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In replacement of thank you, I often say 'how do you say 'thank you' in whatever country their name tag says they are from and then repeat it with their first name. 'Salamat Malvin! ' Even if you botch it up, they are always excited and happy.

Regarding dress code: my hubby and I dress to the nines! Not for anyone else, but for us. I don’t care what anyone else is wearing. We rarely get to dress up on land, so we use this as an opportunity to do so and take some awesome pics!

We have ordered dessert to go and take it back to our room on the way to a show

I don't mind sharing a table with others and I always treat my wait staff and any other staff with kindness and respect, I'm a true believer in the golden rule.

I love food when I cruise. I don’t have to cook and there are so many choices😊

Funny true story. As we waited to board a ship on embarkation day long ago, we noticed a family with 3 unruly young kids, and I joked with my wife that they would be our table mates in the main dining room. Turns out THEY WERE our table mates. After the first night we got that changed. Ever since then we've had wonderful table mates. Lol

What I found helpful was to order coffee the night before and that way I could have coffee while getting dressed and not hurry to breakfast and scare people because I had no makeup and eases me into the day. Took a few cruises before I figured that out!

Another thing is that if you want to try something new you can always ask for that main as an appetizer. Or, that works too if you can't decide what you want 😉 As for dress, and this is just my opinion, but people need to consider that the staff is trying to make your experience special. You have cloth tablecloths, fine service, fancier place settings, etc. If people show up dressed like they are going tona fast food restaurant, that is actually disrespecting the atmosphere the dining room staff is trying to create. So be respectful. At home, restaurants have dress codes that they enforce. Just because the ships are not enforcing them (often for no reason other than to avoid a physical confrontation) that doesn't mean you can't meet them, at least, halfway. Like I said JMHO.

One thing we love doing is tipping random people other than our servers or cabin stewards, i.e., the person cleaning the restrooms, wipping the stairways, handrails, etc.

I take a picture of the name tag of the crew who go above and beyond. That’s a big help when filling out the after cruise questionnaire. The crew get recognized for their service by supervisors. Even though we prepay gratuities, we will give extra to waiters, servers and others who go the extra mile for us.

We love the elegance and class of eating in the main dining room :) its like being in a 5 star restaurant on land :) my fiance was surprised when the waiter pulled out his chair and placed the napkin on his lap. I love the classiness of eating there and love dressing up :) makes me feel im eating somewhere special :)

I totally agree with saying thank you to your server plus dressing accordingly for the night dining

The food on a cruise is one of my favorite aspects of cruising. I am a good home cook and we live in a rural area so when we go cruising, being served amazing food that I didn’t have to prepare is such a treat! I agree that this is the time to try something new. I’ve been lucky enough that I’ve never been disappointed by a cruise kitchen, but I know that if it happens I can easily replace my choice with another dish.

Really love your enthusiastic videos! Being nice to the MDR waiters goes a long way to an enjoyable dining experience. On our last cruise, steak was not on the menu very often. When I could not find any entree that sounded good, I asked our waiter if it was possible to get a steak. He said “of course.” He actually got one from the steakhouse restaurant and I really was thankful. He took care of us the whole cruise with a smile and an occasional joke. On the last night, we all tipped him and there were smiles all around. Be friendly, smile and kind and you will find people will reciprocate.

I hear that you can order as much as you want but you really should eat what you order and not be wasteful. I hate seeing people order double meals and then just leave it on their plate - cause it’s ‘free’. We should never waste food.

We are ALWAYS polite. We always make a point of thanking our wait staff after EVERY meal, before leaving the dining room. It shocks us how disrespectful some cruisers are.

I learned about double ordering on my second cruise in the early eighties on Carnival. It was great! I was just into my thirties and on formal night myself and my posse were denied access to the main dining room because we weren't wearing ties. So we went back, got ties and coats and showed up in shorts! There were no rules then, so we had a huge laugh and fun!

On a recent family cruise we made a pact pre-cruise to try something for the table each night. We any time dining but liked our servers the first night and reserved that table for 7 each night. The server got into our "for the table" pact and brought other things for us to try. It was fun.

I’ve read comments from different cruise lines and was shocked and amazed when people say they couldn’t find anything to eat that satisfied them! We’ve eaten at buffets and multiple specialty restaurant and have always enjoyed everything! I think people just want to complain! Great videos and you’re so helpful and happy! ❤️

My husband &I have always just enjoyed our wait staff.They are a lot of fun to talk to. To make their lives easier, we always give additional cash tips. It makes us happy too.

