21 Tips for the Best Cruise Ship Main Dining Room Experience

the main dining room on Royal Caribbean is one of the major focal points of the cruise ship and today I've got 21 tips for the best possible experience there [Music] hey everyone it's Matt from royalcaribbeanblog.com the main dining room is a traditional part of a cruise experience but I also wanted to share some tips and tricks that you should have for the best possible experience out there many people that go on a cruise enjoy meals in the main dining room for dinner certainly as well as breakfast and lunch it's complimentary and you can enjoy three-course meals every night if you're sailing and for a lot of people it's not only functional but also very nostalgic now my recommendation is to really know the ins and outs of the main dining room so that way you can avoid any surprises while on board while still allowing you to fully appreciate this experience my first main dining room tip is to know what's included in the main dining room the main dining room is included in your cruise Fair on a Royal Caribbean cruise but there are a few items that do cost extra the complimentary drinks include water coffee tea juice and lemonade soda specialty coffees mocktails and alcoholic beverages will all cost you extra but if you have a drink package you can use it in the main dining room at no extra charge as far as food all the food on the menu was included except for three things the chops Grill filet mignon the surf and turf and the extra lobsters on formal night the first Lobster on your second formal night is complementary but each additional Lobster beyond that will cost you money but with a lot of complimentary food items on the menu there's really no need to purchase the premium selections unless you're really really really are in the mood for filet or Lobster next up prepare to order all courses at once when your waiter comes to take your order in the main dining room you should be prepared to order all three courses at the same time many first-time Cruisers are surprised when they realize they have to order their appetizer main course and dessert at the same time of course if you're not ready to place your order you're waiting to come back to you in a few minutes additionally if you later decide to order an extra appetizer or change your mind on a dessert just let your waiter know it's no big deal number three order more than one appetizer main course and dessert anyone that's new to cruising may find this a bit of a change or even a Shockey tool because when you go to a restaurant on land almost always you order one entree one dessert heck even one appetizer right but on a cruise ship it's actually commonplace to order more than one portions of the main dining room are typically a bit smaller than what you might find at a restaurant on land so a lot of passengers like to order more than one item especially when it comes to appetizers if you can't choose between the French onion soup and a side salad why not both likewise don't waste your time deciding between the key lime pie or carrot cake we can easily order one of each not only should you feel free to order more than one of these things you should do so in fact because again I find the portion sizes be on the smaller side and the cost is all the same may as well go for it next up speaking of foods is don't be afraid to try new foods another benefit to ordering more than one item is you could try new foods and Cuisines at the restaurant on land a lot of people are always nervous to try something new because if you order it you're paying for it and you're stuck with it and thus it's a waste of money but in the main dining room on a cruise ship you can order that spicy Indian curry or pesto pasta with no regrets because whether you eat it or not as long as you wanted to at least try it it's totally fine if you don't like it you can always order something else but if you do like it maybe you just found a new favorite food next tip is to know the main dining room menu and how it works welcome his main dining room dinner menu changes every night although cruise itineraries over tonight will see repeated menus each menu has a theme to it such as Mexican night and Italian night and many items but not all of them are influenced by the theme the dinner menu features appetizers main courses and desserts and at the top of the menu is the chef's recommendation for each course but you can mix and match items from anywhere on the menu lunch in the main dining room is served on sea days only the menu for lunch changes from day to day but it does not follow a set theme just like dinner the lunch menu offers appetizers main courses and desserts on some itineraries a standard lunch menu may be replaced with a brunch menu that offers both breakfast and lunch dishes breakfast in the main dining room is served every day just like dinner time and the breakfast menu features a classic American breakfast Cuisine including pancakes french toast and omelets the next tip for a great main dining room experience on your royal green Cruise is to look at the menus in advance before it's even time to eat Royal Caribbean posts main dining room menus on the Royal Caribbean app and I think it's a really good idea to browse those menus in advance looking at the menus ahead of time helps you decide whether or not you want to eat in the main dining room on a particular evening or go somewhere else there's nothing on the menu appeals to you you may choose to eat in the windsham of a buffet or at a specialty restaurant that evening instead likewise you don't want to book especially restaurant reservations on an evening in which the main dining room serves your favorite type of cuisine my next tip is to know the difference between traditional and my time dining this is a biggie right here Royal Caribbean offers two choices for dinner in the main dining