Same waitstaff - pro's and con's

[ebbinns]

I've read several posts where cruisers prefer to have the same waitstaff each night, whether MDR or MTD. I'm not sure I understand the logic. All waitstaff should be capable of serving me, so what are the pro's and con's?

[cb at sea]

I really don't understand it, either....ALL should give you good service! This business about them "knowing my wants"....I don't want the same thing every night! On cruises where my wants have been anticipated, they are often wrong, and it makes me feel bad!

 

And, I don't cruise to "make friends" with the waitstaff....so I don't know what all the fuss is about!

[Sequim88]

One little example of where it was nice to have the same wait staff every night. My Dad does not hear real well - especially in noisey environments. On Serenade in February as soon as Fernando found this out then every night after that he made a point to stand behind Dad (even when we switched seating order) when making menu announcements. Also Dad DOES want many of the same things every meal - such as a cup of tea - so as soon as we were seated hot water and the box of teas were brought for him.

 

I may not want to make friends with them but it's nice when they become a memorable enough part of the cruise that I can remember their name 10 months later.

[birdylady]

I agree. For those that change their preferences night by night, I can see that it's not necessarily a needed/preferred situation.

 

For those of us (like hubby) that drinks the same thing every night, that helps. Our first cruise, our asst waiter saw hubby went through his diet coke (soda card, thankfully) very quickly. So as soon as he saw him sit down each night, he would walk up with 2 glasses of diet coke. And every time he came back, he had 2 more. And here we are 5 years after that sailing and we still remember Azmi!!!

 

To each there own.

 

Erika

[Jtd724]

I clearly understand it. They know what kind of bread you prefer, what soft drink you like, your food preferences, you get to know them as a person not just a tool to get your food. I love having the same wait staff, it makes it so much more of a personal experience. Each night gets better the more you get to know them. I honestly can not think of one con.

[Spock's Brain]

It isn't that we "become friends" with the wait staff as we become friendly with them. It just makes, IMHO, for a more pleasant and enjoyable cruise.

 

Also having the same crew all week long as has been stated does allow them to know your likes and dislikes, and if you change your mind about something they quickly adjust accordingly.

 

Agreed that all staff should be giving great service.

 

I guess the cons might be you only get to meet a few of the crew, and if you happen to run into a bad wait staff person you would be stuck with that person.

[mo&fran]

I've read several posts where cruisers prefer to have the same waitstaff each night, whether MDR or MTD. I'm not sure I understand the logic. All waitstaff should be capable of serving me, so what are the pro's and con's?

They should be, and generally they are, but we have encountered cases where they are not. Traditional seating, of course you would always have the same servers, MTD does give you some flexibility in the regard.

[Pickels]

I've read several posts where cruisers prefer to have the same waitstaff each night, whether MDR or MTD. I'm not sure I understand the logic. All waitstaff should be capable of serving me, so what are the pro's and con's?

Well I think it's just a matter of personal preference; some do, some don't. We had a table for two in the main dinning room on The Adventurer of the Seas and had the same waiter and assistant each night. After a couple of nights, they knew our preferences, what we liked, what we didn't. We didn't have to explain each night if we had different servers. We didn't become "best buddies", but it made for some personal service above and beyond.

[pudy68]

We love it when we get a great waiter/asst waiter in the MDR because once they get comfortable, they will joke around with you, as well as share helpful tips with you for upcoming ports. It's easy for dining time to become a daily highlight, instead of just "time to eat".

 

We love to invest in other people's lives, esp from other countries less fortunate than ours, to show care and interest in their story. You never know, one may just be "entertaining angels unawares...". :)

[Jtd724]

We love it when we get a great waiter/asst waiter in the MDR because once they get comfortable, they will joke around with you, as well as share helpful tips with you for upcoming ports. It's easy for dining time to become a daily highlight, instead of just "time to eat".

 

We love to invest in other people's lives, esp from other countries less fortunate than ours, to show care and interest in their story. You never know, one may just be "entertaining angels unawares...". :)

 

I forgot to say that too. Dinner is my favorite part of the cruise hands down.

[negc]

I've read several posts where cruisers prefer to have the same waitstaff each night, whether MDR or MTD. I'm not sure I understand the logic. All waitstaff should be capable of serving me, so what are the pro's and con's?

While all are capable of serving you, some wait staff are better (more experienced, more proficient etc.) than others . Having the same wait staff each night allows them to become familiar with your particular needs and preferences (for example, my wife always has tea, never coffee) and some guests like not having to reiterate those preferences at every meal. You also learn whether or not to depend on the recommendations from your waiter, especially if you are unfamiliar with some of the menu items. There is a rapport that develops between the passengers and the wait staff that actually adds to the whole dining experience in the eyes of many. We prefer a relaxed atmosphere rather than a strictly formal or impersonal one when dining on a cruise and getting to know the wait staff and having them get to know you, contributes greatly to that.

[kifler]

Pro: Once they get a feel for you, they can toss out suggestions. If you mention to him/her that you love the beach, they might know of a secluded place that 4000 other people won't be at on your next stop(s).

 

Con: Get stuck with a "bad" one and then you're stuck.

[LarryL]

I think the same wait staff can make for a better cruise experience. Not only do they become familiar with your habits, likes & dislikes, and personality they seem to adapt to serve you better. With a different team every night there is no learning curve.

 

As far as making them my "friend" I have no problem with that. These folks come from very different cultures than I do and I am very interested in hearing about their stories just as much as those of my tablemates. People are extremely interesting if you take the time to hear them. I am afraid many people see and regard them as "THE HELP". These aren't servants but people serving you; mostly to the best of their ability and often go way out of their way to make you happy. Seeing them off the ship, or at dinner, they have given information on where to find a great internet cafe, specialty restaurants, and sites to see that are not on any excursions.

