Some HAL questions

[DedeM]

Is the Lido the equivalent of the Windjammer on RCCL? Not in quality, but in general?

If one has an SY suite, can they order breakfast in the cabin? Can you get the same things that are offered in the Lido of dining room? What if you have a regular verandah cabin (non suite)?

I keep reading things on here and I'm getting confused because I don't know all the lingo yet. :)

Thanks in advance.

[hammybee]

The Windjammer and LIDO are the same concept. I find the Windjammer a more logical set up with station islands rather than a linear display.

You can order breakfast from Room Service from any cabin on any day, including disembarkation day. It is one of the many things that continues to set HAL apart from other mass marketed cruise lines.

[eh2zed]

The room service breakfast menu is a set menu but you can write in Dining Room menu items and receive them during the hours the Dining Room serves breakfast.

[JimVrhovac]

Room service is 24/7

Breakfast menu can be filled out night before and hung on door. Have time choices also.

Love the Club Sandwicj and often return to the room for lunch and order this.

Ruth & Jim

[DedeM]

Oh good, thanks!

I saw a list of special breakfast items on another thread, began to drool, and wondered if we could eat them on the balcony. Que bueno! :cool:

[middle-aged mom]

Is the Lido the equivalent of the Windjammer on RCCL? Not in quality, but in general?

If the Windjammer is a casual buffet-type dining room, then yes. HAL's Lido also has specialty food stations, such as a deli sandwich/panini station at lunch, or a omelette station at breakfast. As Hammy mentions above, they are part of the linear lay-out, but they focus on a culinary specialty. You can skip around the rest of the buffet and head straight for one of these stations if you don't see anything you like in the main line.

If one has an SY suite, can they order breakfast in the cabin? Can you get the same things that are offered in the Lido of dining room? What if you have a regular verandah cabin (non suite)?

There is a room service breakfast menu, available to ALL cabins, which features both hot and cold breakfast items. It's a separate menu from the Lido or dining room, but has quite a good selection. I have read here on the HAL board that you can even write in a request on your room service order form, but I myself have not done that.

I keep reading things on here and I'm getting confused because I don't know all the lingo yet. :)

Join the club:) Just fake it by throwing in a few abbreviations or initials of your own, then you can translate for us:)

Thanks in advance.


You're welcome. Hopefully all our answers will not be too disparate, and confuse you still more:D I don't know about ordering the specialty breakfast items for cabin delivery. I would be hesitant to depend on room service being able to accommodate you to that extent. What do others think about that?

[JimVrhovac]

When you get in the room there is a book and the desk. Take a few minutes and read through it. It tells all about room service and how to do it.

There will be two foldable maps of the ship to help you get lost.

Take some time and walk the ship to arrange it in your mind.

Relax on the balcony order a pot of coffee and couple sandwiched and get ready for life boat drill at app 430pm

Have a great cruise...

Ruth & Jim

[jtl513]

No one has yet mentioned on this thread that all room service is free, except for whatever tip you choose to give the delivery waiter. Most people give $2 to $5 depending on how elaborate the order is, and how accurately it was executed.

The Windjammer and LIDO are the same concept. I find the Windjammer a more logical set up with station islands rather than a linear display.We were only on an RCCL ship once, but we thought the Windjammer was a zoo on Sovereign o.t. Seas! :eek: People milling around, randomly bumping into each other with plates of food (since there were no trays) pawing over all the food themselves. :eek:

I think the Vista ships do it right, with a main line AND station islands, with most of the dishes served from behind the counter at all locations.

[hammybee]

I don't know about ordering the specialty breakfast items for cabin delivery. I would be hesitant to depend on room service being able to accommodate you to that extent. What do others think about that?

I do not use Room Service although I appreicate the opportunity to do so.

It seems to me that some of the specialty items are probably best served piping hot and therefore the quality might suffer, somewhat, in transit. Any way you shake it, it takes time to assemble and transport an order to a cabin.

[Krazy Kruizers]

So far I have not heard of any breakfast specials on the Westerdam like those that I mentioned for the Maasdam.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have not ordered breakfast since 2006 when it arrived 2 hours late, calls from us and our concierge, it was cold and we had no time to eat as we had to leave our suite since all guests had received orders to vacate their cabins by 8 AM due to a thorough cleaning of the ship as we were in Code Red. It was obvious that our breakfast order had been sitting around somewhere for the 2 hours.

