MDR or evening in Windjammer?

I read more horror stories about MDR experiences that include forgotten drink orders, late deliveries, wrong orders...tons of time and a sad and frustrating experience. The crew work so hard, too. So I wondered if the evening dinner experience at the Windjammer wouldn't be better. The food is the same...? Is it set up nicely for dinner?

I read more horror stories about MDR experiences that include forgotten drink orders, late deliveries, wrong orders...tons of time and a sad and frustrating experience. The crew work so hard, too. So I wondered if the evening dinner experience at the Windjammer wouldn't be better. The food is the same...? Is it set up nicely for dinner?

Some people like to be dramatic. His rarely occurred in my case

Some people like to be dramatic. His rarely occurred in my case

And has never occurred in mine. Also, the food in the MDR and WJ is not always the same. The MDR menus are just that and often times WJ has a completely different theme on a given night.

I read more horror stories about MDR experiences that include forgotten drink orders, late deliveries, wrong orders...tons of time and a sad and frustrating experience. The crew work so hard, too. So I wondered if the evening dinner experience at the Windjammer wouldn't be better. The food is the same...? Is it set up nicely for dinner?

In our recent cruise on the Grandeur of the Seas we ate at the main dining room seven nights for dinner, twice for lunch and once for breakfast. Our dinners and lunches were excellent and our service was superb. The food was not the same as in the Windjammer. I would recommend the Windjammer for breakfast - you can't beat the variety and convenience. But lunch and especially dinner are much better in the main dining room (in my opinion).

We've never experienced any dining horror's in the MDR (MTD)...However after many years of cruising we have opted to now especially prefer dinner's in the WJ.

We can eat as slowly or as quickly as we want ...what we want...and how much of a certain thing we want.

The WJ is dark quiet and not nearly as hectic as the dining rooms.

We now choose MTD so if we do decide we want that type of dinner we still have that option....and love that flexibility

Try the WJ...you might be surprised...enjoy.

Just another thought to help clarify...While the MDR and WJ may only have "some" same options...with the now "themed" nights in the MDR (MTD) many times we don't care at all for what's being served and just opting for the basic traditional standby's offered on the menu..they get old..quickly...so the WJ ends up having a much better variety.

I have done both. Typically the service is pretty good in the MDR

On one ocassion my wait staff and bar service was HORRIBLE so I simply went to the Maitre' de and had them move me to a completely different table in a different section. Problem solved

But the truth is. What type of experience are you looking for?

The windjammer for dinner can be quite good, but in truth the entire experience will probably take you less than an hour. It's a great idea if you have a show or something you want to do that evening.

The MDR on the other hand takes an average of 1.5 to 2 hours if you get desert ( and especially if you are interrupted by that awful singing to the 500 year old cassette tape). But it is a much nicer atmosphere....

so it's more about your expectations for dinner as opposed to the level of service. In my Opinion

I read more horror stories about MDR experiences that include forgotten drink orders, late deliveries, wrong orders...tons of time and a sad and frustrating experience. The crew work so hard, too. So I wondered if the evening dinner experience at the Windjammer wouldn't be better. The food is the same...? Is it set up nicely for dinner?

The food in the WJ is not "the same" for instance you will likely not find veal cutlets or beef tenderloins in the WJ, however you will find things like fried rice/lo mein, prime rib, mashed potatoes, veggies fish, an excellent salad bar, etc.

Think of the MDR as the worst run steakhouse you've ever been to, and the windjammer as an old country buffet. If you are okay with luke warm food served in a steam bath, and a dining experience that takes 2 hrs for a three course meal, go with the MDR. If you aren't, go with another dining option. The WJ is just one other dining option.

I read more horror stories about MDR experiences that include forgotten drink orders, late deliveries, wrong orders...tons of time and a sad and frustrating experience. The crew work so hard, too. So I wondered if the evening dinner experience at the Windjammer wouldn't be better. The food is the same...? Is it set up nicely for dinner?

You are going to get a lot of opinions about how bad the WJ is at dinner from people who have never actually experienced the WJ at dinner. Your best bet is to try it once and form your own opinion.

You will find some of the MDR entrees in the WJ at dinner plus many other choices. There is always a carving station with filet of beef, lamb, turkey, pork or chicken, they try to have something different each night. Some ships will have nightly themes where there will be one station devoted to that theme. There is usually a make your own station with pizza, stir fry, and pasta being some of the different choices.

