How to ask an Officer to join your table?

[canadianbear]

Just wondering-how do you request an officer or staff member to join your table for dinner? Do they actually enjoy this or do it out of duty?

[bcd2010]

DS asked a front desk clerk if she could join us for dinner one night in the MDR - she had to get her supervisor's approval - no problem - and she was quite charming. Don't know about officers or CD, etc., though. Someone more knowledgeable will be along soon to fill us in!

[CtheW0rld]

why would you want to eat with the help? :D

[hpf]

why would you want to eat with the help? :D

 

To learn about life aboard ship for a long period of time.

To be friendly and interested in another human being.

Helen :cool:

[canadianbear]

To learn about life aboard ship for a long period of time.

To be friendly and interested in another human being.

Helen :cool:

 

Exactly...and to give them perhaps a nice break away from their daily routines to spend time with our family and maybe, just maybe, make them feel for a couple of hours like they are part of our family.

 

I just didn't know how to go about it but am sure someone that has done this will pipe in.

[canadianbear]

why would you want to eat with the help? :D

 

 

Cuz I'm a friendly Canadian-eh?!

[cruisinjudy]

We have had an officer or future cruise consultant join us but we didn't do anything to make it happen.

[canadianbear]

DS asked a front desk clerk if she could join us for dinner one night in the MDR - she had to get her supervisor's approval - no problem - and she was quite charming. Don't know about officers or CD, etc., though. Someone more knowledgeable will be along soon to fill us in!

 

That is great....it's nice for some of the staff to have a friendly dinner with guests-I think it also shows their supervisor that since they were asked to join passengers, they are doing a good job and passengers request them. Just my opinion.

[wingit]

Just wondering-how do you request an officer or staff member to join your table for dinner? Do they actually enjoy this or do it out of duty?

 

I've always assumed that it is their duty. I don't mean to say that I think it is their duty to accept every dinner invitation, but that dining with guests is a part of their jobs. Some may enjoy this duty and others may not. I'm of course referring here to officers. "Staff" would include a broad range of jobs on a ship. I imagine their duties are considerably different from the officers'.

[Toad]

AND not all staff is allowed to do this. Try asking your cabin attendent and the answer will be NOT! Since only certain staff is allowed, I guess I would not be too eager to do this. JMHO.

[canadianbear]

AND not all staff is allowed to do this. Try asking your cabin attendent and the answer will be NOT! Since only certain staff is allowed, I guess I would not be too eager to do this. JMHO.

 

That is sad....they work so hard.

[canadianbear]

I might re-think this.....if staff are assigned to dine with guests then I will just leave it as is.

 

Thanks everyone for your replies.

[Toad]

Also Canadianbear, people are often asked to join the captain's table. We have done this often in the past, but not since I learned that "certain" staff was notallowed. Anyway cheer up, you may be asked to join the Captain, which is fun.

[Copper10-8]

Staff are not assigned to dine with guests/host tables. You (as staff) just indicate to the dining room manager that you are interested in it. I do it once a week in my position. Others do it twice a week, others once a month. It's up to you. Others that regularly host a table are people like the ship's doctor, future cruise consultant, port & shopping ambassador, asst. housekeeper, SEH officer, etc. etc. It can be a really positive experience, somewhere in the middle, or a long night. It all depends if you mesh with the guests and/or they with you so personality comes into play. To answer the original question, if you are interested in dining with the "help":D, inform the dining room manager of that early in your cruise! It helps if you sit at a larger (6/8) table. Good luck to ya!

[CaveDiving]

why would you want to eat with the help? :D

 

I certainly hope that your message is presented with your tongue firmly planted in your cheek.

 

For if it is intended as written, I really think a statement such as this tells a great deal more about the personality of the speaker than it does about the subject. And I believe it is unfortunate that people such as this, who feel the ship's officers and staff are beneath them, are so bold as to even state it on this board.

 

I, for one, do not appreciate it.

 

Scott & Karen

[sapper1]

I certainly hope that your message is presented with your tongue firmly planted in your cheek.

