Tried "Your Time" dining on the Dream 11/20 - NEVER AGAIN! (Chef's Art letdown also)

[galardia]

Tom

 

We are going on the Dream in a few months and are figuring out what to do. We want to go to the Ruins in Costa maya. Have you been to any of them and if so which is the best of the three.

 

Thanks!

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Tom

 

We are going on the Dream in a few months and are figuring out what to do. We want to go to the Ruins in Costa maya. Have you been to any of them and if so which is the best of the three.

 

Thanks!

 

I think we have been to Costa Maya 3-4 times. Each time we never ventured far (more than a couple hundred yards) from the pier complex. We have never visited any of the ruins. You might try checking on the "ports of call board" to see if that has been addressed. LINK

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Tom

[halos]

Thanks for posting your experience Tom, I appreciate it very much.

 

I actually am trying YTD for the first time next week on The Liberty....I have to say I'm sad that your experience was so bad. I was looking forward to trying it. This will be the first cruise in a very long time that my DH and I are taking without any friends or family in tow...so I thought it would be nice to just eat alone with him all week and not have to share a table. I hope I didn't make a mistake...but I guess I'll find out.

 

I think I'm more disappointed in seeing another complaint about The Dream. I am dismayed at how CCL put out this new ship and just does not have it where it should be. What good is a brand new ship that leaves at least half the people who sail on her disappointed for one reason or another???

 

...not good.

[sharecruises]

Tom, so sorry to hear of your failed dining experiences...what a frustration!:( We had YTD on the Miracle and it was great, so maybe the size of the ship makes a difference? Starting to sound like that from reading some of the other posts here. I have yet to try the Steakhouse...maybe I want to keep waiting;)

 

Esty, any of us who have been on the boards for awhile know Tom and know that he doesn't post nonsense, so unlikely that he will get flamed much. And not for nothing, but you have continued to post the details of your cruise all over the place here...it's like deja vu (all over again):rolleyes:

 

Excuse me.....why are you telling me what to post or not to post??

 

Are you implying I post nonsense??

 

I posted my experience here because it was relevant. I appreciate that Tom posted another example of a poorly trained "assistant" picking up a container from a dirty table. I felt the same as him. I don't know what the person did with that little "ramekin" or whatever that held the sauce. I wanted the sauce that came with the bitter and blanc but I of course expected they would get a fresh little pot of sauce from the kitchen rather than someone's leftovers

 

 

and "not for nothing">> I know what counties and villages my grandparents came from in Ireland LOL

[sharecruises]

We too experienced poor service at the Chefs Art, the sailing before yours. This was my 2nd sailing on the Dream.

 

There were 15 of us CCer's that made a reservation well in advance, though nobody in Miami was able to confirm it. A week before we were to leave I sent an email to the reservation group, still trying to confirm, but never heard from anyone. I then called the Events Group in Miami and was told that since there were more then 10 of us,

 

1) the reservation would require payment in advance, from each person:eek: ARE YOU KIDDING ME:rolleyes:

2) since I booked through Johna, then she'd need to make the reservation for us, HUH!:mad: Well, that really got me po'd because I had exchanged emails about this with Johna months earlier and she told me that I'd need to take care of the reservation.

3) the day before I left, I received a confirmation for the steakhouse:confused: So what changed??

 

Once on board, my new CC friend, Ward, and I went to Chefs Art to verify if we did or did not have a reservation. Lo and behold we did...thanks for the additional STRESS Carnival.

 

We went to dinner and had 2 long tables next to each other, which was fine. One of our tables were served lickity split and there we sat and sat and sat, while our other table finished 2 courses. Really...we just sat there. One person at our table had to leave after 1 1/2 hours, having only received his starters, because he was in a BJ Tourney. His folks took his dinner to go! Our other table kept wondering what was up, as they devoured their meals.

 

Anyway, we were there for 3 hours...way too long in my opinion. It's one thing if you keep receiving courses, but we waited a minimum of 45 minutes, just sitting, for our main course to be served.

 

As for the MDR, I had late seating and was rarely offered a beverage, other then water. I had a soda card and needed to ask for it every night. I never heard ice tea being offered and we needed to ask for coffee after dinner, it wasn't offered.

 

I think it's a shame that a ship, only a year into service, has declined so steadily.

 

Wow...that must have been so frustrating!

