Why you should eat at the buffet instead of the dining room on your cruise

the main dining room on a cruise ship is a great place for most meals but you might consider doing the buffet instead and I've got 12 reasons why the buffet is a better choice than the dining room up next [Music] hey everyone it's Matt from welcome blog.com food is such a major part of the cruise experience in fact the top two reasons people book a cruise is for the Places You'll Go and the food on board and real quick means Windjammer buffet and main dining room are really popular places to enjoy a bite to eat because of course they're complementary but they all come with their own advantages and disadvantages as well the buffet is casual and hosts a wide range of food options where's the dining room offers a more traditional sit-down and an elegant experience for that matter but when you're on board a ship and you're thinking about where to eat dinner especially there's some good reasons to consider the buffet instead of the dining room starting with number one reason it's quicker one of the complaints most freely heard about the main dining room is the services too slow leading to a longer meal than anticipated although a long and I'm using the air quotes here meal can vary greatly from person to person you can expect dinner in the main dining room to last around 75 to 90 minutes or so you can have dinner in the buffet on the contrary in like 15 minutes or less if you aren't in the mood for a long meal and would rather get in and out as quickly as possible the buffet is undoubtedly the better option even breakfast and lunch in the main dining room will last longer than eating those in the Windjammer generally speaking if you're impatient or just in a rush avoid the dining room and opt for a quick service meal instead number two reason to go to the Windjammer instead of the main dining room there's more options the most variety of food on a river and cruise can be found at the buffet one of the biggest surprises for first time Cruisers is just how much variety you can find in any meal in the Windjammer from to Burgers tacos tacos there's always something for everyone to enjoy at the Windjammer this is especially true if you're a very picky eater now while the breakfast usually offers the same food every day you will find different varieties of food every day for lunch and especially dinner the main dining room menu does change every day for a lunch and dinner but the options are still much more limited compared to the buffet for dinner you can expect to see six appetizers seven million courses and six desserts on the dining room menu the Windjammer in the other hand allows you to mix and match from dozens of options creating Limitless meal possibilities another good reason to do the buffet instead of the dining room is a lot of the food is the same as the dining room oftentimes the winchamber of buffet has many of the same food items as the main dining room in fact this has become more and more common ever since the new main dining room menu is launched earlier this year with each having a nightly theme several of the courses offered during Mexican night in the dining room for example may also be found in the Windjammer therefore you're not entirely missing out on the food in the main dining room by eating the buffet Plus on top of the overlap of the dining room courses you'll have a vast selection of other dishes available another really good reason to eat in the Wind Jammer instead of the dining room and it's very popular one is there's no dress code Royal Caribbean's main dining room dress code is pretty LAX but you shouldn't show up to dinner in the same outfit you'd wear to the gym most people choose to dress semi-nicely for dinner in the main dining room bring collar shirts slacks and sundresses on formal night it is common though to see guests wearing suits gowns and high heels although dressing so elegantly is not entirely necessary in fact it's pretty unlikely you'll be turned away from the dining room for wearing jeans and a t-shirt on formal night but nonetheless many people just simply opt for the Windjammer instead of the dining room because it has a much more relaxed dress code it's perfectly acceptable to dine at the Windjammer in a swimsuit cover-up athletic shorts and ripped tank top for many people just dealing with the hassle of getting ready for a sit down dinner feels like a chore on vacation so the buffet is the way to go then of course there's the option if you go to the Windjammer that you can eat as much as you want when it comes to dining on a Royal Caribbean cruise passengers like to indulge and eat more than they would at home whether three desserts at dinner or a second plate of cinnamon rolls and breakfast there's nothing wrong with eating more on a cruise compared to your normal diet you're on vacation after all no matter which venue you dine at for breakfast lunch and dinner you can eat as much or as little as you want dining in the buffet though makes it a lot easier than in the dining room to get as much as you want when ordering an assistant at a restaurant it's hard to know the portion size as a result you may end up with too little or too much food and this results either wasting food or wanting to order another dish but also not wanting to wait for another plate to arrive at your table we needing the buffet you know exactly how much you're putting on the plate at the time if you're not feeling hungry hit up the salad station for a lighter meal but if you're still hungry after your first plate head back to the buffet for a second helping there's more control over how how much you eat in the buffet compared to the main dining room on a cruise and if you're worried about getting your drink on during dinner in the Windjammer don't worry there's still a bar over there