Breakfast & Lunch Buffet vs. Dining Room?

[thisguy74]

I will be going on the Pride in 2 weeks out of Long Beach and am wondering about the difference in food/hours for eating breakfast and lunch in the buffet vs. the dining room. I have read all sorts of things regarding dinner and I think we will probably only eat in the dining room since the cc posted menus look great!

 

How do the operations work for the other two meals and what will I be missing if I choose dining room over buffet or just the opposite? Also-what dress code is in effect during lunch and breakfast in the dining room. It appears you just need to be dry and clothed in the buffet for these meals.

Thanks!

[MrPete]

To us, the breakfast menu is pretty boring, and is the same stuff every day. I prefer the yummy omelettes to order up on deck.

 

Lunch has daily menues when the DR is open. There are days when the DR is closed for lunch, usually when you are in port.

 

There are decent meals in the DR, but I like the buffet lunch with all the choices, especially on the Spirit class ships.

 

Both breakfast and lunch are open seating, so that's a deterant when I'm eating alone.

 

Dress is almost anything goes, as long as you're not in a bathing suit, or not covered up.

[suzyjack]

I agree with the above poster- the made to order omelettes are great!

 

The only other cruise I have been on, I ate a couple of times during breakfast and lunch in the dining room- they sat you at an open table when you arrive. The menu was good, but the buffet near the pool had a wonderful variety everyday. It wouldn't hurt to check and see what is out there and then decide.

[MrPete]

It wouldn't hurt to check and see what is out there and then decide.

 

...which, on the newer ships, you can do right on your in-cabin TV. :)

[JerseyshoreBruce]

:confused: I never ate in the dining room for breakfast or lunch am I really missing anything? I do like the deli : )

[MrPete]

The only day I keep my eye open for lunch is the day they have the fish and chips, and the something ravioli, at the same meal.

 

I always order both! :eek:

[JerseyshoreBruce]

The only day I keep my eye open for lunch is the day they have the fish and chips, and the something ravioli, at the same meal.

 

I always order both! :eek:

WOW! My wife and I love fish and chips and never knew that...thanks for the heads up Mr. Pete.:p

[BambiRumsey]

I like eggs benedict and I also like being waited on so if we wake up in time for dining room breakfast we go there.

 

Lunch we like in the dining room again because of the service aspect. PLUS if you try to be mindful of what you eat, the portions are more controlled than what you might serve yourself at a buffet.

[luckye]

Unless we are off in port we also eat breakfast and lunch in the dining room

 

The portions are controlled and the service is usually outstanding as it is never crowded. You dont have to search around for a table with a tray.

 

Try it once!

.

[BambiRumsey]

PLUS, if you are an outgoing person it is a great opportunity to meet new people you may not encounter otherwise on your cruise.

 

It is open seating so a waiter will seat you at a table that accommodates your party and either there will already be people at the table when you arrive or they will continue to fill the table with new and interesting people.

 

When we travel with our daughter (9) we tend to request a dinner table for 4 people so that those traveling without children do not have to dine with ours. Usually for lunch she does the buffet than wants back into kids club so DH and I will take that opportunity to eat in the dining room and see if we can't meet/chat with some new people.

[flowerchild]

WOW! My wife and I love fish and chips and never knew that...thanks for the heads up Mr. Pete.:p

 

You can also get the fish and chips at the upstairs Lido area everyday...heard it's very good...

[osiebosie]

The Joys of Cruising:

 

You can do both!!!

 

Eat at both on one day, or eat at one one day and the other another day. Alternate your days. Stick with one for the whole cruise. You can do whatever you want.

 

We would stroll around the Lido (Glory) and if nothing pushed our buttons, we knew there was fish and chips, pizza, hamburgers/hotdogs and or chinese to choose from. Then there was the dining room if all else failed (on sea days). On the Glory, we would only get waffles in the dining room vs. Lido, so that's where we went most of the time, but we did eat both ways.

