"Dinner with Officers" Loyalty Benefit

[David_L]

I am about to start my first cruise ( Prima Southampton -> Rome on 6th October ) since reaching Sapphire Loyalty level.

 

One of the extra benefits is Dinner With Officers . Does anyone have any thoughts on if it is worth signing up for ?  Is the food different/better than main dinning ? 

[KeithJenner]

The meal is usually in a MDR, with the standard menu. However some people have reported it being in other venues. I believe that you get wine with the meal, but that is of limited benefit depending on whether you have a beverage package.

 

As for whether it is worth it, that totally depends on you. Some people on here go regularly and enjoy it. Personally we have only been once (when we got an invite without requesting it) and it was fine but not something that we would repeat.

 

The main thing to be aware of is that you are very unlikely to be eating with anyone of a high rank. More likely it would be with someone like the gift shop manager or, as with our case, a fairly low ranking member of the back room staff.

[FLAHAM]

The dinners are standard MDR fare, with wine. They are absolutely worth signing up for.  You may get the chief security officer or art auctions chief, but they all have interesting sea stories to tell and enjoy interacting with the guests and answering questions.

[www3traveler]

I love these dinners.  Makes no difference to me what the rank of the Officer hosting the dinner.  In 30 plus dinners, I have yet to be disappointed.  My very favorite Dinner was hosted by the Ship's Communication's Officer (Radio Officer).  That night he was hosted his 1st Officer Dinner.  Very kind young man.

[luv2kroooz]

Highly recommend. Great opportunity to meet other guests and officers. We have had security, assistant cruise director, medical staff. It is good to get to know other guests and we always enjoy getting to know the officers.

[yakcruiser]

Standard MDR fare with wine but you get the best dining room staff and are treated very well. I try to go each cruise. And you do meet some really interesting people from different backgrounds and cultures.

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

Excellent time to find out some behind the scenes information, have not come across an officer, at any level, that wasn't wanting to be there and to talk.

 

And you might get a senior officer, we have a number of times.   

[julig22]

Might have been coincidence but I had one of the best steaks I have ever eaten...don't know if they raided the Cagney's stash or what but boy was it good!!!

And yes, most of the dinners are interesting - most of the staff is OK with being there, some do think of it as an annoying chore - and you can usually tell. I wasn't a fan when they included newbies - so everything kinda revolved around getting them up to snuff with NCL in general and I want to get the inside scoop so to speak. But I've signed up every time I was eligible.

[BirdTravels]

I have talked to the General Manager's staff about the fact that NCL does not take these dinners seriously. They have their top Latitudes members, their very best customers, and sometimes subject them to the Gift Shop Manager (who isn't even an NCL employee - he is a vendor who paid to open his shop on the ship), to the photoshop manager, to a junior bridge officer who didn't speak very much and the second that "his time was up", stood up and left without saying a word of thanks or good bye. It is literally, whoever draws the short straw has to go interact with the guests. 

 

We have had some good officers like the F&B Director on the Escape who was loads of fun. But those seem to be the exception. 

[bedfordmom]

We went to our first one last year. We sat with the head of Guest Services and heard lots of great stories. Beverages were wine soda or sparkling water. Since we don’t have  the. Beverage package it was a treat for us. 

[Crown Vic]

Usually very interesting but keep an open mind about the title ‘Officer’. Have had dinner with ‘Officers’ from the Children’s Program Supervisor to the Casino Manager to Deck Officers to the General Manager. Depends on who has ‘volunteered’. Enjoy!

[MagnoliaBlossom]

We had a delightful dinner on the Prima with one ambassador and the rest two diamond couples and the remainder were sapphires.  The Captain so very personable and was off on vacation after the next cruise.  After dinner he opasked if we would like a tour of the bridge the following day and of course everyone said yes.   As we were chatting I joked that I hoped when I became Diamond they would let me blow the horn, but it didn’t happen.  We all laughed.  The next day during the tour he searched me out and said”let’s go blow the horn”.  And we did!   He had a great laugh at how such a simple thing could make me so happy, so after the first time, he did Do it again.   So I did and he laughed and said, “ now my crew is wondering what on earth is going on.   Great time.

[itsnotjustme]

We have done this 4 times, the most recent being last Friday on the Breakaway.  I plan to continue, but my DW may not as she is hearing impaired, and the environment can make conversation very difficult.

 

Quick bullets:

• Most have been pleasant experiences; one was a dud with it hard to make any useful conversation due to very heavy accent combined with background noise/music
• Generally, we have had two officers with at least one being mid-level (3 stripes) including a chief engineer, safety officer, and environmental officer
• MDR in all cases, but I did get my Pelligrino water and cappuccino for free!
• Free photo provided
• Opportunity to learn a lot about the career paths of the officers as they advance from school through a variety of positions, required certifications/training, and their family life being at sea 6 months per year

 

[luv2kroooz]

6 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

I have talked to the General Manager's staff about the fact that NCL does not take these dinners seriously. They have their top Latitudes members, their very best customers, and sometimes subject them to the Gift Shop Manager (who isn't even an NCL employee - he is a vendor who paid to open his shop on the ship), to the photoshop manager, to a junior bridge officer who didn't speak very much and the second that "his time was up", stood up and left without saying a word of thanks or good bye. It is literally, whoever draws the short straw has to go interact with the guests. 

