Lido Table Hogs, and Another Line's Solution

[Roz]

On more than one occasion, I've come back from a cruise and posted about the difficulty of finding a table in the Lido when others are using the area to play cards and board games, and just socialize in general.  The responses I've received have ranged from "I've never seen anyone do that" to "you must be a pathetic singleton who doesn't like to see other people enjoying themselves with friends and family". 

 

Another line has recognized the situation as a problem, and built in a solution in the design of their ships.  A friend just returned from a Virgin Voyages cruise, and told me about the Social Club.  It's an area where there are tables and chairs set up to accommodate card and game players, along with supplying the cards and board games.  There's also air hockey, foosball, etc.  Included in the Social Club is a casual diner where players can get food and beverages along the lines of sandwiches, snacks, pastries, etc., with coffee, tea, juice, and soft drinks.  She said it was a great place to socialize and meet people.  

 

Waiters in the other dining venues would diplomatically suggest the Social Club when passengers would pull out a deck of cards or their travel Scrabble board after finishing breakfast or lunch.  

 

I don't expect HAL to retrofit their ships, but it's something to consider for future vessels.  And table hogs aren't just a problem on HAL.  I've run into it on Carnival and Princess too.  

[dmcfad2]

I personally don’t have a problem with it. If they get there first and want to play cards, why not? I personally don’t do that, but it doesn’t bother me when others do it. I always find somewhere to sit. Just my opinion. Now, if they left their stuff on the table and weren’t there for more than 30 minutes or so, that would bother me!

[tinawhitecar]

The Crows Nest on the Koningsdam has what you described (except for the food) 

[pirate cruiser]

On the 3 different HAL ships we have been on there are plenty of spaces where people can play cards,etc. The Lido should be for diners only. JMO

[OlsSalt]

On our roll call, we are struggling with finding a first meeting location for our budding book group - maybe 6-10 right now.  Where can we best gather and have a small group conversation?

 

----Lunch time MDR on an at-sea was suggested, but really can't take a table for more than the short MDR lunch dining time.  

 

---A Lido alcove  table during non-dining times - would we be one of those groups "hogging a table" and interfering with dining staff clean up tasks?

 

----The ships that have Gallery Bars  could offer a  great place to have small group activities where one can talk and make a little conversational noise,  and not disturb those reading in the ship libraries. 

 

---Not sure what the status of the Explorers Lounge is any longer - since it has often become a multi-purpose room for ship sales activities during the day. Crows Nest again is now chopped up too and competes with other ship activities during the day.

 

Once we get on board, we can get a better feel for the lay of the land and the scheduling interferences. But for that first group book club meeting,  what have others done? Thanks. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

What about Canaletto at a non-dining time? A lot of people don't realize you can sit/eat there during the day, so it tends to be ignored. 

 

Ironically, on Zaandam, the library was one of the areas where people gathered to socialize, and not necessarily because they were getting coffee. What would Marian the Librarian say??? 

[richwmn]

17 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

On our roll call, we are struggling with finding a first meeting location for our budding book group - maybe 6-10 right now.  Where can we best gather and have a small group conversation?

Did you consider calling Ship's services and possibly asking about one of the Meeting Rooms (Kings's, Queen's, Hudson)?

 

[cbr663]

What you've described is how the Crow's Nest with its bar and the Explorations Cafe used to be prior to the introduction of the Pinnacle Class ships.  This was a wonderful area where you could go and play board games, card games, puzzles, read books (if my memory serves me correctly the library and computer area was adjacent to it also) and just socialize.  Whether you wanted an alcoholic beverage from the bar or a coffee and a snack at the Cafe, it was all within easy reach.  The Explorations Cafe is but a shadow now of what it once was.  

 

I think the changes were made to the Explorations Cafe to focus instead on the Grand Dutch Cafe.  Explorations didn't have hot foods, but it had the best coffee on the ship and plenty of sandwiches, pastries, tarts and other desserts.  I used to get up early to race to the Explorations for the best cinnamon rolls on the ship.  You could only find them there and when they were gone, they were gone.  Having sailed in Neptune Suites I frequently saw many of the food items available in the Neptune Lounge also available in the Explorations Cafe.

