HAL Formaly introduces "as you wish dining"

[dougnewmanatsea]

Ever since Princess was bought by Carnival it has lost the premium line class it once had.

This has nothing to do with Carnival... Princess made a conscious decision to go mass-market (competing directly with Carnival and Royal Caribbean) when they decided to build the GRAND PRINCESS all the way back in the 1990s.

 

HAL actually was planning on doing the exact same thing in the 1980s before being bought by Carnival, building a 70,000 GT ship (that was a mega-ship then!) to compete with SOVEREIGN OF THE SEAS and FANTASY. When Carnival bought HAL the order for that ship was cancelled and the much more upscale S-class ships were built instead.

 

So Princess' "down-market" turn had nothing to do with being bought by Carnival but rather the fact that Princess felt the need to compete with Carnival.

[gizmo]

I don't find dining to be the difference between a good cruise or (if there is such a thing) a bad cruise but the only bad experiences I've had with dining were on HAL and Celebrity.

 

On the Ryndam, my wife and I had a table for two and the waiters were so busy with the larger tables that we sat for over an hour and never even got a menu. We gave up and ate in the buffet. The next night it was exactly the same story (and I timed it) we gave up after an hour. We ate the rest of that 14 day cruise in the buffet.

 

 

I had the same experience once on the Rotterdam. We also timed it and it was around 45 minutes before we got our order taken. We let it go the first night, but the second night the same thing happened. We spoke to the Maitre'd. The rest of the cruise we got our order taken first. IMO the waiter had too many tables to wait on. If you were at the bottom of the line you were going to wait. We were getting dessert when the table next to us was being served salad.

 

AYW isn't going to fix this, only more waiters.

[Jade13]

I had the same experience once on the Rotterdam. We also timed it and it was around 45 minutes before we got our order taken. We let it go the first night, but the second night the same thing happened. We spoke to the Maitre'd. The rest of the cruise we got our order taken first. IMO the waiter had too many tables to wait on. If you were at the bottom of the line you were going to wait. We were getting dessert when the table next to us was being served salad.

 

AYW isn't going to fix this, only more waiters.

 

We requested that the dining menu be delivered to our stateroom every day at 4:00pm, and so were ready to order when we sat down. However, the menu was brought to us each evening immediately when we sat down. The beverage steard asked and we had cola's waiting for us when we sat down.

[jtl513]

On our Veendam cruise we happened to draw a table right next to the waiter's service station. As first we thought we were not going to like the "bustle", but it turned out that we liked it very much because it was so easy to catch the eye of the waiter or assistant.

 

The worst service we ever had was off to the side, downstairs on the Noordam. We felt like we were in a cave and mostly forgotten. The head waiter stopped by once in the 10 days, for about 15 seconds. :eek:

[gizmo]

We requested that the dining menu be delivered to our stateroom every day at 4:00pm, and so were ready to order when we sat down. However, the menu was brought to us each evening immediately when we sat down. The beverage steard asked and we had cola's waiting for us when we sat down.

 

Our problem wasn't the menu, but getting our order taken. We were in a suite and menus are delivered everyday. I kid you not, our steward had around 40 people to wait on. :eek:

[RevNeal]

Our problem wasn't the menu, but getting our order taken. We were in a suite and menus are delivered everyday. I kid you not, our steward had around 40 people to wait on. :eek:

 

That's horrible .. and, nominally, more people than any waiter should ever have (under any dining deployment that I'm aware of). About when was this ... what year and what month? Was it anytime closely congruent either to the launch of the Noordam or a crew change-over? Those can, and frequently do, play havoc with the staff deployment and HAL BUPERS has to work overtime to get crew deployed correctly. Such isn't an excuse, simply an observation.

 

Two-tops are usually dealt with FIRST because, if the staff can process them through quickly they'll be done and gone and more attention can be paid to the big tables later in the mealtime (that basic logistics).

 

If a waiter has 7 tables, they're not all going to be the same size. Of course, it depends upon where in the dining room one is situated, however an average distribution might be: 2 two-tops, 2 four-tops, 2 six-tops, and 1 eight-top. MAX. That was the distribution on the Westerdam in 2005. We were with the same wait-staff for both weeks ... the first week the three of us were at a 4-top. The second week we were at an 8-top with 4 other people. I noticed on the Noordam last January that our waiters had two 6-tops, and four 4-tops. 28 total people. Service was speedy for those of us at the two 6-tops (though, as usual, one table always finished before the other).

 

On the Zaandam to Hawaii our two CCer tables for the second seating were always finishing at different times. Once one of our tables was getting their dessert orders in when the other table was just receiving their entree. It was getting ridiculous. But, our area waiters were overloaded. 7 tables, yes, but three 6-tops were part of the arrangement. I asked and was told it was a little unusual, but that they were short handed due to illness.

[Rotterdam]

I had the same experience once on the Rotterdam. We also timed it and it was around 45 minutes before we got our order taken. We let it go the first night, but the second night the same thing happened. We spoke to the Maitre'd. The rest of the cruise we got our order taken first. IMO the waiter had too many tables to wait on. If you were at the bottom of the line you were going to wait. We were getting dessert when the table next to us was being served salad.

 

AYW isn't going to fix this, only more waiters.

 

HOw true..also someone mentioned the 2 tops being served first...I agree -seems to make sense.....we were at a 2 top & when the waiters brought out a course from the kitchen...we were always the last to be served. And 2 of the evenings we did eat in the DR 2 of the 6 tops wereeither empty or half full.

 

Yes the lines have changed but what they advertise & what they deliver are so far apart....the waitstaff & room stewards need to be increased to at least make the product more appealing to get peopel to return...

 

If we ever decide to return to HAL (most likely for itin or convenience of sailing out of NYC) it will be on a more casual basis...little or no DR & more comfort by the pool & veranda at nite & enjoying restaurants in the ports. Sometimes when we eat a big lunch on land - its salads & a bottle of wine for supper(of course in a deck chair looking out on that beautiful ocean)..

[gizmo]

Hi Rev,

 

It was my cruise to the Panama Canal over Easter. I think it was April 2004.

 

We had a table for 2 Main Upper. We were sitting at the railing.

 

My count is almost accurate, it was probably 44 but I rounded it off to 40. (I have the dining chart.) Every seat was taken in the area assigned to my steward. Since it was so slow, I made it a point to observe just how many tables the steward had to wait on. It was easy to count since he had everything from the entrance to the table behind me.

 

No way should a steward ever be assigned that many people. I have not had the problem since that cruise.