Harmony of the Seas Dining

[Mallefiscent]

I know that no one can see the future with Covid 19, but assume that everything is back to normal, please.

 

1. Are the specialty dining venues open every night including our first night on the ship? 

2. Is the Izumi Hibachi good for people who really like sushi?  My boys love it, but I'm not a big fan. 

3. What do you think of Wonderland?  I am pretty intrigued by it.  I am wondering if it will live up to my expectations or if it is a bust. 

4. Where do you think the best place to eat is for a relaxing first night?

5.  Are formal nights generally on sea days.  We are doing a 7 night Western Caribbean with Perfect Day. 

6.  Is it better to eat in the Main Dining Room or a specialty restaurant on formal nights?

7.  Which one is your favorite specialty restaurant for a family of 5 adults?

8.  Do they do anything special for birthday celebrations?

[LilBlackDress]

2 hours ago, Mallefiscent said:

I know that no one can see the future with Covid 19, but assume that everything is back to normal, please.

 

1. Are the specialty dining venues open every night including our first night on the ship? 

Yes

 

2. Is the Izumi Hibachi good for people who really like sushi?  My boys love it, but I'm not a big fan. 

Hibachi is the cooking of meat, vegetable and seafood dishes on a high-heat, metal cooking plate right in front of you. Its not like having a sushi roll
Not sure how else to answer this one

 

3. What do you think of Wonderland?  I am pretty intrigued by it.  I am wondering if it will live up to my expectations or if it is a bust. 

LOVED IT!! The experience is fantastic. The chicken was the best chicken I have ever eaten! 

 

4. Where do you think the best place to eat is for a relaxing first night?

Chops, Jamies, Sabor

 

5.  Are formal nights generally on sea days.  We are doing a 7 night Western Caribbean with Perfect Day. 

2nd Night and either the 5th or 6th Night 

 

6.  Is it better to eat in the Main Dining Room or a specialty restaurant on formal nights?

Either... I base it off the menu options!  If we are doing a 3 or 5 night package, I looks at the menus and decide that way (I can be very picky) The menus will show up in the app closer to the sailing date. I just keep checking for them 🙂

 

7.  Which one is your favorite specialty restaurant for a family of 5 adults? Wonderland would be my first choice 

Chops or CP 150

 

8.  Do they do anything special for birthday celebrations?

if you tell them they bring out dessert and sing 

Answers are written in the quote...

[Mallefiscent]

6 minutes ago, LilBlackDress said:

Answers are written in the quote...

Thank you so much for all of the info. 

For #2, I like the hibachi options and saw that you could order sushi from the other portion of the restaurant.  I wasn't sure if it the sushi would be worth it for them. 

It sounds like Wonderland will be a must do.  I'm pretty excited to hear that.  🙂 

[Norwich Cruiser]

3 minutes ago, LilBlackDress said:

Answers are written in the quote...

Honestly superb answers cannot add anything our only difference would be Wonderland think it’s one of those dining venues you could take either way.

We tried it because we were intrigued by it had “ the experience “ but in our opinion once was enough and definitely wouldn’t dine there again.

Our favourites are 150CP and Chops Grille.

[Mallefiscent]

2 minutes ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

Honestly superb answers cannot add anything our only difference would be Wonderland think it’s one of those dining venues you could take either way.

We tried it because we were intrigued by it had “ the experience “ but in our opinion once was enough and definitely wouldn’t dine there again.

Our favourites are 150CP and Chops Grille.

The Chops Grille menu did look like it had a lot of tasty stuff. 

[LilBlackDress]

38 minutes ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

Honestly superb answers cannot add anything our only difference would be Wonderland think it’s one of those dining venues you could take either way.

We tried it because we were intrigued by it had “ the experience “ but in our opinion once was enough and definitely wouldn’t dine there again.

Our favourites are 150CP and Chops Grille.

The first time we ate at Wonderland, we went with my stepson and his then gf. They catered the dinner to her likes and so called allergies. (can you hear my eye rolls) 

My DH really enjoyed it and I was eh but we had a package (they did not) and he wanted to go again. It was so much better the second time!! I think it had a lot to do with the fact that we didn't have to deal with her dictating the menu...

 

[Ourusualbeach]

4 hours ago, Mallefiscent said:

Thank you so much for all of the info. 

For #2, I like the hibachi options and saw that you could order sushi from the other portion of the restaurant.  I wasn't sure if it the sushi would be worth it for them. 

It sounds like Wonderland will be a must do.  I'm pretty excited to hear that.  🙂 

If you go to the hibachi side you will be charged extra On top of what you paid for the hibachi for all the sushi you order.

[jalves]

Agree with @Norwich Cruiser above about Wonderland.  We did it and it as kind of fun.  But definitely a one and done for us.  A bit too much emphasis on the exotic setting and presentation and not enough on the actual food.

