Requesting off-menu meal in MDR?

[wahooker]

We are on a cruise this year at Christmas, and one of my family's longstanding traditions is that every year we eat Chinese food for Christmas. It started while we were in the process of adopting from China, and we have been doing it ever since, this will be year 18.

 

Would it be out of line if we requested something Chinese that is off menu? I know, it's a small thing, and normally its for allergies or medical needs or religious preferences... but I know for us it's just a neat family tradition.

 

Should I talk to the MDR staff the first day after we get onboard to let them know in advance, or should I wait for the first night's meal and discuss with the waiter?
 

[mom says]

Why not just do that dinner in the buffet? They have an Asian stir fry and noodle station on most ships

[gold1953]

I doubt it unless you are asking for a slight change to food already on the menu. Custom meals for health issues all use variations of basic menu dishes. 

Be adventurous and change up for a Christmas cruise

[joeyjeremiah]

It is unlikely that they will be able to accommodate you but I would speak to the Maitre d' on the first night to see what they can do. Otherwise since the tradition is important have a backup plan as you may need to visit the buffet or another venue to find the dish. Otherwise is there a commercially packaged non perishable item that would work that you could bring with you? It may not be the same but neither is cruising at Christmas do it would still keep your tradition going. Otherwise depending on your itinerary if you are in port maybe you could find something there at lunch time? But more than likely I would say you may need to look at other options to keep your tradition in lieu of having an off menu dish prepared for your family. 

[Shiba_Lover]

If there is a Sushi on 5 on the ship, you could go there.  They also have hot food.  Not exactly Chinese, but still Asian food.

[Jim_Iain]

From previous cruise, someone we were traveling with wanted Indian Food for dinner.   He spoke with the Maitre'd and was told if he was given 24 hours notice he could accommodate.   The next night he personally delivered it and brought a different selection for the table every night.

 

Worth a try.   The worst they can say is no and then you can take one of the many good recommendations that have been made.

[cruisestitch]

As a back up plan, why don’t you bring some thing like these cookies with you just in case

[TommyD3]

7 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

From previous cruise, someone we were traveling with wanted Indian Food for dinner.   He spoke with the Maitre'd and was told if he was given 24 hours notice he could accommodate.   The next night he personally delivered it and brought a different selection for the table every night.

 

Worth a try.   The worst they can say is no and then you can take one of the many good recommendations that have been made.

This was in Luminae, right? OP was referring to the MDR.

[Jim_Iain]

16 minutes ago, TommyD3 said:

This was in Luminae, right? OP was referring to the MDR.

It was in both Luminae and Blu -  Would assume if you approached the Maitre'D he could accommodate.   After all they do accommodate Kosher, Muslim and many other special menus. 

[abbydancer2003]

I was on Princess one xmas with a table for 10, and 3 of the 5 sets had one or two Jewish people.  We jokingly asked the waiter if tonights dinner had Chinese food.  He was so confused.

[LB_NJ]

8 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

From previous cruise, someone we were traveling with wanted Indian Food for dinner.   He spoke with the Maitre'd and was told if he was given 24 hours notice he could accommodate.   The next night he personally delivered it and brought a different selection for the table every night.

 

Worth a try.   The worst they can say is no and then you can take one of the many good recommendations that have been made.

I ordered off menu on Royal a couple of times (Indian food).  I don't think they made it for me specifically.  I assume that it was a menu item somewhere.

 

The only cruise line that I know of where they regularly make off menu items is Cunard and only in a Grills suite.

 

However, the worst they can say is no. 

[rj59]

I'd ask and say it's for religious reasons, and they'll do their best to satisfy you. I know most lines are happy to do Indian meals, so I imagine Filipino chefs would be handy with Chinese food also. A cinema in Seattle has a Christmas Day tradition of showing "Fiddler on the Roof" with catered Chinese food. 

[mahasamatman]

53 minutes ago, LB_NJ said:

The only cruise line that I know of where they regularly make off menu items is Cunard and only in a Grills suite.

 

If you're talking suites, I've never had a problem ordering off-menu on either Celebrity or Princess.

[someguyfl]

1 hour ago, rj59 said:

I'd ask and say it's for religious reasons, and they'll do their best to satisfy you. I know most lines are happy to do Indian meals, so I imagine Filipino chefs would be handy with Chinese food also. A cinema in Seattle has a Christmas Day tradition of showing "Fiddler on the Roof" with catered Chinese food. 

 

11 hours ago, wahooker said:

We are on a cruise this year at Christmas, and one of my family's longstanding traditions is that every year we eat Chinese food for Christmas. It started while we were in the process of adopting from China, and we have been doing it ever since, this will be year 18.

 

Would it be out of line if we requested something Chinese that is off menu? I know, it's a small thing, and normally its for allergies or medical needs or religious preferences... but I know for us it's just a neat family tradition.

 

Should I talk to the MDR staff the first day after we get onboard to let them know in advance, or should I wait for the first night's meal and discuss with the waiter?
 

Saying it's a religious reason isn't actually THAT far fetched...

I'm not sure if you're aware of this or not, but a lot of American Jews have a tradition of eating Chinese food on Christmas (and possibly going to a movie theater) as sort of an in-joke because everything else is closed on Christmas, and the day isn't of any particular significance to jews...

[abbydancer2003]

2 minutes ago, someguyfl said:

 

Saying it's a religious reason isn't actually THAT far fetched...

