Anyone Not Book Specialty Dinners?

[3CatsInMA]

We pretty much stick with the MDR these days as well. Every so often, my wife or I will order the Chops filet if nothing else is appealing at the time.

[L454S]

Years ago when the charges were $5 and then $10, we did a couple steak houses on Princess. Now on RC with charges hitting $50+PP and wanting $25PP for a Mexican dinner, we pass.

 

We find enough to like in the MDR( especially the service)or WJ to enjoy our trip. When that changes, we will try something else, lots of choices out there.

[Aintnofun007]

guess im in the minority here... my family and i usually eat in the specialties close to half of the nights.. the price is going up i agree, its still a good value though. haven't had a bad meal yet there, while on the other hand i find the mdr and windjammer food to be somewhat subpar.. i think there are maybe one or two items ever that i was like i really want that again in the mdr...

[sjb317]

We've always enjoyed dinner in the MDR, I don't think we've ever had a bad meal. We are not fond of WJ for dinner but prefer it for breakfast over the MDR, every time we've had breakfast in the MDR, I've sworn I would never go there again! Since we like to do longer cruises, we will usually book a specialty restaurant for one or two nights, especially if we have a free dinner from the TA!:D

 

I agree with those posters who don't consider Johnny Rockets a specialty restaurant. I know I'm in the minority here, but I like the WJ hamburgers better than JR's!:D

 

Sherri:)

[sky0000547]

I have never eaten at any specialty restaurants and never plan to either. I am more than happy with MDR, I have paid my cruise fares with inclusive meals and that is what I will have without paying more for it.

[LuCruise]

Thanks for all the great responses. And sorry, didn't mean to create a thread where there would be some debate over what defines specialty.

 

We've always enjoyed dinner in the MDR, I don't think we've ever had a bad meal. We are not fond of WJ for dinner but prefer it for breakfast over the MDR, every time we've had breakfast in the MDR, I've sworn I would never go there again! Since we like to do longer cruises, we will usually book a specialty restaurant for one or two nights, especially if we have a free dinner from the TA!:D

 

I agree with those posters who don't consider Johnny Rockets a specialty restaurant. I know I'm in the minority here, but I like the WJ hamburgers better than JR's!:D

 

Sherri:)

 

I'm with you about dinner. There's something about going to the MDR vs Windjammer at the end of the day..having waiters and a menu. But it's good that there are alternatives if get back late from port or trying to make a show time. Sorry you've had bad experiences for breakfast...was thinking of trying MDR at least once.

 

And to someone's comment above...yeah, I heard that it used to be less yo go to these specialty restaurants.

[Paul65]

Years ago when the charges were $5 and then $10, we did a couple steak houses on Princess. Now on RC with charges hitting $50+PP and wanting $25PP for a Mexican dinner, we pass.

 

I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself with the increased prices. Maybe there are some places that are $50+ per person, but we did both Giovanni's and Chops on Serenade last month, and the prices were $20 and $30 respectively. I think it's a little more on some of the newer ships, but I don't think it's quite up to $50+ yet, unless you're doing something like the Mystery Dinner or Chef's Table.

[Bookish Angel]

We were not impressed with the quality of food, service or setting. Chops was particularly bad as the meat quality was not good at all. Also, once we politely told the waiter that we would not be ordering wine, service changed dramatically. Neither of us like wine but we might have ordered a cocktail if the service had not been so unprofessional.

 

We eat mostly in the Windjammer and occasionally go to the MDR, depending on what is offered on the menu.

Edited May 12, 2015 by Bookish Angel

[xxoocruiser]

Tried a specialty restaurant twice and that was only because I would have lost non-refundable OBC if it wasn't spent. As a rule I eat only at the venues included in the cost of the cruise.

[griffy116]

Never felt the need to do the Specialty dining. We've always found something we like (and several dishes we LOVE) in the MDR. I'm surprised that there are so many like us that don't use the Specialty Dining. We actually enjoy our meals there....and we would miss our waiter.

