oosterdam dining times

[lougee1043]

want some enjoyment of sorts -- read this correspondence between my travel agent and myself ---my messages are in bold

Sent 4/20
based on your info at the time of booking we chose the lower early 6:15pm dining time
as you are most likely aware the following is now in place
<<<< telling us about a "Leisure Dining" trial basis on the Oosterdam. What it really is that people confirmed for the Early seating (the first two seatings in the traditional HAL) will go to the Dining Room anytime between 5:30 pm and 6 pm. People in the Late seating (the last two seatings) will go to the Dining Room anytime between 8 pm--9 pm.>>>>
if this is true then our 6:15pm dining choice doesnt really exist .
can you please make sure that we will have seating at the first "leisure dining" time at 5:30????
in the event that hal goes back to the tradional 4 dinner choices by january 6,2007 then the lower early 6:15pm dining time would work

received 4/21
We have not been officially informed of this by Holland America

sent 4/21
i understand but would you be kind enough to check with them directly about our dining time--- thanks

Recd 4/21
They are doing a test run on her Alaska cruises May to September and after that if it is agreed it is successful they advised they would start with sailing after January 1st. This is per RES ADMIN from HAL.

.
Sent 4/21
sorry to bug you about this

am i reading this correctly --hal is saying that the test on the oosterdam hasnt started yet?????
if thats what someone told you then there is some miscommunication somewhere

--there are many many posts on the cruise critic board talking about this test that has been in progress for about 6 months here is a link to a thread that clearly shows that the leisure test is currently in progress on oosterdam mex riviera cruises. this thread was posted on april 10, 2006
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=329635&highlight=dining+oosterdam (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=329635&highlight=dining+oosterdam)
""Dining: We had all our dinners in the Vista. Our dinner mates were quite congenial. Both the food and service were very good. The “new dining” meant that we needed to show-up between 5:30 to 6 for early seating. ""

sent 5./2
sorry to bug you--- but am really interested in knowing what our correct dining time is before we board the ship have you gotten a response yet again

recd 5/2
I have forwarded a email to my DSM (district sales manager ) at HAL asking for complete story and what is going on I will email you a copy of his answer as soon as I receive it.>>>>

sent 5/11
have you gotten a response yet again

recd 5/11
<He is waiting for a detail reply from the fleet dining department which handles all dining and information and programs they start, I send him a reminder yesterday for update but he is Seattle with time change we should have answer sometime today I guess.>>>>>

Recd 5/12/06 He checked with executive offices n Seattle no one has any idea of it so he is sending email to there various ships waiting for answers sorry.


can you believe this

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wow - you have really been working to try and get a straight answer. Keep after them and let us know what happens.

[gliss]

Would love to know the answer to this. We are at the early lower dining on our 7/15 Alaska cruise:eek: I am not understanding how this is so difficult for HAL to have a straight answer. Concerns me a bit. First time on HAL & felt they were very cusomer service oriented

[dj_crusin]

We are sailing in late May on the Oosterdam. The following notice was included with our cruise documents:

Holland America Line

IMPORTANT DINING NOTICE

Dear Guest,

We are excited to advise you of a new dining concept - Leisure Dining Service - that will be featured during this sailing. We have designed Leisure Dining Service to provide our guests with that extra flexibility that we all want on our vacations.

Simply stated, Leisure Dining Service means you do not have to arrive at the Vista Dining Room at a specific time. Instead, we have created two dining windows which you can use as you please.

For those guests who had confirmed dining times of either 5:45 p.m. or 6:15 p.m., you may now come to the Vista Dining Room at any time between 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
We do request that you arrive no later than 6:00 p.m.

For those guests who had confirmed dining times of either 8:00 p.m. or 8:30 p.m., you may now come to the Vista Dining Room at any time between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
This is truly leisure at its finest.

No one has to make a special reservation for a certain time. Furthermore, the table previously reserved for you will still be your table.

If you have questions, our Dining Room Staff will be available during embarkation from 1:OO p.m. until 4:00 p.m. outside the Explorer's Lounge on Deck 2.

At Holland America Line, we are always looking for ways to make your vacation just a little more luxurious. It is with that goal in mind that we are proud to present our new Leisure Dining Service.

BON VOYAGE I

300 Elliott Avenue West. Seattle, WA 98119 · 206 . 281-3535 . Fax 206.281-7110


Leisure Dining Service Questions & Answers

Q: Why has Holland America Line decided to test the "Leisure Dining Service" concept?

A: Based on guest feedback, we are providing more accommodating dining times.

Q: Is the change permanent?

A: Currently only the ms Oosterdam is featuring this concept on a trial basis.

Q: I was previously confirmed for either 5:45 p.m. or 6:15 p.m. When do I dine?

A: You may come to the Vista Dining Room at anytime between 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. It is necessary that you arrive no later than 6:00 p.m.

Q: I was previously confirmed for either 8:00 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. When do I dine?

A: You may come to the Vista Dining Room at anytime between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.

Q: How do I know what my dining assignment is?