I can tell you that Princess is absolutely amazing about restrictive diets. Mom had may limitations because of some of the meds she took and because of diverticulosis. The Maitre D' would go over the next days menus with me and arranged for adjustments if there was something Mom wanted but which had ingredients she couldn't have. They also often made meals especially for her, off menu items. The chef in Sabatini's even created an entire menu just for her.

I've cruised a fair amount, but your tips were in depth and added nuance, so they are really helpful even for experienced cruisers. In addition to saying thank you (and the prepaid gratuities, which I like), I like to remember the names of any wait staff that is especially helpful. That makes it easy to add a commendation for them on the after-cruise feedback form. Really good video!

Two things that I totally agree with you. Number one ,be polite to the waiters. Number two: if you don't want to dress up for dinner, then go and eat at the buffet or pool bar! Dressing up to dine in the main dining room is one of our highlights during a cruise.

I love dress codes bc it’s one of the highlights in cruising , to me anyway😍. The waitresses made all the effort to dress neatly for the cruisers they’re serving so let’s all get dress beautifully and pretty and enjoy the food, service and the cruise that we earned hard back home where you came from!

You were spot on with your tips and things you need to know. I only cruised on Carnival since I have been cruising. I eat in the MDR for breakfast and dinner, the staff does deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. They go out of their way to make you feel worthy dining with them. I always tip the morning when we leave the ship eating breakfast. Thanks for sharing your tips.

Another tip I would add (which you sort of referenced), most ships will have alternative menus that are available. For example, a children's menu. It's usually simpler food, but can provide an option for smaller appetites. For example, on Celebrity the children's menu often includes a 4 Oz. Filet Mignon that is very good. Also, many ships will offer a full Vegan or Vegetarian menu and not just the single option available on the normal menu. Biggest point is to ask. The staff is always ready to help and will accommodate whenever possible. In terms of thanking crew, another great tip is to go to guest services and fill out a commendation card naming the crew member specifically. These comments get used by the managers and can be helpful in obtaining promotions.

Ugh, I hate eating with strangers. It’s good to know that I can change tables.

So much good info packed into this video. I feel like I just attended a masterclass in cruise etiquette and dining!

We were at a table with a couple who were obnoxious to our servers. As much as we tried to make up for it, it impacted our service. Just be nice, people!

One other tip I've found useful from my 10-15 cruises is that you get slightly better service during the traditional set time dining than the anytime dining. With the anytime dining there is a good chance you will have a different server each night especially if you don't show up at the same time. With traditional set time seating you get the same server and that server will want to build a relationship (and hopefully get an extra tip) with you and I've found the service is better and more personal. With anytime it is still good but not as.

I agree with not being late to the dinner if you're not on anytime dining with one caveat. My tip is to be a "little" late, as in a minute or two. If your dinner is at 6p, show up at 6:02p. You will see people lining up for 20 minutes before dinner, standing around, in a big crowd. I used to do that as well and it kind of reminds me of the old style muster drill (thank goodness those days are gone). Then the doors open and everyone charges inside. I've since realized that there's no point standing around. Have a drink or something, let everyone else stand around, then stroll right in a minute or two after. You're basically on time and you didn't spend 20 minutes a day, for 7 days (2 hours and 20 minutes of your cruise week) unnecessarily.

Best tip is to speak up if you are uncomfortable with your table in the dining room or the folks you are sitting with are making you uncomfortable. It happened to us once and when I told the maitre d' we could not sit with this one person he looked at us, shook his head and calmly said, "No one can." He then immediately changed our table.

Ilana, thanks for such an informative video. My family just returned from an 8 night cruise and had the best time. We particularly enjoy the formality of dressing up a bit and having dinner in the MDR every night. We chose My time dining because we like the flexibility. On our first night, we were seated next to a couple and started chatting to them. We became friendly and had dinner with them every night after! The restaurant managers accommodated our request to sit together and kept the same table for us every night. We enjoyed getting to know our waiters a bit and learning about their lives. We also chose to eat in the MDR for lunch a few times and thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you have time , and if you have the second dining phase , lightly sample the early dinner buffet because it will have many of the menu items you will see at formal dining . That way you kinda know what is good and what is not so good when you order off the menu

I love eatting in the main dining room! Got my daughter to try escargo and lobster as well as many other items we normally would not have had. Great opportunity and If you don't like something, the wait staff go out of their way to make sure you leave full and happy. We asked for a single vanilla ice cream for my four year old grandbaby and he brought her a banana split! Once they know your preferences, extra goodies just kind of show up! Also MDR has a great little breakfast steak so also good for breakfast

I love the main dining room! Great service, wonderful food and a wide variety. I don't get out to eat at restaurants a lot so it is a real treat.

