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

[WillK]

As passengers on this cuise, we're thrilled with the option of dining whenever we choose. A non-scientific poll of fellow passengers (my poll) finds few complaints. Most people seem to be happy to have the flexibility.

 

Cheers- Willk

[cdkempton]

Cruiseoholics: So many questions....... Sure hope you can find the time to answer all the queries. After a week of speculation it would really be nice to get some facts. ;)

[cruisecrasy]

As passengers on this cuise, we're thrilled with the option of dining whenever we choose. A non-scientific poll of fellow passengers (my poll) finds few complaints. Most people seem to be happy to have the flexibility.

 

Cheers- Willk

 

my questions - Any problems with some of the 5:30 pm pax not showing up and overcrowding the 7:30 pm to closing time..lineups maybe? Wld be the only problem I cld see 'cause some of them will not like changing to 5:30 pm from 6:15 pm. Secondly, has the Lido and Pinn Grill seen an increase in clientele?

Here's hoping u are having a fabulous time.

Happy cruisin'!

[CruznFool]

The information below is what is going to be a test for open seating.

The Oosterdam is the guinea pig for this experiment.

The reason for this first stage test comes from comment cards, e-mail and phone calls requesting open seating. Holland is trying to change there image and this is one way to help. As in all business, changes need to be made to entice passengers.

 

How long will the test run? At present there are no time limits and possible modifications will be made as it develops.

 

The traditional set seating is at 5:30 PM and the 6:15 PM has been eliminated.

 

Open seating begins at 7:30 PM to 9 PM. You can do a walk-in during that time period and request a table for two, four etc. Depending on how popular that dinner time is there can be a wait. (This happens with other cruise lines as Princess). The other alternative is to make a reservation with the Maitre d' for a specific time, number of people, upper or lower and even a table assignment if available. My contact commented this could be done for the duration of the cruise. Once again there may be modifications.

If you are a group of four and request a table of eight there will be open seats to fill and may not be the same couples each night.

It would be similar to a land based restaurant except for extra individuals at your table when asking for a larger table than your party.

As you can see there are options and not set in concrete.

If this goes well it will be tried on other HAL ships and expanded.

 

The question is; who is this individual?

I work as staff on another cruise line message board and only report clarifications and hopefully not untruths. I try to get only the facts and not exaggerate or guess. And no; I do not go by the screen name CruznFool on the other cruise message board.

[Librgirl]

My in-laws (veteran cruisers on a number of lines) are on this week's O'dam cruise. My DH will sent their report on the new seating arrangement in the dining room once they return to San Diego on Saturday. They had no idea of the change until DH gave them a printout of the first 2 postings last Thursday. They had asked for the late seating but were switched to early. Though in their 70's, they find that the early seating at 5:30 is way too early especially on shore days.

[Lefty Bob]

It is interesting that HAL is trying something different. It should be OK only if they let the PAX know in advance of the "open seating policy.":)

 

Lefty

[Cruisin Kay D]

We've done the Personal Choice dining times on several Princess cruises & especially liked it when we would meet a couple at the pool or walking around the Promenade Deck and then we could all have dinner together -- on those trips we have generally had the same table location at about same time each evening. It was MUCH more fun to dine & converse with people we'd met on board and with whom we had something in common, rather than being "stuck" with uninteresting, constantly-complaining people we had at our table back in fall of 2000 (just prior to Princess introducing PC dining).

 

We have done 2 traditional dining cruises on RC -- for the 1st one we organized a table of cruisecritics from our roll call -- the 2nd was a family activity!!! So this upcoming trip on Westerdam will be our 1st time to "roll the dice" & "take potluck" at dining with strangers!!! I would happily participate in an experiment with open dining......

[RevNeal]

So ... when cruising alone I'll have to get used to eating alone.

If this holds, I'm gone.

[Iggipolka]

So ... when cruising alone I'll have to get used to eating alone.

If this holds, I'm gone.

 

I hear ya.

