have you ever skipped MDR all week for dinners???

Hi, We are thinking of skipping the MDR for dinners completely on our upcoming cruise. This will be our 5th or 6th cruise and I'm seriously contemplating just being casual the entire week...don't want to worry about dressing up (with two little kids, that's extra shoes, dockers, dress shirts, etc).

Has anyone every skipped the MDR entirely? Did you miss it??

Almost. The closest we came was last month on Oasis where we only ate in the MDR one night. Didn't miss it at all. Did WJ twice, Solarium Bistro twice, and Coastal Kitchen twice.

Almost. The closest we came was last month on Oasis where we only ate in the MDR one night. Didn't miss it at all. Did WJ twice, Solarium Bistro twice, and Coastal Kitchen twice.

How is food in WJ for dinner??? We have never missed a night in the MDR so I'm not really sure what to expect. Also, do you know if kids can go to specialty restaurants (they are 8 and 11, so no crying babies or tantrums, they will be very well behaved)

We have many times. Coastal kitchen and specialty restaurants. Don't really remember the last time we ate in the MDR.

Last cruise, we ate in MDR most nights, but I'm thinking in three weeks when we cruise again we will likely eat elsewhere most nights. It's just a pain (for us anyway) to have to dress / redress for dinner each night, even on 'casual' nights. And now that we've discovered the different theme nights in the Windjammer, it'll be even easier to decide where to eat each night.

You don't have to "dress up" for the dining room..even on "formal" nights, it's not formal anymore.....I prefer to be served, rather than doing buffet fare!

Couple of times, we have.

We had other options, too, but I don't think it's too hard. (we ate at the lounge to get *just* enough for real dinner).

WJ is pretty good. But if one was interested in eating less at the WJ, do note that it's pretty easy to overload at a buffet vs. sit down.

Go for it!

How is food in WJ for dinner??? We have never missed a night in the MDR so I'm not really sure what to expect. Also, do you know if kids can go to specialty restaurants (they are 8 and 11, so no crying babies or tantrums, they will be very well behaved)

We liked the WJ food. Much more variety than the MDR, and not that crowded at dinner. Kids can go to specialty restaurants now. They even have kids pricing of $8.

You don't have to "dress up" for the dining room..even on "formal" nights, it's not formal anymore.....I prefer to be served, rather than doing buffet fare!

Well on Royal you still can't/shouldn't wear shorts to dinner so even on casual nights you do have to "dress up". Because of that, we've been enjoying the Windjammer more frequently. Makes for a very relaxing and quiet evening!

We've only sailed on Royal Caribbean once, but when we did, we never went to the MDR at all. We were on a romantic trip for 2 and they placed us at a huge table, so we just did WJ every night and loved it. I don't like being on anyone else's time table anyway, so casual options work better for us.

LOVE the WJ for dinner! Looking forward to it coming up on Serenade - love the outdoor aft seating. The sunsets at sea are glorious. We enjoy going casual and relaxed. It's just wonderful to be with the one you love, wherever it may be. :)

We haven't done the MDR in a couple of years. We either do the WJ, eat a late lunch on shore if in port or hit Coastal Kitchen when we're lucky enough to have a Suite. Don't miss it at all!

We almost always skip MDR , WJ is always nice, great variety also we can take our time or be done quickly.

Well on Royal you still can't/shouldn't wear shorts to dinner so even on casual nights you do have to "dress up". Because of that, we've been enjoying the Windjammer more frequently. Makes for a very relaxing and quiet evening!

My feelings as well. After a day by the pool or in port, the last thing I want to do is "dress". Even on casual nights, I wouldn't wear my shorts into the MDR, so I would have to redress for dinner. And it's quick and easy. But I get the whole being served dinner rather than self-serve thing. We will likely do one or two nights in the MDR, but the rest we will just play by ear.

Yes, we have eaten every night in the WJ, Love it. More variety, go when you want, not crowded and roving waiters will bring drinks to you.

Yes, we have eaten every night in the WJ, Love it. More variety, go when you want, not crowded and roving waiters will bring drinks to you.

Windjammer is nice for dinner. They turn down the lights, it's quiet and peaceful compared to the chaos in the MDR. We usually eat 3 nights at Windjammer and 4 specialty dining. Maybe once at MDR.

On our last cruise we only did a few nights in the MDR and found we actually enjoyed our meals in the WJ a lot more. We just didn't feel like "dressing" for dinner, but instead wore shorts and casual clothes and took our time. Is it nice to sit and be served, yes, but its also nice to be able to relax during a meal and pace the meal to our liking not the dining room staff.

To those that have not tried it give it a chance and see if it fits for you.

BTW, this is one more reason we sign up for MTD. If we feel like making the effort to dress for the dining room and go great, if not nobody else is inconvenienced at all. Have been at a large table once too often when other don't show and don't want to feel obligated to go so that this does not happen to others.

We haven't eaten in the dining room for the last couple of cruises. We will go to windjammer, specialty restaurants, or in suite dining.

Windjammer is great for dinner. They have waiters to get drinks, plenty to chose from, and it is not 1 1/2 hours for dinner.

When we were on Oasis, we had dinner in a specialty restaurant for dinner six of the seven nights.

On our last allure cruise we only ate in the main dining room once. The rest of the week we ate in speciality restaurants and Coastal Kitchen. If I was on Allure again, I'd definitely skip the main dining room altogether... It's just too busy and the waiters are rushing around mad.

We did the ultimate dining package on Freedom in September. We absolutely loved it. :D:D We did not miss the hustle and bustle of the MDR.

We will be back in the MDR in a couple of weeks since we will be cruising with friends. It should be a great time.

Hi, We are thinking of skipping the MDR for dinners completely on our upcoming cruise. This will be our 5th or 6th cruise and I'm seriously contemplating just being casual the entire week...don't want to worry about dressing up (with two little kids, that's extra shoes, dockers, dress shirts, etc).

 

Has anyone every skipped the MDR entirely? Did you miss it??

Make sure you sign up for MTD though. No need to have 4 no shows every night.

BTW, this is one more reason we sign up for MTD. If we feel like making the effort to dress for the dining room and go great, if not nobody else is inconvenienced at all. Have been at a large table once too often when other don't show and don't want to feel obligated to go so that this does not happen to others.

Good for you. :D

We have skipped the MDR for several cruises. In fact, it's become the norm for us. Depending on the ship, we either grab a slice of pizza somewhere, eat at a specialty restaurant or hit the Windjammer.

We try to each lunch somewhere on shore during our port stops, that way we're not real hungry come dinner time. We feel it helps us get a better feel for the different ports, other than the usual shore excursions.

It also make packing much easier, as we usually just include a couple of nice outfits for any of the specialty restaurants we choose to eat in.

Ann

We eat at the windjammer a lot because we don't have to dress up. I prefer it because I can get fruit and salads I like every day and evening. I am not into

fancy foods at all. Now my husband prefer to get the sea foods and steaks .

But he doesn't like to have to dress up either.

I know you don't have to dress up but we feel funny not dressing up going into

the dining areas at night.