PG @ $29. Tamarind @ $20. Canaletto same

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for explaining S7S. Now I know what Mariner meant by code red. What would be the code in case of fire or mechanical failure ? Hoping that will never happen of course.

 

Fire Alarms go off when there is a fire -- you will hear them everywhere on the ship.

Has happened quite a few times on our cruises.

Mechanical failure -- announcements are made for them as well over the PA system.

[Thebes]

Fire Alarms go off when there is a fire -- you will hear them everywhere on the ship.

Has happened quite a few times on our cruises.

Mechanical failure -- announcements are made for them as well over the PA system.

 

Wow. So you had some real fires on cruises you took or just false alarms ?

[sail7seas]

We were at Mariners Lunch one cruise and were seated at a table hosted by the Captain. We had barely gotten our first course served when his phone vibrated and he took the call.

 

There was a small fire and he made his excuses and left immediately, of course.

We were on b-to-b and the next week, we were again seated at his table and he explained where the small fire had been and how it had been quickly handled.

 

No fire alarms were sounded and the situation was quickly under control.

 

Fire is the most feared of all on a ship and taken VERY seriously but there are times when guests have no need to know crew is working a situation. There are times we have heard fire alarms but have never had to leave our cabins and report to stations etc

 

THANKFULLY.

 

[kazu]

Wow. So you had some real fires on cruises you took or just false alarms ?

 

On some sea days and port days , they practice fire alarm alerts. They will ring the warning but tell the passengers this is a drill - but everything is carried out as if.

 

You will definitely know if there is a fire on the ship. Don't worry about the drills :D

Edited December 29, 2013 by kazu

[cruz chic]

Just want to comment on Canaletto. The concept of "sharing" or "family" style is not uncommon in Italy and one of the most popular restaurants in Florence, Italy...Il Latini, is known for its sharing at communal-type tables. At that restaurant the only item you do not share is your main course while everything else is served on large platters shared among strangers. People line-up (queue for my Brit friends) for sometimes more then an hour to get into this particular restaurant. So, if HAL decides to go that route with Canoletto (which has a menu that we have always found underwhelming) then we give them some credit for following Celebrity's lead and doing something a bit innovative on a cruise ship. On the popular Solstice Class Celebrity ships they have an alternative restaurant called Qsine ($40 per person) which is essentially a high-end tapas place with tables enjoying lots of "shared" plates of various items.

 

Hank

 

Canaletto is not a high end restaurant. It's the lido. You can't compare the 2. I'm pretty sure no one would think the food offered in Canaletto would be anything close to authentic Italian food.

[RuthC]

Not sure if it is saving $ or what ?

It's at least an attempt to save money. They only have to plate once, instead of plating---sometimes different things---for as many people as are at the table.

There's a savings of time, which adds up, and can then be used to get another task done. Multiply that by several people in different roles, every day, throughout the fleet, and in one year it adds up.

[kazu]

It's at least an attempt to save money. They only have to plate once, instead of plating---sometimes different things---for as many people as are at the table.

There's a savings of time, which adds up, and can then be used to get another task done. Multiply that by several people in different roles, every day, throughout the fleet, and in one year it adds up.

 

Do you really think they will save money if people don't go there and pay?

 

On our P'dam cruise DH and I and friends went there 4 times. With this set up, I doubt we would go at all. I will check it out of course, but I certainly would not book in advance. I never liked Canaletto before until they brought it on the P'dam. We'll see what the future holds but this doesn't really hold a lot of appeal to me. I hate to see food wasted.

[sun~]

I imagine there will be far more food wastage than the bean counters anticipate.

 

For example, I don't eat shellfish, pork, seafood, and lamb. Even with beef or chicken, I often choose a vegetarian option (except at PG! Steak all the way.). My hubby loves shellfish, seafood etc. We rarely order anything similar. So we would be forced to get two pastas and two main dishes. And throw out the rest. I don't think we are too different than many people. The option for single plates should be there.

 

It is bad enough the food has been meh in the past at Canaletto, indifferent service and it's in the cafeteria. I thought maybe the new menu may entice us, but nope, it seems to be worse!

[RuthC]

Do you really think they will save money if people don't go there and pay?

Hummm. Makes one wonder. Is HAL making any profit, even only a few cents, from the new charge? The passengers have to eat somewhere, so will the Canaletto profit (assuming there is one) be canceled out when the passengers eat elsewhere? After all, the dining room is a little more upscale than Canaletto.

If fewer staff is needed to keep Canaletto running, will those staff members be reassigned, or reduced in number?

 

Time will tell.

[alwaysfrantic]

This whole Cannalrtto conversation seems exactly like the complaints at this time LAST year when Canneletto had changed their menu. The board was up in arms and no one was going to eat there again. Now, we are pining away for the restaurant of THIS year.

[cruz chic]

This whole Cannalrtto conversation seems exactly like the complaints at this time LAST year when Canneletto had changed their menu. The board was up in arms and no one was going to eat there again. Now, we are pining away for the restaurant of THIS year.

 

I don't recall that at all. What I do recall is that they changed the menu and decided to charge $10 for it at the same time. I think people were opposed to the charge since Canaletto is mediocre at best.

[startwin]

I don't recall that at all. What I do recall is that they changed the menu and decided to charge $10 for it at the same time. I think people were opposed to the charge since Canaletto is mediocre at best.

 

That's what I remember, too. It was the $10 surcharge that got some people upset. Previously there was no charge to eat there.

[ellieanne]

It's not the sharing of the dishes that will keep me from going to Canaletto with the new menu, it's the dishes themselves. None of the sound good to me.

 

I have no issue sharing dishes with the people I have chosen with which I have chosen to break bread. But there is no sense at all in sharing dishes I'm not going to enjoy.