 

Trying to deal with "group services" in Miami is hard and recently seems to have become much harder. There seems to be such a total disconnect between group services in Miami and the onboard "group coordinator"

 

There are a lot of little things here that add up to frustration and disappointment, things that you would think that Carnival would easily and willingly do to keep their customers happy. :confused:

[wimsiecruise]

OP (Tom), thanks for sharing as I will be trying YTD in just a few weeks. To make matters worse, I'm travelling solo, so I'm facing a double-whammy and getting a tad nervous about the whole thing.

 

Halos, I'll be on the Liberty shortly after you, so please post your experience with YTD on the Liberty (pretty please)? I've heard that the MDR service on the Liberty is good, but 3,000 + pax must be a logistical nightmare (I can't even imagine feeding that many peeps within a 4 hour range)! I have booked the Chef's Table and Harry's Steakhouse, just in case I'm disappointed with the dining experience in the MDR, but I'm hopeful that I will not be disappointed.. I love to eat well, and Tom is right, dining is a big part of our cruise experience - good food and good dining room service is one area the cruiselines cannot afford to cut back on. ;)

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I would like to add that Alexandria (Steakhouse Hostess) was very helpful prior to the cruise in assisting with making our reservations in Chef's Art (dates, time, and even table!) along with two nights booked for CC'ers in our roll call for the Chef's Table. That was pretty much a CC takeover... so much so that they opened up a third night on that sailing for the event for the general cruising public (and it IS an event - NOT to be missed)!! Also, my thanks to Ante (Maitre d') who helped out with arrangements for a dozen or so cruisers (some early, some late, some small table, some large) -- PERFECT! It was also my pleasure to see that another of our favorite Matire d's (Goran) came onboard the same day we did! The Maitre d' we had in the Crimson dining room (his name currently escapes me) although we were only there two nights - did come through with a couple of surprise dishes when he saw us the first night and once for lunch. A very friendly and capable fellow, though tasked with a difficult (Your Time) job!! I don't envy the Maitre d' to begin with - having to try and please everyone, but when you add in long waits, they must take a hit in the "tips" as well as the Blood Pressure departments! :eek:

 

I just wanted to give (extra) credit where it was due - as there are some splendid people there.

 

Tom

 

Yikes... After sailing with so many great CD's, Maitre d's, etc (and being human) - I realized that I named the WRONG Maitre d' in this case! :o:o

 

Rather than Goran, it was actually Drago who came aboard on the 20th! Drago has gone out of his way more than once for us, on multiple sailings, and has always been very helpful and friendly. I told him just yesterday morning (at the "final breakfast") that he needs to request a transfer to the Miracle for January! :D

 

Tom

[CwuzCwazy]

Tom:

 

WE sailed on the Dream (for the second time) on the Nov. 6 sailing and experienced exactly the same thing as you did with respect to YTD and the Steakhouse. I thought it was an anomaly but your experience mirrors mine. We will be Milestone on our next cruise, but after that we're going to be experiencing other lines for a while. Experienced Carnival cruisers have witnessed what I call the "cheapening of the Carnival experience", which seems to have arrived coincidentally with the departure of Bob Dickenson, and the takeover of Mr. Cahill.

 

There are an exorbitant number of "little" things that have either been eliminated or reduced over the past few years that have reduced the overall experience. One small example (and there are tons of others, a few of which you have pointed out) is there are no longer any bar snacks offered.....they have eliminated them. John Heald offered the flimsy excuse on his blog that they did it for "sanitary" reasons......sure they did...not to mention the dollar savings....who do they think they are kidding with all of these deductions....surely experienced folks notice these things....to new cruisers (or the oblivious) these things are not so obvious or important. Experienced cruisers notice these things and I for one am tired of all the cuts in my experience.

 

I'm also tired of folks response to the cuts like "I haven't noticed the cuts, as long as they keep the prices low"........"the cuts don't bother me"......and all the other responses that ignore the problem and the cheapening of the experience. If this keeps up Carnival will re-inherit the monicker "Walmart of the Seas".....

[H82seaUgo]

op.. you have confirmed and reinforced why i have stayed away from carnival during their decline. they'd better wise up. they seem to be on the same declining path as they were in the early 90's, before they came to their senses and altered course.

[big_duck]

It sounds like the Dream dining rooms have a real leadership/morale problem. The Maitre d' and his assistants set the tone, and if they don't care enough to even enforce the minimal dress codes it isn't surprising that the the laissez faire attitude filters down to the rank and file. All ships are dealing with the same cutbacks and most don't seem to be having the same issues.