I'm not sure if you're aware of this or not, but a lot of American Jews have a tradition of eating Chinese food on Christmas (and possibly going to a movie theater) as sort of an in-joke because everything else is closed on Christmas, and the day isn't of any particular significance to jews...

Exactly.  Back in the day, that was all there was.  Now it's a longstanding joke.

[wahooker]

I have had people say "I didn't know you were Jewish" after mentioning our traditional Christmas meal.

 

But no, ours isn't religious based, and while it might be an easy way to get what I want I'm not going to go down that road out of respect to those who seriously do need religious dietary accommodations to hold true to their faith.

[chemmo]

22 minutes ago, wahooker said:

I have had people say "I didn't know you were Jewish" after mentioning our traditional Christmas meal.

 

But no, ours isn't religious based, and while it might be an easy way to get what I want I'm not going to go down that road out of respect to those who seriously do need religious dietary accommodations to hold true to their faith.

I admire your sentiments…and your wish to keep a family tradition going.

 

On Christmas Day with a specific focus on traditional I could understand the M’D being reluctant to offer any group ‘specials’. However, if you discuss this a few days before and if you were to say you are happy with a set Chinese menu served ‘family style’ at a set time then it actually could save the wait staff some time. All they would then need to do is serve up mixed starters and mixed mains with individual plates…

 

If the M’D of MDR says he is unable to accommodate try having a word with the M’D/manager of the buffet. You may need to ask to meet with him/her. See if they can sort something special for you. With advanced warning and a set time  I can see no reason why they can’t organise a family style meal for you. Much better than you all queuing to order stir fry individually. You could take your own paper table cloths and table decorations if you wanted to make it a bit more ‘Chinese festive’.

 

Sushi is definitely another possibility although the speciality restaurants are often more expensive on holiday cruises so check. They often also have a reduced menu.

 

Failing that just enjoy what is on offer and pack some fortune cookies! Whatever you manage to sort the important thing is you will all be together…

[scubamommy!]

They did this on a popular movie " A Christmas Story" one year so I actually know several friends and fans that do the same. You could probaly do the Asian Option in the Buffet or book a specialty at Sushi on 5, they DO offer other Asian dishes besides sushi. If you ask to have it special in the MDR , maybe even suggest to the Maitre D that something FROM the buffet would be fine, and even a "family style" served in larger dishes ( so they don't have to plate it all separately) would be fine as well,  you would just prefer to sit in the MDR and be waited on, since it's a special Holiday. just some ideas. Good Luck to you and enjoy your cruise! 

[jelayne]

Currently on the Edge and while service has been good it is clear that staffing in the MDRs, Blu, Luminae and bars has been cut.  Servers are running, saw bar managers making drinks, restocking glassware and clearing tables.  Sommeliers have been reduced and wait staff are trying to keep drinks full in addition to their normal duties.  A special meal for a family may not be feasible with the staffing levels of today.

[Homosassa]

Those special off menu ethnic meals that are sometimes made available on a cruise ship in a passenger dining room are available because of the ethnic composition of the crew and what is on the menu in the crew mess.

 

Example: On HAL,  Fillipino and Indonesian food are available because those cuisines are available in the crew mess.

 

If your ship has a large number of ethnic Chinese on the crew, you stand a good chance of having the crew mess menu item made available to you.

[abbydancer2003]

10 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

Those special off menu ethnic meals that are sometimes made available on a cruise ship in a passenger dining room are available because of the ethnic composition of the crew and what is on the menu in the crew mess.

 

 

On a previous cruise, I asked about Greek food, since the officers are Greek.  A few days later, they made a Greek meal for us.  This was in Luminae.

[Homosassa]

4 minutes ago, abbydancer said:

On a previous cruise, I asked about Greek food, since the officers are Greek.  A few days later, they made a Greek meal for us.  This was in Luminae.

I don't know if you are aware that Celebrity was originally a Greek cruise line before Royal Caribbean brought the line, Fabulous Greek food was always available in the MDR.

 

The holdover from that time before Royal Caribbean bought the line is the preponderance of Greek officers on board.

 

The food you had in Luminae was probably available in the crew mess that night and was not specially prepared for you.

[abbydancer2003]

7 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

I don't know if you are aware that Celebrity was originally a Greek cruise line before Royal Caribbean brought the line, Fabulous Greek food was always available in the MDR.

 

The holdover from that time before Royal Caribbean bought the line is the preponderance of Greek officers on board.

 

The food you had in Luminae was probably available in the crew mess that night and was not specially prepared for you.

Of course.  That's why I figured they could maybe do it.

[Essiesmom]

18 hours ago, rj59 said:

I'd ask and say it's for religious reasons, and they'll do their best to satisfy you. I know most lines are happy to do Indian meals, so I imagine Filipino chefs would be handy with Chinese food also. A cinema in Seattle has a Christmas Day tradition of showing "Fiddler on the Roof" with catered Chinese food. 

I think most of the head chef’s on cruise lines are Indian.  That could be one reason there is always an Indian item on the menu.  And as an interesting point, at the Diamond reception on MSC Seaside in August I had a chat with the financial officer and he said until recently MSC hired all of their below deck crew from Samoa.  That must be an interesting crew mess.  EM

[Travelling2Some]

Going out to a Chinese restaurant on Christmas Day is very popular with the Jewish community in New York.  We did it for a couple of years in order to dodge some troublesome cousins who just assumed they were invited to our house for every holiday.  It worked!  They found some other victim to visit 🙂