 

Have fun eating,

 

Shay

[JerseyshoreBruce]

You can also get the fish and chips at the upstairs Lido area everyday...heard it's very good...

Thanks I guess i am just having too good of a time to look around much. Geez how could I have missed it. Maybe because I usually get bagels and lox with cream cheese...love it!

[rico]

Unless we are off in port we also eat breakfast and lunch in the dining room

 

The portions are controlled and the service is usually outstanding as it is never crowded. You dont have to search around for a table with a tray.

 

Try it once!

.

 

I agree with this completely. Until our last cruise, we had never eaten in the dining room for breakfast or lunch. We did this past January and will probably do so from now on for the reasons Luckye stated. It's nice not to have to fight the crowds, carry a tray, find a table, etc. The service was great. And for a guy like me who's carrying a few extra pounds, the portion control you get with a served meal is a really nice perk. I really didn't miss a thing on the buffet line. And if you're traveling with a group, the dining room is much easier to manage than the buffet. The dining room was much more relaxed eating than the buffet.

[KatSt]

You can also get the fish and chips at the upstairs Lido area everyday...heard it's very good...

The Spirit class ships, such as the Pride, don't have an upstairs Lido so fish & chips isn't available everyday.

[Cotton]

.....difference in food/hours for eating breakfast and lunch in the buffet vs. the dining room.

 

The dining room is open for about two hours for b'fast, beginning around 7:30. I have b'fast there every morning of my cruise. Yes, the menu is the same everyday, BUT...there is a very extensive menu, and you could have many different dishes each day. I am an Eggs Benedict gal, make it at home, and always have it a coupla times on a cruise. Other items are always very good...including the omelets and fluffy pancakes/waffles. There's a huge variety of sides, cereals, fruit, breads, b'fast meats you can order.

 

I believe lunch is from 11:30-1:30, but not positive. I also have lunch every day there (except port days), when it's normally closed. The menu is different every day, and I LOVE the Mongolian Steak Salad, and highly recommend it. You can order meals or sandwiches, salads, etc. The French pastries for dessert are excellent.

 

One thing about the dining room for b'fast and lunch is that the food is always fresh, straight from the kitchen - not sitting in warming pans on a buffet for long periods. Besides that, I like being served, not going through a long line, and I enjoy the quiet atmosphere.

 

Another GREAT thing about the dining room is that you can have complimentary espresso and cappuccino for all three meals each day. Other lines charge for this.

 

I have had a few meals at the buffet in the years I've been cruising, but much prefer the dining room for many reasons. I don't sit w/tables of others for b'fast...I ask the waiter for a separate table by a window, and am always accommodated.:)

 

Also-what dress code is in effect during lunch and breakfast in the dining room.

 

Attire for the dining room is super casual. Shorts, etc. are fine, but NO swimsuits or coverups.

 

It appears you just need to be dry and clothed in the buffet for these meals.

 

Well...it would be great if they actually would be dry and clothed!! Unfortunately, that is not the case for many passengers. I just can't seem to enjoy my food in a noisy, crowded atmosphere, with many folks carrying trays, searching to find a table - wearing swimsuits and only towels as coverups. UGH!:p Some of those guys really turn my stomach. And you need to watch your step. Many are in there barefoot and water is on the floor.

 

So - try both the dining room and the Lido buffet. You'll find your favorite venue, I'm sure. ENJOY your cruise.:)

[poobears]

The french toast in the DR is soooooooooo good. So we ate there for breakfast. But they served the OJ warm ewwwww I'm sure you could ask for ice but I just stuck with water after 2 mornings of room temp OJ.

 

Lunch we did once in the DR, the other days buffet. Think I prefer the dining room on it just because it's nice to sit down and be served instead of waiting in line.

