What is casual dining?

[mncbabu_yahoo]

The plus package includes 2 free casual dining in sapphire. I thought all 5 dining rooms are included in cruise fare..what is this casual dining?

[d9704011]

6 minutes ago, mncbabu_yahoo said:

The plus package includes 2 free casual dining in sapphire. I thought all 5 dining rooms are included in cruise fare..what is this casual dining?

Alfredo's Pizzeria is casual dining.  The main dining rooms are included in your fare.  

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, mncbabu_yahoo said:

The plus package includes 2 free casual dining in sapphire. I thought all 5 dining rooms are included in cruise fare..what is this casual dining?

The main DR's are included in the base price of your cruise but they now include the casual restaurants (2 free with the plus package & unlimited with the premiums package) as an incentive to sell people the more expensive packages.

If course you can not buy into the package at all & pay the $14.99 for a casual meal if you feel it's worth the price, we don't. It's just another thing taken away from everyone to make it more appealing to buy their package. We can live without their casual meals very nicely. 

[mncbabu_yahoo]

Is casual meal better than in MDR? What is special about it? I don't understand why it is expensive in eating pizzas in pizzeria than in MDR. I assume this casual dining is not the dining in speciality dining room. 

[Cinerama]

Click on the link below to see the 10 casual dinning restaurants that are included with the package. Not all restaurants listed below are on each ship.

 

Alfredo’s menu
Alfredo’s reduced menu
GiGi’s menu
Kai Sushi’s menu
Ocean Terrace menu
O’Malley’s menu
Planks menu
Salty Dog Gastropub menu
Steamers menu
Vines

 

https://profcruise.com/new-princess-casual-dining-menus/

Edited February 26 by Cinerama

[Lady Arwen]

13 minutes ago, mncbabu_yahoo said:

Is casual meal better than in MDR? What is special about it? I don't understand why it is expensive in eating pizzas in pizzeria than in MDR. I assume this casual dining is not the dining in speciality dining room. 

The food in the MDR is very different from the casual restaurants.  Some people prefer occasionally having a faster and more simple meal rather than the MDR.  

Alfredo’s and Gigi’s serve pizza and other Italian dishes, O’Malley’s is pub food.  Other casual restaurants have a different menu.  Pizza is not served in the MDR for dinner.
 

If you have a package the casual restaurants are either two complimentary with the Plus or unlimited with the Premier.  Without a package there is a charge depending on which restaurant you choose.  There is no obligation to dine at any of the pay restaurants.  You can get free pizza at the Pizzeria in the buffet and it’s quite good.

 

There are many dining options and some have a cost and many are included in your cruise fare.  It’s entirely up to you.

 

[XBGuy]

2 hours ago, mncbabu_yahoo said:

Is casual meal better than in MDR? What is special about it? I don't understand why it is expensive in eating pizzas in pizzeria than in MDR. I assume this casual dining is not the dining in specialty dining room. 

 

One's choice of a dining venue is quite personal.  We have nothing negative to say about the quality of the food that is offered in the dining rooms.  However, we just don't care for the production-oriented environment of the dining rooms.  We prefer to take our time over our meals and proceed at our own slow pace.  I am annoyed when a server sweeps away a barely finished salad plate over one shoulder while almost simultaneously over my other shoulder the next course is put in front of me.  I like to sit back, take a breath, and sip some wine between courses.  The casual dining venues, the specialty restaurants and, even. room service better fit our wishes.  

 

Also, many passengers like the casual dining venues for their lunch.  (Again,  we are the weird ones because we don't eat lunch.)  Alfredo's/Gigi's is often packed on embarkation day.

 

I have often opined here on Cruise Critic that the reason cruising is so great is because every passenger gets to customize his/her experience.  If somebody prefers to have their dinner in one of the dining rooms, they can do so.  If somebody does not want to attend the show in the theater, they can do so.  If somebody wants to buy art on the ship, they can do so.  I think the ability for passengers to choose for themselves is awesome.

 

I hope you have a terrific cruise, @mncbabu_yahoo.  Actually, I know that you will.  Bon voyage.

