How "stuffy" are the dining rooms?

[mrsneurotic]

We are taking our first cruise in May on the Carnival Elation. From what I have read, these are more laid back ships, and not as "stuffy", maybe, as the other lines. That's good, because we are not big into fine dining. We just want to enjoy the sun, the seas, the views and the culture of other places. Sooo, how uptight is the formal dining room? Are we going to be asked to taste the wine? Is it going to be really quiet and subdued?? Are my teenagers going to be entertained or wishing they were eating the buffet at Tiffany's?? This Gulf Coast mom is used to fun dining, not stodgy dining...need input. Also, we usually have tea instead of wine, will we be Snubbed? Thanx!

[Roz]

I'll try to answer your question. I've sailed on both HAL and Carnival ships. Good manners are expected in the dining room, regardless of what line you sail. If your children require entertainment at dinner, maybe the dining room isn't the place to eat. What did you have in mind? Singing waiters?

 

You may drink any beverage of your choosing. If you use the services of the wine steward, he will offer you a taste of wine before pouring for the table. I've observed that less than half the tables drink wine and they're not "snubbed".

 

Eating in the dining room may be an opportunity for your teens to learn the art of fine dining. It can be a useful skill in future business and social situations. Things like which fork to use to eat salad, the dessert fork, etc. I grew up in a blue collar family and had to learn these things myself.

 

If the DR sounds like too much trouble, you always have the option of the Lido or room service. Enjoy your cruise whatever you decide to do.

 

Roz

[Marlenascruising]

I've sailed on Celebrity, RCL and Carnival and yes good manners are expected, but the dining experience is very enjoyable. Our dining companions have always been friendly and the waiters are very helpful. They actually do entertain a bit. On Carnival they have a congo line, on RCL they do sing and our waiter on celebrity performed card tricks. They also like to match ages when they assign tables so you may be seated with another family with teenagers. Try not to miss out on the dining experience. Just relax and enjoy the great food.

 

Till the Legend

[mrsneurotic]

Considering the fact that all sorts of questions are posted here, it really surprised me that my question rec'd such a rude response. Then I realized my address was included on the post. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that the assumption was made that my children and I are backward and unable to enjoy fine dining. Thank you for your time...my very well-behaved, very considerate and well-adjusted teens appreciate it.

[trish1c]

Mrs. Neurotic --

 

I've never sailed Carnival & people have varying definitions of stuffy. I also don't know what a Tiffany's is and cannot speak to your definition of "fun dining". Personally, I prefer "stodgy dining".

 

That said, on NCL & RCI (the lines I have personal experience with and which I'm told have some similarity to Carnival), the table is set correctly with multiple utensils for each course. Some people find that intimidating. I'm not saying you do; noting that you appear to be genteel Southerner, if I were prone to assumptions about people, I would expect that the formal style is familiar to you. Whether you enjoy it on vacation, is an entirely personal issue.

 

Some formalities were observed in the dining rooms. There is a dress code: no jeans & no shorts. The wait staff pulled out the ladies' chairs for them when we sat. The lighting tends to be subdued, more so than you will find at most chain restaurants (Bennigan's, TGIF's, Chilli's etc). Background music tends to be at a soft, conversational volume. Most people speak in quieter voices (although dining with over 500 people can make it seem noisy). The courses are served in order. Servers place your food in front of you from the right & clear from the left. It can be a long meal. If that's stuffy, then the formal dining rooms are stuffy.

 

The other posters are correct that you may order any beverage while dining. You will not be looked down up if you chose not to drink wine. I don't see why your beverage choices should concern anyone else.

 

However, as a wine lover, I'd like to point out that there are very good reasons the steward will ask you to taste the wine if you buy a bottle. First, the motion of the ship is bad for the wine. The motion bruises the wine & may spoil your bottle. They do not want you to pay for bad wine. Second, they hand you the cork & ask you to sniff it to prove to you that you are not being ripped off & you are getting what you paid for. The cork must have the same name as is on the label of the bottle. If it does not, the establishment is selling you something other than the bottle you ordered (ie they may be taking rock gut, pouring it into the "good" / expensive bottles & re-sealing it). If you ever order a bottle of wine some where, don't think the waiter is trying to embarrass or annoy you or even get a bigger tip b/c s/he made a production out if it, the waiter is doing you a favor that is required by his/her job. On the flip side, if you're not offered the cork, ask to see it, b/c the 'ole switch-er-oo happens more often than you know.