What I have done previously, is to order two hors d'oeuvres, one main, and no dessert. But I have never thought to combine two mains. Now, thanks to you, I defiantly shall consider it.

We choose anytime dining now. We used to choose late seating, often we would meet some very nice folks and end up chatting away the evening. It was nice not to feel any pressure to leave as there was not additional dining times. most of all relax and go with flow…enjoy yourself!

Order as many dishes as you can eat, but don't be like one person who I heard of who ordered everything on the menu. The head chef himself came out himself and said he wasn't doing that.

Dinner in the main dining room is the best any time of day. Great place to try new things!

Used to share a table but now only table for two. Do not need to share my life story with strangers. Too many questions. Thanks for sharing.😎

My husband and I cruise frequently. We love the formal dining, but the two times we’ve taken our grandchildren, the children have really, really enjoyed the buffet. I guess it’s quite exciting for them to be able to pick and choose their food as they wish. My granddaughter Lilly even chose miso soup for her breakfast one morning.

On my very cruise, I wasn’t aware that you could order multiple items for dinner, now it’s one of my favorite secrets that I tell everyone so it doesn’t happen to them

As an avid cruiser and former travel counselor, I was already aware of the hints and tips you shared. However, I thought your detailed explanation was TERRIFIC! This is a MUST for first-time cruisers to watch and learn. Even experienced cruisers could use your advice. I especially liked that you reminded them to be polite. I've seen some really nasty people talking to staff. Some people think they're entitled, I guess. I have a couple of food allergies and you are correct about how they make sure your food is not contaminated. They usually will give me the menu for the next night's dinner so I can pick it out ahead of time. Also, I was given special desserts at times because of my allergies. So, I asked the server if they had the dessert on our following cruise. The chef made a special batch of it not just for me, but for the entire table and for the duration of the cruise. When you're nice to the staff, they often will go out of their way or do special things for you. We will request the same servers the next time we go on their ship. They are always so happy to see us! Personally, I love the traditional, main dining over anytime dining. I especially love getting dressed up for dinner. It makes it more exciting, I think. Thanks for sharing this video. Hopefully people will take your advice and have better etiquette. :-)

I'm about to go on a carnival cruise and I read that you can order up to 3 entrees in the main dining room now, after that there is a surcharge. I like this rule. I'm sure it'll help with the amount of food people waste.

Ilana, I totally agree dressing nicely in main dining is respectful to all...and a nice touch for a beautiful night out

I love the main dining! I try to get up a few days early to enjoy the quick sit-down breakfast when I can...I love buffets but love sit-down breakfast even better. Thank you!

Very good information. I have severe allergies but I never wanted to bother anyone with it, I just eat what seems safe. And the suggestion to avoid the subject of politics is spot on!! Several years ago we were seated with 3 other couples in the dining room. They began talking politics (definitely not my opinions) and we just couldn't stand it. I did finally have to make a comment. They were shocked! We then got up and went to the buffet. It took several years before we ate in the main dining room again when we found we can eat alone.

I love that I can change potato for rice if I want. They always try to accommodate menu changes.

Hi, Ilana! I just came back from my 2 NCL cruises, one to the Mediterranean n the Epic and one on Breakaway to the Caribbean. I used many of your tips from other videos like the asking cubes, the magnet hooks, and especially the Thank You cards for staff members. I have to say that I loved the for in the main dinning rooms as well as in the specialty ones. Thanks for your tips!

We do any time dining and always get a table for just my cabin ❤️

I love eating in the main dining room. I like meeting new people and have had a great time with them every night at dinner. I also love getting all dressed up for dinner. I don't get to do it very often at home so it's a nice change. I have never had a bad meal in the main dining room. The great thing is if you didn't like what you ordered, they will bring you something else. On my cruise in June, the next to the last night was lobster tails for dinner. Our waiter told us the tails were small and asked if we wanted two and of course I said yes!