[startedwithamouse]

6 hours ago, mncbabu_yahoo said:

The plus package includes 2 free casual dining in sapphire. I thought all 5 dining rooms are included in cruise fare..what is this casual dining?

It's another option of dining in a full service restaurant atmosphere. 

 

We enjoy casual dining with the package in the middle of the day at Alfredo's/Gigi's, or port days, with a couple glasses of wine, and not have to do self serve at the buffet. 

 

While not on the Sapphire, Discovery has Ocean Terrace, where we can sit for sushi/sashimi prior to our late MDR dining time. Full service.

 

Sapphire should have a pop-up Salty Dog gastropub on select sea days, which the casual dining credits are good for too.

Edited February 26 by startedwithamouse

[PMGS247]

3 hours ago, mncbabu_yahoo said:

Is casual meal better than in MDR? What is special about it? I don't understand why it is expensive in eating pizzas in pizzeria than in MDR. I assume this casual dining is not the dining in speciality dining room. 

 

All a matter of opinion.  Safe to say that on average across the entire population of cruisers, most would say the food is overall "better" at the casual dining restaurants than the MDR, but not all, and even amongst those who do, not all will consider it worth the $15 upcharge.

 

Someone linked the menu's above....check out your options ahead of time and decide whether those menus are $15 more appealing than what's being offered at the MDR. To some it seems crazy to pay for food when there's so much included food around.  Not all food is equal, but all food is subjective. Should be noted that at no time are you paying for the same food you would receive in the MDR or buffet.  The closest thing is pizza but there's definitely a difference between the lido deck pizza slices and the made to order pizzas at GiGi's.

 

Why would someone get a casual meal vs the included meal at the MDR? I can tell you why I do it.  A few things I don't love about the MDR - big crowded space, can be hectic, often seated with or uncomfortably close to other random cruisers.  Food is mass produced almost like someone is loading up plates from a massive buffet in the back that you can't see.  You can just tell it's made on a huge assembly line cranking out thousands of plates per hour. All this considered it's still pretty good, I really am impressed at the quality they're able to generate on such a scale, but in a vacuum compared to traditional restaurants, it's rarely great.  By contrast casual restaurants tend to feel like traditional restaurants vs a big banquet hall/wedding meal. Safe to say generally quieter but that can depend on the vibe of the exact restaurant and how busy they are that exact evening, so there's probably exceptions to that rule here & there.  You put in your order and they cook your food specifically for you because you ordered it, as opposed to grabbing the next plate in the assembly line when you order it.  Menus are unique to the restaurant so you can decide whether it's appealing before you choose to eat there.  I don't really hate the MDR but the question was asked why someone would choose that over included food at the MDR/buffet so yeah that's one guy's reasoning.

Edited February 26 by PMGS247

[Lady Arwen]

20 minutes ago, XBGuy said:

 

One's choice of a dining venue is quite personal.  We have nothing negative to say about the quality of the food that is offered in the dining rooms.  However, we just don't care for the production-oriented environment of the dining rooms.  We prefer to take our time over our meals and proceed at our own slow pace.  I am annoyed when a server sweeps away a barely finished salad plate over one shoulder while almost simultaneously over my other shoulder the next course is put in front of me.  I like to sit back, take a breath, and sip some wine between courses.  The casual dining venues, the specialty restaurants and, even. room service better fit our wishes.  

 

Also, many passengers like the casual dining venues for their lunch.  (Again,  we are the weird ones because we don't eat lunch.)  Alfredo's/Gigi's is often packed on embarkation day.

 

I have often opined here on Cruise Critic that the reason cruising is so great is because every passenger gets to customize his/her experience.  If somebody prefers to have their dinner in one of the dining rooms, they can do so.  If somebody does not want to attend the show in the theater, they can do so.  If somebody wants to buy art on the ship, they can do so.  I think the ability for passengers to choose for themselves is awesome.

 

I hope you have a terrific cruise, @mncbabu_yahoo.  Actually, I know that you will.  Bon voyage.

This is exactly why we prefer the specialty restaurants and the casual restaurants over the MDR.  We have Premier package on our next cruise and we’ve booked all specialty restaurants with only two included in the package.  Worth the money to us.  As you mentioned, the service and atmosphere is more our style.  We hate being rushed, too.

