Ordering more than one dish

[griffy116]

On the 1st night, even the waitstaff is adjusting to the new guests and the meal has it's "hiccups." Had we been late the first night and the subsequent night(s), I can see him saying this. Starting out the cruise with his attitude was inappropriate. In fact, as we were seated, we were apologizing and explaining why. It was obvious to anyone seeing us that we were rushing. It was our first cruise, we didn't realize how difficult it was to catch an elevator and after standing there and seeing 3 elevators in a row arrive packed, we finally ran up the flights of stairs. I hardly think the late arrival of our luggage would have occurred any other night either. We've watched the late arrival and wished they would shut the doors too. Fifteen minutes late on the first night hardly justifies his comment and his sour face. It was very off-putting and quite frankly he acted as if he was better than all the passengers he served. His attitude was visible at every table. When we did the exact same cruise, same ship, the following year, the asst. waiter was there (and was now a waiter) and the waiter wasn't. Maybe he wasn't cut out to be there. It was rude and uncalled for and he got the recommended amount of tip and nothing more. The asst. waiter was great and received additional cash from us as well as the other tablemates. While I appreciate the hard work and great service from the crew, I'm not on the cruise to receive a lesson in manners or to be scolded by the waiter, which is exactly what he did. We have never had a waiter to be anything but wonderful with the exception of this guy and our tips reflect our respect and appreciation.

[Kimmie36]

On the 1st night, even the waitstaff is adjusting to the new guests and the meal has it's "hiccups." Had we been late the first night and the subsequent night(s), I can see him saying this. Starting out the cruise with his attitude was inappropriate. In fact, as we were seated, we were apologizing and explaining why. It was obvious to anyone seeing us that we were rushing. It was our first cruise, we didn't realize how difficult it was to catch an elevator and after standing there and seeing 3 elevators in a row arrive packed, we finally ran up the flights of stairs. I hardly think the late arrival of our luggage would have occurred any other night either. We've watched the late arrival and wished they would shut the doors too. Fifteen minutes late on the first night hardly justifies his comment and his sour face. It was very off-putting and quite frankly he acted as if he was better than all the passengers he served. His attitude was visible at every table. When we did the exact same cruise, same ship, the following year, the asst. waiter was there (and was now a waiter) and the waiter wasn't. Maybe he wasn't cut out to be there. It was rude and uncalled for and he got the recommended amount of tip and nothing more. The asst. waiter was great and received additional cash from us as well as the other tablemates. While I appreciate the hard work and great service from the crew, I'm not on the cruise to receive a lesson in manners or to be scolded by the waiter, which is exactly what he did. We have never had a waiter to be anything but wonderful with the exception of this guy and our tips reflect our respect and appreciation.

 

I was late almost every night of my Disney Cruise last year and the head waiter always called just to make sure that we were going to eat dinner that night, it was never a problem I am a single parent traveling with my 3 yr old son and things happen. The waiter’s attitude was inappropriate and honestly you didn’t even need to explain why you were late. Just remember this, it is your cruise and don’t ever let staff tell you anything that will upset your trip if it happens put them in their place politely of course but stern or just speak to whoever is over them I guarantee you won’t have any more problems with them.

[Kimmie36]

Last year when I cruised DCL with my 3 yr old, I told the wait staff up front that my son will order off the adult menu, it was never a problem he ate his food without a waste, my son is not a chicken finger and hamburger child at home so why would he be one on a cruise. I always order whatever I want and how much I want but never wasteful. I never ask if I can I just order!

[roupa]

order whatever you want...the cruise is all inclusive, remember...'cept for the specialty restaurants of course. I often order something as a 2nd or 3rd option to share with others at the table...sorta like family style.

[Bigtex1622]

...but the waiter taking the order did nothing to encourage her ordering them both and gave a distinct feeling that this wasn't the usual thing to do....

How funny, we have in the past be encourage,

to order what and how much of what we wanted.

So on our first RCCL, that is what we did.

Iris our main waiter always said " My Pleasure "

So if you run across her on Voyager, tell her we will see her again in April.

 

i'm just wondering how you approach the waiter about ordering the extra dishes .

