MDR no-shows

[Allis154]

Our first cruise, we had an awesome table for 6; 2 singles and a mother/daughter couple and us. We had a great time!

 

Second cruise, asked for a larger table, ended up at a 6 top, without a set dining time (could come in anytime between 6 and 7:30). We arrived at 7, the only other couple had arrived at 6, so were on dessert when we were starting. The next night...we arrived early...they late...next night they didn't show...us the next night...finally, on the last night, we both arrived at the same time..but they sat in the furthest seats, so it was like dining alone...

 

After that..we do 2-tops only. We still tell our waiter that we won't be in the next day, if we are not dining in the MDR. Just a courtesy IMO.

[John Bull]

Certainly nothing wrong with everyone dining where they wish and no responsibility to go to MDR and the table they were assigned.

 

But, it would be just simple manners IMO to tell the Dining Room Manager or Maitre d' you will not be at the assigned table as courtesy to other people who are now left alone waiting for you to come.

 

If you picture it being just you and your traveling companion and if you travel solo, it being you sitting alone at a big table, perhaps the next time a simple comment to Maitre d' could make a difference for those other folks.

Just tell someone......... please.

JMO......

 

 

That kinda sums it up. Simple courtesy.

 

Being assigned a table is no different to booking a table at a restaurant in your home town, or being invited to a function, party, meeting, whatever - its plain good manners to say you'll not be there. So tell the Maitre D or the others assigned to the table that you will not / might not not be dining with them. Is it really too much trouble to pick up a phone or swing by the MDR?

 

And if you don't intend to dine at that table cruise-long, the simple consideration of telling folk allows the Maitre D to allocate those seats to others who enjoy a shared table, or to re-assign those folk to another shared table.

 

BTW, yes, a big black mark to the Maitre D who put a solo cruiser together with a family of 9 on a table for 10. :mad: That cruiser would probably have been just as badly-off if the family had turned-up, an interloper on the family's table.

On every cruise I can think of, solo cruisers are all put together on large tables. And they have a ball :)

 

Just my own thoughts

 

JB :)

[paul929207]

Our first cruise, we had an awesome table for 6; 2 singles and a mother/daughter couple and us. We had a great time!

 

Second cruise, asked for a larger table, ended up at a 6 top, without a set dining time (could come in anytime between 6 and 7:30). We arrived at 7, the only other couple had arrived at 6, so were on dessert when we were starting. The next night...we arrived early...they late...next night they didn't show...us the next night...finally, on the last night, we both arrived at the same time..but they sat in the furthest seats, so it was like dining alone...

 

After that..we do 2-tops only. We still tell our waiter that we won't be in the next day, if we are not dining in the MDR. Just a courtesy IMO.

Never heard of being able to show up between 6 & 7:30 for an assigned table. What line was this? Seems it would be tying up the table for the entire evening.

[dobiemom]

I wonder if checking cabins number for persons going to Anytime Dining would help.

HAL asks for your cabin number every time in Open Seating. If you are in assigned seating, you cannot come to open seating. (Of course you can go to the Lido or specialty restaurant.)

[paul929207]

HAL asks for your cabin number every time in Open Seating. If you are in assigned seating, you cannot come to open seating. (Of course you can go to the Lido or specialty restaurant.)

Unfortunately, Princess does not do that, or at least not on all ships.

[shredie]

No-shows is my pet peeve. On our last cruise, we were the only ones at a four top. We had a neighbor couple all alone at an eight top. On the third night, we invited them to join us. The Maitre d' adjusted things for us. No one ever showed up at that eight top the entire cruise. One perk was that the waiter on that table, having been robbed of his two, came to our table often to chat. He was quite a comedian, and we loved it.

[SadieN]

HAL asks for your cabin number every time in Open Seating. If you are in assigned seating, you cannot come to open seating. (Of course you can go to the Lido or specialty restaurant.)

 

When we ate in the buffet for dinner on our last HAL cruise we were asked for our cabin numbers. Do not know if it was for the MDR of grat assignments.