[yuckylucky]

We eat almost every breakfast and lunch in the dining room. I don't like waiting in long lines (particularly if it's crowded) or feeling rushed to make a selection while perusing the choices or having lots of people/staff walking by my table on the Lido deck while I'm eating. I just prefer to sit back and be served a meal at a nicely dressed table.

 

Don't get me wrong...I enjoy buffets at times as well. I just usually find the lunch menu to be appealing enough to eat in the dining room (always a yummy chilled soup waiting to be enjoyed). And I echo the observations of other posters who find the dining room to be less busy. We've also been able to request our own table for four at every breakfast and lunch too...which is good since one of our party is a little one! ;)

[pungo3]

Since I'm an early riser, I like to go to the Lido deck for coffee and usually a piece of fruit as soon as they open. Then I wait for the dining room to open for my 'real' breakfast. I love being waited on, rather than going through a line for food. It's also better to eat the portions served in the dining room than to 'over-serve' myself from the buffet. Lunch is usually a toss up. Depends on where we are and what we are doing when we get hungry. I'd say we eat in the dining room 50% of the time for lunch.

[CatgirlNC]

I enjoy the dining room for lunch & breakfast, mostly for the reasons already given- it's nice to be shown to your seats and served rather than carry a tray around a crowded room looking for a clean, empty table. It's true, the menus are not extensive, but I can usually find something I like.

 

It's also fun to eat lunch in the dining room on the day they serve the Italian antipasto appetizer. People order it thinking they'll be getting a salad, so the look on their faces when they see the little squids and other items on the plate is quite amusing.

 

On our next cruise we'll have a balcony and lots of sea days, so I am imagining we'll do the room service option a few times, or at least bring meals on trays from Lido (we're only one deck down).

[poobears]

 

It's also fun to eat lunch in the dining room on the day they serve the Italian antipasto appetizer. People order it thinking they'll be getting a salad, so the look on their faces when they see the little squids and other items on the plate is quite amusing.

 

You would have had a great time dining with our table then. They really should be clearer on the menu and not just say italian appetizers LOL

 

Out of our table of 8 I think 6 of us ordered it having no idea what it was. OMG the reactions were priceless, wish I had it on tape. DH ordered it too but for some reason he didn't get his, he got his burger instead. Needless to say he didn't bother correcting them on the mistake :)

 

There was one man at the table that ate everyones squid in his group. Then we just pushed things around so it looked like we at least tried it :p

[dan40]

Lunch at the buffet, you could have a plate with a piece of fried chicken, A taco, a scoop of shrimp fried rice and a bowl of French onion soup. On the side you could have some fish and chips, a Caesar salad, a slice of pizza and a bit of Mongolian BBQ.

 

Not a recommended diet, but there are so many choices. For me that's a plus, for some that would be a bad thing.

 

Also for breakfast in the buffet you can have eggs to order at the omelet station. I like that I can order 2 eggs over easy and watch them being made and ask they be served when they're looking good to me. Rather than the cook and I having two different ideas of what "over easy" means.

 

Dan

[MrPete]

You can also get the fish and chips at the upstairs Lido area everyday...heard it's very good...

 

Only on the ships that have the Fish and Chip "shop".

 

It's not on the Pride, nor any ship I have yet sailed. ::SIGH:: :(

[dan40]

Only on the ships that have the Fish and Chip "shop".

 

It's not on the Pride, nor any ship I have yet sailed. ::SIGH:: :(

 

I tried the fish n chips twice on the Glory and once on the Valor. EVERY time it was VERY greasy, dry, overcooked and fishy. That's 3 strikes in my book, but it HAS to be better than my experience.

 

Dan

[D & D]

I would like to add 1 thing in favor of the DR.....you can order 2 (or more) of any given item from the menu. You're not limited to just the amount normally served. This is true also at dinner. Our kids liked a particular dessert so much they ordered 2 -- or was it 3 -- each. Another time my husband orderd 2 steaks. No problem. :rolleyes: Also, the vast information you gleen from other travelers during meal chat is priceless.

 

 

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