Should you go to the buffet or the main dining room on a cruise? I tried both.
 

Should you go to the buffet or the main dining room on a cruise? I tried both.

arnival Cruise Line’s newest ship, Carnival Venezia, marks some culinary firsts for the line. The Venice-inspired ship, which set sail from the U.S. this month, has dining options including Il Viaggio, a new restaurant serving regional Italian fare, and special on-theme menu items at Guy Fieri’s Guy’s Burger Joint.

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Depends on if you have kids for me. We took a few without the kids and loved the main dining room and restaurants. Someone serves you and the food always seems better to me. Much more relaxing than a buffet.

RCJ

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I avoid all buffet's, anywhere.
I eat to much when let loose in those places!

We cruise with Royal Caribbean and utilize "my time" dining in the main dining room for dinner. Good deal: same time each evening, same table (if you want), pretty much the same dining companions and waitstaff each time. The more astute waitstaff get to know you and your preferences after a couple of times: My wife enjoys hot tea with lemon after dinner: it took only two times for Igor (our waiter from Serbia) to catch on to that and after that it appeared automatically at the end of the meal. Hot decaf for me: same deal.

Buffet is nice if you have a shore excursion planned and can't make "my time" (though it is no problem, maybe a short wait, if you show up at another time) in the main dining room. And the buffet is always stop #1 on embarkation day: board early (about 11:00 AM) and head for the Windjammer. But yes...buffet dining can get hectic; not all people have the same idea of proper etiquette in the buffet.

On a recent cruise on RCL’s Wonder of the Seas we dined in the Windjammer buffet twice. It was very crowded and the selection was just OK. The main dining room was much better and a very menu good selection. On sea days, we had breakfast in the main dining room. You can order the same items found at the buffet, but they are delivered hot and fresh. Based on the ship’s offerings, look for other restaurants that are part of the basic package, but might not be quite as crowded. On the Wonder, El Loco Fresh, Solarium Bistro, and The Park Cafe were good alternatives for breakfast and lunch.

AMEN to that. Dining room = portion control.

Out of the dozens of cruises we have taken, carnival was the worst, terrible food, entertainment, and more. Princess a RC are major steps above carnival in regards to places to eat. We go to the buffets for breakfast and for most lunches, and eat in the dining rooms for dinner. On the bigger boats like the Wonder of the Seas or the Oasis, the buffets can get very crowded when only 1 side is open but mellows out when both become open.

Traffic Jammer
 

I call the Windjammer aboard RCCL's ships the "Trafficjammer." No complaints about food, variety, quality. But I'm on vacay, yes? Negotiating my way around the food stations, juggling my cutlery while keeping an eye out for "darters"-- like fish at a coral reef--patiently waiting for the "I can't make up my minders," avoiding the "reparkers " --those who appear to park to dish up their food only to hit reverse suddenly and without warning. Waiting to get a drink at yet another station and finally hunting for a clean, free table. Feels like being at work! I enjoy having my coffee magically refilled in the dining room and just the sense of getting service. All that said, I do like the buffet for an early continental-style breakfast so I can sit outside and enjoy my coffee while gazing at the sea :)

Portion control?? Not really when you can order as many appetizers, main dishes and desserts as you want. And many times there are multiple things we want to try so we do just that.

We do both, and it really depends on our schedule and mood at the moment. All cruise lines, as far as I know, have their own app yo use while onboard. Makes it easy to look at the menu offerings for the MDR in advance. If we are getting back to the ship late from a shore excursion, and want to catch an evening show, it will likely mean a trip to the buffet to save time. The dining room is great if you want a relaxed experience, but sometimes dinners in the MDR can stretch to 2+ hours.

Our three most recent cruises were for 21, 15, and 18 days. One thing they all had in common was a recycled menu. The dinner menus would repeat every 7 days or so. A couple of those menus were not our cup of tea, so we would opt for the buffet, or a specialty restaurant. Some nights we would just want a salad, and that would be a trip to the buffet. A few times we went to the MDR, and simply had appetizers. That's one of the nice things about cruises...there are always options. Plus, you don't have to do the dishes.

Well we are talking Carnival.... so I'll take the dining room over the buffet, Royal? Dining room, Disney either works. NCL dining room, ok so most all it's dining room over buffet.

Cruise or not, I wouldn't touch a buffet with a 10-foot pole.

I go to the buffet for breakfast and lunch and normally go to the main dining rooms for dinner. Been on 16 cruises

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.