What is the current situation in the MDR regarding wine service?

[Isklaar]

Particularly interested in Ovation, as boarding in one week (yippeee!) but also keen to know about the other ships.

 

Are the wine waiters still combining wine and food service or has it reverted to separate servers for wine and food ?

[texanaust]

As of the previous cruise Ath-Dxb, it was still everyone or no one pouring the wines.  Could be a wine steward, could be your server, and when it starts getting busy...then possibly no one for a long time.  It is one of the few criticisms we had of the cruise.  

[Isklaar]

2 hours ago, texanaust said:

As of the previous cruise Ath-Dxb, it was still everyone or no one pouring the wines.  Could be a wine steward, could be your server, and when it starts getting busy...then possibly no one for a long time.  It is one of the few criticisms we had of the cruise.  

 

 

Was your cruise fully booked? Ours is pretty much sold out so ship will be close to capacity, sounds like wine service could be a shambles. 

[texanaust]

2 minutes ago, Isklaar said:

 

 

Was your cruise fully booked? Ours is pretty much sold out so ship will be close to capacity, sounds like wine service could be a shambles. 

If not full, the cruise was very close to capacity.  Wine service was pretty shambolic, but so was the sequencing of the courses.  Sometimes they would serve 3 courses in 30 minutes and then a whole hour would pass before dessert would arrive.  In order to make the 8:45pm show, you had to arrive at 6:45 sharp and this sometimes meant skipping dessert.  

 

What surprised me was that TK service was even worse.  I could usually do 4 courses at the Restaurant and make the show.  In the Grill, we would only order 3 courses.  By the time dessert arrived we would either have to take two bites and leave or enjoy and skip the show.  

 

Overall this was a great cruise, regardless of the service issues at dinner.  This is a management issue that they need to fix and to a lesser extent, a training issue.  Quite a few dining staff were very inexperienced and on their first or second contract.  

[Isklaar]

59 minutes ago, texanaust said:

If not full, the cruise was very close to capacity.  Wine service was pretty shambolic, but so was the sequencing of the courses.  Sometimes they would serve 3 courses in 30 minutes and then a whole hour would pass before dessert would arrive.  In order to make the 8:45pm show, you had to arrive at 6:45 sharp and this sometimes meant skipping dessert.  

 

What surprised me was that TK service was even worse.  I could usually do 4 courses at the Restaurant and make the show.  In the Grill, we would only order 3 courses.  By the time dessert arrived we would either have to take two bites and leave or enjoy and skip the show.  

 

Overall this was a great cruise, regardless of the service issues at dinner.  This is a management issue that they need to fix and to a lesser extent, a training issue.  Quite a few dining staff were very inexperienced and on their first or second contract.  

 

 

Ok it sounds as if there's some work to do, as you say management and training.

I'd forgotten that there are two shows on the Encore class ships. Can you remember what time the later one started?

 

 

[texanaust]

The second show was 10pm.  

[Salice Salentino]

We completed a 16-day cruise on Ovation in September of this year and there were no problems with wine service in any of the venues. In my opinion food service and wine service were excellent.

[marchanxiety]

But the wine itself was pretty poor.  On our October cruise we sometimes had to try three different wines before finding one we could drink.  Service was efficient.

[tv24]

For what it is worth, we are on the Quest now and it's just about full capacity.  Wine service in the Main has been just fine, attentive with very few issues.  Selection is adequate although not high-end.

[oceanviewer21]

Just disembarking Ovation in Singapore. No problem with wine service or food service. Get a complimentary wine list and you are half way there. Did notice the champagne was better in some places than others, think the bottles sometimes stay open too long.

[teamflames]

Also just disembarked the Ovation. Wine service depends on the venue but as an earlier responder mentioned it varies a lot, sometimes it is your waiter sometimes it is a wine steward. They desperately try and push the daily wine “specials” which really equates to would you like red or white ... however if you mention you prefer something different they will source it for you.

Will write more in the coming days as many people helped us enormously on this thread with our first Seabourn cruise. The ship is gorgeous but there are some glaring service problems. As you do not have a dedicated sever for your table you are constantly reminding various staff which wine or type of water you are drinking, not luxurious service and quite disjointed despite the staff clearly trying very hard. A noticeable drop in service levels compared to our recent Viking cruise (which was not perfect either).

have a great cruise, the Ovation is brand new and gorgeous and the cabins are superb.