[Roz]

43 minutes ago, tinawhitecar said:

The Crows Nest on the Koningsdam has what you described (except for the food) 

The Crow's Nest can be just as bad as far as people parking themselves there all day long, or getting up early and marking their spot with a book or tote bag.  My favorite is people who fall asleep and snore 😴 loudly.

[CGinMTL]

I think that as long as you are actually using the space, you are not a " hog".

We each have our preferences of where we want to spend the day 

If I want to seat at a table in the pool area or solarium and " not eat" . I do not feel like I am doing anything wrong.

[foodsvcmgr]

Both Celebrity and Royal Caribbean have discreet signs on buffet tables stating along the lines of “reserved for dining only during peak meal hours”.

Seems to work mostly.

[kazu]

On a recent cruise, we booked the rooms available for our roll call to play L-C-R and other games.  It was in the Half Moon Room and others.

 

HAL has several rooms set up for games, knitting, whatever - you just need to reserve them.

The problem is a lot of people want the view even though their eyes are down. I have no issue if these get together are set for no prime time like 2 - 2:30 pm (and one side of the Lido is closing.

 

I do have a problem when people are doing it at peak times for lunch.  it’s thoughtless and rude IMO.

[Hogladyrider]

We just recently returned from 18 day cruise on Koningsdam and I was amazed at how many guests utilized Lido tables ALL day and evening for their cards, etc.  The table right next to  where you place your order for Dive In is a table for 4 and 2  folks were ALWAYS sitting there playing cards no matter how many people were around looking for  places to sit.

 

There are many open seats up on 10 why they feel the need to utilize the tables on 9 is beyond me.

 

The Crow's Nest was also ALWAYS full and it was nearly impossible to find a seat.

 

We found relaxation on deck 3 outside the Dutch Cafe quiet and  pretty much always available.

 

Now back to our regularly scheduled program!

[Hlitner]

We have cruised on 16 cruise lines (#17 next month) and dozens of ships.  The only cruise line were we have consistently had the Lido problem is on HAL!  Why?  Not sure, but we think it is a combination of things including not enough Lido seating for the size ship, and an older clientele that prefers to plant themselves at breakfast and not move!   HAL fans will not admit it, but I also think folks stay in the Lido because there are not activites to draw them out.  On ships with more activity/event choices (just about every other line) folks leave the Lido to get to a lecture, an event, etc.   For whatever reason it is a norm on HAL ships (we are 5* Mariners) and the ship staff does nothing to discourage the practice.

 

Hank

[Blackduck59]

2 hours ago, CGinMTL said:

I think that as long as you are actually using the space, you are not a " hog".

We each have our preferences of where we want to spend the day 

If I want to seat at a table in the pool area or solarium and " not eat" . I do not feel like I am doing anything wrong.

But if you are in a seat at a table in a busy restaurant and a person who is there to eat doesn't have a place to sit, that's wrong. Think of it as being in a small town of say 1400 to 2600 people and there are only 2 restaurants in the town and you want to have a meal (You can't cook at home); so you go to the cafeteria style restaurant, because you don't want to wait for your meal at the full service restaurant. Unfortunately after you get your meal and are standing there with a plate of food you realize the place is full and many of the tables are being used for playing cards, or board games or knitting club. Is that okay then?

[sunviking90]

4 hours ago, cbr663 said:

What you've described is how the Crow's Nest with its bar and the Explorations Cafe used to be prior to the introduction of the Pinnacle Class ships.  This was a wonderful area where you could go and play board games, card games, puzzles, read books (if my memory serves me correctly the library and computer area was adjacent to it also) and just socialize.  Whether you wanted an alcoholic beverage from the bar or a coffee and a snack at the Cafe, it was all within easy reach.  The Explorations Cafe is but a shadow now of what it once was.  

 

I think the changes were made to the Explorations Cafe to focus instead on the Grand Dutch Cafe.  Explorations didn't have hot foods, but it had the best coffee on the ship and plenty of sandwiches, pastries, tarts and other desserts.  I used to get up early to race to the Explorations for the best cinnamon rolls on the ship.  You could only find them there and when they were gone, they were gone.  Having sailed in Neptune Suites I frequently saw many of the food items available in the Neptune Lounge also available in the Explorations Cafe.

Yes, I miss the Crows Nest as it used to be. We spent many hours on Alaska cruises with our now grown son working on puzzles up there. I also miss the nice little food items they had all day. 
Only 3 ships have a Grand Dutch Cafe, and I really dislike the move of Explorations cafe to the bar side, on the Vistas like an afterthought.

