Dining in The Restaurant at lunch

[JPH814]

On 11/21/2022 at 5:08 PM, brittany12 said:

Not just important for cruise line executives to be aware of what factors—like MDR's being open for breakfast and lunch on all days— make passengers choose one cruise line over another, but for them to have a firm, well-publicized in advance policy across the entire fleet and then adhere to it in practice..

My suspicion is that cruise line executives are well aware of the opinions regarding breakfast and lunch on "all days/"  They can easily see it in the number of people who eat in the MDR when it is open.  Most likely they are making a business decision:  the cost of staffing vs the disappointment of a few customers.  Are they willing to incur extra costs spread out to all passengers to satisfy the few?   

[Mr Luxury]

1 hour ago, JPH814 said:

My suspicion is that cruise line executives are well aware of the opinions regarding breakfast and lunch on "all days/"  They can easily see it in the number of people who eat in the MDR when it is open.  Most likely they are making a business decision:  the cost of staffing vs the disappointment of a few customers.  Are they willing to incur extra costs spread out to all passengers to satisfy the few?   

I contacted Josh Leibowitz and he told me that they had noticed a decline in the use of the MDR and closing it gave the crew additional rest time for the rest of the day.

Seabourn venture is opening its MDR every day for breakfast. 

The MDR on the other ships is open for breakfast on longer voyages.

Edited November 24, 2022 by Mr Luxury

[saminina]

A child in charge of the new Seabourn.

[Mr Luxury]

5 hours ago, saminina said:

A child in charge of the new Seabourn.

What?

[Flamin_June]

[PaulaJK]

Debarked today from a Sojourn cruise which had 4 sea days w DR opened ltd hours for breakfast and lunch. We skip breakfast but did attended

lunch which had a good showing on the starboard side section of the DR. Lovely, relaxing watching the sea from a window seat. I don’t think that the line is enthused and that ir reflected in the sparse menu. SB continues to note that the closing of the DR results in more rest for the crew/ empathy please….however, the crew is used for room service…so last night’s very fine waiter brings your breakfast.

SB seems under staffed and it shows…meanwhile the staff works very hard and is fabulous.

[Vineyard View]

Plenty of options to have lunch aside of buffet on other lines on sea days. What may seem simple decisions from management of companies, such as this, can truly affect customer choices. 
Just a curious thought - why would someone prefer lunch served in their stateroom over other options on a sea day?  Sorry, dots just don’t connect for me, but what the heck. 

[adolfo2]

9 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Plenty of options to have lunch aside of buffet on other lines on sea days. What may seem simple decisions from management of companies, such as this, can truly affect customer choices. 
Just a curious thought - why would someone prefer lunch served in their stateroom over other options on a sea day?  Sorry, dots just don’t connect for me, but what the heck. 

Agree w/lunch part... heck we don't even do in-suite breakfast!

 

I feel that the amount of staff "running around" delivering & cleaning up from room-service breakfast & lunch would be HALVED if the MDR were open for both.

[lincslady]

Unfortunately when the MDR is open for breakfast and lunch it is very under-used, giving Head Office/whoever  makes decisions on board a good excuse not to open it.  It does not help of course when the hours are limited.  Being in one of the suites on deck 4 in the older ships we have often had the chance to walk through the dining room at meal times, and rarely seen more than 4 or 5 tables occupied.  I personally prefer, especially in lovely weather, to have breakfast and lunch in the Colonnade, but quite agree that the dining rom should be open, as it is on I think all the other luxury lines apart from tiny  Seadream.

[nancygp]

FWIW…A couple of passengers on the current regent splendor crossing noted that the compass rose, the restaurant equivalent is closed for lunch every day.  I’m not sure if this is the case on all voyages.

 

Nancy

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, lincslady said:

Unfortunately when the MDR is open for breakfast and lunch it is very under-used, giving Head Office/whoever  makes decisions on board a good excuse not to open it.  It does not help of course when the hours are limited.  Being in one of the suites on deck 4 in the older ships we have often had the chance to walk through the dining room at meal times, and rarely seen more than 4 or 5 tables occupied.  I personally prefer, especially in lovely weather, to have breakfast and lunch in the Colonnade, but quite agree that the dining rom should be open, as it is on I think all the other luxury lines apart from tiny  Seadream.

I think the very limited hours are an issue here.  It takes some planning to make sure you can appear during the one hour it is open.  And yes, outdoors at the Colonnade is always nice in good weather, but not if there are no tables available--or if you have to concern yourself that no tables will be available.  I may be a total outlier, but I never enjoy dining inside at the Colonnade.  

[Mr Luxury]

1 hour ago, nancygp said:

FWIW…A couple of passengers on the current regent splendor crossing noted that the compass rose, the restaurant equivalent is closed for lunch every day.  I’m not sure if this is the case on all voyages.

