Anyone else miss the old head waiter/asst waiter setup?

[TomAceEsq]

Our waitstaff on the Miracle repo had seven tables. We usually ate in the back by the windows in a section comprised of three four tops, three six tops, and a ten top. Granted we were about 500 pax short on the Panama transit, but the MDR was never full and it never seemed as though our staff was in the weeds at all.

[coevan]

wow, before we had to cancel it was completely sold out

[TomAceEsq]

wow, before we had to cancel it was completely sold out

 

 

 

Oh yeah, we were all surprised. Adam the CD mentioned it a few times over the course of the sailing. The captain even mentioned it once when he thanked us for our patience for getting into Cabo late due to the overwhelming amount of provisions that needed to be loaded in LB. You could really tell too. Always, and I mean always open seats at shows even when coming in last minute, never a wait for the MDR or brunch (except for the last sea day of course), and at most waited about five minutes for any food. The most telling part was during the Canal transit. Tons of open space to view the Canal on any deck either side of the ship. Never a wait at the bar, and the only port we waited to get off the ship was Cabo due to arriving late and pretty much the entire ship needing to get off at the same time for tours. It was quite nice crowd-wise, or lack thereof I should say.

[sgttami]

When I took my first cruise 26 years ago (RCL) going to dinner in the MDR was an event. I think changes have a lot to do with the fact that back then it was the only place to eat. You had early or late seating and that was it.

 

There were no specialty, alternative restaurants or a million choices for a meal. The crew knew that every night you'd be there for dinner because it was the only place to be and the attention and service was overwhelming and personal. The food choices were top notch.

 

Fast forward to today. The crew has no clue who may or may not show up for a night or a week because they are eating elsewhere. I'm sure it's frustrating for them too.

 

I've always had decent service in the MDR on cruises and no complaints but it will never be like it was...back in the day.:)

[Retired_to_Cruise]

I've seen a decline in service as well. It's certainly not the waitstaff's fault. It's the amount of tables each team has been handed. Thanks again, Carnival, for making me feel like a bother if I need a refill of my water.

 

The water containers are on the table now. Fill your own.

[Retired_to_Cruise]

When I took my first cruise 26 years ago (RCL) going to dinner in the MDR was an event. I think changes have a lot to do with the fact that back then it was the only place to eat. You had early or late seating and that was it.

 

There were no specialty, alternative restaurants or a million choices for a meal. The crew knew that every night you'd be there for dinner because it was the only place to be and the attention and service was overwhelming and personal. The food choices were top notch.

 

Fast forward to today. The crew has no clue who may or may not show up for a night or a week because they are eating elsewhere. I'm sure it's frustrating for them too.

 

I've always had decent service in the MDR on cruises and no complaints but it will never be like it was...back in the day.:)

 

There have always been alternative places to eat at night on every cruise I have been on. Can you spell Lido, pizza, etc?

[declansdad]

I want to add...the dinner on Carnival is one of the reasons we were always reluctant to try other lines...we enjoyed the experience so much and didn’t think the setup on other lines would be as awesome, personal, and interactive.

 

With that gone, and Carnival prices on par with other lines now, we’ll be shopping around for our next cruise. Considering NCL.

 

Has something changed in the last year because this was not our experience on our last cruise.

 

And if you are looking for more personal service in the MDR from the waitstaff you won't find that on NCL.

[declansdad]

I've seen a decline in service as well. It's certainly not the waitstaff's fault. It's the amount of tables each team has been handed. Thanks again, Carnival, for making me feel like a bother if I need a refill of my water.

 

There is water on your table.

[billfish]

Just back from our 7th cruise together and of all the changes, the one we miss the most is the interaction with the wait staff in the main dining room.

 

We usually travel with a group of 10-12 adults and have always enjoyed the interactions with the wait staff team assigned to us. They would remember your name, greet you when you arrive, place a napkin on your lap, remember your preferences, joke around, etc. They almost always came by the table at the end of the meal to share a magic trick, a story, etc

 

Now, you hardly get to know them at all. They are so over worked, they don’t have time to develop any kind of a relationship. They don’t place a napkin on your lap, serve the rolls, greet you by name, interact on any level other than take your order and deliver your food.

 

It’s not the service that is missed (I can place my own napkin), it’s the personal touch. The relationship that developed and the laughs shared. It takes away from the main dining room experience.

 

We usually have new cruisers with us because we tell everyone how amazing it is and we always have said one of our favorite parts of cruising is the dinner in the main dining room. It’s not the favorite part anymore - it’s just dinner.

 

Anyone else miss that and wish they would do away with that cutback?

 

You hit the Nail on the Head. It is no longer Dinning it is getting Fed On our first cruise some thirty years ago there were a team that served your table, server assistant busboys and bar person . You got to know them .where they were from . their Families and a bunch of other stuff. You didn't order everything at once They put the bread on the table took you drink order then the salad and appetizers.. Then they took you entree order Cleaned the the table between each serving.

 

After dinner there were magic tricks and stories. It will never be the same

[declansdad]

You hit the Nail on the Head. It is no longer Dinning it is getting Fed On our first cruise some thirty years ago there were a team that served your table, server assistant busboys and bar person . You got to know them .where they were from . their Families and a bunch of other stuff. You didn't order everything at once They put the bread on the table took you drink order then the salad and appetizers.. Then they took you entree order Cleaned the the table between each serving.

