Course by course in room dining?

[kekilia]

So, please explain the course by course in room dining and how that differs from room service? For instance, does that mean that you will order and be served appetizers and they will be served, then you will order salads and soups and they will be served, then entrees? Or does that mean that there will be an order delivered to your room and it will sit in warmers or whatever until you are ready for the next course? What does the butler do, just stand around and watch you? How is this different from room service? Please, people who have experienced suite level service, please enlighten me....

[Paulchili]

Course by course is only available in PH or higher.

You order your full dinner (from a single restaurant)and instruct the butler how you prefer to be served - all at once or course by course.

If you choose latter, he will bring you each course separately at a the pace you choose - i.e. every 30 minutes (or longer). Each course arrives hot, straight from the kitchen. The set up, service and presentation are flawless (or are meant to be).

[DaisyUK]

On the one and only time we experienced in suite dining, it went like this :

 

We told our butler what time we would like to eat (7.30 pm). He suggested that we go down for pre-dinner cocktails around 6.45/7 pm which we did. When we returned, the room was made up, the lights were dimmed, soft music was playing, the table was (beautifully) set for 2. A bottle of wine was cooling, ready to be poured. At 7.30 pm, he turned up with our appetisers which he served, topping up our wine and water at the same time. He suggested he return at 8pm with our entrees, which we agreed to. At 8pm, he cleared, and served the entrees. He also brought our desserts at this time (which were cold) and left them covered on the side for us to eat at our leisure. He asked us to call when we were ready for everything to be cleared away.

 

It all worked like clockwork, and the food was fresh and hot - just as it would have been had we eaten in the restaurant (Red Ginger in this case).

[kekilia]

Thank you so much for the explanation. It makes sense and sounds wonderfully private, which is what I'd want if I were eating en suite. I was disappointed to hear that the dinner had to be from a single restaurant, though.

[Relax@Sea]

Thank you so much for the explanation. It makes sense and sounds wonderfully private, which is what I'd want if I were eating en suite. I was disappointed to hear that the dinner had to be from a single restaurant, though.

 

According to there web site you can order from any Restaurant.

 

"Copied from Oceania web site"

Butler Services

Exclusively in Suites

 

• Course-by-course in-suite dining+
  
• Order in from any of our specialty restaurants+
  

[fairbourne]

Kekilla - you may order from any restaurant :) - specialities and GDR - and it will be as Daisy UK said. And you always have the room service as well just in case you can't find something on the others! ;) LOL!!

 

We also quite often ordered a few favourite appetisers from different restaurants to share which is great fun and very romantic!

 

Going down for pre-dinner cocktails is lovely, but when we've dined in, we would not have been dressed appropriately for public viewing!!!:eek:

 

Nothing was too much trouble for our butler - as many others have said you will suffer withdrawal symptoms when you get home! :)

 

Enjoy! :D

[orchestrapal]

So, please explain the course by course in room dining and how that differs from room service? For instance, does that mean that you will order and be served appetizers and they will be served, then you will order salads and soups and they will be served, then entrees? Or does that mean that there will be an order delivered to your room and it will sit in warmers or whatever until you are ready for the next course? What does the butler do, just stand around and watch you? How is this different from room service? Please, people who have experienced suite level service, please enlighten me....

 

Others have explained how dinner works but to answer the other part of your question..NO "the butler does not stand around and watch you." You seem to forget the butlers have other suites with guests to service and not just yours. It does, however, seem many times when you have a really good butler that you are his only guests. We have often had this experience with the head butler who has less suites to service.

[ORV]

According to there web site you can order from any Restaurant.

 

"Copied from Oceania web site"

Butler Services

Exclusively in Suites

 

• Course-by-course in-suite dining+
  
• Order in from any of our specialty restaurants+
  

 

Kekilla - you may order from any restaurant :) - specialities and GDR - and it will be as Daisy UK said. And you always have the room service as well just in case you can't find something on the others! ;) LOL!!

 

We also quite often ordered a few favourite appetisers from different restaurants to share which is great fun and very romantic!

 

Going down for pre-dinner cocktails is lovely, but when we've dined in, we would not have been dressed appropriately for public viewing!!!:eek:

 

Nothing was too much trouble for our butler - as many others have said you will suffer withdrawal symptoms when you get home! :)

 

Enjoy! :D

 

Apparently some people's experience has been different from the posted policy. The policy states you can order from any restaurant, but you can't mix and match from multiple restaurants for one meal.

