You Had Better Book Now

[mamaofami]

I must be missing something here because I don't understand why it's better for HAL to have this any time dining? What benefit is it to them?

 

Why would people want to call in or stand in line every day to make a reservation for that evening? Or stand in line to get a table every night? What if I forget to call? Or have an early excursion and can't call?

 

I am confirmed for tradional dining on my February cruise, but it looks like that could be changed when I get there and I could be mixed in with As You Wish and not get the great service I'm used to.

 

Why do people want this? What benefit is it to them? :confused:

 

Please, clue me in here. Thanks!

[NoNoNanette]

I would think that the biggest draw would be the FLEXIBILITY, Carol. :)

[mamaofami]

Not if you know what you are giving up in service. Nanette, since you have mentioned that you didn't eat in the dining room on your cruise, you would have to have experienced the wonderful waiters to know how great the dining experience is. We asked for crudities and they were there waiting for us every night. The waiter brought my herbal tea after dinner without once being reminded after the first night. You can't get that and flexibility too.

[NoNoNanette]

Not if you know what you are giving up in service. Nanette, since you have mentioned that you didn't eat in the dining room on your cruise, you would have to have experienced the wonderful waiters to know how great the dining experience is

 

Believe me.... we've enjoyed MANY dinners...formal and casual on a handful of cruises. I do know "how great the dining experience is". ;) Recently, we've chosen to dine in our cabin for a change.

 

You can't get that and flexibility too.

 

Perhaps you're correct. On our first Grand Princess cruise night, we did the "anytime" dining. I loved it and hit it off with the waiter.....BUT....

 

My Dom (who gets along with ANYBODY) and our waiter had a bit of a personality clash. The guy was absolutely charming to me, but practically threw my husband's food on the table.

 

The next night, we chose to dine in our cabin. That hooked us for the rest of the cruise.

 

Perhaps it's because I'm fortunate to live in the New Orleans area, but I personally don't understand the fuss about fixed dining times and staff. JMO. :)

[mamaofami]

Nanette, you often speak about your dining experiences in New Orleans. I too am fortunate since I live 30 minutes from NYC and have dined in the finest restaurants in the world. And, DH and I have discussed already that we intend to eat dinner on the veranda of our aft cabin the night we are in Tortola since we leave there so late. We won't have to rush back to the ship.

 

But the dining experience has become part of the cruise experience for us. It's just that simple. Maybe we'll feel differently after experiencing dining in. We do now eat breakfast only on the veranda when we are in warm weather so we can relax and watch the ocean as we eat.

 

Dining experiences are subjective. What works for one doesn't always work for another. I don't want to lose what I have come to like about dining and cruising on HAL. There should be room to give us all what we desire. Traditional dining can not be filled a year ahead. That's not possible! And if it is, that speaks to what people want.

[sail7seas]

What happens, if cruisers with traditional reservations decide not to use them, preferring anytime? Will they keep those tables reserved ad infinitum or may some gate crashers get admitted?

 

Good question. I would imagine (hope) that if people who are assigned Traditional do not come one night, the Maitre d' (Dining Room Manager) or Assistant etc would contact the people to determine if they prefer to switch to AYW. If that is the case, people on a wait list for Traditional may have the chance to get it afterall.

 

I'm sure they would first check to see if they had gone to Pinnacle or even if they had Room Service. Easily confirmed.

[pms4104]

Believe me.... we've enjoyed MANY dinners...formal and casual on a handful of cruises. I do know "how great the dining experience is". ;) Recently, we've chosen to dine in our cabin for a change.

 

Perhaps it's because I'm fortunate to live in the New Orleans area, but I personally don't understand the fuss about fixed dining times and staff. JMO. :)

 

But ... if you've never yet experienced HAL's dining room venue for dinner, it may difficult to relate to the comments posted here by others.

[mariner]

I'm mystified by the New Orlean's reference. If I want to eat at Emeril's or Brennan's, I better have a reservation (reserved table). If not, a po boy and a beer might do.

 

Is that any different than living near New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles Paris, Sydney, London or Tokyo?

 

I've always had the option of eating in my cabin, or on the veranda. That really seems like the best AYW alternative.