Thank you for your videos. I'm enjoying learning some of these tips. I'm taking my girlfriend on her first cruise for her 50th birthday in June 2024. She doesn't like to have me go out of my way for her so I figure just being very prepared to make things go smoothly so we can enjoy everything as much as possible will be nice for her. Looking forward to watching more of your videos.

I’ve only been on a Disney cruise. At the time I went it was just me & my 7yr old son. I’m glad they sat us with families with only 1 son. My son was able to bond every night with the boys & it gave me times to talk to an adult. I’m planning a family one for either Carnival or RC in late 2023.

This is my first cruise and I'm finding your videos very helpful so thank you!

The formal night is the best night of the cruise. Seeing people so nicely dressed and getting photos is such fun!

Can you request to have a table next to the window?

Yes!!! Agreed dressing up for formal night just shows respect.

Hi 😊 Me and my mom are going to our first cruise in december 2022. My mom doesn’t know yet because it’s a surprise i’m going to make. So i’m learning a lot by your vídeos, thank you so much. Kisses from Portugal.

I love formal-wear nights on cruises. I love getting decked out in black-tie and dressed to the nines. And also seeing everybody else get dressed up, too. People look very different in formal wear than they do in casual duds, and it's exciting to see. Please get into the spirit of it. Don't ruin a lovely evening for others by dressing down. If your idea of formal wear is a tee-shirt and sweat pants, sail on a tee-shirt-and-sweat-pants cruise line.

I definitely wish that the cruise attire was the way it was before COVID (even as of a few years before COVID)! The waiters at the Main Dining Room(s) go out of their way to make your dining experience pleasurable and I feel that going by a dress code shows respect for the time and service they give us as well as respect for the other diners. I am not fond of dressing up all the time but you can bet I’ll be dressed nice for regular dinners in the Main Dining Room and dressed in formal wear for the Formal evenings. I look at is as going out to a very nice restaurant!

I was taught by my servers on my first cruise to order a second lobster tail if i wanted one.

Yes. Main dining is the best. Love being treated so well and a great time to try new food. I also love the local cuisine choices offered.

Sailed on Summit 2x now and have truly enjoyed Luminae (retreat restaurant) They made each meal bespoke and wanted to ensure happiness. Breakfast and dinner were always delicious 😁

For the surveys later, get the cabin stewards card and dining room staff cards that way you can give a call out by name for excellent service.

On my last cruise they had a surf and turf. I asked if I could just have the turf part. When I got the meal, the chef have me two potions of steak! I loved it.

It is good to dress nicer for the formal or “evening chic” dinners in the main dining room, but you don’t have to wear a formal gown (unless you really want to). I usually take a nice pair of dress pants and a couple of different dressy tops to wear with these dress pants and that is sufficient for the dressy evenings.

Some of these apply to any decent traditional restaurant too!

All great tips! Especially I appreciate you mentioned to ask to possibly combine two dishes to not waste food. I see it way too often when people are wasteful.

Your videos are so informational! Love them!

Nice video ! Thank you ! Dress well too ! It doesn’t take much 😍

I do surf & turf on formal nights too!! 😂 And never hesitate to order 2 if I can’t decide between appetizers or dessert.

You can order two of the entrees and skip the sides if you don't want to be wasteful. They will also pack it to take to your cabin for later

I just dig that RC has a vegan menu. I'm used to just having one or two options. Having my own little menu that changes nightly is great.

I have a lot of dietary issues so I fill out the accessibility form on line before the cruise. The info I put on the form is transmitted to the kitchen staff well in advance and once I am on board I go to the dining room with a printed sheet of my dietary info that I give to them. You will find the accessibility tab a bit puzzling as it deals primarily with things like wheelchair accommodations but scroll down on the webpage and you will find food allergies and an ‘other’ category that will allow you to communicate with the ship in advance. A set dining time makes dietary accommodations easier, too.

Cruise food!!!! Plenty of it!!!!

Cruised to Hawaii last February. Didn't even think about the fact I had shorts on when heading to dinner the first night. They politely corrected me and I went back to my room and changed before dining that night. We joked with the maitre d the rest of the cruise about whether I was dressed right the rest of the cruise. (Holland America - Koningsdam).

ILANAAAAAAAA!!! It was so nice to meet you and your husband at the celebrity summit cruise to Bermuda. Do you remember the crazy lady saying ILANAAAAA, asking to give you a hug and also thanking you for all the help I got from your videos. That was my first trip in a cruise and everything went very well, I had everything I needed!!! Thank you so much to you and your husband for all the tips, information and everything you post in your videos. Hopefully I will see you again in another cruise. God bless!!!