 

Nancy

But it would make sense Nancy i think

[nancygp]

2 minutes ago, Mr Luxury said:

But it would make sense Nancy i think

Not sure if it makes sense!  Just wanted our fellow posters to know that another lux line doesn’t offer lunch in their dining room at all during a cruise…not even on multiple sea days with limited hours! 😄

 

Nancy

[sanne]

I believe that on Regent Splendor and Explorer they offer lunch in one of their specialty restaurants.  

[nancygp]

7 minutes ago, sanne said:

I believe that on Regent Splendor and Explorer they offer lunch in one of their specialty restaurants.  

That’s correct…I believe they alternate days and the specialties can only handle a small amount of passengers

 

nancy

[johng75370]

FWIW, we are on the current Sojourn voyage and enjoyed lunch in the restaurant last two days st sea.  Yesterday was quite busy - 15+ tables occupied!  

[jenidallas]

On 11/25/2022 at 5:23 AM, saminina said:

A child in charge of the new Seabourn.

Goad to know that those of us in our 50s are “children”… I’ll feel incredibly young if I ever have the pleasure of cruising with you! 😉. 

 

 

[Covepointcruiser]

Cunard offers breakfast and lunch in their Suite restaurants (Princess no Queen’s) Grill every day of every sailing in port or out at sea.   I believe the MDR also offers the same.    If you want white linen service every day of your sailing this is the line to choose.

[Vineyard View]

6 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Cunard offers breakfast and lunch in their Suite restaurants (Princess no Queen’s) Grill every day of every sailing in port or out at sea.   I believe the MDR also offers the same.    If you want white linen service every day of your sailing this is the line to choose.

Cunard - with a large ship and super formal attire. I know some people are very attracted to that experience, no judgement here, but for those who like smaller ships and less formal, imho a 5* line should offer at least on sea days, including Seabourn.

 Another smaller ship and less formal attire option who does offer on sea days is Viking. Hoping Seabourn is ramping up post Covid to offer as well. There appeared to be more postings on this thread of that happening. 

[skybluewaters]

12 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

If you want white linen service every day of your sailing this is the line to choose.

 

No one likes an upscale dining experience more than me.  But once a day is enough.  For me, if I were to have a white line service meal two or three times daily for several weeks (or even for one week), it would become routine and, thus, less enjoyable.  The contrast between a nice, casual lunch and a white linen dinner experience helps make the dinner all that more desirable. 

 

Too much of almost anything becomes self-defeating.  I learned this lesson trying to eat a gallon of Cherry Garcia ice cream at one sitting 🤮.

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, skybluewaters said:

 

No one likes an upscale dining experience more than me.  But once a day is enough.  For me, if I were to have a white line service meal two or three times daily for several weeks (or even for one week), it would become routine and, thus, less enjoyable.  The contrast between a nice, casual lunch and a white linen dinner experience helps make the dinner all that more desirable. 

 

Too much of almost anything becomes self-defeating.  I learned this lesson trying to eat a gallon of Cherry Garcia ice cream at one sitting 🤮.

Wow.  I've never tried to do that.  And lunch/breakfast in the dining room is nothing like dinner there.  No need to dress up--much lighter meals--just a serene ambience.  To each his own is what we are learning in this thread.  

[sullaRaffaello]

4 hours ago, skybluewaters said:

 

No one likes an upscale dining experience more than me.  But once a day is enough.  For me, if I were to have a white line service meal two or three times daily for several weeks (or even for one week), it would become routine and, thus, less enjoyable.  The contrast between a nice, casual lunch and a white linen dinner experience helps make the dinner all that more desirable. 

 

Too much of almost anything becomes self-defeating.  I learned this lesson trying to eat a gallon of Cherry Garcia ice cream at one sitting 🤮.

From what you say after your first sentence, your first sentence is false. Plenty of people like an upscale dining experience more than you.

[lincslady]

Presumably by 'dining' experience' they were just referring to  the meal in the evening called dinner.  Maybe we should  be saying 'breakfast experience' and 'lunch experience' to avoid confusion?

 

My feelings on where to eat at different times of day coincide with skybluewaters, but  as is always said, to each  his own.

 

 

[Flamin_June]

Hopefully Seabourn have been following this thread and will endeavour to have the MDR open for breakfast and lunch on seaqdays at least, if not everyday. This would then take pressure off the Colonnade and make it less 'Zoo-like', so that everyone wins (even the staff as the Colonnade would be less chaotic and there would be less disgruntled passengers).

 

This all seems to stem from the old days of the little sisters, when the Veranda (their equivalent of the Colonnade) was clearly too small to accommodate everyone for breakfast and lunch and the MDR had to be open.

[florisdekort]

We’re on Sojourn now, and as of yesterday, 6 January, The Restaurant will be open for breakfast and lunch daily, on both port days and sea days. 
 

Floris