 

As much as I'm looking forward to my upcoming cruise, I'm dreading dinner time. Missing out on chatting with tablemates and getting to know them over the course of the week, makes me feel like I'm missing out on a big part of the whole cruise experience.

[RevNeal]

As much as I'm looking forward to my upcoming cruise, I'm dreading dinner time. Missing out on chatting with tablemates and getting to know them over the course of the week, makes me feel like I'm missing out on a big part of the whole cruise experience.

 

IF such ends up being the seating arrangements, that is precisely what will happen to us. We'll be eating alone. :( People will be staring at us, wondering why we're not with someone.

 

If January on the Oosterdam turns into that, I'll be an unhappy camper and the letter to HAL HQ will not be printable.

[trubey]

Even as a couple, the idea of having to find dinner companions makes me shiver. It so much reminds me of the dating anxiety in high school and then many years later the problem of seating in the corporate dining room. susana.

[calm_seas]

I heartily agree with revneal and trubey --- Eating alone does not (I repeat for those deaf parties at HAL --- does not) agree with me. Nor do I relish the thought of having to sit with different "strangers" every night and becoming acquainted 7, 14, 21 (or whatever the length of the cruise) times!

 

NCL has it's "Freestyle", where supposedly you can reserve a set table for a set dining time, but that didn't work for me either, since being a party of 2 at a table for 8, we still had to do the "introduce yourself, where are you from, how many cruises have you done" bit. And when traveling alone, the experiences were ten times worse! These negative experiences are some of the many reasons why I am still cruising with HAL. What are these people (i.e., the corporate bean counters at HAL) thinking?????? There are lots of cruise lines that offer the option of not knowing your tablemates; seems as if HAL is trying to become "one of the crowd"?????:mad:

[PRINSENDAM]

So ... when cruising alone I'll have to get used to eating alone.

If this holds, I'm gone.

 

 

 

Reverend,

 

HOLD ON!!!! :)

 

 

I don't think you will be dining alone very much. If we have open dining on NOORDAM in February.... look for us around the ship... if Ruth and I are in the mood for a table bigger than 2, you are most welcome to join us!

 

Stephen

[jollycruiser]

What are these people (i.e., the corporate bean counters at HAL) thinking??????

 

Pure and simple - MONEY. While most here disagree with this new initiative there is a whole new generation of cruisers coming on board that prefer a casual, come and go as you please lifestyle. HAL is willing to sacrifice the old faithful to accomplish their goal of maximizing profits. You see it EVERYWHERE these days in all segments of corporate stradegy, appealling to the younger crowd. Just look at TV commercials, what is the average age of the actors in them (with the exception of drug companies). Afterall us gezzards will be gone soon so the company must migrate it's policies to the lifestyles of the next generation. While most of us here don't like it, them are the brutal facts. We can either accept the changes or move on elsewhere, that is the way a capitalist society functions.

 

Don't get me wrong, I am not advocating for this change, but my economic education tells me that there is only ONE GOAL of how all businesses are operated these days - MAXIMIZE PROFITS.

[RuthC]

IF such ends up being the seating arrangements, that is precisely what will happen to us. We'll be eating alone. :( People will be staring at us, wondering why we're not with someone.

 

If January on the Oosterdam turns into that, I'll be an unhappy camper and the letter to HAL HQ will not be printable.

Will it be e-mailable? :D I'd sell my soul to read it.

I've started to think of this potential change as an opportunity. If HAL eliminates fixed dining at the later hour then there's no reason I shouldn't look to see what other lines have to offer. Certianly Princess would be a possibility---they're even in the same family so any repeater discounts would be available.

Crystal is another possibility. I couldn't sail them as often since the fare is so much higher, but I believe I could mix comfortably with the passenger base. (I can hear the "there goes the neighborhood" sounds even now.;) )

If the ultimate decision is that I won't be around HAL forever (natch) so I might as well be replaced now (:eek: ) then perhaps I should consider cooperating.

