One Main Course

[djg541]

If you dont eat a meal do you get a $10 credit?   (cough)

[Swice]

Sorry, I can't help myself.    I have come up with the solution!!!

 

Next time you are seated-- place your order, and while you are waiting for your food, one person at the table can get up and go to the Lido and return with a plate piled high of just entrees.     This should probably be done by using the complimentary HAL tote bag or a big purse because I'm sure they would stop you if you carried the plate in plain view.        

 

 

[Roz]

But Carnival doesn't charge for a 2nd entrée, so I don't understand how you can trace it back to Carnival Corp.

 

Roz

[Hawaiidan]

11 minutes ago, Wendy-Europe said:

Although I have never ordered a second main course, I think this test is a problem. I remember some attempts to change something in the "food department" that failed miserably. And the shipping companies have rowed back.

 

For example:

Holland America has tried to change its tea brand. There was a big outcry and they reversed the change.

 

I think it was NCL who wanted to ban guests from taking food from the buffet restaurant. Allegedly for security reasons. Reversed too.

 

I fully understand that the shipping company wants to avoid wasting food. But to add an extra fee to normal food in the main restaurant is very difficult in the price segment where Holland America operates. The guests feel cheated.

 

Die  pries fur HAL ist  billig..... Es ist klar die $10 ist ankommen.... und schenll ankommen.  Wirchlich! /  Tschuss

[CruiserBruce]

7 minutes ago, Roz said:

But Carnival doesn't charge for a 2nd entrée, so I don't understand how you can trace it back to Carnival Corp.

 

Roz

Because that is ALWAYS who is to blame...

[Wasasalad]

Well this is one busy topic! So, I book solo and pay double!

On Port days I’m off the ship all day, no lunch and no breakfast, just yogurt!

So I get to pay an extra$10 if I have a second entree!

I’m on VOV Zuiderdam as a solo in the cheapest inside cabin! My cost? $495 per day not including excursions booked with HAL, most over $200/pp per day! Internet and gratuity additional $1,300 for the cruise! Also extra for alcohol!

This may just be enough for me to cancel and do a very similar cruise on Oceana! Actually a better one!

[shout19661966]

if you are that hungry go to main dining then the buffet then back to the second dining room then you can go to the late night place and hit the casino spread after that.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Having sailed on a few different cruise lines and completed quite a few cruises, neither of us have ever ordered a 2nd entree.  With all the appetizers, soups, salads and desserts, we can barely finish everything.

[DaveOKC]

IMO, the HAL demographic does not lend itself well to big eaters, so it makes one wonder what they are thinking.  The only thing that makes sense is it is targeted to people who like to order multiple entrees to "taste" a different selection and then leave the bulk of the entree.  Surely there is a better way to address this situation.

[Wendy-Europe]

Same here - I travel solo, pay double. May I then take 2 main courses without surcharge?🍝🍝 🤔

[CRUZBUDS]

We are not happy to hear this.  We cruised with friends on the Eurodam in January.  We were quite pleased with the food.  The last few years we have primarily cruised on Princess.   Our last Princess cruise was last September and we were disappointed by the food quality.  

 

The husband of our friend's ordered two entrees at night and often did't get an appetizer.  He enjoyed them and usually finished them .  If he didn't finish, it was because he didn't care for it.  

 

DW and I will occasionally order 3rd entree to share - it is usually something we'd like to try.  We also almost always order two lobster tails -- we would not be happy to have to pay $10 for the 2nd tail. 

 

We have been considering moving up to a more inclusive line.  It will be more like what made us fall in love with cruising about 35 years.ago.  The nickel and dining on all of the mid-market lines is taking away the joy of cruising.  To us - it seems like a death of a thousand cuts.  

[guxu]

It is a cheap and lazy way to nickel and dime. I hope they will realize people will leave when cruise is not cruise any more. Yes, to me, food experience is part of the cruise, even I usually do not order more than one entrée.

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

 Cooking 'A la minute is  called cooking to order.

 

Your definition is correct, I think.  

 

Based upon what I have learned from several Behind the Scenes Tours on HAL vessels and now with the advent of Stewards on the Nieuw Statendam using IPads to send orders to the Galley, food is being prepared much closer to the time it is being ordered than once was.  Each Galley has a monitor showing the current numbers of orders for entrees and how that compares with the Executive Chef's expected requests for the entrees.  If "entree A" is getting more requests than expected, the Galley staff start to prepare such.  That is probably as close to "a la minute" that a large ship's Galley can be expected to prepare.

 

Doing so, helps to reduce food waste, at least for "entree A".  

[AncientWanderer]

5 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

You're right that Celebrity is going for a more tiered experience, and not just in dining. I have to say it's a trend that's currently keeping me away from them as I am not a big fan...

 

If the only way to have access to what I consider decent food on mainstream lines is to book higher cabin categories, there will be no reason for me to not book higher-priced lines since -- as a solo -- the price I'd pay for a suite (at 200% solo supplement on HAL or Celebrity) would be roughly equivalent to a Crystal cruise (at 120% solo supplement) with many more inclusions -- and better food for everyone, not just a select few... Plus, I prefer smaller ships.

