Cocktail Service Question

[yuccaman]

Just a dumb "update"-type question... wondering lately if service levels are the same in the MDR- That it's easy to get a cocktail right at your table? I know menu-related items are easy to get (wine list, after-dinner drinks on the nightly menu, etc) but is it still easy to order a random cocktail from roaming bar waiters in the MDR? Are they frequent, or hard to flag down? Thanks.

[Murphey]

We had the AIBP in Nov on the Ruby. In the dining room it was a real issue. Could not get wine (especially a second glass) in the MDR. It was horrendously slow and they made the waiter fill out a drink form for each beverage and for each person. Tons of extra work for the waiters. Maybe it was just because of the AIBP.

[jennypuccinelli]

I've always had our asst waiter take any drink orders and deliver them. They've even arranged for drinks that need to be made at bar far far away :) (in the instance that the alcohol we wanted wasn't available at the bar that services the MDR.

 

 

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[OzKiwiJJ]

There aren't any roaming bar waiters in the MDR. Your assistant waiter handles all drinks orders and service can be variable.

[reedprincess]

On our cruises so far this year, no problems at all getting cocktails of choice at dinner. The Assistant waiter was to our seats promptly after we sat down to see if we wanted a drink and had it out to us by the time order taking started for the table.. If it's a table for two, I would imagine your drink may cone after you've ordered, but should be in a timely manner.. And no problems on refills either if needed/wanted. i don't anticipate a y problems on our next ssiking on the 20th either..

There may be the occasional time when both waiters are away from the table for a minute or two - but it's rare.. I've found wait staff to be attentive and available...and if I have to wait a few minutes - no worries, I'm not in a rush..

Enjoy.

Edited December 15, 2016 by reedprincess

[MrMan]

It's actually faster with all in as the waiter may have your drink of choice waiting for you starting second night. He did for us, and had us sign for two drinks , in case we wanted a second and it was available at the waiter station waiting

 

 

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[LA_CA_GAL]

It's actually faster with all in as the waiter may have your drink of choice waiting for you starting second night. He did for us, and had us sign for two drinks , in case we wanted a second and it was available at the waiter station waiting

 

 

 

Yep. Instruct your waiter that you want your drinks waiting for you when you get there.

 

As for myself, I would also grab a beer outside and come to the table with that.

[GRAYTech]

It's actually faster with all in as the waiter may have your drink of choice waiting for you starting second night.

 

This was our experience too. Let them know what you will be drinking the next night and it will be on the table for you when you arrive and refreshed (if that's what you want) without even having to ask for it.

[TwoCruisers]

As mentioned in earlier posts, there are no extra waiters for taking drink orders. There is just your waiter and assistant waiter who take care of several tables. If there are several people asking for drinks or wines it slows down the meal service to all tables. Sometimes it can be a crawl just getting your meals and forget about making the after dinner show.

Edited December 16, 2016 by TwoCruisers

[satxdiver]

We had AIBP and TD on last cruise in September. The assistant waiter took our order and after the first night knew we would order some type of wine or for me mixed drink (highball). He came to the table almost immediately to take our order and later would check back to see if we wanted more. It worked out well for us.

[Bill B]

I miss the 'good old days' when they had wine stewards... and the waiter & asst. waiter had to serve only about 3/4 of the tables they do now.

[keithm]

I miss the 'good old days' when they had wine stewards... and the waiter & asst. waiter had to serve only about 3/4 of the tables they do now.

We were always used to sommeliers on Cunard/Celebrity. They don't have them on Princess. I always hear about Princess & Celebrity being the same. Well, they're not. You'll see a nicer: I/E higher level of merchandise in the on board stores & jewelry shops of Cunard/Celebrity. You'll also see less of the onboard revenue enhancements(but still too many)on these other lines as well. Princess caters to a slightly(and I mean very slightly)less affluent overall clientele. Look to see how many smokers you'll find on Princess. Many more than we ever saw on Celebrity/Cunard.

Edited December 18, 2016 by keithm
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[cynbar]

We were on Caribbean Princess for 12 days in May. We had no problem at all getting cocktails in the MDR. We had Anytime Dining and it still was fine, either our assistant waiter or sometimes our waiter would get us what we asked for (wine, mixed drink, specialty cocktail like a martini.) . We've had several cruises on Celebrity where we also got good service from the sommelier, but we didn't feel it was any better than Princess.

[Bill B]

Princess caters to a slightly(and I mean very slightly)less affluent overall clientele. Look to see how many smokers you'll find on Princess. Many more than we ever saw on Celebrity/Cunard.

 

Fewer rich people smoke than poor people? Cigarettes are so expensive now you have to be rich to smoke... but also, they're so expensive if you smoke you'll become poor.

[Thrak]

It's actually faster with all in as the waiter may have your drink of choice waiting for you starting second night. He did for us, and had us sign for two drinks , in case we wanted a second and it was available at the waiter station waiting

 

 

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Soooooo... What happened to the second drink if you didn't want it? I'm pretty sure the waiter would get into trouble if they drank it. If you signed for two drinks then two drinks should have been poured. Since you said they had it waiting at the wait station it would get watery if it was a drink with ice or a blended drink. Would they have to just toss it out if you didn't ask for it? If you did ask for it would you be happy with a watery drink?

 

I've had a drink before dinner (and, with ATD, have carried the unfinished drink into MDR) but have never ordered a drink during dinner. Our next couple of cruises were booked under the AIBP promo and we will likely get wine in Vines and carry it in to dinner (better selection at Vines) and will possibly order an after dinner drink from the menu but the idea of signing for two so that one could be ready for me sounds weird.

[Myleftfoot]

I guess it depends on which ship you are on.

We have just cruised on the Caribbean Princess ,and the wine/drinks service in the any time dining , took up to 30 mins to attract a guy to take our order .

 

 

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[jennybenny]

Had traditional dining on the Ruby for Thanksgiving, and our waiters could never remember that I wanted a baileys and coffee with my dessert. NEVER Came together. I often had to wait for the coffee to arrive (even when I tried ordering before we ordered dessert).

It was the worst service we've gotten ever.

Perhaps it was all the AIBP people that were crowding at the MDR bar, but I found MDR beverage service to be dismal.

[MrMan]

Soooooo... What happened to the second drink if you didn't want it? I'm pretty sure the waiter would get into trouble if they drank it. If you signed for two drinks then two drinks should have been poured. Since you said they had it waiting at the wait station it would get watery if it was a drink with ice or a blended drink. Would they have to just toss it out if you didn't ask for it? If you did ask for it would you be happy with a watery drink?

 

I've had a drink before dinner (and, with ATD, have carried the unfinished drink into MDR) but have never ordered a drink during dinner. Our next couple of cruises were booked under the AIBP promo and we will likely get wine in Vines and carry it in to dinner (better selection at Vines) and will possibly order an after dinner drink from the menu but the idea of signing for two so that one could be ready for me sounds weird.

 

 

Sorry if that sounds weird. I took it as proactive service. I have never had an issue with not drinking a cocktail, but I suppose they would throw it out. Have faith, there are much more important things to worry about.

 

 

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