Are the MDR's loosing their appeal?

[Going Coastal]

When we were on Solstice on the spring for five consecutive trips we never got tired of the MDR. We just had more chances to try different menu items and found some new favorites.

[Ma Bell]

Yes, thanks for the correction. MDR and BLU served the Prime Rib - neither got the temperature right; Tuscan Grill and Lawn Club Grill served the rib-eye steak.

 

 

 

Good to know. Thanks. Not sure if this will work for the rib-eyes but I'm gonna try :)

 

If it's not right all you have to do is ask for another.

[bigbenboys]

Last month in BLU they had prime rib twice in 15 days. We'd both order our rare. One would come out about 3/4 -1 of an inch thick and the other seemed to be under 1/2 an inch. Taste, temp and texture was OK, not great. But it was nice and rare to medium rare as requested.

 

Our last cruise they never had Prime Rib in Blu. They had Rib Eye twice. I was so disapointed. I always order my beef on cruises rare. I'll have to remember to ask for thick cut. Thanks Richard

[hospvol]

My husband and I still enjoy the MDR. It is a step up from our dinners at home.

[Full90]

When we're on vacation we travel to experience things we can't at home. So, we dine in the MDR most nights, but will dine in each specialty restaurant at least once. The variety of venues makes the cruise more interesting and rewarding. In the grand scheme of things, considering the full cost of the cruise, including travel to and from home, travel insurance, gratuities, excursions (private and ship), and drinks, the extra cost for the specialty restaurants is pocket change. We figure if we can't afford to splurge on a few extras, then we should wait until we can. No sense in limiting our experiences unnecessarily. We prefer to limit our expenses at home, not on our infrequent vacations.

 

Ditto!! To me it is amusing at the amount of ink on these forums about how to smuggle in bottles of alcohol in order to save $10-20. I don't go on vacation to save money.

[swsfrail]

Ditto!! To me it is amusing at the amount of ink on these forums about how to smuggle in bottles of alcohol in order to save $10-20. I don't go on vacation to save money.

 

Oh, but one of the excuses the smugglers use is that they can't afford to cruise if they have to pay for booze. I have a hard time imagining why someone would take an expensive cruise if they are so strapped for money that they can't afford to purchase a few drinks. Seems that if they are that short of money they should be saving it for important things like shelter and food at home.

 

But that is just me being practical - a personality trait apparently missing in some people.

 

OOPS! That was off topic. Sorry about that! We now return you to the discussion at hand.

[Paulras]

Always found the MDR enjoyable. Maybe it's me but when I look at the menus for the MDR, there are several options that strike me as items I want to order. But I see the menus for Blu or some other specialty restaurants and I might only find one entree that's appealing. (keep in mind I don't eat any seafood).

 

I also like that you can try multiple entrees in the MDR so when the two of us can't decide between 3 or 4 different entrees, we'll just get them all and share more like family style. Sounds piggy but the portions tend to be geared towards having a second plate anyway; at least for me. Unless things have changed, I thought the specialty restaurants only allow one entree? If you don't like what you ordered, you're stuck. I like being able to ask for a different option. And the MDR food is always very good to excellent. I've been to specialty restaurants in the past where the food and service was hit or miss so I was less than thrilled by them.

 

We'll do a specialty here and there but always check out the MDR menu posted earlier that day first to make sure we won't miss anything we really feel like having.

[VegasMark]

Another way to tell a new cruiser is if they go to the buffet the first day.

 

I'm not sure I get this. I always eat at the buffet on the first day, and I'm sure other frequent cruisers do as well.

[pnsnkr]

If it's not right all you have to do is ask for another.

 

Good suggestion, but it doesn't quite work out well for us, we've observed. I will have to ask for a redo and ask them to take my wife's order back as well; otherwise, we end up watching each other eat instead of enjoying our dinner together ;)

 

This is one of the reasons why I seldom send my dish back.

[jasm8449]

Due to illness, we have not cruised for 4 years and cannot wait for our Reflection cruise on March 1st!

 

I am pleased to see the positive posts about the MDR. We had always enjoyed the MDR experience. Four years ago the downturn in the quality of the food made us feel like fools to get all dressed up on formal nights only to be presented with food that was frankly insulting. At the time, between the disappointing quality of the food and the lax enforcement of the formal dress code, (no intention whatsoever about starting a dress code thread!!), as much as I have had a long love affair with Celebrity, it felt like it we were the victims of a practical joke. All dressed up and nowhere to go.

 

So although we have purchased a 5 night dining package for a 7 night cruise, I will look forward to the two formal nights in the MDR.

[Ma Bell]

Good suggestion, but it doesn't quite work out well for us, we've observed. I will have to ask for a redo and ask them to take my wife's order back as well; otherwise, we end up watching each other eat instead of enjoying our dinner together ;)

 

This is one of the reasons why I seldom send my dish back.

 

If you don't give them a chance to remedy the situation why would you complain? It's very seldom that I've ever had to send anything back but if I do they usually return it in a timely manner.