 

We have had some good officers like the F&B Director on the Escape who was loads of fun. But those seem to be the exception. 

 

You are certainly free to skip these events, though. Then you wouldn't have to subject yourself to the low-life gift shop manager or junior bridge officer. What a very, very sad, silly thing to write.... but not unexpected.

 

Candidly, if you are having those experiences over and again, it is likely more you, than them. I've had the unfortunate circumstance of sharing a table with guests who feel compelled to share that they've sailed 8,000 times in the best suites on the ship or they go on and on and on about the bad food or bad entertainment or how they know Captain Luigi etc.  No one else cares, including the officer. Arrogant, rude, condescending. You think they'd get the hint when the officer bolts when their time is up.

 

It is best to keep those things out of the dinner conversation and focus on their families, cultures, favorite destinations, favorite ships, etc. Be humble and genuinely curious. 

 

Summarizing, if your people seem disinterested, it is likely more you, than them. You might approach your next dinner with that mindset. Cheers.

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 07:32 AM by luv2kroooz

[Anoynmous Phoenix]

@luv2kroooz

 

A story on your thoughts.

 

We regularly put our names forward and one occasion stands out.

 

There were 8 of us, we were opposite two officers who maintained a continuing discussion which included us throughout.  To our left were a suite couple who included us with everything that was going on.   To our right were another suite couple who refused to speak to us or to even make eye contact.

We didn't have a Purple, suite, coloured room card but a Green (Inside in our case) one!!!!!

 

I had a talk about it with the GM when he came to see me, the officers had commented to him, and he said "I will see to it".

 

At breakfast the following morning, in the suite dining room, he checked that that couple were there and came to our table with the comment in a loud voice, "Mr & Mrs Wells I am really sorry that you have the wrong coloured card, here are your new cards".

 

AP/casofilia   Mike

Edited Tuesday at 07:49 AM by Anoynmous Phoenix

[CaptainBazz]

We have only been on one but it was a lot of fun. The Officers, while very low ranking, had lots of great stories to tell about both the ship and their personal life. Our biggest issue...we had to meet at 5pm and dinner was at 5.30pm...thats BEFORE cocktail hour 😜...but we survived.

[tomk3212]

@BirdTravels comments are entirely accurate.  When they first started offering this perq to Sapphire our first dinner we had the Deputy Hotel Manager & the Asst. Chief Engineer as part of our group that was split at 3 tables in an MDR.  They also took pix of each table as well.  That was the first and only time we dined with anyone even faintly resembling 'senior' officers aboard a ship.

 

As others have pointed out whoever from the crew is selected sees this as an 'obligation' and not much more than that.  In all fairness, however, if the Sapphire pax simply turn this dinner into an 'NCL B&M" session ('moan' is the 'M'...lol) then I wouldn't look forward to it either as a crewmember. 

[Middleager]

We only became Sapphire and went to such a dinner once, late last year.  There were actually 3 sets of tables, each one with 2 officers. It was in the smaller of the dining room (not MDR).  We had 2 junior officers who didn't talk much.  We probed a little and they did respond, but it didn't seem like they were that interested.

 

We did still enjoy the dinner, as it was our first time, and learned how it was done. It was fun talking to other guests, but the place was noisy.  There wasn't free photos.

[BigRedFan]

11 hours ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

We had a delightful dinner on the Prima with one ambassador and the rest two diamond couples and the remainder were sapphires.  The Captain so very personable and was off on vacation after the next cruise.  After dinner he opasked if we would like a tour of the bridge the following day and of course everyone said yes.   As we were chatting I joked that I hoped when I became Diamond they would let me blow the horn, but it didn’t happen.  We all laughed.  The next day during the tour he searched me out and said”let’s go blow the horn”.  And we did!   He had a great laugh at how such a simple thing could make me so happy, so after the first time, he did Do it again.   So I did and he laughed and said, “ now my crew is wondering what on earth is going on.   Great time.

I love this story!  Things like this take so little effort to make such a big impact.  I am a solo traveler, I have been at three dinners with officers so far. The first the General Manager hosted, the second the Chief Engineer who is a very senior officer and he was delightful, the third it was the doctor and she was so interesting having spent part of career as a doctor with Doctors Without Borders in East Timor.  She said that it was so dangerous there that she would have to be hidden by the priests at a church.  It really made the conversation very interesting and also we were in awe of her and her contributions to health care where it is desperately needed. For me these dinners were all definitely a highlight.

