Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner...what's your choice?

[tartana]

This will be my very first cruise ever. I have researched hours and hours, but there are still some things I wonder about - What is your "norm" for the places you dine for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Is the MDR open for breakfast and lunch as well? Is it always sit down and order from a menu? Is the buffet always open for all 3 meals? Do many people eat in the MDR for the first night dinner? Thanks in advance from a newbie :)

Edited June 12, 2015 by tartana

[Azulann]

I eat breakfast either in the buffet or room service in my cabin.

I eat lunch in the buffet, pool grill,or Aqua Spa cafe.

The buffet is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner

Check out your Daily which is delivered to your cabin each evening. It has the hours for all the places to eat on board.

 

MDR is where I eat dinner . Usually I go to one or two specialty restaurant during a cruise. I have never eaten dinner at the buffet. I might try it next cruise

I remember my first cruise, it is very exciting doing some planing.

Have fun and tell us what you liked about cruising when you return.

Edited June 12, 2015 by Azulann

[Pushka]

I researched and researched too. But it was the spontaneous 'discoveries' I remember best. Breakfast - liked the buffet but it was a port intensive med cruise and always in a hurry. This time a few more sea days to take breakfast slow. Lunch - usually in the port but the hamburgers poolside are excellent. Add some fries with that. Dinner - a pre dinner snack of sushi for the husband and a small serve of curry for me at the outside area of the buffet watching our last port disappear with a glass of wine; the Martini Bar then dinner at the MDR or perhaps Murano. Brilliant. Life is good on a cruise. Just enjoy the moment.

[Lsimon]

I eat breakfast either in the buffet or room service in my cabin.

I eat lunch in the buffet, pool grill,or Aqua Spa cafe.

The buffet is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner

Check out your Daily which is delivered to your cabin each evening. It has the hours for all the places to eat on board.

 

MDR is where I eat dinner . Usually I go to one or two specialty restaurant during a cruise. I have never eaten dinner at the buffet. I might try it next cruise

I remember my first cruise, it is very exciting doing some planing.

Have fun and tell us what you liked about cruising when you return.

 

This is what we've done as well and is probably the most common approach.

 

The MDR is open for breakfast every day but we've breakfasted there very rarly. I prefer the selection in the buffet.

 

The MDR is open for lunch on sea days only. ***** quite a few cruises I've only eaten lunch there once or twice over the years. Both breakfast and lunch are sit down service with menus there.

 

The MDR hours for breakfast and lunch are very limited. Usually around 90 minutes each. Buffet serves breakfast from pretty early until just before lunchtime - sometimes with a 1/2 hour break between and sometimes not. Lunch usually runs 2 1/2 hours and there is usually different snack options that run after that. Certain buffet stations like pizza, pasta and salad bar run from lunch through late night. The pool grill usually runs from lunch time through 6PM.

 

There will be hours listed on your daily program. Hours do vary slightly by itinerary.

[Iamcruzin]

Normally I enjoy the buffet for breakfast and lunch. However on the Summit I found the buffet to be poorly organized and the eggs were always cold. The line for made to order omelets was long and slow and we normally got to the buffet early. We decided to eat breakfast in the MDR. We are booked in Concierge Class on our next sailing. We usually book an ocean view and don't have a balcony. My plan is to order room service and eat breakfast on the balcony.

 

Lunch we skip on port days and just have something light when we get back to the ship. However there is very little being offered between 2 and 5. On Princess we had a much better choice in the buffet. Sea days we enjoyed the chicken salad sandwich in the buffet. Apparently it was a hit with everyone because one day they ran out. Sometimes we get a burger at the pool grill.

 

Dinner we mostly eat in the MDR. We may do a specialty restaurant if we can get a discount and maybe eat in the buffet one night if we are in port over night like in Bermuda.

[dkjretired]

We usually hit buffet for breakfast and lunch because of the speed to getting off the ship or getting back to the pool. At lunchtime, they don't like you in MDR in bathing suits so sea days will use the buffet or the grill at the pool. Just not worth it to go back and change clothes. One day last week they set up a nice barbecue at the pool on the Summit with hot dogs, burgers and steaks. Real nice touch.

