Another thought on dining

[Spender Nui]

I've been reading the current dining threads including as you like it. Is it possible that what is needed is more dining space on the ships?

 

Maybe the premium dining rooms aren't providing enough in the way of tables that are being used. Many say you can't get a reservation, but the dining rooms are far from full.

 

Should eliminating premium dining space be considered. A lot of space and not too many seats.

 

It seems the trend is toward more relaxed dress (country club casual, not slobby) and more flexibility for dining.

 

Should the cruise lines provide more dining areas and space?

[Mary Ellen]

It seems the trend is toward more relaxed dress (country club casual, not slobby) and more flexibility for dining.

There are (other) cruise lines that already offer this. IMHO, if this is what someone is looking for, they should book one of those cruiselines (i.e. Windstar, Oceania).

[Krazy Kruizers]

Once HAL does go to "as you wish" and eliminate traditional we will be gone. No way are we going to be given a pager and have to wait for a pager. And the Lido doesn't appeal to us.

[bepsf]

Once HAL does go to "as you wish" and eliminate traditional we will be gone. No way are we going to be given a pager and have to wait for a pager. And the Lido doesn't appeal to us.

 

On Noordam, we had the "Leisure" dining (or whatever thay call it this week...)

There was a 30 minute window (5.30-6pm) to enter the dining room for Early Seating, and a 1 hour (8-9pm) window for Main Seating.

By our estimate, over 95% of folks in Main Seating showed up within the first 15 minutes of the Vista Dining Room opening - there really was no substantial difference between this service and the old "Traditional" dining.

I also learned something very interesting regarding service in Pinnacle: As you may recall, several folks have posted over the past few years about the tardiness of service even as the room isn't full (myself included). For lunch, they have only 2 people in the kitchen preparing dishes - one for entrees and the other for appetizers and desserts. For the evening meals, they have only 5 persons: 2 on entrees, one appetizers, one soups and one desserts. The primary reason that they have so few people on staff is because the kitchen space allocated to Pinnacle is extremely small. Once I understood that, it made complete sense why service would be so "relaxed" - however that's not to say that I don't think there should be more space/staff somehow allocated to this kitchen.

[barbon2]

To the previous poster. The leisure style dining was one thing, the new freestyle dining is COMPLETELY different. You basically show up somewhere between 5:30 and 9pm, wait for an open table and get seated at a different table/different waistaff every evening. We did the leisure style on the Oosterdam in Dec. and it was fine. This new concept is completely different.

Barbara

[Janet524]

On Noordam, we had the "Leisure" dining (or whatever thay call it this week...)

 

There was a 30 minute window (5.30-6pm) to enter the dining room for Early Seating, and a 1 hour (8-9pm) window for Main Seating.

So it the "window" main seating is 8-9 PM, and people arrive at 8 PM, they may have to wait until 9PM for service to start if they're assigned a large table and nobody else shows up when they do?:( We requested main seating in the lower dining room so we could have an 8:30 PM seating, so theoretically it could mean that others at our table who show up at 8 PM would have to wait for us.:confused: This whole thing just does not make any sense to me. Is HAL trying to be all things to all people? I don't understand what was wrong with the "old" way! If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Janet524]

On Noordam, we had the "Leisure" dining (or whatever thay call it this week...)

 

There was a 30 minute window (5.30-6pm) to enter the dining room for Early Seating, and a 1 hour (8-9pm) window for Main Seating.

So it the "window" main seating is 8-9 PM, and people arrive at 8 PM, they may have to wait until 9PM for service to start if they're assigned a large table and nobody else shows up when they do?:( We requested main seating in the lower dining room so we could have an 8:30 PM seating, so theoretically it could mean that others at our table who show up at 8 PM would have to wait for us.:confused: This whole thing just does not make any sense to me. Is HAL trying to be all things to all people? I don't understand what was wrong with the "old" way! If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[bepsf]

To the previous poster. The leisure style dining was one thing, the new freestyle dining is COMPLETELY different. You basically show up somewhere between 5:30 and 9pm, wait for an open table and get seated at a different table/different waistaff every evening. We did the leisure style on the Oosterdam in Dec. and it was fine. This new concept is completely different.

Barbara

 

Barbara--

 

Well then - I'll agree w/ KK.

If I can't have a regular table at a regular time with consistent waitstaff on a HAL ship, then I'll have to start booking on Cunard.

[Pilot70D]

We have cruised several times with HAL and several times with Princess. One of the things that we like least about HAL is fixed seating in the dining room only. We, the War Department (a.k.a. Mrs. B.), and I think that there is room for both fixed seating as well as personal choice dining. We don't think that HAL should do away with fixed seating. We do think that there a number of people, ourselves included, that don't want to be tied down to fixed seating.

 

One solution would be to do personal choice dining on the upper level of the dining room with the lower level for fixed seating. Yes, I realize that we could eat in the Lido but the Lido isn't open all that long either. True personal choice would be something that we would enjoy.