[subtchr]

We have enjoyed traditional early dining on most our cruises so far - the first two with our own large family groups, and the next two at 6- and 8-tops with others who we enjoyed dining with. Whenever we or another couple would be dining elsewhere, we would let the others know the night before, if possible.

 

Our last cruise was on X in Aqua Class, which meant we dined in Blu with no set time. Sometimes we ate with our son and his partner, sometimes just the two of us, and once with some other friends at a table for 6. We loved the flexibility of eating whenever we wanted. The only drawback is that we enjoy going to the evening shows, and if we ate at an "off" time to the usual schedule, we sometimes missed those.

 

For our next cruise, we are trying My Time Dining on RC, because it is an Alaska cruise. We are not scheduled to leave several ports until 8 or 9 pm, so we don't want to feel we have to cut our exploring short to make it back for a set dinner time. We also do not plan to bring formal attire (more room for warm and dry weather gear!), so we will eat elsewhere from the MDR on formal nights at least. I'm not so worried about missing shows, as this cruise is much more about the ports and scenery than the ship. We are traveling over the summer solstice, so it will be light outside until after midnight.

 

So for us, we would consider it rude to have a set dining time at the MDR and never use it without letting the staff know.

[OCruisers]

What kind of jerk was the Dining Room Manager for that cruise? To demand a single woman sit alone night after night rather than move her to a table where she could join a convivial group?

Why did she put up with that? That is inexcusable..... Isn't cruising the HOSPITALITY BUSINESS? I am actually angry this person who has no face or name to me...... was treated that way and very sorry she didn't stand up for herself and insist she be seated with other folks and not left alone at a large table. Awful IMO

 

Totally Agree! This should NOT have happened! :mad:

 

Not as bad ... but we did have a situation on Veendam ... Late seating TD. We were at a table for 6 ... the first two nights none of the others came. A couple from Canada was at the next table and none came there either. We would chat back and forth with each other. We had the same waiter. Told him we wanted to be seated together. He said that he would try but had to get permission. Natually, we ask for the Dining Room Manager so it was worked out ... but not without effort. (Note: There was so much Noro on that cruise the Speciality Restaurant was closed so there was no other real option except for the MDR.)

 