[hcat]

I'm not sure I get this. I always eat at the buffet on the first day, and I'm sure other frequent cruisers do as well.

 

Interesting and I am sure many frequent cruises do also..

We always eat at Bistro on Five first day...and then do whatever we can to avoid the buffet as much as possible...only once or twice for salad lunch and grazing dinner on an off night. We do not care for the buffet layout on S class ships...and often the selection is a bit sparse...

 

Nothing particulary wrong with it just not our cup of tea...

[Ma Bell]

The selection in the buffet is anything but sparse. I agree it's a nut house on the first day and do enjoy Bistro on 5, but that is a really sparse selection.

[Christine Frances]

That's why we try to board early:) We head out to the Oceanview Bar for a nice table outside, order drinks and we are usually finished lunch before the hoards arrive! I wouldn't mind going to Bistro on Five but there is nothing there that interests DH - he heads right to the carving stations lol

Edited November 4, 2013 by Christine Frances

[travelingmom37]

The reason I am not as fond as the Solstice ships as the M Class is the abundance of specialty restaurants. I have found the MDR less full ( could be wrong) which takes away from enjoying the same table and getting to know people. At most we may go to one specialty for dinner. I also do not feel the upcharge is worth it for us.

[boogs]

The reason I am not as fond as the Solstice ships as the M Class is the abundance of specialty restaurants. I have found the MDR less full ( could be wrong) which takes away from enjoying the same table and getting to know people. At most we may go to one specialty for dinner. I also do not feel the upcharge is worth it for us.

 

As for me, one of the highlights of the S-class ships, especially Silhouette and Reflection, is the variety of dining venues. I find it much more interesting to be able to try different decors, more intimate ambiance, more attentive serving styles, and higher quality, cooked to order, different selections by dining in all the additional specialty restaurants at least once. Even at home we never consider eating at the same place every time we go out. Instead, we try different restaurants. We do the same on our cruises. We like to mix it up! :D

Edited November 4, 2013 by boogs

[varoo]

....... I find it much more interesting to be able to try different decors, more intimate ambiance, more attentive serving styles, and higher quality, cooked to order, different selections by dining in all the additional specialty restaurants at least once. Even at home we never consider eating at the same place every time we go out. Instead, we try different restaurants. We do the same on our cruises. We like to mix it up! :D

So do we. But additionally, sometimes we like to order dinner from the main dining room menu to enjoy out on our balcony.

 

Other evenings, especially if we had a late lunch, we are simply not in the mood for a long, drawn-out dinner at all and would rather just grab a light bite from the buffet.

 

 

We may enjoy eating in the main dining room for 3 or 4 nights in a row, but by then we are ready to try something else, much as we would if we only kept on going back to the same restaurant night after night anywhere else, no matter how large and varied the menu.

[bigbenboys]

The selection in the buffet is anything but sparse. I agree it's a nut house on the first day and do enjoy Bistro on 5, but that is a really sparse selection.

 

For me the buffet on the S class ship is the greatest. With all the islands. On our last cruise I at the East Indian food almost every day. It was so good. some days I went back for 2nd's. Richard

[Ma Bell]

For me the buffet on the S class ship is the greatest. With all the islands. On our last cruise I at the East Indian food almost every day. It was so good. some days I went back for 2nd's. Richard

 

I don't understand why someone would say the selections are sparse. I think they have a very nice variety of foods.

[pnsnkr]

If you don't give them a chance to remedy the situation why would you complain?

 

I did mention that I was going to give them (prime ribs and/or ribeye on Celebrity) another chance (by requesting a thick cut); just not the way you suggested.

[We're The Groupnors]

We really enjoy the MDR, both for the food and for the opportunity to meet new people. Is it Michelin 3 star dining? No, but it's still better than many land based restaurants we've been to, it's included in the cruise fare, and most importantly we don't have to cook it! The specialty restaurants are nice for a change but we'd never make them our regular dining venue.

[iancal]

Based on our last three Celebrity cruises, we are not big fans of eating in the buffet in the evening. It seemed to be the same old same old every night.....on all three ships. We will be on the Eclipse next month for fourteen days. Hopefully the dinner buffet has been improved.

Edited November 5, 2013 by iancal

[Ma Bell]

The buffet is probably not going to be much different. It's really not meant to be one of the main venues for evening dining. I have seen a wider variety offered on some of the port intensive cruises when times leaving port are later in the evening. This usually applies more to European itineraries.

Edited November 5, 2013 by Ma Bell

[Feelin' Nauti']

We have booked 3 specialty restaurants for our next cruise of 14 nights.

 

Are the MDR's loosing their appeal?

 

Not in my eyes.

I can never complain about the quality of food served in the MDR.

However, I have noticed one thing, they do not serve lobster tails like in years past.

They use to be big and succulent. :D

Now the are tiny pawns. :cool:

[iancal]

All three of our recent (within the past 12 months) were European. Adriatic, Eastern Med, and TA. Poor dinner buffet on all three cruises but great MDR. Buffet never changed, food was mediocre at best.