Main Dining Room

Use the main dining room to save money and eat well. You don’t have to pay for the specialty dining restaurants to eat well.

These days many cruisers have stopped using the main dining room for dinner. They have been lured by the promise of better or different food at upscale charging dining places on the ship.  While the food in those places can sometimes be better, usually it is not that much better as to be worth an extra $30 to $50 dollars per person per meal.  

Note, though that some ships do not even offer a main dining room; these are usually on some of the newer ships.  Such ships often offer instead several smaller venues that people can try on different nights.  Since many people like to change it up on a cruise and they really don’t want to stop to change for dinner any more, cruise lines are offering more casual eateries.  Royal Caribbean even has a Johnny Rockets and a Sorrento’s pizzeria on many of their ships. But, if you like eating at a set time where you know where you will sit and be served by servers who know what you like, then nothing beats the main dining room.

There are usually two traditional seating times in a ship’s main dining room.  Often the early dining time is at 5:30 or 6:00, while the late dining time is at 8:00 or 8:30 PM.  Eating early or late is definitely a personal preference.  While you can change your usual time to eat because you are on a cruise, I think most people like to eat around the time they usually do.

Early dining time means, of course, that you eat earlier.  That’s especially good for those who like that, for older folks, and for younger children.  The downside to it means you might have to stop what you are doing mid to late afternoon, go get cleaned up (think leaving the pool, taking a shower, and getting nicely dressed) so you can be in the dining room by 5:30 or 6:00 PM.  The upside is you will finish your dinner usually by about 7:30 and are ready to do something different for the evening – to participate in activities, listen to the piano player in the bar, or go see some entertainment shows.

Late dining time means you can stretch your afternoon activities out and have a few drinks before dinner.  You can even have a late afternoon snack to tide you over until dinner time.  Eating at the late dining time means you probably will have the opportunity to see an entertainment show earlier in the evening before dinner, spend time at the pub, or finish watching the sports game all before you go to eat.  Late dining usually lasts about one and ½ to two hours for your meal. Afterwards, you can then pick your late night evening entertainment choices such as karaoke, comedians, or silly fun game shows.

Keep in mind, the main dining room is a great place to meet new people.  The dining room offers table tops of varied sizes.  To meet more people be sure to request a six, eight, or ten top table preferences when you book your cruise.

If you want to have a smaller table or a table for only two, you’ll have better luck achieving that by choosing a free style or my time dining experience in the main dining room.  Doing so means you still eat in the main dining room, but can do so at the time you choose, not the set two traditional dining times the cruise line offers.  This type of main dining room experience means you may not get the same servers each meal time, but you can choose a time you find comfortable for eating.  Most often you can reserve a time ahead, but it usually works fine to keep it flexible and walk up to the dining room when it is open and you want to eat.  You’ll be put on a list to get the first available table of the size and location you want just you would at a restaurant in your hometown.  Rest assured, the main dining food offered is the same, it just happens at the time you want, not at the pre-set dining two times.

The main dining room experience means you will have a server seat you, put your napkin on your lap, bring your drinks, have a menu of choices each evening, and someone will take your order.

Always remember when it comes to cruise dining - if you like it, you can order more.  If you want two appetizers, main courses, or deserts or all of those, order them!  Many people do and some eat two or three appetizers rather than eating the main course.  If you want ice cream and it is not on the menu, ask for it. You will likely receive it.  Try two different deserts.  If you don’t like something, ask for something else! Your server will take care of it. They want you to be happy and have something you like.

Pro Tip: Use the main dining room at lunch or for breakfast to avoid the crowds. Other dining options will see a surge of people during these times. 

Who doesn’t like be served your meal?  It’s easier than going to the buffet, but be aware there are fewer menu items to choose from.

On many cruise lines during at sea days, the main dining room is open for breakfast and lunch.  The dining room may seat you at a table as you come in with others or they may seat your party at separate tables.  That depends on the cruise line or even the ship.  The dining room may also provide a separate area for repeat cruisers.  For breakfast and lunch the menu can vary, but often there will be both a menu of choices along with a short buffet line in the dining room. You can have what you want within their choices, but there still is no charge.  However, remember that eating in the dining room at breakfast or lunch does take more time than eating at that other main ship eatery, the casual buffet.  The plus to eating in the main dining room for breakfast and lunch is there is less noise or confusion and someone delivers what you order to your table.

ProTip: Drink water or coffee or tea. 

You’ll have enough food; you won’t miss the soft drink or alcohol.  Drinks usually included with the meal are water, coffee, tea, and milk.  If you want a soft drink, beer, wine, or mixed drink, that will have a cost.  

2.   Casual Buffet.

Pro Tip: Use the casual buffet on the ship. You can eat there from a large smorgasbord of choices at no additional cost.

