Viking Tales - Copenhagen to Stockholm - Red Ginger issues

On board Marina now. Our first dinner reservation was for the Red Ginger on embarkation night. We were really looking forward to having excellent Asian food, as we don't have good local choices in the college town where we live in Central Texas.

Of the three dishes I ordered, two were just awful; the bay scallops were excellent. The two side dishes that I ordered were never delivered. I was not able to get enough food to eat, and didn't want to try to order more food as the service was really bad. I mean really bad. Orders were placed incorrectly so there were delays to fix the dishes. Most or many of the wait staff were brand new, and struggled w the tasks even though the restaurant was not full.

To get enough to eat I ordered room service as soon as we got back to our stateroom.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Many people are huge fans of red ginger which is why it is being added to all the r ships. We are in the camp that does not enjoy it save for two or three dishes. As for the service, very surprising. Not typical of Oceania. Rather than post here you should speak to the restaurant manager or even the gm on board

Many people are huge fans of red ginger which is why it is being added to all the r ships. We are in the camp that does not enjoy it save for two or three dishes. As for the service, very surprising. Not typical of Oceania. Rather than post here you should speak to the restaurant manager or even the gm on board

Should do both. Posting here will allow a much bigger group of people to know what is going on. The restaurant manager or the GM will not broadcast this so no one even on the ship will know the problem.

Should do both. Posting here will allow a much bigger group of people to know what is going on.

In the spirit of this note I wish to post here that we just got off the Marina as OP embarked.

We were on a B2B and had more than our allowed number of reservations at Red Ginger as we were able to get additional reservations.

We had excellent service there on every occasion (from different staff members) with wonderful food.

This is not to say that OP did not experience what she reported but to post another point of view.

Agree with others that if and when problems arise, as they occasionally do, it is best to try to address and try to resolve them then and there as posting here after the fact cannot correct the problem. Perhaps new staff on the first night might have explained some of the problems - more the reason to address them with management so that they do not continue.

Did you speak to the Maitre'd at anytime during this dinner or on your way out?

DH has gotten up from the table & gone to the Maitre'd to complain about the service before

do not leave it to fester talk to the GM today

we never book a specialty for the 1st night not because we are tired but because the crew might be

hope the rest of the cruise goes better for you

We just left the ship in Copenhagen and had a mixed experience in Red Ginger. It was the loudest and most crowded restaurant on the ship and the service wasn't as good as the other restaurants, but we thought the food was fantastic. We went on the final night, and wish we had eater there multiple times on our cruise.

We just left the ship in Copenhagen and had a mixed experience in Red Ginger. It was the loudest and most crowded restaurant on the ship and the service wasn't as good as the other restaurants, but we thought the food was fantastic. We went on the final night, and wish we had eater there multiple times on our cruise.

Due to a computer glitch before boarding in Southampton a large number of people (over 50) lost their shorex's and specialty reservations.

As a result of this mix up all specialties were "overbooked" and more crowded than usual in order to make up for lost reservations. Consequently, the service was a bit slower than usual in several restaurants, especially on early reservations when they were much more full than usual. This was not always the case but often so.

I'm sorry to hear you had a poor experience. I sailed on Marina right before you (June 14-24) and we had a great experience (service and food) in Red Ginger. However we had a 6:30 pm reservation. So, the service and kitchen staff weren't juggling as many tables at that time.

Someone left an O restaurant hungry? :eek:

So to get enough to eat, you order room service that took how long?

So you weren't very hungry or you would have just walked into the Terrace and eaten all your heart desired immediately! Just to put things into perspective.

I'd like to know what the restaurant's maître de said and how they reacted when you brought these problems to him.

Hi Paul

Glad to see your post about Red Ginger on Marina. Embarking in August on a fairly last minute booking.

I know you and I have traded posts on ranking the specialty restaurants. Curious how you would rank them on your recent Marina cruise.

I welcome ranking comments from all others as well.

On board Marina now. Our first dinner reservation was for the Red Ginger on embarkation night. We were really looking forward to having excellent Asian food, as we don't have good local choices in the college town where we live in Central Texas.

Here's what Red Ginger is: a restaurant that typically serves well-prepared heavily Americanized Pan-Asian Specialties which is to say that the traditional balance of sweet-sour-spicy-bitter-salty skews toward the sweet particularly minimizing the sour and bitter elements.

Most or many of the wait staff were brand new, and struggled with the tasks even though the restaurant was not full.

This is a fairly standard problem and can occur briefly on any ship embarking from any port. Fortunately, the problem is quickly self-correcting. Service will be better the second night. Better still the third night. Etc.

