As You Wish Dining - Opinions, Comments and Discussions

[Marmarjudy]

>>I've been doing research on this exact thing ... for other purposes ... and the comment I'm getting again and again is that with open seating dining you generally get better service AND better food preparation. Not that the food itself is any different ... it's made in the same galley ... but that the food can be more cooked to order than it can be with en masse dining. Yes, all food is prepared to some extent ahead of time ... but the final preparations can be done more on a custom basis in a flexible dining format than they can be when there are perhaps 1000 meals coming out of the kitchen at the exact same time.

 

Service too, I am being told, can be more personalized with flexible dining. I can readily believe this based on my experience on the QE2. Of course, there the flexible dining was a bit different. We had an assigned table which was ours for ALL meals. Since the waiters in our area had a group of tables at which not everyone dined every meal, and even when they did they came at different times, we got very, very personalized service. Often those waiters only had us and maybe one other table of diners in there at the same time. It certainly wasn't hard to get the attention of your waiter if you wanted something.<<

 

This has been our experience on Princess and hopefully Holland will be the same.

 

There is definitely a difference with the freshness of the food and the time of service...no waiting for all the other diners/tables in the waiter's section. When you are ready to order, you order. When you are ready for your next course, it's there. It is so much more like a fine restaurant instead of a banquet.

 

We actually sailed another line this past January, for the itinerary, and had our table for two, but assigned dining time, etc. We noticed the difference.

 

Don't get me wrong...our experience on Princess hasn't always been perfect, just like in a restaurant at home. But..if it wasn't perfect, we tried another wait team the next night. For the majority of cruises, we have found a team we really like by the 3rd night and requested them for the rest of the cruise, when we presented ourselves at the dining room. On a couple of cruises, we had a specific table for any time after 8...perfect.

 

Bottom line, flexibility.

 

Judy

[Marmarjudy]

>>Sadly for those of us who like Traditional -- and who do not experience Traditional as "regimented" or (shudder) a "cattle call" -- the market trends resulting from the changes in social expectations and cultural preferences is producing a situation where HAL cannot survive by maintaining its dining tradition. To continue to grow and be profitable the Line has to change its dining schedule to provide what the majority of the market wants. This means that your husband gets what he wants, while those of us who love Traditional (and don't consider ourselves "cattle" being called) don't. Sure, we can attempt to "re-regiment" ourselves by reserving tables and times ... but it simply won't be the same.

 

Judy, please don't misunderstand me. I truly am happy for you and yours. I cannot help, however, but be sad for me and mine. Not if I'm going to be honest.>>

 

I said in my previous posts that I really do have empathy for the singles, and can understand the concern and sadness, but traditional will still exist. If it is anything like on Princess, the traditional diners decide to do anytime in great numbers. Princess also sets aside tables in the anytime for traditional diners if the need arises.

 

As far as the "cattle call" phrase...please picture, well before the chimes ring, passengers lining up, all the way through the lounges, waiting for the dining room doors to open, then moving in lines to their tables, twice a night. I wasn't calling anyone cattle, but you have to admit that there is a strong similarity.

 

Judy

[RevNeal]

Reverend! If Rita can't, I might.

Mitch can't get away in January (he's got a major photo shoot to get ready for mid-January). You're right, those prices are dirt-cheap!

 

Thanks, Dave.

Email me.

[RevNeal]

I said in my previous posts that I really do have empathy for the singles, and can understand the concern and sadness, but traditional will still exist. If it is anything like on Princess, the traditional diners decide to do anytime in great numbers. Princess also sets aside tables in the anytime for traditional diners if the need arises.

 

Judy, I appreciate that. And, I hope you're right. However, I'm not sure tha we can assume that what happens/happened on Princess will happen on HAL. Perhaps so ... but perhaps not. I'm willing to wait and see.

 

As far as the "cattle call" phrase...please picture, well before the chimes ring, passengers lining up, all the way through the lounges, waiting for the dining room doors to open, then moving in lines to their tables, twice a night. I wasn't calling anyone cattle, but you have to admit that there is a strong similarity.