room traditional and my time you select your choice when you're booking your cruise and you can change your mind later more on that in a second traditional dining is when you're assigned the same table and wages for the duration of the cruise you can choose early which is usually around 5 30 p.m or late which is around 8 PM for the meal and you'll dine there every dime every day at the same time my time dining gives you more flexibility and dining changes you will not have an assigned time table or waiter instead you can make reservations for each day in advance or show up to the main dining room at any time during dinner hours there's pros and cons to both the nice thing about my time dining is you have more flexibility because 5 30 is early for a lot of people and 8 o'clock is late for a lot of people so you get dinner times in that six o'clock hour or seven o'clock hour but it does require you to really make reservations certainly you can show up for my time dining without a reservation and wait for an available table but sometimes depending on how busy it is this can be kind of a longer wait in addition a lot of people who love traditional dining will tell you having the same way staff really makes a difference because they get to know you and the service becomes more personalized again there isn't a right or wrong answer just what you want to do if you already booked one and you want to change your mind now you can still contact real Caribbean if you book directly to make that change or your travel agent they can make that for you my next dining room tip is you can show up later than your schedule dining time but you might have to wait many people especially those in early dining might occasionally run late to dinner if you have a 5 30 dining time but don't get into Port until six o'clock you may miss your dining time but you can still have dinner in the main dining room if you missed your dining Time by more than 15 or 20 minutes go to the my time dining area of the main dining room which is usually on a separate floor than traditional wait in line for a table and you'll be seated with regular sit-down dinner you should note though that you will not be seated at the same table that you had for traditional and your waiters may be different as well next up it's a really good tip and I talked about this earlier make my time dining reservations in advance while my time dining may offer flexibility to dine whenever you'd like I still recommend making reservations in advance you can make dining reservations for each evening of your cruise and the time can change from day to day making reservations isn't necessary but if you do not make reservations you'll have to wait in line for an available table waiting in line isn't Fun for anybody and making reservations in advance means you can show up at your dining time and be seated right away of course the downside of making reservations well in advance like before your Cruz is who knows when you're gonna be hungry or available on any given day right my next step is the menus theme Cuisines are flexible although rollerman's dinner menus are named French tonight in Mediterranean night they're really Loosely based on that cuisine on French tonight you can still find seafood linguine butternut squash soup curried lamb even a warm apple cobbler Mexican night dishes have things like enchiladas and carne asada but there's also spaghetti bolognese grilled chicken breast escargot and cheesecake therefore don't overlook the main dining room menu even if the knight's theme isn't your favorite there's more than enough variety outside the theme Cuisine satisfies most people my next tip is important one let your waiter know your preferences waiters in the main dining room are highly attentive and they can handle most requests with ease if you'd like to have two bread bowls instead of one each night they can accommodate the request for you or if you know you want a cup of coffee each evening with dessert let them know and they'll bring it to you each evening without asking letting your waiter know your dining preferences on the first night of the cruise helps ensure your dining experience matches your needs throughout the sailing it's also a really good idea to let Royal Caribbean know of any dietary restrictions in advance roller can accommodate dietary restrictions but you should provide notice the cruise line in advance providing notice is only required for strict dietary restrictions such as food allergies gluten-free kosher low fat and low sodium if you're vegetarian or vegan those are available in the main dining room each evening so there's no need to notify Royal Caribbean for these dietary restrictions what you want to do if you need to let Roger be know about a dietary restriction is to use the Royal Caribbean special needs form if you Google that you'll find the form it's really easy to do so and you should do it in the weeks leading up to your cruise my next main dining room tip is to go to the main dining room for breakfast and lunch the main dining room is open for dinner every evening you probably know that but it's also open for breakfast every morning and lunch on sea days many passengers enjoy dining in the main dining room for breakfast and lunch because it's quieter more comfortable atmosphere compared to you know certainly other venues on board especially the buffet so skip the busy Windjammer in the morning for a sit-down meal of Pancakes breakfast burritos and fresh squeezed orange juice or instead of waiting in a long line at a local fresh for lunch head down to the main dining room for a more relaxed environment hours for breakfast and lunch can vary by sailing with some ships offering brunch and lose the two separate meals but check the Cruise Compass or your Royal Caribbean app for your exact times once you get on board another really helpful tip about the main dining