LuLu

~~~~

[sail7seas]

I fully expect I will be a "no-show" several nights for my upcoming cruise, where I have chosen late seating dinner at a table for 8 -- however, I have every intention of telling the Maitre D' that I won't be dining there that night. It will at least allow other diners to know not to expect me, though there will still be an empty seat at the table. I currently have 2 nights booked at specialty restaurants, and I will likely take more if they are available once I'm on board. I also know there's a high possibility that for at least one night I will choose another dining option (buffet or room service).

 

My very first cruise, I was cruising solo and seated at a table for 10 and NONE of the other passengers arrived. It turns out they were all in the same family, and they'd missed the embarkation. Apparently they joined the cruise at a future port, but I never went back to the MDR that cruise to find out. (I didn't know or have the guts then to ask for a different table assignment.)

 

 

Many of us dine in the Specialty Restaurants and it is no issue.

If you know you will not be at your assigned table the next night, tell your tablemates to not wait for you.

Tell your steward you will be going to the Specialty Restaurant No one blinks an eye at that. Letting them know in advance allows for them to order their dinner and enjoy without waiting for you to arrive not knowing you aren't coming.

 

[wwcruisers]

Our first cruise we had no idea about the dining room rules. We went once, but totally didn't click with one couple at our table. They did nothng but whine and complain the entire meal and criticize everything and everyone. We just went to the buffet after that. We had no idea they would wait for us or that we should have notified anyone. It was not intentional rudeness, just plain ignorance.

 

LOL -- You probably did them a favor -- gave them something new to whine and complain about! ;):p

[Husky61]

Personally if I were assigned to a table for 8 and no one else ever showed up, I wouldn't care. it's their choice to eat or not eat in MDR.:)

[RunnerGirl26.2]

We were at an 8 top this spring that was full, but only four of us showed up for dinner every night (late seating). I felt bad for our servers as they had to set up for 8 every night and serve only the four of us. I thought it was a bit rude of the others assigned to the table.

[LocoLoco1]

Paul929207,

Hi. Actually we and others have hit upon an idea the Dining Staff LOVE!! We'll usually 'click' with a few couples poolside or over cocktails; then we notify Maitre'd of our groups' preferred dining time. Presto! nice table...same time every night, with people we actually LIKE!! Never fixed seating ever again for us. Locomotiveman

[beachchick]

In that case, please select anytime, my time, freedom, or whatever it is called on your cruise dining. This way you won't have table mates wondering where you are.

 

Not a bad idea. We have never enjoyed assigned dining, but not because we "don't like meeting people" as some might accuse. We don't like having a time when we must dine each night. It is simply not enjoyable for us to have to go eat if we're not hungry right then or any number of other reasons.

 

When we have had assigned dining, we ask for a table just for us or our family. The couple of times we've been assigned to a large table, we go to the MDR the first night and dine there. That night, we let everyone know that we will probably not be dining there for the remainder of the cruise. We do, however, let the waiter know that it is no reflection on him/her. We tip him/her because we know it goes to all the various servers and it's simpler than trying to tip each server throughout the cruise.

 

Ok, I admit, that's where my thoughts were leading. So sad. Don't they realize there are service people in every venue, helping to make their meal an enjoyable one, whether or not they have table service for every course?

 

On one cruise, the two of us had a large table to ourselves, and two other large tables in our area had one lady each. We asked to have them moved to ours, if they wished. One did, but the other was served by a different waiter, and was not permitted to join us. She spent the entire week eating alone. All three tables were "fully booked".

 

I am not much of a rebel, but in that case I would have said, "The heck with that. Come join us and I dare them not to serve you! Just split the tip between the two servers or something."

 

beachchick

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

It depends on the cruise length ..

[PBC29]

Only time we've really had no-shows at our table in the MDR is on the final night.

 

We all know why.

[1025cruise]

On my last cruise the MDR was pretty empty on the final night, however we had just docked in Victoria for the "make the cruise legal" stop, so a lot of people were getting off. Due to the late arrival, we chose to stay on board. And yes, our dining companions didn't get off either.

[csmjfmbe]

Interesting blog.

We have done a table for 2 to a table for 10, and we have met some fascinating people on shared tables. We have also had the misfortune of dining with a few couples, where I would rather have been in the dentists chair, unfortunately, these couples always show up, mainly to moan about every aspect of the cruise, but, fair enough, it is their holiday and if that makes them happy then so be it.

As for not showing, if we have planned to see a particular show or visit a speciality restaurant, we always inform the table and waiters the night before.

If you have a bar waiter at the table, you should also let them know as the table waiters do not always pass the information on.

I hope you all enjoy your cruises and dine wherever you like, but if you are a habitual moaner, get a table for two.

Do not get me wrong, I have no problem with someone airing a concern, but not when it involves everything, the sheets, the pillows, the shower, the weather, the door, the staff, the shows and that is before they even start about things while off the ship.

Overall, we have been tremendously lucky in who we have shared tables with, so please do not be put off from sharing by anyone including me.

All the best

[NoobCruise]

Not a bad idea. We have never enjoyed assigned dining, but not because we "don't like meeting people" as some might accuse. We don't like having a time when we must dine each night. It is simply not enjoyable for us to have to go eat if we're not hungry right then or any number of other reasons.

 

