Newbie Mealtime Questions

[mosiegirl]

Just curious since we haven't actually cruised yet..but - if I request 3 entree's can I request they all be put on the same plate? I don't think I'd want one brought out after another.

Is the butter served with the meals real butter or just cream colored margarine? I'm just wondering if I need to bring my own butter from home as I hate margarine.

I see people have asked for certain desserts to *eat later*. How do you transport it around the ship with you? I imagine the diningroom only has cloth napkins.. wouldn't it be hard to wrap up a dessert in a cloth napkin and take it with you? I'm just trying to visualize this.

If you order multiple entree's..do you have to tip the waiter?

When you order room service for 2, or a family of 4, whats a typical tip worth? I don't want to shortchange anyone on our cruise.

I see some ships have two dinner seating times.. no matter what time I choose, will I be rushed to hurry and finish up? Does the diningroom close after a certain time after the last meal sitting? I would hate to be the last one sitting there..but if I'm rushed, I'm likely to get sick from eating too fast!

In the diningroom..what can you wear for your breakfast and lunch meals? Do we need to get all dressed up in suit and ties for these two meals? Is very casual wear ok? shorts, jeans for these two meals? I can understand the neccessity to dressup for supper.

Sorry for all the silly questions.. I want to get it all in my head before we sail.

[dina]

Originally Posted by mosiegirl

Just curious since we haven't actually cruised yet..but - if I request 3 entree's can I request they all be put on the same plate? I don't think I'd want one brought out after another.

Is the butter served with the meals real butter or just cream colored margarine? I'm just wondering if I need to bring my own butter from home as I hate margarine.

I see people have asked for certain desserts to *eat later*. How do you transport it around the ship with you? I imagine the diningroom only has cloth napkins.. wouldn't it be hard to wrap up a dessert in a cloth napkin and take it with you? I'm just trying to visualize this.

If you order multiple entree's..do you have to tip the waiter?

When you order room service for 2, or a family of 4, whats a typical tip worth? I don't want to shortchange anyone on our cruise.

I see some ships have two dinner seating times.. no matter what time I choose, will I be rushed to hurry and finish up? Does the diningroom close after a certain time after the last meal sitting? I would hate to be the last one sitting there..but if I'm rushed, I'm likely to get sick from eating too fast!

In the diningroom..what can you wear for your breakfast and lunch meals? Do we need to get all dressed up in suit and ties for these two meals? Is very casual wear ok? shorts, jeans for these two meals? I can understand the neccessity to dressup for supper.

Sorry for all the silly questions.. I want to get it all in my head before we sail.

When you request three entree's its usually three full meals with sides. Depending on the entree they might not fit on one plate and spoil the presentation...

its real butter.

I haven't seen anyone leave the dining room with a dessert so I can't answer that one.

You tip the dining room staff at the last dinner before the cruise ends.

I choose the late dining so I don't have to worry about being rushed.

for breakfast and lunch in the dining room you can wear shorts.. no bathing suits.

No questions are silly....

[dlm2005]

As to desert, we ate one night in one of the specialty restaurants but saw the desert in the main dining room was something that my DW really wanted. We spoke to our waiter in the main dining room and he saved a desert for my wife in a Styrofoam container. After we finished at Chops, we came by the dining room, picked up the desert (with thanks to our waiter) and took the prize back to the cabin for my DW to devour at her leisure.

[colorcrazie]

Tipping for room service is done when the food is delivered. Sliding scale for us is $1 for each person ordering, plus a bit more if the poor guy is buried under trays of food!
Ah...I could use a little room service right now, at sea, of course
Marty
P.S. Ask anything you want. We cruise junkies will use any excuse to think about cruising!

[msblackjack]

Originally Posted by mosiegirl

Just curious since we haven't actually cruised yet..but - if I request 3 entree's can I request they all be put on the same plate? I don't think I'd want one brought out after another.

They will be brought out on separate plates, but not necessiarly all at one time; the waiters are pretty discreet and it isn't embarrasing if that is what you are worried about; generally if they are not rushed, they will wait for you to finish one entree before bringing another (table space is limited so they won't plop all three down at once!)

