Dinning Prefernces

[gizmo]

Sorry about that folks. I meant "Canned music IS now pumped in. "

[sail7seas]

 

Sails,

I can think of a couple more negatives.

 

I always enjoyed the music. Now it is only a couple of nights instead of every night. Canned music in now pumped in. :(

 

We sat along the railing. The banging of silverware and plates from the lower level was horrible.

 

Service went down hill with the 4 seatings. We sailed early Dec. after 911 and service was still better than what we had with the 4 seatings.

 

We sailed November on Zaandam....2001. That was a 10 day Thanksgiving cruise. WE had great service then and we still have great service. I cannot speak for anyone but us but we have never once experienced bad service in the dining room. There have been a few nights here and there when it was not AS good as other nights but not what I would call anything to complain about. Guess we are simply VERY lucky. :) I am sure others have been dissatisfied. I'm happy we've been satisfied. Hope it continues. We've been on 7, 10, 12 day cruises and not the real lengthy ones. We've been on Zaandam, Volendam, Maasdam, Zuiderdam, Veendam, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam since 9-11 so I look at that as a very fair representation. (Some of those ships, we have had as many five and more cruises on.....a fair sampling I would say.)

I also enjoyed the music in the dining room. I do not necessarily attribute the current lack of it to four seatings. It had already been drastically cut back when there were still only two seatings. When the Rosario Strings started to disappear so did the live music.

[ekerr19]

Very few seem to like the 8:30.

 

With the 2 seatings there were a number of people who got assigned late seating and did not like it.

 

On the Volendam last month we changed from 8:00 to 8:30 pm in order to have a quiet dining experience. Originally, we were assigned to #22, I think, and though by the window it was extemely noisy and I just don't care all that much for the upper level lighting.

 

We found the 8:30 to be very relaxed and unhurried - we had a great table and very intimate ambiance...

 

We are booking 8:30 on our upcoming Amsterdam cruise because we enjoyed it so much and we found it provided the ambiance we had grown accustomed to in the past.

 

In my opinion, because 8:00pm is now the "preferred" seating - it is now FAR too hectic to really be enjoyable.

[Bill S]

We like early, up, down, right, left, whatever! :)

[bepsf]

I love my center-aft table against the windows in the lower dining room...

[2rg]

We like the later seating but no later than 8. The 8:30 seating we had on the last cruise was the pits. Obviously the bean counters at corporate don't mind that we are eating so late as long as they can save a few dining room staff.

[Taters]

We prefer the main/late dining... Who wants to get dressed for dinner at 4:30 in the afternoon? JMHO

 

Taters

[kgjg]

Most of the time I prefer the Lido or room service. I enjoy the company for the first couple of nights, but after that I want to eat on my schedule.

[Bookish Angel]

I like the flexibility.

[DEL67]

We like the Main Upper (8 PM) seating. It gives us time to relax before dinner, but we do not have to rush to make the show.

[Robin7]

We like 6:15pm, followed by 5:45pm. I have both hypoglycemia and reflux. I can't eat after 7pm, or I SUFFER all night. I do have a small snack before bed, but nothing heavy--usually a slice of chicken or a small glass of milk at home. If we ate at 8pm or 8:30pm I'd be sick all night!

 

Robin

[gizmo]

We sailed November on Zaandam....2001. That was a 10 day Thanksgiving cruise. WE had great service then and we still have great service. I cannot speak for anyone but us but we have never once experienced bad service in the dining room. There have been a few nights here and there when it was not AS good as other nights but not what I would call anything to complain about. Guess we are simply VERY lucky. :) I am sure others have been dissatisfied. I'm happy we've been satisfied. Hope it continues. We've been on 7, 10, 12 day cruises and not the real lengthy ones. We've been on Zaandam, Volendam, Maasdam, Zuiderdam, Veendam, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam since 9-11 so I look at that as a very fair representation. (Some of those ships, we have had as many five and more cruises on.....a fair sampling I would say.)

 

 

My complaint about service stems from too many tables being assigned to a given steward. Someone has to be at the bottom of the cycle.

 

After a couple of nights of this we did get it handled and got moved to the top.

 

This is an example of what I am referring to after we got it handled.

We had drinks with the people at the table next to us. We all entered the dining room together. They were being served salad when we were ordering dessert. We are by no means fast eaters.

 

The other thing I noticed was some serving stations had been removed. There was no need for them since they cut back on staff. We brought this up and were told the 4 dining times would be more efficeint.

 

 

We NEVER had a problem before this and thought the service was outstanding. We have been on the Veendam, Amsterdam, Statendam, Volendam and Rotterdam since 911. We sailed early Dec right after 911. There were problems with staff returning to the ship and things were a little slow at times but nothing like what we encountered on the 4 dining times change.

 

This is an area Hal needs to fix.

[cruzngal]

We definitely prefer the later seating. It makes it more of an evening for us, and we still have some steam left to go dancing. If we eat such a big meal that early, we'll be asleep by 9 PM!