 

After dinner there were magic tricks and stories. It will never be the same

 

We have received that service on every Carnival cruise we have taken, not sure what you are talking about.

[riffatsea]

We always get to know our servers in the MDR. In fact DH also gets to know his favorite omelette maker at the buffet too. I have no idea why the OP doesn't also get to know the staff??

[LMaxwell]

We have received that service on every Carnival cruise we have taken, not sure what you are talking about.

 

My first CCL was in 1992 and my latest was October 2017. The dining room experience isn't even close to what it used to be.

[sgttami]

My first CCL was in 1992 and my latest was October 2017. The dining room experience isn't even close to what it used to be.

 

Exactly what I was saying previously.

 

Haven't seen a sommelier at dinner since the 90s....

[evandbob]

Everything changes.

 

Some long for the "good old days" Some reminisce about taking pictures with the wait staff and bringing them trinkets. Some want to give them cash on the last night of the cruise. Some post here asking for an email address for their previous waitstaff.

 

Me, I have a great time with the wait staff, I usually get good service, I prepay my tips for them, and I'll remember their names when I complete a post cruise survey from Carnival. I never consider them my friend, don't really engage in any conversation not related to my dining with them, and I'm not even interested in their dancing and singing.

 

Every one is different and everything changes.

[declansdad]

My first CCL was in 1992 and my latest was October 2017. The dining room experience isn't even close to what it used to be.

 

Our first was 2010 and the service in the MDR has been exactly what the OP said was missing. We have always enjoyed a three person team who all have taken the time to get to know us and we them.

[billfish]

Our first was 2010 and the service in the MDR has been exactly what the OP said was missing. We have always enjoyed a three person team who all have taken the time to get to know us and we them.

 

 

2010 is not very long ago to give you idea of what real service is. If the type of service on most Carnival ships were given in a land based restaurant they would be out of business real quick.

[declansdad]

2010 is not very long ago to give you idea of what real service is. If the type of service on most Carnival ships were given in a land based restaurant they would be out of business real quick.

 

 

Now that is funny, no idea what real service is...LOL.

 

If you have a problem with their service, don't cruise with them.

[Jdfireman]

YES bring it back

[summersigh]

Probably the biggest thing that causes us to sail with Carnival is a ratio of price and service.

The cabin and MDR service have been as good on Carnival as on HAL and RCCL while the prices and itineraries are as good or better on CCL. We always choose late fixed seating.

We take the time to pleasant and to show our appreciation for the care the stewards and servers give and seem to get a good return on that effort. We do tip extra for excellent service but not until the last night of the cruise.

 

This may not be everyone's experience but it is ours and it's the reason we have 2 CCL cruises booked for this year.

[jefffrompawpaw]

Yes. I do miss the way the dining rooms used to be set up. I loved getting to know our servers and the great service we got. It's certainly not the same as the days of old. I have tried your time dining 3 times now and I hated it every time. The first time we sat at our table for over 45 mins. before we even got our water. Then another 30 mins. to get a server.

 

 

No you didn't.

[The4Cruisers]

In spite of the smug answers on here OP, I know exactly what you're talking about and how you feel. It's been that way for several years now.

 

In fact, we just got off the Liberty this morning. We counted 7 tables that our wait team was assigned to serve.

 

Did we get our meal and did they do their job serving us? Yes, they did.

 

However, there was very little interaction with the wait team as they were constantly "on the go" trying to keep up with all of their tables. We did have to wait a little extra for things to happen (dishes being served, places being cleared, ordering, etc.), but we certainly did not hold it against the wait team. They're doing the best they can to keep things flowing.

 

It's a shame CCL cutback and stretched the wait teams so thin across the MDR over the past few years.

[sparks1093]

Did we get our meal and did they do their job serving us? Yes, they did.

 

 

 

That's the acid test right there. They aren't there to be your buddy (and if they are busy interacting with you so you can get to know them one of their other customers is being ignored). I like to interact with them also but I keep it brief and try not to interrupt the flow of their job.

[Micahs Grandad]

One of the reasons we mostly sail Princess these days is that Princess has a two person team and offers better service and the chance to talk to the crew which we find fascinating.

 

Service with three person team on Carnival is ok but with the number of passengers each team has they are too busy doing their job to be able to actually talk to passengers.

[summersigh]

Maybe we see a more relaxed attitude and seemingly better service with the MDR servers is that we always have late fixed seating.

Perhaps there are less folks to be served because some got hungry and went to the Lido or specialty restaurant early?:D Also, there's no rush to clear the table for another incoming dinner party afterwards.

[declansdad]

In spite of the smug answers on here OP, I know exactly what you're talking about and how you feel. It's been that way for several years now.

 

In fact, we just got off the Liberty this morning. We counted 7 tables that our wait team was assigned to serve.

 

Did we get our meal and did they do their job serving us? Yes, they did.

 

However, there was very little interaction with the wait team as they were constantly "on the go" trying to keep up with all of their tables. We did have to wait a little extra for things to happen (dishes being served, places being cleared, ordering, etc.), but we certainly did not hold it against the wait team. They're doing the best they can to keep things flowing.

 

It's a shame CCL cutback and stretched the wait teams so thin across the MDR over the past few years.

 

 

7 tables is a far cry from the 15 someone implied earlier.