Anyone experienced restaurant "deep clean" whilst eating?

[millie-may]

I was recently on the Emerald Princess Transatlantic cruise to Fort Lauderdale from Barcelona. Having cruised many times with Princess and also done several transatlantic cruises with the line, I was shocked at what happened in the main dining room nightly about half way through the cruise.

We like to find around 8pm taking our time, enjoying the food and wine and finishing around 9/9.30 in time for a late show. Starting around 8.30 the waiter's started to dismantled the service stations and carry out a deep cleaning the drawers, cupboards and trays. Buckets of dirty water were placed near them and the smell was awful. Glasses, crockery and flat ware were placed on the tables which were not occupied and the restaurant began to resemble a jumble sale (rummage sale). When we complained to the maître'd he said that I.t was because of the inspection due when we got to Fort Lauderdale and nothing could be done about it. We tried to eat in other Ares of the restaurant etc but were a!ways confronted by the scene of disarray.

Never before, on sea or land, have we experienced anything like it. I have contacted Princess Cruises regarding it but the response was very lacking. I wonder if anyone else was on this cruise or another one and encountered anything like it. This year we took four cruises with them and have been wondering if the cutbacks have left them more than a little below the standards which we used to receive.

[Cruiserkenn]

Totally shocking. Terrible.

 

I was also on the TA. I did not eat in the MDR. I had great food and service at the buffet and at Sabatini's.

 

I have mentioned earlier, on this board, that I had terrible service at Crown Grill. I was shocked by that.

 

So, even though it was a great cruise, for sure some things could have been better. So sorry to hear of the OP's experience. I know that was upsetting.

[Loonbeam]

I've seen this happen on another line. It's regrettable, but necessary in some cases.

 

A full deep clean of an MDR takes about 8-12 hours minimum allowing for things to dry etc. If one was required prior to inspection it would have to start about 9 PM (and that MDR would not be open for breakfast).

 

They should have closed the MDR but capacity may not have allowed it. They probably could have staged it better as well.

[Shogun]

Hi

 

We were on this cruise, we ate in MDR and were often one of the last tables to leave, often around 10.00pm

 

cleaning had started by this time, but was not an issue for us as our table was in a corner away from food station.

 

 

 

yours Shogun

[shredie]

Complaints because they were doing too much cleaning. Okay.

[millie-may]

I've seen this happen on another line. It's regrettable, but necessary in some cases.

 

A full deep clean of an MDR takes about 8-12 hours minimum allowing for things to dry etc. If one was required prior to inspection it would have to start about 9 PM (and that MDR would not be open for breakfast).

 

They should have closed the MDR but capacity may not have allowed it. They probably could have staged it better as well.

 

I know that they have to do the clean but surely not for every one of the last seven nights of the cruise!

[millie-may]

Hi

 

We were on this cruise, we ate in MDR and were often one of the last tables to leave, often around 10.00pm

 

cleaning had started by this time, but was not an issue for us as our table was in a corner away from food station.

 

 

 

yours Shogun

 

May I ask what restaurant you were in. After we complained we were sat every time right next to the stations. I guess that was a coincidence! We ended up very unhappy. What a way to treat a loyal customer.

[millie-may]

Complaints because they were doing too much cleaning. Okay.

 

Thought I might get at least one response like this. My complaint is that it should have been done when the restaurant was c!osed and not when passengers are trying to eat their meal.

[pablo222]

I know that they have to do the clean but surely not for every one of the last seven nights of the cruise!

 

They are scared to death of USPH inspection.

 

Unless the ship has recently has an inspection, the deep cleaning

of the wait stations is done the night before any US port call

(where a 'surprise' inspection may occur)

 

There are some things that 'live' in the station -- cups, saucers, silver,

water glasses.

 

(Dinner plates, etc. come from the galley, and return to the galley.)

 

They have to be removed, and wiped down. The inside of the station

has to be wiped. Then, a head waiter comes by with a flash light, and

inspects inside the station. If ok, the waiter/junior can put everything

back.

 

If USPH takes points off for a particular waiter's station, the waiter

will most likely be fired.

[Shogun]

Hi

 

We had traditional late seating so ate in the aft restaurant

 

yours Shogun

[Cruise Raider]

Thought I might get at least one response like this. My complaint is that it should have been done when the restaurant was c!osed and not when passengers are trying to eat their meal.

 

I totally get your complaint. Oftentimes, the cleaning products are so pungent that you cannot enjoy your meal and the noise factor probably added to your lack of enjoyment....not to mention, if your waiter was busy with other things, maybe he/she didn't have his/her attention on his service duties. Plus, if there were dirty buckets of water, I would question how clean his/her hands were when bringing my dessert, utensils, coffee, etc. to the table. YUK comes to mind. Unless he/she was constantly washing their hands in between serving and cleaning, this doesn't seem very sanitary to me.

Not trying to sound like a dictator here -- I have compassion for these people that work hard so we can enjoy our vacation but you did pay for this experience -- it doesn't sound as though it was a pleasant experience that you got...I don't think it wouldn't have been for me.

