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Serenity Sep 8/23 - Reykjavik to Quebec City

Roland4

By Roland4,
in Crystal

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sullaRaffaello

sullaRaffaello

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To those of you who defend closing Waterside for lunch, I vehemently disagree. Waterside is the luxury product, not self-service buffets and hamburger/hot dog stand casuality. If something needs to be closed, it should be the stuff on deck 12. If Waterside were open and the others closed, people would have to go there or get room service. People need to get taught what luxury is. I can't believe there is more waste in Waterside than at the Marketplace.  As far as having closed Waterside before the shutdown, I've been on Crystal 319 nights on both ships before the shutdown, including 2 world cruises, and remember less than 5 times Waterside was closed if that. I have the Symphony scheduled for a little over a month early next year. If these closures become a standard procedure and not just something temporary, it will be a deal breaker for me. Very sad, because Crystal is a line I love, and I think after the startup everything is even better than before, if that's possible.

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Keith1010 "Live from...." Rare

Keith1010

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7 hours ago, sullaRaffaello said:

To those of you who defend closing Waterside for lunch, I vehemently disagree. Waterside is the luxury product, not self-service buffets and hamburger/hot dog stand casuality. If something needs to be closed, it should be the stuff on deck 12. If Waterside were open and the others closed, people would have to go there or get room service. People need to get taught what luxury is. I can't believe there is more waste in Waterside than at the Marketplace.  As far as having closed Waterside before the shutdown, I've been on Crystal 319 nights on both ships before the shutdown, including 2 world cruises, and remember less than 5 times Waterside was closed if that. I have the Symphony scheduled for a little over a month early next year. If these closures become a standard procedure and not just something temporary, it will be a deal breaker for me. Very sad, because Crystal is a line I love, and I think after the startup everything is even better than before, if that's possible.

If the majority of folks thought the way you do Waterside would be open but with so many port intensive cruises where people are off the ship the vast majority want  lunch having more flexibility including the ability to eat quickly.  It is the lack of demand for Waterside and high demand for other areas including Marketplace, Tastes, The Trident Grill and even The Bistro and low demand that results in reallocating staffing to these locations to meet the need.  Years ago this was not the case but times have changed because people want to eat quicker and spend more time in port.  

 

On both our sailings there were days when Waterside was open such as on days when we arrived to port later in the day and on sea days.  

 

Use the survey to share your comments with Crystal but in the end it actually is the habits of your fellow cruisers and what they desire that has resulted in the reallocation of staffing to the other areas where demand is quite great.

 

As to luxury we all see things in different ways and that includes where we dine.  While you might not think dining in some of these other venues is a luxury type of experience obviously others feel differently than you do.  The same goes for most things.

 

Finally, as to the past the World Cruises is a different beast and so is travel in the summer months.  Before the shutdown for a number of years there were several days in the summer on port intensive cruises such as in the Mediterranean where Waterside was closed. I could point to five times on some of the Mediterranean cruises we we were on.  

 

On a related note I remember the days of cruising when the majority of people had breakfast, lunch and dinner in formal dining rooms.  I remember the days when on land many restaurants required gents in jackets.  Times have changed.  And I remember years ago that the typical Crystal Cruise was 12 or more days, and once a year there was a seven day cruise and even that cruise had three or more sea days.  This changed too many years ago when there was greater demand for port intensive cruises and shorter cruises so people. I am not talking about demand by everyone but enough demand that the luxury lines adjusted to this.  

 

Keith

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BWIVince

BWIVince

Posted
Posted (edited)
10 hours ago, sullaRaffaello said:

To those of you who defend closing Waterside for lunch, I vehemently disagree. Waterside is the luxury product, not self-service buffets and hamburger/hot dog stand casuality. If something needs to be closed, it should be the stuff on deck 12. If Waterside were open and the others closed, people would have to go there or get room service. People need to get taught what luxury is. I can't believe there is more waste in Waterside than at the Marketplace.  As far as having closed Waterside before the shutdown, I've been on Crystal 319 nights on both ships before the shutdown, including 2 world cruises, and remember less than 5 times Waterside was closed if that. I have the Symphony scheduled for a little over a month early next year. If these closures become a standard procedure and not just something temporary, it will be a deal breaker for me. Very sad, because Crystal is a line I love, and I think after the startup everything is even better than before, if that's possible.


I really wish I could agree with your post, but this is almost offensive and makes me second guess my long standing preferences.  😞 A proper lunch on port days is one of the things I miss most from small ship luxury cruising these days, but I can’t make people want what I want or force people to change modern dining trends and take them back 20 years.

 

Lunch in Waterside isn’t scalable down to an “on-demand” type situation.  Based on my experience with catering metrics, with its menu, it takes about 50 diners at a minimum not to make it a scandalous waste of materials and resources, and even at 50 you have a fair amount of waste.  We’ve all been on cruises in the past few years where we could count the lunch diners in Waterside on our own fingers.  That’s not realistic or sustainable in any way.  
 

I’d add that you not only have the ethical and waste problem of the food, you also have the morale problem of labor.  It’s demoralizing for the crew to be denied shore leave (or even just a break shift) to be standing around staring at the carpet day after day.  😞 

 

You’re not going to “train” people to want to eat like their grandparents did — if you’re going to be successful, you have to meet people how the majority want to dine today…. Unfortunately for those of us who want to eat like their grandparents did.

 

I know, reality sucks.  Trust me. No one here wants lunch in Waterside more than I do.

