Dining seating and smoking questions

[Soggy1]

I am looking at a cruise with the Island Escape.

 

My husband and I like casual dining and would like to know if you can eat when and where you like in the dining rooms. Can you chose a table to sit on your own or do you have to sit where they put you, on large tables with other diners? I know this sounds very anti-social but we don't like to feel forced to eat with people we don't know.

 

We are also smokers and would like to know where you can smoke on the ship (if anywhere), and can you smoke on the balconies.

 

Thanks

 

Soggy

[Cymro1953]

Hi Soggy,

 

If you eat in the main restaurant, the Island Restaurant, they have mainly large tables and you have to sit with others. But if you go to the 24hour Beachcomber you find your table and they have tables for 2's and 4's.

 

As for smoking, you can on your balcony. Also at the Lookout bar, and one side of all outside decks. Port side I think. This includes the pool area and the bar there.

 

We're the same we like to eat with just the 2 of us.

 

Berwyn

[Cymro1953]

P.S.

No smoking anywhere indoors on the ship.

 

 

Berwyn

[Rebel Rouser]

You never mentioned the Oasis Restaurant..where you can get a window seat and watch the Dolphins at play when eating your evening meal ;)

 

And the Oasis ir reasonably casual, last year I wore chino's plus a smart shirt for all evening meals (not the same one's every night before you say) :p

[Cymro1953]

You never mentioned the Oasis Restaurant..where you can get a window seat and watch the Dolphins at play when eating your evening meal ;)

 

And the Oasis ir reasonably casual, last year I wore chino's plus a smart shirt for all evening meals (not the same one's every night before you say) :p

 

Hi,

The food was so good in the others we've never used the Oasis.

 

Berwyn

[Soggy1]

Thanks for your replies. Just a couple more questions. You say that the Island Restaurant has larger tables so you would have to share, but can you sit where you like and perhaps grab an empty table if you're lucky. We were on a Thomson cruise a few years ago and at lunchtime they showed you to your seats and filled up the tables one at a time. It was horrible.

 

My other question is the dress code. I'm OK for the evening wear but my husband likes to dress quite casually (after all, he is on holiday). Could he get away with jeans and a smart top.

 

Thanks

 

Soggy

[Cymro1953]

Thanks for your replies. Just a couple more questions. You say that the Island Restaurant has larger tables so you would have to share, but can you sit where you like and perhaps grab an empty table if you're lucky. We were on a Thomson cruise a few years ago and at lunchtime they showed you to your seats and filled up the tables one at a time. It was horrible.

 

My other question is the dress code. I'm OK for the evening wear but my husband likes to dress quite casually (after all, he is on holiday). Could he get away with jeans and a smart top.

 

Thanks

 

Soggy

Hi Soggy,

In the Island you get taken to the table by the waiters. Then that's your seat for the meal while you go to fetch food from the buffet. The waiters will get drinks if you want any.

But you can find your own table in Beachcomber, the food's the same in both restaurants.

 

You can wear what you want, dress up or casual. We actually saw a guy in a dinner jacket this last time.

 

Berwyn

[Soggy1]

Thanks Berwyn, the Beachcomber sounds like our cup of tea. I assume you can go in at any time.

 

I'm now looking at the best place to book. Direct with Thomson, I suppose is the most expensive. I looked on Ideal Cruising and a balcony room was about £430 cheaper than direct with Thomson (for 2 of us). In July, that is. The Thomson website do not show a picture of the balcony rooms though, which is a bit of a worry.

 

I'll keep looking for a good deal.

 

Soggy

[Cymro1953]

Thanks Berwyn, the Beachcomber sounds like our cup of tea. I assume you can go in at any time.

 

I'm now looking at the best place to book. Direct with Thomson, I suppose is the most expensive. I looked on Ideal Cruising and a balcony room was about £430 cheaper than direct with Thomson (for 2 of us). In July, that is. The Thomson website do not show a picture of the balcony rooms though, which is a bit of a worry.

 

I'll keep looking for a good deal.

 

Soggy

 

Hi,

Yes Beachcomber open 24 hours a day. We ate mostly there.

 

Balcony room pics :- we've had a balcony one twice. Here are pics for you.

http://s727.photobucket.com/albums/ww273/Cymro1953/?start=0

 

That was room 9066 in 2008. it was bigger than the balcony room we had in Dec. as we could have a double bed, but if we'd made the bed double in the Dec. room 9080 we couldn't have got to the balcony. The cabin was slightly narrower.

If you click on the link on the left canaries Cruise 2009 you'll see the pics of that one.

There are a few pics of the wife as people wanted to know what she wore in the evenings.

 

Berwyn

[Cymro1953]

P.S.

Those were the standard balcony cabins. Inside they were the same size as outside cabins in the rest of the ship.

They aren't huge but big enough for what you need for the time you'll be spending in it.

 

Going back to the dining, many people make a big thing about the formal aspect of the evening meal in the restaurants in other ships. the waiter service etc.

