No more embarkation day lunch in the MDR fleetwide!

[POA1]

2 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

So MDR lunch was historically kind of special and it was quite nice to have it as a Mariner perk in recent decades. We once met people who became shipboard pals and ended up planning another HAL cruise with them.

 

Despite the lack of an embarkation lunch in the MDR, I'll be happy to be your pal. 😁  We'll be busy trying to upgrade our beverage package and make PG lunch reservations when we board, so we would have wound up skipping the MDR anyway.  The NY Deli & Pizza is a good embarkation option. The Panorama Deck (10) above the Lido Deck has lots of seating, its own bar, and is often overlooked by people on the first day.

[*Miss G*]

I have to agree about the coffee.  It has become so difficult to get the good coffee (hours, crowds) that I very rarely buy it now.  I even gave the Lido coffee another try!  It’s way better than it used to be.

[Caribbean Chris]

33 minutes ago, POA1 said:

 

Despite the lack of an embarkation lunch in the MDR, I'll be happy to be your pal. 😁  We'll be busy trying to upgrade our beverage package and make PG lunch reservations when we board, so we would have wound up skipping the MDR anyway.  The NY Deli & Pizza is a good embarkation option. The Panorama Deck (10) above the Lido Deck has lots of seating, its own bar, and is often overlooked by people on the first day.

 

Good tips! We (Big Black Dog People) are also in Club Orange (not that it helps for lunch on embarkation day) so we’ll catch up sooner or later … must join in the Painkiller research.

[Cat J]

On 3/13/2024 at 6:40 AM, Real NHDOC said:

I asked the hotel manager aboard Nieuw Statendam why there was no lunch in the dining room on embarkation day Sunday and was told that HAL has discontinued the embarkation day lunch service fleetwide as of two weeks ago because they felt it wasn’t well attended enough to justify the effort. 
 

Very disappointing. I hope the beancounters reconsider this shortsighted decision. 

Wow - that is disappointing.  I was just on the Nieuw Statendam in Feb. and enjoyed lunch in the MDR on embarkation day.  I try to do that on every cruise - guess I won't be doing it on the rest of my cruises this year if they stopped it fleet wide.  Thanks for letting us know.

[YourWorldWithBill]

1 hour ago, POA1 said:

 

Despite the lack of an embarkation lunch in the MDR, I'll be happy to be your pal. 😁 

The NY Deli & Pizza is a good embarkation option. The Panorama Deck (10) above the Lido Deck has lots of seating, its own bar, and is often overlooked by people on the first day.

Although I made the plea for the MDR to be open on embarkation day, mainly to avoid the backup in the Lido, many days cruising I order lunch from NY Deli & Pizza using Navigator, and then by the time I get there the pizza is ready. I haven't done that on embarkation day, probably assuming a crowd. So, thanks for the note.

 

Still, I think they should open the MDR!

[mcrcruiser]

Sending a e-mail requesting that  HAL   change  the closure of the MDR on embarkation day for lunch ,  get  them to rethink closing the MDR  

[Real NHDOC]

1 hour ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Although I made the plea for the MDR to be open on embarkation day, mainly to avoid the backup in the Lido, many days cruising I order lunch from NY Deli & Pizza using Navigator, and then by the time I get there the pizza is ready. I haven't done that on embarkation day, probably assuming a crowd. So, thanks for the note.

 

Still, I think they should open the MDR!

We actually landed up at NY deli for lunch on embarkation day just after it opened at noon. Mine was one of the first orders in and it took about 30 minutes to get our pizza. By the time I went to pick it up they were telling people it would be over an hour so they should consider going downstairs to the lido instead. So that isn’t an attractive option any more!

[foodsvcmgr]

Unfortunate and no real cost savings to HAL.

Inconvenient for those of us that enjoyed it, particularly on older ships with less variety of lunch venues.

With enough complaints they may reconsider.

