Specialty Dinner Pace

[rim2rimhiker]

I was wondering what others think is an optimal pace for a specialty dining dinner.  Tonight in Red Ginger on the Vista, we had our entrees about 35 minutes into the reservation. To me, that is too fast.  Total time after desert was 1 hour, 10 minutes.  I’d prefer at least 90 minutes.  Your thoughts?

[edgee]

I am understanding of the need for such a pace. Fact that there are fewer available specialty restaurant slots available than can meet demand is a probable reason for slightly faster pace than many would like. As a courtesy to fellow guests I am willing to tolerate a pace which us a bit on the fast side.

[rim2rimhiker]

17 minutes ago, edgee said:

I am understanding of the need for such a pace. Fact that there are fewer available specialty restaurant slots available than can meet demand is a probable reason for slightly faster pace than many would like. As a courtesy to fellow guests I am willing to tolerate a pace which us a bit on the fast side.

There were a lot of empty tables on the first night of the cruise so it shouldn’t be so rushed.  They weren’t going to add any new reservations.

[edgee]

3 minutes ago, rim2rimhiker said:

There were a lot of empty tables on the first night of the cruise so it shouldn’t be so rushed.  They weren’t going to add any new reservations.

First night in the moment observations are not a fair indication of demand and available reservation slots.

[clo]

52 minutes ago, rim2rimhiker said:

I was wondering what others think is an optimal pace for a specialty dining dinner.  Tonight in Red Ginger on the Vista, we had our entrees about 35 minutes into the reservation. To me, that is too fast.  Total time after desert was 1 hour, 10 minutes.  I’d prefer at least 90 minutes.  Your thoughts?

Did you have a starter also? If not, I wouldn't consider that fast at all.

[EJL2023]

26 minutes ago, rim2rimhiker said:

There were a lot of empty tables on the first night of the cruise so it shouldn’t be so rushed.  They weren’t going to add any new reservations.

What time was your reservation?

[AMHuntFerry]

With 4 courses at a shared table I assume we'll be seated about 90-120 minutes.

[riversights]

Time your reservation to allow for 120 minutes of slow dining without the pressure to relinquish seating to waiting guests.

[1985rz1]

1 hour ago, rim2rimhiker said:

I was wondering what others think is an optimal pace for a specialty dining dinner.  Tonight in Red Ginger on the Vista, we had our entrees about 35 minutes into the reservation. To me, that is too fast.  Total time after desert was 1 hour, 10 minutes.  I’d prefer at least 90 minutes.  Your thoughts?

You can ask your server to pace to your liking.  If you have appetizers, you can order your main course later or tell the server to wait to put the main course in.  You can order dessert when you want it.  If you're not ready, tell the server to come back. 

[Trbd4739]

Sounds fine for a party of two. 

[ronrick1943]

We enjoy dinner, and we let them know the pace we want between courses.  It works for us.

[pinotlover]

This issue has been beat to death. If one reads past posts, there are a significant number of cruisers that want to eat 3-4 courses and be gone in 45-60 minutes. Eat at 6:30, out by 7:15, in bed by 8:00. Rarely speak a word to their table mate.

 

There are another group of cruisers that want a nice relaxing dinner in a more European style. Enjoy the he meal, the company, the atmosphere, so 1.5-2 hours is pleasant.

 

Here’s my remedy. Tell the waitress what you desire, they usually aim to please. If they don’t, talk to the restaurant manager.

[shepherd really]

19 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

This issue has been beat to death. If one reads past posts, there are a significant number of cruisers that want to eat 3-4 courses and be gone in 45-60 minutes. Eat at 6:30, out by 7:15, in bed by 8:00. Rarely speak a word to their table mate.

 

There are another group of cruisers that want a nice relaxing dinner in a more European style. Enjoy the he meal, the company, the atmosphere, so 1.5-2 hours is pleasant.

 

Here’s my remedy. Tell the waitress what you desire, they usually aim to please. If they don’t, talk to the restaurant manager.

Totally agree, I mostly do 7:00pm specialty reservations and end up closing the place down.  If I want to eat quickly, the terrace cafe is always an option. 

[pinotlover]

9 minutes ago, shepherd really said:

Totally agree, I mostly do 7:00pm specialty reservations and end up closing the place down.  If I want to eat quickly, the terrace cafe is always an option. 

Exactly. The TC is designed for people wanting a quick meal. Still:

 

Talk with your wait staff. I’ve told them to slow down before, and they graciously complied.

[islabahia]

Our preference is between 60-75 minutes.  We enjoy having dessert in our suite.

 

[clo]

42 minutes ago, islabahia said:

We enjoy having dessert in our suite.

If one isn't in a suite, can you take your dessert with you to have in your cabin? It's a lot of food for us so dessert is frequently missed.

[mauibabes]

Just ask to have it delivered to your stateroom. We have a friend who loves the key lime pie and her hubby arranged to have a piece delivered to their room every night of the cruise. Never hurts to ask. 
Enjoy,

Mauibabes. 

[GeezerCouple]

4 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Here’s my remedy. Tell the waitress what you desire, they usually aim to please. If they don’t, talk to the restaurant manager.

This is the solution, and by the way, not just for dining in the Specialties... for *anything* while on board.

 

They can't read your mind (alas!), so they don't know if you "don't care" about time, want to eat and run, or want to have that special and loong dinner together...

Also, given that reservations are limited and highly coveted, there's probably a general but slight tendency to, er, err on the side of speed to clear those reservations.

 

And with dinner (and some other requests), it might help to make your preference known in advance.  The way we put it:  Give them the best chance to help you with what you prefer!

 

GC

[DENIE]

We probably average about 2 hours in specialty dining.  We don't discuss "timing" with our waitstaff, it just ends up being that time.  That is perfect for us.  We do order wine and then appetizers.  We've never felt rushed.  No issues on our end...

[Harters]

I've never had a significant timings issue in the specialities. Never felt rushed, never felt we were waiting overly long for something to happen. Usually a 7.30 or 8.00 reservation. Three or four courses, then coffee. The only issue, such as it was, was once we had to make the decision about whether to have dessert or pass on that and make the start of the show. We had dessert

[iowananny]

You are my kind of man.  Dessert always wins.

 

[Harters]

15 minutes ago, iowananny said:

You are my kind of man.  Dessert always wins.

 

Thank you. That's the nicest thing anyone has said about me for ages. 😀

[iowananny]

Well, when you're on your next cruise look for us.  We're old people.  We shouldn't be that hard to find on Oceania.  By the way, we both have grey hair too.

[Harters]

21 minutes ago, iowananny said:

By the way, we both have grey hair too.

You still have hair? 😁

[clo]

13 hours ago, iowananny said:

Well, when you're on your next cruise look for us.  We're old people.  We shouldn't be that hard to find on Oceania.  By the way, we both have grey hair too.

Please define "old." I'm 77.