 

Further evidence is the excellent experience at the Chef's table where only the best-of-the-best get to work it and are under the direct supervision of the Executive Chef.

[deborahjo]

Tom we did have a great Dream cruise but I have to agree with you on several points. The waiting lines are just to long. I fell it is due to the ship being bigger then Carnival is use to. With them ordering 2 new ships this size makes me wonder where Carnivals head is.

 

The waiting lines everywhere on the ship is a problem for EVERYONE.

 

1. The customer-The longer the lines the more upset customers become.

2. The waitstaff-People get seated and already upset because of the long wait. They then take your order finally. Another long wait. Customers have to wait longer on their food because the servers have more customers to wait on.

3. Carnival gets more complaints. But yet they seem to not worry about matters and allow things to go the "status quo".

 

Who loses here. Customers do all the way around.

 

Allowing a waiter to yell at customers in a dining room will become the norm. Not just a once in a while occurance. (Yes it does happen.)

 

 

Anyway Thank You Tom and Cheryl for voicing concerns. As experienced cruisers I would hope Carnival looks at your post seriously.

[albean99]

Thanks for posting your experience Tom, I appreciate it very much.

 

I actually am trying YTD for the first time next week on The Liberty....I have to say I'm sad that your experience was so bad. I was looking forward to trying it. This will be the first cruise in a very long time that my DH and I are taking without any friends or family in tow...so I thought it would be nice to just eat alone with him all week and not have to share a table. I hope I didn't make a mistake...but I guess I'll find out.

 

I think I'm more disappointed in seeing another complaint about The Dream. I am dismayed at how CCL put out this new ship and just does not have it where it should be. What good is a brand new ship that leaves at least half the people who sail on her disappointed for one reason or another???

 

...not good.

 

We did MTD on the Liberty a few weeks ago and it was fine but we were perfectly willing to sit with someone. The first night we had to wait 5 mins but were seated with another couple and had a wonderful time. The next night we were seated in the far back (right side) by the kitchen and had a waiter who seemed friendly with his regulars but ignored us as much as possible. The next time we told them we didn't want him again and were seated in Tatyana's (from Romania, I think - not the one from Russia). She was great and so animated & friendly although extremely busy. It got so there were several couples who requested her every night. We were seated in the tables right next to each other but we met some lovely people and had nice conversations. I thought the food was pretty good overall and our waits were never long. I will agree that the waiters were overworked but we got our dinner quickly and always were able to have coffee with our dessert. The last night I hadn't yet tried the melting chocolate cake but really wanted the Cappuccino pie and Dragon the server brought both without me asking. So happy he did because the 2nd one was my favorite of the week.

 

I'm sorry others have had trouble with it. For us it ended up being the best of both worlds because we didn't stress about being there on time plus we ended up in a great section.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

We did MTD on the Liberty a few weeks ago and it was fine but we were perfectly willing to sit with someone. The first night we had to wait 5 mins but were seated with another couple and had a wonderful time. The next night we were seated in the far back (right side) by the kitchen and had a waiter who seemed friendly with his regulars but ignored us as much as possible. The next time we told them we didn't want him again and were seated in Tatyana's (from Romania, I think - not the one from Russia). She was great and so animated & friendly although extremely busy. It got so there were several couples who requested her every night. We were seated in the tables right next to each other but we met some lovely people and had nice conversations. I thought the food was pretty good overall and our waits were never long. I will agree that the waiters were overworked but we got our dinner quickly and always were able to have coffee with our dessert. The last night I hadn't yet tried the melting chocolate cake but really wanted the Cappuccino pie and Dragon the server brought both without me asking. So happy he did because the 2nd one was my favorite of the week.

 

I'm sorry others have had trouble with it. For us it ended up being the best of both worlds because we didn't stress about being there on time plus we ended up in a great section.

 

Ante tells me that our YTD experience was atypical, yet with all the kids (~1200) on this crowded Thanksgiving sailing it was more hectic than usual. Even so, once bitten, twice shy! ;)

 

Tom

[AllenF]

The Solstice is the most beautiful ship we have ever been on. I look forward to sailing on the Solstice again - or any in her class!

 

Tom

 

 

Hey Tom always love your post great info and incite. Glad to see you liked the Solstice as we will be doing a 12 day out of Barcelona next July.

