Winnie Witch

We havent sailed with PO for 5 years,

We used Princess this year and the dining room breakfast wasnt a patch on how I remember the PO standard,

Is there still toast in a rack, marmalade on the table and Bircher Muesli available?

When i asked for it on Princess i was given a bowl of dry Alpen and🤨 a glass of milk,,,,hardly the same..

We have had no trouble getting a table for 2 for breakfast. Im a sociable person but like to ease into the day,,

Breakfast in the MDR is such a nice relaxed experience..plus the Bircher muesli is delicious.

3 hours ago, Josy1953 said:

Wow, you really were unlucky.  We have done over 50 cruises and have never been so unfortunate. 

 

There is absolutely no excuse for the man who was rude to the waiters or for the people with the laptop. The couple with the laptop are probably used to doing that at home and don't even think about it particularly if they were a younger couple, I tell the younger members of our family that phones etc are not welcome at our table, meal times are for eating and catching up on what is going on in all of our lives.

 

The lady with all of the ailments I probably would have tried to steer the conversation away from health issues but with regard to the insulin there is nothing anyone can do about that, I have an insulin dependant friend and she has to inject when her food arrives because she can't not inject but equally she can't inject before going out because the insulin would be in her system before it is not needed and could put her into a coma.

 

 

 

I do understand about the insulin. I have a neice  who is diabetivc but injects discreetly at the table so you don't even know that it's been done

This woman seemed to make a performance out of it 

We shared a table with a man who was so rude to the waiters that he couldn't even look at them and insisted on ordering two steaks every night. On the same table there was a woman who talked about her allergies and ailments non stop and injected insulin into her arm. The other couple produced a laptop one night onto the table. 

We were disgusted by the man who was rude to the waiters and asked to be moved explaining why. 

When we get in the lifts we always stand back for wheelchair users to get in first. However there have been occasions where someone on an electric vehicle has whizzed in and practically barged their way in, even when the the lift has been full. Passengers stepped out to allow them entry and then couldn't get back in again.  And all the time there was no ' excuse me or thank you'. 

Tweezers  Diacalm  Antacids. Blister plasters. Antihistamine. Painkillers.Four socket adapter. 

Thin lightweight coathangers covered in that flock stuff that's non slip

Washlets

Giant pegs to hold blue towels onto loungers 

On 2/4/2020 at 3:33 PM, KnowTheScore said:

 

 

Just buy bright yellow suitcases (Samsonite do plenty).   You can spot these from a mile away even as you come down the escalator into the baggage hall.   No messing.

I once saw suitcases with huge glittery pompoms tied to the handle

We had the EL tea on Brittania ,,it was way too sweet for us,,The chocolate macaroon with duck was just yuck but i enjoyed the mini quiche.

By contrast my friend has just come back from a cruise on Arcadia where she had the afternoon tea, The menu looked much more to my taste. See what you think..I have (hopefully) attached the menu.

My one afternoon tea passion is the toasted tea cakes in the MDR...

el afternoon tea.pdf

We always like a table for 2 for breakfast and I prefer the MDR,,i need to ease into the day..

I didn't realise about the big toast,,,will definatly try this in June.

It seems the majority of passengers have a 3-30 boarding time

.We drive from Lincolnshire so taking into account the chance that there may be delays etc,,,we always arrive early. So there's not much chance of us arriving close to our boarding time to limit the waiting,

I have no idea why this should be an issue in general. As the wife of a diabetic who injects fast acting insulin injecting directly before eating (as in food in front of them) or directly after is the only way to avoid sugar problems either way.Most modern insulin would cause problems being injected 1 hour before as it would cause someone to go low and 1 hour after would cause a spike in blood sugars which is harmful. Pens now look like marker felt tip pens and have very small needles indeed so it just looks like someone is pushing a pen into their thigh.Anyone who had a problem with hubby doing it (he does it very discreetly) would get harsh words from me.

 

We have anytime dining and mostly ate alone but would share tables with friends we met and others. We often get the compliments about our accents and US/UK comparisons at the dinner table which are always amusing. We would never do traditional dining as we are impulsive and would worry about being seated with people we did not get on with.

