Main Diningroom - ordering more then one entree per person?

[Top_of_the_Cube]

On this side issue of Your Time Dining vs. Fixed Time Dining in the MDR:

 

My wife enjoys having the same table-mates each evening, and the familiarity of the same dining staff.  Just her preference.

 

On all our cruises, we have chosen fixed time dining in the MDR.  Sometimes late seating, sometimes early.  On port days, so far we have not had any issues getting back to the ship at close to return time, and still having time to get ready for early dining.  And she always dolls up for dinner on the ship.  (of course, on some cruises at some ports there might be an extended return time, so that has to be taken into account)

 

Also, evening shows in the main theater have always been positioned or repeated so that either seating time didn't cause us to miss it.

 

Again, our experience.  You may want to be more flexible (Your Time) to catch that one particular Punchline or other event.  But, still, we never had a problem.

[DrSea]

32 minutes ago, john91498 said:

 

The frog legs tasted just like chicken and they even look like chicken drum sticks. The escargots tasted like rubber bands dipped in butter and I liked them more than I thought I would. Never had alligator yet.

I hear that frog legs and alligator taste like fishy chicken. 

[ProgRockCruiser]

24 minutes ago, DrSea said:

I hear that frog legs and alligator taste like fishy chicken. 

Prepared correctly, they don't taste fishy: they'll taste just like chicken.  Which makes sense - common ancestors and all that...

 

We eat breaded fried gator here in FL all the time, especially when visitors come into town.  It's a very common appetizer, just like mozzarella sticks or calamari.

[DrSea]

4 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

Prepared correctly, they don't taste fishy: they'll taste just like chicken.  Which makes sense - common ancestors and all that...

 

We eat breaded fried gator here in FL all the time, especially when visitors come into town.  It's a very common appetizer, just like mozzarella sticks or calamari.

I don't eat calamari or any sea food. So any fishy taste makes me barf. Because of this weird mental block, YTD is very handy bc I can sit by myself when my main party decides to order tons of seafood. Another benefit of YTD @BarbieGee

[Schoifmom]

51 minutes ago, Top_of_the_Cube said:

On this side issue of Your Time Dining vs. Fixed Time Dining in the MDR:

 

My wife enjoys having the same table-mates each evening, and the familiarity of the same dining staff.  Just her preference.

 

On all our cruises, we have chosen fixed time dining in the MDR.  Sometimes late seating, sometimes early.  On port days, so far we have not had any issues getting back to the ship at close to return time, and still having time to get ready for early dining.  And she always dolls up for dinner on the ship.  (of course, on some cruises at some ports there might be an extended return time, so that has to be taken into account)

 

Also, evening shows in the main theater have always been positioned or repeated so that either seating time didn't cause us to miss it.

 

Again, our experience.  You may want to be more flexible (Your Time) to catch that one particular Punchline or other event.  But, still, we never had a problem.

And, that's why they offer both 🙂  Something for everyone!

[cruisingguy007]

The appetizers have shrunken (in many cases by half) but the mains are still pretty nice sized, ordering more than two may lead to waste. We noticed a lot of waste on the ship. It's one thing if you don't like something but folks were wasting platefuls of food on the regular. Better to sample lots of items than fill plates up. We saw lots of abandoned plates full of food that had been hardly touched. Then people wonder why fares are going up and they are offering reduced menus. Something has to give in these times of higher costs.   

[DrSea]

5 minutes ago, cruisingguy007 said:

The appetizers have shrunken (in many cases by half) but the mains are still pretty nice sized, ordering more than two may lead to waste. We noticed a lot of waste on the ship. It's one thing if you don't like something but folks were wasting platefuls of food on the regular. Better to sample lots of items than fill plates up. We saw lots of abandoned plates full of food that had been hardly touched. Then people wonder why fares are going up and they are offering reduced menus. Something has to give in these times of higher costs.   

