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What does main dining mean on a cruise?

Most cruise ships have one or more main dining rooms. These are typically large, sit-down restaurants with waiter service, where multicourse meals are included in your cruise fare.



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Free Food on Cruises: Meals are free of charge in cruise ship main dining rooms, buffets and select specialty venues such as Princess' International Cafe, Carnival's Blue Iguana Cantina and Guy's Burger Joint, Royal Caribbean's Park Cafe and Boardwalk Dog House and Norwegian's O'Sheehan's.

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Meals from many onboard venues, such as the Main Dining Room and Windjammer Café, are included in the price of your cruise. Reservations are only required for dinner. There is a service charge per person to dine at Chops Grille and Johnny Rockets. Prices are subject to change.

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On cruise lines where there is a formal night, jeans are not permitted in the main dining room. However, you can always eat in the casual restaurants and the buffet.

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Many passengers on a Royal Caribbean cruise enjoy meals in the Main Dining Room for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

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If you're having dinner in the main restaurant or any meal at one of the specialty restaurants, you'll follow a “smart casual” dress code on most nights. This means long pants, jeans, a dress or skirt, a stylish top, or a button-down.

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You can take food from the buffet back to your room if you'd rather eat away from the crowds. If you take food from the buffet or another informal location and bring it back to your room, nobody will object.

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At night for dinner guests can go for casual or smart casual clothes at most of the restaurants. Although for specialty restaurants in cruise ships a formal dress code is suggested. The cruise line does not have any kind of formal nights but 'Norwegian's night out' can be considered as the formal night.

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In accordance with the dress code, passengers cannot wear regular shorts or gym shorts, bathing suit attire, beach flip-flops and other similar items in the dining room.

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Many first-time cruisers don't realize that they won't be able to go directly to their staterooms upon boarding. Pass the time while you wait for your room to be ready and for the ship to set sail by enjoying lunch on the Lido Deck of the ship. This is a great way to make sure you aren't starving by dinner time!

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No Charge for Pizza on Royal Caribbean Royal Caribbean International has spoken out about the pay-for-pizza debate raging in the cruise community. Cruise line president and CEO Michael Bayley confirmed on social media that there will be no charge forthcoming for Sorrento's pizza.

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The Deluxe Beverage Package policy requires all guests wishing to purchase the Deluxe Beverage Package to do so for ALL guests of legal drinking age in the same stateroom. Was this content helpful? Thank you for helping us improve our website!

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Many of the dishes on the Main Dining Room's menu rotate each night, which means you could go an entire week without ever repeating a course.

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Cruise ships are good at making food available 24/7, so if you're hungry, there's usually no one to blame but yourself. The main dining room usually has set meal times, but sections of the buffet will always be open, and you'll usually be able to find a diner, cafe, or pizza shop that's open at all hours.

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Much of the food is included in your cruise fare, with the exception of the steakhouse, Cucina del Capitano, and chef's table that cost a little extra. You can eat as much as you want!

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Your cruise fare always includes food for breakfast, lunch and dinner on a cruise ship. However, not all venues that offer food will be free.

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T-shirts, swimsuits, robes, bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps, and pool wear are not allowed in the main restaurant or specialty restaurants at any time. In addition, shorts and flip-flops are not permitted during the evening hours.

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Many cruise ships have self-service laundry facilities on each deck, including washing machines, dryers, ironing and detergent. Passengers can also use the ship's valet laundry services for a fee, which includes washing, pressing and dry cleaning. Alternatively, guests can hand wash and dry within their cabin.

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Storms in August and October have a moderate risk of developing into hurricanes while September has the highest risk of all. For these reasons, September is the worst month of the year to take a cruise.

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While you're cruising to a Caribbean island, you might not think you will get chilly, but it can get downright cold on the open water at night. Restaurants and the casino can also be a bit chilly, and you'll want a lightweight sweater or pashmina to keep you warm.

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Because they are charged on a daily basis, you do not have to worry about tipping each crew member yourself. Many passengers, however, still like to leave extra tips for their stateroom attendant and dining room waiters at the end of the cruise.

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If you take fresh food off your cruise ship, it will be confiscated.

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