As You Wish Dining - Opinions, Comments and Discussions

[RevNeal]

We are coming back to HAL after several princess cruises and I must say I am particularly disappointed that we can only get the "Open Seating" on the cruise we booked. We detest the Anytime on Princess .. for a myriad of reasons .. so a practical question ..

 

Is there someone on HAL that can be bribed to get us out of this and into fixed traditional dining ???

 

From what we're being told, if you have them put you on the waiting list for Traditional, the chances are GREAT you'll get it. It would appear that HAL is just not assigning people to Traditional until they have full numbers on how the distribution of passengers between AYWD and Traditional will be on a cruise-by-cruise basis.

 

So ... have them put you on the Traditional waiting list.

[NHBob]

From what we're being told, if you have them put you on the waiting list for Traditional, the chances are GREAT you'll get it. It would appear that HAL is just not assigning people to Traditional until they have full numbers on how the distribution of passengers between AYWD and Traditional will be on a cruise-by-cruise basis.

 

So ... have them put you on the Traditional waiting list.

 

Or you can try what I did - write a polite but firm letter to HAL's Executive VP for guest relations expressing your reluctance to board a cruise if there is any chance you will be forced to accept open seating. Worked form me - within 10 days I received both e-mail and phone call confirming traditional dining. Write to:

 

Mr. Richard D. Meadows, CTC

Executive Vice President

Marketing, Sales and Guest Programs

Holland America Line

P.O. Box 34985

Seattle, WA 98124

 

 

Of course this shouldn't be necessary, but perhaps if senior manaement gets enough of this tyhpe of letter they will put their house in order regarding dining room assisnments.

[RevNeal]

We'll see how it all plays out over time. All I know is that I know several people on this board with whom I'd be thrilled to share a Traditional dining table ... maybe someday:) .

 

Indeed ... I would even be willing to dine for a cruise with the same group of wonderful CCer friends at a AYWD table, just so long as we can all agree on the time for every evening! :D For me, it's all about the people.

[KLLund]

Well .. I just heard that we are number 23 on the waitlist .. so perhaps all is not lost !!!

 

I would do the open seating if there were a CC group too .. we had 72 with us on the Princess cruise and my mistake was going traditional while most of them went Anytime .. however

 

There seems no interest whatsoever in the roll call I started on this one .. so we will have to make friends on board and sometimes the easiest way is at dinner !!!

[HeatherInFlorida]

...............:D For me, it's all about the people.

 

........ and for me, Greg!!!:) The people add the magic and the heart to our cruise.

 

While I understand some people look forward to getting away with loved one/s and spending some quiet time, we have that here at home. So DH and I agree that one of the many highights of our cruise is always the friends we make.

 

And we've met most of those friends over dinner:) .

[RevNeal]

Well .. I just heard that we are number 23 on the waitlist .. so perhaps all is not lost !!!

 

From what we're being told, just about everyone on the waitlist eventually gets assigned to the Dining service of their choice. HAL is just not confirming selections until after the ship is sold and they have an idea of what everyone wants.

 

At least, that is what we're being told from people who have actually experienced it (thus far). The Traditional dining venue expands or contracts depending upon the requests and needs; likewise for AYWD.

[LuvsDamships]

Hi Rev, not surprized to see this thread still running strong.

Things never change on CC-HAL board, do they?

[RevNeal]

Hi Rev, not surprized to see this thread still running strong.

Things never change on CC-HAL board, do they?

 

Hello Dave, I hope things are better for you and yours.

Yes, things never change on these boards. Or, rather, the more things change, the more things stay the same. ;)

 

Don't be so scarce. Still thinking about the Eurodam Inaugural Cruise?

[RuthC]

From what we're being told, just about everyone on the waitlist eventually gets assigned to the Dining service of their choice.

Which prompts the question "How much did the discussion on this board impact that?" We'll probably never know if HAL was going to do that anyway, or if the great deal of concern expressed here caused them to rethink the manner of implementation.