[Cruiserkenn]

Right. I dislike it in any restaurant when they are using cleaning fluids and clanging away near my table . That is not what I envisioned when choosing the restaurant.

[OCruisers]

Never have had this happen -- AWFUL!

[millie-may]

I totally get your complaint. Oftentimes, the cleaning products are so pungent that you cannot enjoy your meal and the noise factor probably added to your lack of enjoyment....not to mention, if your waiter was busy with other things, maybe he/she didn't have his/her attention on his service duties. Plus, if there were dirty buckets of water, I would question how clean his/her hands were when bringing my dessert, utensils, coffee, etc. to the table. YUK comes to mind. Unless he/she was constantly washing their hands in between serving and cleaning, this doesn't seem very sanitary to me.

Not trying to sound like a dictator here -- I have compassion for these people that work hard so we can enjoy our vacation but you did pay for this experience -- it doesn't sound as though it was a pleasant experience that you got...I don't think it wouldn't have been for me.

 

I did feel sorry for our waiter's who were clearly embarrassed. I wanted to take some photos but didnt as i protect their feelings and any backlash from H.O.

[TracieABD]

I am really not a fan of the smells of many cleaning product. I would most certainly lose my appetite. EW.:eek:

[Loonbeam]

If its a true deep clean, the areas where menus and condiments are also pulled, all the rugs are steam cleaned, the tables are also cleaned and sanitized with a long dry solution and there are a few other things.

 

They are scared to death of USPH inspection.

 

Unless the ship has recently has an inspection, the deep cleaning

of the wait stations is done the night before any US port call

(where a 'surprise' inspection may occur)

 

There are some things that 'live' in the station -- cups, saucers, silver,

water glasses.

 

(Dinner plates, etc. come from the galley, and return to the galley.)

 

They have to be removed, and wiped down. The inside of the station

has to be wiped. Then, a head waiter comes by with a flash light, and

inspects inside the station. If ok, the waiter/junior can put everything

back.

 

If USPH takes points off for a particular waiter's station, the waiter

will most likely be fired.

[Cruiserkenn]

Right, definitely necessary. I just hope not when other sensitive diners and I are dining.

 

I hope.

[chengkp75]

Actually, this should not have been necessary. If the company has a sufficiently strong sanitation culture, then even ships that are away from the US for a period maintain the standards of the USPH VSP, even though they don't have to. It is when things get lax because a ship is home ported outside the US that this kind of "emergency" cleanup is required, or you get the situation on the Silver Shadow the last two times she returned from overseas.

 

We used to have a weekly USPH inspection by the ship's staff. Every officer and supervisor would report, and teams would inspect the entire ship, each team would have one supervisor from the area or department being inspected, and one supervisor from another department to provide "new eyes". All senior supervisors were required to go to the USPH training school to learn all facets of the Sanitation Program.

 

A ship should be able to pass a USPH inspection at any time, if the management team is totally committed to proper sanitation.

[Hlitner]

Actually, this should not have been necessary. If the company has a sufficiently strong sanitation culture, then even ships that are away from the US for a period maintain the standards of the USPH VSP, even though they don't have to. It is when things get lax because a ship is home ported outside the US that this kind of "emergency" cleanup is required, or you get the situation on the Silver Shadow the last two times she returned from overseas.

 

We used to have a weekly USPH inspection by the ship's staff. Every officer and supervisor would report, and teams would inspect the entire ship, each team would have one supervisor from the area or department being inspected, and one supervisor from another department to provide "new eyes". All senior supervisors were required to go to the USPH training school to learn all facets of the Sanitation Program.

 

A ship should be able to pass a USPH inspection at any time, if the management team is totally committed to proper sanitation.

 

And I have a bridge in Brooklyn I will sell you at a bargain price :). It is just human nature that the fear of inspection makes everyone nervous starting all the way up at the Hotel Manager. We were on a long Prinsendam cruise that ended in Port Everglades...and the crew expected an inspection upon docking. The night before docking was something to behold :). We sat up in the Crows Nest (a bar at the top of the ship) in our usual place and watched the bar staff cleaning everything in site. I mean they pulled everything out of every cabinet and even washed the bottles of booze (open and unopened). This went on for hours and it was fascinating to see the attention to detail. Having been on this ship for the prior 61 days (and often at the same bar) we had never seen anything like this and did tease the Beverage Manager (our friend) who was really not in the mood to be teased. As a ship's Officer he was feeling the pressure (from above) to get a perfect score. While the ship was always clean, it was never this clean :).

 

Hank

[chengkp75]

And I have a bridge in Brooklyn I will sell you at a bargain price :). It is just human nature that the fear of inspection makes everyone nervous starting all the way up at the Hotel Manager. We were on a long Prinsendam cruise that ended in Port Everglades...and the crew expected an inspection upon docking. The night before docking was something to behold :). We sat up in the Crows Nest (a bar at the top of the ship) in our usual place and watched the bar staff cleaning everything in site. I mean they pulled everything out of every cabinet and even washed the bottles of booze (open and unopened). This went on for hours and it was fascinating to see the attention to detail. Having been on this ship for the prior 61 days (and often at the same bar) we had never seen anything like this and did tease the Beverage Manager (our friend) who was really not in the mood to be teased. As a ship's Officer he was feeling the pressure (from above) to get a perfect score. While the ship was always clean, it was never this clean :).

