Intrusive Staff in Main Dining Room

[not-enough-cruising]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

It's called good customer service. Sorry that good customer service is offensive. 

This behavior is the antithesis of good customer service 

[HappyTexan44]

They would learn quickly if instead of a list of things to do, they watched people.    There are some differences in body language like a head nod can mean yes or no, depending.   But a grimace or a smile always mean the same thing no matter where you are from.  The OP even though reluctant to speak up, being Canadian, you know had a face of dread every time someone approached the table and it wasn't to take an order or clear the table.   

 

In Texas, iced tea at meals is a big thing.  Some people want frequent refills, some people want to wait until they finish their tea because they've perfected the sweetness and you'll mess it up if you add more tea.  No one told me this, but I observed it.   Then I started the Start To Pour Then Pause method.   I'd watch the reaction and it was always clearly positive or negative.  I never needed to stop the conversation.    I also didn't need to stop the conversation to check on the food.   I just made an excuse to be nearby some minutes after food was delivered.  If there was a problem, people would speak up.  Drink/bread refills were handy for this.  Even refills on alcohol drinks, I'd get close to each person's ear and say, "Another?"    They'd nod yes or no.  

 

 

 

[LittleJoefromKokomo]

7 hours ago, HappyTexan44 said:

 

 

 No one told me this, but I observed it.   Then I started the Start To Pour Then Pause method.   I'd watch the reaction and it was always clearly positive or negative.  I never needed to stop the conversation.    I also didn't need to stop the conversation to check on the food.   I just made an excuse to be nearby some minutes after food was delivered.  If there was a problem, people would speak up.  Drink/bread refills were handy for this.  Even refills on alcohol drinks, I'd get close to each person's ear and say, "Another?"    They'd nod yes or no.  

 

 

 

Exactly! This is good service IMO 🙂 A waiter that is able to read the situation is always  joy to be served by. A short question about refills of drinks is also not disturbing but good service. No one wants to have to hail the waiter down and wait 5 minutes if their glass is empty. The waitors should see if the quests need refills if they are properöy trained.

I understand that new waitors might not be perfect but I also know a guy who has worked as a waiter on another cruiseline some years ago and the cruiselines doesn't hire total roookies as waitors, to be able to land a highly desirable job as a waitor they need previous experience from their home countries. Its not just anyone that gets a job as a waiter in the MDR.

[DirtyDawg]

On 11/26/2022 at 11:55 AM, JupiterTwo said:

I didn't mind being asked how the service was going or to score 10s on the survey, but there was a period when they would interrupt dinner to upsell the specialty dining. That bothered me.

In the past I've asked my boss for a 10 rating - and a big raise 😉 , but never while he or she was eating lunch (unless I was buying), or on the phone to his/her spouse, or when they were in a meeting with my other colleagues,  or on a Sunday afternoon when he/she was watching the NFL, or when they were in a meeting with their boss. The concept of "there is a time and place for everything" seems to be getting lost on cruise lines these days.

[hova]

On our recent Odyssey TA, our waiter actually hung out at our table for extended periods of time.  We have always enjoyed getting to know our dining staff, but this became overbearing.  I don’t think he had enough tables to keep him busy (we had several empty tables in our dining room area), so he would come over to our table and talk to my wife for several minutes each night.  He would go on about his separation from his wife, custody of the children, payments to his wife, and why they separated in the first place.   It was all very personal information that we felt uncomfortable hearing.  It got to be so much, that I traded chairs with my wife so that she would be tucked in the corner, and he couldn’t get around the table to stand beside her.  This plan sort of worked, as then he would try to engage me in long conversations.  I would only answer him in yes/no statements, and try not to engage him too much.  After a couple days, he moved on and became best buddies with some people at a nearby table.  I did give him a good rating on the survey, as the actual dining service was excellent.   I  think it’s important for the waiter to ensure he is providing good service, but he should keep the chit/chat at a professional level. 

[Airbear232]

On 11/23/2022 at 7:36 PM, Katems75 said:

I've only been on one cruise, in 2018.  Reading this thread though, makes me dread my upcoming cruise in May.  I absolutely do not want people constantly asking me how things are and interrupting and telling me to rate them a 10 on a survey.  That sounds very intrusive and rude.  If RC is either telling them to do this, or rewarding/punishing them if they do/don't, shame on RC.  The whole thing sounds very uncomfortable for everyone involved.

 

Is the staff truly so subservient to people?  I am not on vacation to be bowed and scraped to, I am on vacation to enjoy the people I have chosen to be with (which is NOT the staff) and to relax. If this is how things go it sounds very unrelaxing and not a whole lot of fun.  I do recall announcements going on in the dining room a lot, but I mostly ignored it.  I don't recall my waiters being annoying but now I'm definitely scared.  I certainly hate the whole idea of one group of people being waited on hand and foot by another group of people from less wealthy countries.

Enjoy yourself and have a great time.  People here opine and argue about everything.

[Airbear232]

On 11/23/2022 at 9:28 AM, dada2199cc said:

 

Well I'm a multinational so while I was born in the US, I have lived and worked internationally almost all of my life.

 

I consider myself an American of the US flavor -- my accent is Midwest Chicago, my primary language is US English, but I was raised by immigrants without the same cultures as our neighbors.

 

The demanding folks are rarely the obvious meathead AHs -- I see them on airplanes, I see them at restaurants in the States, I see them on cruises.  It's the folks who think they're the only ones who paid for the trip, and that they should be free to cut in line just because they have some status, or make demands because their $7 free MDR meal isn't up to snuff against the $3200 they're going to lose at the casino this week in order to get a free $600 cruise.

