How many courses?

[DShier1a]

I am wondering how many courses people generally order. I was thinking more for specialty dinning, but even in the main dinning room.😊

[BklynBoy8]

Queen Mary 2 offers 3 course.

 

Starter, Entree w accompany salad and Dessert.

 

We have seen something on the menu we would like to try besides our entree and they are kind to bring it to try.

[rkacruiser]

Once upon a time, my dinner order would be an appetizer, a soup, a salad, an entree, and a dessert.  

 

Today, the order would be an appetizer, soup, or salad.  Then, an entree and a dessert.  Of the three Starters, an appetizer would be the most likely choice with a salad being the least likely choice.  (Salads fill my tummy too much.)  This would be true regardless of MDR or a specialty restaurant.  If a Caesar Salad is prepared tableside, I probably would choose that and, depending on the appetizers available, one of those.

 

There have been times when all of the appetizers and/or soups were more appealing than any of the entrees.  I have had a combination dinner such as that with no entrees.  

 

 

[Mary229]

I order a full meal at dinner - soup, salad, appetizer, entree and sometimes dessert and coffee or tea.   If I skip it is usually the entree or I ask for a smaller portion.  I mainly sail on Holland and their portions are small generally.  

[BklynBoy8]

Going to a resort in the last several years their menu consisted Starter, Appetizers or Salad or Soup,  Entree then Dessert. 

 

We could ask for additional Appetizer selections like a Salad to cleanse before the Entrée. 

[rkacruiser]

3 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

We could ask for additional Appetizer selections like a Salad to cleanse before the Entrée

 

Once upon a time, a sorbet would be offered for that purpose.  Only now offered during the very elegant and formal dinners.  

 

When I first experienced this, I thought "how weird"; sorbet in the middle of my dinner?  Eventually, I learned its purpose.  

 

 

[Mary229]

6 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Once upon a time, a sorbet would be offered for that purpose.  Only now offered during the very elegant and formal dinners.  

 

When I first experienced this, I thought "how weird"; sorbet in the middle of my dinner?  Eventually, I learned its purpose.  

 

 

I am familiar with sorbet but in my upbringing we ate our salad at the end of the meal as a palate cleanser.  Our salads were quite plain by todays standards and with just a splash of oil and vinegar.  Dessert was eaten later and was not necessarily part of the meal. 

[rkacruiser]

18 hours ago, Mary229 said:

we ate our salad at the end of the meal as a palate cleanser

 

I have heard of others doing that.  I enjoy a well prepared salad.  For me, because salads are so filling, when I dine out, I usually take a large percentage of the salad home to finish the next day.  

[CntPAcruiser]

We've cruised exclusively on Royal, and because often the appetizers are more interesting than the entrees, I will order several appetizers and skip the main course selections. Other times, if too many things look good, I will pare down my appetizer selections to two and order a main course, or sometimes we'll each get a main and one to share. On the last several cruises, when we've ordered multiple appetizers, often the server will bring two at once to keep service moving, so the other diners don't have to sit and wait for us to finish. We rarely order dessert, though.

[rkacruiser]

7 minutes ago, CntPAcruiser said:

to keep service moving,

 

That is smart on the part of your server.  Once, fortunately, I was seated at a table with very pleasant people.  But, one lady would order multiple items in each menu category.  She would eat very small amounts of each and never completed any of them..  The waste that she produced was disgusting.  And, my table's dining times were longer than they needed to be.  

[CntPAcruiser]

16 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

That is smart on the part of your server.  Once, fortunately, I was seated at a table with very pleasant people.  But, one lady would order multiple items in each menu category.  She would eat very small amounts of each and never completed any of them..  The waste that she produced was disgusting.  And, my table's dining times were longer than they needed to be.  

 

We try not to order more than we can eat, but sometimes if menu items are unfamiliar, or if they can be "iffy," we will over-order in the hopes of getting at least something good to eat. And the servers would rather bring out more to start than have to run back for re-orders. I dislike wasting food, but so much of what is prepared for dinner service will go to waste whether it reaches the table or not. 

[rkacruiser]

19 hours ago, CntPAcruiser said:

but so much of what is prepared for dinner service will go to waste whether it reaches the table or not. 

 

One of the things that I have learned during Behind the Scenes Tours (not just galley tours) is that there are very serious efforts made to reduce that waste.  Seems to be much "just in time" preparation for the orders that are taken.  Every such tour that I have taken, the Executive Chef has said that the advance preparation of everything is made with a historical perspective of the number of orders for those items.  Sometimes, they underestimate what the number of orders for an item will be which will cause a delay in dining service as more is prepared (if possible).  

[Mary229]

I have heard complaints from others but I truly appreciate the smaller portion sizes some lines have introduced.  Holland even reduced the size of the burgers at the burger stand.  I like that.   Less waste and one can truly enjoy a multi course meal. 

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I truly appreciate the smaller portion sizes some lines have introduced.

 

Remember the old Wendy's commercials that featured the charming older lady saying "Where's the Beef"?  As one's tummy becomes less agreeable of holding "more" than it once did, "less" is "more" when faced with a multi-course menu.  