There is a grill where they will cook a minute steak, fish or chicken to order for you. On our recent cruise, they had a baked potato station every night with all sorts of toppings (bacon, cheese, butter, brocolli, etc).

Many of the MDR desserts will be found in the WJ plus a hot choice each night, usually a cobbler or a bread pudding.

Check it out and see what you think.

And I really do not know where the bad MDR reviews are coming from, but out side of the first night, which is always a PITA, and a occasionally SLOW service. which one can find at their local favorite home town restaurant, never a issue worth complaining about. We have found the Speciality restaurants worse in the terms of service.

I had heard of complaints about and with the staff reduction, I guess that is what it was referring to, but just off the Serenade and except for the "first nightmare" as mentioned above we had the best service in the last 4 or 5 cruises. Heck even Giavonies and Chops had good service and food OK for a BOGO LOL

I love the Windjammer, wife dislikes it, but it is a nice option for a night or two.

Side note, YES, the staff does not have the time to become fun and personal with a table, until the later hours of MDR dining. Many find this to be not as nice/fun as it use to be.

You are going to get a lot of opinions about how bad the WJ is at dinner from people who have never actually experienced the WJ at dinner. Your best bet is to try it once and form your own opinion.

 

You will find some of the MDR entrees in the WJ at dinner plus many other choices. There is always a carving station with filet of beef, lamb, turkey, pork or chicken, they try to have something different each night. Some ships will have nightly themes where there will be one station devoted to that theme. There is usually a make your own station with pizza, stir fry, and pasta being some of the different choices.

 

There is a grill where they will cook a minute steak, fish or chicken to order for you. On our recent cruise, they had a baked potato station every night with all sorts of toppings (bacon, cheese, butter, brocolli, etc).

 

Many of the MDR desserts will be found in the WJ plus a hot choice each night, usually a cobbler or a bread pudding.

 

Check it out and see what you think.

I 100% agree with this

Thank you! I gotta admit, the food is important to me;)

We've never experienced any horror stories in the MDR and the few times we've eaten dinner in the WJ, it has been good. Some claim you can get the same food in WJ but our experience is you can get some of the same food. The Windjammer is usually a lot quieter than the MDR during dinner.

Not a fan of buffets...so I would never willingly eat dinner there. I always do breakfast and dinner in the dining room. I might pick up a sandwich at the WJ for lunch if I'm at the pool....

We LOVE dinner in the MDR! We are usually fast eaters, so we enjoy the slower service, lingering over good food (sometimes 2 appetizers plus soup or salad before we even get to entrees) in a beautiful setting. It FEELS like vacation. Maybe once I've had to remind a waiter about a drink, but nothing I would complain about. MDR servers have been the most frequent recipients of my WOW card.

I've had dinner in the Windjammer once, and it was a good experience too. They have some of the same food as the MDR will have for dinner, and then typical Windjammer food. The lights were turned down for dinner when we went, which was a nice touch.

If you're concerned about time, I would definitely go to Windjammer instead of MDR, but the last night of the cruise it is worth going to the MDR when the dining crew parades through and sings a farewell song.

We usually enjoy eating dinner in the Windjammer 2 or 3 times during a 10 night cruise. After a while we get tired of the more formal meals in the MDR so this breaks thing up for us.

However, on our Oct.22 Liberty cruise the Windjammer was awful. The quality of the food was poor and the dishes were unappetizing. The choices were much more limited than on our past cruises on the Explorer and the Quantum.

If Liberty's Windjammer was a land based buffet we would have gone once and never returned. Think bad cafeteria food.

We LOVE dinner in the MDR! We are usually fast eaters, so we enjoy the slower service, lingering over good food (sometimes 2 appetizers plus soup or salad before we even get to entrees) in a beautiful setting. It FEELS like vacation. Maybe once I've had to remind a waiter about a drink, but nothing I would complain about. MDR servers have been the most frequent recipients of my WOW card.

 

I've had dinner in the Windjammer once, and it was a good experience too. They have some of the same food as the MDR will have for dinner, and then typical Windjammer food. The lights were turned down for dinner when we went, which was a nice touch.

 

If you're concerned about time, I would definitely go to Windjammer instead of MDR, but the last night of the cruise it is worth going to the MDR when the dining crew parades through and sings a farewell song.

