MDR: Ordering more than one appetizer/main?

[Oshawapilot]

Ok, looking for input and thoughts on this.

 

On all our previous cruises our experiences in the MDR were stellar. On the few occasions that we dared waver between two items on the menu, often both would show up. Same for the desert menu. Often our waiter would outright ASK if we wanted seconds.

 

On the proactive side, If I felt a portion was too small, sometimes I'd ask for a second. I often do this with my Caesar salad appetizer, as honestly, the standard portion is borderline laughable for anyone who really enjoys salad.

 

On our last Explorer cruise we were all anxious to try the new menu. Admittedly, on more than a few occasions, a few people at our large table ordered extra apps, or mains.

 

The difference this time was that our waiter gave us heat over it. About midway through the cruise he actually mentioned that he was having to clear all our extra requests through the headwaiter or dining room supervisor since he had to account for all his requests and needed to get a stamp or something.

 

One memorable night where this happened was when the Asparagus and Brie Quiche main was on the menu - day 7 I think it was. Several people at our table ordered it and LOVED it. Many ordered seconds, to the chagrin of our waiter - he actually suggested (carefully worded, but the intent was clear) that it was quite problematic to fulfil our requests and that he had to go to the other deck to the My Time dining area in order to scoop some of theirs. The kicker? After dinner we went to the Windjammer out of curiosity...and yeah, there was TRAYS upon TRAYS of the exact same quiche.

 

So, was this an isolated situation, or were we somehow wrong here? I'm only basing my experience from past cruises where it seemed that the staff (and ALL the staff, not just the waiters) were happy to feed you until you were satisfied, not limit you to one of anything if you particularly enjoyed something, or wanted to sample something else.

[juniorsmom]

We did not have any problems ordering seconds of anything. Both of our sons ordered two appys two entrees and sometimes two desserts. Our wait staff had no problem honoring any request.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We were on Explorer the week the rolled out the new menu in October. We ordered additional salads and apps almost every night. [i like soup and salad] We never ordered more than one entree. But, a table mate ordered a steak and seafood one night and there were no comments.

[knittinggirl]

Ok, looking for input and thoughts on this.

 

On all our previous cruises our experiences in the MDR were stellar. On the few occasions that we dared waver between two items on the menu, often both would show up. Same for the desert menu. Often our waiter would outright ASK if we wanted seconds.

 

On the proactive side, If I felt a portion was too small, sometimes I'd ask for a second. I often do this with my Caesar salad appetizer, as honestly, the standard portion is borderline laughable for anyone who really enjoys salad.

 

On our last Explorer cruise we were all anxious to try the new menu. Admittedly, on more than a few occasions, a few people at our large table ordered extra apps, or mains.

 

The difference this time was that our waiter gave us heat over it. About midway through the cruise he actually mentioned that he was having to clear all our extra requests through the headwaiter or dining room supervisor since he had to account for all his requests and needed to get a stamp or something.

 

One memorable night where this happened was when the Asparagus and Brie Quiche main was on the menu - day 7 I think it was. Several people at our table ordered it and LOVED it. Many ordered seconds, to the chagrin of our waiter - he actually suggested (carefully worded, but the intent was clear) that it was quite problematic to fulfil our requests and that he had to go to the other deck to the My Time dining area in order to scoop some of theirs. The kicker? After dinner we went to the Windjammer out of curiosity...and yeah, there was TRAYS upon TRAYS of the exact same quiche.

 

So, was this an isolated situation, or were we somehow wrong here? I'm only basing my experience from past cruises where it seemed that the staff (and ALL the staff, not just the waiters) were happy to feed you until you were satisfied, not limit you to one of anything if you particularly enjoyed something, or wanted to sample something else.

 

I think you had a bad waiter, and hope you gave him an appropriate evaluation. I wouldn't say to cut his tip, since it's really a tip pool that all restaurant staff share. If it happens to us, we may call the head waiter over to ask about this "new" policy.

[yogimax]

The waiters do not mind if you order your multiple appetizers and mains to begin the meal.

 

But if a table begins to request more and more midway through the meal or later, it does make problems for the wait staff.

[Oshawapilot]

I didn't give a "bad" rating, but I certainly didn't give the MDR experience an "Excellent" rating either. Unfortunately I was reluctant to provide a low rating for the MDR in our survey since the rest of our staff was STELLAR. Our assistant waiter (Edison) was excellent, hard working, and personable, and everyone else was great. Honestly, our waiter was decent and personable up until about day 6 when things became a little more uncomfortable between us all when these situations started to occur. Day 7-10 were less personable, for sure, but still acceptable.

 

I know that the jobs of these guys are on the line based on their reviews so admittedly I was reluctant to trash him, but I thought I'd ask here after the fact to see if perhaps our other experiences were exceptional, and the last cruise was the "normal" experience we should have expected to begin with.

 

But like I said, it really stuck in our craw when we were told that it was difficult to find us more of the quiche when in reality there was clearly a lot available - we could have went to the Windjammer and had 5 pieces each had we desired, yet were made to feel like we were causing a fuss by asking for multiples in the MDR?

 

We were always careful to ask for our extras at the onset, not after we had ordered.