 

There's another reason to do personal choice dining. On our December cruise aboard the Volendam our table staff was mediocre at best. With personal choice dining one can choose the time and to a certain degree which table they want. When cruising with Princess we tried different tables until we found a team that we really liked. Worked like a charm.

 

The bottom line is that we believe that HAL could offer both personal choice dining as well as fixed seating. As long as they could do both without harming fixed seating we think it would be a really good thing to do.

[barbon2]

Pilot,

That is what HAL is trying, fixed seating on one level, as you wish on the other. When I cruise, I enjoy knowing that I am going to dinner at a set time, set place. In my OPINION, if a cruiseline is going to have "freestyle" dining then they should follow suit with other lines and have 8 or 9 dining options available. If they offer just the two options as Pilot suggests, then they should have enough dining space to accomodate both choices. We had to move our cruise up a week because upon booking the upper set dining was already waitlisted.

So tell me Brian, when do we leave on our Cunard cruise?

Barbara

[kryos]

So it the "window" main seating is 8-9 PM, and people arrive at 8 PM, they may have to wait until 9PM for service to start if they're assigned a large table and nobody else shows up when they do?:(

Not if they do it the way it's done in the dining room for other meals. Start filling up a large table as people walk in. If those people are willing to sit at the large table, they can get served immediately. That table will fill up pretty fast and the waiter would begin taking orders. But, if you insist on a table for strictly your party ... a table for two or four ... then you may have to wait for one to become available.

 

Where I see waits such as you are speaking of occurring is under the "Leisure" dining concept. That concept has everyone still assigned a table ... and the problem there will result when some of the diners come to dinner early, with the remaining ones showing up 15 or so minutes later. In that case, I would imagine that if the original two diners are on their salads, and the remainder of the people assigned to that table show up 15 minutes later, the two original diners are gonna be sitting and waiting while the later group "catches up." That kinda sucks in my opinion ... especially if you came to dinner early specifically to get out by a certain time.

 

But under "anytime" dining, it seems that people will not be assigned tables at all, so there shouldn't be any waits for latecomers. They would just be seated at an entirely different table.

 

The problem, though, with "anytime" dining ... at least as I see it ... is no chance to bond with your tablemates or your waitstaff ... because each will be different every night. "Anytime" dining will be just like having breakfast or lunch in the dining room. Eat and go ... with very little in the way of friendly banter. Not my cup of tea ... and if HAL ever went to this dining strategy exclusively and across the fleet, then I would be gone.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[bepsf]

 

So it the "window" main seating is 8-9 PM, and people arrive at 8 PM, they may have to wait until 9PM for service to start if they're assigned a large table and nobody else shows up when they do?:(

 

It's not that bad...

If someone arrives at the table later during the window than other diners, the waiters simply take their order when they arrive & serve them later without delaying the service for the earlier guests.

So for example, if you're already on your soup course when another person assigned to your table arrives, they order and proceed through their dinner without delaying your entree and dessert coming to you.

[kryos]

It's not that bad...

If someone arrives at the table later during the window than other diners, the waiters simply take their order when they arrive & serve them later without delaying the service for the earlier guests.

Are you sure about that, Brian? It would seem to be quite a bit of extra work for the stewards to be juggling all those different orders ... people at different tables all on different courses. I've heard from others that if there is a "lag" between an early diner at the table and the rest of the group who is seated maybe 15 minutes later, that the waiter will get everyone in sync on the same course. So the early diner will wait while the later ones catch up.

 

That's why "Leisure Dining" never made any sense to me. Now the "As you Wish" dining ... while I don't like the concept one bit ... at least makes some sense. But even with that, you still have the whole table eating the same courses ... but at least there they will have all sat down at about the same time.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[gizmo]

It's not that bad...

 

If someone arrives at the table later during the window than other diners, the waiters simply take their order when they arrive & serve them later without delaying the service for the earlier guests.

 

So for example, if you're already on your soup course when another person assigned to your table arrives, they order and proceed through their dinner without delaying your entree and dessert coming to you.

 

This reminds me of sitting at the counter at a Diner.

[Jemima]

On our only (& most likely last) Princess cruise we had anytime. On only one night was everyone at the table on the same course at the same time. We joined tables that were half done and in the midst of a conversation. People finished and left when we were half way through our meal. One evening the couple beside us requested their unfinished bottle of wine at the beginning of the meal and it was finally located and delivered shortly before dessert. We knew people who gave up on waiting on a formal night and ended up in the lido buffet in formal wear. Tables went empty because they were "reserved". You either showed up at the beginning of "anytime" or waited. We solved the problems the last two nights by eating at the lido. (We didn't have a choice of traditional as we were in big group and had all been assigned to anytime.)

[barbon2]

We happen to enjoy sitting with the people we travel with (when cruising with other couples), and sitting at a table for 2 when we travel alone. With the seating arrangements as one poster proposed (filing up tables as people arrive), you are shuffled to a table with different people every evening. We are not anti social, but when we cruise, we elect to sit with who we want and that is why the assigned table concept fits our cruising likes. As another poster stated, filling up tables upon arrival does seem like a quick meal in a cheap diner. We like our cruises/vacations stress free, and this new concept seems, to me, to add undue stress for many to the vacation atmosphere. If cruiselines (including HAL) want to go the route of freestyle dining, then they should at least follow NCL/Princess and offer many dining venues with many choices of table sizes.