 

Hank

 

However, given the restrictions on work and rest hours now imposed on ship's crew by the MLC over the last couple of years, this kind of last minute "all nighter" becomes a thing of the past. Port state (USCG) and class will always inspect the records of hours worked, and violations can have serious detrimental effects on the ship and company. The laws are written so that even the individual crew member is subject to sanction if they violate the work and rest hours.

 

With restrictions on available labor hours, proper management becomes more and more important to get the job done in the prescribed time frame. It well behooves a supervisor to maintain a level of excellence, since it takes less effort to maintain something, than to bring a sub-par operation up to a level required in a short time.

[notentirelynormal]

millie-may: While I realize that we all go on cruises for certain experiences and enjoyments I still have to ask. You said:

 

We like to find around 8pm taking our time, enjoying the food and wine and finishing around 9/9.30 in time for a late show. Starting around 8.30 the waiter's started to dismantled the service stations and carry out a deep cleaning the drawers, cupboards and trays.

 

Did it ever cross your mind when you were one of the very few in the restaurant to maybe leave (I can't see them doing this if it was crowded), go to a different restaurant or bar and chill there.... or just let the guys do what they need to do. I mean if it happens once well, okay. But if if was happening night after night you have to ask yourself "why am i putting myself into this situation". I don't think they could have got any more obvious with you that they wanted you to leave.

[Sunviking]

millie-may: While I realize that we all go on cruises for certain experiences and enjoyments I still have to ask. You said:

 

We like to find around 8pm taking our time, enjoying the food and wine and finishing around 9/9.30 in time for a late show. Starting around 8.30 the waiter's started to dismantled the service stations and carry out a deep cleaning the drawers, cupboards and trays.

 

Did it ever cross your mind when you were one of the very few in the restaurant to maybe leave (I can't see them doing this if it was crowded), go to a different restaurant or bar and chill there.... or just let the guys do what they need to do. I mean if it happens once well, okay. But if if was happening night after night you have to ask yourself "why am i putting myself into this situation". I don't think they could have got any more obvious with you that they wanted you to leave.

 

I'm sorry, but I don't think that going to eat at 8 PM and being there until 9 or 9:30 is not unreasonable. Not all of us want to eat dinner at 5 PM. Cleaning of the kind described should not be done when people are still dining there or if it was to be done, guests should have been seated in another part of the dining room. They are large spaces and that should not have been a problem

Edited November 20, 2015 by Sunviking

[moki'smommy]

90 minutes for dinner is totally reasonable. If the staff needed to begin a major cleaning operation by a certain time, they should have calculated and closed the dining room 90-120 minutes before that cleaning needed to start. Doing anything beyond removing dirty dishes and resetting tables is inappropriate while guests are eating.

 

Sorry--deep cleaning is for closed venues.

[notentirelynormal]

I'm sorry, but I don't think that going to eat at 8 PM and being there until 9 or 9:30 is not unreasonable. Not all of us want to eat dinner at 5 PM. Cleaning of the kind described should not be done when people are still dining there or if it was to be done, guests should have been seated in another part of the dining room. They are large spaces and that should not have been a problem

 

We like to find around 8pm taking our time, enjoying the food and wine and finishing around 9/9.30 in time for a late show. Starting around 8.30 the waiter's started to dismantled the service stations and carry out a deep cleaning the drawers, cupboards and trays.

 

She doesn't say what time she got to the restaurant, when it opened or when it closed. She says that around 8:00 they like to take their time. I find it pretty hard to believe that an entire restaurant started to eat at 8:00 and they started to do a major clean during the beginning of meal service at 8:30. I'm guessing the restaurant closed around 8:30/9:00. Come on people. Do you really believe they started doing a massive cleaning at the beginning of the second dinner seating? There would be tons of people on here complaining or at the very least reporting it.

Starting around 8.30 the waiter's started to dismantled the service stations and carry out a deep cleaning the drawers, cupboards and trays. Buckets of dirty water were placed near them and the smell was awful. Glasses, crockery and flat ware were placed on the tables which were not occupied and the restaurant began to resemble a jumble sale (rummage sale).

 

How could they dismantle and clean work areas in the beginning of dinner? I think the OP left out some parts. Yes, 90 minutes is totally reasonable for dinner as long as the staff isn't waiting on just one couple. You want to stay that long, come when the restaurant is open. I, for one, would like to know more details.

Edited November 20, 2015 by notentirelynormal

[shredie]

I think the OP left out some parts. Yes, 90 minutes is totally reasonable for dinner as long as the staff isn't waiting on just one couple. You want to stay that long, come when the restaurant is open. I, for one, would like to know more details.[/color]

[/color]

 

I agree.