 

Also, the Aqua spa café is open for breakfast and lunch in the Solarium area, check it out, mostly healthier items. Bistro on Five is open but there is a charge of $10, we are not doing Specialites anymore since their prices are getting crazy keeping in mind they are over and above what you already paid for in your fare.

 

Finally, I don't know what ship you are looking at but the buffets on the Solstice class ships are much better than those on M class ships in terms of variety and set up. Buffets for dinner are a good option now as they have increased the options. We had nice carving stations last week and you can get steaks at the rear near the outside area.

Edited June 12, 2015 by dkjretired

[tartana]

Thank you all for your great information. We are going on the Constellation. I assume we will go mostly to the buffet for breakfast (or room service if we are leaving early for tours) and the buffet or the poolside grill for lunch (or a spot in port). I just wondered what the choices were. The coffee shop must be open during breakfast hours as well - a muffin or danish with coffee might work for a quick breakfast as well I assume? :)

[ClaudiaB]

The biggest crowd you'll likely see is the buffet upon embarkation. People have their carry-on luggage and aren't familiar with the buffet layout, and they tend to hang on to their tables until the cabins are ready, so it's kind of a frenzy. Plus you get all the people there who are going to try and "get their money's worth" with food so just crowded.

We typically start our cruise in a more relaxed atmosphere. We either eat a late breakfast at our hotel and skip lunch entirely, or more recently we have been going to the little restaurant on board called Bistro on Five. It's a $10 fee and worth it. You can sit and sip something nice and get waited on, and wait till your room is ready.

 

We almost always go to a specialty restaurant, usually Tuscan Grill, on our first night on board. And we go to specialties on the formal nights too.

 

During the days we don't like to get in a rut, like always eating breakfast at A, dinner at B - etc. We DO always get room service on port days. It's good to save time going back and forth. Typically we're in a suite or aqua class so we have the option of Blu restaurant and now Luminae. But port days it's room service.

 

We like to eat just a quick burger or a do-it-yourself salad from the buffet at lunch. Believe it or not, sometimes we skip lunch entirely, or skip breakfast. I know that's horrifying to some people on a cruise ship, but yes we do. We get more than enough calories.

We've rarely done the main dining room for breakfast or lunch. Just takes too long and it's just too much food. We prefer the buffet on the S class ships for the variety and ease. But the Mast Grill for burgers is great. I usually do mine bun-less. I have also grabbed some plain salad greens from the buffet to make my own salad. I look for the fresh grilled chicken breast and put on my own dressing. It takes a little bit more effort and going to a couple different places to get exactly what I want, but I feel better in the afternoon when I haven't just totally gorged on food all day. Just because it's there doesn't mean I have to eat it!!!!

So no routine. We will go to all the specialties on every cruise because we feel that's part of the whole cruise experience.

[dkjretired]

Thank you all for your great information. We are going on the Constellation. I assume we will go mostly to the buffet for breakfast (or room service if we are leaving early for tours) and the buffet or the poolside grill for lunch (or a spot in port). I just wondered what the choices were. The coffee shop must be open during breakfast hours as well - a muffin or danish with coffee might work for a quick breakfast as well I assume? :)

 

Yes, the coffee shop is open, you will pay for most coffees but the muffin's or Danish are free with or without a purchase. Most of the coffees are on the classic package. Good hot chocolate there. Leave a few minutes at certain times as many line up there to get waters before leaving the ship although there is a water station to get bottles at the exit point of the ship.

Edited June 12, 2015 by dkjretired

[ClaudiaB]

Yes, the coffee shop (Cafe al Bacio) is open for a quick croissant or something like that.

We like the desserts there and many times we've skipped the desserts on the menu at dinner and have split a piece of carrot cake or something later on in the evening.

They have cookies most of the day too. I may or may not have gotten one or two on my way to the cabin in the afternoon.