Thats exactly when I wont go to the MDR I think the parading and singing is terrible... If I do get stuck there for dinner I do everything I can to leave before that happens. UGHHHH

(I know some of you think it's cute, sweet , whatever. All of my friends that I sail with hate it. so we just avoid it)

My wife is a vegetarian, and without fail, the vegetarian selection of the day in the MDR is always, ALWAYS in the buffet. The key difference is it is often hotter by sticking around the metal tray until you pluck for eating than it is when it is presented on a plate by dining staff. Truthfully, I go to the MDR once a cruise now if the desserts sound appealing that night. The "BBB" Creme Brulee is never offered in the buffet and I sometimes get a hankering for that. But that's it. I used to be really into the whole idea of the traditional dining, but after being at a lousy table with Disney years ago, the appeal of meeting people and spending two hours eating a slow dinner has largely worn away with the combination of fear of the unknown along with substandard banquet style food making the process of dressing up feel totally unnecessary and wasted.

I read more horror stories about MDR experiences that include forgotten drink orders, late deliveries, wrong orders...tons of time and a sad and frustrating experience. The crew work so hard, too. So I wondered if the evening dinner experience at the Windjammer wouldn't be better. The food is the same...? Is it set up nicely for dinner?

Never had a bad MDR experience. We have always had excellent service and great memories.

As a rule of thumb, I dislike buffets and try to avoid them. However, going the MDR, I have never on a RCCL ship had bad service. Yes, sometimes service is better than others, but never bad. The bar service was always ready with the drinks each night. The food and what I ordered always are what was expected.I have also done MTD and it was just as good.

I go on a cruise to get away, and dinner is a time to relax, carry on conversations, and mostly, get served. I'm in no hurry.

My DW likes to be served so its the MDR as for myself I don't mind getting my own stuff. Yes there are things in the MDR you cant get in the windjammer but 98% is there and the WJ has a bigger selection than the MDR. Found both to good with no complaints.

I read more horror stories about MDR experiences that include forgotten drink orders, late deliveries, wrong orders...tons of time and a sad and frustrating experience. The crew work so hard, too. So I wondered if the evening dinner experience at the Windjammer wouldn't be better. The food is the same...? Is it set up nicely for dinner?

We've never experienced anything in the MDR like you've described. Dramatization of an experience to get their point across is sometimes the key to some when posting on CC!:D

We never eat dinner in WJ , been on 50 plus cruises and always eat in MDR or specialty restaurants, only had really bad service once and it was not on RCCL. Also had rude service once and again not RCCL.

I read more horror stories about MDR experiences that include forgotten drink orders, late deliveries, wrong orders...tons of time and a sad and frustrating experience. The crew work so hard, too. So I wondered if the evening dinner experience at the Windjammer wouldn't be better. The food is the same...? Is it set up nicely for dinner?

After our first 2 cruises we quit eating in the MDR for the next 7 cruises. Our last cruise in September we did MTD - we'll never go back to eating dinner into the WJ. We had the best time. The food was definitely better (especially the desserts); we had as much or as little as we wanted; the waiters we had were awesome; we reserved for the same time every night so had the same table and same waiters and really enjoyed that. All in all, we were very surprised and so glad we had decided to give MTD a chance. Truthfully, we had grown tired of the WJ food at night. The WJ egg bar in the morning is the best!

I read more horror stories about MDR experiences that include forgotten drink orders, late deliveries, wrong orders...tons of time and a sad and frustrating experience. The crew work so hard, too. So I wondered if the evening dinner experience at the Windjammer wouldn't be better. The food is the same...? Is it set up nicely for dinner?

I've been on over 25 cruises, including twelve on Royal Caribbean and I've not experienced, nor have I witnessed, any of the horror stories you mention.

If a drink order if forgotten, flag down a waiter/waitress and ask again.

Yes, sometimes the meal takes more than 90 minutes.

Wrong order - send it back.

The worst I had was an inattentive waiter. No problem, the assistant waiter took care of the problem.

That said, if you want to eat dinner in the Windjammer, go head. I've done it two or three times. Is it set up nicely for dinner? It is set up for dinner the same as it is set up for lunch. The only difference is, it is light outside for lunch and dark outside for dinner.

My experience on a recent October 25 sailing on JOTS -

For dinners, we dined at MDR and the service was immaculate, my food selections were great.

For lunches and breakfasts, we dined at the WJ, my food selections were meh.

No "disasters" or "horrors" in either location.