A: Please refer to your Guest Identification Card and the guest dining reference letter. It will note: "Dining 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m." or, "Dining 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m."

Q: Do I have to reserve a specific time between 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. or between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.?

A. Absolutely not. Just show up at any time during your respective time period.

Q: What table will I be sitting at?

A. No matter when you arrive at the Dining Room, you will continue to be at the table specified on your Guest Identification Card. However, if someone else at your table arrives significantly before you, we will try to find a different table for you so that people at the same table are not eating different courses at the same time.

Q: What if I do not want to eat dinner in the Vista Dinning Room on one or more nights?

A: The Lido Restaurant is open for dinner from 5:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. We do not need to know in advance that you will be dining in tire Lido Restaurant. If you'd like to eat at the Pinnacle Grill please make a reservation by dialing #98.

Q: I was confirmed for either 8:00 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. but had previously asked to be waitlisted for one of the earlier seating times. What are my options?

A: You can dine at any time between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. If you would like to dine at an earlier time, please proceed to the Dining Desk on Deck 2 in the Explorers Lounge after embarkation between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. and we will try to accommodate your request.

Q: What if I still have questions?

A: After embarkation, please proceed to the Dining Desk on Deck 2 in the Explorers Lounge between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Please excuse any typos by the OCR that I missed. I hope this helps.

[lougee1043]

looks like your people should talk to my people and i would have my answer by now --------------thanks for posting you have answered my original question -- will be interesting to see what my ta tells me

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for posting what was included in your documents.

[richcrow]

Just to verify what DJ posted, we received the same information in our documents for our May 27th sailing.

Richard

[BruceMuzz]

I don't know how they could make it any simpler:

Early seating lets you sit down anytime from 5:30 - 6:00.
Late seating lets you sit down anytime from 8:00 - 9:00.

Restaurants at home are more complicated than that.

[jhannah]

I personally feel this is a done deal. It will be implemented HAL-wide, I'm afraid. We experienced it on the Oosterdam and it was okay. But that's all. Just okay. I much prefer the fixed times.

I still think if they're hell-bent on doing this for all the "hordes" who want freestyle dining that they should implement freestyle in one dining room and keep regular traditional fixed seating in the other.

[lougee1043]

i just think that its amazing that the pax know all the details about it and that nobody except for the one hal person in seattle who sends the letter out with the docs seems to be aware what is going on with their ships on a daily basis

<<Recd 5/12/06 He checked with executive offices n Seattle no one has any idea of it so he is sending email to there various ships waiting for answers sorry.>>

this last piece of correspondence is amusing to me becasue someone in seattle is going to email the various ships -- it appears that they really didnt read the early emails or they would know its only the odam that is doing this-----------------or is my ta yanking my chain

[ibcruzin]

I will be taking my 5th HAL cruise in Feb."07 aboard the Westerdam. We just returned last month from the Veendam, & won the "Free Cruise BINGO"!! That is the one in Feb. We booked it last week & were told that the *8pm seating was already booked & that there was a very long waiting list already! We selected the 6:15 (Although the 8:00 is our preference) I can't believe that there would be that much trouble booking our dining time this early (I've booked cruises much later than this & still been able to get that time) or could this be their way of getting us ready for the Leisure dining idea. ? I really prever the fixed dining times, & agree with Rev. Neal that they should provide a seperate dining area for the Lesiure dining.

Donna

TA said that the HAL rep. told her that if we go non the waitlist & don't get the 8pm, rather than- give us 8:30, we'd get bumped to 5:45-sound right?:confused:

[BruceMuzz]

One of the greatest mysteries in the cruise industry is trying to predict the dining patterns of the American Cruiser.

Most cruise ships only receive manifests and dining request details a few days before the cruise begins.

One week, a ship gets a very high number of farmers from East Podunk who need to eat dinner at 5PM so they can go to bed at 8PM. The early seating is overwhelmed and everyone complains that the ship should have planned for the high demand for early seatings.

The next week, the ship gets a big number of New Yorkers who all want to eat dinner at 9PM, before they go to the Disco and Casino. The late seating is overwhelmed and everyone complains that the ship should have planned for the high demand for late seatings.

The next week there is a nice balance of children, oldsters, farmers, and New Yorkers. Half want early seating, and half want late seating. Everything goes very well andf everyone is very happy. All of these people cannot believe all the drama they heard from cruisers on the previous 2 cruises.

[Green Apple]

We are booked on the May 20 Maasdam Canada New England trip. Just received confirmation of our dining time...."Main Lower" with no other information given.Can anyone enlighten us as to what time this is? Nowhere on HAL website could I find the answer.

[peaches from georgia]

Main Lower is 8:30 PM

[lougee1043]

[quote=BruceMuzz]One of the greatest mysteries in the cruise industry is trying to predict the dining patterns of the American Cruiser.uote]

there are only a certain number of tables and chairs and dining room personnel to cover each sitting --- the time that you request to eat is at a first come first serve basis -- they are not going to make d/r adjustments just because the pax from podunk are on board unless they are taking over a major portion of the ship or a charter and maybe not even then