Royal garments Buffet has a standalone bar where you can order drinks and if you have a drink package your package will work here as well there's no need to sit down for a lengthy meal in order to enjoy a drink with dinner put in your drink order grab your food to the buffet and sit down with your drink and meal within just a few minutes something else I really love about the Windjammer is it has amazing views the buffets on Royal Caribbean cruise ships are located on the upper decks and have floor distilling Windows looking out towards the ocean grabbing a table by the windows and dining with beautiful views of the ocean or cruise port is a wonderful way to enjoy a meal some ships even have an outdoor seating area of the Windjammer where you can enjoy your meal as you watch your ship sail from port to port when traveling through scenic areas this alone is enough reason to skip the main dining room while some tables in the dining room do have outdoor views by a window most of the tables affect the vast majority of them are located further inside the room therefore only a few people in the dining room have a way to enjoy an ocean view so the Windjammer allows you to enjoy much more views from up there one of the top reasons my family ends up in the Windjammer instead of the dining room or any restaurant for that matter for dinner is because we're too tired from our poor day despite the fact that Cruisers should be relaxing some pork days can be downright exhausting whether you spend the day lounging under the warm Caribbean Sun or riding an ATV Through the Jungle you can feel pretty tired after a day in Port and when you feel tired the idea of getting showered dressed and ready for dinner seems very unappealing the good news though is that you're under no obligation to eat in the main dining room after a busy poor day down at the buffet instead for a quick casual meal and as I mentioned earlier I think it's really important the wind chamber is great for picky eaters Rolex main dining room offers several options for picky eaters especially if you look at the kids menu which serves items like spaghetti and chicken fingers beyond the kids menu many appetizers and main courses may not appeal to the pickiest of eaters escargetta lamb curry chicken marsala are excellent dishes but they could be a nightmare for those to search more basic choices fortunately the Windjammer is a Haven for picky eaters no matter the meal be sure to find perfect dishes that will appeal to almost any Pig eaters like pizza burgers and mac and cheese of course there's a huge selection of more adventurous cuisine at the Windjammer as well for non-picky eaters from spicy Indian cuisines and tropical fruits dining at the buffet allows you to taste a plethora of nutritious throughout your cruise another compelling reason for the Windjammer over the dining room is you can arrive whenever you want the main dining room has strict schedules and times you can go there because even if you select the nighttime dining option in the dining room which allows you to show up to the dining room at any time during dinner hours you may still encounter a long line to wait for a table to open up for passengers you need more flexibility dining times dinner in the main dining room can be too structured even if you show up to the main dining room without a reservation there's a chance to be waiting longer than that so if you died at the buffet though you can arrive and eat whenever is convenient for you provide of course when Jammers open there's no need to make reservations or wait in a line simply show up grab a plate and enjoy your meal and another really good reason to enjoy the Windjammer for dinner is it really does free up your evening a long dinner can mess up your plans for the evening if you want to see a show at seven hit up the solarium for sunset or ride the water slides with no lines you may not want to be tied down to a set schedule for dinner by eating at the buffet you can quickly eat and continue the evening's activities also if you got a kids boy the Windjammer is wonderful because it's just so much easier with kids the buffet if you're cruising with young kids eating the Windjammer as opposed to the main dining room can make your meals pass much more smoothly there's no need to worry about your kids crying and screaming during an otherwise quiet meal or keeping them occupied when waiting for each course to arrive the buffet is much more casual environment meaning you can quickly feed your kids with hopefully a smaller chance of temper tantrums along the way some parents prefer bringing their kids to the Windjammer for dinner before dropping off an adventure ocean for supervised programming and then once the kids are in adventure ocean the parents go to the main dining room to enjoy a nice quiet dinner alone there you have it 12 reasons you should be eating at the buffet instead of the main dining room on your cruise coming up let me know if I convinced you or not honestly I like going here to the Windjammer quite often maybe not all the time but a lot of the reasons especially during busy Port days and days in which my kids are being extra annoying it's just nice to go to the Windjammer and get whatever anybody wants and be in and out pretty darn quickly let me know in the comments below what you think about dining in the Windjammer over the main dining room or are you still all team MDR let me know down there below while you're below our video hit the like button subscribe to our Channel and turn on notifications that way YouTube lets you don't have a brand new video to share this has been Matt from Royal commandblog.com we'll talk again real soon

Channel: Royal Caribbean Blog

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Length: 9min 23sec (563 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 08 2023