[NoNoNanette]

I'm mystified by the New Orlean's reference. If I want to eat at Emeril's or Brennan's, I better have a reservation (reserved table). If not, a po boy and a beer might do.

 

Mystifying?

 

I'm proud to say that New Orleans boasts some of the world's finest dining venues.... most of which I've experienced during my almost 30 years here.

 

We do, in fact make reservations. (When needed, although some of the finer places we frequent don't even take reservations).

 

I'm saying that we're quite used to "fine dining". We enjoy "dressing up". But NOT on vacation. Cruising "dining experiences" are becoming "ho-hum" to us, that's all.

 

As Carol mentioned previously, this is completely subjective. Personally, I don't find delight in dressing for dinner on my vacation. I'll do it from time to time, but it's no big thrill. :)

 

(Poor Boys and a mug of beer work, too!) ;)

[sail7seas]

Is that any different than living near New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles Paris, Sydney, London or Tokyo?

 

 

MARINER.......

 

'Ya forgot Bawwwwston!!! :D No Aujourd 'Hui for you!

[mariner]

Given Mrs. M's affinity for lahhhhhhhhhhbterrrrrr, I avoid Boston. But yes, I'm told Annenberg has some mighty fine waffles at Hahhhhhhhhhhvahhhhhhhhd.

[sail7seas]

Given Mrs. M's affinity for lahhhhhhhhhhbterrrrrr, I avoid Boston. But yes, I'm told Annenberg has some mighty fine waffles at Hahhhhhhhhhhvahhhhhhhhd.

 

:D You get the waffles...... Mrs. M and DH and I will have the lahhhhbsterrrrr!!!

 

Those lahhhhbsterrrrs are one of the tons of things we love about Canada/New England Maaaaaaaasdam cruises.

[mamaofami]

Good question. I would imagine (hope) that if people who are assigned Traditional do not come one night, the Maitre d' (Dining Room Manager) or Assistant etc would contact the people to determine if they prefer to switch to AYW. If that is the case, people on a wait list for Traditional may have the chance to get it afterall.

 

I'm sure they would first check to see if they had gone to Pinnacle or even if they had Room Service. Easily confirmed.

 

 

SAIL, I had the feeling, just an impression I got, that the Pinnacle lets the dining room know in advance when people have reservations there. Am I wrong?

[sail7seas]

Carol...... I'm quite sure you are probably right. Certainly easy enough for Maitre d' to 'go next door' and look at the reservation book. Probably doesn't have to do that. I would imagine he can call up the bookings on his computer.

 

[kryos]

The atmosphere and service suffered despite having the same wait staff each night. The service was as cold inpersonal as a busy chain restaurant.

If you think about it, AYW is gonna cause service to suffer throughout the fleet. That's simply because the dining room waitstaff has almost a zero chance of getting extra tips in AYW. Since most people will sit at different tables and have different waitstaff every night, why on earth would they bother giving extra tips to any of them? They'll just let the auto-tips ride, and that will be it.

 

I'd also be willing to bet that at some point the auto-tip will morph into a hotel service charge, as it is on NCL ... and will be non-removable. So, in effect, those waiters in the dining room know they are getting X amount of dollars either way ... regardless of service level. So, if you think about it, why should they bother to over-extend themselves?

 

Just one more point I have against AYW Dining.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

[quote name='sail7seas'][B]Good question. I would imagine (hope) that if people who are assigned Traditional do not come one night, the Maitre d' (Dining Room Manager) or Assistant etc would contact the people to determine if they prefer to switch to AYW.[/B][/QUOTE]
I also wonder what's to stop someone from reserving a spot in traditional dining ... let's say they book early enough to do that ... and then dine in AYW on certain nights. In a way, that's not really fair. They are locking up a table in the traditional dining room ... forcing someone else to have to dine in AYW every night ... but then they are only using that table certain nights. I wonder if HAL will have some way of making sure people can't do this ... can't have traditional dining, but decide to use AYW just on certain nights?

Blue skies ...

