Possibility of 10$ fee for second main course

[Minoushka]

Recently my son and .i were on Koningsdam. For the most part the food was quite good .however certain plates were a miss like that zucchini slice with some funky cheese ...not exactly good and very small 

in general i found portions rather small .so are we to expect surcharge if one is hungry and needs a second plate ...On gala night i found my 2 inch fillet and 3 inch lobster hardly filling ...i actually had room for dessert ....which I usually never do on any ship ...yes portions are that much smaller ......I.m all for less waste but we are getting really close to cheapness and nickel and diming to the max with this idea ...not good not good at all.!

before upcharging for anything please make sure your plates can satisfy hunger by being filled up .One time I got one carrot slice very very small.as a vegetable ......now that was ridiculous 

I noticed at lunch the servers would serve food on very small plates so they filled up very quickly with little on them ..I had to ask for  a bigger plate .we were never able to help ourselves to anything behind those glass partitions ....we had to ask ...

so Hal think this over ..yes you dont want waste ...totally agree with that but do be careful .....you are beyond frugal and bordering on downright cheap.

Do not tell me skip the dining room go to buffet to fill up ...no I like dining , I like being served in dining room , I likefoodon my plate 

i hope you doaway with upcharging ...its really a dreadful idea ....however feel free to comment to people if they are extremely wasteful by ordering multiple plates and hardly consuming any ...nothing wrong with correcting wrong behaviour .

so  I say no to charging extra after er we paid a pretty penny to cruise ...stop milking us bone dry .If you charge more i.m sure you will lose a good portion of your clientel .

so be generous and do not add this fee 

 

[sevenseasnomad]

2 hours ago, Minoushka said:

Recently my son and .i were on Koningsdam. For the most part the food was quite good .however certain plates were a miss like that zucchini slice with some funky cheese ...not exactly good and very small 

in general i found portions rather small .so are we to expect surcharge if one is hungry and needs a second plate ...On gala night i found my 2 inch fillet and 3 inch lobster hardly filling ...i actually had room for dessert ....which I usually never do on any ship ...yes portions are that much smaller ......I.m all for less waste but we are getting really close to cheapness and nickel and diming to the max with this idea ...not good not good at all.!

before upcharging for anything please make sure your plates can satisfy hunger by being filled up .One time I got one carrot slice very very small.as a vegetable ......now that was ridiculous 

I noticed at lunch the servers would serve food on very small plates so they filled up very quickly with little on them ..I had to ask for  a bigger plate .we were never able to help ourselves to anything behind those glass partitions ....we had to ask ...

so Hal think this over ..yes you dont want waste ...totally agree with that but do be careful .....you are beyond frugal and bordering on downright cheap.

Do not tell me skip the dining room go to buffet to fill up ...no I like dining , I like being served in dining room , I likefoodon my plate 

i hope you doaway with upcharging ...its really a dreadful idea ....however feel free to comment to people if they are extremely wasteful by ordering multiple plates and hardly consuming any ...nothing wrong with correcting wrong behaviour .

so  I say no to charging extra after er we paid a pretty penny to cruise ...stop milking us bone dry .If you charge more i.m sure you will lose a good portion of your clientel .

so be generous and do not add this fee 

 

According to the hotel director on Oosterdam, the upcharge was a test on several ships.  It was removed last week while I was on the ship, and there are no plans to bring it back, according to this source.  Yes, the portions were much smaller from the last time I cruised, which was Christmas.  Everyone in our group was hungry later in the evening, so we popped up to the Lido Marketplace for snacks or we ordered room service.  The only extra charge we noticed was in the PG where some items like the larger steaks had an additional charge.

[CruiserBruce]

11 minutes ago, sevenseasnomad said:

According to the hotel director on Oosterdam, the upcharge was a test on several ships.  It was removed last week while I was on the ship, and there are no plans to bring it back, according to this source.  Yes, the portions were much smaller from the last time I cruised, which was Christmas.  Everyone in our group was hungry later in the evening, so we popped up to the Lido Marketplace for snacks or we ordered room service.  The only extra charge we noticed was in the PG where some items like the larger steaks had an additional charge.

Agree. And it has been beat to death here on at least 3 long threads...

[Jammu2]

Relax. It was a test. The test is over. 

[ithaca gal]

Yes, it was a test and it was over.  But it was tested on our twenty-eight day cruise to Hawaii and Tahiti.  Thanks, HAL, but deciding to use us as your guinea pigs after we got on a ship for 28 days.  Poor choice, in my opinion.  