 

However, for those who enjoy the MDR then by all means don’t bother with the extra cost.  No obligation to dine anywhere you don’t want to.  To each their own!

[Lady Arwen]

8 minutes ago, PMGS247 said:

 

All a matter of opinion.  Safe to say that on average across the entire population of cruisers, most would say the food is overall "better" at the casual dining restaurants than the MDR, but not all, and even amongst those who do, not all will consider it worth the $15 upcharge.

 

Someone linked the menu's above....check out your options ahead of time and decide whether those menus are $15 more appealing than what's being offered at the MDR. To some it seems crazy to pay for food when there's so much included food around.  Not all food is equal, but all food is subjective. Should be noted that at no time are you paying for the same food you would receive in the MDR or buffet.  The closest thing is pizza but there's definitely a difference between the lido deck pizza slices and the made to order pizzas at GiGi's.

 

Why would someone get a casual meal vs the included meal at the MDR? I can tell you why I do it.  A few things I don't love about the MDR - big crowded space, can be hectic, often seated with or uncomfortably close to other random cruisers.  Food is mass produced almost like someone is loading up plates from a massive buffet in the back that you can't see.  You can just tell it's made on a huge assembly line cranking out thousands of plates per hour. All this considered it's still pretty good, I really am impressed at the quality they're able to generate on such a scale, but in a vacuum compared to traditional restaurants, it's rarely great.  By contrast casual restaurants tend to feel like traditional restaurants vs a big banquet hall/wedding meal. Safe to say generally quieter but that can depend on the vibe of the exact restaurant and how busy they are that exact evening, so there's probably exceptions to that rule here & there.  You put in your order and they cook your food specifically for you because you ordered it, as opposed to grabbing the next plate in the assembly line when you order it.  Menus are unique to the restaurant so you can decide whether it's appealing before you choose to eat there.  I don't really hate the MDR but the question was asked why someone would choose that over included food at the MDR/buffet so yeah that's one guy's reasoning.

Completely agree with you!

[memoak]

3 hours ago, MissP22 said:

They've convinced everyone that if you pay for a meal, it makes it taste better. 😄 

Normally we eat in the DR & no longer in any of the casual restaurants since they've begun charging for them. There's nothing wrong with the food there, it's just that I prefer not to pay for something that can be had at the buffer or DR at no charge. 

Yes but I was tired of waiting an hour and a half to get a table at Alfredo’s 

[rodndonna]

2 hours ago, PMGS247 said:

 

 

 

Why would someone get a casual meal vs the included meal at the MDR? I can tell you why I do it.  A few things I don't love about the MDR - big crowded space, can be hectic, often seated with or uncomfortably close to other random cruisers.  Food is mass produced almost like someone is loading up plates from a massive buffet in the back that you can't see.  You can just tell it's made on a huge assembly line cranking out thousands of plates per hour. All this considered it's still pretty good, I really am impressed at the quality they're able to generate on such a scale, but in a vacuum compared to traditional restaurants, it's rarely great.  By contrast casual restaurants tend to feel like traditional restaurants vs a big banquet hall/wedding meal. Safe to say generally quieter but that can depend on the vibe of the exact restaurant and how busy they are that exact evening, so there's probably exceptions to that rule here & there.  You put in your order and they cook your food specifically for you because you ordered it, as opposed to grabbing the next plate in the assembly line when you order it.  Menus are unique to the restaurant so you can decide whether it's appealing before you choose to eat there.  I don't really hate the MDR but the question was asked why someone would choose that over included food at the MDR/buffet so yeah that's one guy's reasoning.

 

For us, they appear to be chump change cost to have some variety in our dining atmosphere while on a cruise. We are about to our first cruise with Princess (10 days) and we avoid buffet if we can, so 10 nights dining in the MDR type setting  for dinner is not for us.

[PMGS247]

4 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

For us, they appear to be chump change cost to have some variety in our dining atmosphere while on a cruise. We are about to our first cruise with Princess (10 days) and we avoid buffet if we can, so 10 nights dining in the MDR type setting  for dinner is not for us.