--rita

[llachance]

on HAL and experienced their dining rooms and this past summer went on the Dawn Princess and had anytime dining! Loved it. Without reservations my husband and I sat at one of two tables 5 of the 10 nights aboard and had the same wait staff. Our service was excellent (although they admited that they liked working in the regular dining room more because it was predictable. They also said that they alternated dining rooms so all wait staff experienced both dining rooms). In enjoyed eating at about 6:00pm every night. As it turns out the evenings we didn't have a table for two we met some really nice people and happened to be in the same section as the nights we ate by ourselves. At end of the week we did tip our wait staff personally. On our next cruise we will be returning to HAL and have requested AYW dining because we enjoyed it so much on Princess.

[kryos]

[quote name='O2B@C']There is also no guarantee that HAL's AYW system will allow you to get, or even request, the same wait staff every night. Just because it works on Princess does not mean it will work on HAL.[/QUOTE]
Frankly, I don't think you should be allowed to make blanket reservations in AYW for the same table every night at a certain time. Reservations, if taken at all, should be opened up a few hours before the dining room opens each evening. Then you can reserve for that particular night only. If someone wants AYW, then that's exactly what they should get ... flexible dining. Then I wonder how well the concept would go over.

But if people can "get around" AYW dining ... when it's convenient to them ... by booking their certain table each night ... perhaps not even showing up for it on certain nights when another arrangement is more convenient, then they've bypassed what flexible dining is supposed to be all about ... the ability to dine at different times each night ... depending upon the schedule for the particular day.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[kryos]

[quote name='revneal']Only if ENOUGH people do that. And by that I mean more people than are offset by the new passengers who are coming BECAUSE of the new dining schedule.

I wouldn't hold my breath. It's the evolution of the Cruising Industry, and people who like Traditional are, apparently, destined for extinction.[/QUOTE]
Sadly, Rev, I think you are right. The new breed of cruiser is probably demanding flexible dining far more than us "traditionalists" are insisting on fixed seating dining.

Therefore, about the only thing we can do for right now is to make sure we book our cruises way in advance so that we can get the dining form that we want. Of course, that's not gonna help us much if at some point HAL just does away with traditional dining altogether. And, yes, it can happen. Remember, HAL's dining room set-up was never designed to offer two entirely different forms of dining. Princess' ships were built that way. So, don't be surprised if a year from now HAL announces that AYW dining has been so successful that they are just eliminating traditional dining altogether.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[DFD1]

I wonder if HAL's change in the tipping policy a couple of years ago was in anticipation of implementing this new dining program.

Seems to me the new dining program could not have been implemented had the tipping policy remained as it had been for decades.....whereby tips were given to individuals rather than put into some sort of "pot" to be doled out by management according to some formula never fully explained.

Just a thought.

[barante]

DFD1 -- An interesting post. I just wonder whether cruise lines had a serious problem with cruisers who don't tip the suggested amount. Since the crew's base pay is incredibly low, everyone expects at least minimum tip. Cheap Charlies not wanting to do that, if there enough of them, can produce a very unhappy crew.
I like the automatic daily charges. Nothing prevents me from giving personal tips, as we did to our dining room waiters on the Noordam. Even though we did not buy a single drink, except for my wife's Cokes, we even tipped the wine steward because he always came to chat.
One of the consequences of anytime dining is that since you don't build personal relationships, discteonary tipping disappears to a large extent. But, hey, if anytime dining is what the market wants, you would be foolish not to give guests the anytime option. I don't like the concept if it robs my ability to go traditional, but I'm just one fish in a giant pool. Pure economics mandate HAL and other to go with the market.
Talking about which, I'd like to get a mutual fund manager's briefing on the economics of cruising. The margins must be really slim, with certain exceptions. When HAL and Cunard offer 10- and 11-nighters from New York to the Southern Caribbean for well under $1,500 a pax, we are talking about major cheap. Hey, it's balcony cabins we are talking about here.
I am glad we got some money and time to take advantage of these incredible opportunities. That's one of the benefits of being retired, you can go anytime, including when other people don't want to cruise and ships go half-empty.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I retired from the newspaper industry. It's like the auto industry -- in terrible difficulties. The difference is that autos will exist in the future, but newspapers may not. My point is that all of us in similar situations have witnessed a fast-changing world. All this has contributed to leisure time behavior changes as well.
My wife and I have become regulars at a suburban outdoor concert series. The audience is almost totally white. The program committee surely is all-white. But the music they book includes, R&B, bluegrass, light classical, Latin, New Age. Every concert is well-attended. This tells me that an average American's music consumption has broadened.
Back to the topic at hand, even those of us who don't like the possibility that they cannot dine traditionally will quickly adapt. Look at the bright side: We can add traditional dining to the litany that we recite when we preach about the good old times that are no more.

