Don't go to specialty restaurants

[SRF]

I, personally, wish they would just charge me a little more on my fare and have all the dining options available.

 

You have that option, sale on one of the luxury/premium lines.

[SRF]

So by that logic everyone should also stop drinking as well?

 

The thing that I like about cruising is that there are choices. No one is forcing you to do anything or sail on one particular line. If you don’t like something then you don’t pay for it or you sail on another line.

 

Some like to gamble, some go to the spas others buy the drink packages. We don’t do any of those but we do dine in the specialty restaurants 4-5 nights on every cruise. If and when we feel that it becomes too expensive then we will look at other options but I’m certainly not going to stop going them in the meantime.

 

Well said.

 

And I have found the service in the MDR up with high end restaurants, and the specialty rests even better. But that may be ship to ship.

[LMaxwell]

I agree, but I just spent (blew?) $150 OBC pre-cruise on $150 for 3 specialty dinners. It is a 9 night cruise and I already have long tempered my expectations of gourmet and liken it more to local restaurants that specialize in a type of food. So it didn't really cost me any more money and I am going to get a bunch more variety. We cruise 3-5 times per year and usually just eat in MDR so it gets a bit repetitive.

 

I too imagine the death of MDR is not far off; buffet included, restaurants cost more. Imagine the savings of getting rid of all that crew!!! I say by 2023 or 2025 this represents a part of the North American market.

 

I think this is how Aida ships are. there are two or three different self-serve restaurants included, and then upcharge restaurants with service, no MDR's.

[LMaxwell]

 

And I have found the service in the MDR up with high end restaurants

 

I don't think it is close or comparable at all. MDR service has become an annoyance due to cutbacks. It is literally watching choreographed chaos, which can be amusing, but ultimately is dissatisfying.

[taglovestocruise]

Agree it's getting too expensive. Just looked at the cruise planner last week to book the ultimate dinning package on our Symphony of the seas transatlantic. $350.00 per person, but it dose include 11 sea day lunches. will just book a bogo and a 4 day. happy cruising

[tbillcruising]

I like the buffets better than the MDR...much quicker...

 

Not everyone wants it to be quicker but it is a nice option if you are in a hurry.... if you can get past the germs.

[richstowe]

If you want better food (ie. Coastal Kitchen), more room between tables (ie. more real estate like in specialty restaurants, compare this to an interior cabin and Junior Suite), more servers per cruiser for better service (like in Specialty and Coastal Kitchen vs. MDR) and many other factors you need to pay more money.... like everything else in life: Chev vs. Mercedes, econoimy flight vs. 1st class, I can go on and on,

 

Are you, and everyone else on these boards, willing to pay more money to have a better vacation? Or do you wish to continue complaining about how crappy everything is about cruising now as well as continue to gloat about how cheap your cruise fare was compared to an all-inclusive or other vacation? So many threads like this lately, I just don't understand it.

Your point that we want cheap prices and high quality is fair . I also understand that profits from non-included services help subsidise basis cruise fares . Perhaps the :mad: is due to rapidly escalating fees for speciality restaurants combined with a decrease in quality .

[cruisinfanatic]

Actually, have never done MTD. I prefer knowing who/what/when. With the menu changes, the narrowing of the time between early & late dining, and a discussion I had with the asst hotel director on Oasis last month, the move is towards quicker service. Mainly brought about by guests desires -- not mine, but many.

 

mac_tlc

People complained about 2 hr meals. Meals shouldn't be that long. Sure not 45 minutes though

[accio_7]

My family sails with Disney and have been quite happy with buffet and rotational MDRs for dinner. My December cruise on Adventure will be my first solo cruise, and I have decided to try a speciality restaurant for lunch (most likely Giovanni’s) on one of our sea days. If this is successful, I will probably try Sabor for lunch on my December 2019 solo cruise :)

 

Considering that I don’t really drink or visit the spa, I decided these lunches will be the perfect splurge for me on my vacation.

 

 

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[Merion_Mom]

I agree. Unfortunately, it is supply and demand. People like to feel they are getting an "exclusive" experience and are willing to pay for it.

 

I, personally, wish they would just charge me a little more on my fare and have all the dining options available.

 

You have that option, sale on one of the luxury/premium lines.

 

No, you can just book the Ultimate Dining Package.

[MaryCS62]

I'm not sure I agree with you. I've always had a good meal in the MDR. As a matter of fact, the rack of lamb in the Anthem dining room was as good or better than the ones at Jamie's. Food quality is very subjective.

My (85 year old) Mom just got off Anthem's 12 day cruise, and was very happy with the MDR. They did one night @Jamie's for her travel companion's birthday, but otherwise ate in MDR. According to her, at least 3 of the 6 different options were dishes she would eat, and was pleased with the dishes she did have. Of course, she also doesn't like buffets, so would avoid Windjammer for the most part anyway.

[Bookish Angel]

If we felt the specialty restaurants were significantly better than the main dining room, I would have no issue with paying for specialty. However, we find all ship dining venues quite uninspired, so we just make the best of it for a couple of weeks in mdr and the Jammer.

