Need help from CC'ers on group dining

[777steve]

Greetings all! If anyone could offer a suggestion on how to handle a growing dilemma I would certainly appreciate your input.

We will be cruising in December and our travelling party has grown from 2 to 4 to 8 and currently stands at 20. I believe it will to grow as long as cabins remain available. I would not be surprised to see it end up at 25 by the time we depart! I think I've become an official Vista Class Ambassador! :D

The problem is how to manage dining arrangements given that :

(1) people would probably like to visit with one another over dinner and probably expect that they can move about freely (not all have cruised before) and

(2) since I know how much the dining room staff prides themselves on their ability to have that "special" drink of choice waiting when we come in, I hate the idea of doing some bizarre musical chairs every night that will have them constantly scratching their heads.

(3) from all reports, the larger tables seem to have a fairly consistent report of very slow service (since we're probably 2nd seating Upper we don't want to run late for shows, etc. if they're desired)

Does anyone that has dealt with this have any suggestions? My partner and I have always dine as a two-top so it's not been an issue. This time we have family, friends and extended family along. Since I am handling all of the bookings I know it will be incumbent on me to make the appropriate dining recommendations and I could sure use your

Thank you in advance for anyone who cares to offer up any suggestions!

Cheers!

[Lois R]

Hi:) wow...you started with 2 and are going to end up with 25?:eek: Can I go too?;)
Anyway....are you the "FAMILY TA"?:D ....are you the one doing the booking for everyone? And are you booking through a TA or directly with HAL?...I would say either way, to specify that you want, for example, 3 tables of 8 all next to each other.
I'm not sure what kind of time frame you will get......in the sense of people making it to the shows. Probably no different than everyone else in the dining room. With such a big group, I am surprised everyone wants to eat at the same time!
And I guess for the wait staff, it would make it easier for them if folks sat at the same tables each night.
Good luck with everything:) ......I don't think I would have enough patience to book for 25 others!

[jazzsea]

I do dining room charts for groups of 100 to 900 and think I might offer you some suggestions.

First break your group down into one table of eight and two tables for six. Have Holland America (through ship services or your TA) cross reference the people at each table by booking number. Be sure that all of your group is confirmed in the same dinner seating.

Create a new table for the people who join your group.

Forty five days prior to departure make up a list of all your table requests:

Table for eight (four booking numbers or more if you have singles)
Table for six (three booking numbers)

and so on. Add cabin numbers to your list.

Give the written list to your TA and fax a copy to Ship Services.

Call ship services at 30 days and ask if your group has been cross referenced for dinner.

Ship services sends written information to the ship every week. The dining room manager will appreciate that you have given the information early and have done the work for him.

I see no reason why your group cannot switch seats. With the new tipping rules the waiters will not care.

One suggestion that I make to groups of your size is to make up name cards to go on each table. You can then arrange the seating in a different way every night.

I would stay away from tables of ten as the table is so big that it makes conversation with tablemates really difficult.

If you have any questions, just send me an email and I will be glad to help.

I can even suggest table numbers that would work for all of you.

[777steve]

Carol:

Thank you so much. That was EXACTLY what I needed ... and it helped me to overcome the cross referencing problem I had already hit (apparently there is a maximum of 4 cross references per PNR for dining)... so now I know I can use a couple of the others as "anchors" and then work the list out from there. And the Name Card is BRILLIANT ... I already make up BizCards for the folks to use as introductions to each other (and new passengers) on board but I can simply add customized place markers to my "to do" list. And my TA (who is great to work with) will also appreciate this from me. Thanks again for your input!

Lois:

Yes.. I am the family TA. It's fine and I enjoy doing it but I want everything to go well so I have to ask extra questions. And sure .. you can come along .. between my group and the CC'ers we've already been chatting with, I think it will be a fine time!!

Anyway ... thanks again for taking the time to respond.

Cheers!!

[Lois R]

Hi Steve:) I hope I didn't sound as if I was saying you shouldn't ask questions.....I ask all the time:D ........
Now I am just asking~~~~Is it time yet? How many more days?:D

Sounds like you are very knowledgable already!....hope you, your partner, and family have a wonderful cruise:)

[jazzsea]

Steve.... You are going to be really great at the dining room business. Too bad you don't live in Florida. I could use your help. I'm starting the dining room charts for Rotterdam, January 5 - 15, 2005. I have 910 people with 21 cabins left to book. It will take me between two and three weeks to get the job done. Your family and friends are lucky to have you take care of the details and I'll bet your TA thinks the world of you!

[777steve]

[b][color=darkslateblue]Lois:[/color][/b]

No, sweet pea! I didn't think you were inferring anything at all negative... actually I was laughing at my own need to "know" and (LAUGHING AT MYSELF) try to "establish some control" of what could be chaos. Honestly, at the end of the day it's none of my business what my grown up cruisers do .... but I like to help remove obstacles to their good time if I can. And, for the record, I think you'd be a hoot to cruise with ... :)

[b][color=red]Carol:[/color][/b]

Actually, one of the agents in my TA's office yesterday said something funny when I called in to do something. I asked for my agent and she wasn't in, so I asked them to have her call Steve in Houston ... and when I was going to give her the number she said "Oh, we know who you are .. you're one of the good ones" ... we laughed a LOT about that. I worked on the "trouble" desk at UAL handling a lot of heavy duty Agency, International and Field-based problems and questions and so I know about "the good ones". And, when I was flying as a wide body Purser, I did spend a great deal of time in preparation for the flight so that less got screwed up by not paying attention to details. We had the "good ones" there too! And, in all of that, I had great fun! Even with the goobers that would inevitably crop up on the phone or in flight.

So it's sort of natural for me to be "handling" all of this for my extended circle for the December cruise... but, as always, the learning curve makes things interesting.

Oh ...and if it's not an inconvenience, I may indeed ask for your input about table numbers that might be helpful. Since the bulk of my cruisers of traveling in S Suites it might make it easier to have their requests honored. I can use your email to follow up on that off board. I do appreciate your taking thetime to respond - especially since you already have your hands full!

Good luck with your group(s) ... it sounds like a treat having all all that music (I went to your site) - and on the Rotterdam! And if I ever need to change my work again, I'll remember to look you up!! :);)

Cheers!!!

[Lois R]

Steve:D ....don't think I have ever been called "Sweet Pea" before;) .......

And I bet you would be a hoot to cruise with too~thanks for the compliment!
Who knows.......maybe one day down the road:)

[MBeamTX]

Lois,
I've never met Steve, but I'm going to be cruising with him on the Westerdam and I'm looking forward to meeting him and the rest of his group!

And speaking of potential career changes: Steve, I want to pursue the topic of "wide-bodied pursers" - I've never heard of an occupation in which my girth might actually be a job requirement! Woo-hoo! :D

Happy cruising,
Susan (in Austin)