[Krazy Kruizers]

I am glad to hear that the test is over for being charged $10 when ordering a second entree.

[terrydtx]

9 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

I am glad to hear that the test is over for being charged $10 when ordering a second entree.

This doesn't mean we wont see this become a permanent fleetwide policy later this year.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I know.  But at least for now HAL is making people happy.

 

And if HAL should implement the $10 fee, you can be certain that people will complain -- again.

[hubbard53]

Frankly, the entrees arent worth $10. 

 

As the OP said, portions were very small but could be so to accommodate the majority of the clientele who get full on a single carrot sliver. 

 

The first evening, our cruise mates - first time cruisers - ordered 2 entrees each. All it did was draw out an already slow dining experience. When I ordered two entrees for my son (he loves beef AND lamb), I just asked them to put some lamb on his main entree plate which they were happy to do and it did not effect the pace of dinner. 

[newtocruiseinblue]

On our Mediterranean cruise, in the MDR, each meal consisted of multiple courses - appetizer, salad/soup, entree, dessert - plenty of food for a wonderful meal. We loved the amazing service and the food was fabulous. In fact, HAL continues to focus on foodies, music lovers and those seeking unique itineraries. I read so many negative things on this board and we never take the time to focus on the positives. We had a wonderful dining experience with a wide variety of choices in the MDR and actually preferred it to the specialty restaurants. All included in our fare. 

[catl331]

6 hours ago, terrydtx said:

This doesn't mean we wont see this become a permanent fleetwide policy later this year.

Right. It seems to me "tests" have  a tendency to do that. Remember the howls over eliminating trays in the Lido?  That did no good!

Edited April 12, 2019 by catl331

[TAD2005]

The waiters hated this "test" because it put them on the front line to ask for the guest's cards to charge them the $10.  The end result is that they simply didn't do it.   They served 2nd main courses without any hassles.   

 

In the Lido, the glass panels are there to protect you from the "slobs" who will use their fingers to grab food, and sometimes put it back.   I have seen passengers grab 3 or 4 dinner rolls in the Lido, squeezing each one, and sometimes sniffing it, putting each one back, until they find the one they like.   Imagine people doing that with other food items.  So don't complain when you must ask servers to fill your plate.   It is designed to keep you from getting the "Cruise Crud".

[Copper10-8]

Done deal already as of twelve days ago, so go enjoy your cruise, have as many entrees as you want, and don't sweat it

[Cruisegoer]

If HAL were to implement permanent second entree surcharges and you (or me) decided to dine primarily at the Lido Buffet, would you consider adjusting your automatic tip in favor of directly tipping those servers waiting on your in the buffet? I feel I would.  I’m sorry to the dining room staff where my table/seat was assigned but if HAL can engage in exclusionary practices I can choose to assign to whom my money goes.

[expectGREATthings]

44 minutes ago, Cruisegoer said:

If HAL were to implement permanent second entree surcharges and you (or me) decided to dine primarily at the Lido Buffet, would you consider adjusting your automatic tip in favor of directly tipping those servers waiting on your in the buffet? I feel I would.  I’m sorry to the dining room staff where my table/seat was assigned but if HAL can engage in exclusionary practices I can choose to assign to whom my money goes.

The answer to your question is no, never. I'd stop cruising if it came to taking tips away from someone who has nothing to due with the rules that are enacted by the company they work for.

Edited April 24, 2019 by expectGREATthings
Clearer explaination.

[KroozNut]

On 4/12/2019 at 4:31 PM, TAD2005 said:

In the Lido, the glass panels are there to protect you from the "slobs" who will use their fingers to grab food, and sometimes put it back.   I have seen passengers grab 3 or 4 dinner rolls in the Lido, squeezing each one, and sometimes sniffing it, putting each one back, until they find the one they like. 

 

Agree 100%, and the scenario you describe (while truly disgusting) actually pales in comparison to some of the disgusting things we've seen people do in the Lido buffet 😯, which I won't go into here as I'm getting ready to have dinner.

 

I'm happy to have the staff serve me from behind the glass in the Lido buffet... thank you. 🙂

[KroozNut]

On 4/11/2019 at 3:45 PM, Minoushka said:

certain plates were a miss like that zucchini slice with some funky cheese ...not exactly good and very small

 

Not to throw a wrench in your argument, but... you ordered it, right? 🙄