 

I am certain there are valid resons why people like the other option. Maybe it's our personalities that drive our preferences here. No right or wrong answer to this.

 

At any rate, the idea is for you to make the best cruise for yourselves.:)

[DonnaK]

It's the same concept as people who are regular patrons at a neighborhool restaurant. There is a small Italian trattoria in my neighborhood where we are regulars - the staff and management knows us well, and therefore provides more personalized and specialized service. They will give us samples of new menu items or the daily special. They will comp us items when we are there to celebrate a special occasion, and give us extras when we are not. They know what we drink, and what type of bread we prefer (and that we like to dip the bread in balsamic vinegar and EVOO), so all these things are automatically provided. They know that I like eggplant, for example, so they let us know when the chef is preparing a specail eggplant dish (such as Pasta Norma, my favorite, which is not always available on the menu), etc.

 

When I cruise, I enjoy the same feeling, and the same type of service.

[BillOh]

One little example of where it was nice to have the same wait staff every night. My Dad does not hear real well - especially in noisey environments.

 

I'm in the same boat, pun intended. Over the several cruises, I just think it makes things more personable. On our Allure cruise I let the waiter know we were coming right after a show and might be 10 minutes late (We ended up being 5 minutes late and there before people who didn't have a show. I think he appreciated knowing he could go to other tables and then watch for us. In return we told him we wanted to get out quickly to get to another show and he made sure it happened. I also showed up with a new camera on Day 5 of our cruise that I bought in St Maarten and he spotted it and asked if we wanted a picture with it. (probably to play with it for himself :) )

[tip]

I really don't understand it, either....ALL should give you good service! This business about them "knowing my wants"....I don't want the same thing every night! On cruises where my wants have been anticipated, they are often wrong, and it makes me feel bad!

 

And, I don't cruise to "make friends" with the waitstaff....so I don't know what all the fuss is about!

 

I am in agreement with you.

[macrc]

We have done both. We like MDR our friends like MTD. The best we had was on NOS with our children and grandson who was about 3. Every night grandson wanted a different drink. The last night our server brought him one of everything he had all week. That same cruise we had just sat down with our trays in the WJ when our assistant waiter appeared at our table with the drinks we ordered every night. She was working WJ for lunch.

[mation101]

I really don't understand it, either....ALL should give you good service! This business about them "knowing my wants"....I don't want the same thing every night! On cruises where my wants have been anticipated, they are often wrong, and it makes me feel bad!

 

And, I don't cruise to "make friends" with the waitstaff....so I don't know what all the fuss is about!

 

Of course you dont know what the fuss is about you have never made friends with the waitstaff. Try it sometime, you might just meet an amazing person.

[EVALUATOR]

Of course you dont know what the fuss is about you have never made friends with the waitstaff. Try it sometime, you might just meet an amazing person.

 

 

Mrs E used to wait tables at a local restaurant. An elderly couple would dine there every day and ask for her. When she changed jobs to another local restaurant, they switched to that restaurant and again asked for her.

 

She became good friends with them. So good that they have accompanied us on the 200 mile round trip to the Moffitt Cancer Center over 150 times. That's over 30,000 miles of driving. In their vehicle, at their expense. They have sat with us through probably 2000 hours of treatments. They have taken us to dinner at their expense after every one of those treatments.

 

We have even been on a half dozen cruises with them.

 

Right now we are stuck in Moffitt, and they are on a 30 day South American cruise. They call every day...From Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, etc.

 

People do make friends with servers, and vice versa.

 

They want to go on another cruise with us when they get back.

 

"entertaining angels unawares..." Yeah, I guess so.

[DonnaK]

Mrs E used to wait tables at a local restaurant. An elderly couple would dine there every day and ask for her. When she changed jobs to another local restaurant, they switched to that restaurant and again asked for her.

 

She became good friends with them. So good that they have accompanied us on the 200 mile round trip to the Moffitt Cancer Center over 150 times. That's over 30,000 miles of driving. In their vehicle, at their expense. They have sat with us through probably 2000 hours of treatments. They have taken us to dinner at their expense after every one of those treatments.

 

We have even been on a half dozen cruises with them.

 

Right now we are stuck in Moffitt, and they are on a 30 day South American cruise. They call every day...From Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, etc.

 

People do make friends with servers, and vice versa.

 

They want to go on another cruise with us when they get back.

 

"entertaining angels unawares..." Yeah, I guess so.

 

This is a beautiful story

[kijjy]

Yes that definitely IS a beautiful story. Sounds to me as if at least a couple of posters here believe the wait staff to be beneath them....

[NeuroQueen]

Having dinner in the MDR is the highlight of our cruise. Yes, I like to talk to the waitstaff and get to know them. Are we best buddies by the end of the cruise, sometimes! It just adds to the entire experience. We like MTD for the flexibility and have even been lucky enough to have the same waitstaff. These are human beings away from their families and friends and most are very interesting to talk to. I've been cruising for twenty five years and I still love to have dinner where someone knows my preferences. Like a previous poster said....it's just like the neighborhood cafe.

[negc]

Yes that definitely IS a beautiful story. Sounds to me as if at least a couple of posters here believe the wait staff to be beneath them....

 

That is unfortunately true of some but not the majority in my opinion. The "Lady Astors of the world" are in the minority and are more to be pitied than condemned.

[JMG680]

Me and the DW enjoy the MDR and it is one of hte highlights of our trips, and a big reason we cruise. It is a great way to try new things and when your staff knows you likes and dislikes they can turn you on to something you would never have had and love. On Liberty this Feb, John our main server, was the best we have had, and he made dinner such a great end to a day. He alone made up for some other problems we had with other staff. So I am one of those, same staff ever night guys. :)