When we have had assigned dining, we ask for a table just for us or our family. The couple of times we've been assigned to a large table, we go to the MDR the first night and dine there. That night, we let everyone know that we will probably not be dining there for the remainder of the cruise. We do, however, let the waiter know that it is no reflection on him/her. We tip him/her because we know it goes to all the various servers and it's simpler than trying to tip each server throughout the cruise.

 

 

 

I am not much of a rebel, but in that case I would have said, "The heck with that. Come join us and I dare them not to serve you! Just split the tip between the two servers or something."

 

beachchick

 

 

We're the same way. Most days, we don't know where we want to eat until about the time we want to eat lol This last cruise we did the anytime dining and loved it! We could go whenever we felt like it and didn't have to worry about letting anyone else know where we'd be. We could also request whatever table size we wanted for the night. It was like dining at a land restaurant. We still only ate twice in the MDR, but the 1st night we were seated at a 4 top. We enjoyed our tablemates a lot. The 2nd night we were in a little more romantic mood and requested a table for 2. From now on, we will always go with anytime dining!

[Happy ks]

Unless we're cruising with a group, we now prefer the option of open seating (whatever the line calls it). Early seating is way too early for us, late seating is too late for some of our friends, so it's a bit of a compromise with a group.

 

When just 2 or 4 of us, it's lovely to just go when you want to, or go to an optional venue and not have to worry about anyone else.

 

The times with traditional dining and we have been seated with strangers it has been a mixed bag. Some show up every night, some just come formal nights, some never show up at all. I don't worry about what others are doing and I'm in no rush to get out of the dining room. So, if the server wants to wait to see if others show up, we'll enjoy our wine or cocktails a bit longer, no worries.

[Hlitner]

Several years ago we took a 7 day cruise on the Adventure of the Seas and, as was our usual practice, requested a large table in the 2nd seating. We had a nice table of 8 and never saw the other 6. According the Maitre 'd they were on the ship but chose to dine in the Lido every night. But RCI had to hold their space in the MDR. After that cruise (more then 10 years ago) we have never again booked a fixed seating. Instead we always choose the Anytime Dining option (called different things on different lines) and always ask to share a large table when we go to dinner. That way we are assured we will always have a full table and get to meet lots of interesting folks. On many cruises (and we cruise a lot ---101 days in just 2012) we make a few friends and ultimately form our own tables (which can vary from night to night). When cruise lines started offering all kinds of dinner options (Lido, alternative restaurants, etc.) they essentially ended the old style of cruising.

 

Hank

[jsmeeker]

People are no-shows because they just don't want to dine in the main dining room. they want to eat in specialty restaurants, the buffet, in their rooms, whatever. And that's all fine and good.

 

How many cruise lines allow the passengers to "opt out" of the dining room? Sure, some lines don't have traditional set dining times at all. But out of the ones that do have main dining room options, how many have a "none of the above" option when selecting either a fixed dining time or "MyTime" or "AnyTime" or whatever? That really should be an option, IMHO. Instead, people get sorta forced into picking an option they have no intention of using. Telling people "pick Any Time in that case" really isn't fair to those who genuinely want that option and can't get in because a bunch of people selected it with having no intention of using it.

[5326jan]

People are no-shows because they just don't want to dine in the main dining room. they want to eat in specialty restaurants, the buffet, in their rooms, whatever. And that's all fine and good.

 

How many cruise lines allow the passengers to "opt out" of the dining room? Sure, some lines don't have traditional set dining times at all. But out of the ones that do have main dining room options, how many have a "none of the above" option when selecting either a fixed dining time or "MyTime" or "AnyTime" or whatever? That really should be an option, IMHO. Instead, people get sorta forced into picking an option they have no intention of using. Telling people "pick Any Time in that case" really isn't fair to those who genuinely want that option and can't get in because a bunch of people selected it with having no intention of using it.

 

Anyone that doesn't have the intention of showing up at the MDR at a specified time every night should choose Anytime/My Time dining. That would be so much more pleasant for those of us who wish to dine with interesting travelers and enjoy more depth of conversation than where you live and what kind of work you do! :)

[fleckle]

People are no-shows because they just don't want to dine in the main dining room. they want to eat in specialty restaurants, the buffet, in their rooms, whatever. And that's all fine and good.

 

How many cruise lines allow the passengers to "opt out" of the dining room?

Bingo! I think you nailed it right there.

 

People check something when they book a cruise because they are required to check something. So the ship gives them a dining room assignment.

 

Then once on board some show up at the table they have been assigned, while others simply ignore a table assignment that they care nothing about and never wanted in the first place.

 

It is rather like receiving those jewelry or spa sale notices that we care nothing about and just toss into a trash can when we have no intention of attending.

There is also the situation where someone is moved to another table, but the original table assignment is never cancelled.

 

I am finding this concern about no-shows rather interesting and somewhat puzzling.

If I had not seen this thread, it never would have occurred to me to care in the slightest where some stranger I have never met has chosen to eat, or why. :)