10/22 Oosterdam Dining Change - No, I'm not kidding...

[cruznon]

Hey, Grumpy, time to duck! :)

A San Diegan here. We LOVE traditional dining--want nothing to do with open seating. We LOVE formal night--always in tux and evening gowns. Those I know here, who like to cruise, feel likewise.

Some assume(incorrectly) that we Californians--especially if SOUTHERN Californians:eek: --have no respect for tradition.

The Oosterdam may have been chosen because it's a newer Vista-class, located on the West coast (closer to Seattle) and relatively new itinerary (only the 2nd year on this route.) I'm sure the pax are a good cross-section of newbies and Mariners, based on mass marketing--which would give HAL balanced feedback on this "test."

[anngie]

Why does HAL fail to tell it's employees who answer the phones what the new changes in policy are? This happens each time some major policy is changed. It was the liquor policy and then the tipping policy. The people in Ship's Services were the last to know. It looks like it is the same old story :mad: with dining policy.

[RuthC]

Why does HAL fail to tell it's employees who answer the phones what the new changes in policy are? This happens each time some major policy is changed.

Frustrating as that is, it's not peculiar to HAL. All large organizations seem to suffer from the same malady.

I spent 33 years working the front lines for a large government agency. We were always the last to know. There were too many times that we not only had the wrong information, but clients were getting the correct info from media and calling to check. The press was told, but we weren't!

 

Egg on the face ruins a good make-up job.

[dougnewmanatsea]

Most of the upscale lines have gone open seating or some variation with no formal nights.

You're right about open seating (though it's not so much that they've "gone open seating" but that they've always had it - keep in mind that of today's "luxury" lines, none existed 20 years ago) but most of them do still have formal nights.

[jhannah]

Why does HAL fail to tell it's employees who answer the phones what the new changes in policy are?

This is what boggles my mind. Just think of the missed opportunities for these hard-working customer service reps to do some preemptive damage control.

 

My TA, upon my letting her know of this, contacted her HAL rep. Keep in mind that this is the front door into HAL for the folks making their revenue for them. Here is her report to me from yesterday (Friday):

 

I have been on hold twice with HAL once for 20 minutes and now for 30

minutes. The first time the agent hadn't heard of the experimental

program, so she was checking her supervisor. I think I was put on hold

and forgotten. No recording at all. Now I'm on hold with music waiting

for Guest Services. No one has heard of this yet, but they are

checking.

 

Finally got through after 45 minutes. Yes, they are having an

experiment on the one sailing only and they will check passenger

feedback. They said that if there were people that wanted to eat at a

set time or with a set group of people everyday they could make

reservations, but I agree with you that for the late dining crowd you

would not have the same dining experience as the early dining.

 

So apparently not even those folks who work directly with travel agents were informed. This continues to amaze me! What a sad lack of judgment somewhere in the hierarchy.

[cdkempton]

Being Northern Californians, I must say that we too enjoy the set dinner times and the proper dress and would prefer that HAL keep it as it was. We tried "free style" and didn't like it. We had a different wait staff every night and often had to wait for great lengths between courses because the staff was busy with a large group just sitting down and wanting to order while our entree was awaiting us getting cold. If we liked "freestyle" we wouldn't have come back to HAL. PLEASE DON'T CHANGE.....

[Himself]

Hey, if it works it will go to the other ships and if it doesn't it will be discontinued on the Ooesterdam

[patval]

Hello!

 

I am wondering who this Plotts person is because when I called HAL I was giving the director for Customer Relations and he was a Tood Beahuam and the person at the Executive Level for this area is Brendan Vierra. Oh yeah the person under Tood he Assistant Director is a women but can not remeber her full name but I know her last name was not Plotts.

 

 

Paul

[mariner]

Let's see. My corporate parent's chairman loves Princess.

 

Princess has PC dining.

 

I'm Stein Kruse. Now, I know Mickey loves Princess.

 

Am I going to give this PC thing a try? Beturxxx

[Pudgesmom]

What if the passengers on the Oosterdam like the new dining concept? Maybe it will work well. How will they and HAL know if they don't try it?

 

I would love to try this new idea.

 

Beth

[Iggipolka]

Yes' date=' they are having an[/i']

experiment on the one sailing only and they will check passenger

feedback.

 

 

Ooooo..Only on this one sailing only! Oh, I so hope so!!

[Iggipolka]

What if the passengers on the Oosterdam like the new dining concept? Maybe it will work well. How will they and HAL know if they don't try it?

 

It would have been much better if HAL had let the people on the 10/22 sailing know WAY before hand that they were going to be testing a dining concept, instead of just surprising them with it when they boarded. HAL also could have sent out a survey, asking if anyone would be interested in this new dining concept.

I would love to try this new idea.

