Balmoral - slow bar service

Not long back home from Diamonds, Chocolates & Canals - slow and erratic service in some bars.

 

Not because of insufficient waiting staff ..........but due to only one barman working the orders.

 

He was having to pull pints, pour wine from the bottle and prepare cocktails etc. - there should have been another on duty to lighten the workload and speed up the service.

 

Just wondered if anybody else had similar experience on Balmoral recently - or any other of the three FO ships ?

Yes. To the point that we made a comment about it to the assistant bars manager while onboard and thereafter it seemed to improve, for us anyway.

 

It was a vicious circle as waiting staff took ages with drinks so people went up to the bar. The more who went to the bar the slower the table service became as the barman was distracted / busier still.

 

The waiters were trying to get people to sit down to be served but that does not work when people have experienced very long waits doing it that way.

 

Wine service at dinner was slow as well. We were on AI so just having wine from the bottles they had chilled in the restaurant. I suspect those ordering from the wine list had even longer to wait.

 

Lots of complaints about it on our cruise.

I was on the Swedish cruise in May and what pissed me off was it was one card one drink, I was AI.

 

I couldn't even get a beer and a nip, I had to order the beer and when it was delivered I then ordered the nip.

 

In the Neptune lounge I would order the whisky from one waiter then the beer from another.

 

I complained to the bar manager and eventually I got them together but it took 3 days before the waiters gave me them together.

 

I drunk the house wine at dinner and it didn't take long but I was in the Spey dining room, I did hear some passengers complaining about the wait but they were in the main dining room.

Thanks for these observations.

 

The one drink per alcohol package passenger is the stated ruling and I believe that is standard across all cruise lines. However I can see how this would irritate a "hauf and a hauf" drinker as they say hereabouts. A little common sense should have prevailed when explained.

 

It seems the slow bar service is a common problem - that's down to poor management, not the bar and/or waiting staff.

 

I intend to raise it when the feedback questionnaire arrives.

That was my sixth cruise with Fred. Olsen all AI and that was the first time I was denied my hauf and hauf.

That was my sixth cruise with Fred. Olsen all AI and that was the first time I was denied my hauf and hauf.

 

 

 

In the past, we have been offered doubles when ordering say whisky, but now they say you can only have singles. I think they must have tightened up the rules.

 

 

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In the past, we have been offered doubles when ordering say whisky, but now they say you can only have singles. I think they must have tightened up the rules.

They have, that's what I was told, though if you're nice to the waiter/waitress and tell them it will save them time running backwards and forwards with your drinks they will, in the end, give you large ones. At least in the observation lounge they did.

This rule seems to have been scrapped now, no problems getting doubles on our recent cruise on Black Watch. They were always offered. Now they are getting rid of the signing for drinks on all inclusive it should hopefully speed service up.

I've just completed and submitted the electronic guest survey - positive comments about all but the bar service.

 

I clicked unacceptable but made the observation that this was not a criticism of the bar staff or waiters/waitresses but about poor management.

 

The questionnaire ended with a notice that individual responses would not be forthcoming, so it's obviously a tick the box and flag up the response statistics exercise for FO senior executives etc.

 

I'm thinking a letter of complaint to the relevant quarter might be appropriate - it would be so easy to resolve this problem.

This rule seems to have been scrapped now, no problems getting doubles on our recent cruise on Black Watch. They were always offered. Now they are getting rid of the signing for drinks on all inclusive it should hopefully speed service up.

 

 

 

When was this? Our last cruise was at the end of May on Braemar and there were no doubles to be had!

 

I didn’t know they were doing away with signing for drinks on AI. That would be good.

 

 

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This was also at the end of May but on the Black Watch. The Braemar seems to have different rules to the rest of the ships. It is the only ship we have been refused doubles.

 

 

The scrapping of signing for drinks was trialled on Balmoral and would be rolled out to the rest in time, apart from Braemar, of course, as they have different rules:)

No signing chitties for AI drinks on Balmoral last week.

Very slow service last week on black watch. One afternoon i ordered a drink in the Lido bar, went down a deck for a sandwich, ate it, got back to the bar as it was just arriving!

No service at all most days at the pool, we had to walk up a deck

Yes we were on black watch and I agree re service outside around the pool, I wanted to order a drink waited and waited for waiter, none came so I eventually went inside to lido bar, ordered drinks, waiter asked were I was sitting and said he would bring them over, nearly 20 mins later still no drink, so I went back inside to the bar, our two drinks sitting at the bar, de fizzing and getting warmer, the bar man asked me what I wanted and I said drinks, think these might be them, they were! The waiter then said I will bring them over, he did but at least five mins after I got back.

Received a reply from FO customer service - apparently there were a high number of guests on the AI package, therefore by inference, this contributed to the slow service, despite all bars being fully manned.

 

A rather lame excuse methinks.

 

The ship's hotel management "must" have known of the AI uptake, and should have taken appropriate measures in the popular/busy bars.

 

If only one barman on duty is their normal manning level, and he/she cannot cope at busy periods, that begs some obvious questions IMO.

 

It's basic management - not rocket science.

I've just completed and submitted the electronic guest survey - positive comments about all but the bar service.

 

I clicked unacceptable but made the observation that this was not a criticism of the bar staff or waiters/waitresses but about poor management.

 

The questionnaire ended with a notice that individual responses would not be forthcoming, so it's obviously a tick the box and flag up the response statistics exercise for FO senior executives etc.

 

I'm thinking a letter of complaint to the relevant quarter might be appropriate - it would be so easy to resolve this problem.

 

I didn't get an electronic feedback questionnaire so sent an email to Fred Olsen about the very poor service we had in the Spey dining room during our cruise on Balmoral at the beginning of June. After a month I'd heard nothing so I phoned twice. Each time I was told it had been referred to a specific member of staff and he'd be in touch with me. Well I never did hear back from him and worst of all, all I got was a voicemail from AN Other saying they'd noted my concerns. Not happy at all.

 

This rule seems to have been scrapped now, no problems getting doubles on our recent cruise on Black Watch. They were always offered. Now they are getting rid of the signing for drinks on all inclusive it should hopefully speed service up.

 

Same on Balmoral. No problem with doubles on AI. My only problem was the own brand vodka tasted like floor polish :'). Ended up buying my own drinks. And why no Prosecco which is such a popular drink these days?

We returned a week ago from a cruise on Balmoral and found the bar service to be slowest we have ever known on this ship. I did mention this in the survey I received by e-mail.

I'm going on Balmoral on the 19th Oct.

 

Is it still one card one drink?

 

I was on Balmoral in May

 

I eventually managed to get my hauf and hauf after a couple of days but by that time the staff were used to me asking for it and I had already talked to the bar manager.

We returned a week ago from a cruise on Balmoral and found the bar service to be slowest we have ever known on this ship. I did mention this in the survey I received by e-mail.

Best to complain direct.

 

The more dissatisfied customers who do so will maybe make FO realise there is an issue which needs looking into.