 

I've been on HAL ships for more than 150 days and, while I have seen some passengers gathering around the doors to the main dining room on the first night -- and, sometimes, the crowd building back toward the Explorer's Lounge), I have never seen lines every night stretching "way through the lounges." Of course, I don't "que up" to enter the dining room either ... like HAL passengers, I wait until the yum-yum man comes through the lounge I'm in (usually the Ocean Bar but, sometimes, the Piano Bar) chiming away. Then, I and my friends rise, sign any last-minute bar-tabs, and make our way leisurely back to the main dining room ... no lines and NO similarity to the exaggerated images that you portray and the characakture that one sees on the TV commercials.

 

Moo. :)

[bUU]

But, you know, I would really like to hear from someone who has been there just how it went, how it worked, do you have to reserve every day or can you block reserve, and what happens if you miss a night, etc. Not whether you think it reeks or is sublime -- how does it work, how do you do it?

I asked essentially the same thing very early on in this thread, including similar musing about whether it would be better to have a different, more process-oriented thread as the Sticky. I feel your comments are right on-target.

[HeatherInFlorida]

.....................

As far as the "cattle call" phrase...please picture' date=' well before the chimes ring, passengers lining up, all the way through the lounges, waiting for the dining room doors to open, then moving in lines to their tables, twice a night. I wasn't calling anyone cattle, but you have to admit that there is a strong similarity.

 

Judy[/quote']

 

The only passengers lining up waiting for the doors to open are those chomping at the bit for more food. The doors open right on schedule so if you arrive at the DR on time, you can generally walk right in.

 

We've been cruising for over 25 years and Traditional is all we've ever known. There is nothing even resembling a "cattle call" even if you're early. People mill about, laugh, talk and enter the DR. It's all very civil.

 

I doubt the food will taste any better with AYW ... psychologically perhaps. It's not prepared any more individually for the AYW diners than the Traditional (unless they're using some sort of color system in the kitchen to differentiate between the two;) )

[bUU]

I doubt the food will taste any better with AYW

I agree; I think the main difference will be timeliness of service, food temperature, etc.

[Miss Priss]

Marmarjudy brought up a good point, I think, regarding the AYW dining. Of course we love the traditional dining (and formal nights). It's just like being in the "old" movies! But assuming change is going to come, like it or not, I worry that the wonderful rapport we had with the staff that took care of our tables will no longer be there. I really hope that if we find one we like, we can request them each night. I think that is one of the highlights of traditional dining - you really get to know your servers

 

My DH and I usually travel with at least one other couple, but we always request the largest table available in the dining room, because we love to meet other passengers. I can honestly say that we have enjoyed all the people we have dined with, in fact one dear lady that was very unhappy about being in the late dining period ended up by telling us she was glad it had worked out this way!

 

Sometimes it would be nice to linger over a cocktail, or go a little early to be able to enjoy more of the evening's entertainment, but i doubt I would give up traditional. Marian

[kryos]

The only passengers lining up waiting for the doors to open are those chomping at the bit for more food. The doors open right on schedule so if you arrive at the DR on time, you can generally walk right in.

Exactly. In fact, I make it a point to arrive about five to ten minutes AFTER the stated time ... then I just walk right to my table ... no lines whatsoever.

 

I don't know ... but sometimes I think the folks standing there in line five to ten minutes before the doors are even scheduled to open are afraid the ship will run out of food?

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Interested in a quickie cruise at the end of the December or the very beginning of January? I'm serious. The Prices on the Oosterdam are GREAT for that first week of January. :) Almost too great to turn down. :D

All kidding aside, Greg ... if we could do something after Christmas, I might be able to. I am already committed to working Christmas and New Years Day ... but New Years I might be able to get out of by getting someone else to take my shift. Christmas, forget it. I've got a double scheduled on that day ... and I can't imagine getting anyone to work it for me. I'm also off from school from the 20th to the 7th of January ... but might be able to extend that break a couple of days if need be.

 

Do you have any particular cruise in mind?