You know---kinda like: you can't fire me; I quit.

[kryos]

So ... when cruising alone I'll have to get used to eating alone.

If this holds, I'm gone.

No Rev, I don't think that is how it would work.

 

It would be like open seating in the dining room for breakfast or lunch. You would be placed at a larger table with other folks. Anyone who takes the larger tables (and many will because everyone can't have a table for two and expect to eat at an acceptable hour) will have to expect that others are going to be seated with them.

 

I've never done open seating, but I have a cruising buddy on Princess who loves the Anytime Dining. We did traditional on our April Hawaii cruise, and found some problems with it. We had a table for eight and there were seven of us ... two other couples, plus myself and this woman and her aunt. After the first night, one of the couples switched to early seating (we were late), and the other couple tended to only come to dinner if there was something on the menu that appealed to them. Also, this other couple didn't care for formal nights and only on one of them bothered to come to the dining room at all. Thus, the three of us, on several nights, wound up eating alone. For some reason, the waiters didn't seem anxious to seat us at other tables within their station on those nights because there was always the possibility that missing diners at those tables could show up late.

 

This cruising buddy of mine told me ... she's swearing off of traditional dining. She said that personal choice is so much better because you can always add people to your party that you meet around the ship or on excursions during the day. She also liked the convenience of being able to eat when she wanted ... an especially nice benefit if you get back from an excursion late and feel the need for a little nap before dinner.

 

I don't think you'll ever need to worry about dining alone, Rev. In fact, I think you'll have a hard time getting a table to yourself since the few tables for two are in such demand.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

I've started to think of this potential change as an opportunity. If HAL eliminates fixed dining at the later hour then there's no reason I shouldn't look to see what other lines have to offer. Certianly Princess would be a possibility---they're even in the same family so any repeater discounts would be available.

Funny you should say that because I've been thinking the exact same thing. Oh, don't get me wrong ... I'm not in the market for anymore cruises right now ... it'll be a while before I am booking another since I'm totally booked up for 2006 and money-short after that :) ... but I think I'm gonna spread my wings a bit and see what other lines have to offer in late 2007 and beyond.

 

I kind of stumbled onto HAL ... never chose it. It was the line that a writer's retreat that I wanted to go to was being held on, so that's where I went. I liked HAL, so I pretty much stuck with the line. But who knows? There may be similarly priced lines out there that I would enjoy even more ... so why not try them? Further, HAL doesn't sail anything out of Philly ... a couple of other lines do. I'd really love to avoid having to fly if I can.

 

You're right ... this could actually be a wonderful opportunity, and that's exactly how I'm gonna view it. Don't get me wrong ... I'm not adamently opposed to Anytime Dining ... it's just that I, like many of you, prefer having set table companions who I can get to know throughout a cruise. Anytime dining doesn't easily offer that. To have set table companions, you have to all be willing to reserve the same table for every night ... something that's not gonna be easy to arrange with strangers. It's gonna be even more difficult for me since I generally travel solo.

 

So, guess it's time to spread my wings a bit, huh? :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[gizmo]

Maybe I just don't see how this works.

 

The Rev goes to the dining room and is seated at a large table. Four others are already seated. Their orders have already been taken, and the soup arrives before the Rev even orders. This doesn't sound very pleasant to me.

 

The last time I ate lunch in the dining room this type of thing occurred.

 

Calm seas has it right. Sitting with different people each night, gets old IMO. :eek: Same conversaion over and over again, where are you from?, how many cruises have you taken?, etc.