After many years of camping and caravanning we are quite happy if someone cooks it and does the washing up. As long as the food's decent and hot we're quite happy to serve ourselves from the buffet.

 

Berwyn

[Cheerypeabrain]

Hi Soggy1...:)

We loved the Beachcomber for it's informality. It could be a bit of a scrum at lunchtime but the food was invariably good quality and we always found somewhere to sit. Just outside the Beachcomber is this area...we loved eating breakfast in the morning sun watching the sea...

 

 

There are some steps up from this area to a bar where you can smoke. Deck 8 is another area where you can smoke...with seats and ashtrays available.

[Soggy1]

Thanks to you all for being so helpful. I liked the photos Berwyn.

 

Soggy

[Rebel Rouser]

Could have been the same boat? :D

 

[Scarey Mary]

Thanks Berwyn, the Beachcomber sounds like our cup of tea. I assume you can go in at any time.

 

I'm now looking at the best place to book. Direct with Thomson, I suppose is the most expensive. I looked on Ideal Cruising and a balcony room was about £430 cheaper than direct with Thomson (for 2 of us). In July, that is. The Thomson website do not show a picture of the balcony rooms though, which is a bit of a worry.

 

I'll keep looking for a good deal.

 

Soggy

 

Hi Soggy

When you book if deck 9 is sold out please DO NOT go for a premier cabin on deck 8. We tried for deck 9 but they were all sold so we settled for a premier on deck 8 thinking these would be ok. HOW WRONG WE WERE.:(

I have just seen Berwyns photos of their cabin on deck 9 and can't believe we were on the same ship. Theirs was so modern. Our furniture looked as if it hadn't been touched since the ship was built and was so dark, no wardrobe doors just curtains, the double bed was two singles pushed up against the wall with the solid wooden sides in the middle, you had to get out at the bottom(that was fun:rolleyes:), it had a picture window but we could not open the curtains because we had smokers sat right outside the window at all hours. Can't believe we paid extra for this and then the £35 on top to choose the cabin because we wanted a double bed. I think I am now going to start a thread advising people not to book these.

 

Mary

[Cymro1953]

Hi Soggy and Mary,

Thanks for the comment on the pics Soggy. I just posted the ones of the ship, didn't want to bombard everyone with all the holiday pics.

 

Mary, DW didn't fancy these promenade deck cabins before booking because of people walking about outside your window, either on here or on other ships.

 

 

I did check the boys cabin down on deck 4 and it was the same inside as ours on deck 9. I'd have thought if any were going to be tatty it would be those down there. You'd think they'd make sure the so called Deluxe cabins were decent.

 

Berwyn

[Cheerypeabrain]

Hi Soggy

When you book if deck 9 is sold out please DO NOT go for a premier cabin on deck 8. We tried for deck 9 but they were all sold so we settled for a premier on deck 8 thinking these would be ok. HOW WRONG WE WERE.:(

I have just seen Berwyns photos of their cabin on deck 9 and can't believe we were on the same ship. Theirs was so modern. Our furniture looked as if it hadn't been touched since the ship was built and was so dark, no wardrobe doors just curtains, the double bed was two singles pushed up against the wall with the solid wooden sides in the middle, you had to get out at the bottom(that was fun:rolleyes:), it had a picture window but we could not open the curtains because we had smokers sat right outside the window at all hours. Can't believe we paid extra for this and then the £35 on top to choose the cabin because we wanted a double bed. I think I am now going to start a thread advising people not to book these.

 

Mary

 

Too late!:eek:

 

However, the one we've booked looks tucked away. Last year we had a suite on deck 8 but we left it too late to book it again. However, looking at the position of the one we've booked we should be OK. We were in 8258 last year and this year we've got 8052. At least we're prepared :D and can make the most of what we've got. I'm sure that we'll have a lovely time...it's all part of the adventure.

[Scarey Mary]

Hi Soggy and Mary,

Thanks for the comment on the pics Soggy. I just posted the ones of the ship, didn't want to bombard everyone with all the holiday pics.

 

Mary, DW didn't fancy these promenade deck cabins before booking because of people walking about outside your window, either on here or on other ships.

 

 

I did check the boys cabin down on deck 4 and it was the same inside as ours on deck 9. I'd have thought if any were going to be tatty it would be those down there. You'd think they'd make sure the so called Deluxe cabins were decent.

 

Berwyn

 

Hi Berwyn

 

If idiot here had done her research I wouldn't have booked one of these cabins. I wanted deck 9 but they were all gone so agreed to go on 8 but of course was given no details other than it was a premier cabin.

Have now learnt the hard way and will do my research better in future:)

At least the cabin was clean but the furniture and bed was def. past it's sell by date and yes we expected a lot better for the premium we paid.

 

Mary

[Cymro1953]

Hi Mary,

Even though ours was fine you could tell by the wallpaper peeling apart at the seam where the strips joined and the dated bathroom.

At least they were clean and the beds comfortable.

your beds remind me of the double bed we had in Bruges. (2 singles stuck together). When I shuffled across to the middle they slid apart and I vanished down the gap in the middle. :D

 

Berwyn