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[bermuda triangle]

Revneal and gang...

 

Pssst! Come on the Noordam.. 1/5/08 ( I know its not the Oosterdam, but the prices are still reasonable) ;) We'll squeeze you in at our table.. I hear we are now #10 on the list.

 

Laura

[RevNeal]

Revneal and gang...

 

Pssst! Come on the Noordam.. 1/5/08 ( I know its not the Oosterdam, but the prices are still reasonable) ;) We'll squeeze you in at our table.. I hear we are now #10 on the list.

 

Hey, Laura, thanks for the offer. I can't be gone for 2 Sundays at that time ... not with me flying to South America for a 20 day cruise on the Rotterdam beginning January 27th. HOWEVER, I could be gone the first Sunday of January (maybe) for a 1 week "quickie" cruise. I'm trying to find that out right now.

[RevNeal]

All kidding aside, Greg ... if we could do something after Christmas, I might be able to. I am already committed to working Christmas and New Years Day ... but New Years I might be able to get out of by getting someone else to take my shift. Christmas, forget it. I've got a double scheduled on that day ... and I can't imagine getting anyone to work it for me. I'm also off from school from the 20th to the 7th of January ... but might be able to extend that break a couple of days if need be.

 

Do you have any particular cruise in mind?

 

Rita,

 

I was looking at one of two cruises:

 

1. The New Years Cruise on the Oosterdam, round trip out of San Diego ... 7 days ... departing Friday December 29th. That one is more expensive, but its timing is great (being a new years cruise). They want $1564.93 for an inside k-category cabin.

 

2. The next sailing of the Oosterdam is MUCH better in terms of price, and the schedule fits my calendar a little better. Friday, January 5 to Friday January 12. The prices I'm finding are less than $1000 for an inside cabin even with single supplement (M category inside cabin they want $857.38 for the week inclusive of everything, including single supplement). That's a "quickie" cruise to me. A fun "excursion" just for the "heck of it."

 

I'm seriously thinking about booking it.

[NHBob]

.

 

I don't know ... but sometimes I think the folks standing there in line five to ten minutes before the doors are even scheduled to open are afraid the ship will run out of food?

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

Reminds me of a question my son asked on Amsterdam a few years ago: "Have these people been locked up somewhere on board on bread and water?"

 

Also reminds me of remark by a fellow HAl passenger as a mob decended on the Dutch High Tea: "Looks like the feeding frenzy in the shark tank at the aquarium."

[bermuda triangle]

Hey, Laura, thanks for the offer. I can't be gone for 2 Sundays at that time ... not with me flying to South America for a 20 day cruise on the Rotterdam beginning January 27th. HOWEVER, I could be gone the first Sunday of January (maybe) for a 1 week "quickie" cruise. I'm trying to find that out right now.

 

Okay Greg ... guess its not meant to be. Have fun on your quickie! That just sounds so wrong...LOL

 

Laura

[kryos]

I'm seriously thinking about booking it.

Let me see if I can miss one week of school. If so, then I'll book it with you. That January 5th one definitely would be the best for me, in terms of price as well as timing. I really hate like the devil to blow a double shift of holiday pay, which New Years would be. Frankly, I'd much sooner miss a week of class. Now, I've got the right attitude, don't I? :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[bUU]

I don't know ... but sometimes I think the folks standing there in line five to ten minutes before the doors are even scheduled to open are afraid the ship will run out of food?

Next time, Rita, ask them. I bet you'll discover they're just used to eating earlier, and they're hungry. Lots of folks are early-risers. If we're not up by 5:30 AM on vacation, send in the medical crew. (Well, knock first, of course.) I've found that the meals aboard ship tend to "start" later than my preference: I want breakfast at 6AM -- not just coffee and a danish, but full breakfast -- it isn't my preference to wait until 7AM. Similarly, I want dinner at 6PM, not 7PM, not 8PM, and surely not 9PM. By 9PM, I'm ready for sleep! (We're very nature-focused people: Wake with the dawn; retire soon after dusk.)