I have no objection AT ALL to anyone injecting with insulin ..but when it is done INDESCRETLY then it is objectionable, Said woman in question gets the apparatus out on the table and then proceeds to put hand on hip and inject into the deltoid while sat there at the table. My niece is a diabetic and injects just before eating but it goes unnoticed because she is discreet . I am a nurse so I understand about blood sugars etc, Its the need to draw attention to oneself that irritates me. Same lady also held up dinner each night while discussing how the next nights menu would affect her allergies,

The newbies stand out a bit in the embarkation lounge,,They are the ones eating packed lunch or sandwiches for the little café.not knowing that they will be faced with the buffet in a short space of time.

There is fixed dining where you should show up at the same time as the other diners at your table. Same table, same waiter, same companions every night. If you can't make it, you should inform your table mates and the maître d'.

 

Then there is anytime dining where you show up any time you like within the time frame when the dining room is open. You will be asked whether you are willing to share the table with other people. You can dine at a table for 2 or you will dine with different people each night unless you form a group ahead of time and meet at the entrance.

 

Choose the option you like. Some ships only have fixed dining, some ships only have anytime dining (for example NCL, Oceania), some do a mixture (HAL). I did not like the fixed dining we had on Princess ships. One disadvantage was that some people never showed up and we were sitting alone at a large table. We finally formed one table with the people next to us who had also been sitting at a half empty table.

Having cruised fifteen times I'm perfectly aware of how it works.

If we have dined on a big table we have always informed our waiters if we had chosen to dine at another venue for any of the evenings during our cruise.

We have had some mixed experiences when dining on an 8 , including a Scotsman who wanted to re-organise the seating arrangement's each evening Someone who produced a laptop at the table and a diabetic woman who chose to inject insulin at the table, and not discreetly either.

The last time we sailed with RCI we were sat with a huge American woman who declared each night that she wasn't hungry and then proceeded to order several starters as well as the main courses,,,dinner was a loooong event , We chose to dine elsewhere after 3 nights of this.

If you are going to eat in the MDR you should eat there every night! You will be given the same table with the same wait staff. It would be upsetting for them if you only ate there once or twice. If you have dietary needs the hostess will bring the next night's menu to you and can explain with is in the food there. She will take your order for the next night. Then the next night they will bring you whatever you ordered. And the waiter will know and can also help you. I think this would be harder for tem and you if you ate at a different table with different wait staff each night with anytime dining.

This is not like a restaurant. You go ON time - not whenever you feel like it!Why do you think you wouldn't want to eat there every night. If you don't eat there then you would eat in the buffet. This is self serve and the food is not the same. (They never have lobster on 1st formal night.)

The maître'd will be in one restaurant usually at 1 or 2 PM for dining room requests. If you want to do anytime, speak to him then and he may be able to move you.

Apologies to everyone as this is a post from last year,,,but I couldn't let it pass without commenting,,,What a ridiculous concept,,It reminds me of a passenger who said that she wouldn't eat anywhere else other than the MDR out of respect for her table companions, Who's holiday is it ? Thank goodness that we frequent the various dining options and ask for a table for 2 when in the MDR,,,I would really hate to share a table with someone

like you

We are very sociable! We talk with folks while waiting in line, while sitting on deck, while sitting at the buffet, everywhere on ship!

Dinner is a time for us to connect with each other and perhaps to chat further with folks we have met in other areas of the ship. We do not enjoy sitting down to dinner at a large table of strangers where you try to get to know them and also need to wait for all your orders to be taken.

Those sorts of meals are totally unpleasant for us!

Nowadays we only do YTD so we can get a table for 2 OR a table for 4 if we meet other interesting folks. We find that any larger table doesn't really allow for good conversation.

This exactly how me and DH feel. We have tried large tables and tables for 2.. And we much prefer just the 2 of us. On our last cruise we requested a table for 2 but got put on an 8. Maybe its me getting older or maybe its my 'time of life' but I found it irritating to try and enjoy my meal and have a conversation at the same time. It wasn't a relaxed dining experience, it was downright tiring and in all the cruises I have taken its the first time I have felt this way.

Im very happy to chat to people in the lifts, bar , deck or anywhere else,,but its a table for 2 from now on and looking forward to Brittania in August 2015