Does anyone opt not to eat in the MDR during the entire cruise??

[cmoose]

Instead you opted for other places to eat, either venues that charge (for which I know the gratuity is added) or other no fee options. How would the tipping thing work??

I can actually see for a number or reasons never using the MDR. Just wondering what the proper thing to do is in that case. Of course I would notify the MDR staff if that was my intent.

These are the questions that run through my mind when dreaming/obsessing about booking my first cruise in 30 years. TIA!! :)

[spookwife]

you are still expected to pay tips as usual. the buffet restaurants are also staffed by MDR staff as well as if you choose to eat in the MDR for brekkies or lunch.

[galavant3]

We do eat in the MDR but we have friends that do not eat there at all. They still pay the recommended gratuities but give extra to those that are especially helpful in the WJ. I think it comes out to 6.65 a day which is about the cost of a drink.

 

You will probably get a variety of opinions on this and I don't think there is a right or wrong.

[cmoose]

To be clear, I am not looking to get out of paying tips, and I just was wondering if many folks used other dining options. I wasn't really considering the WJ, more the other casual spots around the ship or even room service (which of course I would tip for each time). Just thinking out loud really. Thanks.

[Langley Cruisers]

How would the tipping thing work??

 

you are still expected to pay tips as usual. the buffet restaurants are also staffed by MDR staff as well as if you choose to eat in the MDR for brekkies or lunch.

 

Exactly.

 

cmoose, this happened with us on our Med cruise last year. We had selected My Time Dining, which is where you pre-pay your tips ahead of time (in final payment, actually) and you can go to the dining room anytime you want to and be seated for dinner. We chose to eat in the Windjammer the first night (our tradition!), and then we actually opted to eat there again the next night and the next night.... we were surprised and delighted to have eaten dinner there the whole 12 nights! Brilliance of the Seas has an amazing outdoor Windjammer section and the Meditteranean sunsets were magnificent. It was so relaxing and casual... perfect for unwinding after a busy port day! The food on this itinerary was the best we've ever had at sea, absolutely delicious.

 

We left our tips in place because, as mentioned, the staff who works in the dining room at dinner (whom you would not see at dinner time if you chose to eat elsewhere) works in other venues during the day. We have seen our waiter, assistant waiter, and Head Waiter all working Windjammer at various times.

 

Room Service does not appeal to us; we like to get out of the cabin and enjoy the other areas of the ship.

 

Enjoy your cruise. :)

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[joandian]

We recently spent 28 days on Mariner and ate in the dining room for lunch twice and that was the only time we went there. We usually ate in the buffet, had room service and ate on the balcony (we were in a Grand Suite) and ate at Giovanni's twice. We always select My Time dining so pre-pay our gratuities.

[househunter]

We only ate in the MDR 2 nights on our last cruise. Since the reccomended tips are not just for dinner (they are to cover all your meals), we still tipped the standard amount and then tipped extra in the specialty dining rooms aon the nights we ate there. The food was not good at all in the MDR (Oasis) and if we were to cruise again, we will probably not eat there at all except for an occasional breakfast or lunch. We like the itimacy and the quality of food in the specialty dining rooms so much better- they are well worth the price! :)

[dulcimergirl]

Yep, have done exactly that on 3 of my cruises, and I will be doing that on the Oasis in Sept. There's just to many other options, and we're more into 6 small (and I do mean small) meals scattered over the day. It helps control my and DH's blood sugar. Also we eat our last meal around 5 which is to early for most dining rooms. No worries, still leave prepaid tips in place. Plus we find we can do stuff during dinner hours easier as there's less people about the ship. There all at dinner. lol

[Pitbull1130]

We haven't been to the MDR in 4 cruises, we always go to Chops a couple times though. I agree with the others that we have more time to do other things..........................

[JulieRose]

We HATE the MDR and only go there when someone we're traveling with insists or on formal night. Dinner is just such a production and most nights we would rather just eat and move on to the next activity.

 

FYI: We book MTD and prepay gratuity. Having a set time for dinner and then not showing up would be rude to our tablemates and it's nice to not have to worry about gratuities at all!

[Marley-Bop]

After a few cruises now, we have never eaten our dinner in the WJ - I always assumed it would be heaving like breakfast or lunchtime so avoided it at all costs.

 

On our last cruise we went into the WJ for a drink before going to the MDR and found it really quiet and calm in there. On our next cruise in November we are definitley going to try and spend a few nights in there so we can eat what we want...when we want to :D

 

We have always said that if we dont get a table for two then we would eat in the WJ every night :)

[cruisenfever]

Just an FYI. If you prepay your gratuities and elect not to eat in the MDR nor eat in MTD, your gratuities are pooled and divided between WJ waiters along with Specialty Restaurant waiters.

[Coralc]

Same here. We select MTD and never eat in the MDR. I think we had a lunch there, a few cruises ago. We eat in the windjammer, specialty restaurants, other venues and room service.

 

Food service tips are already pre-paid and we don't worry about it. :)

[bouhunter]

Over our 7-8 cruises we've gone from eating most every night in the MDR to almost none. At first it seemed fun and novel, but over time to us it became a routine that was getting old. Same table, same waiters, same time, same bread..........

 

I know we could shake it up a little with MTD, but it's also reached a point where we aren't all that impressed with the MDR food, and some nights especially, the entree choices.