[big_duck]

Hey Tom always love your post great info and incite. Glad to see you liked the Solstice as we will be doing a 12 day out of Barcelona next July.

 

 

LOL, please don't take offence but it's insight. Incite is what trolls do and Tom ain't no troll.

[AllenF]

Yes Don I know and it was a poke at Tom ;)

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Hi Allen! We'll get to cruise again together one day.

 

Yep - some (Carnival perhaps?:eek:) would say that I tend to stir things up :D - but if the truth hurts then... ! ;)

 

Tom

[csoud]

we sail on saturday and have the anytime dining request. i wont even attempt to tell my mom of this problem as she will worry til next week and all through the cruise. i just hope we are ok.

[halos]

Halos, I'll be on the Liberty shortly after you, so please post your experience with YTD on the Liberty (pretty please)? . ;)

`

I will :)

[halos]

It sounds like the Dream dining rooms have a real leadership/morale problem. The Maitre d' and his assistants set the tone, and if they don't care enough to even enforce the minimal dress codes it isn't surprising that the the laissez faire attitude filters down to the rank and file. .

 

I think you may be right. My best cruise was on a ship that had the absolute best Hotel Director....the staff loved him, admired him and they were like one big family. Because they were so happy, they provided the best service I ever experienced on any cruise ship.

The 'Boss-man' sets the tone...if the boss sucks, the crew won't be all that great.

[sharecruises]

Heres a great solution....since NCL and now Royal seem to be bringing back the solo cabin, maybe Carnival can dedicate some cabins for "solo" cruisers

and that would cut down on lines

 

also if they would cater to groups, that would cut down on the people wanting anytime dining,cause groups will always want a set seating, single groups want late seating

 

Just a thought:)

 

On a more serious note...I just found out last night that a guy on our Destiny Cruise had yet another waiter complaint...he ordered the turkey farafalle and didn't like it and wanted something else and the waiter humiliated him..

"Oh you didn't even eat much of that, look at that big piece of turkey there"

 

this was his first cruise and he asked me if he had done something "wrong" cause waiter seemed "mad"....eeek

thank heavens he did have fun with the group and is booking for January haha

 

I really wonder how much they can stretch out the staff in the dining rooms before they all just have time to do the bare minimum??

 

I also really wonder how Carnival can afford to take all those Splendor losses without compromising quality/staff on other ships and/or raising prices

[csoud]

i wonder if i showed up 20 minutes before the next dining session started that we would have to wait so long. seems like many of the seated diners would be getting up to go to a show or something and tables would be open all over the place. in the process, we would also beat the rush of the next wave lining up to be seated.

[Jimmy Geegitz]

Yea I agree the service in Chefs Art Steakhouse was bad. I thought the food was not that great either. My steak had no flavor.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Yea I agree the service in Chefs Art Steakhouse was bad. I thought the food was not that great either. My steak had no flavor.

 

Any chance that you ordered the Filet Mignon? That cut, although very tender, has limited natural flavor.

 

My absolute favorite in there is one that's not (for whatever reason) on the menu. Sometimes they will tell you about it, sometimes not. It is the 5-spice Dry Rub Boneless Ribeye (Prime grade). Talk about flavor!!!

 

One thing that I have noticed in ALL the Steakhouses we have enjoyed is that they under cook the steaks as a general rule. If you order M-Rare, be prepared for RARE... if you order M-Well, get ready for Medium. For many people that is not a biggie, but if you have issues with RED/PINK, you should ask them go a little beyond whatever you normally order. If you go for the Filet and desire it anything beyond Rare to M-Rare, it's advisable to ask them to butterfly it, as it's pretty thick!

 

I was a broiler chef for a couple of years (late 1970's), and have probably cooked close to 100,000 steaks. When I did not cook them right, they came back. After enough time, you get a pretty good feel for this!

 

Tom

[kbmeow]

Tom

 

We are going on the Dream in a few months and are figuring out what to do. We want to go to the Ruins in Costa maya. Have you been to any of them and if so which is the best of the three.

 

Thanks!

 

Kohunlich is a long bus ride but so worth it in my opinion. The nice thing about it is that you can wonder everywhere and go on the structures, Alot of other Mayan sites have roped off area and then there are the vendors that harass you everywhere. Kohunlich wasn;t like that and it is also fairly recent of a discovery so they are learning about it everyday