MDR inconsistancy & dress

[Cruzface]

No,no,no. I don't think they single out the slobs for poor service. I think that as a whole, they are less inclined to worry about sevice and quality as they observe people who cannot act like they've been out in public before. I believe they subconciously conclude that they don't need to care or worry. And I believe they cannot turn it off and on relative to how any particular patron is dressed. That meat loaf and mac'cheese are on the menu is another result of people wearing tshirts and swimsuits to dinner.

 

It's an aggregate effect.

 

Interesting theory, but I think it all has to do with money. They serve lesser quality food because it makes the corporation more money and the service is bad sometimes because they hire idiots at low wages. Carnival will continue to put the squeeze on quality and hiring employees until it stops being profitable.

[Martini Mom]

I don't beleive you about the blouse, did you take any pictures to prove it was SEE-THROUGH and that the bra was bright blue?:eek::rolleyes::cool:

Oh, I believe it! I have seem some very "interesting" clothing choices. ;)

[shepp]

We went on Princess Cruise Line a few years ago, my DH and I were in our late 50's and we were the youngsters on the ship. Everyone dressed up on that ship and the dining room waiters were so stuffy they barely talked to us. No dancing and singing in the dining room, which we love. Just food brought to our table, and dishes taken away.....but the people looked great! I'll take Carnival any day.

 

Well...I just wandered over to the Carnival board out of curiosity, and it's fun to peruse the dress code thread here.

 

I've spent about two months on Princess ships now, and, though some waiters have been better than others, have never had one I'd describe as remotely "stuffy." I want my food to be served in an efficient, considerate, polite manner. Sorry, but I do not want my waiter to be my pal.

 

Or a vaudevillian. Having eaten in many hundreds of restaurants during my lifetime, I have never eaten in one with dancing waiters, which seems more like summer camp than fine dining to me.

 

I confess, I'm somewhat fashion-conscious, and on formal dining nights, would rather be looking at men in suits and tuxes and women in gowns ranging from somewhat frumpy to absolutely fabulous, than a bunch of folks in T shirts that say "Harley" or "I Heart Jesus" or the ever-popular Tommy-Bahama-over-the-paunch option. I actually enjoy being with people that have taken a little trouble to look nice. But hey, that's just me.

 

Oh, and as far as age goes, last cruise we hung out with the most traveled passengers on the ship, a couple, I think, in their late 70s. They were two of the most charming, delightful people I've met in a long, long time.

 

But like they say, chacun a son gout.

[luddite]

Interesting theory, but I think it all has to do with money. They serve lesser quality food because it makes the corporation more money and the service is bad sometimes because they hire idiots at low wages. Carnival will continue to put the squeeze on quality and hiring employees until it stops being profitable.

 

I agree with the thought on cost-cutting as a reason for the food decline. I cannot agree with calling the waiters idiots.

I must believe that when they see paz dressed as slobs that they have no incentive to worry about service or quality.

[llachance]

I absolutely think that you get what you pay for that said I also think that you make an effort to present yourself appropriately then you will treated appropriately. Think - dress for the job you want. Act like the respect you want to be given. I can go on and on. I do think t-shirts and shorts are inappropriate for the MDR. There is a dress code and it is printed...I don't care what you paid there are guidelines (easy to follow) and if you don't want to follow the guidelines go somewhere else. Seems easy to me but not to the folks who think it is all about them.

 

BTW - Jammies at breakfast I see nothing wrong with...want shoes on the feet. And I have seen the see through blouse with the colored bra - everyone should look in the mirror before they leave their cabin :)

[halos]

the service is bad sometimes because they hire idiots at low wages..

 

I disagree big time.

Service is only lacking because they have these hard working people doing too much.

There used to be far more stewards and wait staff. The numbers have been reduced and these people have a lot more to juggle.

Calling them idiots???? Totally uncalled for. :mad:

[big_duck]

Interesting theory, but I think it all has to do with money. They serve lesser quality food because it makes the corporation more money and the service is bad sometimes because they hire idiots at low wages. Carnival will continue to put the squeeze on quality and hiring employees until it stops being profitable.

 

I would suspect that you get the service that you deserve.

[Cruzface]

I disagree big time.

Service is only lacking because they have these hard working people doing too much.

There used to be far more stewards and wait staff. The numbers have been reduced and these people have a lot more to juggle.