 

Now, you won't find us waiting by the door. We'll be walking the promenade, to work-off, in advance, some of the food we'll be eating.

 

So, the problem isn't concern about running out of food, but rather inconsistency between what the dining room offers and some diners' specific preferences.

[RevNeal]

Let me see if I can miss one week of school. If so, then I'll book it with you. That January 5th one definitely would be the best for me, in terms of price as well as timing. I really hate like the devil to blow a double shift of holiday pay, which New Years would be. Frankly, I'd much sooner miss a week of class. Now, I've got the right attitude, don't I? :)

 

I understand that perfectly!

What's causing me pause in booking it is that we have a New Year's Clergy retreat on Jan 7 - 9. I've missed it several times over the past 7 years and I need to call and find out if it's ok for me to miss it, again, this year. So, if the bishop says it's ok, I'll be able to book. I've put in an inquiry to his office this morning, and I hope I'll hear back today or tomorrow.

 

Shoot me an e-mail and let's take this off the board.

 

Greg

[RevNeal]

Okay Greg ... guess its not meant to be. Have fun on your quickie! That just sounds so wrong...LOL

 

hehehe ... I know ... it's why I like the term. :D

[Odd Ball]

I do not go to the dining room early but I have seen lines. The lines I have seen were caused by the dining room opening late.

[RuthC]

I've always suspected those who wait in line for the dining room doors to open are the same people who are outside, in life vest, waiting for muster drill a good half-hour early. :rolleyes:

Didn't you ever see people on embarkation afternoon, about 3:30 or so, walking to the Lower Promenade wearing their life jacket? Of course you did!

[WIsnowflake]

I did the freestyle on ncl and hated it. I thought the quality of the food was less and all the better dishes were at the specialty restaurants that charge. The service was rushed, not relaxing.

 

I am going on a 17 day cruise soon with hal and picked it as I did not want the freestyle meals.

 

I am sorry to see hal do this.

 

This will my fifth cruise next month.

[RevNeal]

I've always suspected those who wait in line for the dining room doors to open are the same people who are outside, in life vest, waiting for muster drill a good half-hour early. :rolleyes:

Didn't you ever see people on embarkation afternoon, about 3:30 or so, walking to the Lower Promenade wearing their life jacket? Of course you did!

 

No, I've not seen them ... I'm usually busy in my cabin, unpacking, before the Life Boat Drill. :) I usually put my jacket on and head out to my muster station about 5 minutes before the announced time of the drill. Those who wait until the whistle starts to blow before they head back to their cabins, get their vests, and head to their stations are the ones who slow everything down.

[hammybee]

I've always suspected those who wait in line for the dining room doors to open are the same people who are outside, in life vest, waiting for muster drill a good half-hour early. :rolleyes:

Didn't you ever see people on embarkation afternoon, about 3:30 or so, walking to the Lower Promenade wearing their life jacket? Of course you did!

 

We sometimes travel with a family who are consumed with being first. They are first on. They line up for the muster drill about 30-45 minutes early. They also arrive for dinner about 30 minutes before the doors open and then it's the mad dash to the show lounge for front and center seating. They also try to be first off to race to the airport for their 3-4:00 PM flight. It's exhausting to observe them do what they do. It's just their way.

[SharonN]

I've always suspected those who wait in line for the dining room doors to open are the same people who are outside, in life vest, waiting for muster drill a good half-hour early. :rolleyes:

Didn't you ever see people on embarkation afternoon, about 3:30 or so, walking to the Lower Promenade wearing their life jacket? Of course you did!

 

 

Well you've described my DH who was always early. We were usually the first ones at the drill and always near the dining room before the doors opened. We were often so early for flights they'd put us on an earlier one (which was usually good!). When we were dating he'd get there 15-30 mins early and wait in the car until it was the scheduled time. Later when we'd go to a party or friends we'd wait down the steet for a while so we didn't look as early as we were. Now the funny thing for is that he was almost late for his own funeral. I still don't know why but when I called to check on things the morning of the service they said he had missed his flight the night before but should be in that morning. Luckily we had scheduled it for the afternoon!