New Aquafina menu debuts on Quest

[nordski]

36 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

nordski, I’m sorry if you took my post the wrong way and apologise if it came across that way.  There are exceptions and dietary requirements is of course one of them. I certainly would have no issues with special requests here at all and hopefully neither would anyone else.

 

Phil

 

 

No need to apologize at all Phil, and your post didn't trigger my response. In fact I've always appreciated your comments, and the advice of other longtime and thoughtful Azamara cruisers, for helping us adhere to the norms on board. Overall the comments on this thread have aided in re-evaluating our expectations.

 

In some cases posts by others did seem rather dismissive of food allergy concerns, but that may be my own overly sensitive response.

 

I think all of us are adjusting to a situation where, as the fleet expands, maintaining levels of service may be proving challenging. And we don't want to exacerbate the situation for others.

 

Further, because of those "needs", we are also known to many of the Headwaiters, We have to be careful not to take advantage of that,

 

Since we enjoy the Azamara experience, it's important not to get in the way of how others appreciate it.

 

 

 

 

[ellbon]

4 hours ago, Lottie A said:

Personally I think that when we are paying the now exorbitant Azamara prices we should be able to request an off menu item now and again but only if the ingredients are still readily available on the ship and I would always give at least 24 hours notice for the request. If it can't be done then that's fine by me. 

 

The wonderful Laze always asks me what night I would like my Goat's Cheese Soufflé, which is no longer a regular menu item, without any prompting from me. He knows I love it so much and he does it with a smile. This ability to please and personalise the service to passengers is what makes Azamara special. Other than the Goat's Cheese Soufflé I do always choose from the appropriate menu. 

I had thst twice in a ten day cruise, for six weeks I want it four times. I always ask the day before. Like caviar I ask the day before. Cavier abd then a salad I am done.

[BBMacLaird]

15 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

What is the point of paying the high Azamara prices if you are locked in to a 'Carnival' style 'no-substitutions' regime?  I have always been told that Azamara aims to please and is happy to make substitutions at guests' requests, and DW and I have often asked – and always been accommodated.  That's why we pay for luxury.

 

Hi Host Jazzbeau, of course guest's dining requests are welcome! I'm not sure how the assumption began that our ship restaurant staff do not welcome special requests, or that they impact our service level. Sounds like an "if A, then B" assumption went viral, and is now taken as true. 

 

 

[uktog]

Sorry Bonnie but I have to disagree. Recently service was significantly disrupted on two evenings because a large table next to us were making special requests for every course and wines from a different day. As a result our service suffered our meals actually sat for ages because staff were running round after this table. We ended up having to send food back both nights as it was too cold 

[BBMacLaird]

I’m not negating that you experienced poor service Ann, for which I apologize on behalf of our staff. 

What I’m trying to convey is that we are always open to special orders, substitutions and wine requests made by guests. 

It falls on us to staff and train appropriately, not on you or any guest to feel bad about asking for what they want. 

Any restaurant manager should recognize a situation that needs more staff, and pitch in to help or reassign a waiter from a slow section to one that needs more attention. That is our responsibility.

The fact this happened to you on more than one occasion on your last cruise is unacceptable. And I am confident you brought this to the attention of management while onboard since you know the ropes.

My desire here is to communicate to all who are reading this that they should not feel guilty for ordering what they want, nor feel personally responsible for the service level taking place elsewhere in our venues.  That is our responsibility; your responsibility is to be on vacation!

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thanks Bonnie.  That's the Azamara attitude I had experienced and expect.

[laurieb]

On the Quest in February/March, Chef Colin made it very clear that special requests are welcome. I had missed the goat cheese soufflé that was on special one night so asked if it was possible to have it for another night; it was offered as the special again for the entire restaurant.  

Sad to see the limoncello soufflé gone

[Shawnino]

Putting food allergies aside, which is in itself a very serious issue but not the focus of my post, is there a consensus, then, as to what requests are genuinely reasonable and what requests are grey-area-or-worse?

I can think of some "worse" ones, but what are some truly reasonable requests (without food allergies as a motivator)? 