 

100% Great for variety. Agreed on the cost too.  In the big picture doing a few casual meals isn't materially moving the needle on the price of my vacation.  I can respect those that inspect every decision in a silo and find this an unappealing expense. That's probably the more financially responsible approach to take but I don't have that kind of energy.  Drop in the bucket. Let's eat.

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

We never use the buffet and we always do at least 3 speciality restaurant dinners. Our next cruise is 8 days in a suite so we get an extra speciality dining on day 1... with 3 speciality dining meals leaves just 4 up for grabs. We'll probably do 1 casual dining and the rest MDR... unless we do more speciality dining which is a possibility.

 

I have never done a cruise where we never used the MDR but that might happen.

 

Works for us 🙂 

[c-boy]

8 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

Yup!

8. A Chatter of Chihuahuas

Get a group of Chihuahuas in one room, and that chatter will have a whole lot to say.

[LACruiser88]

I see quite a few comments here about feeling rushed while dining in the MDR.  We definitely have not felt that at all. 

 

We are usually in the Reserve Collection Dining Room and go to dinner around 7:30.  On our first night, we always advise our servers that we are not in a rush, not going to a show, and like a spaced out dining experience.  We usually have a bottle of wine with dinner and like to "enjoy" our wine. 

 

The wait staff will usually ask us if we are ready for our next course, not automatically bring it out.

 

And, they have always provided the type of service that we enjoy.

[Lady Arwen]

1 minute ago, LACruiser88 said:

I see quite a few comments here about feeling rushed while dining in the MDR.  We definitely have not felt that at all. 

 

We are usually in the Reserve Collection Dining Room and go to dinner around 7:30.  On our first night, we always advise our servers that we are not in a rush, not going to a show, and like a spaced out dining experience.  We usually have a bottle of wine with dinner and like to "enjoy" our wine. 

 

The wait staff will usually ask us if we are ready for our next course, not automatically bring it out.

 

And, they have always provided the type of service that we enjoy.

I think the service is significantly elevated in Reserve Class.  You are paying a premium for it and you should receive the best.  Also, it works for you and I respect that.  It’s all about choice and what works for each of us.

[c-boy]

2 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

I see quite a few comments here about feeling rushed while dining in the MDR.  We definitely have not felt that at all. 

 

We are usually in the Reserve Collection Dining Room and go to dinner around 7:30.  On our first night, we always advise our servers that we are not in a rush, not going to a show, and like a spaced out dining experience.  We usually have a bottle of wine with dinner and like to "enjoy" our wine. 

 

The wait staff will usually ask us if we are ready for our next course, not automatically bring it out.

 

And, they have always provided the type of service that we enjoy.

written like a man after my wife and I  😍, can't wait to cruise with ya two.

[BlerkOne]

If pay as you go, you don't have to get the 3 course meal for $14.99. You can just order a pizza for less than that.

[LACruiser88]

5 minutes ago, c-boy said:

written like a man after my wife and I  😍, can't wait to cruise with ya two.

Same here, one of these days!  😊🍷

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

1 minute ago, BlerkOne said:

If pay as you go, you don't have to get the 3 course meal for $14.99. You can just order a pizza for less than that.

I don't know for certain... but even if you have a package and some included meals... can't you still order a-la-carte if you didn't want to use one of your included meals?

[BlerkOne]

3 minutes ago, Snaxmuppet said:

I don't know for certain... but even if you have a package and some included meals... can't you still order a-la-carte if you didn't want to use one of your included meals?

I don't know, either.

[antmaril]

My friend and I were on the Sky Princess in January.  We had the Plus package and enjoyed lunch in Alfredo’s twice.  We thought the food was very good, as well as the service.   The last time I was on Sky Princess (2020), we could go to Alfredo’s as many times as we wanted. I think we went twice.  

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

I suspect (I have no evidence for this) that Princess has done some research and found that very few people eat in Alfredo's, and the other casual dining venues, much more than twice per cruise and so tailored the offering to what most people would do.

 

Of course there will be people that eat in them day and night for every day of the cruise but they will be very much the exception.

 

I have no issue with the casual dining offerings tbh. I will likely eat in Alfredo's once and the sushi bar once or twice and more than happy to pay for the second.