Let's talk Cabanas and balconies

[Erintx7]

So I have read a few TR where posters talk about going to Cabanas (a restaurant I gather) and bringing back food to their stateroom to eat on verandah/balcony. I'm curious about this. So, do you just bring back trays? Do you pack to-go boxes? Are you walking through the ship with food that could spill everywhere? Why not get room service? Does this depend on your destination (i.e. Alaska vs Bahamas for instance). Tips and tricks??

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!!

Thanks!
Erintx7

 

[Cackyschmackers]

Yes, you are walking through the ship balancing dishes and cups! No to-go boxes. Cabanas menu is enormous and varied. Room service is quite paired down, not even comparable (although you can get hot wings, which my daughter couldn't find elsewhere ). If breakfast is the most important meal of your day, you might prefer Cabanas! We like eating up in Cabanas. We do usually stick with room service if dining on the verandah. Or a plate or two of chicken fingers and fries from the pool deck. Tons of food to choose from. Coffee on verandah first thing in the a.m. is especially nice!

 

[3Down1Up]

What we do - put food on a Cabanas-provided plate (they are plasticy/melamine material). Use a second plate as a lid. Keeps food from sliding around/off and you have a second plate if you want to share back at the stateroom.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

What we do - put food on a Cabanas-provided plate (they are plasticy/melamine material). Use a second plate as a lid. Keeps food from sliding around/off and you have a second plate if you want to share back at the stateroom.

It does kinda smoosh things if you like to pile a lot on that bottom plate, though.

 

[FigmentSpark]

The plates they use are very large, so it's possible to fill it and not worry about things spilling.

 

[Trera]

We often bring Cabanas breakfast back to the room. Sometimes it is hard to get our DD out of be in the morning to go eat but she is happy as a clam in her bed eating her breakfast and watching a princess movie on the TV while she wakes up.

 

[hanscarlet]

We do this because we prefer the calm, quiet relaxation of our verandah and the sea vs the chaos and loudness of Cabanas... the plates are large and you can stack a lot of stuff on them... it's very informal so very easy to go in and out with plates to get food and such, it's just a few floors up so easy access by stairs and elevator and because a lot of folks do it, no one really thinks twice when they see people in the elevators with food (but I believe most just take the stairs)

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

The best part of bringing food to the room is the flexibility. You don't have to have your whole party ready for breakfast at once. Of course, you can go up to Cabanas or the MDR (Main Dining Room) serving breakfast at different times too. We did this a lot, but our sons are older (teens) so we didn't have to worry about them if they wanted to do their own breakfast schedule.

As for room service, it is "cold food" only, so if you want pastries or bagels or cereal, you can definitely order room service, and many people do. Put the hang tag with your order out the night before, and they will bring your food at a time you choose.

But the buffet in Cabanas has so many more choices. We also liked breakfast in the MDR , you order from a menu and service is fast and rather quieter than Cabanas. I liked the Eggs Benedict there. Eating at the MDR made it easier to not over-eat also, always a risk with a buffet.

Enjoy!

 

[Vicki106]

I know that everyone's opinions/experience varies, but here's my thoughts: We just completed our 2nd cruise (7 nights) and we ordered breakfast from room service every day. On our first (4 night) we ate at Cabanas every morning except the last morning. (We didn't realize that we could have gone to an MDR for breakfast daily.) I found the food in Cabana's to be good and obviously plentiful, but it was hectic there and did we really need all that food for breakfast? This time, I intended to go to the MDR every morning, but the first morning everyone in our 2 connecting cabins was moving kind of slowly - we have 2 teenagers who want to squeeze in every last possible second of sleep and a 9 year old who pops out of bed wanting breakfast immediately. We called the first morning and ordered breakfast for all 6 of us. We were happy with a selection of toast, muffins, bagels and donuts, milk, juice and tea. It was just enough and not too much. We were able to eat at our leisure while everyone was still sleeping and then get ready for our adventures while they were eating. It was not what I had initially planned, but it worked out perfectly for our family. (Since my daughter planned to order lots of Mickey Bars from room service, I had a plentiful supply of $1s so we were able to tip the rooms service waiter generously in cash every morning.) This was just our experience and new found preference YMMV.

 

[msmama]

In my experience, the time of day you want to eat breakfast matters. We tend to be early risers so going to Cabana's (which, if it hasn't been answered already is the buffet restaurant on all the ships) is no problem and we've never had problems finding a seat (we're also only looking for 2 since it's just my son and I). Apparently, if you go a little later (or have larger families) it can be more difficult to find a place to sit actually IN Cabana's, but there are also a lot of other places to sit on the ship.

That said, I've never had a verandah because I prefer to spend most of my time out and about. I supposed if I paid for one, I'd be more interested in sitting on it as much as possible.

 

[Shanti]

Room service doesn't offer a full breakfast, unlike Cabanas. That's why a lot of people take buffet selections back to their cabins.

My favorite place for breakfast is the MDR. I like full service and also prefer the food.

 

[Bettyscruise]

I'm not sure I get the motivation to take food back to one's cabin. If you want to eat "in the cool air", why not just go to an outside table right there at Cabanas? I get the outdoors part... we eat most of our meals at Cabanas on the open deck, but why turn it into a chore?

 

[party-of-five]

DH and I wake before the kids. We order coffee from room service to enjoy on the veranda while we wait for the kids to wake. Then we either let them order something from room service or we go up to cabanas to get them something. Then DH and I enjoy "brunch", a late breakfast, from the MDR. I too, see bringing food from cabanas to the room as a chore.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I'm not sure I get the motivation to take food back to one's cabin. If you want to eat "in the cool air", why not just go to an outside table right there at Cabanas? I get the outdoors part... we eat most of our meals at Cabanas on the open deck, but why turn it into a chore?

