Dining room question

[kazbar]

Hello

 

I hope this question is not too silly? :)

 

If we are booked in to the early dining for dinner in the main dining room but decide for that particular night that the buffet may be more suitable for that day, do we need to notify the dining room that we won't be needing our table that evening?

 

 

thank you for any answers for this question and all my other silly questions (both already asked and to be asked further down the line)

[kitty9]

It's always polite to tell your waiter and your table mates that you won't be there. That way they don't sit and wait for you to show up.

[DonnaK]

You dont need to notify the dining room, however if it is possible, it is a good idea to try to notify them, especially if you have tablemates. You could let your tablemates know that you aren't coming, so they can pass the message onto your waiter, as so not to hold up service.

[John Bull]

It's always polite to tell your waiter and your table mates that you won't be there. That way they don't sit and wait for you to show up.

 

Absolutely. And if you're planning in advance (eg speciality dining or evening dinner ashore) give table-mates as much notice as possible - they may want to do likewise to avoid gaps on the table, or even invite new friends to take your place that evening, .

JB

There are no silly questions. But sometimes silly answers.:)

[beachchick]

You don't need to notify anyone, but it's considered appropriate and polite to let your waitstaff or tablemates know if possible. However, that does not mean that you must actually go to the dining to say, "We won't be here tonight," especially after a long day if you've decided last minute (as we have done many times) that you just aren't up to the usual sit-down meal or don't want to get dressed up that night or want to have room service and a quiet evening alone. However, there is usually a number you can call to reach the maitre d', head waiter, or dining room. It's a nice thing to do, but no one will throw you overboard or snub you for the rest of the cruise if you aren't able to notify anyone some evening.

 

This is what we do on cruises with assigned dining: On the first evening, we make sure to dine in the MDR. During the meal, we tell our tablemates and wait staff that we sometimes decide last minute to eat somewhere other than the MDR and that we generally dine a number of evenings in the alternate venues. When we know we'll be eating elsewhere the next night, we let everyone know the night before.

 

The first night, we say that if we are not at the table within 10 minutes of "the doors opening" to not wait for us. We feel it's important to be on time for assigned dining, so we will not come in late. The "10 minutes after doors opening" is because it's not physically possible for 1,000+ people to all enter the MDR and be seated in 1 minute. For us, 10 minutes is reasonable as a margin, but anything more is, simply put, rude.

 

All anyone can ask is that you do your best to be considerate, but don't worry or stress about it.

 

I kind of disagree with John Bull in that I think there are silly questions (e.g., "Does the crew sleep onboard the ship?"), but your questions are not silly in the least. In fact, I think it's classy to come here and ask things like this. It shows that you want to know what is typical and appropriate on cruises. That's a nice thing to do.

 

beachchick

[Krazy Kruizers]

We always have fixed dining on HAL. Whenever we going to eat in one of the speciality restaurants we always inform our waitstaff that we won't be there the next evening -- just being curtious.

Since we always have a table for 2 -- it is not a big deal.

But if you are seated at a larger table -- the other people and wait staff don't have to wait for you or play a guessing game as to whether you are going to show up.

[kazbar]

Thank you everyone :)

 

We would be a family of 5 travelling, including young children, so my main concern was if the littlies were too tired after a shore day (or too many trips down the waterslide) and needed to have a quiet night in or just grab a quick bite from the deli.

 

With a group of 5 would we normally be on a table of our own or mixed with others on a larger table?

[cb at sea]

If you KNOW in advance that you won't be there, then certainly tell your tablemates/waiter....

However, if it's a last minute thing, there is no need to go out of your way to tell anyone. You don't have to send someone to the dining room...or call....

if you can tell them in advance, it's nice....you do NOT have to, tho!!!!

[beachchick]

Thank you everyone :)

 

We would be a family of 5 travelling, including young children, so my main concern was if the littlies were too tired after a shore day (or too many trips down the waterslide) and needed to have a quiet night in or just grab a quick bite from the deli.

 

With a group of 5 would we normally be on a table of our own or mixed with others on a larger table?

 

You should be asked for your table preference when you book. In most cases, you won't be requesting a table for 5, but rather a preference for a small or large table. You can definitely request a table only for your family. As dining requests are exactly that, requests, you aren't guaranteed to have that assigned, but when you get onboard, you will be able to check and see. For example, if you request a table for just your family, but you end up assigned to a table for 10 or 12, you would go to the matre' d and ask to be reassigned. There are generally hours listed specifically for this purpose.

 

beachchick

[kazbar]

Much appreciated, thank you :)

[Dayenu]

If you have the table to yourself, doesn't matter if you notify anybody or not. If you have a shared table, others will certainly appreciate not being forced to sit there and wait for you to arrive.