 

Vince

Edited by BWIVince
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AtA

AtA

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, sullaRaffaello said:

If Waterside were open and the others closed, people would have to go there or get room service. People need to get taught what luxury is. 

Gosh darn, I didn’t realize I was so uncouth by eating in Tastes, Marketplace and the Bistro during the day. I obviously have a lot to learn! Thank you!

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BEAV

BEAV

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2 hours ago, skybluewaters said:

 

Really?  By whom?

 

I guess because I prefer not to have a meal at a table with starched white tablecloths three times a day, I'm a schlump.   Heck, I might even be as uncouth as @AtA.

 

Don’t worry. 

 

“Luxury” is having your sweet potato fries from Trident “delivered” to your cloth-lined table in Waterside! 🍟👌👍

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AtA

AtA

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Posted
4 hours ago, skybluewaters said:

 

Really?  By whom?

 

I guess because I prefer not to have a meal at a table with starched white tablecloths three times a day, I'm a schlump.   Heck, I might even be as uncouth as @AtA.

Welcome to the club!

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Roland4 "Live from...." Rare

Roland4

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4 hours ago, ChatKat in Ca. said:

If you need a white tablecloth experience at lunch, you can always get room service. That is the ultimate luxury. 

 

 

But apparently, room service is only for those who have not been "trained" to have lunch in Waterside! The arrogance in that post is almost breathtaking!

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TER777

TER777

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1 hour ago, Observer said:

I suppose I have been living on another planet, but I am surprised (and very disappointed) to learn that lunch is not routinely available in the MDR.  Is Waterside closed only on port days?  Is it open on sea days?  

Waterside is closed on port days and open on sea days.

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Keith1010 "Live from...." Rare

Keith1010

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3 hours ago, Observer said:

I suppose I have been living on another planet, but I am surprised (and very disappointed) to learn that lunch is not routinely available in the MDR.  Is Waterside closed only on port days?  Is it open on sea days?  

On port days with late arrivals was also opened in addition to sea days.

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BWIVince

BWIVince

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Posted
3 hours ago, Observer said:

I suppose I have been living on another planet, but I am surprised (and very disappointed) to learn that lunch is not routinely available in the MDR.  Is Waterside closed only on port days?  Is it open on sea days?  


This is a collision of low occupancy (number of souls on the ship at the moment of the lunch service) and low interest (think: single digits) in the formal lunch as a venue.  
 

This isn’t new, Crystal has had this formula for over a decade, but what’s changed is that fewer people are wanting lunch in Waterside and capacity has been reduced, so now it’s getting harder and harder to meet the viability threshold on port days than it once did…. So where it once was only popular port days that it wasn’t viable to do Waterside lunch service, now it’s most port full port days (with exceptions as Keith noted).

 

Vince

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kool kruiser

kool kruiser

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My preference is not to get involved in threads with somewhat contentious debates. However, I will make an exception here as I wonder, having regard to some comments, will I need to pass an exam before boarding to see if I am suitable for the luxury experience offered by Crystal ? You see, I like the informal offerings at Marketplace, Tastes or Trident for breakfast and lunch ....does anyone have any past papers that I can swot up on to see If i can pass ?

Frankly, these postings are beyond belief... can't we respect each other, folks...

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Roland4 "Live from...." Rare

Roland4

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7 hours ago, kool kruiser said:

My preference is not to get involved in threads with somewhat contentious debates. However, I will make an exception here as I wonder, having regard to some comments, will I need to pass an exam before boarding to see if I am suitable for the luxury experience offered by Crystal ? You see, I like the informal offerings at Marketplace, Tastes or Trident for breakfast and lunch ....does anyone have any past papers that I can swot up on to see If i can pass ?

Frankly, these postings are beyond belief... can't we respect each other, folks...

I tend to agree with you, but the poster who "started" this was so far "beyond the pale" as to be ridiculous! The surprise would have been if no one reacted to the post.

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travelberlin "Live from...." Rare

travelberlin

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On 9/29/2023 at 7:31 PM, Txcotn said:
  1. We love Waterside lunch. If unavailable the Grill or Tastes would be our choice. We really do not care for buffets of any kind.

Plus 1.

 

Since my main meal is at lunch time, I enjoy having a good meal in a nice environment. This on land, while cruising and at home. I have liked the Waterside very much for lunch. And yes, this was part of the luxury experience that Crystal offered. And no, hot dogs and hamburgers are not my idea of luxury. They do not go well with the champagne I like to drink bevor my meal. 
 

I have skipped dinner once in a while at Crystal, because I do not eat that much at dinner time. I understand all the reasons given in this thread why Waterside is being closed for lunch. No need to repeat them.  But that is not the point. We are expressing what we like. If others do not find it important good for them. I respect their opinions. Since we have different priorities, we will not agree on this. The same for having or not a casino. I do not care at all for a casino. But for other people seems to be important. I respect that. However, I am giving my opinion now about the closing of Waterside for lunch on port days, in case someone with power to decide at Crystal would like to take our opinions into account.

 

Ivi

 

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May B Great Review Rare

May B

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Ivi, I truly doubt that decision will be changed, other than in a port that might be less popular than many ports. I do hope you will enjoy Tastes, where previous guests have raved about both food and service. In fact, I wonder if they might entertain a special request for subsequent lunches when there are consecutive port days.

 

Nobody would want to make you eat a burger or a dog for your main meal.

 

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