 

Additionally, if I am going to have to pay extra for it, whether the extra is $10, $15, $20, or $29, I want to have a good chance of enjoying the experience more than dinner in the Main Dining room or the Lido.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wow. So you had some real fires on cruises you took or just false alarms ?

 

Real fires on HAL.

First one was years ago on the Rotterdam. We were an Orinoco River cruise.

At that time we had to tender into Grenada. We were already back on the ship. DH was out on the verandah and I was back in the dressing area of our stateroom when the alarms went off. The captain came onto the PA system and announced that everyone was to go back to their cabins and get on their life jackets and get on warm clothes. I ran to the safe and emptied it out and grabbed our medical bag of medications. We got on our life jackets and kept listening to the reports.

There were a couple of life boats that were loaded with people to come back to the shore. All the people were ordered off the life boats and they came back and were ready if case we had to abandon ship.

The emergency lights around a storage area on the Lido deck burst and caught on fire -- wood around them also caught on fire.

The fire was put out in about 20 minutes.

And Thankfully we did not have to abandon ship.

We have also been on ships when there were fires in the Silos -- where waste is stored after it has been incinerated. Sometimes it does not get completely cooled down and will catch on fire. These are usually put out very quickly. But we have been on a couple of ships where the captains chose to stay close to shore until the fires were completely out.

It is scary.

[Typhoon1]

Canaletto is not worth the time and effort. Mediocre at best.

[sapper1]

It's not the sharing of the dishes that will keep me from going to Canaletto with the new menu, it's the dishes themselves. None of the sound good to me.

 

I have no issue sharing dishes with the people I have chosen with which I have chosen to break bread. But there is no sense at all in sharing dishes I'm not going to enjoy.

 

Additionally, if I am going to have to pay extra for it, whether the extra is $10, $15, $20, or $29, I want to have a good chance of enjoying the experience more than dinner in the Main Dining room or the Lido.

 

That about sums it up for me as well.

[Thebes]

Real fires on HAL.

First one was years ago on the Rotterdam. We were an Orinoco River cruise.

At that time we had to tender into Grenada. We were already back on the ship. DH was out on the verandah and I was back in the dressing area of our stateroom when the alarms went off. The captain came onto the PA system and announced that everyone was to go back to their cabins and get on their life jackets and get on warm clothes. I ran to the safe and emptied it out and grabbed our medical bag of medications. We got on our life jackets and kept listening to the reports.

There were a couple of life boats that were loaded with people to come back to the shore. All the people were ordered off the life boats and they came back and were ready if case we had to abandon ship.

The emergency lights around a storage area on the Lido deck burst and caught on fire -- wood around them also caught on fire.

The fire was put out in about 20 minutes.

And Thankfully we did not have to abandon ship.

We have also been on ships when there were fires in the Silos -- where waste is stored after it has been incinerated. Sometimes it does not get completely cooled down and will catch on fire. These are usually put out very quickly. But we have been on a couple of ships where the captains chose to stay close to shore until the fires were completely out.

It is scary.

 

Wow. Wow. Thanks for sharing this. How spooky !

[Hlitner]

We have been to several Italian cities, including Florence, and we always got a table for 2 with personal service. We were never asked to share a table with anyone.

 

LOL, I actually agree! Most restaurants in Italy do not use the "family" concept. But quite a few do (which is why I specifically mentioned one of the most popular ones). We could also say that we have dined in over 100 restaurants in Spain...of which only a few had Tapas. So I guess this means that nobody should ever try a Tapas place on a cruise ship?

 

I am simply trying to give some credit to HAL for trying something a bit innovative. That being said, we sometimes dined at Canaletto when it cost us $5, but had trouble justifying the $5 cost. If they want to charge even more money they will have to improve their menu to get our business. DW and I do enjoy alternative restaurants on ships....but they need to earn their price by delivering a quality product. Guess we shall wait and see where they go with their new Canaletto ideas.

 

Hank

[cruz chic]

Quality for $10. Yeah, that will happen.

[Krazy Kruizers]

LOL, I actually agree! Most restaurants in Italy do not use the "family" concept. But quite a few do (which is why I specifically mentioned one of the most popular ones). We could also say that we have dined in over 100 restaurants in Spain...of which only a few had Tapas. So I guess this means that nobody should ever try a Tapas place on a cruise ship?

 

I am simply trying to give some credit to HAL for trying something a bit innovative. That being said, we sometimes dined at Canaletto when it cost us $5, but had trouble justifying the $5 cost. If they want to charge even more money they will have to improve their menu to get our business. DW and I do enjoy alternative restaurants on ships....but they need to earn their price by delivering a quality product. Guess we shall wait and see where they go with their new Canaletto ideas.

 

Hank

 

I ran off the Canaletto menu for my DH to read. He is not a picky eater but said that there was nothing on the menu that he would really enjoy. And he didn't like the idea of sharing dishes.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wow. Wow. Thanks for sharing this. How spooky !

 

 

At least every other cruise the fire alarms have gone off. Sometimes in the middle of the night.

We have gotten use to it.

[GeriatricNurse]

Canaletto is not worth the time and effort. Mediocre at best.

 

In YOUR opinion! :rolleyes: Not to be accepted as a general statement of fact! :mad:

[GeriatricNurse]

Quality for $10. Yeah, that will happen.

 

$15, effective December 28th., I believe! ;)

[cruz chic]

In YOUR opinion! :rolleyes: Not to be accepted as a general statement of fact! :mad:

 

A lot of people hold that opinion.

[cruz chic]

$15, effective December 28th., I believe! ;)

 

No, you are incorrect. It is still $10 and not worth that. Clearly Hal knows that too or that price would have gone up.