[BBMacLaird]

14 minutes ago, Shawnino said:

Putting food allergies aside, which is in itself a very serious issue but not the focus of my post, is there a consensus, then, as to what requests are genuinely reasonable and what requests are grey-area-or-worse?

I can think of some "worse" ones, but what are some truly reasonable requests (without food allergies as a motivator)? 

I would discourage a ranking/rating of possible requests! In my book ALL requests are to be considered.

If we don’t have something available our staff will say so. If it takes awhile to prepare they may suggest you preorder for another night. 

 

[ellbon]

3 hours ago, BBMacLaird said:

I would discourage a ranking/rating of possible requests! In my book ALL requests are to be considered.

If we don’t have something available our staff will say so. If it takes awhile to prepare they may suggest you preorder for another night. 

 

I always give 24 hours notice. Never been told no.

[Cool Fool]

4 hours ago, BBMacLaird said:

I’m not negating that you experienced poor service Ann, for which I apologize on behalf of our staff. 

What I’m trying to convey is that we are always open to special orders, substitutions and wine requests made by guests. 

It falls on us to staff and train appropriately, not on you or any guest to feel bad about asking for what they want. 

Any restaurant manager should recognize a situation that needs more staff, and pitch in to help or reassign a waiter from a slow section to one that needs more attention. That is our responsibility.

The fact this happened to you on more than one occasion on your last cruise is unacceptable. And I am confident you brought this to the attention of management while onboard since you know the ropes.

My desire here is to communicate to all who are reading this that they should not feel guilty for ordering what they want, nor feel personally responsible for the service level taking place elsewhere in our venues.  That is our responsibility; your responsibility is to be on vacation!

This is so refreshing!

[Grandma Cruising]

Thank you Bonnie for being so clear about this. We’ve never made any special requests as we were not sure that we could do so. We’re now very clear that this would not be a problem - might have to request the limoncello soufflé when we eat at Prime C.

[uktog]

Thank you Bonnie. As you may recall from the review we did we did try and bring issues to the attention of managers of the restaurants, as we got nowhere we cancelled all our speciality reservations and did explain to senior managers why. You are right good managers should be able to manage the situation and many on Azamara do - but some managers are new and were not there yet. 

We did also highlight on our post cruise survey and whilst we had no follow up on any aspects in that, we hope the feedback given as always to help Azamara get even better was considered. 

 

We we look forward to our future  cruises but will with the exceptions of adjustments due to food allergies stay within the boundaries of the published menu. Like Shawnino we would want to understand what a reasonable request is. As I said in a previous post I think our upbringing of not asking for what is on the table seriously haunts us! 

[combine]

 

38 minutes ago, uktog said:

As I said in a previous post I think our upbringing of not asking for what is on the table seriously haunts us! 

 

Totally agree with you UKtog!

 

I fully  understand and acknowledge that food allergies  and intolerances are very important and accommodated onboard accordingly. However this  general ordering off menu lark, just because  they can, is very alien to me.  In 23 cruises over 4 cruiselines, the most we have ever done is substitute a baked potato for mash and said no to the lobster on a surf and turf night!

 

Although Chef Colin ‘made it clear that special requests are welcome’, why bother having a published menu at all!

 

We wouldn't dream of asking for something that wasn't on the menu either on board a ship or in a restaurant in London or anywhere in the world. I doubt many people would do so either at a land based restaurant. Even though  Bonnie says ‘they are open to requests’ and ‘ they should not feel guilty  for ordering what they want’, this just encourages guests to go ‘off piste’ and cause extra work and delays in service to other guests who chose from the published menu and those who genuinely need to tailor food to their health requirements.

 

 

 

 

 

[nordski]

I think I have expressed an overreaction to the issue re: dietary concerns.

 

As long as others recognize that those who have such concerns are doing their best to conform to expectations on board, then there is no problem.

 

I do not want my responses to limit discussion on the general concern about accommodations impacting other cruisers. Only these comments ensure that we, including those with dietary intolerances, see the effect we may be creating.

 

And all of us have to be reasonable as to what we expect. 

