Comment on Oostedam dining "experiment"

[brichar499]

Came back last night from our cruise out of San Diego. Lots of good things to say about HAL and the Oosterdam (our fourth HAL cruise). But not about the flexible dining times. I could not find a single dining staff member who could say a good thing about the assigned seating combined with flexible times. Although there were only four at our table, the new system proved difficult for the stewards to smoothly manage. And it was not their fault. Think about it; how can one couple at a table sit down at 8pm and the other couple at 8:20 and expect coordinated service. HAL needs to decide to do anytime dining with no table assignments (like many other lines) so you are seated with other guests arriving in the dining room at about the same time or stick with traditional dining. They could also have anytime dining on one level and traditional on the other. But right now they have the worst of both worlds.

[Druke I]

I certainly hope you made your feelings known through the Comments Cards distributed before leaving the ship.

 

Management needs to know if it is not working well.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for reporting in about this new leisure dining time.

Did you report your displeasure concerning this new leisure dining on your comment card at the end of the cruise?

[VABeach]

To me, some of my best cruise memories invole dinner in the dining room. On the other hand, I don't really have any special memories of open seating breakfast or lunch or the buffet. :rolleyes:

[sail7seas]

Thank you for telling us your observations about this dining experiment.

 

I think you're statement that it is the 'worst of both worlds' seems to bge what most of us are thinking.

I hope they ditch this concept VERY soon.

 

[ocngypz]

This is a bit like the Caronia class dining room on the QE2, but since it's been around for so long..it does work.

 

You were assigned tables, but could come at any time. Generally speaking, most folks generally showed up at 730...and all agreed to show up every night at the same time.

 

I think it's more difficult on HAL ships, because regardless of staterooms.. if everyone showed up at the same time, there isn't enough space to accommodate everyone on the ship.

 

It really only works if there is enough dining seats on the ship to accommodate everyone at the same time, eg the ultra luxury liners (Seabourn, Silversea, etc)

 

Just my 2 cents.

[jhannah]

Hopefully they will get this out of their system. I just hope enough people will make their feelings known.

[Polecat]

We just got off the Oosterdam yesterday and had no problem at all with the dining. We usually wandered into the dining room around 5:45 and just enjoyed a liesurely dinner.

[RevNeal]

We just got off the Oosterdam yesterday and had no problem at all with the dining. We usually wandered into the dining room around 5:45 and just enjoyed a liesurely dinner.

 

With whom did you eat?

[Pilot70D]

HAL needs to decide to do anytime dining with no table assignments (like many other lines) so you are seated with other guests arriving in the dining room at about the same time or stick with traditional dining. They could also have anytime dining on one level and traditional on the other.

 

Your thread is very interesting to us. We cruised Princess several times before trying HAL (and liking HAL little better). Princess of course has offered 'Personal Choice Dining' for years and we really like it. I agree that HAL either needs to go all the way with free style dining or stick to the current traditional dining.

 

I too think HAL could be successful if they offered anytime dining on one level of the dining room and traditional seating on the other level. By so doing they could satisfy those who want traditional seating as well as those of us who want flexible seating.

 

We just finished the Veendam fourteen day cruise. We really wished that flexible seating had been offered. We got the dining time we wanted (8:00) but there were many times during this cruise that we would have liked to eat earlier and in the dining room. Yes, I know that we could go to the Lido earler or order from room service. However neither the Lido nor room service offers all of the things on the formal dining room's menu.

 

The bottom line is that I think HAL can keep both camps happy but this half-way nonsense is the worst of both worlds.

[kryos]

Think about it; how can one couple at a table sit down at 8pm and the other couple at 8:20 and expect coordinated service. HAL needs to decide to do anytime dining with no table assignments (like many other lines) so you are seated with other guests arriving in the dining room at about the same time or stick with traditional dining. They could also have anytime dining on one level and traditional on the other. But right now they have the worst of both worlds.

Thank you for saying that. I feel the same way. Either do a total NCL-type freestyle dining, or stick with traditional. HAL is trying to please everyone, and are thus making no one happy. It's obvious they don't have the dining room capacity to do both ... as Princess does. So, they should pick one or the other after evaluating all their market research and the comment cards over the past year. They should study how many people have requested a freestyle dining concept ... how many are still demanding traditional ... and then make a decision one way or the other. At least then one group will get what they want, while the other will be free to either deal with it or sail elsewhere.