[Capitan Obvious]

Interesting to see the various quips that people include about the officers attending, especially those addressing the rank/position of those officers. Given the posts in the thread, it appears that many feel that anyone other than the General Manager or the Captain are beneath them. There is definately a strong sense of self-importance feeding the entitlement machine here.

[yankprintster]

I've done it several times. I've dined with all kinds of ship personnel (Captain, Staff Captain, Navigational Officier, multiple GM's, Chief Safety Officer, Chief Engineer, Chief Environmental Officer, Head of HR, Guest Services Manager, a few CruiseNext Managers, Photo Gallery Manager, etc.). Tonight I'll be dining with the Chief Refrigeration Officer.

 

There are usually two at each table, and sometimes depending upon the seating arrangement, you may not be able to hear one of them (and in some rare situations, neither of them).

 

They used to take a complimentary photo, but most ships seemed to stop doing this. Haven't got one for several months.

 

I always sign up, but sometimes will decline the invitation if I've already had a speciality restaurant booked with friends. The big issue for me is that, most of the time, you are giving just about 1 day's advance notice of the meeting. It makes planning dinners difficult.

 

It's always been in the Main Dining Room, except one time it was in the Palomar speciality restaurant. That was technically my "free" Ambassador cruise that I redeemed. Not sure if it was connected or not.

 

Sometimes the officers are very chatty. Other times some guests are so chatty the officers can't get a word in.

[Maleficent's Dad]

2 hours ago, Capitan Obvious said:

Interesting to see the various quips that people include about the officers attending, especially those addressing the rank/position of those officers.

I won’t disagree with your post, as  you’re right when you say, “it appears that many feel that anyone other than the General Manager or the Captain are beneath them.”

However, I personally do have a little problem with what cruise lines call “officers.”

For many years I sailed as a merchant marine officer.  There were 4 deck and 4 engine officers. The rest were crew. I’m not turning my nose up at anyone, but on the cruise lines, it seems as though if you stay with them long enough, they’ll give you salt & peppers (uniform) with some stripes on a shoulder board.  An “officer” in charge of youth programs?

I know that with 2,000 or so crew, there has to be a hierarchy and a chain of command. But somewhere along the way, the distinction of officer and crew gets somewhat blurry to me.

I’m assuming I’ll get roasted for this post.  But anyone who has sailed professionally should understand my point.

[Crown Vic]

8 hours ago, luv2kroooz said:

 

You are certainly free to skip these events, though. Then you wouldn't have to subject yourself to the low-life gift shop manager or junior bridge officer. What a very, very sad, silly thing to write.... but not unexpected.

 

Candidly, if you are having those experiences over and again, it is likely more you, than them. I've had the unfortunate circumstance of sharing a table with guests who feel compelled to share that they've sailed 8,000 times in the best suites on the ship or they go on and on and on about the bad food or bad entertainment or how they know Captain Luigi etc.  No one else cares, including the officer. Arrogant, rude, condescending. You think they'd get the hint when the officer bolts when their time is up.

 

It is best to keep those things out of the dinner conversation and focus on their families, cultures, favorite destinations, favorite ships, etc. Be humble and genuinely curious. 

 

Summarizing, if your people seem disinterested, it is likely more you, than them. You might approach your next dinner with that mindset. Cheers.

 

 

👍 Cheers…

[Capitan Obvious]

25 minutes ago, Maleficent's Dad said:

I won’t disagree with your post, as  you’re right when you say, “it appears that many feel that anyone other than the General Manager or the Captain are beneath them.”

However, I personally do have a little problem with what cruise lines call “officers.”

For many years I sailed as a merchant marine officer.  There were 4 deck and 4 engine officers. The rest were crew. I’m not turning my nose up at anyone, but on the cruise lines, it seems as though if you stay with them long enough, they’ll give you salt & peppers (uniform) with some stripes on a shoulder board.  An “officer” in charge of youth programs?

I know that with 2,000 or so crew, there has to be a hierarchy and a chain of command. But somewhere along the way, the distinction of officer and crew gets somewhat blurry to me.

I’m assuming I’ll get roasted for this post.  But anyone who has sailed professionally should understand my point.

 

Luckily, I have sailed professionally. As crew and as an officer.

 

No problem with your description, I can respect that, based on your description, that your ship only needed 8 officers. I can also respect that a cruise ship require more.

 

And yes, an officer in charge of youth programs. Good to know that our children are important enough to require an officer's overview.

[Barb Nahoumi]

My husband and I signed up for the first time on the NCL Jade, last August.  At first, we were told by  the people at Cruise Next  that Dining with the Officers was only reserved for Sapphire and higher.  I am Sapphire but my husband is platinum.  Our friends whom we cruise with are also sapphire and were signing up as well.  I told them that I would not go without him, so they were able to accommodate him.

 

Our friends were assigned to a different table with other officers, and we were seated with very nice folks and an engineer from Croatia with interesting stories to relate about his career and family.   The dinner was an informative experience, and we look forward to doing it again.