 

Like uktog we encountered a large group in the MDR whose nightly demands directly had a negative impact our experience, although not to the extent that affected her.

 

None of us, I’m certain, want to be responsible for that effect.

[martincath]

4 hours ago, combine said:

...We wouldn't dream of asking for something that wasn't on the menu either on board a ship or in a restaurant in London or anywhere in the world. I doubt many people would do so either at a land based restaurant. Even though  Bonnie says ‘they are open to requests’ and ‘ they should not feel guilty  for ordering what they want’, this just encourages guests to go ‘off piste’ and cause extra work and delays in service to other guests who chose from the published menu and those who genuinely need to tailor food to their health requirements.

I've managed to overcome my UK childhood of 'eat what is in front of you' enough that while I would never go 'off piste' on my first time in a restaurant (except as required to accommodate my diabetes or if literally every dish had a component I simply cannot abide eating), I am quite happy to ask about special-ordering in any good restaurant after I become a repeat diner. Bonnie's post made me extremely happy - we've just booked our first Azamara cruise and that post really raised my hopes about the dining experience being a significant step up from our prior mainstream lines.

 

It encapsulated the key difference between a 'production line' kitchen, where even extremely good food can be consistently made well by 'rote learning' the same steps over and over but phrases like 'we respectfully decline any substitutions' are common on the menu, against a true fine dining experience where enough staff in the kitchen are sufficiently experienced that they can easily turn out a wide range of classic dishes on demand and there is a bit of padding on the staff roster precisely to cope with surges of extra work beyond the average 'plates per hour' expected to be churned out using the same old formula.

 

The folks with the view that too many special orders will play havoc with smooth operations are certainly correct, of course - there will be a threshold beyond which service would start to be impacted - but in a properly-staffed-up kitchen there should be a high bar for their ability to handle alterations to menu dishes and prep of entirely off-menu items. If they can't handle the request, it's incumbent on them to communicate that.

Since I like to think of myself as a passionate-but-realistic foodie I personally feel it's my responsibility to have an idea about how reasonable my request is and avoid anything egregious - but to reaffirm Bonnie's key point, the customer can ask for anything and if that request is impossible to fulfill (or just to fulfill right now) it's the job of the restaurant to ensure that a diplomatic response is delivered explaining that.

 

Most restaurants we frequent on land have a constantly-changing menu using seasonal produce, but with some 'chef specialties/favourites' that remain on long-term. I don't expect to demand a seasonal item outside its season, or for a dish that requires hours of prep to be made ad hoc, but when you can clearly see from a current menu that all the ingredients are in stock for a classic dish I truly believe the hallmark of a service-focused resto is being able to order off-menu. Likewise, if a favourite of ours disappears from a menu we have no hesitation in asking if they still have the ingredients required to make it for us - same goes in bars when the cocktail list changes, or if they only list 'house special' cocktails on a menu and we'd prefer a classic (any mixologist unable to make an Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Sidecar etc. should be sacked immediately!)

 

A customer who is politely rebuffed in their request but then makes a scene - I'm sure we can all agree those folks are mot definitely in the wrong! But customers who are sitting there thinking "Oh no, I was really looking forward to Insert Favourite Dish That Used To Be On The Menu!" - any good restaurant WANTS you to express that desire! On the management side, even if they can't make it for you and have to say no it's invaluable feedback that maybe pulling that dish was a mistake?

 

On the server side of things, if you express a desire for another dish that's actually really helpful too - wait staff in any decent resto get to sample the food in order to understand the menu, so if you tell your server you would have loved to have Dish X then even if the kitchen can't accommodate you the server can much more easily suggest the closest matching current option. Even better if you can get specific about WHY you loved Dish X - if it was the risotto that came with a fish dish that 'made it' for you, a duck dish with a similarly-flavoured risotto might be a better match for you than another fish dish for example.

[Lottie A]

I entirely agree with your thoughts martincath and I hope you will enjoy your first Azamara cruise. It probably won't be your last! 😄

[laurieb]

I believe that people are talking about two different things here, those that demand something from the kitchen and those that request something for perhaps the following day.  I agree that demanding something totally different than what is on the menu is not right, but really I see nothing wrong with asking if you can have your favorite dish on a night that it isn't normally offered.  If it can't be done or is too much trouble they will say so. 

