MDR request. Am I being too picky?

[GradUT]

How do you even contact the Maitre'd onboard?

 

Look at Post #17 on the link below. It gives the two letter code for each Carnival ship. Just place the two letters before "maitred@carnival.com" so that it looks like:

 

XXmaitred@carnival.com

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2348503&highlight=MaitreD%27+email+address

[Kathy Loves Cats]

I wrote to John Heald on his Facebook page with a request. He replied within 24 hours and arranged a lovely table for us. Why not do the same.

[katiel53]

Thank you! And thanks to others who have given helpful replies. Obviously requests are welcome. I seriously doubt all the dozens who post about them are lying as suggested.

 

I don't think the posters are lying, but in no way do I believe requests are welcomed. If you ever read John Heald's page, you will see he discourages people from writing to the Maitre D' as they have many things to do.

 

I do feel it is an imposition to write to request a particular table etc. I believe that the reason the Maitre D' does give in to the requests is because if person x doesn't get what he/she wants, it will be taken out on the wait staff and possibly their tips will be reduced or removed entirely.

 

If it were that important to me, I'd stand in line on embarkation day as that's when the changes are requested if tables are not what were wanted. Sorry, but I don't think that I am or anyone is a special snowflake. JMO.

[fshstck]

This would work only for traditional dining, right?

 

If you have YOUR TIME DINING you can ask for a specific type of table when you arrive, but you can sometimes expect delays. We always asked for a table for two. After a few nights they automatically gave us a two top. We never had to wait longer than 15 minutes.

[DebJ14]

I don't think the posters are lying, but in no way do I believe requests are welcomed. If you ever read John Heald's page, you will see he discourages people from writing to the Maitre D' as they have many things to do.

 

I do feel it is an imposition to write to request a particular table etc. I believe that the reason the Maitre D' does give in to the requests is because if person x doesn't get what he/she wants, it will be taken out on the wait staff and possibly their tips will be reduced or removed entirely.

 

If it were that important to me, I'd stand in line on embarkation day as that's when the changes are requested if tables are not what were wanted. Sorry, but I don't think that I am or anyone is a special snowflake. JMO.

 

John Heald may discourage writing to the Maitre'D but more often than not I leave the ship with a card from the Maitre'D with his both his Carnival e-mail address and his personal e-mail address and a note to let him know when we will be back on the ship and to keep in touch.

We always do stand in line on embarkation day to make sure we got what we requested in the e-mail and to touch base with the Maitre'D. If a change needs to be made they have until the next afternoon to work their magic as we always eat in the Steakhouse the first night.

[OT2Be2004]

I email every time. We bring our children with us and always request a table for 4, as to not bother other table mates. I have always heard back and have always had my request granted.

[Pellaz]

Must be unique to carnival. Frankly, you'll have to forgive me if I say I don't buy your story.

 

You can "buy" anything you want. Emailing the maitre'd for such things as special table requests or linking different bookings together for one table is a long-established procedure, well-documented on CC in the past. I've done it myself on two different cruises to link our family's separate bookings together.

 

I called Celebrity asking for an email address for the maitre 'd for the purpose of asking for a table by a window. They said that was impossible. Further, she said can you imagine the chaos that would unsue if 1,400 passengers (half of the total capacity of 2,800) emailed one person asking for a special table? She then said could you imagine the outcry when only a half got what they wanted?

 

Perhaps a more responsive, upscale cruise line than Celebrity could offer such a service, then?

 

Then I read one post where they "asked" the maitre 'd what special treat he would like as compensation for getting two people, out of 2,000, the exact table they were asking for.

 

Golly, I read the same post, too!

I'm not sure why someone's altruism would shock you so. Seemed like a nice gesture to me. I don't anticipate having to make such MDR requests in the future, but if I were to get a prompt response back from the maitre'd, I think I'd do the same.

 

Anonymity is a powerful tool on these boards. IMHO it is abused way too often and worse, nubies buy into these distortions, myths, and eighth handed versions of what was at best a questionable truth in the first place.

 

What a lousy, mean-spirited thing to say. I know for a fact that emailing the maitre'd (and the steakhouse also) using the ship designator codes is an unquestionable truth. I've done it twice (to link bookings together) and it worked like a charm twice.

[dd likes to cruise]

I'm fairly certain you do not need to email the matre'd just to link your reservations on any cruise lines. That can be done by just calling the main reservation number. Done it on 3 different different cruiselines and nobody thought we were asking anything out of the norm.

 

I do that so they know we are planning on eating together for planning purposes. But I don't think we all need to go making special requests. Just me but I don't think I'm any better than the rest of the passengers. :cool:

[Elaine5715]

When you have been on lots of CCL cruises you get to know the Senior Maitre'D on many ships and almost all of them have given us not only their CCL e-mail addresses for future requests, but they have given us their personal e-mail address so we can stay in touch even if he is on a ship we are not sailing on. I have mentioned in passing that we were going to be on such and such a ship in the future and they often send a nice note to the Maitre D on that ship to make sure he takes good care of us. Diamond opens doors, but so does generous tipping! Heck on one cruise the Maitre'D even sent us a bottle of wine.

 

You do realize the special attention is/should be given to those with Diamond status? The Maitre is neither expected nor required to return emails but those who know their special attention will be rewarded with cash and not a stick deodorant. Many of these vanity requests are from new cruisers who want to show off to traveling companions . I do believe that many posters post fake accounts of what they want people to believe happened. Having been seated by many a window, I know people who think it would be great are usually those with few cruises. The windows may be blocked or open to a walkway. Other guests will request the shades be pulled because of the glare. The windows may be dirty. The windows themselves are long and narrow so you need to be at just the right angle and that means just the two seats next to the window can see.

[famreynoso]

I have made very specific requests via email 1.5 weeks BEFORE sail, and the Maitre D has always EXACTLY accommodated my request. It's really not that big of a deal for the Maitre D to assign you a table near a window if you ask, as not many people ask, and they have to assign everyone to a table for each cruise anyway.

 

In my email, I always add, "I would love to bring you a token of my appreciation, is there something special you can't get onboard that I can bring you?"

 

Typically they ask for candy or drugstore items. I will package these up in a nice gift bag and present to them when I see them at dinner the first night, along with a thank you note. This little gesture assures I'm treated like royalty and greeted by name.

 

A little tip or gift goes a long way!

 

Cheers!

 

Jeff aka Recovery Dude

Thats awesome! In return you did something special for them. We take for granted how accesible we have what we need and want. They inturn spend months at sea. "U scratch my back......etc)

 

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[h_blond2]

It doesn't hurt to ask, and if you get the table you want that's great, but yes, I think that is being too picky.