The varieties of choices at the buffet are simply amazing – there is literally something for everyone.  When you go to the buffet the first time, be sure to walk through the whole place. Often there is more than one serving area and multiple seating areas. Many people never make it all the way to the back so there can be plentiful seating back there.  Some ships even have an open balcony eating area in the back or side of the buffet.  Check it out first and then select your food and seating.

For lunch, you will usually find kid and fan friendly food like hot dogs and hamburgers with all the fixings, tacos, panini, one to two soups of the day, several different types of breads, sandwich makings, and hot dishes like roast beef, stews, chicken, and varied cultural food specialties of the day.

For lunch, dinner, and at an afternoon snack time, take a look at the many desserts available at the buffet.  The variety offered usually runs from fresh fruit and cheeses to cookies, cakes, pies, etc.  Note, there are sugar free options available.  Day to day the ships change the desserts offered, so look them all over and make your choices.

If you need gluten free food, and don’t see any then ask.  Usually the cruise lines offer gluten free choices at each meal and they are glad to assist in making sure what you eat is gluten free.

Drinks such as tea, coffee, lemonade, flavored waters, and water are free.  Milk, both low-fat, whole, and chocolate are free.  Also, there is usually almond, soy, lactose free milk available too. However, just like in the dining room sodas, beer, wine, and mixed drinks have a cost.

For breakfast, there is any number of ways that eggs, bacon, and toasts are served.  You can get an omelet made to order.  Also available are: cereals, fresh fruits, grits, oatmeal, croissants, donuts, and more. If you don’t see what you want – and you will – ask a server to help you find what you are looking for.

Pro Tip: Don’t forget to try the buffet for dinner.

The buffet at dinner is usually less crowded than earlier in the day.  The dinner buffet often offers its own variety of main dish choices, sometime also includes what is being served in the main dining room, and a server will still get you your drinks and help as needed during your meal.  Best of all, you can eat when you want during the dinner buffet hours and you can dress casually.

The biggest downside to the buffet at breakfast and lunch times is it can get crowded and noisy.  So many people all looking at food and crossing paths with each other can lead to confusion and congestion.  Just remember, there is plenty of food. They will not run out; you will get what you want so be sure to take it easy and enjoy the variety.

3.  Pizza, Pizza, Pizza.

Most ships have free pizza available somewhere on the ship at any hour.  Your job is to just to look for it and then enjoy it. Some cruise lines serve better pizza than others, but it is almost always free.  When you need something to cut the alcohol and satisfy your food craving at 3 AM, find the pizza!

4.   Snacks.

Pro Tip:  Many types of snacks are available onboard.  There will be places from a small café to a pub offering light meal items or snacks to satisfy your cravings. Check for places on your ship that are not the main dining rooms, buffets, or specialty dining places.

Ships often have snack places or smaller cafes somewhere on the ship. Some ships have more than one or two of these places. They will offer a more limited choice of food than the buffet, but what they do have is usually tasty. And it’s free!  These places may only be open at lunchtime or for afternoon snacks, but there is usually one such place that is open 24/7 or almost round the clock. Go get a wrap, a sandwich, a salad, a cookie, yogurt, or a smoothie.  You have worked up an appetite lying in the sun, so you need that cookie or two!

5.   Ice Cream and Specialty Coffees.

Pro Tip: Find the soft serve free ice cream on the ship. It’s free.

The soft serve ice cream is often on the pool deck somewhere. Follow the kids and you’ll find it.  The ice cream is really a custard type, but it can satisfy that ice cream urge.  Avoid the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and the Starbucks type coffees – those have a cost and that will add up quickly.  

6.   Room Service.

Pro Tip: Know what your ship provides for free through room service and skip the rest.

Some cruise lines provide free room service, some charge for it. Some charge for certain things obtained through room service and not others.  Don’t forget, that even if the room service is free you still need to tip the delivery server.

7.   Alcohol.

Pro Tip: It Is Not Free. Stay away from alcohol if you are on a tight budget.

Charging for alcohol is how cruise lines make mucho money.  That being said, if you want a drink, you are on vacation.  Just remember to watch the cost as it adds up quickly.  To have an alcoholic drink, but at a lower cost: look for the drink of the day, don’t get the drink in the fancy glass you have to pay for, and check out that bucket of beer offered on the pool deck.  Some venues on the ship will offer happy hour specials or sports events specials so consider those as a way to imbibe.

     If you plan to drink a lot, then consider buying a drinks card or package if your cruise line offers one.  When considering a drinks package, check out what alcohol and brands are covered, the cost of it versus buying one to two drinks a day, and where on the ship you can use it.  If you plan to drink a lot on your cruise, it is usually cheaper to buy the drinks card or package, than to pay for single drinks.  If you don’t drink much, then be aware that purchasing a drink package means you probably would need to drink 5 to 6 mixed drinks every day just to break even on the cost.