[hammybee]

No one has yet mentioned on this thread that all room service is free, except for whatever tip you choose to give the delivery waiter. Most people give $2 to $5 depending on how elaborate the order is, and how accurately it was executed.

I am thinking that Room Service is not the best use of human resources on a ship, given the alternatives. I can think of no hotel that does not add a surcharge for in room dining.

At this point, there is no sur-charge on HAL. There are plenty of passengers who do not tip above and beyond, for in room dining, figuring that the auto tip takes care of any obligation. This saddens me as it is the kind of consumer behavior that causes business to rethink their game plan and make adjustments based upon financial considerations. And then we can all moan and groan about the downward spiral in service, ignoring the real reasons, our own behaviors.

Sorry for the rant... I am having a cause and effect kind of day.

[hammybee]

We have not ordered breakfast since 2006 when it arrived 2 hours late, calls from us and our concierge, it was cold and we had no time to eat as we had to leave our suite since all guests had received orders to vacate their cabins by 8 AM due to a thorough cleaning of the ship as we were in Code Red. It was obvious that our breakfast order had been sitting around somewhere for the 2 hours.

This is a shame that someone did not make and communicate the decision that it was not possible to execute Room Service, given the code and the need to thoroughly clean the ship to prevent the virus from spreading. I would not let a one -off deter me from ordering again, if I were inclined to dine in cabin.

[Jade13]

Is the Lido the equivalent of the Windjammer on RCCL? Not in quality, but in general?

If one has an SY suite, can they order breakfast in the cabin? Can you get the same things that are offered in the Lido of dining room? What if you have a regular verandah cabin (non suite)?

I keep reading things on here and I'm getting confused because I don't know all the lingo yet. :)

Thanks in advance.

Well, you can get a hot breakfast every morning even if you are in an inside cabin. The menu is the same for everyone.

Also, I was told by the head dining room steward on the Westerdam that one could order anything they wanted 24 x 7. I told him I thought for dinner it had to be ordered at certain times and he said we could order anything anytime.

[Jade13]

Oh good, thanks!

I saw a list of special breakfast items on another thread, began to drool, and wondered if we could eat them on the balcony. Que bueno! :cool:

That sounds like Celebrity as they apparently have three different breakfast menus. One for CC (Concierge Class), one for Suites and one for everyone else. There are lots of debate on the Celeb board because the CC menu is better than the Suite Menu and the Suites costs the most...

[WillieF]

We've never ordered room service breakfast on disembarkation day - always thought you couldn't. All stewards are run ragged preparing for the next 'guests' . Now that you can stay in your cabin until called makes a big difference but still don't feel it should be totally taken for granted. A tip is definitely in order.

As has been said about hotel room service charges, usually anywhere between 15 & 20%.......and the waiter still expects a tip! Sure adds up! What's the betting it will be next on cruise lines. Remember 15% is now added to all drinks!

[jtl513]

Also, I was told by the head dining room steward on the Westerdam that one could order anything they wanted 24 x 7. I told him I thought for dinner it had to be ordered at certain times and he said we could order anything anytime.That certainly runs counter to the prevailing opinion on this board that room service dinner has to be ordered within the first 1/2 hour of the first seating!! :confused: Did you try ordering dinner at an odd time after you were told that?

[DedeM]

Thank you for all your replies.

Once I was with my mom on an X ship and we ordered room service every morning, concierge class. Every morning it arrived incorrectly. Not in a huge way, but just too much of that or no cream or whatever. It got to be a joke by the end of the cruise and we were always betting on whether or not it would arrive correctly.

RE tips, we always tip the room service waiters. We throw a ton of ones into the desk drawer so we don't have to dig around.

But I don't want this thread to turn into a tipping thread because all I want are those lido breakfast specials to arrive at my cabin every morning. They sound so wonderful! :D

[dvdfreakmc]

I have had nothing but wonderful experiences with room service on our multiple HAL cruises. I have requested other things for breakfast other than what is on card overnight and they have come every time. Always tip each room service steward that comes, and I have found that you are taken care of.

Not much better than sitting on the balcony with some hot tea, the fruit and cheese plate, bagel and lox looking out at the scenery. One of the great things about HAL.

[mamaofami]

We ordered room service for breakfast every day on our Noordam cruise last February. It came exactly on time, the order was correct everyday, and it was always hot.We did not order any fancy omlettes, but scrambled eggs, hot and cold cereal, toast, fruit, yogurt, etc.(not all on the same day). we did, of course, tip extra for this wonderful service. Nothing beats breakfast on the balcony in the Caribbean. :)