Question about Senior Officers (Capt. etc.) hosted dinners

My husband and I will be cruising for the first time on the Riviera next week for 24 days. We have been on a varity of different lines, our 4 most recent being on Seabourn. It seems it is Seabourn’s policy to have most of the Senior Officers (Capt., Staff, Hotel Manager, Cruise Director) frequently host dinners in the Main Dining Room. We were usually invited to 1 or 2 of them during our longer voyages and always enjoyed the conversation and sea going tales. We also never quite found out The Who and why of how the invitees were selected. I have tried to search these forums to see if Oceania staff do the same thing but unable to find any information. Has anyone experienced this and can enlighten us?

When we received a pin for a Loyalty level we were invited to dine with the Captain

We had a complaint last cruise & we dined with the Concierge & asst Housekeeper

who gets selected otherwise is a mystery to me

To me too! We have cruised in an Oceania Suite, the Owners Suite and most recently a Vista suite. On our first cruise with Oceania when in the Oceania suite we were invited by the GM for dinner. It was lovely. Since then - not at all. I find this bizarre in a way but since we are ver busy people, not entirely disagreeable!

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We were invited to a hosted dinner on Marina by the CD Julie James after we became friends with her on her very first Oceania assignment on Nautica.

It was lovely to see her again and kind of her to invite us.

Seabourn is different. We were constantly called to see if we wanted to dine with an officer or an entertainer. We turned every invite down.

Seabourn has a tradition of hosted tables. Oceania does not. On o we too have dined with Julie or a particular officer we know well.

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When we were on the world cruise almost every night there was at least one table with an officer hosting.

Not sure how they did the invites. I know someone in a regular balcony doing a 35 day segment got invited twice. We were on for 180 days and got 1 invite - with a navigation officer (he was sick so someone else came).

The host selected the wine so there was no charge for that.

I think it is often a factor of how many cruises you have been on, more so than what level your cabin is.

I wish everyone get a chance to experience dinner with the staff/officers just once.

We have been asked several times on other cruise lines to dine with the Captain. We did it once and had a great time :)

Every offer after that we decline which kind of shocked the staff member who came to our cabin to invite us. I tried my best to explain that our decline shouldn't offend anyone but our hope was that it would open up two seats for someone else who has never dined with the Captain before.

Have no idea how we always got picked on different cruise lines, mostly because we don't book the higher end cabins. Sure hope they picked another couple who never got an invite before.

Cheers,

John

I think it is often a factor of how many cruises you have been on, more so than what level your cabin is.

I'd agree, I would also add you TA. Sometimes the TA will ask that you be seated at a table of the crew. This isn't something we enjoy so we let our TA know not to ask. That said on another line we were asked my the Food & Beverage Manager and had a great time. Rick

One thing that sets O apart from other lines is the relative lack of interaction from senior staff.....and that suits me :)😀

Had many of these invites over the years and it has got to the point where we now have a "No hosted tables" comment on our profiles......our reasons are many but early dining (being European 8pm is the earliest we would consider dining), the staff hosting have relatively little leeway with wine choices, all being from the cheaper end of the wine list......the list goes on.....

The last straw which prompted the "No hosted tables" was an invite from a guest speaker/entertainer who was a z list former Broadway actress with whom we had zero interaction and no prior knowledge of. We had declined the invitation with plenty of notice, yet this woman had seen fit to badmouth us to her other guests with whom we had become friendly......needless to say she received the lowest possible feedback scores of the end of cruise survey 😂

I do quite like the way they do things on Sea Dream Yacht Club......there's no clamouring to dine with the Captain - everyone gets an invite!

Been invited once with senior staff, not the Captain. The other couple and we asked a multitude of questions on various issues. The pat answer seemed to be”Miami makes those decisions “ or “Good idea, but Miami would never support it or us!” Enlightening conversation, even though you may think you’re in the middle of the ocean, far from civilization, Miami is tightly controlling every aspect of the ship, often times in even the smallest of details. One started to wonder if the senior staff needed Miami’s permission to take a potty break! Uniformity of service whether good results or poor.

I have a had a few dinners with the Captain, Staff Cabin, Hotel Director , and senior staff. But one of the better times was on RCCL Mariner of the Seas, is was nothing planned we (Wife & I & a friend) were having lunch in Windjammer and it was very busy that day. The Captain came in and picked up some food and was walking around looking for a table. Kind of funny the Master of the Ship and no table. When he walked by my friend ask if he wanted to join us, he did and sat for about 30 minutes it was the best time with a officer on any cruise ship.

While not a hosted dinner it was better in my opinion. I would love to be able to do it again.

We went on a O cruise on the Riviera a few years back (Athens to Rome) and the Captain was Greek. My wife is Greek and she went out of her way to meet him and they spoke to each other in Greek. One would have thought we would have been invited for a set down, not that we were looking for one. I guess being on a Veranda suite was not high enough to be invited. Not even for a Greek person. But since it was my first time to Greece before the cruise, I had a great time.