[American Bear]

I only now use specialty restaurants if I have a special occasion to celebrate with my wife, her birthday, our anniversary.:D

We like the MDR on Holiday cruises for the celebratory feel of a large crowd.:D

Happy cruising.:)

[impatientlywaiting]

Are we the only ones that stick to the MDR and do not book specialty dinners?

 

No, we don't either. We pay enough for the cruise which includes food and I can't see paying for different restaurants. We don't eat out much at home so why should we eat out on cruise ships. On our last cruise, at the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle we won a free lunch at Giovanni's. It was just okay and not something I would have paid extra for ($30 per person extra). I can honestly say we won't go to any other restaurants on future cruises.

[ryano]

No, we don't either. We pay enough for the cruise which includes food and I can't see paying for different restaurants. We don't eat out much at home so why should we eat out on cruise ships. On our last cruise, at the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle we won a free lunch at Giovanni's. It was just okay and not something I would have paid extra for ($30 per person extra). I can honestly say we won't go to any other restaurants on future cruises.

 

What ship were you on that Giovannis lunch was 30.00pp? :confused: Its half that on Freedom. Dinner is 25.00.

[Paul65]

What ship were you on that Giovannis lunch was 30.00pp? :confused: Its half that on Freedom. Dinner is 25.00.

 

There seems to be a lot of exaggeration of pricing on this thread, for some reason. Not sure why. Specialty restaurants are just an option, and you can go if you want to try one or not. On the ships I've sailed, the specialties wouldn't be anywhere near big enough to accommodate the crowds, if everyone wanted to eat there, anyway. So, it's no surprise that many people choose to stick to the included options.

[ZandZ]

We ate at Chops on our last cruise - only because it was our anniversary. Honestly, I am surprised people posted that it was nothing special, we thought t was worth the charge... Having said that - it probably will not be a regular thing as there are better places to spend money on board, considering the MDR serves great meals....

 

 

I am curious to read feedback on the Chef's table... Do i need to open a new discussion or ok to ask here? Thanks!

[Smitty815]

I have been on three cruises so far, and all have been the Oasis class. My feeling is that I already pay enough for the cruise, so why pay extra for food, however, I have tried a couple of the restaurants.

 

2013 - Allure of the Seas - Samba's Grill

 

I don't think Samba's Grill is on the Allure anymore (or Oasis) anymore. It was in the Solarium. I had never tried a Brazilian Barbeque before and really wanted to try one so I didn't mind the extra price. If I remember correctly it was $30. It was the best meal I have had on a cruise! The concept of it was really cool. Basically they have a lot of different meats. Your table has a light that switches Green/Red. When you want a new meat you hit the green light and a waiter will come over with BBQ meat and shave some on to your plate. They will keep coming by with different meats until you hit the red light for a little rest. There were probably 12 different meats that were served.

I believe Samba's Grill is still on some ships, however, I am not positive.

Would I recommend it? DEFINITELY, but do note that you must be a meat lover in order to go to it. Be prepared to absolutely bloat yourself and lose those 6 pack abs that you aimed for prior to the cruise!

 

 

2015 - Oasis of the Seas - Solarium

 

On my second day of the cruise I was in the MDR. They had overbooked and rather than sitting at our scheduled table on floor 3, they moved us to a table on floor 4. My group is easy going and really couldn't care less. We actually enjoyed the different scenery. Anyway, the staff treated it like it was a huge tragedy and kept trying to make it up to us for the rest of the cruise. We kept telling them that it didn't matter at all, but the maitre d', seemed like he couldn't believe that we didn't complain. They offered us one meal at the Solarium for free. We went there on Friday (Day 6). The group was pretty excited to see what it was all about, but unfortunately that excitement turned to disappointment. Let's starts with the review:

 

For those who don't know, the Solarium cover charge is $20 (we were in for free). It is a restaurant that focuses on a healthy eating lifestyle. When we received the menu, it does not read very well. Perhaps someone who is accustomed to the finer things in life would have an easier time deciphering it's cryptic messages.

Secondly, we were told that you only get one appetizer, one salad, and one main. This was different than the MDR experience because I always ordered 2 mains in there.