Is the butter served with the meals real butter or just cream colored margarine? I'm just wondering if I need to bring my own butter from home as I hate margarine.

real butter YEAH!!!!

I see people have asked for certain desserts to *eat later*. How do you transport it around the ship with you? I imagine the diningroom only has cloth napkins.. wouldn't it be hard to wrap up a dessert in a cloth napkin and take it with you? I'm just trying to visualize this.
they have styrofoam containers; just FYI if you are travelign with someone and they get sick or are too tired to go to the dining room, you can ask the waiter to packup up their meal to take back to the room.

If you order multiple entree's..do you have to tip the waiter?

no, the tips are auto tips; however, if you feel that your waiter deserves a little extra you can adjust the tips at the purser's desk; I have tried to tip waiters directly in cash, some are okay with that and some aren't, so I guess it is best to go through the purser

When you order room service for 2, or a family of 4, whats a typical tip worth? I don't want to shortchange anyone on our cruise.


I tip room service by the following: if it is just a soda and small snack = $1.00 tip. if it is soda & snacks for two = $2.00 and if it is two trays of food $4.00 - basically I tip by the tray = volume I guess.

I see some ships have two dinner seating times.. no matter what time I choose, will I be rushed to hurry and finish up? Does the diningroom close after a certain time after the last meal sitting? I would hate to be the last one sitting there..but if I'm rushed, I'm likely to get sick from eating too fast!

the dining room is set up in a way that you will not feel rushed, no matter what seating you have. i.e. they waiters will wait until everyone is seated at your table and won't take the order until all is decided and ready; then the courses are brought out in a group; i.e. appetizers first, then the salad course, won't be served until the appetizers are done (by all at the table); then salad is served, then the next course and so one. IMHO it takes to long - I am the dine and dash type of personality, but I try to sit through the whole thing until desert and coffee.)

In the diningroom..what can you wear for your breakfast and lunch meals? Do we need to get all dressed up in suit and ties for these two meals? Is very casual wear ok? shorts, jeans for these two meals? I can understand the neccessity to dressup for supper.

breakfast and lunch is casual; shorts/jeans okay and whatever you are wearing on your excursions on non-sea days

Sorry for all the silly questions.. I want to get it all in my head before we sail.

[Bobby_G]

Very goooooood msbj!!! very good.

[mosiegirl]

Oh, I am sooo happy to be posting my questions here.. you are all the greatest !

[Gypsyfish]

First of all, your waiters will do things any way you want- because they get paid nothing and live on the tips.
Second, you don't necessarily have to be all that dressed up for every dinner. Depends a lot on the cruise. On cruises to the Caribbean and Mexico, they consider it fine if you just get out of your bathing suit and cut off jeans for dinner! Slacks and a sport shirt for men are fine- women can get away with almost anything. It's more formal on other cruises- European, for example. But we felt fine in nice pants or skirt and a pretty top. I don't think the guys with us (relatives of one of our friends) wore jackets every night.

[Jeepgirl42]

Not sure which ship/cruise line you are sailing with - but another tip if you are on a ship that has specialty restaurants other than a main dining room, you can order off of any menu from any of the restaurants.
For example, your party is in the main dining room, but one person in your party really wanted to eat in one of the other restaurants... just ask your waiter to bring a menu from that restaurant. It is all cooked in the same kitchen anyhow...

Laurie

[mosiegirl]

Originally Posted by Jeepgirl42

Not sure which ship/cruise line you are sailing with - but another tip if you are on a ship that has specialty restaurants other than a main dining room, you can order off of any menu from any of the restaurants.
For example, your party is in the main dining room, but one person in your party really wanted to eat in one of the other restaurants... just ask your waiter to bring a menu from that restaurant. It is all cooked in the same kitchen anyhow...

Laurie

Would this apply on Carnival Cruises too? I mean, if there is something really special on the specialty restaurant menu that I want, but I'm in the main diningroom, can they really serve it to me in the main diningroom? I would love that ! But then..what would give someone a reason to spend the extra $$ to eat inside the specialty restaurant? I don't get it?