Because it's quieter there mostly. Don't have kids running around and people yelling back and forth to each other about "Are you getting.....?" "No, I'm looking at......" "Did you find a table?" "There's lots over there...." "Who's getting the drinks?" etc, etc, etc. Along with the rattle of table clearing/dropped trays, and the door constant opening/closing causing all sorts of wind conditions.

 

[over50visits]

I'm not sure I get the motivation to take food back to one's cabin. If you want to eat "in the cool air", why not just go to an outside table right there at Cabanas? I get the outdoors part... we eat most of our meals at Cabanas on the open deck, but why turn it into a chore?

Couldn't agree more. We've eaten at Cabanas so many times and I have no memories of loud kids or families, of crowds, trouble finding a table, or of rug rats everywhere, although I imagine they might have been there. Instead we remember the fantastic selection, the absolutely wonderful view, the ease in getting seconds or trying something else, the cool waiters who always were smiling and eager to please.

I guess two folks can go to the same place and have very different experiences. We expect to have a nice buffet meal, and we do. We have sat right outside on deck at times, I agree that is more serene, with all the advantages of access to refills, etc.

I understand the pp with a family with different schedules, or the fun of sitting on the verandah sipping morning coffee and eating Danish. Makes sense they might choose for someone to go get food for all.

I'm just saying, choose to get food for your cabin for the right reason, not because you think eating at Cabanas is a chore. It isn't, it's a pleasure.

 

[hanscarlet]

I know that everyone's opinions/experience varies, but here's my thoughts: We just completed our 2nd cruise (7 nights) and we ordered breakfast from room service every day. On our first (4 night) we ate at Cabanas every morning except the last morning. (We didn't realize that we could have gone to an MDR for breakfast daily.) I found the food in Cabana's to be good and obviously plentiful, but it was hectic there and did we really need all that food for breakfast? This time, I intended to go to the MDR every morning, but the first morning everyone in our 2 connecting cabins was moving kind of slowly - we have 2 teenagers who want to squeeze in every last possible second of sleep and a 9 year old who pops out of bed wanting breakfast immediately. We called the first morning and ordered breakfast for all 6 of us. We were happy with a selection of toast, muffins, bagels and donuts, milk, juice and tea. It was just enough and not too much. We were able to eat at our leisure while everyone was still sleeping and then get ready for our adventures while they were eating. It was not what I had initially planned, but it worked out perfectly for our family. (Since my daughter planned to order lots of Mickey Bars from room service, I had a plentiful supply of $1s so we were able to tip the rooms service waiter generously in cash every morning.) This was just our experience and new found preference YMMV.

We order breakfast room service almost every day, I leave a stack of $5s on the safe and put the door hanger out the night before and he usually wakes us up with our food. I do it for all the reasons you list above and also mainly for the coffee - I love sitting on my verandah and drinking my coffee. My husband still utilizes cabanas for bacon and such but I love room service in the morning.

Eta: I also don't think Cabanas is a chore and the ambiance is very nice for a meal. The only time I dislike Cabanas is on embarkation day at lunch, it's a mad house

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Personally, I don't think either is a chore. Food at no extra cost, with no wait, no hassle and almost no clean up? Sign me up! Sure beats breakfast every other day of the year not on the cruise.

The thing that is best is having so many options, and all so close by. Bringing food back to the room means not having to convince every body in the room to get up and go to the MDR or Cabanas at the same time.

Honestly, sometimes our group of nine did all three options in one day. Coffee and some fruit in the room in Room service, then breakfast in the MDR for anyone who was awake, and then Cabanas for whoever missed the MDR or who just wanted a little extra something. This is the height of relaxation, and not a chore at all.

(That said, sometimes I'll make big breakfast at home on a Saturday morning just for the fun of it.)

 

[Trera]

Personally, I don't think either is a chore. Food at no extra cost, with no wait, no hassle and almost no clean up? Sign me up! Sure beats breakfast every other day of the year not on the cruise.

The thing that is best is having so many options, and all so close by. Bringing food back to the room means not having to convince every body in the room to get up and go to the MDR or Cabanas at the same time.

Honestly, sometimes our group of nine did all three options in one day. Coffee and some fruit in the room in Room service, then breakfast in the MDR for anyone who was awake, and then Cabanas for whoever missed the MDR or who just wanted a little extra something. This is the height of relaxation, and not a chore at all.

(That said, sometimes I'll make big breakfast at home on a Saturday morning just for the fun of it.)

I like this line of thinking

 

[Weedy]

We order coffee, juice and pastries from room service and then go get bacon!! and any other hot food from Cabanas.

 

[Dug720]

Given that I'm gluten-free, room service is not an option. (Really other than Mickey Bars which are pre-wrapped there is a disclaimer about food allergies and room service not really being compatible unless that has changed since February. For being gluten-free, the pastry-heavy continental breakfast offered by room service is a 100% no-go.)

I'm in the camp that I guess it's usually timing that I have never really had the issues some have with running and screaming kids or inability to find a table. Even on the busy busy Key West morning in Feb when it was kinda crazy, there were servers immediately clearing tables as people left and helping with finding them.

I liked the MDR in that my server could put in an order for GF Mickey waffles or pancakes in advance. But I have no hesitation to go to Cabanas if I want eggs and bacon and stuff like that (they can get me GF donuts in Cabanas I know - not sure about waffles and stuff).