Embarkation Day Lunch In A Served Restaurant?

[Smokeyham]

Hi,

 

This will be our first cruise on HAL in many years and I am wondering if it is possible to get a served lunch in a restaurant on embarkation day as opposed to the buffet?  We will not be in a suite.  We will be on the Nieuw Amsterdam sailing out of Seattle.

My more recent experiences have been on board Princess.  There the staff will direct you to the buffet and you had to dig a bit to find the restaurant where they were providing table service.   On my last cruise we found the restaurant, but were turned away as it was only open to suite guests and those on a special "Bon Voyage" experience.  We checked and no other (non-buffet) restaurant was open.

So, on HAL, do they usually have a restaurant open on embarkation day and is that listed in the on board newsletter?

Many thanks.

Edited June 30, 2021 by Smokeyham

[T8NCruise]

We always begin our cruise with lunch in the main dining room.  But be aware staff will try to direct you to the Lido buffet.

[DaveOKC]

We always try to do the Main Dining room for Lunch that first day, as the Lido can be a zoo.  Much nicer environment - opens at Noon but closes at either 1 or 1:30.  Food better IMO but it is a bit slow.

And yes, ignore the crew when they direct you to the Lido buffet as you board.

 

Edited June 30, 2021 by DaveOKC

[Smokeyham]

1 minute ago, T8NCruise said:

We always begin our cruise with lunch in the main dining room.  But be aware staff will try to direct you to the Lido buffet.

Excellent!  That is very helpful.  Thank you!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Well first, this is the NEW Normal so none of really know till the ships start sailing if it will be the same as it was prior to the Pause. But with that being said, Hal was pretty much the same as Princess prior to the pause with crew would direct you to the buffet at the Lido but just like Princess yes the Main Dining room was also open for lunch but only for a very short time and I want to say did not open till 12:00 or 12:30 plus I want to say it was usually the upper level dining room. 

[jhsocal]

Our experience similar to dave's. we do not have any quick boarding privileges, have missed the deadline a couple of times.

[Smokeyham]

23 minutes ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

Well first, this is the NEW Normal so none of really know till the ships start sailing if it will be the same as it was prior to the Pause. But with that being said, Hal was pretty much the same as Princess prior to the pause with crew would direct you to the buffet at the Lido but just like Princess yes the Main Dining room was also open for lunch but only for a very short time and I want to say did not open till 12:00 or 12:30 plus I want to say it was usually the upper level dining room. 

I agree..... Many things may have changed.   Thanks for the tip  that it is most likely the upper level of the main dining room that is open.

I've had the same experience of not arriving in time to be able to enjoy the restaurant.   Have to see what time we are assigned for boarding and how that process works.

[luvteaching]

We enjoy this as well but I'm wondering if the boarding times will allow it. I found out that we're in Group B and currently our boarding time is 1:20. That makes it hard to have lunch. We're on the Aug. 14th out of Seattle. 

 

Karen

[DaveOKC]

3 minutes ago, luvteaching said:

We enjoy this as well but I'm wondering if the boarding times will allow it. I found out that we're in Group B and currently our boarding time is 1:20. That makes it hard to have lunch. We're on the Aug. 14th out of Seattle. 

 

Karen

I wonder how they will handle 4/5 Stars and Neptunes on boarding times.

[Smokeyham]

6 minutes ago, luvteaching said:

We enjoy this as well but I'm wondering if the boarding times will allow it. I found out that we're in Group B and currently our boarding time is 1:20. That makes it hard to have lunch. We're on the Aug. 14th out of Seattle. 

 

Karen

@luvteaching

Karen,

Have you been able to access your boarding docs to see your boarding information?  We are on the cruise before yours but our boarding docs are not yet available.

If not through your boarding docs, is there another place to look for boarding times?

 

[aliaschief]

There are other options such as NY Pizza, great hamburgers at The Dive.

[57redbird]

55 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

We always try to do the Main Dining room for Lunch that first day, as the Lido can be a zoo.  Much nicer environment - opens at Noon but closes at either 1 or 1:30.  Food better IMO but it is a bit slow.

And yes, ignore the crew when they direct you to the Lido buffet as you board.

 

Same here -- took a couple of cruises to figure that out.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Who knows if lunch in the DR. Is a option 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I do hope it is open.( Carrot cake) great bergers

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I am just hoping that embarkation lunch will still offer some of the same items it had in the past....such as my favorite Peanut Butter Pie 😃

[Coffeeluvr05]

55 minutes ago, luvteaching said:

We enjoy this as well but I'm wondering if the boarding times will allow it. I found out that we're in Group B and currently our boarding time is 1:20. That makes it hard to have lunch. We're on the Aug. 14th out of Seattle. 

 

Karen

We are on that sailing as well.  How did you find out which boarding group you are in already?  We are new to HAL.

[kochleffel]

1 hour ago, LAFFNVEGAS said:

Hal was pretty much the same as Princess prior to the pause with crew would direct you to the buffet at the Lido but just like Princess yes the Main Dining room was also open for lunch

 Also the same on NCL, including trying to herd everyone to the buffet, but on RCI no MDR was open then, alas.

[CruiserBruce]

21 minutes ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Who knows if lunch in the DR. Is a option 

Well, if the Lido is restricted to crew service only, its also very possible both decks of the MDR will have to be open to handle the load.

 

Possibly major changes and learning curve here. We are going to have to wait and learn from the first who sail. Otherwise we are all just doing a lot of speculating. And, yes, we aren't sailing until late February, so we can patiently wait for other's experiences.

 

In any event, I doubt anybody will go hungry.

[KirkNC]

1 hour ago, luvteaching said:

We enjoy this as well but I'm wondering if the boarding times will allow it. I found out that we're in Group B and currently our boarding time is 1:20. That makes it hard to have lunch. We're on the Aug. 14th out of Seattle. 

 

Karen

And I think in the new cruising world, your boarding time may be more then a request.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

8 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

And I think in the new cruising world, your boarding time may be more then a request.

Maybe lunch will work in the D.R. for those folks on a B2B.

[bd1958]

After getting this tip from another thread here years ago, i really enjoy boarding day lunch via room service on the balcony (if luck enough to have one).  

[aliaschief]

It’s refreshing and encouraging that these type post are being posted. It means we are getting closer to a return to cruising.🛳

 

This is what Cruise Critic is all about.

 

 

[Cajuntraveler]

2 hours ago, luvteaching said:

We enjoy this as well but I'm wondering if the boarding times will allow it. I found out that we're in Group B and currently our boarding time is 1:20. That makes it hard to have lunch. We're on the Aug. 14th out of Seattle. 

 

Karen

We are on the Aug.14th cruise also, but my boarding pass is not available on HALs check in page.  I can print luggage tags, but not boarding pass.  Is there another way to see your assigned boarding time?

[RuthC]

2 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

I wonder how they will handle 4/5 Stars and Neptunes on boarding times.

Conversely, how wheelchair assistance passengers will be handled. 
In the past, 4/5 * passengers, and as far as I know, Neptune passengers, too, who needed wheelchair assistance gave up any 'priority boarding' when seated in the wheelchair assistance area. There, it is first come, first transported. Period. 

So, under the new boarding times rules, will that 'time status' also be thrown out the window, and it remain first come, first served??? 

[grsnovi]

We like to try to lunch in the dining room on embarkation day and (to date) have had no trouble in boarding early enough for that but (as has been mentioned) who knows what will happen with the boarding process in this brave new world. Good luck!