[luvscruising2007]

I have read here on CC that it is much easier for the servers if you order second helpings or multiple courses when they first take the orders. When you order out of the sequence, it make it difficult.

Our recent experience on Explorer was very easy. We all ordered multiple starters every night. Our waiter brought them out all at once. But, it was no problem. We definitely had plenty of food.

[michele5166]

We ordered multiple appetizers, entrees, desserts, etc. and it was no problem at all on our cruise. Our servers got to know us and even asked certain people if they wanted to try more than one of a course. We had a party of 20 at 2 tables and our servers went above and beyond, this was on a 10 night cruise on the Enchantment.

[Iluvcruising2]

We are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 young kids). We eat family style, i.e .we share. We always order more but we respect the sequence.

 

This is what happens.

 

We decide upfront which of the appetizers & entrees we want. We have ordered up to 6 appetizers and 6 entrees, just for the 4 of us.

 

We ask the waiter to serve all the dishes in order. That means, when it is time for appetizers, he will serve them all on the table. Same with entrees.

 

When the dessert menu comes along, we do the same. We often order 5 to 6 items for the 4 of us, again to share.

 

We have never had any problems at all. In fact, the waiters were very happy with us because we hardly ever complain about the food. Obviously not all dishes are hits. Some are a miss.

 

Because we had too much food, if we didn't like anything, we just didn't eat it. No issues at all. In fact our servers were very happy with us because we were easy to please.

[cruisinfanatic]

I have read here on CC that it is much easier for the servers if you order second helpings or multiple courses when they first take the orders. When you order out of the sequence, it make it difficult.

Our recent experience on Explorer was very easy. We all ordered multiple starters every night. Our waiter brought them out all at once. But, it was no problem. We definitely had plenty of food.

That's exactly right. When a whole table decides they want extra of something, somebody has to drop what they would normally be doing and go get it. Wonder why you may get slow service sometimes? This is one reason.

[Wilda]

 

One memorable night where this happened was when the Asparagus and Brie Quiche main was on the menu - day 7 I think it was. Several people at our table ordered it and LOVED it. Many ordered seconds, to the chagrin of our waiter - he actually suggested (carefully worded, but the intent was clear) that it was quite problematic to fulfil our requests and that he had to go to the other deck to the My Time dining area in order to scoop some of theirs. The kicker? After dinner we went to the Windjammer out of curiosity...and yeah, there was TRAYS upon TRAYS of the exact same quiche.

 

My guess is that since you had already ordered your meal it was less about availability and more about timing. Everyone's main course must now be kept under the lights to accommodate the additional time to serve more appetizers. I'm surprised he was so resistant...

[Iluvcruising2]

That's exactly right. When a whole table decides they want extra of something, somebody has to drop what they would normally be doing and go get it. Wonder why you may get slow service sometimes? This is one reason.

 

That's right. The waiter has to make an additional trip to the kitchen. That walk may be far.

 

If everybody orders everything at one go, the waiter just has to go once and bring out with all the dishes at one go.

[schlimazel_traveler]

From a logistical standpoint, what's the difference between "We didn't care for this; can we get something else?" and "We loved this! Can we get another serving?" I've been lead to believe that I can absolutely do the first of these--is that not so?

 

And I've read elsewhere that the portions are small because the dining room anticipates that people will order several things or several servings. I would prefer to wait and see whether I would like more of something than to order extra at the outset. It would never have occurred to me that this would be disruptive to the process or would create a problem.

[Iluvcruising2]

From a logistical standpoint, what's the difference between "We didn't care for this; can we get something else?" and "We loved this! Can we get another serving?" I've been lead to believe that I can absolutely do the first of these--is that not so?

 

And I've read elsewhere that the portions are small because the dining room anticipates that people will order several things or several servings. I would prefer to wait and see whether I would like more of something than to order extra at the outset. It would never have occurred to me that this would be disruptive to the process or would create a problem.

 

If you observe the process of how the waiter gets the food from the kitchen, you would come to the conclusion that ordering out of seqeunce or ordering additional dishes after you have finished the first round, just means additional work for the waiter.

 

I'm not saying that this is necessarily a problem, just additional work.

[morgan1312]

I have had waiters explain that once a course is served, the main kitchen cleans up what's left over and it's no longer available for the waiters to get more. This happened when I tried to order another strawberry bisque soup for dessert. After that I just order the 2nd one in the beginning and tell them I'll be having it for my dessert. This was before my time dining so I don't know if it's still the same but it sounds like they have a separate kitchen catering to my time dining.

Having worked as a waitress in a coffee shop that had a gourmet restaurant attached, I know how difficult it is to leave your customers to go to someplace out of the way for something for 1 customer, although I would never have 'complained' about it to the customer ordering the gourmet item.

[matj2000]

You should have only tipped him half the suggested amount...

[Tyler80]

There shouldn't be any problem ordering more than one entree or appetizer or dessert. I normally ordered an appetizer, salad, entree, and two desserts. You're on vacation, do whatever you please!

[philip_g]

I ALWAYS ordered 2 apps and often times had seconds on the entree. The apps are pretty small and I like salad so I'd get a caesar and the escargot or crab cake or...