[Isklaar]

1 hour ago, teamflames said:

Also just disembarked the Ovation. Wine service depends on the venue but as an earlier responder mentioned it varies a lot, sometimes it is your waiter sometimes it is a wine steward. They desperately try and push the daily wine “specials” which really equates to would you like red or white ... however if you mention you prefer something different they will source it for you.

Will write more in the coming days as many people helped us enormously on this thread with our first Seabourn cruise. The ship is gorgeous but there are some glaring service problems. As you do not have a dedicated sever for your table you are constantly reminding various staff which wine or type of water you are drinking, not luxurious service and quite disjointed despite the staff clearly trying very hard. A noticeable drop in service levels compared to our recent Viking cruise (which was not perfect either).

have a great cruise, the Ovation is brand new and gorgeous and the cabins are superb.

 

 

Been onboard for 7 hours and sadly we are already seeing glaring service problems! I will wait and see if it improves in the next day or so.

 

I will be interested to read more about your experiences when you have time to post.

 

[galeforce9]

 As you do not have a dedicated sever for your table you are constantly reminding various staff which wine or type of water you are drinking, not luxurious service and quite disjointed despite the staff clearly trying very hard.

 

We found this too. Very often I’d have still water poured into Pelegríno. Normal sparkling poured into pelegrino.  You had to be constantly on guard.  The same with the wine.  Usual recommended pour of the day into your selected complimentary wine etc etc. As you say, not luxurious. 

 

Isklaar -  good luck and I hope you enjoy your Christmas cruise.  Keep us posted as to the highs and hopefully not any more lows. 

[n2wdw]

On 12/17/2018 at 3:28 PM, tv24 said:

For what it is worth, we are on the Quest now and it's just about full capacity.  Wine service in the Main has been just fine, attentive with very few issues.  Selection is adequate although not high-end.

 

We are looking forward to our first Seabourn cruise next year.  To provide a comparison, we have been on many Crystal cruises, including one earlier this year in September.  Crystal wine was also not what I'd call high end.  Generally, they were good choices for the food and good tasting, but probably the kind of wine you'd buy for $20 a bottle in your local wine store.  I had no complaints.  Hopefully Seabourn will be the same way.

 

Also, the wine service on Crystal was good but sometimes it took a while to get started once seated.  I remember in Prego, it took forever for someone to take our drink order.  There are workarounds though on an all-inclusive.  We just got a pre-dinner drink in the bar (and the bottle choices were excellent, better than the wine frankly), and sometimes brought a glass of wine with us into the restaurant.

 

 

[Isklaar]

4 hours ago, galeforce9 said:

 As you do not have a dedicated sever for your table you are constantly reminding various staff which wine or type of water you are drinking, not luxurious service and quite disjointed despite the staff clearly trying very hard.

 

We found this too. Very often I’d have still water poured into Pelegríno. Normal sparkling poured into pelegrino.  You had to be constantly on guard.  The same with the wine.  Usual recommended pour of the day into your selected complimentary wine etc etc. As you say, not luxurious. 

 

Isklaar -  good luck and I hope you enjoy your Christmas cruise.  Keep us posted as to the highs and hopefully not any more lows. 

 

 

Hi Galeforce, indeed water service was just one of the issues that we encountered at both lunch and dinner yesterday.

From past experience I know that embarkation day can be a little chaotic so am trying to be patient and optimistic,although our breakfast in The Colonnade has also been a disorganised mess this morning.

[teamflames]

30 minutes ago, Isklaar said:

 

 

Hi Galeforce, indeed water service was just one of the issues that we encountered at both lunch and dinner yesterday.

From past experience I know that embarkation day can be a little chaotic so am trying to be patient and optimistic,although our breakfast in The Colonnade has also been a disorganised mess this morning.

Hi again Isklaar,

sounds like you are experiencing the same as we did. After 4 ordinary days in the Colonnade at both lunch and breakfast I had a discreet word with the officer in charge (forgotten his name) and we saw immediate results with drinks orders etc being immediate. The problems of inconsistent water and wine continued because of the fact that there is not one assigned server to a table (policy problem that will need an overhaul) but at least the long wait times and lack of acknowledgement stopped.

