How long should dinner service take ?

[soccersharon]

Depends what you are used to! americans just want to eat and leave while europeans can sit for hours!

 

...not just Europeans...Montrealers too! When we dine out, we always take our time, especially in an upscale resto. Between drinks, apps, and the main course, plus desert - it can easily take 2 hours!

 

Why would anyone want to rush through anything while on vacation?

[katiepe]

Have a question..

What is a two top? Think the two is a table for two but top??:confused:

[DrLookGood]

Have a question..

What is a two top? Think the two is a table for two but top??:confused:

 

It is restaurant lingo. Two top as you correctly guessed is table for two.

[firefly333]

Ha, ha...I was just about to put that exact same reply. You beat me to it!

:D

 

I meant 90 minutes .. my math was wrong ok?

[noah53]

We will be on first cruise using ATD for 2 and I hope it doesn't take much more than 1 hour, so many other things to do. don't want to be there for 2 hours no way.

[B and C Blake]

We will be on first cruise and I hope it doesn't take much more than 1 hour, so many other things to do. don't want to be there for 2 hours no way.

 

There is always Lido.

After a busy busy day resting to enjoy a nice meal is a refreshing break.:D

[firefly333]

We had early dining on the Liberty 12/3-12/10. We have a family of 7 and our youngest is 6 yrs old. Our dinner went from 6:00-7:15 almost exactly every night. I think the servers are really good at seeing how quickly you want the next course. They never rushed us or made us wait too long. It was exactly right for us. There were times that the comedy show started at 7:30 and we wanted to get a good spot to sit before the show started. No rushing at all and it worked out perfectly. :) That might be too fast for some people, but like I said, the servers are pretty good at gauging how fast you are eating and if you are ready for the next course or not.

 

I am guessing you dont cruise much .. because if it was always true I could get out by 7:15 pm .. I would not have been complaining about the slow service. Plus I guess we had people not show up to dinner every night, so that gave the waiter a excuse to wait 30 minutes or longer to even take orders.

 

Then when we complained, he said our orders were backed up in the kitchen. What I was saying above .. is we had trouble eating and getting out by the time the next dinner folks came in.. and others have been reporting this same thing.

 

Last cruise I even mentioned it to the maitre d' who came around asking how things were.. and I said TOO SLOW. Good for you that you had a waiter who could get you out by 7:15. Ours could not and couldnt keep up.

 

its become a problem lately, waiters having too many people to wait on .. and some table is going to be last. Since you had kids, they probably did you first .. and others were waiting.

[CourtneyLovesCruising]

Lonely? I'm with DW. We cruise to be togeather, not to chitchat with waitstaff we'll never see again. Both being professionals who work 50+ hours a week, vacation time is to valueable to use to waste making smalltalk with Merle the used car dealer from Houston. To each his own I guess, but for us it it wasn't for ATD, we'd still be cruising NCL.

 

ROFLMAO.. I'm not sure when it became 'admirable' to boast about working a longer than 40 hour work week but I'm not sure it means the same to others as it does to you. When I hear it I think, "How professional can this person be if they can't complete their tasks in a standard work week".

 

Ironically, you spend your NON vacation hours chatting with a majority of people online that you will never see.

[elcuchio24]

ROFLMAO.. I'm not sure when it became 'admirable' to boast about working a longer than 40 hour work week but I'm not sure it means the same to others as it does to you. When I hear it I think, "How professional can this person be if they can't complete their tasks in a standard work week".

 

Ironically, you spend your NON vacation hours chatting with a majority of people online that you will never see.

 

You think I'm boasting? Jeez, just the opposite...I wished I worked a 40 hour week. Not sure how old you are or what profession you're in, but most folks I know do more that 40 hours a week...unless they're teachers of garbage men;)

[S.S.Oceanlover]

We do ATD. Just DW and I and we always have a 2 top. It's a rare night we're there for more than an hour. Usually 45-50 minutes. Love ATD. If you want to sit around for 2 hours listening to stories from your servers homeland and watching the table magician, more power to you. I'm all set:).

 

 

I dont remember the last a ccl server had time to stand and chat.

 

They did back in 1998 but it has been many years for us.

 

Bill

[mrpayroll]

Usually around 90 minutes. Sometimes longer if we have to wait for the singing and dancing waiters to perform. Seems like we have to wait for dessert because of the "show "..

[Sh1035]

Timing can also depend on how many courses you want to eat :) By the end of the cruise our table frequently ordered 2-3 appetizers per person before the entree, then lingered over cappachino and espresso with dessert. With late seating we were never rushed, and enjoyed conversation with our dinner companions. Not sure if I will ever return to early dinner on a 2 top. Different strokes for different folks.

 

Sure hope you tip Extra!

[Mxlady]

We just got off the Liberty and 90 minutes was the norm everynight. I didn't feel rushed at all. We were early dining and had plenty of time to have a nap or whatever before we hit the bars.

[CourtneyLovesCruising]

but most folks I know do more that 40 hours a week...

 

They are all doing it wrong, lol

[babyher]

ROFLMAO.. I'm not sure when it became 'admirable' to boast about working a longer than 40 hour work week but I'm not sure it means the same to others as it does to you. When I hear it I think, "How professional can this person be if they can't complete their tasks in a standard work week".

 

Ironically, you spend your NON vacation hours chatting with a majority of people online that you will never see.

 

 

 

Not everyone works in the 9-5 corporate world. There are weeks I work 80-90 hours a week . And believe me not because I am a workaholic and want to be there or because I can't finish my work in the alloted amount of time .