They used to have little sandwiches but I haven't seen them lately. :confused:

[dkjretired]

The biggest crowd you'll likely see is the buffet upon embarkation. People have their carry-on luggage and aren't familiar with the buffet layout, and they tend to hang on to their tables until the cabins are ready, so it's kind of a frenzy. Plus you get all the people there who are going to try and "get their money's worth" with food so just crowded.

We typically start our cruise in a more relaxed atmosphere. We either eat a late breakfast at our hotel and skip lunch entirely, or more recently we have been going to the little restaurant on board called Bistro on Five. It's a $10 fee and worth it. You can sit and sip something nice and get waited on, and wait till your room is ready.

 

We almost always go to a specialty restaurant, usually Tuscan Grill, on our first night on board. And we go to specialties on the formal nights too.

 

During the days we don't like to get in a rut, like always eating breakfast at A, dinner at B - etc. We DO always get room service on port days. It's good to save time going back and forth. Typically we're in a suite or aqua class so we have the option of Blu restaurant and now Luminae. But port days it's room service.

 

We like to eat just a quick burger or a do-it-yourself salad from the buffet at lunch. Believe it or not, sometimes we skip lunch entirely, or skip breakfast. I know that's horrifying to some people on a cruise ship, but yes we do. We get more than enough calories.

We've rarely done the main dining room for breakfast or lunch. Just takes too long and it's just too much food. We prefer the buffet on the S class ships for the variety and ease. But the Mast Grill for burgers is great. I usually do mine bun-less. I have also grabbed some plain salad greens from the buffet to make my own salad. I look for the fresh grilled chicken breast and put on my own dressing. It takes a little bit more effort and going to a couple different places to get exactly what I want, but I feel better in the afternoon when I haven't just totally gorged on food all day. Just because it's there doesn't mean I have to eat it!!!!

So no routine. We will go to all the specialties on every cruise because we feel that's part of the whole cruise experience.

 

You point out one flaw that Celebrity has to address I believe. Last week there were three tables taken almost daily by a family playing cards for lengthy periods of time in the buffet during lunch. On embarkation day they just stayed there playing until the cabins were cleared. Extremely rude as this is a place where people go to eat, they were not the only ones but they were obvious because they were loud and obnoxious.

[helen haywood]

The menus for each day's lunch and then later for dinner are posted outside the MDR each day (if it is a sea day and the MDR is open for lunch.) So you can always pop over and check it out and see if you are interested in the offerings.

 

The Buffet has gotten very nice as an alternative for dinner. There will be a section where there are selections of marinated pork, steak, fish and chicken they will grill to order for you in addition to all the other offerings.

 

And I don't remember if someone mentioned that while the coffees and teas at Cafe al Bacio are for a fee...the pastries etc. in the glass cases are all free. You do not have to purchase a coffee to get them. Just tell the attendant what you want, either to eat there or to take away with you.

[kenevenpar]

This will be my very first cruise ever. I have researched hours and hours, but there are still some things I wonder about - What is your "norm" for the places you dine for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Is the MDR open for breakfast and lunch as well? Is it always sit down and order from a menu? Is the buffet always open for all 3 meals? Do many people eat in the MDR for the first night dinner? Thanks in advance from a newbie :)

 

Only three meals?:confused:

 

With a little effort you could easily get in 4.

 

For Example:

 

Early breakfast, MDR, room service or Ocean view

 

Noon Lunch - choice of venues

 

late afternoon Lunner - Mast Grill or sushi at Ocean view

 

Dinner - 9ish MDR or specialty

 

You might be able to squeeze in an ice cream break.

 

Port days may be more difficult.

 

You will certainly find your own pace, and there is always food available.

 

Have fun

Edited June 12, 2015 by kenevenpar

[Azulann]

"late afternoon lunner" LOL

for this I have been known to stop by the buffet and pick up some scones, little tea sandwiches and a dessert. they are found only on one side of buffet in late afternoon.