[Werangels]

As we will be taking our first cruise this year, I am relieved to hear you can ask for something different particularly in the MDR.  We are not fussy eaters or have allergies but to know that if there is something on the menu we don’t like, we can ask for something else is a relief!  Enjoying good food is always a huge part of our holidays.

[Grandma Cruising]

10 hours ago, laurieb said:

I believe that people are talking about two different things here, those that demand something from the kitchen and those that request something for perhaps the following day.  I agree that demanding something totally different than what is on the menu is not right, but really I see nothing wrong with asking if you can have your favorite dish on a night that it isn't normally offered.  If it can't be done or is too much trouble they will say so. 

That’s a very good point. It’s clearly going to cause problems if you expect the kitchen to produce something different straight away, but asking for a ‘special’ dish well ahead of time shouldn’t create any issues in the dining room on the night you’re served it.

[snowglobe]

I have not seen this question before, but what if you are sorely tempted by two entrees on the menu? It is feasible to order small plates of something that you’d like to try?

I’m seriously adverse to wasting food, and I’d so enjoy the opportunity to try new dishes without leaving any left on my plate... 🙂

Edited April 29, 2019 by snowglobe

[uktog]

10 minutes ago, snowglobe said:

I have not seen this question before, but what if you are sorely tempted by two entrees on the menu? It is feasible to order small plates of something that you’d like to try?

I’m seriously adverse to wasting food, and I’d so enjoy trying new dishes without leaving any left on my plate... 🙂

You can order two entrees but sadly wearing your food waste hat they cannot do small portions in the MDR. So much is pre sized and plated, if you want to taste two you need to find a like minded friend or accept waste. If you find a like minded friend don’t let your waiter see. DH and I often on land share - have half then swap over. Oh dear on Azamara a waiter saw this and he arrives two minutes later and mid mouthful whips away our plates and replaced them with two whole new entrees. That was trying to exceed expectations going clumsily wrong!  Now we make a point of saying we share if we order to swap. Still doesn’t always work but we tried!

The only place I can manage to get half portions is Aqualina on Journey re the pasta options. The other thing I do there is order a starter then a second starter as entree. 

Edited April 29, 2019 by uktog

[tgg]

Not being a big eater, I will often order a soup, salad, and an appetizer - and that is more than enough for me to eat for dinner.  On our last Azamara cruise, the waiter brought the soup, then the salad, and then a double portion of the appetizer. When I saw the amount of food on the plate, I asked him why there was so much. He said that he thought I wasn't eating enough.🙄 (Yes, I left about half on the plate.)

[excitedofharpenden]

9 minutes ago, tgg said:

Not being a big eater, I will often order a soup, salad, and an appetizer - and that is more than enough for me to eat for dinner.  On our last Azamara cruise, the waiter brought the soup, then the salad, and then a double portion of the appetizer. When I saw the amount of food on the plate, I asked him why there was so much. He said that he thought I wasn't eating enough.🙄 (Yes, I left about half on the plate.)

That is what I often do too.  They’ll always say they’ll do a double portion of the appetiser that I’m having as a main course.  If it’s one I’ll fancy then it’s usually a yes please.  Otherwise a standard size is good for me.

 

I know thIs was originally a topic about a new menu in Aqualina, but it’s morphed a bit.  Whilst on the subject of portions, it’s one of the reasons I like going to the buffet sometimes.  Having a down day from all of the food and I can choose little bits of what I want. Tapas style.  It works for me and there is usually a good selection.  The tables and atmosphere are nice in there too and with a fine view and a choice to sit outside if the weather is good.

 

Phil

Edited April 29, 2019 by excitedofharpenden

[uktog]

I agree Phil (both on the morphing of the thread and going to the buffet)  

Another option if you want a down day is to go to the living room and enjoy some tapas and then on the basis the Patio is open until 2030 stop by there and have some swirl top.

Mind you this thread about lovely food is killing me but that is another matter -  I am sure my lunch winked at me today