Would you like to eat in the M.D.R. in half the time.

[Calgon1]

IMHO - MDR is a traditional activity and, as Topol so famously said, there's a lot to be said for tradition. I look at it as an opportunity to wind down from the often hectic pace of the day's events and, for an hour or so, to regain a bit of grace and (hopefully) refinement. Plus, I like to relax and actually enjoy the meal as well as the dinner table conversation(s).

Please don't get me wrong. There have been times that I have opted for the Lido/Horizon Court buffet. Except on Formal Night, everything on the MDR menu is also served on the buffet. So, if we're in a hurry, and our goal is just to shove in the food to replenish our energy reserves, then the buffet is a viable option. I just don't see it as having the ambiance to entice us to linger . . .

[Scrapnana]

I enjoy the leisurely dinners in the MDR and would not want to see it changed. On my last cruise I was at a table for ten and we usually finished in about an hour and a half although sometimes we did sit and talk longer. There is always the Lido or room service for nights when a faster meal is desirable.

[Padraic]

There is a difference between dining and gittin' fed.

That might be heresy to some........

 

My thought exactly!

[cbr663]

We are one of the folks you mentioned who don't like the MDR. It is loud, crowded and so reminiscent of a food factory line that we rarely find it enjoyable. The service is impersonal and automatic and food quality is inconsistent. We have been so unhappy with the MDR experience that we tend to skip it entirely.

 

On our last cruise we thought we would give it another try and visited several times for different meals. Some were great and some were terrible. For our upcoming cruise we will not be visiting the MDR at all.

 

We wish that HAL would take half of the MDR and turn it into specialty restaurants. It may make for a far better dining experience.

[MrsPete]

I say maybe.

 

I do enjoy dinners in the MDR, but they are a long, drawn-out process. I enjoy doing it perhaps four times in the course of a week . . . but not every single night.

[Slugsta]

I really enjoy the MDR experience and meeting other people is an intrinsic part of that. If I want to be away quickly then I will eat elsewhere.

[Fergus]

For us it depends on several things. Our children are young adults now (20/24) and if they are with us, we like the MDR meals - because we don't get to enjoy extended time at the table with them "in real life" or on the cruise. If it's just me and the hubs, we mix it up between the MDR, buffet, steakhouse, etc. Seems like we are more likely to make our plans on the fly - decide to go to one of the comedy shows or the main lounge, go to the casino, to the shops, etc. on the spur of the moment - so we usually decide at the last minute what we will do for dinner, depending on how busy our day has been, how sunburned we are, etc.

[cruiseapril]

We enjoy the slow pace of dining in the MDR. As we usually don't have 4 course meals, we like having plenty of time to have a relaxing meal.

[boogs]

We enjoy the slow pace of dining in the MDR. As we usually don't have 4 course meals, we like having plenty of time to have a relaxing meal.

 

We agree with all the "slow pacers". I have a hard time understanding why some people take a cruise and then insist on trying to do everything the way they do it at home. I always thought a vacation was to get away from home, not to copy it somewhere else. :confused:

[gooch47]

We always get a table for two mainly because we seldom order more than two courses and always skip dessert. So dinner doesn't take very long because of simple logistics. And we don't mind it taking a short tome.

[ducklite]

We prefer a ship that offers open seating so we can choose to sit by ourselves and finish faster on the nights we are tired or just want quiet time alone, and with others on the nights that we would prefer a slower paced meal and the company of others. Best of both worlds. :)

[slidergirl]

We always get a table for two mainly because we seldom order more than two courses and always skip dessert. So dinner doesn't take very long because of simple logistics. And we don't mind it taking a short tome.

 

This. I travel solo, and I don't like getting lumped in with strangers for dinner. Like Gooch47, I seldom order more than 2 courses and don't do dessert 90% of the time. I just don't enjoy watching strangers engorge themselves with a mandatory sense of "I must eat all 4/5/6 courses" and "I will eat multiples of some courses if I like it". When I get stuck with strangers, this always happens and it does put a major damper on my dining experience. But, I do like to sit and eat at my own pace in the dining room once in awhile. But, I can sit and eat at my own pace in the buffet, also. No one puts a gun to my head and forces me to "chow it down" in the buffet. I'll eat what I want to eat, when I want to eat it, and it will take me as long or as short as I want… Guess HAL is not my line ;)

[cruiserking]

Our evening meal aboard ship is some has provided some of the most memorable times. We relish seeing our dinner mates and chatting about the days' events and having a few laughs. It usually takes an hour and a half and we're off again, plenty of time for a relaxing meal, I wouldn't be interested in anything must quicker, it would feel too rushed.

 

Jonathan

[pris993]

We always get a table for 2. We also ask the waiter to service us first, so we are not waiting a long time while the waiter serves a bigger table, nearby. We also preorder the night before our main course and first course. We don't eat dessert. Generally we are finished in 1.5 hours.