[bitob]

It is much easier for the butler if you choose a single restaurant. They can mix and match if you insist

[fairbourne]

It is much easier for the butler if you choose a single restaurant. They can mix and match if you insist

 

 

It is much easier for the butler if you choose a single restaurant. They can mix and match if you insist

 

How do you know it is "easier" for the butler? A bit more co-ordination perhaps, but no more troublesome than having to organise insuite dinners for two different suites from different restaurants at the same time? And these butlers are highly experienced individuals! And they have great assistants!

 

We most certainly did NOT insist - in fact were positively encouraged*, as he got to know our personal preferences, and as I recall, the exact words from our butler when we asked for anything, was always "whatever you wish, is my pleasure" with a smile!

 

* for example, our butler knew I loved one of the seafood dishes from Toscana (prawns of some sort, can't remember the exact menu description), and he suggested one evening that I have a "taste" of those along with what we had ordered already - there wasn't anything else ordered from Toscana.

 

(And we didn't do any of that ugly underhand tipping either! I'm referring to the other thread of course!)

[Paulchili]

Perhaps a better explanation might be - as long as each course is from the same restaurant for both people?

I imagine it would be more difficult, both in logistics and timing, to get one entree from Polo and one from Red Ginger and have them both hot. It would involve a lot more "running" by the butler as well as those 2 kitchens are not near each other vs Polo and Toscana, which use the same kitchen. That is different from getting a dinner from one restaurant for one suite and a dinner from a different restaurant for another suite as they don't have to (more precisely cannot) be served simultaneously.

Just speculating here.

Edited March 9, 2015 by Paulchili

[Travelcat2]

We ordered from one restaurant with the exception of the appetizer that was from another. We asked our butler about timing and logistics. He indicated that it was difficult to get everything to come out hot and at the same time but he was more than willing to do it. Another consideration for people in forward suites is that the kitchens are aft so your butler has a long way to go with your food that has to remain hot . So, you probably don't want him going to multiple restaurants - waiting for the food before heading to your suite.

[fairbourne]

Well maybe Paulchili - that is another way to look at it.

 

I don't think the butler does any "running". - that's what assistant butlers and their assistants are for! ;):p speculating here also! LOL!

 

They have very well equipped butler service stations sited "back of house" or that really should be "back of ship", along the state room hallways.

 

TC2 - last time on Riviera, we were as far forward as you could possibly be and even my DH's breakfast eggs -poached or fried were always perfectly cooked and always hot! In fact, all our food came as we would have expected it served in any of the restaurants. No complaints at all!

 

I even got my tea made the proper way, every time, in a tea pot, after asking only once for it to be done like that! Oh actually, I remembered one afternoon when the butlers are off, the on duty butler brought us tea, and as he was laying it out on the table, he suddenly exclaimed, "oh no, the tea" and rushed off apologising profusely - he had not made it in the pot! When he came back, he told us our butler had told him that if we ordered tea, how it was to be made!

 

Now that is impressive attention to detail and I imagine this is typical of how your butler really does go the extra mile for ensuring your enjoyment on your cruise. :)

[Hambagahle]

Thank you so much for the explanation. It makes sense and sounds wonderfully private, which is what I'd want if I were eating en suite. I was disappointed to hear that the dinner had to be from a single restaurant, though.

 

It doesn't have to be from one single restaurant. But it makes it a lot easier and more "cohesive" if it is...

 

The other thing to remember is that the dishes are not plated up on the speciality restaurants' china. And the presentation might not be quite as nice as in the restaurant. However the entire experience is very very nice and well worth trying one or two evenings - we particularly like it after a day on shore for example! No need to change for dinner. Just stay home and order in!:)

[ORV]

It doesn't have to be from one single restaurant. But it makes it a lot easier and more "cohesive" if it is...

 

 

Perhaps it's changed as we haven't been in a suite since fall of 2013, but at that time we were told before the trip by our TA and by the butler that all courses had to be from the same restaurant.

 

Or perhaps most of you folks have had a better butler than we did. As many know they are not all the same. We were on a B2B and were changing rooms and was told our butler would follow to the new room as they were used to you, we requested that he did not. The second one was much better.

[Travelcat2]

Gerry, good point about the plating -- it makes it seem like the plates going to the suites are done in a separate area of the kitchen. Also wonder if Toscana and Polo share a kitchen or have an adjoining kitchen since they are attached.

 

I can see ordering appetizers from one restaurant and the main course from another..... however, if one person wants an appetizer from Polo and an another wants one from from Red Ginger, that is where the coordination takes place. Keep in mind that many of us have had guests to dinner in our suite which adds another two orders to the mix.