Take it out to sunset bar area and have a glass of wine.

this tides me over till late seating in the MDR.:D

[doublemm16]

You point out one flaw that Celebrity has to address I believe. Last week there were three tables taken almost daily by a family playing cards for lengthy periods of time in the buffet during lunch. On embarkation day they just stayed there playing until the cabins were cleared. Extremely rude as this is a place where people go to eat, they were not the only ones but they were obvious because they were loud and obnoxious.

 

They must have been the same loud and obnoxious family that was at Bingo too. :eek:

[ptrpanpens]

I love those oatmeal cookies...when you can find them:D

[kenevenpar]

I love those oatmeal cookies...when you can find them:D

 

I go for the Chocolate Chip, when I can find them:D

[AZ Ocean Lover]

Someone mentioned that they don't go to the MDR for breakfast because it's too much food. We almost always go there for breakfast because it limits the amount of food we eat. I guess we don't have enough self control at the buffet.

[chamima]

Someone mentioned that they don't go to the MDR for breakfast because it's too much food. We almost always go there for breakfast because it limits the amount of food we eat. I guess we don't have enough self control at the buffet.

 

 

 

Exactly what I was thinking. ;)

 

 

We usually have breakfast in Blu (it would be MDR if we weren't sailing in Aqua), lunch (when offered) in the MDR, otherwise Oceanview, grill or Aqua Spa Cafe and dinner in Blu (same as breakfast).

 

And I don't think anyone has answered one of your original questions - yes, the MDR is open for dinner the first evening (and EVERY evening!)

[LF2C]

This will be my very first cruise ever. I have researched hours and hours, but there are still some things I wonder about - What is your "norm" for the places you dine for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Is the MDR open for breakfast and lunch as well? Is it always sit down and order from a menu? Is the buffet always open for all 3 meals? Do many people eat in the MDR for the first night dinner? Thanks in advance from a newbie :)

 

One of the great delights with cruising is that there are so many options and choices. If you like to be served you can eat in the MDR morning, noon & night. My personal preference is the Buffet for breakfast and lunch, MDR for dinner. I actually fin the buffet a bit soulless for dinner!

Then, when you want a change or just can't face looking at all that wonderful food, head off to the Aqua spa cafe with all good intentions, only to find that's the day they have the pool bbq!

Most important advice is...................relax, enjoy and like the rest of us, completely over eat :D

[kenevenpar]

One of the great delights with cruising is that there are so many options and choices. If you like to be served you can eat in the MDR morning, noon & night. My personal preference is the Buffet for breakfast and lunch, MDR for dinner. I actually fin the buffet a bit soulless for dinner!

Then, when you want a change or just can't face looking at all that wonderful food, head off to the Aqua spa cafe with all good intentions, only to find that's the day they have the pool bbq!

Most important advice is...................relax, enjoy and like the rest of us, completely over eat :D

 

Actually, the MDR is usually open for lunch only on sea days. There exceptions (rare) of course.

[LF2C]

Actually, the MDR is usually open for lunch only on sea days. There exceptions (rare) of course.

 

You are right............I was trying to keep it short :D

[CanadianDee]

Only three meals?:confused:

 

 

Yeah, we can eat three BREAKFASTS on a cruise. But then, we're hobbits.

 

Love this thread. :)

[hcat]

We like to mix it up...

 

Breakfast in BLU.....but buffet if we have an early excursion, also at least once for waffles at the buffet, , If we want a lite meal, then Elite " breakfast" and coffee. At least once bruch at Bistro and maybe MDR if we are not in any hurry...

 

Lunch....depending on schedule and what we are doing at lunch time, we have lunch in Port, on ship we like AQspa Cafe, Bistro, Porch, burgers/hot dogs/ at pool grill....buffet for salad, if we have to...(usually too crowded and on S class the layout is chaotic)

 

Dinner....mostly BLU, and depending on length of cruise, one or two nights at a specialty restaurant, one night off each cruise for chilling out and eating lite at the buffet...

 

we never go hungry...or get bored....walk alot and go to the gym to offset extra calories

[Texed]

at least once for waffles at the buffet,

 

Once? Once a day for me! :D

Edited June 12, 2015 by Texed