 

Also, HAL might want to consider the fact that maybe freestyle dining will work great on certain ships ... certain itineraries ... but not on others. Does the dining room concept have to be the same fleet-wide? Wouldn't it stand to reason that people on long itineraries might prefer the same table companions, while those on short "family-oriented" destinations might prefer the flexibility of freestyle dining?

 

Too many companies today try to take the middle road, rather than adopt one side's view and go with it 100%. That's why so many businesses are in trouble today.

 

Just my humble opinion ...

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

To me, some of my best cruise memories invole dinner in the dining room. On the other hand, I don't really have any special memories of open seating breakfast or lunch or the buffet. :rolleyes:

Same here. The people I've broken bread with are the ones I've gotten to know the best and most fondly remember. I even keep in touch with a couple of women I met on the Zuiderdam in August of 2004, and we are trying to coordinate another sailing that will fit all of our schedules.

 

You certainly don't develop those kinds of relationships with "anytime" dining.

 

To me, dinner is a social event more than just a meal. It's a time to laugh and enjoy each other's company ... and to get to know one another. You are usually more relaxed at dinner, and not in a hurry to be somewhere or do something. I can see the open seating in the dining room for breakfast and lunch. Those are just meals that maybe you prefer to have served to you rather than just going to the buffet. You're there to eat and then run. So relationship building is not a priority and you're happy to sit with people you've never met.

 

But, I am gonna be really upset of dinner goes this way too ... and as I said before, if HAL offers me no traditional dining options, I guess I'll have to find another line that will ... like perhaps Princess. But that would be a shame ... because I really like HAL.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

The bottom line is that I think HAL can keep both camps happy but this half-way nonsense is the worst of both worlds.

I don't think HAL's dining rooms are large enough to accommodate both camps. That's probably why they are trying to figure out which way to go ... based on what the majority of people want.

 

I can understand the convenience of anytime dining ... but HAL does offer an option for that ... the Lido. I've eaten there in the evenings several times (mostly on formal nights when I just don't feel like "gussying" up). White tablecloths and candles on the tables, beverage service ... it's really not 100% buffet at all. You only go through the buffet line to select your entree and load up on sides.

 

I think HAL already has a flexible dining concept in place, and perhaps they should build on it. Extend the hours and make the Lido less self-serve and more tableside service in the evenings ... a totally casual dining venue ... where people can come and go as they please for dinner ... within a certain time window ... without regard for the dress code in force for the evening ... and enjoy a meal almost identical to what they would get in the dining room on that particular evening.

 

This is the only way I can see to make both camps happy.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[gizmo]

I don't think HAL's dining rooms are large enough to accommodate both camps. That's probably why they are trying to figure out which way to go ... based on what the majority of people want.

 

I don't think they are trying to figure out which was to go, based on the what the majority of the people want. I still think it is marketing idea, not what the majority of people really want.

 

I can understand the convenience of anytime dining ... but HAL does offer an option for that ... the Lido. I've eaten there in the evenings several times (mostly on formal nights when I just don't feel like "gussying" up). White tablecloths and candles on the tables, beverage service ... it's really not 100% buffet at all. You only go through the buffet line to select your entree and load up on sides.

 

Agree 100%.

 

I think HAL already has a flexible dining concept in place, and perhaps they should build on it. Extend the hours and make the Lido less self-serve and more tableside service in the evenings ... a totally casual dining venue ... where people can come and go as they please for dinner ... within a certain time window ... without regard for the dress code in force for the evening ... and enjoy a meal almost identical to what they would get in the dining room on that particular evening.

 

Extending the hours would be excellent. Interesting concept to have your orders taken at the table and everything served. I don't know if they could do this. The regular kitchen is no where close. They would still have to use the buffet table.

[RuthC]

Polecat shouldn't have had a difficult time with the dinner "test"---he (she?) was at early sitting.

It's the later sitting that is more likely to have an adverse impact. That's the sitting where (reports say) one can be bumped from their usual table, or end up sitting there all alone, or have an endless stream of new tablemates every night.

As long as this is in "test" phase it is also unlikely that people who prefer the later time will be opting for the earlier dinner to have the traditional experience. Then there will be people assigned to the later time because there was no room for them at their preferred early sitting.