Are there any unlisted/secret menu items in the MDR?

[ScooterScott44]

We had a server that was also serving a table from Concierge. On the last night of service, that table decided they wanted dinner in their room, so he had to keep running up to them to serve them. That left the assistant to serve the rest of his tables.

If Concierge can make that request and disrupt service, then asking for an uncrustable or something from another dining room is not a great burden by comparison. It's their job to see that the patrons are fed and happy.

Do you mind sharing when you had that experience? We have done a few different cruises in Concierge and the in-room dining has always been by served by non-dining room staff. Even in-room Palo was a served by room service staff, who did a fantastic job. We did not cruise concierge early in our cruising years so trying to find out if this was an old practice.

Part of the reason for asking is that we are essentially doubling tipping as we do not adjust the tips for the MDR (that would not be fair if we elect to eat in the room) and are giving a tip to the server that is actually delivering food. It would also be nice to have a consistent server.

 

[vertigo235]

Not really hidden, but you can ask for food from other menus in the other restaurants.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Do you mind sharing when you had that experience? We have done a few different cruises in Concierge and the in-room dining has always been by served by non-dining room staff. Even in-room Palo was a served by room service staff, who did a fantastic job. We did not cruise concierge early in our cruising years so trying to find out if this was an old practice.

Part of the reason for asking is that we are essentially doubling tipping as we do not adjust the tips for the MDR (that would not be fair if we elect to eat in the room) and are giving a tip to the server that is actually delivering food. It would also be nice to have a consistent server.

That was the Fantasy Eastern in March 2017. I would have thought there would have been other servers, too, so I was surprised our server was doing the concierge room. Maybe they specifically asked for him? Or maybe they were short-staffed? I do know the table that he was attending, since those people didn't show up for dinner that night, so I don't think anyone was lying to us.

 

[CamColt]

I'd love to know this too. I'm a big pasta eater and not so much a meat and veggies eater but it seems like there's not many pasta options on the menus.

I feel the same...love pasta but there are very few options. We once had a server ask us for 1 change we would like to see in the dining rooms and I suggested adding just a pasta with marinara sauce to the "lighter fare" section. He told me you can always order that.

I'm not sure if that is true or not however on our last 2 Fantasy cruises, on the Captain's Gala menu, I have asked for the Eggplant Rollatini appetizer as my entree, with a side of pasta, to make a meal. They have accommodated me and on our last cruise, our server even asked if I wanted it another night too, which I did.

 

[pezgirlroy]

We have been concierge on the Fantasy and had dinner in our room. It was not our normal server. Also, my advice is to talk to the head server. We mentioned to the head server that we liked Indian food. Just kind of a passing comment, and then every night after that there was something extra for us. Nothing is a guarantee. My advice just talk to the head server and always be super nice.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Mickey Bars are not on the menu.

 

[Hendlaw]

My son is on the spectrum and so he is very limited on his diet. We told the staff this and that he will always eat an uncrustable. They always had it waiting for him in his plate upon our arrival to dinner. Letting them know ahead of time will save them hassle and make your little one's dinner go smoother and faster.

 

[StarSeven7]

I feel the same...love pasta but there are very few options. We once had a server ask us for 1 change we would like to see in the dining rooms and I suggested adding just a pasta with marinara sauce to the "lighter fare" section. He told me you can always order that.

I'm not sure if that is true or not however on our last 2 Fantasy cruises, on the Captain's Gala menu, I have asked for the Eggplant Rollatini appetizer as my entree, with a side of pasta, to make a meal. They have accommodated me and on our last cruise, our server even asked if I wanted it another night too, which I did.
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That's great to know, thank you! I'm not really a seafood lover and I don't want to eat a steak every night but I could definitely eat spaghetti or fettucine alfredo every night! I'm kind of surprised they don't have a simpler pasta or rice bowl type meal on each menu! The type of food I've seen on the menus is stuff I would almost never order at a restaurant.

 

[otten]

On our first cruise my then 3.5 year old was very sad that there was no spaghetti and meatballs on the menu. She very shyly asked our server who made sure she had spaghetti and meatballs every night for the balance of the trip.

 

[cdnfamily]

Any special requests normally have to go through the head server. That said, as long as you give them notice they are always happy to accommodate - at least they have been for us. We asked for chicken wings for an appetizer, mozzarella sticks, nachos, and even a banana cream pie for a special occasion. We are not demanding, we simply ask politely if it's possible. They always say they will try but cannot promise anything and then they come through. And we most certainly show them appreciation for the odd choice. If they weren't able to accommodate it would not be a big deal to us, but there is no harm in asking. In fact it was one of our servers that told us if they serve it anywhere on the ship they can serve it in the MDR. They really do want you to have a wonderful dining experience. If it is something relatively straight forward like a cesar salad, you can normally ask for that on the same day.

 

[mousefan73]

I had heard if you ask for curry they can bring you some and it was very good, so I tried this on my last cruise. They could not do it that night, but brought HUGE bowls of vegetarian and meat curry out the following night for us. It was WAY too much food, and to be honest seemed a bit of a bother for them (and was very basic curry.... I had hoped for something with a bit more spice to it). After asking for something special I felt like I had to eat it which made the portion size a big problem for me... It was nice to try, but I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to do it again.

On our last cruise we got bowls of curry and rice , huuuge bowls in addition to our other meals. best was the shrimp curry. It all started when I believe my mom orderd the "curry" they had on the MDR menu.And he shook his head and said I can get you something better. He went off and came back with two great curry dishes.We got chatting with our server, who is Indian and he realized we love indian food. . and the next night and next there was curry, differnt kinds each night... I was thinking he went to the employee dining and got that stuff. I assume that the crew menus have all kinds of indian/asian items.

 

[Lauri]

On our last cruise we got bowls of curry and rice , huuuge bowls in addition to our other meals. best was the shrimp curry. It all started when I believe my mom orderd the "curry" they had on the MDR menu.And he shook his head and said I can get you something better. He went off and came back with two great curry dishes.We got chatting with our server, who is Indian and he realized we love indian food. . and the next night and next there was curry, differnt kinds each night... I was thinking he went to the employee dining and got that stuff. I assume that the crew menus have all kinds of indian/asian items.

We've had this happen too. We had a server from India and told him we loved Indian food. He could not bring us any for a few days, but brought huge serving bowls of several items on the night it was offered in the crew dining room. It was one of our best meals.