Please tell me more about meal rotations...

[off to neverland]

I understand the meal rotation for the dinners, but what about breakfast and lunch? Can you eat anywhere you want, at any time or do you have assigned breakfast and lunch times and restaurants?

And... if you chose not to do one of the dining rooms for dinner, is there a "general buffet" you could go to during dinner rather than sit down with others?

I'm not planning on skipping any of our meals; I'm excited about the the meal rotation , but someone else in our party was wondering. They've travelled Princess before and didn't do the meal rotation thing. I think they're worried that it will be too structured for them.

Just curious.

 

[kath1210]

I understand the meal rotation for the dinners, but what about breakfast and lunch? Can you eat anywhere you want, at any time or do you have assigned breakfast and lunch times and restaurants?

And... if you chose not to do one of the dining rooms for dinner, is there a "general buffet" you could go to during dinner rather than sit down with others?

Breakfast and lunch buffets are always available in Topsiders/Beach Blanket Buffet, and I understand there are usually dinners buffets there on 7-night cruises. On 4-night cruises, there is no general dinner buffet.

Also, one or two table-service restaurants are always available for breakfast and lunch. The times are listed in the Personal Navigator each day.

Of course, pizza and fast food type stuff is available for dinner, and 24-hour room service is also included.

 

[pewing]

Is it pretty crowded for breakfast and lunch? Can you get breakfast and take it back to your cabin?

What are your options on the 3 day for sit down lunches?

 

[rotary2808]

For breakfast, you can either eat at Lumiere's or Topsider's (buffet) or you can also order room service, but it is more of a continental breakfast.

For lunch, you can either eat at Parrot Cay or Topsider's. Each lunch was a different theme and at Parrot Cay had special bars like a stir fry bar, pasta bar, etc.

If you don't eat dinner at the rotational resturants, you can eat at Topsider's or adults have the option of eating at Palo. I would highly recommend that one.

You can order room service 24/7 and it is included in the price of your cruise, you just tip the server.

 

[lbgraves]

Yes, you can go up to the buffet at breakfast, get a tray & take it back to the room. It was great when DH did this since he got up early. I was able to have some hot tea & a bagel while getting the kids ready to go.

I remember going to Lumiere's for a sit down menu lunch on our last cruise...so you have whatever option you are most comfortable with.

 

[staceymerrill]

try not to miss out on the great buffet lunches served at Parrot Cay......they have different thmes, Asian, Italian et al....really a cut above just eating poolside from Plutos

 

[off to neverland]

What is Topsiders? A buffet? Counterservice? Sit down?

 

[lbgraves]

Topsiders on The Magic/ Beach Blanket on The Wonder is the buffet dining room where you can eat inside or outside on deck. They have the same buffet food that PC offers on that day along with the chef station at the end around the corner from the buffet. You get your own drinks there too.

 

[pewing]

try not to miss out on the great buffet lunches served at Parrot Cay......they have different thmes, Asian, Italian et al....really a cut above just eating poolside from Plutos

Sounds great. Do you just walk in? Is there usually a wait? I guess having never having been on the cruise...it is hard to visualize how it all works

 

[tvguy]

We never had a wait on a 7 day Eastern.

 

[DC7800]

Maybe I'm just being unusually dense today, but I'm confused here. Is Beach Blanket/Topsiders open for dinner, or just breakfast & lunch (on a 3 or 4 night cruise)? Also, what are the hours for the fast-food places (Pluto's, etc.)?

Finally, am I correct in that the only meals for which you are "assigned" a location and seating time is the dinner rotation (or Palo), and that for breakfast and lunch (or a fast-food dinner) you can just show up?

Thanks.

 

[crisi]

We found breakfast/lunch to be remarkably uncrowded. I think that so many people are on different schedules - i.e. those that eat at 6:30 am, those that eat one big "brunch" at 11:00, those that eat at 2:00 - plus the options of having chicken fingers poolside, that its seldom the case that everyone is trying to find a table at once.

Beach Blanket Buffet on the Wonder is open for breakfast and lunch but NOT for dinner. On the Magic (seven day cruises) they serve dinner as well.

 

[pewing]

Maybe I'm just being unusually dense today, but I'm confused here. Is Beach Blanket/Topsiders open for dinner, or just breakfast & lunch (on a 3 or 4 night cruise)? Also, what are the hours for the fast-food places (Pluto's, etc.)?

Finally, am I correct in that the only meals for which you are "assigned" a location and seating time is the dinner rotation (or Palo), and that for breakfast and lunch (or a fast-food dinner) you can just show up?

Thanks.

I'm alway dense

 

[Jridou]

The only day you have an assigned restaurant for breakfast is debarkation morning, but then you still have the option of the Beach Blanket buffet.

I can't remember if it's the reataurant from your first night or your last night. If you had early seating, breakfast was at 6:30 so it was moot for us anyway.

 

[JSCTRico4]

Another "assigned" breakfast is the character breakfast. our kids loved it..... LOTS of pictures with all of the characters. That was actually the only breakfast we ate in the restaurants..... we preferred Topsiders.... My DH said the custom made omelettes (don't think i've ever written that.... sorry if I butchered it...) were EXCELLENT!! I just think it's better to be able to check out what you are actually gonna eat by seeing it, and not just reading it on a menu...... Be sure to try the omelette station at Topsiders!!!! We didn't discover it until after a few visits there. It faces directly to the back of the ship...