Are you going on a cruise or wanting to plan one and unaware of what cruise food is offered, what is included and other commonly asked questions? This post will go over all your questions about the main dining room on a cruise.
If you haven’t been on a cruise before you might have a lot of questions when it comes to how you will eat once on the cruise.
If you’re not wanting to spend any additional money then the main dining room, the buffet, cafes and potentially other options depending on what your cruise on will be where you eat your meals.
The main dining room is the typical place most people will eat dinner on a cruise.
In this post I will discuss cruise food, how the main dining room works, where you’ll sit, what time you’ll be eating, if you can pick your table and more.
This post is all about cruise food in the main dining room.
Commonly Asked Questions
What is the main dining room on a cruise?
The main dining room is a complimentary dining venue on the majority of cruise ships. (With the exception of Virgin Voyages who does things a little differently)
It might be traditional and be three stories tall where you can walk in and see every floor with a big staircase like you’d see in the titanic.
Or the main dining rooms might be all seperate with different themes, not connected at all.
When you go on a cruise you will be assigned a main dining room or which floor if it is one big one you’ll be sitting at for the duration of your cruise.
This decision is made based on what time you eat, which sometimes getting the preference for that can be based on the level of experience you booked or it could be totally random.
What is the process like when eating in the main dining room?
Dinner
The most common time to eat in the dining room is for dinner.
If you do not want to pay for specialty dining or don’t have it already included in what you’ve purchased for your cruise your options for dinner are usually the dining room, the buffet or a cafe if it’s open. (These options will vary more or less depending on what ship you are sailing on)
When going to the main dining room for dinner you will have a specific time you’ll need to be there and also will be assigned a table. This information usually shows on your cruise card.
On the first night of your cruise you will show this card to the staff waiting up front at the opening of the dining room and someone will guide you to your table. After the first night you’ll probably just walk right in to your table but if you have problems remembering where it is you can always ask them. The crew are happy to help!
Once you get to your table you will meet your waiters. They will give you some time to look over the menu, you will order all three courses at once and they will bring them out one by one after everyone at the table is finished with each course.
The staff will most likely talk to you a bit, get to know you, tell you about themselves. (Not always, but a lot of the time if you’re sailing in the US)
Breakfast & Lunch
Breakfast and lunch in the main dining room is a little bit different than dinner.
When you show up for one of these you will not have a set table. Instead once you get to the front a staff member will guide you to a table based on whatever system they have set up for seating and you will have a different waiter than the one you have at dinner.
You will still order and recieve your food the same way.
Will I always sit at the same table for dinner?
Yes!
When you go on a cruise, one great thing about having a set dining time is you will always sit at the same table. It gives you a sense of home, familiarity. It’s also really nice to get to know your waiters since you will be seeing them every night.
The crew on cruise ships are exceptionally nice. I love when they share a little bit about your life.
The only time you won’t sit at the same table or have the same staff for dinner is if you do my time dining on most cruises that offer that since your time could be different each day. Another one would be on a Disney cruise where you switch dining rooms.
Related Content:
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A COMPLETE GUIDE TO A CRUISE SHIP BUFFET: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
How long does eating in the main dining room normally take?
This will vary on every ship and also depending on the amount of people at your table.
I have noticed when I have just 2 people we usually take about 45 minutes.
When there has been 4-6 people at the table, normally an hour.
A larger group, I’ve cruised with 17 before and that took an hour and a half to two hours for dinner.
I would say alot about an hour for dinner if you’re going to be eating in the main dining room. If you need to have a shorter dining time I would reccomend going to the buffet for dinner or not ordering 3 courses.
Will I be sharing a table with strangers?
Sometimes.
I have cruised before in parties of 2, 4, 6, and 17.
The most common time you will be placed with other people is if it is just two of you. In the past my husband and I have been sat at a table with two other couples. This can be a fun, great way to meet other people on the ship.
If you prefer not to be seated with people you don’t know you can always call customer service before your cruise or a travel agent if you used one. Another option is asking the staff to change your table once the cruise has already started if you want to sit alone or don’t like who you’re sitting with.
Can I pick what table I sit at?
If you have a preference you want to request such as sitting by a window or if you want a certain size table, etc you can ask the staff for this.
I would suggest making this request before the cruise starts by calling customer service or asking your travel agent to.
If you wait until you’re on the ship you can try to see if they will move your table as well but that is less likely.
Just keep in mind that the staff tries to accommodate lots of requests and yours might not be granted.
Will I be able to choose what time I eat in the dining room?
Sometimes you can but not always.
When booking your cruise some will allow you to choose between a couple of times. Even those that allow this, if one of the dining times if full you won’t be able to automatically select it but you can get on a waiting list for it or you can go to guest services once the cruise starts to try to change to a different dining time.
Other cruise lines might not give you any choice at all or require you to have booked a certain level trip with them. Be sure to research what your cruise line’s rules are.
What is the food like in the main dining room?
Like everything with cruising, this is going to vary SO much based on what cruise line you’re booking. There’s a huge range of pricing when it comes to going on a cruise.
If you are going on one of the more budget friendly lines the food they offer is going to differ from the smaller, more luxury cruise lines.
That being said, most of the food when going on a cruise can be good but not great. Of course there will be some standouts that end up being really good but overall people would say that food on cruises is just okay but like I said, this is usually on more budget lines.
If you’re going on an expensive luxury cruise line the food is top notch.
What if I don’t like something I ordered?
If you don’t like a dish in the main dining room there is no need to worry! The staff are super nice and accommodating.
Just let your waiter know that you don’t like this dish and they will ask what other option you would like to get instead.
Can I order more than one appetizer, entree or dessert?
For the most part, yes.
Most cruise lines will allow you to get multiple options or really as much as you want. There are a few that are now charging for a second entree (like MSC) or for lobster night they almost all will now charge for a second lobster. Long gone are the days when you could order as many of those as you like.
This is just a generalization however. Be sure to ask the staff on your cruise what their policy is if additional costs matter to you.
What is the difference between my time dining and having a set dining time?
When you have a set dining time you will go to the same table every night of your cruise at that time.
My time dining you have a couple of options. The first one would just be showing up whenever you’re ready for dinner within the my time dining range and wait for a table.
This could be a short wait or you might end up waiting for awhile. A lot of factors go into this just like at any restaurant.
The other option would be to make reservations for a certain time on the first day of your cruise for your entire trip so you can still have the freedom of not having one set time and can set your dinner around the schedule you want.
This post was all about main dining room cruise food.