The other issue we had was at the main pool, rarely asked if we wanted anything. My wife in particular was ignored so frequently she refused to visit the pool halfway thru the cruise. The quality of mixed drinks, cocktails was so bad that most people just gave up and drank wine or spirits straight. 

We thought the food at TK grill was good quality but we did not like the mood of the restaurant or the service style which was arrogant and inflexible. Refused to serve any greens at all. Room service food was average as were the savoury snacks in the square (sweets were nice).

I am just highlighting the problem areas so if they continue you can try and highlight them and avoid them.

try and find Sasha in the bars she is super efficient and sometimes had drinks before me before we even ordered.

you can ask for a list of available wines but unfortunately you cannot get the same for beer.

Hopefukly the new CD is as good as Handré who was superb. The captain is awesome and very funny when he wants to be. The executive chef was very visible. If they do an Indian buffet night do not miss it.

Good luck

[teamflames]

5 hours ago, galeforce9 said:

 As you do not have a dedicated sever for your table you are constantly reminding various staff which wine or type of water you are drinking, not luxurious service and quite disjointed despite the staff clearly trying very hard.

 

We found this too. Very often I’d have still water poured into Pelegríno. Normal sparkling poured into pelegrino.  You had to be constantly on guard.  The same with the wine.  Usual recommended pour of the day into your selected complimentary wine etc etc. As you say, not luxurious. 

 

Isklaar -  good luck and I hope you enjoy your Christmas cruise.  Keep us posted as to the highs and hopefully not any more lows. 

Hi gale force 

we dined with other guests one night and our table mate highlighted that we had needed to remind the servers more than 8 times we were drinking San Pellegrino. We told her that is a constant at all meals and as a Seabourn regular she was aghast.

[Isklaar]

49 minutes ago, teamflames said:

Hi again Isklaar,

sounds like you are experiencing the same as we did. After 4 ordinary days in the Colonnade at both lunch and breakfast I had a discreet word with the officer in charge (forgotten his name) and we saw immediate results with drinks orders etc being immediate. The problems of inconsistent water and wine continued because of the fact that there is not one assigned server to a table (policy problem that will need an overhaul) but at least the long wait times and lack of acknowledgement stopped.

The other issue we had was at the main pool, rarely asked if we wanted anything. My wife in particular was ignored so frequently she refused to visit the pool halfway thru the cruise. The quality of mixed drinks, cocktails was so bad that most people just gave up and drank wine or spirits straight. 

We thought the food at TK grill was good quality but we did not like the mood of the restaurant or the service style which was arrogant and inflexible. Refused to serve any greens at all. Room service food was average as were the savoury snacks in the square (sweets were nice).

I am just highlighting the problem areas so if they continue you can try and highlight them and avoid them.

try and find Sasha in the bars she is super efficient and sometimes had drinks before me before we even ordered.

you can ask for a list of available wines but unfortunately you cannot get the same for beer.

Hopefukly the new CD is as good as Handré who was superb. The captain is awesome and very funny when he wants to be. The executive chef was very visible. If they do an Indian buffet night do not miss it.

Good luck

 

Hi Teamflames, I can't make an assessment of drinks service at the pool, because when we last looked the area was packed out, same for deck 5. There is space at the outside of Seabourn Square, so I'm sitting there. 

 So far I've seen nothing that I like better on Ovation compared to the Odyssey class ships, except perhaps the dimmable lighting in the suite! 

[teamflames]

5 minutes ago, Isklaar said:

 

Hi Teamflames, I can't make an assessment of drinks service at the pool, because when we last looked the area was packed out, same for deck 5. There is space at the outside of Seabourn Square, so I'm sitting there. 

 So far I've seen nothing that I like better on Ovation compared to the Odyssey class ships, except perhaps the dimmable lighting in the suite! 

Very sorry to hear that. I cannot compare. We loved our suite, modern and comfortable with so much storage. Our wet bar wasn’t originally set up correctly but they were happy to bring a new bottle of any spirit each day.