Edited February 12, 2018 by Bookish Angel

[Tatka]

My (85 year old) Mom just got off Anthem's 12 day cruise, and was very happy with the MDR. They did one night @Jamie's for her travel companion's birthday, but otherwise ate in MDR. According to her, at least 3 of the 6 different options were dishes she would eat, and was pleased with the dishes she did have. Of course, she also doesn't like buffets, so would avoid Windjammer for the most part anyway.

 

 

I agree. Many nice choices in MDR on both Anthem and Grandeur.

[mcatmcat]

Please keep going to the specialty restaurant and also keep buying those drink packages so my cruise fare will keep the same year after year and also my table request at the MDR will definitely be granted [emoji56]

 

 

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[grapau27]

The more people that go to these restaurants the more expensive they become. If this trend continues I can see having to pay to go to the MDR and the only included food on your cruise will be in the buffet. I have been to 5 star restaurants and the service and the food in the specialty restaurants are anything but.

The food is better but for us the more intimate ambience of a speciality restaurant is the deciding factor.

 

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[molly361]

So by that logic everyone should also stop drinking as well?

 

The thing that I like about cruising is that there are choices. No one is forcing you to do anything or sail on one particular line. If you don’t like something then you don’t pay for it or you sail on another line.

 

Some like to gamble, some go to the spas others buy the drink packages. We don’t do any of those but we do dine in the specialty restaurants 4-5 nights on every cruise. If and when we feel that it becomes too expensive then we will look at other options but I’m certainly not going to stop going them in the meantime.

 

Say WHAT!!!???:eek::eek::halo::loudcry:

[ramja96]

So by that logic everyone should also stop drinking as well?

 

OK - Now you've gone too far!! :eek:

 

;);p

[slyster]

I definitely get what the OP is saying...we have a choice to make. I know for myself, I used to go to 2 or 3 specialty restaurants each cruise. Now, I'm making a conscious choice to just pick one because the prices have increased steadily over the last few years. For the most part we are happy with the MDR. We choose specialty restaurants because it's different, not necessarily because it's so much better. I am beginning to feel that the price isn't worth it. Everyone will decide differently too. How much is too much for each person.

[cruzeluver]

We had a five night dining package on our Oasis cruise this past October. The difference between the specialty restaurants and the one night we ate in the main dining room were astronomical. Food in the mdr was actually pretty good (better than expected), and our waiter did his absolute best. But he had far too many tables to attend to, so very little service. Tables were so close together he could barely squeeze in between them. And the noise! We were at a two top and practically had to scream to hear one another. Since we knew we would only be in there one night we did My Time Dining. With people constantly coming and going it presented additional challenges for wait staff who were expected to be taking orders and serving different courses all at the same time. Awful.

 

But service in the specialty restaurants was wonderful! No rushing, no crowds, tables well-spaced apart. We could actually speak at reasonable levels and hear one another. Absolutely worth it to us.

[Keksie]

We choose to only bring business casual type clothing for the evenings so we either eat in the Windjammer or the specialty restaurants on formal nights.

[Cauzneffct]

I like the buffets better than the MDR...much quicker...

 

That's been our experience as well. On our last Princess cruise we had Anytime Dining, which meant "Why Bother?" The buffet often had the same or similar items as the MDR and we rarely felt like a drawn out meal after a busy port day. Our last cruise with NCL and our upcoming cruise on the Grandeur will be with kids under the age of 4, so we'll give the MDR a shot to see how they/we do, but we'll probably end up just sticking to Windjammer.

 

I'd also note that a lot of the photos I'm seeing of food from the MDR make it look "meh" at best. The descriptions from the menu make it sound delicious but the presentation seems lackluster. Again, we'll give it a go and hopefully be pleasantly surprised, but "great service" can only cover for so much.

[Robo1098]

I'm curious, when people are thinking of the price of specialty restaurants. Do you consider the cost of the original meal that is paid for as cost of the cruise or do you consider the cost by itself? Just wondering about the thought process as the prices seem to keep climbing.

[RocketMan275]

I'm curious, when people are thinking of the price of specialty restaurants. Do you consider the cost of the original meal that is paid for as cost of the cruise or do you consider the cost by itself? Just wondering about the thought process as the prices seem to keep climbing.

 

How do you know "the cost of the original meal.."?

[Cinders411]

I definitely get what the OP is saying...we have a choice to make. I know for myself, I used to go to 2 or 3 specialty restaurants each cruise. Now, I'm making a conscious choice to just pick one because the prices have increased steadily over the last few years. For the most part we are happy with the MDR. We choose specialty restaurants because it's different, not necessarily because it's so much better. I am beginning to feel that the price isn't worth it. Everyone will decide differently too. How much is too much for each person.

 

Agree. We usually select only one and it is ALWAYS the steakhouse. Cannot pass up a big fat steak. We usually do, "First Nite, Done Right" to save money.

[Zach1213]

The more people that go to these restaurants the more expensive they become. If this trend continues I can see having to pay to go to the MDR and the only included food on your cruise will be in the buffet. I have been to 5 star restaurants and the service and the food in the specialty restaurants are anything but.

I'll do what I want with my money on my vacation, thank you very much.