Why do you use Speciality Dining Rooms?

[SuiteTraveler]

The specialty restaurants allow you to choose a specific cuisine and have that for dinner rather than just pick whatever off the MDR menu. The ability to choose the cuisine I want is why I like eating in specialty restaurants. Also, considering that the price of cruising has gone down, the small extra expense for dining in specialty restaurants to me is just a part of the cost of cruising and well worth it so that I can have essentially whatever cuisine I want whenever I want it as opposed to being limited to whatever is on the menu in the MDR. One reason I appreciate this especially is because I always thought it was weird to spend the day in Rome or Naples and then get on the ship and have American food or Chinese food or whatever they were serving, which never seemed to match the port or upcoming port at all. I prefer to have the food of the region we are currently in if at all possible.

 

At the same time, cruise lines have appeased budget cruisers by continuing to offer included food. It is wonderful for the parents of a young child to be able to do the buffet or leave the MDR if their child is acting up without worries about the expense and other people who are budget conscious and don't want to pay extra for specialty dining don't have to and still have plenty of options.

 

Another advantage of the specialty restaurants is the limited number of children dining in them. Families on strict budgets stick to the buffet or MDR. Those children fortunate enough to be taken to a specialty restaurant by their parents usually behave very well as it is usually a special occasion for that family.

 

If you are paying proportionally less for a cruise today than 10 years ago, then it makes sense that there be the option of paying extra to have the food you want. The ability to do multiple different cuisines every night with 5 or more options for entrees per type of cuisine never existed in MDR's. So all cruise ships have done, IMO, is give us more options to choose even more foods at a slightly increased expense for the cruise which has already been significantly discounted. So we are still paying less for the cruise even if we pay for a specialty restaurant every day.

Edited November 22, 2014 by SuiteTraveler

[ducklite]

I'm curious as to why people use the Speciality Dining Rooms? Having paid for 3 meals a day, plus snacks 24 hours a day, why would you then spend more money to dine elsewhere? I can understand the logic if you are on a cruise of 14 days or more, but a short cruise.......?

 

A couple reasons. On Royal Caribbean because the food in the MDR was so bad that we gladly paid in order to get an edible meal.

 

On Disney because Remy is the best meal on the seas on any ship. If it were land based it would garner two Michelin Stars and the tariff would be $300 per person or more, not the $75 pp DCL charges. We also enjoy the ambiance in Palo.

 

On Windstar and the Paul Gauguin because there was no additional charge and it was a nice change of pace. Nothing in this world beats cruising along the Dalmation Coast on WindStar with the sails unfurled eating a fantastic steak out on the deck while seeing the twinkling of lights on the shore.

 

Even if we have to pay a few bucks, it's no big deal. When you are spending $5K or more on cruise fare, dropping an extra $50 for two to have dinner in an alternate restaurant isn't even noticeable on the bottom line.

Edited November 22, 2014 by ducklite
fixed typos

[Hlitner]

We are frequent cruisers (over 70 days a year) and will make use of specialty restaurants when they offer a selection and quality we cannot get in the MDR. Some cruise lines have created excellent alternative venues which can really enhance the cruise experience. When we are on a long cruise (over a few weeks) we find the variety to be fun. On Celebrity we really enjoy the fun experience at Qsine and their upscale Murano is also quite good (especially if you can get a discount). The Queen Mary 2 offers Todd English which provided a darn good meal (with views out the stern). There are other alternative restaurants for which we are less enthused...such as dinner at HAL's Pinnacle.

On the other hand, we love lunch at that same Pinnacle (we only pay $5 because of the 4 Star Mariner discount).

 

To the OP we would suggest that one of the real pluses of cruising is that there are many options for passengers and nobody forces you to do much of anything (except attend the boat drill). We have met plenty of passengers who will not spend any money on a cruise (they buy no drinks, do no shopping, do not gamble, and in the case of some passengers (often Aussies and Brits) even remove their gratuities to the crew. If your goal is to cruise and have a zero onboard account...it is an option. But many others enjoy taking advantage of the various offerings including alternative dining venues.

 

Hank

[bbwex]

Like LHT28, we mostly cruise on a line that has no extra charge for the specialty restaurants, and though the MDR is pretty good, the specialty restaurants are really quite exceptional, and DW and I eat out at fancy restaurants a lot so we have a lot to compare them to.