[RevNeal]

Which prompts the question "How much did the discussion on this board impact that?" We'll probably never know if HAL was going to do that anyway, or if the great deal of concern expressed here caused them to rethink the manner of implementation.

 

Interesting question, Ruth.

The implementation does seem to be gong well, at least aboard the Noordam. We'll start finding out, real soon, about how it's going to go throughout the rest of the fleet. I intended to observe how it works on the Rotterdam and report back in Feb of next year. :) (Though it shouldn't impact us much).

[hammybee]

We'll start finding out, real soon, about how it's going to go throughout the rest of the fleet. I intended to observe how it works on the Rotterdam and report back in Feb of next year. :) (Though it shouldn't impact us much).

 

I am sure you can agree that observation is not the same thing as participation, as it relates to AYWD. What matters to most, I think, is that the space reserved for fixed versus anytime dining remains flexible, sailing to sailing, a challenge for any cruise line. Beyond this, any reports we hear are subjective.

 

Those who frequent this board with regularity are probably less inclined to choose open seating and therefore most reports are likely to be from those new to HAL and/ or cruising or at least this board.

 

Both Sake Dad and I were on the same cruise in May and we both chose open seating. I thought it worked well and did not experience any wait for a table. I did however, wait a long time for the entree, as the cruise progressed. Like most, I have experienced slow downs like this within fixed seating too and there is no way to know if the slow down was attributed to open seating or something else.

 

If I recall, Sake Dad was also seated immmediately. He found the service to be lacking where I found the service to be just fine. Maybe we have different standards. Maybe we dined at different times in different stations. In other words, neither of our experiences mean anything to the next guy.

 

I remain neutral on the topic of dining venues. Each venue has strengths and weaknesses and all that matters is what works best for you.

[RevNeal]

I am sure you can agree that observation is not the same thing as participation, as it relates to AYWD. What matters to most, I think, is that the space reserved for fixed versus anytime dining remains flexible, sailing to sailing, a challenge for any cruise line. Beyond this, any reports we hear are subjective.

 

Indeed. That is, precisely, what I'll be interested in finding out. I'll be curious to inquire as to the way the staff intends to allocate space, and if they've made provision to provide everyone with their requested option. That should be pretty easy to discern. Otherwise, I'll only be reporting on AYWD directly if it so-happens that Ruth, Mary Ellen, Adele, and one or two others and myself are put in it. Then, of course, it will be interesting to report on how a ready-made group, always eating at about the same time every night and desiring to east in roughly the same area, impacts the AYWD system.

 

Those who frequent this board with regularity are probably less inclined to choose open seating and therefore most reports are likely to be from those new to HAL and/ or cruising or at least this board.

 

Assuming that everyone is given their request, then yes ... except for those cases where people decide to try out the AYWD on a given cruise. As I've said before, if I have regular dining companions with me, I'm not so adverse to giving it a try.

 

Both Sake Dad and I were on the same cruise in May and we both chose open seating. I thought it worked well and did not experience any wait for a table. I did however, wait a long time for the entree, as the cruise progressed. Like most, I have experienced slow downs like this within fixed seating too and there is no way to know if the slow down was attributed to open seating or something else.

 

If I recall, Sake Dad was also seated immmediately. He found the service to be lacking where I found the service to be just fine. Maybe we have different standards. Maybe we dined at different times in different stations. In other words, neither of our experiences mean anything to the next guy.

 

I remain neutral on the topic of dining venues. Each venue has strengths and weaknesses and all that matters is what works best for you.

 

Correct and reasonable on all points. It's the gestalt of reports, building up over time as more and more people cruise on ships with the system in place, that I'll be interested in seeing.

[bUU]

Which prompts the question "How much did the discussion on this board impact that?" We'll probably never know if HAL was going to do that anyway, or if the great deal of concern expressed here caused them to rethink the manner of implementation.