Do it as a matter of fact. trust me you are paying for this food,

so eat what you want, and how much you want.

But do not go overboard and waste food.

 

 

 

:rolleyes:

[bplazo]

I was late almost every night of my Disney Cruise last year and the head waiter always called just to make sure that we were going to eat dinner that night, it was never a problem I am a single parent traveling with my 3 yr old son and things happen. The waiter’s attitude was inappropriate and honestly you didn’t even need to explain why you were late. Just remember this, it is your cruise and don’t ever let staff tell you anything that will upset your trip if it happens put them in their place politely of course but stern or just speak to whoever is over them I guarantee you won’t have any more problems with them.

 

It is everyone's cruise and it is rude to be late every night. I was a single parent for alot of years and always managed my time. However, it was rude of the waiter to scold on the first night.

[marci22]

Someone needs to say something! We were by the doors for early seating on our recent Grandeur cruise. People strolled in non-stop even up to 7:30! A head waiter looked at his watch when one group asked to be seated that late and asked if they meant for the 6:00 seating. (I'm sure he thought they were early for the late seating.) The man got ticked off and stormed out!

How do you think a wait staff can juggle several tables and several couples at large tables with every one arriving at different times. I say close the doors at 6:50 and let them go to the Windjammer! If you can't be on time pick MTD and don't inconvenience everyone else. If you get tied up and are more than 30 minutes late eat someplace else!

The waiter had every right to explain what was necessary for him/her to provide the excellent service that is expected of him.

 

If being late is unacceptable they need to refuse diners after a certain time. A waiter scolding a passenger is rude.

[Yvonne]

If being late is unacceptable they need to refuse diners after a certain time. A waiter scolding a passenger is rude.

 

I agree that a waiter scolding a passenger is rude, however is is also rude for people to be late to dinner night after night. Having a young child is not an excuse. It's very difficult for the servers when someone is continually late more than 5-10 minutes. It throws everything off and then it's hard for them to give good service to everyone. If you're late enough every night that the mait're de has to call you to find out if you're coming to dinner then maybe it would be better to get around quicker and be on time (like most everyone else) or eat at the buffet.

[Kimmie36]

It is everyone's cruise and it is rude to be late every night. I was a single parent for alot of years and always managed my time. However, it was rude of the waiter to scold on the first night.

!

 

What is rude, is you judging me on being late not even knowing my circumstances. Were you a single mom with a disabled child cruising for the first time with your child? If not then you can’t judge me on being late on my cruise that I paid for!

[Kimmie36]

I agree that a waiter scolding a passenger is rude, however is is also rude for people to be late to dinner night after night. Having a young child is not an excuse. It's very difficult for the servers when someone is continually late more than 5-10 minutes. It throws everything off and then it's hard for them to give good service to everyone. If you're late enough every night that the mait're de has to call you to find out if you're coming to dinner then maybe it would be better to get around quicker and be on time (like most everyone else) or eat at the buffet.

 

Well I like yall nerves on here! But it is your opinion and for me it really doesn’t matter what you think. If you were in my shoes you probably wouldn’t even had made it in the seven hour car ride to Florida by yourself, so me being a little late for dinner was no big deal if they didn’t mind neither should anyone else! If it is not effecting your meal than what is the big deal? We eat alone so there was no one else waiting for us, plus we were finished our dinner way before many other families that were around us and on top of that, well body people were arriving for dinner after us! Let’s not make this thread about me being late every night and stay on the OP topic!

[abhb]

We have never had a problem ordering anything that we wanted. Sometimes DH and I order something for each of us and another to share just to get to taste different items. We have always found that it has been encouraged by the wait staff.

[Chozn1]

We just cruised with a group of 9. Each of us at some point or another ordered multiple appetizers and entrees. The wait staff never gave it a second thought, and they were rewarded for being accommodating.

[Kimmie36]

Order whatever you want and enjoy your next cruise!

[stewpapa]

On our last Voyager cruise, we had anytime dining and dined just the two of us each night with the same excellent waiters. They brought us something extra everynight, which we didn't order....fruit and cheese plate every night, extra dessert some nights and extra entre a couple of times. We ate as much as we could, but couldn't eat it all. We didn't order it, so we didn't have to feel guilty. It was great. Just got back from the Carnival Ecstasy, usually a great experience, and had just the opposite experience. Nothing extra, no frills and just slam, bam, thank you Ma'am. Same on the Conquest last year. We're back to the Voyager!