[bigrednole]

I like this post. We were looking at the specialty restaurants when the unlimited dining deal came up for our cruise. We are not foodies at all. Only one of use eats seafood. We looked at Wonderland, watched videos of the food, and concluded we would only eat maybe 10% of what was served (wasteful). Reviews from Chops grill have been average when comparing to other steakhouses. Instead of doing a bunch, we have decided to purchase Izumi directly. We will do MDRs which are already paid for, WJ, Johnny Rockets, and the other complimentary dining options.

[taglovestocruise]

10 hours ago, Mallefiscent said:

The Chops Grille menu did look like it had a lot of tasty stuff. 

If you are a true carnivore be sure to get the grilled black pepper bacon appetizer, almost the size of a steak.  JR has no charge breakfast before 10:30. 

[Mallefiscent]

6 hours ago, bigrednole said:

I like this post. We were looking at the specialty restaurants when the unlimited dining deal came up for our cruise. We are not foodies at all. Only one of use eats seafood. We looked at Wonderland, watched videos of the food, and concluded we would only eat maybe 10% of what was served (wasteful). Reviews from Chops grill have been average when comparing to other steakhouses. Instead of doing a bunch, we have decided to purchase Izumi directly. We will do MDRs which are already paid for, WJ, Johnny Rockets, and the other complimentary dining options.

 

My oldest son and his wife are foodies.  My younger son will try anything once, and his wife will go wherever he wants.   If she doesn't like all of her food, he will eat it for her.  (Ahh for the metabolism of late 20 year olds lol)

I have a pretty limited diet that I can eat, but I usually find something at restaurants they pick - something beef and a salad.  Anything I can't eat, the boys will consume. 

I was looking at the 3 meal package.  I didn't like the part about them making my reservation ahead of time for me for the first night though.  How do they know which restaurant I want?  We will probably just pay directly also.  We would have to pay extra for the amount of sushi that they would consume at Izumi Hibachi anyway. 

[Mallefiscent]

3 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

If you are a true carnivore be sure to get the grilled black pepper bacon appetizer, almost the size of a steak.  JR has no charge breakfast before 10:30. 

 

This sounds delicious.

[Mallefiscent]

7 hours ago, jalves said:

Agree with @Norwich Cruiser above about Wonderland.  We did it and it as kind of fun.  But definitely a one and done for us.  A bit too much emphasis on the exotic setting and presentation and not enough on the actual food.

 

I definitely understand the one and done. That is how I felt about eating breakfast in the castle at Disney World. I am glad I did it, but I don't feel the need to go back. 

Edited June 12, 2020 by Mallefiscent

[Biker19]

2 hours ago, Mallefiscent said:

How do they know which restaurant I want? 

They don't care - that's the point of the discount you get for the 3 night package - you trade choice for a lower cost. You have a good chance at switching to another venue if you ask right away.

[Mallefiscent]

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

They don't care - that's the point of the discount you get for the 3 night package - you trade choice for a lower cost. You have a good chance at switching to another venue if you ask right away.

Thank you for clarifying that.  I will just stick with paying out of pocket for it.   I like being in control of my reservations.

[LilBlackDress]

 

1 hour ago, Mallefiscent said:

Thank you for clarifying that.  I will just stick with paying out of pocket for it.   I like being in control of my reservations.

If you go the the MDR or one of the Specialty Restaurants when you board and you can change the Restaurants they picked for you. You can also book your other nights and restaurants or call them to book or stop back in any of them to book. 

I know when we sailed Wonderland was in high demand 

[BirdTravels]

21 hours ago, Mallefiscent said:

I know that no one can see the future with Covid 19, but assume that everything is back to normal, please.

 

1. Are the specialty dining venues open every night including our first night on the ship? 

2. Is the Izumi Hibachi good for people who really like sushi?  My boys love it, but I'm not a big fan. 

3. What do you think of Wonderland?  I am pretty intrigued by it.  I am wondering if it will live up to my expectations or if it is a bust. 

4. Where do you think the best place to eat is for a relaxing first night?

5.  Are formal nights generally on sea days.  We are doing a 7 night Western Caribbean with Perfect Day. 

6.  Is it better to eat in the Main Dining Room or a specialty restaurant on formal nights?

7.  Which one is your favorite specialty restaurant for a family of 5 adults?

8.  Do they do anything special for birthday celebrations?

1. Yes. On the link below, you can see the cruise compass (and restaurant hours from our live post from the Harmony). 

2. Izumi you can do Teppanyaki or sushi. Again, the menu is on the attached link and you can decide if there is enough for you to eat. 

3. Wonderland is a foodie experience. We would do it once, but not repeat it. While the starters are all small, the entrees are large. It is an experience. We ordered what we wanted, not what the waiter wanted us to order (for the show). 

4. We just do the MDR on the first night. Everything is a rush, and we don't feel like adding to the rush with a specialty dining experience.