 

We sailed on HAL and we had two nights in specialty restaurants, but the MDR food was at best mediocre, and I thought the specialty restaurants were not even as good as the MDR, though they were more quiet. I will give them that.

 

On Disney, we did not have a chance to eat in Palo, as we had our grandchildren and the restaurant is adults only, but I do hear that it is very, very good.

 

It does depend on the cruise line, your taste, your opinion, etc., etc., etc.

[Lerin]

Better food, service and presentation.

Chef's Table is even a step above that.

[ducklite]

On Disney, we did not have a chance to eat in Palo, as we had our grandchildren and the restaurant is adults only, but I do hear that it is very, very good.

 

We've dined in Palo on the Dream and the Magic. I wouldn't call it "very, very good." I'd call it quite good. It was better than any of the specialty restaurants on Royal Caribbean or the Paul Gauguin. It was along the line of any high end steak house in the US. It was not Michelin star worthy, or even close.

 

That would be Remy, which was one of the top five meals I've had anywhere. As mentioned above, if Remy were land based it would earn two Michelin Stars.

[CowPrincess]

hlitner said, in part:

There are other alternative restaurants for which we are less enthused...such as dinner at HAL's Pinnacle.

On the other hand, we love lunch at that same Pinnacle (we only pay $5 because of the 4 Star Mariner discount).

 

I generally agree that the Pinnacle for lunch is better than the Pinnacle for dinner. ON my last cruise, however, we did a PG dinner with the add-on caviar. The caviar alone was worth the entire price ;)

 

 

For us, we seldom go to the Specialty Dining Room. I think it is nice that it is there for those who want it, but we find the menu mostly not to our taste.

[fortinweb]

On Disney, we did not have a chance to eat in Palo, as we had our grandchildren and the restaurant is adults only, but I do hear that it is very, very good.

 

You have heard correctly. There four of us, and each agreed that it as the best meal at sea ever, both for excellent service and quality of the food.

 

It does depend on the cruise line, your taste, your opinion, etc., etc., etc.

 

I have cruised on lines where the MDR was better than the specialties on other lines. Part of it is because of personal taste and preferences, but a greater part was the quality - or lack of it - on some lines.

[pris993]

I'm curious as to why people use the Speciality Dining Rooms? Having paid for 3 meals a day, plus snacks 24 hours a day, why would you then spend more money to dine elsewhere? I can understand the logic if you are on a cruise of 14 days or more, but a short cruise.......?

 

The only reason for us, is we like peace and quiet. Generally the MDRs are very noisy and crowded, tables too close together... etc.

 

We often find we can do just as well, at the buffet, late afternoon, pick up a selection of items we like, take back to our cabin, enjoy on the balcony if we are still in port, along with a few drinks. Afterwards we order coffee from room service and tip the staff to take away the dishes. We take a nap, then later dress and go enjoy some entertainment on board, we don't have to worry about getting to a show and getting seats.

 

We have found we don't mind skipping the MDR and the dinner hour at all. We usually do room service for breakfast.

 

If we find we get good service in the MDR we go, other wise we don't miss it.

 

We did a 16 night on the Nieuw Amsterdam, had a great table for 2 in in a nice area in the MDR, so we went every night. Did the same on the Grand Princess, second seating was not that crowded so our table for 2 was very pleasant.

 

For us it is less about the food, more about atmosphere, we eat better at home.

[Flatbush Flyer]

We live in a small city and fine dining opportunities are mostly non existent.

 

 

 

We cruise on Holland America and look forward to our specialty dining experiences as part of the overall cruise enjoyment. We tend to take longer cruises and eat in a specialty restaurant every few days.

 

 

 

We are always assured of a table for two away from the hustle and bustle of the MDR, the food is superior, the service is impeccable and unrushed and we get to dress up a bit -------what's not to like?

 

 

This is a key element. We are surrounded by approx. 40 Michelin starred restaurants. We are fans of Oceania, which for us at least equates to many local establishments.

 

 

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[OCruisers]

Depends on the cruise line. The food in the MDR is better to us on some than on others. :)

Always, a specialty restaurant for steaks on any cruise line. ;)

LuLu

[dfish]

We go on the last night of the cruise just as a treat. It has now become a tradition on the last night just to do something special.