[sunviking90]

This is a good idea on the part of Virgin. Princess has one of the MDRs open during the day for card players, etc (noted in the daily patter), but most seem to still prefer the buffet area. I don’t have an issue with it during down times, but it shouldn’t be allowed during meal times when others are looking for a place to sit and eat.

Edited March 3 by sunviking90

[OlsSalt]

Wonder if having more inside cabins is a factor too - people wanting to spend casual sit down time outside their own windowless cabins?  Do HAL ships have more inside cabins than Princess or Celebrity?

[lyndarra]

Having cruised on six different HAL ships I have never come across chogs in Lido.

I almost always eat in breakfast and lunch in the Lido and never had a problem of not finding somewhere to sit. I am patient and look around for people about to leave. I also ask if people don't mind sharing say, a four top with only two sitting at it. I agree it could be frustrating for some who have experienced not being able to find a spot. I also believe it is rude and ignorant of people to occupy tables at peak dining times if they are not dining.

[0106]

6 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

Once we get on board, we can get a better feel for the lay of the land and the scheduling interferences. But for that first group book club meeting,  what have others done? Thanks. 

Onboard event services provided us with a room for the three meetings of our book club on a TA in October.  We arranged it in advance.  You could try these emails.From:<JRudolph@HollandAmerica.com>
<TManning@HollandAmerica.com>

[mcrcruiser]

It seems to me that HAL has floor supervision at the Lido buffet .Thus ,if people are using the table for card playing etc during peak   meal times ,then a person should ask the fllor supervisor to ask those people to vacate ,then there is no interaction with passengers 

[AncientWanderer]

I really like what the OP, Roz, shared about how Virgin Voyages has a dedicated social area.  I’ve never cruised with a lot of family members or big group, but I can see how you’d really need a place to kind of post up so everyone can find each other and be together.  If the Lido is the only place, well, then it’s the Lido.

Anyhow, way to go,  Virgin Voyages.  

[OlsSalt]

11 minutes ago, AncientWanderer said:

I really like what the OP, Roz, shared about how Virgin Voyages has a dedicated social area.  I’ve never cruised with a lot of family members or big group, but I can see how you’d really need a place to kind of post up so everyone can find each other and be together.  If the Lido is the only place, well, then it’s the Lido.

Anyhow, way to go,  Virgin Voyages.  

 

The ships have have the Gallery Bar area are a great group meeting location. They replaced the former Northern Lights disco rooms on some Vista class ships, but not all. Also on the Eurodam  I believe.  They have tables set up for board games, some table games and conversational cluster seating. 

[cruisemom42]

3 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

Wonder if having more inside cabins is a factor too - people wanting to spend casual sit down time outside their own windowless cabins?  Do HAL ships have more inside cabins than Princess or Celebrity?

 

Approximate numbers (I only looked at one ship per class but numbers shouldn't differ significantly within class.)

 

Celebrity S class: ~10% inside (2800 pax)

Celebrity M class: 17.5% (2200 pax)

Princess Royal class: ~19% inside (3560 pax)

Princess Grand class: 28% inside (3000 pax)

HAL Pinnacle class: ~20% inside (2650 pax)

HAL Vista class: 16.4% inside (2360 pax)

 

With the exception of the low number of insides on Celebrity S class and the high number on Princess' Grand class, the numbers don't seem significantly different...

 

I think it's more likely that as ships have gotten larger and larger, lines are adding a significantly higher number of cabins per ship without proportionally increasing the public spaces.

 

I do think @Hlitner has something of a point. HAL passengers seem to have a tendency to park themselves in one location for the day (a sea day), and not really move around the ship as there is little programming to entice them.

 

 

[AncientWanderer]

17 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

The ships have have the Gallery Bar area are a great group meeting location. They replaced the former Northern Lights disco rooms on some Vista class ships, but not all. Also on the Eurodam  I believe.  They have tables set up for board games, some table games and conversational cluster seating. 

I don’t really find those spaces very appealing for daytime “hanging out.”  I’m assuming that what Virgin has set up is more attractive.   @cruisemom42makes a good point about needing more programming to spread people around the ship.  More speakers, more classes…just more.