My first cruise was on carnival splendour, the included meals were amazing and there was something new to try every night like frogs legs and snails, the staff even practiced a different dance every day to entertain guests during their meal and remembered our names and what drinks we usually had with our meal !! Pizza to die for, guys burgers included, although the buffet was a bit of a let down especially compared to what I saw on the p&o pacific Explorer virtual tour. Cant wait to book with them just for the buffet/food court

Excellent advice regarding proper dress code.

Interesting video. Thank you for sharing your tips! We tried traditional dining on Royal Caribbean -- didn't like it at all. Having to eat the same time every night with the same people who we didn't know was just not for us. Sometimes we find the main dining room for dinner to be a bit "stuffy" and will opt for the buffet or an included casual restaurant. However, we do enjoy the food in the dining room and being served instead of serving ourselves. The staff is usually very accommodating to our requests and desires. Our tip: the main dining room for breakfast and/or lunch is a treat! It's a bit more casual than dinner and the food is usually really good.

Thanks for the tips. I usually just let the wait staff know of my allergies when I set down to eat the first day. We have a cruise booked so I'm going to take your tip and let them know now before I get there. They are very accommodating when it comes to food allergies. Thanks again for the tip.

We just got back from a 7-day MSC cruise on Divina. The food was delicious; decisions were difficult. I came home with recipes/ideas for new dinners.

I always try to look at the menu before getting on board so I can decide if I need to book a specialty dining instead. This helps in making reservations around shows too.

Just returned from a week long cruise with 7 members of our family. I would not have been able to get it organised without your very helpful info and tips - thank you so much 🥰

We enjoy most all meals in the MDR for breakfast lunch and dinner it's just such a pleasant way to enjoy a meal on vacation for us!

I love formal night👗👔 Tip to know A couple months ago we were on the Carnival Magic and something new to us was you have to reserve your dining table on the app.

We are SO looking forward to the food on our upcoming cruise! It will be our first time on Norwegian and our first time eating at a specialty restaurant instead of just at the main dining room every night. I will say though that on our Royal Caribbean cruise, they did turn away a friend of ours for trying to wear sandals and a tshirt to dinner. He ended up just putting on a button-up shirt (unbuttoned though) over his tshirt and changed his shoes and that was fine.

The best tip is to just go and have fun I'm on cruise #3 and watching all of these videos will take away from the experience SO JUST HAVE FUN🎉🎉

I like the salmon too. Order that a few times on a cruise. Beef Wellington can be very good. Wouldn't wear shorts in the dining room. It gets too cold in there. Always long pants and long sleeved shirt. Jackets for more formal nights. While I prepay my tips, if the service is really good and they get me things I request then extra is given. If they don't do a good job then they get nothing extra. If the service is really bad then I see Customer Service.

Love watching the changing dynamic on a shared table over the duration of a cruise but definitely not for us! Be nice to teach some folks how to eat properly with a knife AND a fork. Agree, miss the days of more formal nights on cruises .

As a mum I love any food I do not have to plan, shop, prepare, cook and clean up.

4:17 love the facial expression

On three cruises where we had traditional dining we were so very lucky to have wonderful table mates! I'm even friends on Facebook with a couple. On our river cruise we sat with different people many nights, but when there's a 138 on board you get to meet so many different people so there's always somebody you have already met to eat with!

My default is to order two shrimp cocktail as an app, plus whatever strikes my fancy- and a lot of things do.

We were just on the HAL Nieuw Amsterdam and they were so generous with the dress code. We came back from and excursion wearing hiking shoes and comfy clothes and they let us seat with no hassle. I was so happy with them letting us come and go as we needed.

Who do we ask for just a table of two? When we book our cruise? I’m not as extrovert as I used to be I’d prefer to be just with my husband.

When I do a excursion I go the local supermarket and buy a few of big assortment of snacks like potato chips and give those to the person that takes care of my room and a favorite bartender I heard they have to pay for stuff like that on the boat plus they never really leave the boat

We were on a cruise in 2019 where the main dining room service was REALLY slow. They were short staffed, one night we even had the assistant maitre'd wait on us. We were joined by our TA and she let the staff know that slow service was not acceptable. It almost turned into a comedy routine. The waiter handed me the menu and asked for my order before I even opened the menu ( I had him start with the TA) They were then taking our plates before we were finished, so that they could give us the next course. We did have a good laugh about it!