 

My advice for what it's worth -- which may be nothing -- is send the teens packing 1 night early in the cruise & try the dining room w/ your DH. You may find you enjoy a relaxed meal w/ your man w/o the kids. Then, after you know for sure what it's all about, knowing your own children you can determine whether they will be bored.

 

Happy sailing.

 

Trish

[Laurab23]

Having sailed with my daughter while she was a teenager,let me tell you she throughly enjoyed herself. We said with another mother with 2 girls around her age and they all had so much fun. Our waiter joked with them and teased tham and would even pretend to cut up their food if they looked like they were'nt eating. Have also sailed without her and sat with parents with teens who seemed to be enjoying themselves. I'm sure they will enjoy the experience and love the food. Have a great cruise.

Laura

[jcruise67]

Mrsneurotic,

 

The wait staff in the formal dining room are alot of fun. They dance and put on little skits for their respective tables and guests. You really get to know them well, and on ocassion, on a personal level as well. They work very hard to serve the pax, so when they get up and do the "HOT-HOT-HOT" dance just enjoy it. it makes dining on Carnival much more interesting. They also will go above & beyond for pax too. My DW & I are avid Carnival cruisers. One cruise in particular, our waiter and his assistant brought a B-Day cake to the table for my DW. We became real good friends with the other pax at our table and they joined in the fun celebrating my wife's B-Day. Sit back, relax, and enjoy your cruise.

 

JCruise

 

Next Up...Carnival Destiny...4/25/04

 

CRUIZ'IN & BOOZ'IN IS WHAT WE'RE CHOOZ'IN

 

[CruiseNut7]

mrsneurotic,

 

I do hope that you and your teens enjoy the dining room. Certainly give it a try. On one of my Carnival cruises (the Triumph), my teenage son brought along three other friends his age. In advance of the trip, I explained and gave each of them a detailed list of what to bring as far as dress and so forth. Well, on formal night one of his buddies shows up at the table with a polo shirt, dockers and sneakers. These were guys that had never traveled much and I told him to sit and enjoy his formal dinner. No one even looked twice or said anything.

 

My point is that most people are dressed up, but if you choose to be more casual, particularly on Carnival in the Caribbean, so be it. I do not find the dining room to be stuffy. The waiters do entertain you and I think you and your family will have a fabulous time.

 

To other posters --- don't blast me, this was a one time incident, but didn't ruin our trip. It's all a learning process and cruising is a great way to enjoy life!

 

Star Princess 2003, Carnival Triumph 2002, RCCL Enchantment of the Seas 2001, Carnival Ecstasy 2000, Norwegian Majesty 1998, Carnival Ecstasy 1998, RCCL Grandeur of the Seas 1997, Regal Princess 1995, Carnival Holiday 1993, Emerald Seas 1991, Dolphin 1990, Britannis 1989

__ /7__X__/7________

\::::::::::::::::::::::::/ Celebrity Summit 4/30/04

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Roz]

Who gave you a rude response? You asked a question and got answers. Where someone lives has nothing to do with manners or enjoying fine dining. I live in TN, and believe it or not, we do more than sit on a hay bale spittin' watermelon seeds. Your post made it sound like your teens enjoy something on the order of Chuck-E-Cheez and that it would be difficult for them to sit thru a multi-course meal. If I or anyone else offended you, please accept my apologies.

 

I've met many cultured and well bred individuals from Mississippi.

 

Roz

[happysinglemom]

Roz - I understood your response. No offense taken.

 

mrsneurotic - I am hoping that maybe you just over-reacted? Your post did sound as if your children might have a difficult time in a formal dining setting, and that the formal dining would be "stodgy". I think many people who are used to, and prefer this type of dining, possibly take offense at the "stodgy" terminology. This will be my first cruise, and it will certainly be the most formal dining setting that my 11 year old son has ever experienced (in a restaurant at least); if he could choose - he'd probably rather go to Johnny Rockets every night. However, I am taking this opportunity to expose him to some of the "finer things" - formal dining being one of them. I am definitely not a formal diner - I rarely eat out in fact. However, we are looking forward to the experience, and I hope you are too. Enjoy.

