School Teacher?

I have found the main dining room to be more relaxing. The menu gives you a good choice for dinner .... not so much for breakfast. I like having the same waiter.
The advantage of the buffet dining is that you can walk around and check out all the foods available, and you can bet that there is A TON OF CHOICES both in the variety of soups, salads, and main courses .... not to mention all those dreadfully fattening but delicious desserts.
You can also "dress down" for the buffet, and you can eat as quickly or as slowly as you want. The time allocated in the main dining room is usually about 90 minutes per set.
Both have their advantages, so try both and see which suits your mood.

We recently went on a Holland 2 week Alaskan cruise. Had a great time. Every time we tried to eat in the main dining room, there was a long line to get in. We ate at the buffets the entire time and enjoyed the meals and the service.

As a veteran cruiser (30+) on several different lines, I enjoy the main dining room for dinner though we occasionally will visit the specialty restaurants. Holland America will let you have the same table every night if you request it. Otherwise, most lines allow you to reserve a table the day of the dinner - earlier you make the reservations the better your chances. Waiting until you arrive at the dining room will always mean a line.

I appreciate the service of being waited upon and the selection from the menu. Having a set table and time means being a regular with the dining stewards and results in better service.

Finally, the choice of lines does make a big difference in the quality of food. Carnival is the bottom of the list. However, if you are traveling with kids, there is more to do on ship for that age bracket. Holland America (which caters to an older crowd) does pretty well on food. though some of the smaller ship lines (read higher prices) have better food.

I love Virgin Atlantic. First no children!! Second nobody touches your food except the server. In the Galley you order off of a menu and somebody brings you whatever you ordered. You can walk around to see the different stations to see what you want to eat and there is a grab and go for sushi at lunch which I love. You serve yourself drinks unless it is alcoholic. All restaurants were top notch though you better book them as soon as you get on the ship.

Royal Caribbean we have the dinning package so I doubt I will ever see the buffet. I prefer not to see people eat like it is their last meal. They nickel and dime you but the upgrades we feel are worth it.

Same here. The food is the same but we enjoy the atmosphere in restaurant in the evening.

Doesn't always work. My wife couldn't decide between the lobster or the prime rib. The waiter brought her two complete dinners, sides and all.

True that. My wife loves seafood. To a fault. Our standing joke is that whenever she walks down to the beach the sharks swim AWAY from her. She particularly loves lobster, and thinks nothing of ordering up two servings instead of the one that is the normal portion, and our waiter always cheerfully obliges. For the record, my wife is 71 but looks 45 and kicks the tar out of me at tennis, so her seafood overindulgences certainly don't translate into extra poundage.

I understand that RCCL is moving away from double-ordering on the premium entrees. Apparently my wife isn't the only one who loves it.