I ordered Scallops for my appetizer and I asked if I could change my salad into a second appetizer which they did allow. I ordered the shrimp.

I had Scallops and Shrimp in the MDR and it was much better in there.

The solarium used vinegar on the scallops, that's it.

The Shrimp had a regular salsa on them.

Personally I wasn't a fan, but I know that's subjective.

For the main, I ordered Steak, since I figured this was a safe choice. When I got my steak I took a bite and I chewed for about 3 minutes or so before having to spit it out. It was almost like I took a wad of bubble gum because it was just not breaking down. My girlfriend and another in the group also ordered steak and had the same problem. It was literally the worst cut of meat I have ever eaten. We had no intention of telling anyone about it, however, the waiter obviously noticed that we all left our meals there uneaten and went for the desert buffet. He asked our opinions and I answered "Well I think we might head to the windjammer". My girlfriend was mortified, but I was just being honest! I didn't realize until after that this was probably interpreted as a huge insult. The staff were very apologetic and offered to get us another meal, but we did not take them up on the offer. Needless to say, we were all disappointed that we did not stay in the MDR for that night.

 

Oh the dessert! The dessert was great, but when is dessert not amazing?

[awhfy]

Our TA gave us a specialty dinner on Navigator for our anniversary, we chose Chops & we had a lovely meal with a beautiful view & excellent service. Would we do it again? Probably. We do enjoy dinner & a show (Johnny Rockets)[emoji6]. MDR has always been acceptable, this next cruise we might even try WJ (branching out).

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CptSticky]

There seems to be a lot of exaggeration of pricing on this thread, for some reason. Not sure why. Specialty restaurants are just an option, and you can go if you want to try one or not. On the ships I've sailed, the specialties wouldn't be anywhere near big enough to accommodate the crowds, if everyone wanted to eat there, anyway. So, it's no surprise that many people choose to stick to the included options.

Perhaps people are quoting real world pricing. The charge may be only $30 and is supposed to include the tip but in the real world for us we feel it necessary to tip extra (no, I'm not trying to drag this discussion into tipping. This is just how we are), so the price to us is closer to $35pp.

[ryzmom]

Well, whatever. I don't pay for any of it, and I don't really care if other people do or don't. The poster asked if other people do or not and everyone is answering that question. The nit-picking question started when someone said they don't feel specialty restaurants are worth the extra cost but that they do enjoy Johnny rockets, and then someone (you?) jumped on them about being a hypocrite or whatever. That person's point was that they don't see the point for spending money for dining room food they could get for free but admitted they don't mind paying for Johnny rockets. I didn't see why someone needed to jump on them for that and start a stupid argument so I was simply supporting that poster in that their thought process might be that they don't put the two in the same category because of the cost. People are always getting so defensive and confrontational on here, I can't imagine what life is like when not hiding behind a computer screen, because being so confrontational and picking at people just for the sake of trying to make people feel badly or feel stupid is mean. So, I was standing up for the person that was getting picked on and playing devil's advocate for why they may have seen the two as different categories.

 

Anyway, I see your point, but my point was, who cares? The person was simply answering the original question but admitted that for them, it isn't a hard and fast boycott because they do pay for Johnny rockets. I didn't see the need for you to nit pick at them as though they aren't allowed to make an exception to the rule, especially if it's because their reason is because it's a lot cheaper to take 4 people to Johnny rockets than Giovanni's or whatever. Your response was purely to be confrontational.

 

 

Thank you ColoradoGurl!!! Thank you for sticking up for me. YOU ROCK!

 

Even though some people think Johnny Rocket is a specialty restaurant, I really don't think so. Like you said before, I really can't see me paying $40 per person anymore to eat and make reservations, when I can go to JR and pay $6 per person anytime I want. I've tried the $$$ ones and they are good, but eating a burger that's freshly prepared is better to me. It's just not the same! So, THANK YOU!!!! The nit pickers don't bother me - they are here to start trouble/debates on the boards and I don't do that, sorry.

