Do you like to interact with the waitstaff

[enymarsh]

Thank you Next and Opinions...I never got flamed before!

[kryos]

What are people's thoughts as to the importance of the waitstaff's interactions relative to their dining and cruise experience?

I enjoy getting to know my waitstaff. They are usually very interesting folks from countries with customs unlike what I am used to ... and they are generally very friendly and nice to talk with.

 

I don't think they are out to "hustle" tips at all. Especially since the advent of the auto-tip, I think they realize that unless they are really bad, they're gonna get their base tips anyway. I honestly think most of them are sincerely interested in making the passengers feel comfortable and at home.

 

I think getting to know your waitstaff is one of the primary plusses of traditional dining ... cause you generally have the same waitstaff each evening and thus can become familiar with them ... and they with you.

 

Makes for an enjoyable dining experience each evening.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[sunprincess]

[Where I think it gets unclear is whether or not true friendships are being formed. I think this difference of opinion really lies in the different ways that people define "friendship".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Of course everyone has their own definition of friendship.

I have met many wonderful friends over my years of cruising that are crew members. We keep in touch on a regular basis.

One of my best friends I met 9 years ago on the Pacific Princess. I have watched him grow with the company & be promoted to Maitre D.

[cruiserabbit]

I am not a veteran cruiser yet - this summer will be our third. But I have to say that without a doubt, the waitstaff has made each and every cruise memorable. And I've never had anyone do "tricks" at table. As a former caterer, I can tell you, I went much further out of my way to make a meal experience memorable for people who treated me like a friend instead of a servant. I even made sure to eat breakfast and lunch meals in the dining rooms just to see specific servers every day! On our last cruise on Grand Princess, wait staff went out of their way to trade tables with other members of the staff, just to be able to serve me and my family! These people all have a special place in my heart. If they WERE doing it for the tips alone - God bless them! Their lives are amazingly hard. Being a caterer was a back breaking job - I can't imagine doing it twelve hours a day AND being separated from the support structure of my family. We always do traditional seating because we consider it an honor to get to know the crew - and we always feel like family when we leave. The last time we cruised, my breakfast waitress cried the last day when she had to say goodbye. I hear from her now and again, despite that she lives half a world away in Croatia. I don't have enough good things to say about these amazing people who work harder than most of us can imagine. I appreciate their style and stamina, and THEY are what keeps me coming back to Princess! (Okay, I'm stepping off my soapbox now...)

[MouseMan]

Interacting with these hard working people makes the journey that much more enjoyable. Considering that most are seperated from their families for long periods of time, work long and hard hours in order to make an income for these families, and have to deal with all kinds of attitudes and demands, being polite and civil with them is the very least we could do. It is also a good thing to keep in mind that many of them come from countries which do not have the FREEDOM most of us experience in our daily lives. I know these things because I have taken the time to converse and interact with them, and it makes for a much enjoyable and memorable vacation.

[Next]

Thank you Next and Opinions...I never got flamed before!

 

Enymarsh: Not sure if that was directed at my reply to you post about the definition of friendship. I don't see how my response could be intrepreted as flaming. I was building on your comment and supporting your logic.

 

Did I miss something? :)

[enymarsh]

Enymarsh: Not sure if that was directed at my reply to you post about the definition of friendship. I don't see how my response could be intrepreted as flaming. I was building on your comment and supporting your logic.

 

Did I miss something? :)

 

No you didn't miss anything... I am just being unintentionally cryptic... I meant to thank you for your support!!! (Opinions too)

[Opinions]

Did I miss something? :)

 

You may have missed a previous post from another poster...I understood Enymarsh was thanking us for our comments.

[Next]

:)

 

Thanks for the quick reply. This has been a good thread with some interesting comments and low level of tension. I started the thread because I had not seen the topic discussed before and I thing we have all had enough of jeans and alcohol smuggling. LOL.

 

Have a good one !!! :D

[jean s]

We always interact with the wait staff...at sea or on land. On our most recent cruise on the Star Princess we had personal choice dining but always seemed to get the same lovely young woman as our waiter. She was a graduate student from Romania and was taking a semester off from school to earn money and learn english. As a teacher I loved chatting with her each evening and discussing our different cultures. You know, she was a really nice part of our cruise. You never know what you might learn by talking to the people you meet while travelling.;)

[hstrybuf]

Yes, I like to interact with the staff. After all, they are people too. No, I don't expect them to become my best buddies, but I enjoy speaking with them when the opportunity occurs.

[spongerob]

We've had a lot of fun with some of our staff. Those that we have run into again always seem to enjoy meeting familiar faces again. It was gratifying, too, to see someone we had recommended for promotion in the new position. She recognized us and nearly crushed me with the hug she gave me.

[Terre]

We love getting to know the staff and hearing about their homeland and families. I think they enjoy talking to us about it, too. I think it helps them to not be so homesick. Anytime people feel that you are interested in them as a person and who they are makes them feel good.