[ciana]

HI.. I've been reading this thread with interest for the last few days. We sail on the Oosterdam in November.. our first time with HAL. Our last two cruises were Princess with the anytime dining. We loved it! We went to eat when we wanted to..never any pressure to go at a certain time. At dinner we always went to a large table of 8(2 of us) so met lots of new folks which we quite enjoyed. The dinner orders were not taken until the table was full..which was never more than about 5 minutes so we all ate together not at different times as was mentioned above. At lunch, however, everyone ordered as they came..quite different than at dinner. On RCI in 2003 we had traditional dining and really found it difficult. Our table of 8 included someone who tried to convert all of us to his religion.. not a pleasant situation every night. Another couple only came periodically but, as been mentioned, the wait staff weren't sure so we all waited in case they came. The table next to us of 8 rarely had more than 2-3 at it.. they appeared very lonely.. the others had decided to eat in the buffet area. One person mentioned to me that a tablemate was so obnoxious that the others had tried to change tables or had decided to eat buffet style. I really would be unhappy if that was me.. what an awful cruise experience! We'll get to try the traditional again on the Oosterdam if the experiment is over so we'll see how we like it, but we really did enjoy the Princess anytime dining.. we got to enjoy our pre-dinner wine on our balcony with no pressure to go to dinner..no matter what time we got back to the ship!

 

Ciana:)

[RuthC]

One thing I've noticed about those who post that they like anytime dining: they use the pronoun "we"---never "I".

They don't realize what it's like for those who travel alone. Sadly, many of them will find out someday.

[HALGirl]

I agree with Ruth C. Most people writing that they like the free style dining are usually couples stating the "WE" in their posts. I was with my Mom on a 16 day cruise and sat at a large table. A solo traveler was at our table and after 16 days we became really good friends. We now travel together with the same love of seeing the world. My point is that if we did not sit together each night I might not have met her yet alone gotten to know her and would have missed the opportunity to make a good friend and travel buddy. Yes there are some tables where people just do not click but in all the years I have cruised I found most people to be delightful. A set table is so much better for those traveling solo and my preference.

 

Joanne

[Iggipolka]

Even when sailing with my wife, I'd prefer to have traditional seating. I love her dearly and think her company is wonderful, but we eat together alone just about every night. One of the things we like about going on a cruise, is the opportunity to socalize with other people and get to know them. At traditional dining, you get to know people beyond the "Hi..this is what I do for work, this is my __# of cruises," ect ect. With open seating, we'd be having to either eat at a table for two, or deal with the anxieties of meeting new people every single night.

 

bah..no thank you. We're young cruisers, supposidly the demographic that HAL thinks wants PC dining. If they spread it throughout the fleet, we'll be looking for a different line to cruise in the future. Traditional dining was one of the things that really appealed to us about HAL..without that..why not look around at other cruise lines.

[AirGorilla]

My Honey and I always request a table for 2, unless we are traveling with our daughters. We always request the Late Seating.

 

It appears to me that, with this new system, we might arrive at the Dining Room, be told that the tables for 2 are all occupied, and handed a beeper or told to 'check back in 30 minutes' -- neither are acceptable.

 

This would be a deal-breaker for us -- unless we could make a standing reservation for 7:45, 8:00, 8:15, 8:30, etc. Waiting around for a dinner table isn't part of the premium cruise experience that we have come to know.

 

Any other thoughts from those who like Late Seating/Table for 2??

[Joanandjoe]

We like early sitting, table for two; but our thoughts are the same as yours, Gorilla. Even though we like open sitting on small ships (Wind Surf and Seven Seas Navigator), we think that a fixed dining time is a real plus on a ship with 1,300 to 1,900 PAX. If HAL wants to have more flexible dining, they still should allow fixed dining for people who want it. Otherwise, Celebrity would be happy to get us back. We certainly do not want beepers or waits to get seated - that would also be a deal breaker for us!

 

Cruises: HAL 2 (Noordam 11/25/06 will be our third), Celebrity 1, Regal 1, Windstar 2, Radisson 1

[gizmo]

I complained about the beeper earlier and I am glad that others feel the same way.

 

I do understand some people think a beeper is no big deal so they go get a drink and wait.

 

Each to their own, but I do not want to cruise on a line that hands out beepers or has waits to be seated.

 

These are some of the things Mr.Gizmo and I like about cruises, no calling for reservations, no waits, no beepers.