Opinions sit down dinner on RCC or not ?

[peanut1277]

Is it worth the wait for the sit down dinner that we are scheduled for 8:30pm ? 

[CGTNORMANDIE]

On 8/20/2019 at 12:03 PM, peanut1277 said:

Is it worth the wait for the sit down dinner that we are scheduled for 8:30pm ? 

 

Do you mean as opposed to dining in the buffet?  It all depends...do you eat to live or do you live to eat?  Dining in the buffet would apply to the former and dining in the MDR would apply to the latter.  Personally, I would prefer the MDR...even at the late seating.  If you are older and want to eat earlier then you would probably be happy in the buffet.  

[pafor2]

Don't go on a cruise if you want buffet food.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

9 hours ago, pafor2 said:

Don't go on a cruise if you want buffet food.

 

It all depends on the line you are going to sail.  Some of the evening buffets are very good.  I have friends of mine who sailed on Oceania and never went into the MDR.  They preferred dining in the buffet every day and night.  I know other friends who did the same on Princess.  

[pacruise804]

On 8/20/2019 at 12:03 PM, peanut1277 said:

Is it worth the wait for the sit down dinner that we are scheduled for 8:30pm ? 

 

There are a lot of unknowns, but I'll try to offer some questions and options to consider that might help your decision.

 

• When do you usually eat at home?  Do you have a time change that makes it close to your normal dining time?
• How late do you plan to stay up after dinner?  If you are night owls then a late dinner might be nice.
• What line are you sailing - are there other options for seated service (vs buffet) than the MDR?  Some are pay and some are free.
• Is this for every night of your cruise, or a special dinner like Chef's Table or a paid specialty restaurant?

[peanut1277]

pacruise804... we usually eat between 6/7. We are cruising the RCC -Explorer of the sea. As of now we are not going to do a special dinner or paid dinner.   

[pacruise804]

It sounds like you are asking about traditional seating in the main dining room for all nights of your cruise.

 

If you want traditional dining and you don't have issues eating that late, you could grab a lite snack in the afternoon to tide you over.  Otherwise, you could try to switch to anytime/my time (each line calls it something else) dining.  If you find a server you like you can ask for the same server each night and have close to a traditional experience.

 

We like the dining room experience and feel it is worth the extra time, but it depends on what you prioritize (shows, time, etc).  The buffet is an option if there is one or two nights that don't appeal or don't work with your schedule.  I'm not very familiar with Explorer, but when I was on Anthem they had a light dinner in Solarium Bistro that should have been less crowded than the buffet but more flexible than MDR.  Sorrentos pizza and the cafe next to it were also an option to avoid the buffet if you just wanted something light.

 

Hope that helps.

[cb at sea]

On vacation (and at home, most times), I prefer a relaxed dinner....not a fan of buffets anywhere.  You can likely change to a different dining time, if  8:30 is too late for you.  The DR is nice!  You're on vacation...take your time and enjoy!

[c-leg5]

Why not change to My Time Dining and eat when you want?