 

Next winter on Brilliance we're thinking 4 nights at Chops/Portofino for great food, and 3 nights at Windjammer for time flexibility, and none in the MDR.

 

We do leave the tips as recommended.

[TonyFred]

Been on many cruises and have yet to eat even one dinner in the MDR. I am divorced and travel with a good friend. We prefer to eat where ever we want, whenever we want.

Having said that, I always choose MTD or if it isnt available, I always stop by and let the MDR staff know that we wont be there so noone is waiting on us.

I have enjoyed breakfast and lunch in the MDR, but again, only when I choose to.

[pennys mum]

We HATE the MDR and only go there when someone we're traveling with insists or on formal night. Dinner is just such a production and most nights we would rather just eat and move on to the next activity.

 

FYI: We book MTD and prepay gratuity. Having a set time for dinner and then not showing up would be rude to our tablemates and it's nice to not have to worry about gratuities at all!

 

When you say its a production ...what do you mean?

How long does it take to have a meal there?

I dont want to spend hours in a dining room when i can be out and about on the ship.

[FLACRUISER99]

I have a friend who also never eats in the MDR. Has room service for Breakfast, and Specialty dinning for lunch & Dinner. Claims to only tip the room steward, room service and tips the waiter after every meal.

[Gatrcruzer]

We have done this - used MTD, and ate at Windjammer nightly. We had a little one with us who needed to eat early and quickly, so it was more relaxing all around to just go to the Windjammer. While we did do the pre-paid gratuities for MTD, we were a little surprised at the end of the cruise that we were given vouchers with an envelope for our waiter, assistant waiter and Maitre D'. We were a bit confused about what to do with the tip money, and had assumed it would just go to the pool. Maybe they messed up? At any rate, I think my husband just brought them down to the dining room and asked them what to do with them.

[Gatrcruzer]

Regarding a previous question about it "being a production," I think this might refer to needing to get cleaned up and changed for dinner by a particular time, probably getting into dress clothes when they might prefer to dress casually, needing to wait at the table for other diners to arrive before the order is taken, and then waiting for courses to be brought. At Windjammer you can just show up when you want, dress casually, and pick out whatever food you want to eat right away. If you want more, you can just get up and get it, no need to wait for a waiter, place an order, etc. Some people like having formal dining, or may wish to have it some nights, and for others casual, quick dining is better. I will say that dinners in the main dining room tend to go longer. Depending on the service I'd say 1-2 hours. If you have a large table it is usually a lot slower, so probably closer to 2 hours.

[CRZRDaveinNC]

On our recent cruise on the Oasis, we had MTD (which we had done on the Freedom and loved it). On the Oasis, it was very disorganized and service was slow and inconsistent. After a few nights, we tried the Windjammer due to a time restraint, and we were pleasantly suprised. We went back again the next night, just not feeling up to the ordeal of MTD. We also ate at Chops. There are way to many things to experience on that ship. In addition, we have been on an RCI cruise each year for the past five years, so we are also getting tired of the same menus.

[Camlott]

Just recently got back from the Oasis. We never even saw the MDR. That being said, we booked MTD and did not adjust the tips. We just tipped extra to those who provided us service throughout the week.

[Puffinater]

Have avoided the MDR on several trips. On B2B's on Oasis we did not eat in the MDR the second week. We tipped in the venues we ate in and tipped the cabin cleaner upper in cash.

[JulieRose]

Regarding a previous question about it "being a production," I think this might refer to needing to get cleaned up and changed for dinner by a particular time, probably getting into dress clothes when they might prefer to dress casually, needing to wait at the table for other diners to arrive before the order is taken, and then waiting for courses to be brought. At Windjammer you can just show up when you want, dress casually, and pick out whatever food you want to eat right away. If you want more, you can just get up and get it, no need to wait for a waiter, place an order, etc. Some people like having formal dining, or may wish to have it some nights, and for others casual, quick dining is better. I will say that dinners in the main dining room tend to go longer. Depending on the service I'd say 1-2 hours. If you have a large table it is usually a lot slower, so probably closer to 2 hours.

 

Yes, if you're referring to my post. I just feel like 2 hours for dinner is ridiculous. We enjoy going to formal nights, dressing up and taking our time for dinner once or twice in a 7-9 day cruise but would rather find other venues for most nights. We still get "cleaned up" and dress for the suggestion in the MDR (for both our social comfort and the enjoyment of those who choose to partake in both the MDR and the suggested dress code) but eat elsewhere because we don't particularly enjoy sitting for a 2 hour meal every night.

[39august]

We have not eaten in the MDR for dinner on any of the last 3-4 cruises. We really enjoy the relaxed and quiet atmosphere of the WJ for dinner and appreciate the wide variety of food. Also, many of the entrees offered in the MDR are in the WJ as well. Unfortunatly, no lobster or fillet. So, next cruise we will go only to formal night in the MDR. And yes, we will dress formally. We also always go to a specialty restaurant once during a cruise. Really looking forward to all the no fee dining options on Oasis.

[BGCruiser85]

I personally can't imagine NOT eating in the MDR for the majority of the cruise. Going to dinner and chatting with other couples has been the absolute highlight of several of our cruises. My wife and I still laugh about our first cruise together on the Jewel and an older couple we met at dinner. Very outspoken and brash. I wouldn't trade the memories we've made in the MDR of multiple cruises for anything. To each their own, but we happen to LOVE the 'production' as others have put it. :p