Yes there is a lot of waste. It's why I like to share with my guests. You can always order more, which I do

[TerReuv]

9 hours ago, BarbieGee said:

This is off my original topic but... What are the benefits of MTD vs MDRx2? Does the fixed time place your party at the same table each time one dines? (we will be a party of 4) I experienced this on Royal Caribbean. MTD... different table each time you reserve? That was the case on Norwegian.

 

You can reserve using the hub app.  When you get to the MDR, you can ask for the same waitstaff and they can usually accommodate you. We've only not been able to do that once.  We love YTD.

 

On the Carnival website you can go to Manage your Cruise and then go to your Booking & Order Details.  Scroll down and under Your Bookings you will see where you can change your dining choice (as long as it is available).  It's to the right of your bed set up.

[BarbieGee]

2 hours ago, TerReuv said:

 

You can reserve using the hub app.  When you get to the MDR, you can ask for the same waitstaff and they can usually accommodate you. We've only not been able to do that once.  We love YTD.

 

On the Carnival website you can go to Manage your Cruise and then go to your Booking & Order Details.  Scroll down and under Your Bookings you will see where you can change your dining choice (as long as it is available).  It's to the right of your bed set up.

Well, there was no other option for dining on my booking other then the one I originally chose. I'll call just to check.
 

[DrSea]

19 minutes ago, BarbieGee said:

Well, there was no other option for dining on my booking other then the one I originally chose. I'll call just to check.
 

It sounds like it is most likely sold out. If you do decide to do YTD, you can go to restaurant on the first day before 4 pm and ask for them to change you. They might be able to help. 

[Skippy]

On our recent cruise, I think I ordered 3 appetizers and 2 entrees most of the nights. There were lots of things I wanted to try.

the frogs legs did taste like chicken.

[Joe817]

6 minutes ago, Skippy said:

On our recent cruise, I think I ordered 3 appetizers and 2 entrees most of the nights. There were lots of things I wanted to try.

the frogs legs did taste like chicken.

I'd say it tastes more like a gamey fish. When I was a kid growing up in Ft. Worth, we'd drive every weekend up to our place in Clay County, where we had a place. 3 or 4 times a year, we'd go out frog gigging in one of our stock tanks, and we'd bring in a bucketful of frogs, and mom & her friends would fry it up in a pan. I really developed a taste for it. Mom & Dad considered it a delicacy. Fried frog legs, corn on the cob, pinto beans, and bread. Yummmm. 

[Schoifmom]

9 hours ago, Joe817 said:

I'd say it tastes more like a gamey fish. When I was a kid growing up in Ft. Worth, we'd drive every weekend up to our place in Clay County, where we had a place. 3 or 4 times a year, we'd go out frog gigging in one of our stock tanks, and we'd bring in a bucketful of frogs, and mom & her friends would fry it up in a pan. I really developed a taste for it. Mom & Dad considered it a delicacy. Fried frog legs, corn on the cob, pinto beans, and bread. Yummmm. 

Frogs, just like everything else, changes taste based on their diet.  The "wild" frogs that you had growing up would have a more gamey, fishy taste.  The frog legs served on the ship would be farm-raised with a restricted diet and would have a more mild flavor.  The same is true for almost any other animal.  For example, venison from deer in Ohio have a milder taste than venison from the south because of their diet.

[BarbieGee]

10 hours ago, Joe817 said:

I'd say it tastes more like a gamey fish. When I was a kid growing up in Ft. Worth, we'd drive every weekend up to our place in Clay County, where we had a place. 3 or 4 times a year, we'd go out frog gigging in one of our stock tanks, and we'd bring in a bucketful of frogs, and mom & her friends would fry it up in a pan. I really developed a taste for it. Mom & Dad considered it a delicacy. Fried frog legs, corn on the cob, pinto beans, and bread. Yummmm. 

As a child in New Jersey, I would watch my dad and his brothers 'clean' their catch of frogs caught from Lake Hopatcong. I guess I was traumatized, watching that cause I have never yet been able to eat frogs legs. 😜😒

[guxu]

The beauty of the fixed time dinning is you walk straight to your table and there is no wait. Depending on the time you show up, you may have to wait for Your Time Time dinning, especially in the "formal" (lobster) nights. One time we were in the line for more than 30 minutes. A young couple in front us said it's their first and last cruise... 