[BklynBoy8]

10 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Remember the old Wendy's commercials that featured the charming older lady saying "Where's the Beef"?  As one's tummy becomes less agreeable of holding "more" than it once did, "less" is "more" when faced with a multi-course menu.  

 

As the coming sailing approaches we do as on past sailings of 9, 11, 13 now 14 day..

 

We Bell Curve thru the days to pace ourselves.

 

Not to go for broke and enjoy everything with not a final result of challenging the scale at home. Is that the real numbers I see? Bell Curves work very well + pacing.

 

 

[rkacruiser]

18 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

As the coming sailing approaches

 

When do you sail?  

[BklynBoy8]

48 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

When do you sail?  

7 weeks

[BklynBoy8]

18 minutes ago, BklynBoy8 said:

7 weeks

 

Queen Mary 2 in today leaving within next hour. Great reviews for food last two sailings.

[neminem]

For dinner, we generally order 3 courses: 2 appetizers each (that's one course), a main each (often with an extra meat and/or side of something in the middle - that's the second course), then dessert. 😛  (One exception so far, the upgrade Italian restaurant, Tuscan Grille, specifically has four courses baked in - appetizer, *pasta*, main, dessert, so obviously four courses are ordered there. 😛)

 

For lunch, we try to eat lighter, since dinner is always so good! (Well, that and most port days, we'd be eating lunch on shore, anyway.)

Edited August 28, 2022 by neminem

[DShier1a]

I will be on board in less than 12 hours.

Lets see how well the game of " How good is your will power" goes 😊🤣

Cheers everyone.

[lenquixote66]

I only order one course.I have great will power.I realize that the food may taste great but at one time in my life I was obese and do not ever want to be like that again.

[rkacruiser]

On 8/28/2022 at 10:35 AM, DShier1a said:

I will be on board in less than 12 hours.

Lets see how well the game of " How good is your will power" goes 😊🤣

Cheers everyone.

 

Bon Voyage!  I hope you will enjoy a safe and pleasant cruise!

 

On 8/28/2022 at 10:30 AM, neminem said:

(One exception so far, the upgrade Italian restaurant, Tuscan Grille, specifically has four courses baked in - appetizer, *pasta*, main, dessert, so obviously four courses are ordered there. 😛)

 

I do not remember that, but, then, it's been awhile since I sailed on Celebrity Eclipse.  I doubt that I would have ordered both a pasta and a main.  Almost certain that I ordered some cut of steak.  Tuscan Grille was very, very good my dining companion and I thought.  And, the lunch that I ate there was one of the best lunches I have had on a ship.  

[Lois R]

Interesting topic and shows how different we all are, which is a good thing, in my opinion. I will skip dessert many times as I don't always feel like it. And there are dinners I will only do 2 courses. Example, just an appetizer and entree. Or no appetizer and just a salad and entree.

Sounds like I am in the minority but that is ok with me. My eating habits have changed this year. Ever since I had surgery back in the spring I no longer have a BIG appetite.

[rkacruiser]

39 minutes ago, Lois R said:

My eating habits have changed this year.

 

This is a trait for seniors, in my opinion.  Early cruises:  breakfast, mid-morning bouillon, Lunch, Tea, snacks/canapes at HH, Dinner, and Late Night Buffet--no problem for me.  No more!  

 

But, I am more selective in my "grazing/dining" than I once was and disembark from a cruise just as satisfied with what I have experienced in that area as before.  

 

If there is one course at dinner that is omitted, it is the salad course.  Too filling, even though I do like salads.  

 

An appetizer/soup/salad dinner with no entree?  Have done that on occasion.  Desserts?  Difficult to resist and I don't think I have ever turned down some type of dessert even if it was just a sorbet.  

 

Pastas are my downfall!  I love pasta entrees and appetizers and some of the ones that I ate on MSC in their YC Restaurant were much different than any that I had experienced.  How many different risottos can be prepared?  A Ravioli dish prepared with Pesto Sauce?  (My gosh:  it's green! was my first reaction when it was served.)  Delicious!  

 

Dining on a cruise is a major part of my enjoyment of my cruise!  

[BklynBoy8]

Having made copies of the menus of the past sailing and looking them over, we really never took three courses each night.

 

We saw what we called the "Flambe Group" which was five tables that loved them made each evening. It was a hot time in the Princess Grill this sailing. I don't think my Good Friend and Cardiologist would not agree. I did see these passengers towards the end of the sailing increase in inches and facial portions. I can't see these passengers doing this at home. 

 

I fellow of increase ages had a Flambe dish for two with his DW and then one that was a dessert. And even if he did not have a Dessert Flambe but a dessert. But also added a Cheese Plate. WOW.... Quite a number of days in a row.

 

We had an average either a app (app, salad, soup) and entree. And if we most likely did a dessert. If I did not like the dessert listing I would go for a Cheese Plate.

 

But once or twice I may have had a small app and soup and entree in moderation.

 

Oh BTW...... Losing 15 lbs before the sailing I was so happy to only gain 3 1/2 lbs. I credit the walk from one end to the other due to it's position added.