Sea days were a problem around the pools ( I generally avoided the problem and buried myself with the activities ) and enjoyed the serenity on port days. I did complain to guest relations once that every lounger on 5 was reserved and yet there were only 2 people present and they promised to clean it up (I didn’t check). Loved hanging out in the Square (would have spent more time outside there but too many smokers), otherwise went to my cabin ordered caviar made myself my own drinks from the wet bar (much better than the bar tenders versions) and relaxed on my balcony... I love watching the sea.

the area outside the gym was often quiet. There is also forward on deck 7. Outside on deck 8 aft is usually quiet (strange area).

[Stickman1990]

On ‎12‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 9:36 PM, Isklaar said:

I'd forgotten that there are two shows on the Encore class ships. Can you remember what time the later one started?

 

We just got off the Seabourn Encore on Friday

The second show on Seabourn Encore was at 10pm - following the 8.45pm show

Sometimes there was a 6pm show pre dinner and on the last night the single show was at 9.30pm

[texanaust]

Try ordering a specific still water on Ovation!  I requested Acqua Panna starting the first day and some servers did not even know what I was talking about.  It was as if they had never heard of bottled water??!!  A few times a new server would simply say that it was 'not onboard.'  That was until I asked them to speak with Ashley who seemed to know where they kept the supply. 

 

Finally they ran out of Acqua Panna completely about day 16 of 20.  Of course our lovely room stewardess Viktoria managed to find several more bottles subsequently, so who knows the real truth!  I contacted SB to special request Acqua Panna for our next cruise on Ovation and they replied that this was a standard drink that should always be in stock!-but that they would contact the person in charge to make sure they ordered enough.

[Isklaar]

14 hours ago, texanaust said:

Try ordering a specific still water on Ovation!  I requested Acqua Panna starting the first day and some servers did not even know what I was talking about.  It was as if they had never heard of bottled water??!!  A few times a new server would simply say that it was 'not onboard.'  That was until I asked them to speak with Ashley who seemed to know where they kept the supply. 

 

Finally they ran out of Acqua Panna completely about day 16 of 20.  Of course our lovely room stewardess Viktoria managed to find several more bottles subsequently, so who knows the real truth!  I contacted SB to special request Acqua Panna for our next cruise on Ovation and they replied that this was a standard drink that should always be in stock!-but that they would contact the person in charge to make sure they ordered enough.

 

Texanaust, is "Ashley" a young lady from Florida? If so, she was on Sojourn last year. We thought she was very good, one of the best actually. 

[texanaust]

1 hour ago, Isklaar said:

 

Texanaust, is "Ashley" a young lady from Florida? If so, she was on Sojourn last year. We thought she was very good, one of the best actually. 

 

Actually this Ashley was from South Africa.  She was great and would try (if she was in the right part of the dining room) to get our correct drinks from the start.  She also worked on the pool deck at times including the caviar in the pool event.  

 

[jenidallas]

3 hours ago, Isklaar said:

 

Texanaust, is "Ashley" a young lady from Florida? If so, she was on Sojourn last year. We thought she was very good, one of the best actually. 

 

We chatted with her quite a bit on Sojourn last year.  As I understood it, she was on for one contract and then headed back to finish out her last two years at UCF.  I hope we see her in the future... she was studying hospitality management with a specific goal of working in cruise ship management.  Really lovely young lady!

[tv24]

13 hours ago, n2wdw said:

 

We are looking forward to our first Seabourn cruise next year.  To provide a comparison, we have been on many Crystal cruises, including one earlier this year in September.  Crystal wine was also not what I'd call high end.  Generally, they were good choices for the food and good tasting, but probably the kind of wine you'd buy for $20 a bottle in your local wine store.  I had no complaints.  Hopefully Seabourn will be the same way.

 

Also, the wine service on Crystal was good but sometimes it took a while to get started once seated.  I remember in Prego, it took forever for someone to take our drink order.  There are workarounds though on an all-inclusive.  We just got a pre-dinner drink in the bar (and the bottle choices were excellent, better than the wine frankly), and sometimes brought a glass of wine with us into the restaurant.

We find the included wines on Seabourn to be comparable to those on Crystal.