With service and food prep errors as bad as the ones you experienced, the head chef and maitre d' probably has held a training meeting already.

Hi Paul

Glad to see your post about Red Ginger on Marina. Embarking in August on a fairly last minute booking.

 

I know you and I have traded posts on ranking the specialty restaurants. Curious how you would rank them on your recent Marina cruise.

 

I welcome ranking comments from all others as well.

Here is my ranking based on my personal food preferences:

1, 2 & 3 Jacques :D

4 Polo

5 RG

6 Toscana

As for the service aspect, it would be similar - perhaps Polo & RG switching places.

Again, this is my observations only and the service can vary from night to night or cruise to cruise. However, my personal food preferences are constant :D

[ QUOTE=LHT28;50338788]Did you speak to the Maitre'd at anytime during this dinner or on your way out?

DH has gotten up from the table & gone to the Maitre'd to complain about the service before

do not leave it to fester talk to the GM today

we never book a specialty for the 1st night not because we are tired but because the crew might be

hope the rest of the cruise goes better for you

Plus 1.

Our experience on O has been that, if you are dissatisfied and make it known to a Maitre'd or hotel manager, s/he will go out of their way to see that it is fixed immediately AND does not happen again.

Here is my ranking based on my personal food preferences:

1, 2 & 3 Jacques :D

4 Polo

5 RG

6 Toscana

 

As for the service aspect, it would be similar - perhaps Polo & RG switching places.

Again, this is my observations only and the service can vary from night to night or cruise to cruise. However, my personal food preferences are constant :D

Just goes to show how we are all different. Obviously enough people like Red Ginger for them to add it to the new ship, and planned on the others.

Based on my personal food preferences here is what I would rank them as.

Red Ginger 1

Toscana 2

Polo 3--(we have great beef here in the midwest, I've yet to have a good steak in Polo, usually order something else there)

Jacques 4 just can't find anything here appealing to me.

Not at all crazy about desserts in any of the restaurants, but that doesn't stop me from trying them.:rolleyes:

I hope no one would actually be suggesting that any cruiser should not book the first night in the specialty restaurants just because the staff are tired!!

Jings, that really stretches credulity! No excuses please. Even if the standard of service that night is not as polished or as "stellar" as it might be on other nights, it should still quite clearly be of a good enough standard that there are no problems for any diner. Same applies for all other restaurants on the ship too.

Everyone as paid to book there ANY night/s of their cruise. If reservations are often difficult to secure, then all the more necessity for some to take advantage of a night with fewer bookings.

Oceania runs a cruise line. If they employ sufficient staff, as they should, and that staff work to the standard that they should, there is no excuse for "tiredness" affecting the quality of service on disembarkcation/embarkcation day.

I hope no one would actually be suggesting that any cruiser should not book the first night in the specialty restaurants just because the staff are tired!!

Jings, that really stretches credulity! No excuses please. Even if the standard of service that night is not as polished or as "stellar" as it might be on other nights, it should still quite clearly be of a good enough standard that there are no problems for any diner. Same applies for all other restaurants on the ship too.

 

Everyone as paid to book there ANY night/s of their cruise. If reservations are often difficult to secure, then all the more necessity for some to take advantage of a night with fewer bookings.

 

Oceania runs a cruise line. If they employ sufficient staff, as they should, and that staff work to the standard that they should, there is no excuse for "tiredness" affecting the quality of service on disembarkcation/embarkcation day.

And when they finish for the evening, they should tape brooms to their posteriors so that the decks gets swept! :rolleyes:

Just goes to show how we are all different. Obviously enough people like Red Ginger for them to add it to the new ship, and planned on the others.

 

Based on my personal food preferences here is what I would rank them as.

 

Red Ginger 1

Toscana 2

Polo 3--(we have great beef here in the midwest, I've yet to have a good steak in Polo, usually order something else there)

Jacques 4 just can't find anything here appealing to me.

 

Not at all crazy about desserts in any of the restaurants, but that doesn't stop me from trying them.:rolleyes:

ORV,

We seem to agree on many, if not most topics here, but apparently this is not one of them :).

If this is our only disagreement, I can live with that :D

Just goes to show how we are all different. Obviously enough people like Red Ginger for them to add it to the new ship, and planned on the others.

 

Based on my personal food preferences here is what I would rank them as.

 

Red Ginger 1

Toscana 2

Polo 3--(we have great beef here in the midwest, I've yet to have a good steak in Polo, usually order something else there)

Jacques 4 just can't find anything here appealing to me.

 

Not at all crazy about desserts in any of the restaurants, but that doesn't stop me from trying them.:rolleyes:

Your ranking matches mine and DW