10 insider tips for Royal Caribbean's main dining room

If you want to make sure your main dining room experience is the best possible, check out these top tips!

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[ModernMyths]

My #1 tip is always, ALWAYS treat the waiter or waitress with kindness and respect. Yeah, you are on vacation. That still doesn't mean you can be a total jerk to them. They are trying their best to make your trip amazing as well as everyone else's on the ship.

[shaishipp]

We love the MDR. If you sit in the same seat every night your wait staff will learn not only your name but what you like & it will be there on your table when you get seated. My husband & I drink Perrier they always have it almost instantly when we sit. After the main course they know the we love our coffee so they automatically bring it without asking. These folks work hard & they are definitely the unsung heroes.

[benedictwallis]

Each to their own but we dine every night in the main dinning room on RC. The food and services is always exceptional!

[tiddlesa.]

I had lobster tail in Costal Kitchen and I commented how it was absolutely delicious it was, the waiter asked if I’d like another or how many more would I like. All free and I was in food heaven! I love Royal Caribbean!

[pianointhedesert]

Matt, one of my favorite things about these videos is when the menus are shown for various restaurants and meals. I love to pause it and look! Thanks for including those. :)

[RAnnD]

Over and over I find that a $20 bill to the MDR Maitre'd upon boarding the ship when "reviewing my reservations" has gotten me great tables, great service, table/staff changes if needed. The food is what it is and varies, but the experience can be greatly enhanced by the situation.

[douggaskell]

You are spot on Matt! Never hesitate to ask the staff for something special. They will do almost anything possible to make you happy if you ask (politely).

[grumpyandvee]

Best tip if you get sea sick, ask the head waiter for sliced green apples WITH SALT. The manager on NOS told me this tip and it was a game changer. I would eat one at dinner and take some back for the next day! The key is the salt. Also, let them know you are sea sick, they have suggestions to help you feel better.

[PlantainEars]

The wife and I just got back from a five-day on the Grandeur. I followed your advice from this video (and I think another) and asked for the curry on the first night and they brought me two small bowls. One was vegetarian and the other had meat. They also brought a small bowl of rice. I had them most nights and they were always different. I'm not a curry expert but they were the best curries I have ever had. The dining room manager came over to ask about the curry. He said they only have it when Indian people are on the ship. (Smaller ship). But we sail out of Galveston, which is near Houston so I figure I will always have Indian cruise-mates. Great tip. Thanks for improving my dinners.

[blindpanthervlogs]

I love the smoked salmon in the main dining for breakfast, I love the table sharing and the cream of garlic soup. I love sitting with the same group of fellow cruisers at dinner every day because we get to talk about what we did that day. Last cruise, I was actually kind of sad because I had to say goodbye to the people we sat with at dinner.

[christineshin]

We typically do My Time Dining... I suggest as soon as you board to check out the nightly entertainment /activities scheduled for the week then make your MDR dining reservations. Can't wait to be back on a ship... less than 90 days until my next cruise!

[iluvutube]

Money saving tip.... do Chops steakhouse the cheap way. In the main dining room, you can pay an upgrade charge of just $16.00, and get a steak from Chops! It will cost you probably triple that much to have it there at Chops. I tried the regular steak they had on the menu on the Harmony and it was not good at all.

[IrishInsomniac]

Thank you so much Matt for recommending the special needs form. I had no idea this was available and is very comprehensive. Last cruise I made a request through our travel agent but this time we booked directly and this form was perfect.

[adventureswithanneattimele]

Thanks matt! 31 days until our very first cruise ever!

[stevek]

My tip: examine the menus through the app before you arrive for dinner. Pay special attention to the vegan menu as some of the items are quite good and don't appear on the paper menus they give you in the dining room itself.

Also, check the theme in the windjammer. More than once I've had an OK experience in the MDR while my kids had a great time in the windjammer. This could have been avoided if I had checked the theme in the Windjammer before dinner.

[cmkettin]

I almost always dine in the Main Dining Room for dinner. The one thing that I wish is that the portions were actually smaller. I'd much rather ask my wait staff to bring me something additional than to have too much food and feel like I'm wasting it if I don't finish it.

[travelwithdebandnick]

I'm glad that I discovered these you tube videos :) originally, I did not know that you could order more than one food item nor that you could take food back to your cabin. so on our first cruise I didn't take anything back, but I will definitely be taking an extra dessert or 2 back on our Nov cruise hehe :)

[bacodopoulus_]

Still 200 days to go and I cannot wait to cruise with you guys! So Excited!

[susanmarsh]

We had "Our Time" dining at the beginning of August and could not reserve a table ahead of our trip. There was only 3 of use so we never really had to wait except on formal night, then it was only a 30 min wait. Also we ordered several items to share each night and was never unhappy with any of our choices.

[Masterchief]

These days there are so few chances to get dressed up for an evening out I always bring my Navy dinner dress uniform or a tux. For all you retired or active duty out there the dinner dress uniform is a great thing to wear on formal night and it’s cheaper than buying and having a tux fitted!