Calling them idiots???? Totally uncalled for. :mad:

 

They are not all idiots, just the ones who don't know how to provide decent service. Actually, we have had more excellent servers then bad. I was just trying to explain to the poster that to think the servers give bad service because of the way you are dressed is ridiculous. Instead of idiots, maybe I should have said "inexperienced, overworked and poorly paid." Still, my point is that the lower food quality and sometimes poor service is directly attirbutable to Carnival pinching pennies to be as profitable as possible. It has absolutely nothing to do with how the customers dress.

[WeBeCruisin']

I agree with the thought on cost-cutting as a reason for the food decline. I cannot agree with calling the waiters idiots.

I must believe that when they see paz dressed as slobs that they have no incentive to worry about service or quality.

 

My dictionary says that an "idiot" is a "person of extreme retardation having a mental age below three years and generally being unable to learn connected speech or guard against common dangers".

 

I really don't think that applies to any of the Carnival staff I have ever encountered.:)

 

I agree though that, subconsciously, crew members who see people violating the dress codes and flaunting their "me, me, me" attitudes aren't going to feel quite as motivated when it's obvious that the people they are trained to provide with a certain level of service aren't sophisticated enough or classy enough to appreciate it.

[WeBeCruisin']

I would suspect that you get the service that you deserve.

 

Too subtle, Duckie. I can hear the whooshy sound of it going over his head. :D

[Cruzface]

Too subtle' date=' Duckie. I can hear the whooshy sound of it going over his head. :D[/quote']

 

I appreciate the insult. I just find it hard to believe that apparently educated people really think the service and food depends on how you dress. The people cooking the food don't even see you, nor do they care. The people serving you, I guarantee, will give excellent service if you give them a nice tip up front and tell them there will be more at the end of the cruise if they treat you right. You are giving the employees and Carnival waaaay too much credit. It's the money, pure and simple.

[mapsmith]

Should we start a "People of Carnival" thread like the "People of Walmart" We can start with PJs in the MDR and I expect that there would be a lot of pics.

[WeBeCruisin']

The people cooking the food don't even see you, nor do they care. .

 

 

But they hear about ignorant and rude customers. :D And they do care.

 

My middle son was an executive chef on Hilton Head Island, SC, for about 15 years. He and everyone else on his staff cared and were upset when people came in and behaved or dressed in a manner which disrespected the restaurant.

[Cruzface]

But they hear about ignorant and rude customers. :D And they do care.

 

My middle son was an executive chef on Hilton Head Island' date=' SC, for about 15 years. He and everyone else on his staff cared and were upset when people came in and behaved or dressed in a manner which disrespected the restaurant.[/quote']

 

Not a good comparison. A classy restaurant on Hilton Head and the MDR on Carnival are completely different. You don't think it is the cheaper cuts of meat and mass market preparation that impacts the quality in the MDR? You think the line cooks in the kitchen purposefully prepare food differently based upon what they hear in the MDR? You may call me clueless, but I think most would agree that your position is unrealistic and ignorant.

[lsp]

I guess I missed where anyone complained at all to the Maître D of the dining room at all about the dress codes being violated by the people in question. To me that would be the first step and then if nothing was done, then you have a legitimate gripe. I go on the cruise to enjoy myself and if my husband is dressed the way I like then I don't really care about the rest of the boat unless the person next to me is smelly. Granted, they have gotten lax on the dress codes but that's the point of vacation. And if you have a problem with your waiters, tell the Maître D, they will help you out, that's what they are there for. Or politely ask for a different table.

 

Linda

[Cruzface]

BTW, I think the food on Carnival is good to very good and I really can't remember having a bad meal or service experience. I'm sure it happened, but it was no big deal because there is always something to eat. Expecting fine dining on Carnival or RCI is foolish.

[Aplmac]

It is the passengers and not the cruise line that have changed the most.

 

For some reason, they expect everyone and everything to look like the people in the brochures.

:p It never has been like that on mass market cruise lines.

Thank you for the reality! You are entirely correct, of course. :)

 

If discerning passengers require fine dining, I'm sure Seabourn will be happy to accommodate you.

Holland America and Cunard also await your booking (all three lines belong to the Carnival Corp.)

 

Like someone else said...you get what you pay for.

I pay Beer Money for cruises on Carnival ships, but I don't expect Moet et Chandon.

.