[Jeepgirl42]

Would this apply on Carnival Cruises too? I mean, if there is something really special on the specialty restaurant menu that I want, but I'm in the main diningroom, can they really serve it to me in the main diningroom? I would love that ! But then..what would give someone a reason to spend the extra $$ to eat inside the specialty restaurant? I don't get it?

If you order food from the specialty restaurants that have a surcharge, then I am sure that you would still have to pay that even if you are eating it in the main dining room... It's just nice to have that option.
[/quote]

[msblackjack]

any changes to the menu or items that are not on the dining room menu have to go through the matre d and not the waiter; the matre d is usually very accommodating

i.e. friends that I cruised with wanted duck; wasn't on the menu ; the waiter said go ask the matre d and they could set it up for the next night; which they did and they got their duck and all was happy

the waiter explained in great detail why you had to go through the matre d; apparently on the chain of command the waiters are very low on the totem pole and do not want to upset the chef; however, the matred is higher on the pole than the chef

[Beejo]

[quote="msblackjack"]

Originally Posted by mosiegirl

Is the butter served with the meals real butter or just cream colored margarine? I'm just wondering if I need to bring my own butter from home as I hate margarine.

real butter YEAH!!!!

I had a real problem with the smell and taste of the 'butter' when we were on the Carnival Spirit. I had to keep putting the lid on the container so that I couldn't smell it. I don't know if they add some kind of oil to the butter to make it soft and maybe to make it go further, but I couldn't eat it. It was the same on both of our cruises on this ship. I just ate the buns dry, they were really good and very fresh, so they tasted fine without any butter.

Beejo

[colorcrazie]

I always ask our waiter for the pats of butter from the Lido at dinner. I make it clear that I am not asking him to run up for that first meal, but that I would appreciate it for future dinners. Have never had a problem. I don't like the "soft" butter that they put on the tables either. But, ironically, the Lido wrapped pats are real butter. Yum. I'm not even supposed to eat butter, but on cruises, all diet bets are off!
Marty

[Beejo]

Originally Posted by colorcrazie

I always ask our waiter for the pats of butter from the Lido at dinner. I make it clear that I am not asking him to run up for that first meal, but that I would appreciate it for future dinners. Have never had a problem. I don't like the "soft" butter that they put on the tables either. But, ironically, the Lido wrapped pats are real butter. Yum. I'm not even supposed to eat butter, but on cruises, all diet bets are off!
Marty

What a good idea! Thanks Marty. I'll have to remember that. I never even thought to mention it to our waiters.....no-one else seemed to have a problem with it, just me. Our next cruise is on Princess, so maybe it won't be a problem.
Beejo.

[Bikinipro]

As far as dressing up for lunch or dinner...the answer is no.
As long as you are not in your swimsuit, they wil seat you.
Hope this helps.

[DayvidB]

I'm still laughing at the questions in the original post,,,,sorry

[Emmutt]

It's been my experience that they will not put different entrees together on 1 plate. Depending on how busy they are they may set 2 plates together on the table at the same time. Other nights they waited till you were done with the first one before bringing another

On the 5 different Carnival ships I have been on it has been real butter. I sail on the Spirit in February and hope the butter is ok.

I have never seen anyone leave the dining room with a dessert so I can't answer that one.

You tip the dining room staff automatically on your sail and sign card. If you decide that they have done such a wonderful job and you want to add to it you can tip on the last dinner night. We always give extra cause they work so hard for us.

I choose the early dining and have never been rushed out of the dining room. If you choose early you are usually ready for a little snack after midnight

For breakfast and lunch in the dining room you can wear shorts.. no bathing suits. Yoy usually only wear suits and ties during formal nights.

Great questions

[katlady]

Only one thing to add. The tipping deal is different on different cruise lines. Carnival does auto tipping (on your sail and sign card) and Celebrity does money tips so at the end of the cruise you get envelopes to put or tips in. What Cruise line are you on?