 

I'm not a fan of the tiering either.  We have an upcoming aqua class cruise on Celebrity, and I kind of regret the booking.  Even booking as doubles, I think I should have done more research to look for a more "egalitarian" luxury line -- if that makes sense.  LOL

[rdemn]

23 hours ago, VennDiagram said:

 

I am quite heartened by the number of people who are saying "this doesn't impact me but I still dislike that it is being done".

 I fully believe that 20% of the people on here work for the cruise line.

 We need to bombard hollands email Facebook page and Twitter if someone could Post all these addresses it would be  appreciate.

[slidergirl]

21 hours ago, RD64 said:

I am still trying to process this - in theory - I could go to the buffet and have them cut me an entire prime rib and that is ok. I could follow this with 17 theoretical burgers at Dive In, and then ten or so pizzas - all totally acceptable because it is not in the main dining room. Is this an effort to get people to utilize the buffet more, thereby reducing stewards in the dining room? Only the bean counters know.

 

It seems like HAL is grasping at straws in order to boost on board revenue.Perhaps hitching their horses to Oprah’’s wagon did not result in the expected revenue boost and now it is time to look for ways to cut costs and initiate the process of nickel and diming.   Next up - will there be abu dant towels on deck or will they now have to be checked out? 

 

To all of those who are so adamant about it not affecting them - because apparently everyone eats like a bird - what will it be for you? Apparently at the Mariners’ Lunch on the NS last week the FREE champagne was flowing quite freely - maybe that is the next thing on the chopping block. I wonder how many would be drinking champagne if revenue management decided it wAs time for an upcharge on this? Then we would hear all of the - it doesn’t affect me because I never drink. Just a thought.

 

Sorry, but I had to laugh at this: "because apparently everyone eats like a bird".   Is this supposed to apply to those who said they don't take seconds and thirds? Hmmm.

 

Theoretically, yes, you could get all that food outside the MDR.  I'm not sure you could walk away with the entire Prime Rib, though - you might have to take a few trips.  

 

Free cheap sparkling wine?  No thanks.  Just because something is free does not mean I'll partake.  Just like "free" food - I'll not try everything available because it is free.  

 

This is a business.  Changes will always be made.  I will evaluate changes and how they could apply to me - if I don't mind, I will  be OK.  If I do mind, then I can find another cruise, take more land trips, or suck it up and stick with that cruise.   There is too much variety in the world to worry about $10 ruining a trip.

[Doubt It]

There are many options to spend your $. Cruises, a great house and great car.

 

Our travel budget has been used on a greater house and car.  Cruises can not compete with the 24/365 benefits of a house and vehicle, for us. No cruises booked now, have been cruising since 1989. Done.

 

Your mileage may differ, but cruise lines are hosing most passengers; they are reducing the quality of the product and charging more for it. Not!

 

[DrSea]

On 3/2/2019 at 10:47 AM, Krazy Kruizers said:

Hopefully this test will blow up in HAL's face.

 

We gave up eating in the dining room a long time ago as the food has/had gone down hill -- definitely not worth a charge for a second entree.

 

I have been reading WCB's world cruise blog.  And they have reported seeing strange items on the dinner menu and as result end up ordering from the alternative menu.

I sincerely hope it will blow up in their face. 

 

I have already told my patients and other fellow doctors about my experiences. 

[DrSea]

4 minutes ago, Doubt It said:

There are many options to spend your $. Cruises, a great house and great car.

 

Our travel budget has been used on a greater house and car.  Cruises can not compete with the 24/365 benefits of a house and vehicle, for us. No cruises booked now, have been cruising since 1989. Done.

 

Your mileage may differ, but cruise lines are hosing most passengers; they are reducing the quality of the product and charging more for it. Not!

 

It's a free country and all....but why are you posting on cruise critic if you don't cruise? Just curious...not a criticism. 

[kevingastreich]

On 2/26/2019 at 6:59 PM, DrSea said:

The reasoning  of why they are doing this is that I was told it was to "keep offering premium food without increasing prices" and to "reduce waste". 

Sounds reasonable.

[kevingastreich]

Hopefully this change will result in people wasting less food. Maybe its just the way I was raised but seeing the wanton waste of food really bothers me. 

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, Doubt It said:

There are many options to spend your $. Cruises, a great house and great car.

 

Our travel budget has been used on a greater house and car.  Cruises can not compete with the 24/365 benefits of a house and vehicle, for us. No cruises booked now, have been cruising since 1989. Done.

 

Your mileage may differ, but cruise lines are hosing most passengers; they are reducing the quality of the product and charging more for it. Not!

 

 

Everyone has choices on how to spend their money. Having a nicer house or car could never, for me, replace the priceless experiences I gain from traveling. Cruises are just one way to travel; if cruising changed so much that I no longer enjoyed it, I would simply shift my $$ to more land travel. 

[ithaca gal]

7 hours ago, djg541 said:

If you dont eat a meal do you get a $10 credit?   (cough)

Post of the day!

 

(I'll ask next week when I'm on the Eurodam!)

[dobiemom]

9 hours ago, Wendy-Europe said:

Same here - I travel solo, pay double. May I then take 2 main courses without surcharge?🍝🍝 🤔

I was just going to post the same thing!🙂

And my answer is "yes." 😉

[anniegb]

Will this charge apply to suite passengers??

 

Annie