 

Last week, I was getting off a flight up in first class, and the guy BEHIND me just barged past me and my luggage.  Looked like any normal American, nothing meathead about him.  I figured maybe he had a connecting flight, but we both got to the Uber Black spot about the same time, so obviously he was just another entitled snowflake.

I let him have it, verbally and even stepped forward to him to let him know he won't do that again, not when I'm around.

I'm no Karen, but I will always, always, always step up to entitled snowflakes and let the hammer fall.  Always.

 

And lately, on cruise ships, I do it a lot -- especially with older American and Canadian folks.  It's been a new ritual.  "Who do you think you are?"

 

For me, I tip heavier, but I've made actual off-ship friendships with ex-crew who served me well for years, and the stories they tell me of what tips did for their families always encourages me to tip more.  I have no kids by choice, I have no mortgages or debt by choice, I'm probably in the top 5% incomes but I only work 8-10 hours a week by choice, so I'd rather help a hard worker than give a rusty penny to the entitled snowflakes I run into in the US restaurants, casinos, hotels, resorts, etc.

 

If I never vacation within the US again, it'll be too soon -- both because of the staff and the other folks around me, haha.

Just saying, don’t you think you come across as an entitled snowflake telling people “who do they think they are” and stepping forward? 

[dada2199cc]

Just now, Airbear232 said:

Just saying, don’t you think you come across as an entitled snowflake telling people “who do they think they are” and stepping forward? 

I don’t call a manager or security when someone is acting like a buffoon.

[Engineroom Snipe]

16 minutes ago, dada2199cc said:

I don’t call a manager or security when someone is acting like a buffoon.

No gosh darnitt, you don't. You slip a slight tip and the chairs on pool deck level ten start to part the seas. Your service dog gives its puppy eyes and there are many chairs available ☺️. You are an experienced traveling devil who defies the laws of tourism!

 

You need to start a school on how to achieve your desired cruising results without really trying. Oh, by the way, it is on a cruise ship to be tax deductible.

 

I will be the first to sign-up. 🤣

 

Some people just do not appreciate sarcasm or truthfulness. 😁

 

Keep on posting.

[Jax129]

On 11/22/2022 at 9:41 PM, firefly333 said:

We had a guy at our table telling us a maybe long winded story.  The waiter finally pulled on the guys sleeve to stop his story to ask how the food was.

 

Maybe it's going too far to interrupt someone who is talking just to inquire about the food. 

something similar happened to us back in 2018  My husband is in the restaurant business so we're always super nice but it just gets too much. 

[mtempelaar]

Ate a specialty dining restaurant on my last cruise.  Waiter was amazingly helpful and nice but OVER attentive, over talkative.  He literally stood there watching us the entire time.  I could see him in my peripheral vision the whole time, waiting to pounce.  Kept bringing us special dishes we didn't order "just for a taste", and when dessert wasn't ready yet, he gave us a little kitchen tour.   We were his only table for a few hours.  I gave him a 10...because he went above and beyond....but the perpetual watching made me feel quite a bit of pressure. 

[not-enough-cruising]

2 hours ago, mtempelaar said:

Ate a specialty dining restaurant on my last cruise.  Waiter was amazingly helpful and nice but OVER attentive, over talkative.  He literally stood there watching us the entire time.  I could see him in my peripheral vision the whole time, waiting to pounce.  Kept bringing us special dishes we didn't order "just for a taste", and when dessert wasn't ready yet, he gave us a little kitchen tour.   We were his only table for a few hours.  I gave him a 10...because he went above and beyond....but the perpetual watching made me feel quite a bit of pressure. 

You gave that a “10”??

[mek]

It just amazes me that people don't know how to handle a situation where they're not happy with something like this.

A simple, "It's been very nice chatting with you, but now we would like some private time" should do the trick and if not, then speak to the head waiter.

Why fume about something that you have total control over?

[mtempelaar]

13 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

You gave that a “10”??

Hubby and I debated on that one.  He wanted to give a 10, I wanted to downgrade because it made me a bit uncomfortable.  But I did acknowledge he really was bending over backwards and my husband was thrilled with it.   

[allie3490]

On 11/24/2022 at 4:53 PM, 2chiefs said:

Too bad the waiters in the MDR for breakfast aren't graded. It's quite the opposite. Trying to get coffee refills is a major chore! Many times they ignore you when you are standing and waving your hands wildly!!

I'd ignore you too if you were waving your hands wildly

[shipgeeks]

On 11/23/2022 at 7:36 PM, Katems75 said:

I've only been on one cruise, in 2018.  Reading this thread though, makes me dread my upcoming cruise in May.  I absolutely do not want people constantly asking me how things are and interrupting and telling me to rate them a 10 on a survey.  That sounds very intrusive and rude.  If RC is either telling them to do this, or rewarding/punishing them if they do/don't, shame on RC.  The whole thing sounds very uncomfortable for everyone involved.

 

Is the staff truly so subservient to people?  I am not on vacation to be bowed and scraped to, I am on vacation to enjoy the people I have chosen to be with (which is NOT the staff) and to relax. If this is how things go it sounds very unrelaxing and not a whole lot of fun.  I do recall announcements going on in the dining room a lot, but I mostly ignored it.  I don't recall my waiters being annoying but now I'm definitely scared.  I certainly hate the whole idea of one group of people being waited on hand and foot by another group of people from less wealthy countries.

Katems, I hope this post won't stop you from taking and enjoying your cruise.  In spite of all the replies agonizing over the subject, I have to honestly say that none of it has ever happened to us during our 50 cruises, many of which were on RC.  Meals in MDR, every night of a cruise, have always been pleasant for us, without any unpleasant or inappropriate interruptions.