room is you can change your table assignment if you have traditional dining your main dining room table assignment will be listed in your CPAs card I recommend heading to the main dining room on the first day of your cruise to check your table location and size if you'd prefer to sit by a window but your table is in the middle of the room ask a crew member in the dining room entrance if your table can be switched likewise if you prefer a table for two instead of sitting with other passengers let them know as well about your preference there another really great tip is you can bring your own wine to dinner Royal Caribbean allows every guest on the cruise ship to bring one 750 milliliter bottle of wine on board per person and you can bring this wine to the main dining room for dinner a smaller corkage fee may be applied to the open bottle but bring your own wine is going to be cheaper than paying real Caribbean's prices for one in the long run plus you can bring your favorite type of wine which may not be available on board and Royal equipment will store your wine for you if you don't finish it then you have it for the next day another really good tip is to dress appropriately for formal nights many first-time Cruisers are intimidated by formal nights on a Royal Caribbean cruise but don't worry there's no need to pack a tuxedo or ball gown for formal night wearing a collared shirt and slacks is totally acceptable for men and many women choose to wear a light sundress or blouse and live a full floor length gown it's unlikely you'll be turned away for wearing jeans and a t-shirt on formal night but still a good idea to dress appropriately if you'd prefer to skip Roman light altogether you can always visit the Windjammer or especially restaurant instead another good idea if you're traveling with kids is to check the kids menu for more options this is true for kids also for adults as well because guests of any age can order off the kids menu in the main dining room the menu does not change from day to day for the kids menu but does offer classic kid-friendly dishes like burgers Chicken Fingers grilled cheese and spaghetti so if nothing on the regular menu appeals to you as an adult you're more than welcome to order something off the kids menu likewise kids can order from the main dining room menu for that adults get in lieu of the kids menu another favorite tip of mine for traveling with kids is to drop kids off at Adventure ocean before dinner enjoying a nice Italian meal can be difficult when cruising with young kids if you're traveling with kids consider bringing them to the Windjammer for a quick dinner before dropping them off at Adventure ocean after dropping them off then you as the adults go to the main dining room for more relaxedown meal more often than not your kids will prefer a quick dinner before having fun at Adventure ocean anyway so you can dine guilt-free another important tip about dining in the main dining room is you don't have to eat with other people if you don't want to many first-time Cruisers assume you just have to dine at large Stables with strangers while on a cruise but this isn't always the case dining with other passengers can be a great way to make new friends on board but it's certainly not as intimate as dining with just your travel party Royal Caribbean usually assigns guests to their own table but your table may be occasionally shared with other passengers if you don't want to die with anybody else simply head to the main dining room on embarkation day and confirm your table assignment this is the tip we shared earlier in this video if your dining reservation is at a table with other passengers a crew member can change the table information so that it's only to you and your travel party if you are sitting with other people you don't know here's another good tip for you avoid controversial topics with other people you're dining with if you're sharing a tape with other passengers do everything possible to avoid controversial topics don't bring up politics religion current events just it's a big No-No when dining in the main dining room no one wants to feel uncomfortable or start a fight with the passengers to keep the discussion civil with your table mates and my last tip for the best cruise ship main dining experience is to always be friendly to your waiters Royal Caribbean crew members work diligently every day of their contracts to provide the best experience for guests including in the main dining room so it's important to be polite to crew members even if something doesn't go the way you want it if you ask your steak medium rare but it comes out well done lightly inform your waiter rather than throw a fit or if your waiter forgets to bring you another glass of wine to remind them about it without being rude your waiters do everything possible to make the main dining room experience as enjoyable as possible and being friendly can enhance your experience even more and it's the right thing to do so there you have it 21 tips for the best cruise ship main dining room experience on Royal Caribbean I really hope these tips help you out so that way you have a much better experience overall because a lot of people are just unaware of some of these or maybe some of these tips can truly improve what you've already been doing let me know in the comments below what tips would use suggest anybody going to the main dining room and which of these will you be trying out on your next Cruise while you're down below our video hit the like button subscribe to our Channel and turn on notifications that way YouTube lets you know we have a brand new video to share this has been Matt from royalcaribbeanblog.com and we'll talk again real soon

Channel: Royal Caribbean Blog

Views: 212,233

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Id: TOsxsyL5_oU

Length: 14min 17sec (857 seconds)

Published: Tue May 02 2023