What do you think of the new dining without silver service?

[Clodia]

I also liked the plated meal service on Oriana last month; it meant food was served hot and vegetables complemented the dish you ordered. The only problem was waste if you disliked one of the vegetables. I like most veggies but my daughter doesn't and sometimes left unwanted ones on her plate.

[jeanlyon]

May I ask why does anyone require a waiter to refill a wine glass, I am quite capable of deciding if I want a glass refilled and doing it myself. If there was a wine waiter serving perhaps four tables I could see the point but as they serve substantially more it is totally impractical.

 

My husband and I hate having our wine glasses filled and actually ask for it not to be done, because they often fill it too soon. We don't want to drink too much and always pour our own. I find plated meals absolutely fine.

[warringtonian]

I remember in the sixties when I was a student working a summer season at a well known holiday camp in Essex. I worked in the kitchens putting the food on the plates as they went past, from where they went to heated Jackson trolleys. The only way to do it quickly enough was to use our hands. Mashed potato was challenging and bacon was downright painful as it was so hot. Hopefully hygiene standards have improved since then!

[Scriv]

I found plated meals in June on Oriana just fine - piping hot, nicely presented, portions just right and our waiter was more than happy to change the veg to suit.:)

[Denarius]

On my first ever cruise, on the Cunard Countess in 1994 we had full silver service. The following year we sailed on the much more expensive Cunard Vistafjord and got plated service, which we much preferred. Apart from the semi silver service on P&O, every cruise ship I have sailed on since has offered plated service.

[the english lady]

I am sure I remember someone posting on here or elsewhere that they had been on a six star line and that had all been plated.

I can't remember when we ate in east or ocean grill how the meal was served,except that in both places it was very nice and tasty.

[shallwe]

My husband and I hate having our wine glasses filled and actually ask for it not to be done, because they often fill it too soon. We don't want to drink too much and always pour our own. I find plated meals absolutely fine.

 

In my wife's much younger years she did some waitressing. They were told do do two things, provide oversize wine glasses and keep topping the glasses up. The net affect being that with luck the client would finish their wine bottle quickly and order another. Mark-ups on wine are quite substantial, even compared to the food.

 

I agree however, we much prefer to fill our own glass.

Edited August 30, 2014 by shallwe

[NauticalMiss]

My husband and I hate having our wine glasses filled and actually ask for it not to be done, because they often fill it too soon. We don't want to drink too much and always pour our own. I find plated meals absolutely fine.

 

Ditto. Waiters are banned from filling my glass. I choose my own elegant pace of consumption. Silver service on a table for two is just fine; but on a table of eight, I feel as if I am at a buffet. Plated meals that I haven't had to plan, shop for, prepare or cook are heaven in my book. Oh, and they come with the added benefit of not clearing away and not washing up.

[pkpon]

Friends of mine go on Silverseas and it is plated.

 

The only place I know where you still get silver service is when you order off the menu in the grill restaurants on the Cunard ships.

 

 

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[tom_uk]

We were on Azura this summer and had our first experience of the plated service, and at the time I felt the absence of silver service rather keenly. However, on reflection this may have been because conversation did not flow especially well on our table, so we had lots of time to look at other things. Having blogged about this and said that this was a downgrade in service, I later rethought the issue and decided that I was being over-critical. As I said in a subsequent blog post, there have been times in the past when we were on a 'good' table - lots of conversation and laughter - we would be so busy talking that we barely noticed the food arriving at all, let alone the way in which it did so.

 

And I do accept the advantages of plated service - it does arrive hot.

[Antmadmanda]

Silver Service has no bearing on how good the food is. Outdated and pretentious. Why would you want your food hanging around in serving dishes? More chance if contamination!

 

 

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