[wemjam]

It always makes me wonder when people say "taste like chicken,".... all I can think is then why not just eat chicken?😁

 

I eat a lot of things, love the escargot on Carnival, and my mom gets the frog legs (won't touch those with a 10 foot gig mental thing for me).  Ya I know, snails are OK but no frogs?  Go figure.

[ProgRockCruiser]

13 minutes ago, wemjam said:

It always makes me wonder when people say "taste like chicken,".... all I can think is then why not just eat chicken?😁

Well, when I say "tastes like chicken" I mean "has a taste similar to chicken, but also has certain elements that one can associate with the actual source of meat."

 

In the same way that farm-raised Bison meat tastes a lot more like beef than free range/wild Bison. You can taste that is isn't exactly beef, but it loses that gamey note that I like in Bison.  Even lamb is getting less gamey for the same reasons.

 

But yeah, for a lot of folks you could serve chicken nuggets, call it gator, and they'd never know...

[Skippy]

2 hours ago, wemjam said:

It always makes me wonder when people say "taste like chicken,".... all I can think is then why not just eat chicken?😁

 

I eat a lot of things, love the escargot on Carnival, and my mom gets the frog legs (won't touch those with a 10 foot gig mental thing for me).  Ya I know, snails are OK but no frogs?  Go figure.

I wanted my kids to taste it. But even though I told them it tastes like chicken, they still didn’t want to try it.

[DrSea]

4 hours ago, guxu said:

The beauty of the fixed time dinning is you walk straight to your table and there is no wait. Depending on the time you show up, you may have to wait for Your Time Time dinning, especially in the "formal" (lobster) nights. One time we were in the line for more than 30 minutes. A young couple in front us said it's their first and last cruise... 

Stuff like that disappoints me. YTD isn't for everybody. I wish there was someone there to explain the pros and cons of YTD. I get that TA are supposed to do that. But sometimes the PVP don't do a good job. My old one was terrible. 

[DrSea]

4 hours ago, wemjam said:

It always makes me wonder when people say "taste like chicken,".... all I can think is then why not just eat chicken?😁

 

I have always wondered that too. Makes no sense to me. 

[Drew B 58]

7 hours ago, wemjam said:

It always makes me wonder when people say "taste like chicken,".... all I can think is then why not just eat chicken?😁

 

I eat a lot of things, love the escargot on Carnival, and my mom gets the frog legs (won't touch those with a 10 foot gig mental thing for me).  Ya I know, snails are OK but no frogs?  Go figure.

Because chickens are nice friends!

[ldubs]

This topic comes up somewhat regularly and isn't limited to Carnival by any means.   I wonder if any cruise lines have considered a "sampler" entree plate?  Seems like a kind of neat idea to me.  

[Joebucks]

The first formal night is a must for two entrees. Prime rib and lobster!

[DrSea]

8 hours ago, ldubs said:

This topic comes up somewhat regularly and isn't limited to Carnival by any means.   I wonder if any cruise lines have considered a "sampler" entree plate?  Seems like a kind of neat idea to me.  

You can order small portions. Most waiters will accommodate you. 

 

But I do find it easier to just split the entrée with somebody. Less work for everyone. 

[ldubs]

On 9/8/2022 at 9:22 AM, wemjam said:

It always makes me wonder when people say "taste like chicken,".... all I can think is then why not just eat chicken?😁

 

I eat a lot of things, love the escargot on Carnival, and my mom gets the frog legs (won't touch those with a 10 foot gig mental thing for me).  Ya I know, snails are OK but no frogs?  Go figure.

 

I agree.  No frog legs for me.  I don't need to know how they taste.  Don't want eel, gator, balut, or Rocky Mountain oysters either.   IMO, the only reason escargot is good is all the butter and garlic.  😀