 

For if it is intended as written, I really think a statement such as this tells a great deal more about the personality of the speaker than it does about the subject. And I believe it is unfortunate that people such as this, who feel the ship's officers and staff are beneath them, are so bold as to even state it on this board.

 

I, for one, do not appreciate it.

 

Scott & Karen

I think everyone is missing the joking reference here. The story is told that, many years ago, Lady Astor was asked to join the Captain for dinner and she replied that she did not dine with the help. I say Lady Astor because that is what came to mind but it may have been some other well known person of the day.

[digitl]

why would you want to eat with the help? :D

'...the help'? What a sad attitude.

[bplazo]

'...the help'? What a sad attitude.

 

I do believe thie poster was joking.

[TV Dad]

I certainly hope that your message is presented with your tongue firmly planted in your cheek.

 

For if it is intended as written, I really think a statement such as this tells a great deal more about the personality of the speaker than it does about the subject. And I believe it is unfortunate that people such as this, who feel the ship's officers and staff are beneath them, are so bold as to even state it on this board.

 

I, for one, do not appreciate it.

 

Scott & Karen

 

 

Scott & Karen -- to ease your minds that are working way too hard on this one -- if someone puts a smiley face at the end of a sarcastic sentence like that, it is ALWAYS meant as a joke :D

[kazu]

Staff are not assigned to dine with guests/host tables. You (as staff) just indicate to the dining room manager that you are interested in it. I do it once a week in my position. Others do it twice a week, others once a month. It's up to you. Others that regularly host a table are people like the ship's doctor, future cruise consultant, port & shopping ambassador, asst. housekeeper, SEH officer, etc. etc. It can be a really positive experience, somewhere in the middle, or a long night. It all depends if you mesh with the guests and/or they with you so personality comes into play. To answer the original question, if you are interested in dining with the "help":D, inform the dining room manager of that early in your cruise! It helps if you sit at a larger (6/8) table. Good luck to ya!

 

Thanks Copper - I didn't know you could do this. :D

[TV Dad]

We've dined with the captain twice while cruising with Princess. The first time, I wrote to the cruise line and requested it. They responded and asked why I thought we'd enjoy dining with the captain. I told them and we were assigned to his table in the MDR. We had a great week with him.

 

He only dined at the table twice (both formal nights), but there was complimentary wine on the table every night. We were invited to two private cocktail parties in his suite. He also invited me to play Scrabble with him in his ready room one afternoon at sea.

 

Three years later were were cruising on the same ship and I asked the maitre d' if we could dine with the captain. The maitre d' told us the captain was not dining with guests that week.

 

Second day on board, I literally bumped into the Captain in a passageway. He looked at me, paused, remembered by name (three years later) and demanded to know why I didn't ask to sit at his table for dinner. We dined together almost every night that cruise. There were cocktail parties. One night, in the MDR, he had us order "off the menu." We were late for the show one night, and voila, there was a row of eight in the front row of the balcony "reserved for crew" waiting for us. Drinks in the showroom that night were comped. He also kicked my BUTT at Scrabble again. And English is his second language!:confused:

[roberts2005]

How do you invite staff if you have open seating?

[CtheW0rld]

I think everyone is missing the joking reference here. The story is told that, many years ago, Lady Astor was asked to join the Captain for dinner and she replied that she did not dine with the help. I say Lady Astor because that is what came to mind but it may have been some other well known person of the day.

 

you got it. i'm you glad and a few other have good sense of humor. sad that others don't. i'd hate to go through life that way.

[sapper1]

you got it. i'm you glad and a few other have good sense of humor. sad that others don't. i'd hate to go through life that way.

It must be the Canadian thing. We are known for having a very dry sense of humour---along with the Brits.:)

[Cruising-along]

It must be the Canadian thing. We are known for having a very dry sense of humour---along with the Brits.:)

 

I'm not Canadian, but I got it immediately. I can't believe some thought CtheWorld was serious. :confused: I've always loved the story about Lady Astor.