[sail7seas]

My complaint about service stems from too many tables being assigned to a given steward. Someone has to be at the bottom of the cycle.

 

After a couple of nights of this we did get it handled and got moved to the top.

 

This is an example of what I am referring to after we got it handled.

We had drinks with the people at the table next to us. We all entered the dining room together. They were being served salad when we were ordering dessert. We are by no means fast eaters.

 

The other thing I noticed was some serving stations had been removed. There was no need for them since they cut back on staff. We brought this up and were told the 4 dining times would be more efficeint.

 

 

We NEVER had a problem before this and thought the service was outstanding. We have been on the Veendam, Amsterdam, Statendam, Volendam and Rotterdam since 911. We sailed early Dec right after 911. There were problems with staff returning to the ship and things were a little slow at times but nothing like what we encountered on the 4 dining times change.

 

This is an area Hal needs to fix.

 

 

I certainly have read how a number of people are not pleased with the service they have had in the dining rooms. I also have read how a great many have been very satisified.

We, to date, have had consistently really good service. I wonder why? Are we just that lucky? It's just luck of the draw whichever dining stewards people are assigned. Stewards move from one station to another at regular intervals. We are always seated in the same dining section on all the ships (that have same layout ----Vista ships being different) and always have had good service. Hope our good luck continues. ;)

 

[gizmo]

Sails,

 

IMO it is not the stewards that cause the "bad service". I believe the stewards all do the best they can. I never had a bad one. The "bad service" issue is too many tables assigned to any given steward.

 

Those that have complained were more than likely at the bottom of the cycle.

 

Those that have had great service were closer to the top.

 

Before we addressed the problem we were waiting a half hour and better to have our orders taken. One night it was 50 minutes before our order was taken. That is when we decided enough is enough and had the problem taken care of.

 

We are not into waiting 50 minutes just to have our order taken. The steward did not forget us or anything like that, the people behind us were also waiting. We were at the bottom of the cycle.

 

Since you and others have not experienced this I would have to stay you and the others were closer to the top of the "order taking cycle".

 

Like I said before, we always had outstanding service prior to the 4 dining time change.

[sail7seas]

Your 'top of the cycle' description is probably the accurate as to why we always get good service.

 

We are ALWAYS at the same table which will ALWAYS be in the same order in the cycle.

If it is first or second on one cruise, it will be the same first or second on all cruises. The table doesn't move. Only the people who are seated there change from cruise to cruise.

No....I'm not giving out 'our' table number. ;) There might be a run on requests for it and we won't be able to get it.

 

[rodree]

We must have first seating for medical reasons and prefer the upper on the rail.However we`re willing to go anywhwere if it`s early.

However our next in Oct. we could not get early so I guess this trip it`s the Lido.

[LizB1]

rodree...I suggest you have your TA write a letter to Ship Services stating that because of medical reasons you must eat at the early seating.

[seadrifter]

I like the flexibility.

 

I agree with you and Princess does it well. -G

[Annivgal]

My travel documents arrived and even though we requested early seating which is written on the invoice from our TA, they state Main Lower. Is there a painless way of getting that changed? Should we ask to be put on a wait list?

 

Thanks! :o

[cruisingbuckeye]

You could also talk to the dining steward once you get on the ship - they can sometimes make changes then.

 

We picked the earlier seating so that we could have time after dinner and still get to bed early enough to be up & at it the next morning - - we had a table for two by the window that was just perfect.

[HAL92]

I like to dine at the main seating. I don't really care if it is upper or lower, but I like lower if I can be near the aft windows. If I'm not there, I prefer the upper level.

[cruznon]

It's interesting that approx 65 % of those on poll prefer 6:15 or 8:00 seating--two very nice dinner times. (ME TOO!)

Unfortunately, we eat at 5:45--the EARLY BIRD SPECIAL--UGH! Obviously NOT what we wanted. (More than 200+ on each of the waitlists for 6:15 and 8:00!) We were told we could eat at 8:30, but, gee, you don't get out of the dining room until around 9:30-10:00-- depending on service. So we'll have room service or do the Lido a lot. That's a shame because we have always enjoyed the dining room experience--we love dressing for dinner and all the ambience of dining room. After reading recent posts from Zuiderdam, I really dread early, early seating.

HAL needs to serious look at two dining times again:EARLY and LATE--period.

[dippy]

Ziggy, the last I knew it was just the opposite. Upper Dining level was early first and second, either 5:45 or 8:00, and the lower level dining was the late first or second sittings, 6:15 or 8:30. Has this changed??

 

You are correct!

[Guest Celestia]

Late Seating, Upper Dining Room, at a window, please.

 

I've only had the misfortune to eat in the Lower Dining Room twice. The tables are too close together and I could hear the 'gentleman' behind me gulping his beverage and chewing *loudly* every meal. Garrrrrrrrrh.

 

FW & FS,

 

Celestia