[StanandJim]

Perhaps it's changed as we haven't been in a suite since fall of 2013, but at that time we were told before the trip by our TA and by the butler that all courses had to be from the same restaurant.

 

Or perhaps most of you folks have had a better butler than we did. As many know they are not all the same. We were on a B2B and were changing rooms and was told our butler would follow to the new room as they were used to you, we requested that he did not. The second one was much better.

 

Sadly, both your TA and your Butler misinformed you. Hambagahle is correct, and the official Oceania position is that any passenger whose cabin comes with the services of a Butler may mix and match between the Specialty Menus when ordering Room Service for Dinner.

 

That said, there have been too many reports of Butlers' either misunderstanding or misstating the Policy to pretend that it does not occur.

 

What I'd suggest doing when faced with such a contradiction is to say to the Butler in question, "I'd like to have that policy confirmed by the Hotel Manager, please have him contact me, or leave a message on my cabin voice-mail".

 

Trust me, you will get the correct answer, pronto. :D

[ronrick1943]

Let me tell you it's a great service and done really right (if you have a good butler). You can do it from any place and mix from place to place.

[kekilia]

I think I will go with Stan and Jim on this one. I have memorized the lines!

[fairbourne]

Kekilia - i hope you have as wonderful butler as we have had, so you don't have to! :)

[Travelcat2]

I have to disagree with StanandJim on this one. Confronting a butler (or anyone) on board in the way described above would be the very last resort. I would first ask the butler (kindly) to double check the policy as it clearly states (I assume it does) that passengers in suites can order from any restaurant. IF he was disagreeable or argumentative, I would ask to speak to his supervisor. IMO, getting the General Manager (or "Hotel Manager" as they used to be called) involved without trying to resolve the issue in a more civil manner is a poor way to handle a rather simple issue.

Edited March 10, 2015 by Travelcat2

[StanandJim]

I have to disagree with StanandJim on this one. Confronting a butler (or anyone) on board in the way described above would be the very last resort. I would first ask the butler (kindly) to double check the policy as it clearly states (I assume it does) that passengers in suites can order from any restaurant. IF he was disagreeable or argumentative, I would ask to speak to his supervisor. IMO, getting the General Manager (or "Hotel Manager" as they used to be called) involved without trying to resolve the issue in a more civil manner is a poor way to handle a rather simple issue.

 

I disagree that anything that I recommended was confrontational in any way. Kindly resist the temptation to ascribe motivations to other people, it is a most unattractive trait.

 

The point of my post was that I don't believe that it should be my concern if the Butler, or any crew member who may be giving out incorrect information is misinformed, misled, misguided, or just lazy.

 

I want the situation fixed with as minimal an impact on my time as is possible, and when I bring in a big name like the Hotel Manager, I can ensure that the Butler will check his facts before relaying my message......and thus confirm that he was wrong and that courses actually may be chosen from any of the Specialty Restaurants, amd not just from one restaurant menu per meal.

 

We went through a very similar confusion with the ordering process for Privée, and that has already been resolved in the Passengers favor, I can't think of why this is any different.

 

[Paulchili]

 

We went through a very similar confusion with the ordering process for Privée, and that has already been resolved in the Passengers favor, I can't think of why this is any different.

 

 

Do you mean to say that in Privee one can also order from ANY restaurant (Jacques, Red Ginger) and not just from Polo or Toscana?

[neepawa]

From Oceania website:

 

Privée

 

 

A Private Party

 

Host a private party for up to 10 privileged guests in our most exclusive on board dining venue, Privée. Witness culinary magic presented on a custom-built table designed by the famed Dakota Jackson and illuminated by a golden Venini chandelier. The exquisite setting is adorned with Baroque millwork and Ferrari-red carpeting. The cuisine is equally superb, as each guest may select any number of courses from Polo Grill, Toscana or a combination of both. Within the sanctum of Privée, dining engages all of the senses, leaving you and your guests immensely fulfilled.

 

Cheers,

 

Don

[RetiredFL]

I think the bottom line is to quote my mother:

"You have a mouth, open it and ask."

 

We have never had a problem discussing, politely, with the butler any requests and issues we may have. They are usually "desperate" to provide service. If a request cannot be done they will tell you why. On the night of the Captain's cocktail party things may be streached a bit thin, for example.

 

Instead of speculating, ask.

 

I would only go to upper management as a last resort and luckily we have never had a problem that needed his attention.