Been invited once with senior staff, not the Captain. The other couple and we asked a multitude of questions on various issues. The pat answer seemed to be”Miami makes those decisions “ or “Good idea, but Miami would never support it or us!” Enlightening conversation, even though you may think you’re in the middle of the ocean, far from civilization, Miami is tightly controlling every aspect of the ship, often times in even the smallest of details. One started to wonder if the senior staff needed Miami’s permission to take a potty break! Uniformity of service whether good results or poor.

I've never really considered taking the time in a nice dinner to let them know how they should run their business. Maybe I'll try that next time.

Very enlightening thread. I didn't realize all the really cool people decline an invitation. I've always enjoyed it, whether it's with the Captain or anyone else. Personally I'd just as well they invite our room steward and some waiters.

FWIW, I've always found the wine a step above normal, not below as someone else stated.

We were invited to dinner with the ship's surgeon on Nautica. Veranda cabin, 2nd Oceania cruise. I'm a retired doc. I had seen him as a patient and never saw a bill. Professional courtesy had disappeared long long ago where we live.

In general I agree with the first sentence of hammy cruiser above. Howsumever

On our second cruise on Oceania SWMbI and moi received and invitation to dine with the Food and Beverage Manager on Riviera. The Cruise Director was also at the 8 person table for our pleasant dinner meal.

Prior to boarding our cruise on Sirena last summer we received an e-mail invitation to join the God-Mother of Sirena, Claudin Pepan for lunch. We RSVPd and we ended up having a wonderful meal with Claudin and her husband Rollie.

We have no idea how we ended up on either invitation list. Incidentally we usually book a penthouse suite. We are not frequent cruisers.

Last month we were on a 19 day cruise on Regent Navigator, one leg of a round the world cruise from Auckland to Perth. We ate most nights in the Compass Rose dining room (their GDR). On most nights we observed most of the ships officers dining at guest tables. We were never so honored.

I haven't a clue as to either lines invitation criteria.

JMBobB

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I've never really considered taking the time in a nice dinner to let them know how they should run their business. Maybe I'll try that next time.

 

Very enlightening thread. I didn't realize all the really cool people decline an invitation. I've always enjoyed it, whether it's with the Captain or anyone else. Personally I'd just as well they invite our room steward and some waiters.

 

FWIW, I've always found the wine a step above normal, not below as someone else stated.

I guess we are really not so cool. But, We have dined with senior officers many times over the years and find it a very pleasant was to spend dinner. They are for the most part very interesting and nice people with quite diverse backrounds. People that we would have not normally met. A very good time for us. :(:(

I'm afraid I'm one of those "people" that turns down any invitations these days. Previously, and against my better judgement, I accepted and spent the most boring evening with the most self important and obnoxious people I had ever met. One couple, within 3 minutes of meeting had told me what they did for a living, how wealthy they were, where they lived (pointless as I don't know Idaho) and how many "cruises" they had been on. I really couldn't be bothered listening after 1 minute, let alone a whole meal. The other couple kept bragging on and on about how the Captain and GM invited them because of their "status", another couple had issues with cuttlery and keeping their mouths shut when chewing. All in all it was a bit of a disaster, a wasted precious evening I will never get back, Someone earlier mentioned the wine, it was hideous as was the fact that we all ate so early and were served weak coffee alongside the desert. Mercifully, the "inamtes" were "released" early to go to the "show"....... I escaped in the opposte direction.

The beautry of "O" is that they treat you like adults, there really is a choice, so everyone CAN do their own thing. I have no idea how they "invite" people, but I presume their hands are tied as to what their Head Office tells them. So, I avoid any such invites these days and make a polite excuse.

I prefer to enjoy the ship as an hotel, I would never expect to be asked to have dinner with the manager or banqeting manager of an hotel I was staying in, so I never understand this need for dining with the "scrambled egg brigade", they must dread it....

I would however love to be a fly on the wall after the dinner ends and the hosts can discuss the latest table fodder!!! I can only imagine some of the stories......

Each to their own I suppose!

It's "Your World Your Way" after all...... lol

On a certain (unnamed) line, a Captain had the Maitre D select his dinner guests. He was to pick women with smiling eyes. I’m sure, however, that a few were VIPs. One woman even wearing white fox. I’m sure you can picture this. ;)

On a certain (unnamed) line, a Captain had the Maitre D select his dinner guests. He was to pick women with smiling eyes. I’m sure, however, that a few were VIPs. One woman even wearing white fox. I’m sure you can picture this.

On our last cruise we were invited to dine with the general manager. I suspect he, Giuseppe, invited us because we had taken three cruises on which he was the GM and we chatted frequently when our paths randomly crossed.

The dinner was very enjoyable and the ship’s HR manager joined us. Both the GM and HR manager were delightful, both sharing insights into Oceania and where the line may be headed as well as many funny sea stories. The other guests that joined us were also very nice and funny.

For what it’s worth both my wife and I love Oceania and we frequently praise the management and staff for the wonderful service and food we enjoy while onboard. Perhaps the invite was a way of saying “thank you” for our business and nice comments.

ScottnZelda.....I just have to ask. Was this on Seabourn Sun about 12, 13 or 14 years ago. I remember the lady that wore the white fox. Dressed to the nines every night. The couple was from Germany and spoke English. We talked to them. Very nice people. If it was, it is a small world.