 

Having a table for 2, if we decide to have lunch in port, or go to a speciality restrauant we can skip the MDR and let the diningroom staff know in advance.

 

We fine dining alone give us maximum flexibility.

 

Anytime dining on most cruise lines allows folks to do what they like anytime, so don't think there is a need for another alternative.

[Shak]

I have been cruising since the mid 90's and I must be the luckiest cruiser to have enjoyed the company of people I didn't know beforehand. Yes there were some better then others but none I have regretted.

 

Shak

[Bookish Angel]

if we go to the dining room which we often do not. We don't drink wine or coffee and I don't care for desserts not made at home so it generally takes no more than an hour or so in the dining room at a 2 -top.

We prefer to spend the time sitting or walking on deck. We can linger in our dining room at home.

[Hlitner]

We will go against some of the wisdom here and say that we love to "dine" as opposed to "fast food." When we are on a ship we always prefer to share large tables and dine late (usually after 8) so that we can relax in the MDR when the staff is not under pressure to prepare for later diners. We somehow seem to find fun tables and are often the last out of the MDR after 1 1/2 - 2 hours of social enjoyment. Perhaps our love of long meals comes from lots of travel in Europe where folks know how to slow down at mealtime and enjoy the food, atmosphere and company.

Hank

[wotaripper]

[quote name='OCruisers'][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"]:D True!
Actually, we don't like being rushed. Agree, it's normally about an hour and a half for dinner in the MDR.
LuLu[/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]I agree on our cruise on Radiance in January we where forcibly fed each night our waiter and his assistant would often be putting the next course down as the other was removing our dishes from the previous course.We felt like we where on a production line and not given chance to savour and enjoy our food.We ate in the windjammer the last two nights as we had had enough.

[boogs]

[quote name='wotaripper']I agree on our cruise on Radiance in January [B]we where forcibly fed each night[/B] our waiter and his assistant would often be putting the next course down as the other was removing our dishes from the previous course.[B]We felt like we where on a production line[/B] and not given chance to savour and enjoy our food.We ate in the windjammer the last two nights as we had had enough.[/QUOTE]

Just amazing how much some people exaggerate when they tell a story.

[SantaFeFan]

[quote name='wotaripper']I agree on our cruise on Radiance in January we where forcibly fed each night our waiter and his assistant would often be putting the next course down as the other was removing our dishes from the previous course.We felt like we where on a production line and not given chance to savour and enjoy our food.We ate in the windjammer the last two nights as we had had enough.[/QUOTE]

Oh man, I know exactly what you mean!! On our last cruise my wife and I would sleep late on sea days. Our room steward was so impatient to make up the room that he would come in while we were still sleeping and make the bed while we were still in it. We'd wake up stunned to discover that our bed was made up right under us. I hate it when we are forced to feel like we are in the way. We got so fed up that on the last two nights we slept in one of the life boats.

[Laurie S.]

We have ATD and usually go down around 8 or so. We sit by ourselves and on the last cruise we were given a four-person booth each time, which was great. Since my fiancé lives in Mexico and I only get down there every four to six weeks, our time together is precious and so we won't share a table with other people. We're usually through dinner in an hour and that's not rushing.

[Karysa]

[quote name='Laurie S.']We have ATD and usually go down around 8 or so. We sit by ourselves and on the last cruise we were given a four-person booth each time, which was great. Since my fiancé lives in Mexico and I only get down there every four to six weeks, our time together is precious and so we won't share a table with other people. We're usually through dinner in an hour and that's not rushing.[/QUOTE]

MDR food is not cooked to order so an hour for two people is reasonable to me as well.

[Bonnie J.]

MDR food IS sometimes cooked to order. My husband has acid reflux disease so orders his meat the night before. His meat is the only meat with no spices at all. A table mate had to have gluten free food. They cooked gluten free bread for her every night as she couldn't eat the rolls.

[MandyMooToo]

[quote name='sail7seas'][B]My late DH and I always had table to ourselves unless we invited someone to join us when we had a four top they would set for two each night. We never wanted our dinner to be faster than two hours. We loved to dine leisurely, relax, enjoy our wine and each other.

[/B][/quote]

^^Yep

[Karysa]

[quote name='Bonnie J.']MDR food IS sometimes cooked to order. My husband has acid reflux disease so orders his meat the night before. His meat is the only meat with no spices at all. A table mate had to have gluten free food. They cooked gluten free bread for her every night as she couldn't eat the rolls.[/QUOTE]

Yes. Thanks for pointing out that unless you have an illness or allergy the MDR does not cook to order. So for most couples it is possible to leave the loud, busy, bustling MDR in an hour and spend your time walking the deck, or dancing together or some other couples activity. Eating in an hour for 2 people when the food is basically prepared already is not rushing to me. For those that really enjoy the MDR then sure spend a couple of hours there. It's vacation and spending it doing what you like is pretty much the point of it.