Barbara

[kryos]

We happen to enjoy sitting with the people we travel with (when cruising with other couples), and sitting at a table for 2 when we travel alone.

Then "Anytime Dining" should be made to order for you. Just tell the matri 'd that you want a table size specifically for your group and do not wish to have others join you. True, you might have to wait a few minutes for one to become available, but he should have no problems accommodating you. After all, isn't the whole moniker of "anytime dining" eat when and with whom you please?

 

And what's with this crap about "reserved" tables? Would seem to me that reservations shouldn't be accepted in anytime dining ... no more than you could "reserve" a seat at a show. First come, first served is how it should be. After all, isn't the whole point of "anytime dining" the ability to be flexible and decide on dining time on the fly each day?

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

On our only (& most likely last) Princess cruise we had anytime. On only one night was everyone at the table on the same course at the same time. We joined tables that were half done and in the midst of a conversation.

As another poster on this thread remarked ... sounds like sitting at the luncheonette counter at your favorite hometown diner, huh?

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[legalslave]

In reading the many threads and posts regarding this new dinning concept on HAL, I have come to one conclussion. The majority of those who sail HAL prefer traditional dining. There are some who want the flexibility of anytime dinning. On 2 Princess cruises I have sailed since they introduced anytime dinning, traditional is sold out quickly with long waiting lists. Why doesn't HAL just leave both dinning rooms for traditional and use the Lido for those who want anytime dinning. They could offer the same menu items and extend the hours. Everyone would then be happy with the dinning. Probably easier said than done. I did the anytime dinning twice on Princess and did not like it at all. Just my thoughts.

 

Diane

[Odd Ball]

As another poster on this thread remarked ... sounds like sitting at the luncheonette counter at your favorite hometown diner, huh?

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

It brings to mind sitting at the luncheonette in Woolworths. Diners were special, they were for Sunday dinners with the Meatloaf Blue Plate Special. :)

Seriously, people arriving at different times, and being served courses at different times is not my idea of a nice dinner. :mad:

Whoever decided this should be shot.

 

 

[kryos]

It brings to mind sitting at the luncheonette in Woolworths. Diners were special, they were for Sunday dinners with the Meatloaf Blue Plate Special. :)

Seriously, people arriving at different times, and being served courses at different times is not my idea of a nice dinner. :mad:

Whoever decided this should be shot.

I agree wholeheartedly with you. I have nothing whatsoever against sitting at the counter at my local diner ... or in a small booth by myself ... and enjoying a good breakfast after a hard night at work. I do it at least once a week and it is a very good experience. However, it is not the experience I am generally looking for while on a cruise ship. There I want to relax, enjoy some good conversation, meet some interesting new people and have a deliciously prepared and presented dinner ... and that's why I sail HAL as opposed to NCL, which home ports in the spring, summer and fall right in my own city.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Nutrioso]

I believe HAL is doing the right thing --- maintaining traditional dining/seating for those who prefer it, and "as you like it" for others who don't like to keep to a schedule when on vacation. Meeting everybodys' needs. Penny:)

[ron46936]

I agree with the poster who said that to do true Freestyle dining requires ships that are designed and laid out with that in mind. Even NCL never tried it on the Norway because it did not have enough dining room. It works so so on the ships built more recently and really well on those six or more dining options. Personally we like it either way but the HAL ships aren't really designed with a lot of options in mind.

[fsalzer]

Seriously, people arriving at different times, and being served courses at different times is not my idea of a nice dinner. :mad:

Doesn't exactly that occur at fine-dining restaurants or do they have fixed dining times? :confused:

 

Fred

 

Edit: I now see that you were perhaps referring to "Leisure Dining", rather than open dining. If so, then I agree.

[CPeters40]

I believe HAL is doing the right thing --- maintaining traditional dining/seating for those who prefer it, and "as you like it" for others who don't like to keep to a schedule when on vacation. Meeting everybodys' needs. Penny:)

 

We were wait listed for late seating on the Oosterdam, but received the "As You Wish" dining. So, we just made the best of it. No big deal. We went to dinner around the same time as the late traditional--usually between 7:45 and 8:15 p.m. and were always seated right away. We had different people at our table every night, but I enjoy meeting people so that was fine. Since we didn't get our choice of Traditional late seating, we just made the best of it. We went to dinner in the Vista every night, and just had fun. And it worked out fine. We didn't worry about the downside of not having the same wait staff. When we did get a great waiter, I always filled out the comment cards that were on the table, to tell them. It was a great vacation, and I'd go back to the Oosterdam tomorrow if I could. As they say, don't sweat the small stuff.

Chris (Iowa) Oosterdam Jan 7-13, 2007

Volendam Jan, 2006

Galaxy Jan, 2005

Sun Princess Sept 2005

etc.