5. There are no more "formal" nights. On longer cruises, you will see folks dressed from Tux (very very few) to shorts all sitting together. The cruise casual is more the style every night. The days of Formal dress are long gone. 

6. Again, there are no formal nights. If you want to dress up, you can go to a specialty restaurant. We don't want to miss the lobster in the MDR. 

7. For a fancy dinner, we would do CP150. We like a good steak, so Chops is a good restaurant. 

 

 

 

[Mallefiscent]

22 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

1. Yes. On the link below, you can see the cruise compass (and restaurant hours from our live post from the Harmony). 

2. Izumi you can do Teppanyaki or sushi. Again, the menu is on the attached link and you can decide if there is enough for you to eat. 

3. Wonderland is a foodie experience. We would do it once, but not repeat it. While the starters are all small, the entrees are large. It is an experience. We ordered what we wanted, not what the waiter wanted us to order (for the show). 

4. We just do the MDR on the first night. Everything is a rush, and we don't feel like adding to the rush with a specialty dining experience.

5. There are no more "formal" nights. On longer cruises, you will see folks dressed from Tux (very very few) to shorts all sitting together. The cruise casual is more the style every night. The days of Formal dress are long gone. 

6. Again, there are no formal nights. If you want to dress up, you can go to a specialty restaurant. We don't want to miss the lobster in the MDR. 

7. For a fancy dinner, we would do CP150. We like a good steak, so Chops is a good restaurant. 

 

 

 

I never realized there was so much going on on the first day.  Wow. 

 

I thought the Main Dining Room would be really chaotic on the first night.  Do you really think it is more relaxing than a specialty restaurant? 

 

Without a formal night, is there a good place to get family portraits done?

[Mallefiscent]

39 minutes ago, LilBlackDress said:

 

If you go the the MDR or one of the Specialty Restaurants when you board and you can change the Restaurants they picked for you. You can also book your other nights and restaurants or call them to book or stop back in any of them to book. 

I know when we sailed Wonderland was in high demand 

Do you think they will be all booked up by the time we board? 

[Spurschick]

22 hours ago, Mallefiscent said:

I know that no one can see the future with Covid 19, but assume that everything is back to normal, please.

 

1. Are the specialty dining venues open every night including our first night on the ship? 

2. Is the Izumi Hibachi good for people who really like sushi?  My boys love it, but I'm not a big fan. 

3. What do you think of Wonderland?  I am pretty intrigued by it.  I am wondering if it will live up to my expectations or if it is a bust. 

4. Where do you think the best place to eat is for a relaxing first night?

5.  Are formal nights generally on sea days.  We are doing a 7 night Western Caribbean with Perfect Day. 

6.  Is it better to eat in the Main Dining Room or a specialty restaurant on formal nights?

7.  Which one is your favorite specialty restaurant for a family of 5 adults?

8.  Do they do anything special for birthday celebrations?

My best educated guesses are 

 

1- Definitely especially if they are going for social distancing as the6 want to spread more passengers around more locations.

 

2-DD loves sushi and lived it. I am allergic to fish and still had good options.

 

3-not done yet

 

4-Any specialty restaurant.

 

5-not always we have had some sailings when it is after a port. Never on first night or last night.

 

6-really depends on what you think of the menu. We will look at and if not appealing to all three of us we skip the mdr and go specialty.

 

7- I’d recommend looking at the menus as it really down to personal taste that will suit 5 people on a general consensus.

 

8-tell them when you enter the restaurant and book the meal, they will bring out a cake and sing happy birthday. You can note your booking but they don’t always get it right. Imagine my surprise when they bought my cake out a night early and sang happy birthday then called me Carol. Poor Carol was sat on table behind me 😱 at least they got it right the next night 🤣😂🤣

 

Edited June 13, 2020 by Spurschick

[Mallefiscent]

A lot of people seem to say to wait and compare the menus.   Do the specialty restaurants not book up very quickly?  

[Grenouille21]

28 minutes ago, Mallefiscent said:

A lot of people seem to say to wait and compare the menus.   Do the specialty restaurants not book up very quickly?  

 

On our sailing on Symphony, Wonderland was fully booked by the first night. 

[LilBlackDress]

1 hour ago, Mallefiscent said:

Do you think they will be all booked up by the time we board? 

No... But if you wait a few days before attempting to make reservations for Wonderland, you may not be able to get a reasonable day and time.
 

Edited June 13, 2020 by LilBlackDress

[LilBlackDress]

49 minutes ago, Mallefiscent said:

A lot of people seem to say to wait and compare the menus.   Do the specialty restaurants not book up very quickly?  

The menus will be loaded in the app at least a month before sail date (maybe even sooner) 
That is one of my favorite things to look at 🙂

[Mallefiscent]

8 minutes ago, LilBlackDress said:

The menus will be loaded in the app at least a month before sail date (maybe even sooner) 
That is one of my favorite things to look at 🙂

I think we will have to have a family get together and go over them.  🙂