, especially 1st night or "dressy" nights.  

[erdufylla]

46 minutes ago, JeffElizabeth said:

Agree. One of the reasons we cruise is to talk with a new crowd of people. After the pandemic,  I want to get back to the tables for eight. 

Let me tell you, it was so great on this most recent cruise. I mostly ate dinner with just my nephew at a 2-top (his preference, he’s really introverted). But I ate breakfast and sometimes lunch at larger tables with a variety of people, and it was just… one of the best parts of the trip for me. I met so many people from a wide range of countries and other parts of the US, and conversations were always so good. I’ve never done a true solo cruise, where I’m not at least traveling with other couples, etc., and I wasn’t sure if I’d find it isolating, but this most recent cruise, where I was on my own more than not, since the kid was off with the other kids on the ship most of the time, I never lacked for conversation when I wanted it. I even got absorbed into a couple different family groups during trivia a few times! I had such an enjoyable time, and it did a lot to ease my concerns for future solo ventures. 

[EmsMom]

21 hours ago, quack2 said:

In the not to distant olden days, lobster was always served (no upcharge) on formal night and formal night was a bigger deal.  I refused to pack clothes just for formal night.   So . . . I would order the lobster to be delivered to my room and I would eat (weather permitting) on the my balcony.

We always travel with carry on luggage and aren’t really into the formal nights so in room would possibly work those nights since formal clothes take up too much room.   I really don’t like eating at the buffet.   We too like meeting new people but not on formal nights.  Lol.  Sounds like in room will be a good option for us on those nights or nights we don’t feel like going anywhere to eat.   

[badtwin]

We too like a larger table in the mdr.  But we have our second cruise this year on a pinnacle class and were again waitlisted for a larger table for late fixed dining.  In February, we got stuck at a two top in a horrible corner and switched to eat with friends early rather than sit there alone.  What gives? We never heard of a problem getting late fixed.  Are there just that many fewer large tables? Anyone else having trouble getting late fixed?

[Midwest Sunseeker]

On 6/16/2023 at 1:28 PM, EmsMom said:

We always travel with carry on luggage and aren’t really into the formal nights so in room would possibly work those nights since formal clothes take up too much room.   I really don’t like eating at the buffet.   We too like meeting new people but not on formal nights.  Lol.  Sounds like in room will be a good option for us on those nights or nights we don’t feel like going anywhere to eat.   

Many don’t dress up anymore.  Enjoy the dining room if you want and don’t worry about what others wear.  We pack light and just wear pants. My DH wears a knit collar shirt and I add a small necklace to a dark T-shirt.  I have a scarf with a little sparkle I use on the plane and in the dining room to fight off the chill.  Have a fun cruise. 

[Mosaic]

Many people still and often dress up.

[erdufylla]

5 hours ago, Mosaic said:

Many people still and often dress up.

They do, and it’s lovely to see. But I think the point was that it’s far from everyone these days, or even the majority from what I can tell. I’m sure it varies quite a bit from itinerary to itinerary — I think I remember reading somewhere that Alaska trips tend to lean far more toward casual dress overall. And the point is that someone who doesn’t want to pack fancy clothes shouldn’t need to isolate themselves away from the MDR for that reason alone, if they don’t want to, as they’ll hardly stand out, as long as they’re not wearing sweatpants or shorts or flip-flops, etc. I even saw jeans on “dressy” night in the MDR on my most recent Alaska cruise!

[OlsSalt]

6 hours ago, Mosaic said:

Many people still and often dress up.

 

Some of the easiest and lightweight things to pack are dressy night items. The fun continues. Any sort of sparkle tops are just fine. Virtually unwrinkable, to stuff in a corner of a suitcase. Even a light weight dinner jacket for men is an easy pack staple.

 

So there must be other reasons besides packing and weight allowances, but that is the way it goes these days.