 

We always run short staff and the powers that be think it is cheaper to just run the people that are here ragged all around the clock , than to hire extra people .

[toby #1]

It depends on your dinnermates. If I like them I like to enjoy the food and the small talk, if I don't enjoy the people that we dine with then I want to enjoy the food then leave.

[CourtneyLovesCruising]

Not everyone works in the 9-5 corporate world. There are weeks I work 80-90 hours a week . And believe me not because I am a workaholic and want to be there or because I can't finish my work in the alloted amount of time .

 

We always run short staff and the powers that be think it is cheaper to just run the people that are here ragged all around the clock , than to hire extra people .

 

I don't work in the corporate world at all, it's modern day slavery.

 

PS.. I used to work those types of positions. Then I got smart. I figured out what aspects of my life are really important and then sought out a position that allowed me to life I wanted to live. I work to live, I don't work to live.

[jagsfan]

Yep, low productivity and no sense of urgency, that's why the Euro's in the shape it's in;)

 

I think you're painting all of the countries that use the Euro with the same brush. A lot of Americans "squat and gobble" and get out......that isn't good for the digestion and doesn't make for a pleasant interlude. We enjoy our tablemates almost 100pct of the time, but try to watch the time, too, so the poor waitstaff isn't stressed getting set up for the late

seating. As far as Europeans, they enjoy the conversation at meals as much as the food,

and don't seem to have the obesity problem we do. Maybe we could try the no sense of

urgency you say they do....might help.

[B and C Blake]

Not everyone works in the 9-5 corporate world. There are weeks I work 80-90 hours a week . And believe me not because I am a workaholic and want to be there or because I can't finish my work in the alloted amount of time .

 

We always run short staff and the powers that be think it is cheaper to just run the people that are here ragged all around the clock , than to hire extra people .

 

LOL As a restaurant manager I worked 50 minimum 80 max per week for 20 years. Just so those grumpy frumpy 9-5'ers could get their quick demanding selves in and out at lunch then turn around and come back for happy hour.

Complaining how they had to hurry and get home while I sacrificed holidays away from my family, weekends off, missed sports games.

Yes not everyone works 9-5.

Salary managers are essentially never off.

But after all those years of sacrifice I will now be able to enjoy retirement with no worries about the economy effecting my new found addiction of cruising:D

[babyher]

They are all doing it wrong, lol

 

Well I don't think the slaves got paid as well as I do . But they are still long hours

[ferfoodle]

ROFLMAO.. I'm not sure when it became 'admirable' to boast about working a longer than 40 hour work week but I'm not sure it means the same to others as it does to you. When I hear it I think, "How professional can this person be if they can't complete their tasks in a standard work week".

 

Ironically, you spend your NON vacation hours chatting with a majority of people online that you will never see.

 

So you wait in the doctor's office to have your stitches removed late on a Thursday afternoon. You finally get into a room to be seen, he comes in looks at his watch and says "sorry I just met my 40 for the week, you will have to reschedule."

 

So it is tax season and you have your accountant tell you that he cannot fit you in until after 4-15 because he is now working a "standard" work week.

 

The courts move one of the court dates for the attorney's client up by two weeks... Are you getting the picture yet? Many professions require the people working in them to often pull longer than the standard 40 not because they "cannot complete tasks' but because the volume of tasks to be completed within a deadline.

 

On topic - it has been my experience that dinner in the MDR whether is was traditional or anytime dining lasted between 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I think that is a good amount of visit, eat and relax.

[babyher]

LOL As a restaurant manager I worked 50 minimum 80 max per week for 20 years. Just so those grumpy frumpy 9-5'ers could get their quick demanding selves in and out at lunch then turn around and come back for happy hour.

Complaining how they had to hurry and get home while I sacrificed holidays away from my family, weekends off, missed sports games.

Yes not everyone works 9-5.

Salary managers are essentially never off.

But after all those years of sacrifice I will now be able to enjoy retirement with no worries about the economy effecting my new found addiction of cruising:D

 

And I wish you many many happy well deserved years of retirement.

 

I get to pack it in in 2 years with a nice pension at 51 yrs old .

 

My dad used to say bust your tail when you are young so you can coast on into the sunset when you get older. Sadly he didn't live to, but I am planning to make up for it for the both of us *LOL*

[golfadj]

I enjoy a nice leisurely dinner and see no reason to rush thru it.

[PenguinLife]

My wife and I were on a 7 day cruise on Magic last week, had late dinner seating at a 2 top table. Shortest time was about 85-90 minutes, longest was about 110. In general we would arrive at 8:15, handed our menus within the first 2-3 minutes, and then have someone there asking for our orders within another 2-3 minutes, under normal circumstances I would feel rushed about this pace, however due to dietary restrictions we generally reviewed the menu on the interactive tv system earlier in the day. On average the daily song and dance routine would start at 9:10 - 9:20 around the same time we would be ordering our dessert.

[Sh1035]

Glad to say I am 48 and have not worked in years and don't have too because I worked non stop!! Should I mention I was also the single dad and only parent to 2 boys. Put them on the bus everyday up to JH!

 

If I want to sit on the beach I selected to meet my needs,fly to Vegas,or just jump in the pool or hot tub I can. Not costing the taxpayer 1 buck in all my life.

 

Sometimes if you work harder you get greater rewards????

 

but dinner please serve me and move me on my way! Food is really not important too me. Fun is....I can eat later.