[llachance]

From the Carnival.com website under "what to wear" you have in plain English:

"Cruise Casual Dining Dress Code: Gentlemen - Sport slacks, khakis, jeans (no cut-offs), dress shorts (long), collared sport shirts; Ladies - Casual dresses, casual skirts or pants and blouses, summer dresses, Capri pants, dress shorts, jeans (no cut-offs).

 

Not permitted in the dining room during the Cruise Casual dinner for ladies and gentlemen: shorts, gym shorts, basketball shorts, beach flip-flops, bathing suit attire, cut-off jeans, sleeveless shirts for men and baseball hats."

 

And they are very clear and not to difficult to follow but dining room staff consistently let people in the dining room that violate the guidelines and until that changes we will be eating in a McDonald type setting rather then a dining room setting but that is a choice to be made by each cruiser. And be honest here the person that provides your food at McDonalds probably doesn't serve it in the same way as Applebees, who doesn't serve it the same way at a Ruth Chris so by definition the way you dress probably does have a bit to do with the service that you receive.

 

And I know the servers work hard but on my last cruise we had 13 people at a setting for 16, the other table our servers had was a table for 8 that usually had 3 and a table for 2 and they never got it right from day 1. I actually did complain to management and it made a difference for a moment but it wasn't worth complaining again. I did make it clear, to my traveling companions, that this was the worst service ever. For statistics there was a head server and two assistants for 18 people 20 at the most. I think it is a lack for training.

[halos]

Slobs in the dining room are not common on CCL and this is because some maitre'ds DO care and DO stop people from entering when not dressed appropriately. The problem lies in inconsistency.

The crazy thing is, dressing appropriately is not difficult. CCL does not require you to be dressed to the nines...just don't dress like a slob.

I don't see how this is difficult for those few that don't get it.

And yeah, coming to the dining room in pjs and fuzzy slippers or barefoot should not be acceptable.

Our last maitre'd on the Freedom was pretty adamant about what he thought was proper and that included NO ballcaps.

[Cruzface]

And be honest here the person that provides your food at McDonalds probably doesn't serve it in the same way as Applebees, who doesn't serve it the same way at a Ruth Chris so by definition the way you dress probably does have a bit to do with the service that you receive.

 

You don't think it has more to do with how much the servers are paid: McD = $; Applebees = $$; Ruth's Chris = $$$$$. There is a direct correlation between level of service/food quality and amount paid. There is no correlation between attire and food/service. If your theory was true then if I went to McD's in a tux, all of a sudden the food would be spectacular and the service impeccable... see how silly the theory is...

[gelo7]

Oh well...

[samikitty]

I'll be surprised if anyone can top this dining room dress story!...

 

Christmas morning, the Splendor, a large family showed up to the MDR for breakfast wearing PJs and in their bare feet. I'm sure it felt cute to them, and God bless them, but I am not so sure everyone else enjoyed it. It felt a little bit disrespectful to me.

 

Am I too stuffy to be taken aback by bare feet and pajamas on Christmas morning in the MDR?

 

Yep - I can top it. Christmas dinner on the Miracle this year, the table next to us all showed up in pajamas. Pajama pants, slippers and a white undershirt for all of the men. Silk pajama bottoms and tops with slippers for the women. Again, I am sure it was a "Christmas Tradition" for the family, but completely inappropriate.

 

I did mention to the Maître d' next time I saw him that I thought it was pretty inappropriate, and his responsibility to ensure that the dress code was adhered to. He made some comment about it being their vacation too blah blah blah.

 

I didn't let it ruin my dinner, but it was way out of line.

 

I WIN!

[crusinpsychRN]

Anyone who expects a once-in-a-lifetime fairytale cruise experience for $45 - $60 per day had better give their head a shake!

 

Tell me where you find that price?

 

Another tale of Carnival's downward trend...It used to be so much nicer. I remember when the waiter would brush the table between meals with that little brush and "dust pan" thingie.

 

Onle got WMCC once and it was syrup.

[crusinpsychRN]

I am not that old, but do remember when I was young that we had to dress up to get onto a plane. Back when the upstairs on 747's were actually lounges and not more seating - and you were fed meals.

 

Travel has changed a lot over the years.

 

In the late 50's as a very little girl I wore gloves downtown to shop at Burdines.

[Cruzface]

Tell me where you find that price?

 

Another tale of Carnival's downward trend...It used to be so much nicer. I remember when the waiter would brush the table between meals with that little brush and "dust pan" thingie.

 

Onle got WMCC once and it was syrup.

 

Why wouldn't you just ask for another WCMC?