Which Day Do You Choose?

[CozGurl]

Do you like to do your specialty dining on a sea day? Early port day? First day? Or do you just choose the day by what time you can get a reservation. Is there a method to your madness?

 

It is sooooo hard to know 3 or 4 months in advance where you want to eat and which day.

[shof515]

sea day

[trish1c]

Gave up on specialty dining years ago.  It's just not that special.  If I want an amazing meal, I go to a land based restaurant where they are not preparing food on this volume.  I think the included food is good enough.  There is no need to pay more money.  

 

When we did go it was because we were offered a deal or a comp. We'd go based on availability. 

 

One exception:  we got engaged at Cagney's on the Gem & will go back there for sentimental reasons when we cruise the Gem .  

[brookie848]

If I'm on a bigger ship, I try not to make specialty dining and show reservations on the same night. Besides that, I also take into consideration what we are doing if we are in port that day.

[BirdTravels]

No specific night. We usually have the 3-meal perk plus the 2-meal platinum giving is 5 specialty nights. For us, we try to eat light on the final night and not get tied up with a long specialty dinner (so we have a little time to pack). 

[FLcruisergrl]

I try for sea days.

[CozGurl]

Brookie, why not do dining and shows the same night?

[rmurray847]

1 hour ago, CozGurl said:

Do you like to do your specialty dining on a sea day? Early port day? First day? Or do you just choose the day by what time you can get a reservation. Is there a method to your madness?

 

It is sooooo hard to know 3 or 4 months in advance where you want to eat and which day.

We usually only do specialty an average of once per cruise (sometimes 2; sometimes none).  Always on a sea day.  We are always on our excursions until the last second, and are usually ready to eat!  When we eat specialty, we try to dress up nicer and if we plan right, we go on a formal night.  So it's easier on a Sea Day.  We also like to plan dinner and a show...that makes it, for us, a REAL treat of an evening.  Pre-dinner cocktails.  Lovely dinner.  A fun show.  Some live music somewhere afterwards.  Doesn't get much better!  But that's just us!

[FLAHAM]

51 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

No specific night. We usually have the 3-meal perk plus the 2-meal platinum giving is 5 specialty nights. For us, we try to eat light on the final night and not get tied up with a long specialty dinner (so we have a little time to pack). 

As I typically pack in 20 minutes or less, I like to dine in a specialty restaurant on the final night.

[CozGurl]

That's what I was thinking Murray, except we'd do early dinner followed by cocktails and a late show. Like an entire night out. Date night!

[dznymom]

We have a few favorite meals in the MDR, so we try to avoid specialties on those nights and port nights if we will be in port past 5 or so.  Other than that, it doesn't make much difference to us.

[CozGurl]

dznymom, that's part of the issue too, I'll inevitably choose a specialty dining night on a night I wish I was eating in the MDR. Then there will be a blah MDR night and I have limited options because I don't have a reservation anywhere else. Oh well, its just food right?