Edited May 12, 2015 by ryzmom

[Slopoke15]

Well I guess after 33 years of marriage JR is just as fun as " Date Night " for us as those $40 places and they sing to you there :D:D Who doesn't love have Stayin Alive being sang to them and danced to them by all the Ships crew with their accents LOL

 

:D:D good one!!! We go to JR's at least once on each cruise. Usually one of the formal nights in the MDR. :). Sadly, when we sailed on Quantum, we found that the concept of JR's had changed, so no 1950's style booths with juke boxes, and no staff dancing and singing ... hopefully the change is limited to Quantum class ships ...

Edited May 12, 2015 by Slopoke15

[Paulette3028]

Personally I don't consider Johnny Rockets a specialty restaurant even though it has an extra fee. We went to a Johnny Rockets on land once, and it was awful (except for the shakes). On our first cruise on Navigator we were into trying the various experiences that were available with our sailing friends, but when we could not order the hamburger the way we like to eat it (medium rare) -- I had a shake and was happy enough.

 

We use our BOGO coupon for shakes on almost every cruise where a JR is available....and for the $6.95 we spend, it is an afternoon treat.

 

I can go into the MDR for lunch and get a hamburger cooked the way I like it without paying extra. JMO.

[Paul65]

Thank you ColoradoGurl!!! Thank you for sticking up for me. YOU ROCK!

 

Even though some people think Johnny Rocket is a specialty restaurant, I really don't think so. Like you said before, I really can't see me paying $40 per person anymore to eat and make reservations, when I can go to JR and pay $6 per person anytime I want. I've tried the $$$ ones and they are good, but eating a burger that's freshly prepared is better to me. It's just not the same! So, THANK YOU!!!! The nit pickers don't bother me - they are here to start trouble/debates on the boards and I don't do that, sorry.

 

Sorry that you felt the need for someone to "stick up for you" based on my comment. I can assure you that it was not about starting trouble. I was just trying to point out that the concept of paying for Johhny Rockets is not really different than paying for any other food onboard. There are options available for no extra cost, but if you think the experience of the extra-fee dining is worthwhile to you, then go for it, whether that be $6 for JR or $20 for Giovanni's or $75 for Chef's Table.

[Paulette3028]

I only now use specialty restaurants if I have a special occasion to celebrate with my wife, her birthday, our anniversary.:D

We like the MDR on Holiday cruises for the celebratory feel of a large crowd.:D

Happy cruising.:)

 

I believe that every cruise we go on is a "holiday cruise" whether the calendar agrees or not and I also like the MDR for the fun feel of a large crowd.

 

As I said in another post in this thread, you can order steaks or find Italian dishes on the MDR menu throughout a cruise and the only time we do indulge in a specialty restaurant is with Izumi, because that is not on the MDR menu at all and we enjoy sushi at home and the Izumi food is very good (to us as good as our favorite restaurants at home).

 

The ships that do not have an Izumi restaurant have a Japanese sushi bar in the WJ for dinner. We never even got to do that on our recent Indy cruise, because we were having such a good time with our tablemates in the MDR -- and that is part of the experience we enjoy!

[ryano]

 

The ships that do not have an Izumi restaurant have a Japanese sushi bar in the WJ for dinner.

 

Not very good though IMO and if you are a sushi lover, you will be highly disappointed with Jade sushi. My local Kroger does a much better job!

 

 

Im excited to try Izumi on Allure :)

[ryano]

Sorry that you felt the need for someone to "stick up for you" based on my comment. I can assure you that it was not about starting trouble. I was just trying to point out that the concept of paying for Johhny Rockets is not really different than paying for any other food onboard. There are options available for no extra cost, but if you think the experience of the extra-fee dining is worthwhile to you, then go for it, whether that be $6 for JR or $20 for Giovanni's or $75 for Chef's Table.

 

It could have been a jab at me too Paul. I was not trying to cause trouble either though. Whether people here choose to believe that Johnny Rockets is Specialty Dining or not is their perogative. Royal Caribbean lists Johnny Rockets under Specialty Dining. I think I will go with what they say :)

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/experiencetypes/category.do?pagename=onboard_cat_dining_options&tab=1