Silly dining room question

[hoophome]

I am on the Aug 13 westerdam to Alasaka, woo-hoo!! We are in Juneau from 12-9 and I want to take full advantage of my time in port, but also don't want to miss a dinner in the Main Dining Room. Some of the excursions I'm contemplating (HAL sponsored) end at around 8:15 or 8:30. I know the literature says MDR is open til 9 PM, does this really mean I can show up at 8:50 or 8:55 and still get a table? Do they extend the hours/leniency a little bit in the MDR on a late port day like this knowing there are going to be some people not getting back on the ship until 8:30 or so? I am on As You Wish dining.

 

Thanks in advance for your help

[RuthC]

Everyone's on As You Wish Dining. If you are on open seating, then yes, you can arrive at the dining room at 8:55 and expect to be seated. Personally, I wouldn't expect a happy steward at that hour, but they must be used to the long day in that port by now.

When I was there I was on fixed seating, so we just ate in town. It was part of the fun of the day.

[SwissMyst]

We were on an Evening at MiraFlores Locks excursion in Panama and due to an excursion delay got back just as the Lido was closing. Since there were many of us, we all stood around the Lido and begged to still get fed.

 

Staff very politely and firmly said we could enjoy our missed dinner ........ from room service. They were right -- we could still get food. But as Ruth points out, after their long day they were just not able to make an "exception" at that late hour, and I appreciate that.

 

Plus any excuse to have a room service club sandwich and french onion soup is a good day on board a HAL ship for me.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We had a couple of late night ports on our Alaskan cruise.

No the dining room did not extend the hours.

And the Lido also did not extend the hours.

You have a choice of trying to get back to the ship earlier than say 8:50 or staying in town and eating or ordering room service.

[piscesgal223]

I would have happily ordered room service. That's the one thing I haven't done on a HAL cruise(yet..) and honestly, after a long day calling room service and having it brought to my cabin would be perfect.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

We like to eat in port a couple of times during a cruise - usually lunch but I think I would like to do dinner sometime as well.

[Gunther1]

You will remember how you cringed when a customer came in ten minutes before it closed.........and took their time.

 

 

I vote for the room service option.

 

See : "Golden Rule" :)

[SwissMyst]

We use the restaurant blog "Chowhound" a lot for foreign ports to get local feedback for special dining ideas. And typically when we do make a special meal in port, we are just not that hungry for another large sit down dinner in the MDR the same day. So the Lido or room service for something lighter does work on those busy port days.

[hoophome]

Thanks for your feedback everyone :)

 

I would love to experience a restaurant in port, however, the excursion I'm considering is a 7 hour trip that leaves at 1:15 and returns at 8:15, since the ship leaves at 9, that leaves no time in port.

 

To me room service is great for a mid-day or late night snack, brekafast on a balcony, but the menu is not really "dinner-worthy".

 

I do understand about the MDR steward not being happy of showing up at the last minute and we have one eater in our group who is an EXTREMELY slow eater...so this is not an ideal option either :(

 

Do I remember correctly reading that lido has some kind of themed buffet from 11-12 each night? Maybe we could do room service when we get back and if some of our group find that insufficient there is the lido at 11 as an option?

[maxout]

Thanks for your feedback everyone :)

 

<SNIP>To me room service is great for a mid-day or late night snack, brekafast on a balcony, but the menu is not really "dinner-worthy".

 

If you were to order during dinner service in the MDR you could order anything on the menu for that night. (Not just the Room Service Menu) You would however, be cutting it close depending on when you actually got back to your cabin.

[cwn]

If tour the is scheduled to get back at 8:15PM and your group has "anytime dinning", do not hesitate going to the dinning room for dinner that night. The staff know that there will be late diners due to tours getting back just pior to sail away.

 

Your group might want to freshen up before going to eat, but most tours are good about being back on time, so you have ~30 to 45 minutes to get to dinnner. The open seating dinning room is open to begin service until 9PM when the doors are closed. Your group will not be the only ones coming in near 9PM that night.

 

The staff very graciously continues to wait on passengers as long as people are eating even after the door closes at 9PM. On our last cruise that was well after 10PM in both the set seating and anytime dinning rooms.... every night.

 

Remember, your group has paid for the services offered by the cruise line and one of those services is being able to dine in the MDRr up until 9PM, if that is where you like to eat, and if you picked anytime dinning, not with standing what some say on this board.

 

Yes, the staff that drew the late tables may wish you would eat in your room, but serving you in the dinning room when it is open is their job and what you paid for when you booked the cruise. It is one of the really good things about having open seating, by choice or by default...because it was assigned to you.

[cwn]

If you were to order during dinner service in the MDR you could order anything on the menu for that night. (Not just the Room Service Menu) You would however, be cutting it close depending on when you actually got back to your cabin.

 

I would check ahead of time...on some ships you can't order from the dinner menu after a certain time...maybe 8PM which would not work for your return time.

 

If you are hungry....just go to the MDR when you get back...if the ship is sailing at 8:30PM you will be back in time.