I hope this is not a precursor to charging for the privilege along the lines of Royal Caribbean’s “Key” program……

[jeh10641]

On 3/13/2024 at 3:40 AM, Real NHDOC said:

I asked the hotel manager aboard Nieuw Statendam why there was no lunch in the dining room on embarkation day Sunday and was told that HAL has discontinued the embarkation day lunch service fleetwide as of two weeks ago because they felt it wasn’t well attended enough to justify the effort. 
 

Very disappointing. I hope the beancounters reconsider this shortsighted decision. 

I hope that is not the case.

[jeh10641]

On 3/13/2024 at 7:45 AM, happytotravel said:

Hello All,

I just sent the following email to HAL stating my concern over their closing the MDR for lunch on embarkation day.  I have always enjoyed being able to go there and having a relaxing lunch on my cruises with NCL  I was hoping to experience the same on HAL.  Perhaps if others do the same they "might" reverse their decision.

happytotravel

==========================================================

HAL_Ship_Services@hollandamerica.com

Good Morning,

I wanted to write and say how disappointed I am in reading on Cruise Critic's website that the MDR will no longer be open for lunch on embarkation day.

 

I am aware, as on many other lines, it is kept a "secret" in order to keep the numbers small in the dining room.  But, it has always been a wonderful place to have a quiet lunch after the stress of traveling for those who know the area is available.

 

I do hope HAL will reconsider,

==========================================================

 

I, too, sent the following note to HAL.

 

"Hello, Gentle People,

I have been a fan of and cruiser with HAL since 1959. My 3-Star Mariner status is a result of my loyalty. From a thread on Cruise Critic, I just read that the Main Dining Room will not be available for lunch on embarkation day. That is truly disappointing. I hope you reconsider that decision before my next HAL cruise in January 2025. The Lido Buffet on HAL is the best I have found on various cruises and ships. On embarkation day, it is a zoo since that is where cruisers are directed for lunch. Are the Dive In, NY Pizza or the Grand Dutch Cafe open now on embarkation day? If not, why not?"

[jeh10641]

On 3/13/2024 at 8:41 AM, bajae said:

I’m just curious how this move saves much money. I would think the cost of feeding passengers would be very similar no matter where they eat. IMO, this is more likely a staffing issue. Less staff is needed with passengers eating in the lido allowing more staff available for other embarkation activities. 

Fewer staff members, less cost.

[jeh10641]

On 3/13/2024 at 4:33 PM, ksmaxey said:

Perhaps everyone that like the dining room needs to go to their cabin and order room service .  . .

Not the same experience.

[jeh10641]

On 3/13/2024 at 5:17 PM, FrankieSue said:

yesI do, just not on embarkation day!

I suppose weather might have an influence on eating outside, on any day.

[jeh10641]

On 3/13/2024 at 7:34 PM, mcrcruiser said:

Where do you send the e-mail to request that the MDR be open for lunch on embarkation day ?

Hi, Cliff,

Here is what I used:

 

:HAL_Ship_Services@hollandamerica.com

 

Jim

[mawvkysc]

16 hours ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Well, those were the exact words in the reply to me. So I guess after the first or second email they've got this one ready. The more they get, the more they have to notice. Let us know if they finally respond to you, @mawvkysc

I got the exact same email response today. 

[taxmantoo]

On 3/13/2024 at 10:34 PM, mcrcruiser said:

Where do you send the e-mail to request that the MDR be open for lunch on embarkation day ?

 

10 minutes ago, jeh10641 said:

Hi, Cliff,

Here is what I used:

 

:HAL_Ship_Services@hollandamerica.com

 

Jim

Or you can save yourself computer resources and send it directly to the waste basket yourself 🙂

[YourWorldWithBill]

9 minutes ago, taxmantoo said:

Or you can save yourself computer resources and send it directly to the waste basket yourself 🙂

The odds might be good that you're right, but over the years I've learning that getting lots of objections to policies like this has influenced some surprising companies to alter their policies. HAL knows that the people on these boards are their repeat customers. 

 

It's pretty rare for me to do this kind of thing, but I figured I might as well contribute to giving it a shot.