 

You can. Princess, NCL and some other lines offer Personal Choice or Freestyle dining.

[Pudgesmom]

You can. Princess, NCL and some other lines offer Personal Choice or Freestyle dining.

 

Thank you for suggesting I go elsewhere just because I am open to a new idea on a cruise line I enjoy. I realize many people are not open to change, and are mired in their conception of what "should" be. I LIKE HAL, but am not crazy about assigned tables and tablemates.

 

I like the new bedding, and am looking forward to trying some of the other SOE improvements on HAL. Although I am in the minority here, I still should have the opportunity to voice my opinion without being shown the door.

 

Beth

[Sierrachik]

I still should have the opportunity to voice my opinion without being shown the door.

 

Well said, Beth. Regardless of which side of the fence one sits on, one should not be made to feel as if they're not welcome anymore.

[BEAV]

Although I'd prefer to see HAL remain traditional in terms of fixed dining times, how can a company "experiment" with just one sailing? Take yourself out of the cruisers seat for a moment and think as a business person. You know the first week will be rough simply because neither the crew -or- passengers are accustomed to the experiment. If it were my own business, and I wanted to get a TRUE feel for how it went, I'd run my experiment for at least a month, but certainly not just one week.

[Iggipolka]

Thank you for suggesting I go elsewhere just because I am open to a new idea on a cruise line I enjoy.

 

Beth, sorry if that came across as rude. I didn't mean it that way. I simply meant that there are other lines that do offer personal choice seating if Traditional seating isn't your thing.

 

Sometimes tone is a difficult thing to get across on the internet.

[Pudgesmom]

Good point, Beav.

 

It would be interesting to know how other lines have experimented or made the switch to different dining arrangements. Its possible that the results from this one-time experiment will result in further experiments as the concept is refined.

 

 

Beth

[Pudgesmom]

Beth, sorry if that came across as rude. I didn't mean it that way. I simply meant that there are other lines that do offer personal choice seating if Traditional seating isn't your thing.

 

Sometimes tone is a difficult thing to get across on the internet.

 

Thanks, no hard feelings.

 

I was just trying to indicate that I would be interested in this idea on Holland America.

 

Beth

[SeaBands]

Perhaps HAL plans to launch a special category for cruisers who like to eat just after lunch and charge them less for the cruise so they can fill the early seating in the dining room just like Denny's or the chains catering to retirees or families with little kids planning an early bedtime.

I think most cruisers are more sophisticated and prefer to have a cocktail or 2 before dinner and relax from the day's excursions.:eek:

[KAYEF]

We were upset (our fault, booked late) when we didn't get an assigned dining time on the Island Princess................then, learned that we LOVED not having an assignment. We just called each morning and booked a table for whatever time we wanted to dine that night. We could even book a certain table if we'd enjoyed those servers.:)

This summer on Norwegian Dream it was "freestyle dining" and, again, we loved it, EXCEPT FOR FORMAL NIGHTS. Almost no one dressed up. We enjoy having a couple of dress up nights but on N.D. we certainly did NOT enjoy dining with people in t-shirts, baseball hats and sweat pants at the next table on formal nights; granted they are optional, but they admitted people who were not even dressed to the posted "code" (meaning no

t-shirts, etc., etc.)

It's a grand time to meet more people but if you're with a group you can still dine together each night.;)

I just don't think the freestyle type of dining would be very comfortable for a single cruiser.

Try it; you might like it!

[RuthC]

I just don't think the freestyle type of dining would be very comfortable for a single cruiser.

Try it; you might like it!

Now there's an unfortunate segue. ;)

[juliecat]

I'm travelling on Oosterdam in May. I chose her over Princess precisely because of the assigned dining. I travel solo and I do not feel comfortable walking up to a table of strangers in the dining room. The assigned dining room table is my primary method of meeting new people!

 

Julia

[KAYEF]

I'm travelling on Oosterdam in May. I chose her over Princess precisely because of the assigned dining. I travel solo and I do not feel comfortable walking up to a table of strangers in the dining room. The assigned dining room table is my primary method of meeting new people!

 

Julia

I understand that................one of our new friends is a widowed lady whom we met on the "O" ............she dined with us. We also met lots of new people dining at lunch (unassigned)..................there's something about food and conversation!:)

[Iggipolka]

I'm so curious as to hear back from our fellow CC'ers on the Oosterdam right now! I'm wondering how this whole mess is working out for them.

 

Iggi..another solo cruiser who delibertly chose HAL over other lines because of traditional dining.

[AirGorilla]

If this really does happen fleet wide, then we think that we will be lloking to other cruise lines like Crystal. We have a lot of cruises already booked for 2006 - but those plans can change

 

We've upgraded to Crystal from HAL -- been on two of their cruises, and have loved both. I think you'll be happy with Crystal!