 

Adventure of the Seas will be our maiden cruise!

[urbanian]

Stuffiness and a higher level of service than I get at home are not necessarily the same thing. You should expect to receive formal service in the dining room, but you won't experience shobbery from the waitstaff. They will delight you with their genuine friendliness. If there is a snobbish attitude at your table, ask to be moved to another table, though I highly doubt you will have that problem.

 

My wife and I do not consume alcohol. The only time this was even acknowledged at all was near the end of our last cruise when one of our tablemates bought a bottle of champaign to share a toast to the wonderful time and great friends we'd not soon forget. After a gentle explanation that we were nondrinkers, he said we should join the toast but the drink was optional. So we raised our filled glasses to our beloved shipmates and sampled the -fragrance- of the wine.

 

Dan & Marlene

 

Us - NCL Norway 02/03

Her - NCL Southward 04/92

- Star Princess 05/95

- HAL Westerdam 09/96

[urbanian]

...and another point or two:

 

Conversation is usually lively and interesting, considering that everyone you'll meet on the cruise is also having the time of their life. There is little time for the braggarts to strut their egos. Everyone else is having too good of a time to put up with that.

 

The formal service is about pampering, not about others' expectations of your behavior. Allow yourself the luxury. Nobody is keeping score to see if your kids know which knife is for the butter.

 

Have a great time!

 

Dan & Marlene

 

Us - NCL Norway 02/03

Her - NCL Southward 04/92

- Star Princess 05/95

- HAL Westerdam 09/96

[jcruise67]

Another great thing about dining with shipmates is the conversation everyone engages in about their day filled with excusions and such. It certainly is interesting to hear how everyone enjoyed their day, Some on excursions, and others who have enjoyed the day in other ways. Dinner can really become an experience filled with laughter in the company of soon to be great friends.

 

JCruise

 

CRUIZ'IN & BOOZ'IN IS WHAT WE'RE CHOOZ'IN

 

[wspatton]

Hi! I really don't have anything to add to the thread, but did want to let all the posters know how much I enjoy your views and commentary.

 

Each of you has offered a slightly different shade of the spectrum, and this helps me, the newbie, reach a well-reasoned idea of what to expect.

 

I shall enjoy these boards until cruise day. Then I will check back in and give my take on things.

 

Bill

 

<FONT SIZE="5"><FONT COLOR="#000000">Bill & Mary</FONT></FONT>

<FONT SIZE="3"><FONT COLOR="#FF0000">Golden Princess: May 9, 2004</FONT></FONT>

(A 25th Anniversary First Cruise.... Everyone has to start Somewhere!)

Leaving ON:

<FONT SIZE="4"><span style="border:blue double 5px;"><span style="background-color:#000066;"><tt><FONT COLOR="#33CCFF">~ 5/9/04 at 11:00p.m. {No Countdown Clock: You Figure It Out} ~</span></span></FONT></FONT></tt></p>

[tjevans]

Mrsneurotic,

 

I don't think anything anyone said here was rude. And as a fellow Mississippian, I must say that I have never had anyone assume that I am backwards (at least on this board).

 

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Carnival Conquest 4/18/04

[Nitemare]

Don't worry, tj. I have it on good authority that Mrsneurotic is pretty neurotic.

 

[Jolimont]

The Carnival Triumph wasn't stuffy, but I think shorts and t-shirt are probably not the best idea for the dining room. It's kind of the idea of "dress up before we sit down to eat" that my mother used to enforce. Wash you hands and face and make sure your clothes are ok. Two formal nights was too much for me, next time I'll pass on the second one. BTW, the only time I wore a dress was formal night and my husband never put a tie on until formal night and we were never out of place. That's my take on it.

 

Diamond Princess HERE WE COME! Alaska has never been so cool! 5/22/04

May 31, 2003 Carnival Triumph to Western Caribbean.