[RevNeal]

[quote name='kryos']Therefore, about the only thing we can do for right now is to make sure we book our cruises way in advance so that we can get the dining form that we want. Of course, that's not gonna help us much if at some point HAL just does away with traditional dining altogether. And, yes, it can happen. Remember, HAL's dining room set-up was never designed to offer two entirely different forms of dining. Princess' ships were built that way. So, don't be surprised if a year from now HAL announces that AYW dining has been so successful that they are just eliminating traditional dining altogether.[/QUOTE]

Rita, this has long been a concern of mine ... ever since the early dining tests back in 2005. When AYW was formally announced I voiced my concern that this will eventually mean -- in a year or two -- that Traditional Dining will vanish from the fleet. I was belittled, castigated, ridiculed, and called a "chicken-little" -- accused of running around squawking "the sky is falling." After THAT treatment, I decided to stop talking about the domino effect. But, just because I haven't been saying it doesn't mean that I don't expect to see it happen.

Traditional Dining, on HAL, is on life support ... look for the funeral by 2010.

And, I suspect that by 2012 I'll be buying you that drink with regard to Formal Dress Codes. But, first, you'll be buying me one :)

Which reminds me ... when are we going to coordinate a cruise together?

[hammybee]

[quote name='DFD1']I wonder if HAL's change in the tipping policy a couple of years ago was in anticipation of implementing this new dining program.

Seems to me the new dining program could not have been implemented had the tipping policy remained as it had been for decades.....whereby tips were given to individuals rather than put into some sort of "pot" to be doled out by management according to some formula never fully explained.

Just a thought.[/QUOTE]

I am more inclined to think that the auto tips were put into place to address labor concerns, replacing certainty with uncertainty. Too many passengers dissappeared on the final evening to the point that alternative dining forums had to be closed. I do not mean to be snarky here, but this was very much a part of the way too many passengers cruised in the good ole days.

It seems to me that Carnival implemented auto tips, fleet-wide at about the same time. Carnival itself has no flexible-schexible dining program.

NCL also introduced auto tips after it went freestyle. Too many passengers were removing the tips from their accounts under the guise of preferring to tip one one one ( yeah, sure) so at least in Hawaii, the tips cannot be removed.

Here's a link to a website to compare and contrast tipping across all major cruise lines. While the amounts seem accurate, the how is not updated to reflect auto tipping.

[url]http://www.cruisetip.tpkeller.com./[/url]

[hammybee]

[quote name='kryos']Frankly, I don't think you should be allowed to make blanket reservations in AYW for the same table every night at a certain time. Reservations, if taken at all, should be opened up a few hours before the dining room opens each evening. Then you can reserve for that particular night only. If someone wants AYW, then that's exactly what they should get ... flexible dining. Then I wonder how well the concept would go over.

But if people can "get around" AYW dining ... when it's convenient to them ... by booking their certain table each night ... perhaps not even showing up for it on certain nights when another arrangement is more convenient, then they've bypassed what flexible dining is supposed to be all about ... the ability to dine at different times each night ... depending upon the schedule for the particular day.

Blue skies ...--rita[/QUOTE]

You know, I think you are onto something here. There is something not right about those in the know being able to trump those who don't know. Maybe it should be a lottery:)

[sail7seas]

[quote]
But if people can "get around" AYW dining ... when it's convenient to them ... by booking their certain table each night ... perhaps not even showing up for it on certain nights when another arrangement is more convenient, then they've bypassed what flexible dining is supposed to be all about ... the ability to dine at different times each night ... depending upon the schedule for the particular day.
[/quote]

[B]I think the Maitre d' s will handle such a situation quickly. Perhaps by making the terms of that reservation quickly known. If you are ten minutes late, we give away the table. If you don't come two nights in a row (short of being in the Infirmary), we give away the table.[/B]