Given how often folks complain about some company or another not listening to the complaints they post online or email, expect that the answer to the "How much impact did the discussion on this board have?" question to be, "Not much."

[SharonN]

Good News:D Just found out that I have cleared the Waiting List.

[RuthC]

Good News:D Just found out that I have cleared the Waiting List.

Congratulations, Sharon. I know you were more than a tad worried about it.

You do know, I hope, that you are welcome to join the Voyage of the Spammed reunion group. A small, but motley crew. :D

(You'd fit right in.)

[RevNeal]

Congratulations, Sharon. I know you were more than a tad worried about it.

You do know, I hope, that you are welcome to join the Voyage of the Spammed reunion group. A small, but motley crew. :D

(You'd fit right in.)

 

Absolutely Sharon is welcome!!!!! :D

We need to make sure that Mary Ellen has Sharon on the list for our dining group.

[SharonN]

Congratulations, Sharon. I know you were more than a tad worried about it.

 

You do know, I hope, that you are welcome to join the Voyage of the Spammed reunion group. A small, but motley crew. :D

(You'd fit right in.)

 

Absolutely Sharon is welcome!!!!! :D

We need to make sure that Mary Ellen has Sharon on the list for our dining group.

 

Thanks both of you. I'd love to join you and am looking forward to meeting everyone but I don't want to butt in (not sure that's the exact word I want but hope you know what I mean:confused: ) either.

[bermuda triangle]

I am happy to say I paid the balance today.. and ... my TA called back to tell me we were cleared.. I am thinking she meant confirmed for dinner second seating :D I am sooooo happy.

 

Laura

 

Now if I could only find a time machine to fast forward to January.. ah well... :cool:

[starbored]

I looked at my booking today on Galileo and see that the waitlist for fixed dining is closed and that we've been assigned to "open seating".

 

Could someone explain the rationale for allocating fewer places for fixed dining than the number of people who want it?:(

[hammybee]

I looked at my booking today on Galileo and see that the waitlist for fixed dining is closed and that we've been assigned to "open seating".

 

Could someone explain the rationale for allocating fewer places for fixed dining than the number of people who want it?:(

 

You are asking the board to speculate on the rationale.

 

When is your cruise? What does your T/A have to say?

[bUU]

Good point, hammybee. Speculating on rationale is typically a fruitless endeavor, especially when the people who actually know are not only not saying, but are well-advised NOT to say. What really matters is what you want, what you have now, what you'll end up with, and how you may be able to influence the latter. "Why" doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

[DesertDogs]

I looked at my booking today on Galileo and see that the waitlist for fixed dining is closed and that we've been assigned to "open seating".:(

 

What is Galileo??? :confused:

[RevNeal]

Good point, hammybee. Speculating on rationale is typically a fruitless endeavor, especially when the people who actually know are not only not saying, but are well-advised NOT to say. What really matters is what you want, what you have now, what you'll end up with, and how you may be able to influence the latter. "Why" doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

 

Sometimes knowing "why" makes it easier for people to accept an unhappy outcome, and (at best) might even give them the information they need with which to try and "influence the latter." This being said, speculation without hope of substantive resolution is pretty much an exercise in futility. Still, people do it all the time.

[pipedreams62]

My wife and I are both 45. We prefer traditional dining. We just went on 2 Princess cruises,and this anytime dining just isn't the same.

 

There's really no rapport with your waiter,it's more or less get em in and get em out.

 

The part that bugs me is,why should people be assigned this if they don't want it? For those who love anytime dining,and it fits their schedule and needs that's great,but why be saddled with it when you don't want it (this is what Princess did)

 

Going to dinner was always an "event" and we always looked forward to it.

 

We have now booked 2 Holland America cruises for next year

 

Like Chris Daughtry sang "I'm Coming Home"

[RuthC]

The part that bugs me is,why should people be assigned this if they don't want it?

Hold your calls folks, we have a winner. You, pipedreams, get it. Congratulations! :) You have won two return cruises on HAL.

Enjoy your prize.