 

[eandjracquet]

I sailed the Victory-an equivalent ship to the Triumph-I have only done 6 cruise overall. I must say that the dress code for teenagers is somewhat more forgiving that for adults-a long sleeved shirt, dockers, shoes and a tie for formal nights seems to be okay on all of the cruises I have been on. (I should mention that due to a "situation" on Norweigian the rental tuxedos were never delivered leaving my husband without formal wear for formal night-explained it to the front desk and he was allowed in the dining room, etc. because it was clear that our intent was to rent his formal wear rather than transport it from home.) My two experiences with Carnival is the dining is not different than a nice restaurant in my town-granted-it is a town outside of NYC-but not terribly stuffy or intimidating-except the multiple silverware-common (at least here)at most medium level catering halls (for weddings and job type dinners). I am sure you will enjoy the cruise.

 

EMH

[eandjracquet]

Another hint-shower and dress for dinner-next day for the daytime wear a baseball cap (or another headcovering) then shower and dress for dinner-I discovered it makes sense in terms of maximizing your time.

 

EMH

[urbanian]

"Stuffy" is about attitude.

 

When viewing the broad array of silverware at your place, rather than worry about a lot of rules and score keeping, think of it in a different way. When eating buffet style, I expect a clean plate for each trip to the food bar.

Same goes with silverware in a formal place setting. Each task is granted a new utensil. You don't have to use the salad fork for your meat, and again for your dessert. I'm glad I don't need to dip my used soup spoon in my tea.

 

Your waiter has granted you a fresh utensil for each dish. Be grateful for the pampering, and enjoy your meal!

 

Dan & Marlene

 

Us - NCL Norway 02/03

Her - NCL Southward 04/92

- Star Princess 05/95

- HAL Westerdam 09/96

[snowflakejen]

mrsneurotic,

I myself have been a little concerned about the expectaions of the dinning room. I personally like getting dressed up every once in a while .... but I'm not a regular at the five course resturants either.

.... and my husband ... he does not like to wear anything but jeans and a t-shirt and is a Cheddars, Cracker Barrel type of person. I've been trying to find a way to make him more comfortable and at ease with the dinning room situation.

I ike what urbanian had to say! He wrote <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> The formal service is about pampering, not about others' expectations of your behavior. Allow yourself the luxury. Nobody is keeping score to see if your kids know which knife is for the butter. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

(inserst husband instead of kids) and I now have a new way to look at it, not only for my husband, but for myself as well! I am looking foward to being "Pampered!" Thanks for the great posts. This has been very helpfull!

 

*jen

[Laurab23]

Jen-I know how you feel. My SO almost refused to go on this cruise when I told him he had to dress up a least a little to eat in the dining room. Now, I'm trying to convince him that a new pair of jeans is not dressed up!

Laura

[ibeeducky]

Interesting that ms neurotic has never again responded!! Our first cruise was in 12/03, and we enjoyed the fine dining experience very much. We were apprehensive about clothes as well as who we would be seated with.

 

The above posts are very informative for anyone. It is fine dining, but what you make of the experience is your own. Use good table manners, dress appropriately (doesn't have to be totally formal), and have a good time. Just enjoy the wonderful experience.

 

ducky

[madelinerose]

Whew! I am so glad that my dh and I love to dress up and dine at formal restaurants. It's one of our favorite things to do. I don't have to beg him to take a dark suit on our first cruise! We're very much looking forward to dining in the reservations-only supper club on the Miracle.

 

And, mrsneurotic, your username speaks volumes.

You don't HAVE to eat in the dining room. You don't HAVE to do anything you don't want to do.

What do you consider "fun dining"? What is Tiffany's? IMO, fun is being waited on hand and foot and enjoying a fabulous meal and some great wine. And, yes, I would taste it first.

 

I trust you will enjoy your cruise whether you eat every meal in your cabin, at the pizza place or on the Lido deck.

 

Karen

 

Carnival Miracle 10/24/04

[nundi]

With regard to the silverware - is it a matter of working in from the outside as each course comes? This is a serious question, my husband & I are doing our first cruise on the QM2. We are from Western Australia, and our lifestyle tends towarsd casual dining :-).