in suite dining questions

[luckyinpa]

1. how much notice to have CK or MDR dining on our balcony on oasis. the 1br aqua suite seems to have a full table outside so was going to have a dinner while in a port to make sure there's no wind issues. (and get great views of a port)

 

2.our TA told us we will have a certificate in the cabin good for specialty dining. if i book the dining today on a credit card to lock in a good time, will the concierge be able to refund our CC by using the certificate? or how does that work. i dont want to wait till boarding to book the time

 

3. is 1st nite specialty dining any more /less crowded than any other day?

 

4. also i know the concierge letter comes a week before boarding but is there any benefit to writing to them earlier to get better CK times etc.

[topnole]

Can’t answer most is your questions, but I don’t think CK can be delicious.  So MDR is the only option as far as I know.  I would probably order it early (in the afternoon) and tell them the time you want it.  
 

on the certificate, I don’t think the concierge can do that.  Probably just for an on board credit.  But that shouldn’t be a big deal.  You could easily cash that out in the casino.  But confirm all of this with other replies as I’ve never done this personally.  

[smokeybandit]

I don't know if you can pre-order MDR room service when the MDR isn't open. 

 

20 minutes ago, topnole said:

but I don’t think CK can be delicious

 

I'm sure someone likes it😀

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, luckyinpa said:

1. how much notice to have CK or MDR dining on our balcony on oasis. the 1br aqua suite seems to have a full table outside so was going to have a dinner while in a port to make sure there's no wind issues. (and get great views of a port)

 

2.our TA told us we will have a certificate in the cabin good for specialty dining. if i book the dining today on a credit card to lock in a good time, will the concierge be able to refund our CC by using the certificate? or how does that work. i dont want to wait till boarding to book the time

 

3. is 1st nite specialty dining any more /less crowded than any other day?

 

4. also i know the concierge letter comes a week before boarding but is there any benefit to writing to them earlier to get better CK times etc.

1. Don't know. We have never ordered anything except standard room service items. 

2. If you cancel onboard, you will get OBC. Just wait until you are onboard to book

3. Sure, but book what you want, when you want... why restrict yourself to 1st night?

4. The concierge is not ready to talk to you until you get their letter/email. They will contact you on the week of departure. 

[Ashland]

You're in a suite. Just call the room service number and order from the MDR menu. It shouldn't take that long to deliver it...just remember all items will come at the same time. You don't need to pre-arrange this. We order from the MDR menu often when staying in a suite. Just call during their open hours based on breakfast, lunch or dinner.

[luckyinpa]

i assume since can order mdr can order CK as well?

[smokeybandit]

2 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

i assume since can order mdr can order CK as well?

No, MDR (or regular room service menu) only

[topnole]

11 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

I don't know if you can pre-order MDR room service when the MDR isn't open. 

 

 

I'm sure someone likes it😀

Dang autocorrect.  

 

On some nights at least. 😂.  I will say on Harmony in December I had my first ever CK dinner entree I didn’t eat.  It was pretty bad.   All the rest were fine, but veggies and potatoes were so tiny in portion it was baffling.  Why are they skimming on potatoes of all things?  Lol.  
 

 

[topnole]

13 hours ago, luckyinpa said:

1. how much notice to have CK or MDR dining on our balcony on oasis. the 1br aqua suite seems to have a full table outside so was going to have a dinner while in a port to make sure there's no wind issues. (and get great views of a port)

 

2.our TA told us we will have a certificate in the cabin good for specialty dining. if i book the dining today on a credit card to lock in a good time, will the concierge be able to refund our CC by using the certificate? or how does that work. i dont want to wait till boarding to book the time

 

3. is 1st nite specialty dining any more /less crowded than any other day?

 

4. also i know the concierge letter comes a week before boarding but is there any benefit to writing to them earlier to get better CK times etc.

Forgot to mention.  1st night in the CK is often Filet night and many say it is one of the best on the ship.   May want to do CK first night.  You can check the menus for your ship on the app.  

[Lionesss]

We have eaten in CK on over 8 different cruises on 3 different ships.  Allure, Oasis, and Symphony.

We have always done specialty dining at least once, and WJ as well once on every cruise for dinner.

So 5 days each cruise CK.

 

Only once in our dining experience did I have to send a plate back.  And it was BAD!  It was some kind of fish, late in the week.  When it arrived the smell.............was bad.

 

I immediately sent it back.

The waiter, the Matre'D as well as the chef came out and talked to me.

I just said the smell does not at all appeal to me.

 

The promptly served me the dally option of chicken.

 

Now, that chicken is also not one of my favorites, usually over cooked and dry.

I usually select one Entre from the daily choices with no problem.

And, the worse case scenario is ordering off the kids menu.

 

Be safe.

[luckyinpa]

app says filet first nite in CK so thats great. it does kind of stink no CK in the room though. haven does that on NCL. i think X does it for retreat too.  ill just have to make due with the MDR on the balcony then.

 

speaking of filet. is chops filet same as CK? thats where i wanted to use my free dinner

[Peachy59]

11 hours ago, Ashland said:

You're in a suite. Just call the room service number and order from the MDR menu. It shouldn't take that long to deliver it...just remember all items will come at the same time. You don't need to pre-arrange this. We order from the MDR menu often when staying in a suite. Just call during their open hours based on breakfast, lunch or dinner.

If you order breakfast do you have to specify you want it from the MDR? I ask because on our last cruise when we ordered breakfast we could tell it was just regular RS and didn't come from MDR. On previous cruises when we ordered breakfast we could tell it did come form MDR even though we didn't specify. It was very odd. Also, they sometimes wouldn't even answer the phone. This was last December in a Grand Suite on Harmony.

 

[acuprulez]

5 hours ago, luckyinpa said:

haven does that on NCL. i think X does it for retreat too. 

I think you can get it on RCL if you are in star class, which is the rough equivalent to both of those other products.

[Ashland]

1 hour ago, Peachy59 said:

If you order breakfast do you have to specify you want it from the MDR? I ask because on our last cruise when we ordered breakfast we could tell it was just regular RS and didn't come from MDR. On previous cruises when we ordered breakfast we could tell it did come form MDR even though we didn't specify. It was very odd. Also, they sometimes wouldn't even answer the phone. This was last December in a Grand Suite on Harmony.

 

When I call I always specify that I'm ordering from the MDR menu. On our last 5-6 cruises in an OS we haven't had any problem. Breakfast is our favorite to order, also just dessert from the MDR at night just before they close. Let the phone ring...sometimes they answer right away sometimes not...they'll answer eventually !