[sherry7]

I always order a couple of appetizers, usually a soup and something else. I really can't hold more than one entree, but I've been known to order two desserts. :p

 

My husband and son are big eaters...and frankly, the portions in the dining room are rather small. They always order 2 entrees, and the waitperson has never blinked an eye. After the last family cruise we took, I discovered that my son was not only eating in the dining room, but was also visiting the Windjammer afterward. :eek: Obviously 2 entrees for a growing teenage boy weren't enough, LOL.

[Lottycruiser]

How funny, we have in the past be encourage,

to order what and how much of what we wanted.

So on our first RCCL, that is what we did.

Iris our main waiter always said " My Pleasure "

So if you run across her on Voyager, tell her we will see her again in April.

 

 

Do it as a matter of fact. trust me you are paying for this food,

so eat what you want, and how much you want.

But do not go overboard and waste food.

 

 

 

 

:rolleyes:

 

 

Since my original post , we have now cruised again this time on Freedom of the Seas , wow what a difference in the dining experiance , probably more so because i went with the knowledge of YES order anything you fancy , I can honestly say the dining experiance was second to none ,this time we chose to sit at a table for two , we really enjoyed this as we were very close to the surrounding tables which were also tables for two and got to know the diners sitting at those ,this way we got to eat at our own pace and also chat to the other diners , I ordered exactly what i fancied with no waste and our waitress was more than helpful with suggestions , it became a routine of two starters , the lobster night i had both the lobster and prime rib and it was always a dessert or two with ice cream . Fabulous experiance and so much better than my experiance on our first cruise , I am sailing Liberty in April with my dd and the two grandchildren and i am so looking forward to them having the same experiance . grandson aged 5 loves what he calls pesto pasta , its just pasta with a tiny bit of pesto stirred into it , he is a very fussy eater and i am hoping that we may be able to request this for him ?

[Adria]

Just had to chime in on that one after reading this! I had the same treatment on Carnival Sensation. That was our 2nd cruise after sailing RCCL Grandeur a couple of years prior. One afternoon I made a special trip to the MDR from the pool deck because I read that sushi was on the menu as an appetizer. I went back to my room, appropriately 'cleaned up' and headed to the MDR, figuring I'd order 2 (or even maybe 3?!) sushi appetizers in lieu of the usual pizza lunch. I thought I wasn't going to be some sushi snob so I decided I didn't even care what sort of sushi it was, but I was just so happy to get it. Upon arriving, I asked for a my request along with an imported beer. He looked at me in the most degrading way and, these were his exact words, he said, "DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT SUSHI IS?" I still feel sick and degraded when I think about it. He told me that it is much bigger than I am thinking (though I am not a very big person, I am a very healthy eater)! When I assured him that I most certainly knew what sushi was, he brought me two plates that felt like they were out of the freezer--you could even see the Saran Wrap wrinkles on the top of the rice. When I bit into it, it was the soggiest piece of mess I had ever bit into (well, maybe that could be an exaggeration ;)...). In any event after I pulled the limp 'sushi' off of the plate, a big freaking piece of CREAM CHEESE ended up in my mouth. I found out later that there is a type of sushi (Americanized, I guess) that consists of a glob of sticky cream cheese in the center of it with no seafood so to speak....I paid for my beer, which went very well with the pizza I ended up getting on the upper deck. Maybe it turns out that I really didn't "know what sushi was"....:D

Our table mates were told "NO" on lobster night on the CCL Inspiration. The head waiter said that they did not do that any longer because of cost. I was sitting right there and was dumbfounded especially since I was the one who told her to order an extra tail.:o

 

For the rest of the trip no one dared to ask for anything extra.

 

We even complained to maître d' about the bad attitude and the waiter did apologize saying he missed his family (I could understand that) however, he never offered anything extra and we never saw our table mates again after that night.

 

That is one of several reasons we booked RCCL this October.