 

On one of our Carnival cruises we had a wonderful wait staff and I e-mailed Bob Dickerson, the president of Carnival about them. Whether or not Mr. Dickerson actually read the e-mail I don't know, but it did get forwarded to the waiter who in turn e-mailed me back to thank me. He was so excited about getting an email from Mr. Dickerson, saying he'd never gotten one from him before. I felt good knowing our waiter was excited about getting an email from the president of the company!

[Mike2131]

We like visiting with the staff (it makes the voyage more enjoyable for everyone), but I also think everyone understands we are not making new lifelong friends here. If a middle category for the poll had been offered, we would have landed there.

[Dreamer333]

I am very surprised that some posters were "flamed" for not being interested in interacting with the staff.

 

Just because someone is more interested in conversations with their dinner partners than with the servers, doesn't mean that they think the servers are "servants".

 

When I cruise, there are times that I am enjoying a romantic dinner with my DH, and to be honest, at that point I really don't care about my server's background. Of course I am polite, I tip well, and I do expect good service.

 

There are other times, however, when we are in a different type of mood, and may enjoy some conversations from the wait staff.

 

I think it is unfair to "flame" some people who don't enjoy getting to know their servers on a more personal level. Some people don't like small talk... some people don't cruise to make "friends" but instead cruise to further develop existing family/partener relationships.

 

I also think it is a bit presumtive to assume that the servers want to discuss their personal lives with their clients/passangers. Of course there are some who are willing and eager, but I don't think that applies to all the servers.

 

With all that being said, the bottom line for me is that I am somewhere in the "middle". :)

[enymarsh]

I'm in the middle with you Dreamer, and thanks for the kind thoughts.

 

(like your quote too!)

[LARGIN]

Perhaps someone can enlighten me. I see no flames being thrown..

[Dreamer333]

(like your quote too!)

 

Thanks, enymarsh!

Happy cruising to you!

[RumbLine]

In traditional seating, I've had wait staff that were very bubbly and fun for short bits of time and they also knew when to interact and when to just serve quietly and not interrupt. They were the best.

I've had others that were very good at serving, but seemed more interested in politely keeping to themselves and just making sure we had what we needed when we needed it. They were also very good.

I've never had a really bad waiter experience on a cruise. I don't fault people for their individual personalities that may range from quiet to loud, as long as they are dedicated to being a professional waiter. We respect that, treat them all with courtesy and kindness, and are generous in our compensation for their service.

I'm not looking to make new friends of the wait staff, nor am I looking for new friends on the cruise. I'm there to spend relaxing times with family and friends who cruise with us. If a waiter happened to be inclined to perform magic tricks for us, sing songs, do a jig or two, and tell us jokes, I think I'd like that too, but it's not expected.

[wyatt earp]

be nice to the wait staff, and they will be good to you. Treat them as you would want to be treated yourself.:)

[Mbouck1]

My wife and I think that interacting with waitstaff is part of the fun of cruising. We were on a BTB on the Sea Princess a few years ago and the waitstaff we had we superb. The were both very friendly and very funny (especially the ass't waiter). She had everyone at our table laughing constantly. I can recall one time I asked for a cup of coffee and she told me to get it myself, so I did. She made dinner time something to look forward to and made everyone feel comfortable. Even our waiter brought his wife who worked at a different part of the ship to meet us because we were one of the best tables he ever had.

Our last cruise on the Island Princess was just the opposite. The waitress was less than friendly and for some reason could not hold ass't waiters since we went through 3 of them on our cruise. We had to tell her every night that we need drinks etc. She would not talk much at all and made plenty of mistakes.

All the waitstaff on our other cruises were also very good and professional especially the Sea Princess and less on our last cruise.

[CruiseYVR]

I would prefer if they didn`t speak to me at all.

 

I do not cruise to make friends nor care to be bothered. I rarely dine in the main areas beacuse of these reasons.

[LARGIN]

I would prefer if they didn`t speak to me at all.

 

I do not cruise to make friends nor care to be bothered. I rarely dine in the main areas beacuse of these reasons.

 

No problem.. :rolleyes:

[CruiseYVR]

No problem.. :rolleyes:

 

Whenever you post there seems to a be a problem.

 

Everyone is entitled to their own personal thoughts, myself included.

 

I do not expect you to agree nor do I care if you do.

[Mbouck1]

WOW...certainly sounds like I wouldn't want to meet up with you on a cruise. I am always on a cruise to make friends, whether it be waitstaff or fellow cruisers. I found out on our last cruise that there are people out there who are such wonderful people that they booked the same cruise as we were on

just because we became good friends from a previous cruise which I stated in an earlier post and they were from England.

I certainly don't think I would enjoy any cruise if I was there just for myself and not enjoy others company. Just my opinion.