Cabanas open for seated dinner?

[foolish-mortal]

The fact that everyone has a different opinion on whether they prefer Cabanas or MDR for dinner is EXACTLY why it needs to be available. It's more options! We love the MDR but would always have one evening when we didn't want to get cleaned up and spend a long evening in the MDR. We loved going to Cabanas for a very casual, quick, quiet experience but could still have the offerings from the MDR. It was great. The quick service isn't even available during dinner. We don't want to eat room service on our bed and we should have more options. With the price point for DCL we shouldn't have such limited options at dinner. All other cruise lines have a buffet or other options offered at dinner time that's included.

 

[Girl of the South]

It had a waitstaff. I thought the story was, that it was a “training” project for the MDR waitstaff.

 

[auntlynne]

Was it ever? I thought that it was just open with an alternate casual dinner.

My memory - not open for Embarkation Day dinner (Magic/ Wonder). I don’t remember if the same on Dream. But I remember they had menus, often with select items from the MDRs - and a better steak, perhaps ribeye. You could look at the menus at the podium outside Beach Blanket . The servers were working on their English and wait skills.

 

[Becx N Gav]

I don't remember the Cabana's option for dinner but as others have said it would be a great alternative! Why not just offer the same things as lunch - it's extensive! Buffet option only and just open one side if staffing is an issue?

 

[Girl of the South]

Serving a limited menu is WAY easier than even a half buffet! They are serving a few thousand people dinner in the main dining room. Kitchen staff have no time to keep a buffet stocked. The whole point of Cabanas sit down dinner option was as a training tool for wait staff. And the menu, as I recall, did have entrees from the MDR - rather limited. I did like the steak though. I know it was an option in 2018 . . . not sure when they discontinued it. An easier thing would be to offer something different at one of the food places on the pool deck - like a pasta dish one evening, and Mexican another. Not much is open after 6, am I right?

 

[tidefan]

Cabanas closed at night is my #1 complaint about DCL. Everything else is great, but it sure would be nice if they addressed this one thing. We have also always put it on the comment cards since the shutdown.

 

[Love Ft Wilderness]

Having Cabanas as a dinner option was always our go to place. I know it wasn't available on embarkation day, but we usually chose it on nights that the MDR in our rotation had a show. We like quiet dinners. Maybe there's some way we can get the word out and they bring it back. I liked the limited menu. Made sense as it was the same as whatever the kitchen was making for the MDR.

 

[dcassetta]

Was it ever? I thought that it was just open with an alternate casual dinner.

Very occasionally. We went on a cruise out of NYC that stopped at PC and we spent the day at the parks. Upon returning to the ship about 11pm, they did have Cabanas open as a buffet. I think this has happened occasionally on other cruises where people may very return late from excursions. But, it is not a regular occurrence.

 

[o&smom]

I was just thinking that we should all send emails to Thomas Mazloum about how we would love to have Cabanas open again for dinner. I know many of us have been putting it on our comment card, but I do not think that info goes that high up. I will be sending one later today.

 

[MomOTwins]

I think the new trend with the newer ships is to have an inexpensive upcharge family dining location instead of Cabanas--in the case of the Wish, it is Keg & Compass. I guess on the Treasure it'll be periscope pub. Between that and the quick service (there is always one of them open, it is usually either the pizza or the burger place), there are casual options.

 

[auntlynne]

Having Cabanas as a dinner option was always our go to place. I know it wasn't available on embarkation day, but we usually chose it on nights that the MDR in our rotation had a show. We like quiet dinners. Maybe there's some way we can get the word out and they bring it back. I liked the limited menu. Made sense as it was the same as whatever the kitchen was making for the MDR.

Thanks for confirming my memory about embarkation day.

 

[tinytinkmom]

Was it ever? I thought that it was just open with an alternate casual dinner.

Our first cruise was in 2007, and at that time it was kind of a hybrid - waiters brought you drinks and rolls, but you chose your other items buffet-style. By the time we went on our second cruise in 2008, they had changed it to the full sit-down service.

 

[LAS2AMS]

Very occasionally. We went on a cruise out of NYC that stopped at PC and we spent the day at the parks. Upon returning to the ship about 11pm, they did have Cabanas open as a buffet. I think this has happened occasionally on other cruises where people may very return late from excursions. But, it is not a regular occurrence.

We did a cruise last year with a late port night (either 10PM or 11PM, I can't remember) and the CD made several reminders that if we choose to stay out late (we didn't), room service is available.

I couldn't understand this. A few months earlier we did a cruise on another cruise line that stayed in Honolulu until 1AM and they extended MDR and buffet hours (last MDR seating at 11PM instead of 9PM, buffet open until 2AM instead of 11PM).