Cruising - The Dining Experience

When you book a cruise, you are assigned to a dining room where you will have your dinner. You can also go to other places onboard, or, if you have gone ashore, you can eat the local cuisine.

Dale, his Dad, and I were assigned to the Rhapsody in Blue dining room. We were also assigned the second seating which meant we didn't eat until 8:00 pm. Dale's sister, Shay, and her partner Pam, were assigned to the first seating at The Sound of Music dining room. This is not what was supposed to happen. We were all supposed to be assigned a first seating, somewhere together. We really didn't care which dining room, but we wanted to be together. Well, Dad took care of it. We were told to go to whichever dining room we wanted and tell the headwaiter that we were allowed to be seated together. We went to The Sound of Music since that was the room where the first seating was scheduled. The headwaiter was sort of set back. I'm sure this happens all the time, but he still had to figure out where to put us. We ended up sort of in the back, in a corner.

The service and food was first rate. We started out with a choice of appetizers, then a salad, the main course, and finally desert. This is all gourmet dining, so the portions are small (compared to what the average American thinks of as a"normal" portion size), but are well prepared. I had fruit as an appetizer. It turned out to be five segments of orange and grapefruit, very artfully arranged on a plate with a sprig of greenery of some sort, perhaps a mint. I had a salad and a choice of three dressings, which I believe were Ranch, Thousand Island, and a vinaigrette. I had Ranch. Oh, we also had a choice of bread: a roll or a slice or two of bread. For the entree, I chose the ribeye steak, well done. That was a mistake, I should have asked for it either rare or medium. It was rather tough and dry. It was served with vegetables and a potato, if I recall correctly. I don't remember the desert, but I know it was good. The deserts were always good.

Our waiter that evening was Tourgay. He was from Turkey and spoke excellent English. He was very attentive and was everything you would expect from a waiter in a five-star restaurant. If you wanted something not offered, he would get it. Shay is on a special diet and they went out of their way to accommodate her.

The dress code was very liberal. We dressed very casually, but others were dressed more formally than we were. Tuesday and Thursday were formal nights and formal attire was required in the main dining areas. Those nights we ate at the Windjammer.

Now, if you don't like gourmet food, or didn't have formal clothes, you have a choice of several less formal dining rooms. We ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the formal evenings in the Windjammer Cafe. It's buffet style and just about anything you could want. The waiters fall over themselves to be sure that you have coffee and juice at breakfast, and coffee, tea or lemonade at lunch. Dishes are removed as soon as you finish, but you are not rushed away.

Beverages such as coffee, tea, lemonade, and milk are part of your meals. If you want an alcoholic beverage or soda, it is a separate charge and is charged to your credit card, unless you make separate arrangements when you purchase your ticket.

There are several places on the Promenade where you can get food or drink. One place served Danish in the morning, sandwiches in the afternoon and evening, cookies, scones, cakes, and pies all the time. They also had coffee and tea available. A bar was nearby where soda or drinks could be purchased. Dale and I don't drink too much, so we pretty much made do with what came with the ticket. We did get sodas a couple of times, but $3.45 (gratuity included) for two cans of Coke was a bit expensive, I thought.

The remainder of the trip, except for the formal nights, we ate at our permanent table in The Sound of Music. Our waiter was Elena. I never did know where she is from, but she was a delight. Elena always referred to the women at the table as "My Lady" and the men, as "Sir". She was amusing and very good at her job.

Our headwaiter was a woman whose name I never got, but she also was fabulous. She checked with Shay every evening about the next night's meal to determine what substitutions must be made to accommodate her diet. One evening when Shay left early for an event, this lady made arrangements to have her dessert sent to her room.

One evening the waiters and assistant waiters marched to music around the dining room to entertain the diners. Another night, it was the kitchen staff. It doesn't sound like much, but it was very entertaining.

The food was very good. Aside from the first evening with the ribeye, I can't think of a single complaint. And, like the cabin attendants, the dining room staff are working for their tips at the end of the cruise. I personally don't believe in tipping. I think that restaurants should pay their staff like other segments of the workforce are paid, but since that probably won't change in my lifetime, I do tip. And they deserve the money they earn, from the headwaiter, to the waiter, to the assistant waiters. They offer a type of service you don't get at the local Denny's.