[InsideCruiser]

He just made sure he ordered the two en-trees at the same time as everyone else.

 

I've seen this advise a lot in regards to traditional dining and it makes a lot of sense. When prepping desert for 1000+ guests, I can see how a request for a single en-tree with fixings would be inconvenient.

 

But how about MTD? The kitchen is set up more traditiinally, preparing appetizers, entrees, and deserts simultaneously. We have MTD reservations for our group of 10. Would ordering a second entree later throw off the waiter's "timing" for our table? I suppose it might simply slow things down and make the rest of my group wait?

 

I could make a pretty good guess when ordering originally, but would prefer to wait to see if I really want the second helping.

 

I didn't read the entire thread, so excuse me if this has already been discussed.

[mark13]

I've had the same experience on RCCL. Great service from the waiters and asst. waiters. :)

 

We have also had similiar experiences. My wife always asks for a second lobster and the waiters will usually just bring the lobster so you don;t waste the sides.

[limbogirl]

I'm totally flabergasted!! Why would anyone order 2 entrees????!! Its just total gluttony!!!

[Lottycruiser]

I'm totally flabergasted!! Why would anyone order 2 entrees????!! Its just total gluttony!!!

 

Believe me , i am not a big eater , i would say i have an average appetite the portions are quite small , on our first cruise i left the dining room still hungry ,on the second cruise when i ordered two starters one was usualy soup and most other starters were very small portions , i only ordered two Entrees on lobster night and am so glad i did as the lobster wasnt much more than a large mouthful , so the prime rib came in handy ,usualy the dessert would be a dessert plus a portion of ice cream , i came away from the dining room pleasantly full but not so full that i felt ''miserable '' . The Entrees are quite small portions , which i preffered as i got more enjoyment out of the starters and desserts .

[RoofingPrincess]

If it is not effecting your meal than what is the big deal?

The big deal is that you being late DOES affect other people. If your server has to break routine, then the other tables he serves do suffer. For traditional dining, the kitchens are set up to do appetizers/salads/soups, then entrees, then desserts. If someone shows up late in the cycle and wants the full meal, that means disrupting the flow in the kitchen to get their food.

On one cruise we were on, there was a table in our server's section that habitually showed up seriously late to every meal. He tried the best he could to keep things going, but we did end up sitting and waiting more than we usually would have because of that table of inconsiderate people.

[Bakincakes]

The big deal is that you being late DOES affect other people. If your server has to break routine, then the other tables he serves do suffer. For traditional dining, the kitchens are set up to do appetizers/salads/soups, then entrees, then desserts. If someone shows up late in the cycle and wants the full meal, that means disrupting the flow in the kitchen to get their food.

On one cruise we were on, there was a table in our server's section that habitually showed up seriously late to every meal. He tried the best he could to keep things going, but we did end up sitting and waiting more than we usually would have because of that table of inconsiderate people.

 

 

Absolutely...It just boggles my mind that pax don't get it.:rolleyes:

 

When they are habitually late it disrupts service to tables of pax who have arrived on time. The waitstaff is working overtime trying to catch the late diners up, in the service, so tables of those who were on time are often "neglected" in the process.

 

Pax who are late should be "invited" to go eat in the WJammer. ;)

[Kimmie36]

The big deal is that you being late DOES affect other people. If your server has to break routine, then the other tables he serves do suffer. For traditional dining, the kitchens are set up to do appetizers/salads/soups, then entrees, then desserts. If someone shows up late in the cycle and wants the full meal, that means disrupting the flow in the kitchen to get their food.

On one cruise we were on, there was a table in our server's section that habitually showed up seriously late to every meal. He tried the best he could to keep things going, but we did end up sitting and waiting more than we usually would have because of that table of inconsiderate people.

 

 

I still dont see the Big deal and I dont think it had a negative effect on other people,everyone around me was wearing a Big Disney Smile,some people cry over spilled milk! I dont think that me being late was the topic of this thread!

[Merion_Mom]

I still dont see the Big deal and I dont think it had a negative affect on other people,everyone around me was wearing a Big Disney Smile! I dont think that me being late was the topic of this thread!

 

Kimmie, you need to let this go. As you said, "back to the OP's question."