[TiogaCruiser]

On 3/13/2024 at 8:41 AM, bajae said:

I’m just curious how this move saves much money. I would think the cost of feeding passengers would be very similar no matter where they eat. IMO, this is more likely a staffing issue. Less staff is needed with passengers eating in the lido allowing more staff available for other embarkation activities. 

Agree 

43 minutes ago, jeh10641 said:

Fewer staff members, less cost.

I think it’s more likely “we only have x number of staff- do we serve some pax in the MDR or do we have more cabins ready when pax board and deliver more pax luggage in a timely manner?”

[mawvkysc]

They did reinstate libraries because of customer feedback 

[RuthC]

10 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

Reading these posts I’ve been remembering when I worked in the cruise industry (late 1970s & 1980s) as a sales/marketing rep. Most cruise lines did not have thousands of people to board within a few hours - the ships were smaller. So for crowd control purposes, no one needed to get on early enough to have main dining room lunch on embarkation days (except back-to-back passengers in transit). And there was no such thing as Lido-type restaurants on many ships either. Buffets were set up on a daily basis on sea days, often outside by the pool and the MDR served three meals daily.

When I first started sailing on HAL, back in 1978, the ship had a Lido, where breakfast and lunch were served daily. Dinner was only served in the dining room, however. 
I agree that boarding didn't start until something like 1:00 or 2:00 PM, however, so one took care of lunch by making do. 

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Agree 

I think it’s more likely “we only have x number of staff- do we serve some pax in the MDR or do we have more cabins ready when pax board and deliver more pax luggage in a timely manner?”

Ahhh, so now the waiters and cooks are cleaning cabins and moving luggage?  Hmmm.  Lets call it like it is....just one more HAL cut-back.

[Haljo1935]

5 hours ago, Real NHDOC said:

We actually landed up at NY deli for lunch on embarkation day just after it opened at noon. Mine was one of the first orders in and it took about 30 minutes to get our pizza. By the time I went to pick it up they were telling people it would be over an hour so they should consider going downstairs to the lido instead. So that isn’t an attractive option any more!

And will get worse with MDR taken out of the equation and everyone given the same boarding time. Ugh

[iflyrc5]

This is the response I received from the Mariner Society folks.

 

We thank you for your correspondence with Holland America Line regarding the Mariner Society embarkation lunch.  We understand that the embarkation luncheon was a popular activity with many of our guests. 

We apologize for any disappointment this has caused; however, the embarkation lunch has been discontinued as of March 1, 2024. We thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.  Our guest’s comments and concerns are important to us. We have forwarded your email to our management team for consideration.

Please let us know if you have any questions.  We hope to welcome you back onboard with us soon.

Kind Regards,
Garrett

Mariner Society
Holland America Line
800-547-9139
206-626-7359
Monday-Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm PST

Savor the Journey 

  If enough people ask for it to come back including talking to the General Hotel Manager when on the ships and also listing this in the post cruise survey maybe we can get HAL to bring it back.

[chill6x6]

It was fun when I went to the trouble of sending HA my Carnival VIFP points so we could be 1 Star Mariners with zero cruise points just to be able to dine in the MDR for the "Mariners Lunch" on embarkation day! I'm going to sent a note as well for what it's worth!

 

BTW the string quartet aboard previous Rotterdam was probably the best performance I have ever heard aboard a ship. That cruise still stands as one of my favorites and I have been on some nice cruises!

 

Overall I'd have to say this HA board has probably the best group of posters on CC. 

 

 

[Blackduck59]

On 3/14/2024 at 4:12 PM, ChinaShrek said:

This cruise line, to stay in business, will need to attract younger, hip customers and familes to stay in business.

I don't think you are correct with this. There are plenty of "family friendly" cruise lines to choose from. There are plenty of people of a certain mindset who prefer a quieter experience. Some say the "HAL demographic" is dying off and fading away. I say not so fast; there are new people who have cruised with other lines and now want a different experience. This is the HAL demographic regardless of age, as some move on, more join the group.