 

The first night we were in the MDR the wife ordered something she didn't care for, I urged her to get something else and she didn't want to. The head waiter stopped by, noticed she didn't care for her's, suggested something else and brought us both one (my second serving)

[mcwebber]

From a logistical standpoint, what's the difference between "We didn't care for this; can we get something else?" and "We loved this! Can we get another serving?" I've been lead to believe that I can absolutely do the first of these--is that not so?

 

And I've read elsewhere that the portions are small because the dining room anticipates that people will order several things or several servings. I would prefer to wait and see whether I would like more of something than to order extra at the outset. It would never have occurred to me that this would be disruptive to the process or would create a problem.

 

It's a production kitchen, not a restaurant cooking to order. Once they start on the main courses it's disruptive to go back to appetizers as the kitchen is done with them. Unless you're at a table for two or four, your request interferes with the delivery of main courses for those at the table who have finished their appetizers and are waiting on their main course. They may be too polite to say something, or they may blame the waiter when their service is slowed down by your requests when it's not the waiters fault. I often order multiple appetizers but I do so at the outset when the waiter first takes my order. It's not problem for them to stack an extra item on the cart when they're available.

[mcwebber]

Having worked as a waitress in a coffee shop that had a gourmet restaurant attached, I know how difficult it is to leave your customers to go to someplace out of the way for something for 1 customer, although I would never have 'complained' about it to the customer ordering the gourmet item.

The MDR on a cruise ship is not a cook to order restaurant. It's more like a banquet facility catering a wedding.

[annabell08]

On Navigator last week, our waiter told us that if someone wanted more than one lobster, he would have to get an OK from the chef. We solved that problem by having everyone at our table (6) order lobster and another entrée if they wanted something else. The lobster was larger than those on our March cruise.

[deltahog]

Am I the only one who thinks it's gauche to order more than one main meal? If I did that, I would have a red face and want to slip the waiter a 20 under the table.

[sherilyn70]

From a logistical standpoint, what's the difference between "We didn't care for this; can we get something else?" and "We loved this! Can we get another serving?" I've been lead to believe that I can absolutely do the first of these--is that not so?

 

There's a fine line between the two. If you're not happy with the food of course they'll do whatever they can to get you something else. They don't want you to go hungry. But if you think you'll want an extra or two different items then the polite thing to do is let them know upfront so that the extras are ready to go for them in the normal order of things from the kitchen and not a request that needs to be filled pronto. I can see the head waiter questioning a server who is repeatedly going back to the kitchen to fulfill a large number of unexpected orders... why didn't he suggest they get extras upfront instead? It was on my very first cruise the server did that to me when I said I couldn't make up my mind on the appetizer and I was amazed... you mean I can get both???

[bonniboo1]

After I went on a kitchen tour and saw the escalator that the wait staff had to use to bring up everything, i learned to anticipate my needs when I was ordering. I felt bad thinking that I might have caused someone extra work on earlier cruises.

[DonnaK]

Ok, looking for input and thoughts on this.

 

On all our previous cruises our experiences in the MDR were stellar. On the few occasions that we dared waver between two items on the menu, often both would show up. Same for the desert menu. Often our waiter would outright ASK if we wanted seconds.

 

On the proactive side, If I felt a portion was too small, sometimes I'd ask for a second. I often do this with my Caesar salad appetizer, as honestly, the standard portion is borderline laughable for anyone who really enjoys salad.

 

On our last Explorer cruise we were all anxious to try the new menu. Admittedly, on more than a few occasions, a few people at our large table ordered extra apps, or mains.

 

The difference this time was that our waiter gave us heat over it. About midway through the cruise he actually mentioned that he was having to clear all our extra requests through the headwaiter or dining room supervisor since he had to account for all his requests and needed to get a stamp or something.

 

One memorable night where this happened was when the Asparagus and Brie Quiche main was on the menu - day 7 I think it was. Several people at our table ordered it and LOVED it. Many ordered seconds, to the chagrin of our waiter - he actually suggested (carefully worded, but the intent was clear) that it was quite problematic to fulfil our requests and that he had to go to the other deck to the My Time dining area in order to scoop some of theirs. The kicker? After dinner we went to the Windjammer out of curiosity...and yeah, there was TRAYS upon TRAYS of the exact same quiche.

 

So, was this an isolated situation, or were we somehow wrong here? I'm only basing my experience from past cruises where it seemed that the staff (and ALL the staff, not just the waiters) were happy to feed you until you were satisfied, not limit you to one of anything if you particularly enjoyed something, or wanted to sample something else.

 

I think that in this instance, I would have asked to speak to the headwaiter or supervisor and have them explain to me why there was suddenly a problem to order more than one appy or entree when it's never been a problem before.

 

IMO, what you experienced is unacceptable. MDR service on a cruise is well-known for catering to people's likes, dislikes and desires. Sometimes, I want multiple appetizers because I don't like any of the entrees. Sometimes, I want two entrees and no appetizers. It's never been an issue before. Why is it suddenly a problem now?

 

I would definitely take this to the top and get a clarification on the "new" policy.