Cold Lobster because fare-well procedure at last formal night !!

[Gerd]

Hello all,

 

I'm just back from my beautiful 17 days Hawaii Circle Cruise and I would like to have your opinion about its HAL new dining schedule.

 

"" DINING - Holland America Line ships offer open seating for breakfast and lunch. There are four sittings for dinner on our ships. Dinner times are 5:45 pm (First Upper), 6:15 pm (First Lower), 8:00 pm (Main Upper) and 8:30 pm (Main Lower) ""

 

This for sittings are fine for me, but it is really worst for the farewell spectacle !!

 

Since HAL use this 4 times sittings, almost 50 % of the passengers occurs the same problem, because this is valid for those guests who are on "First Lower" 6:15 PM early sitting, as well for the late sitting guest at 8:30 PM "Late Lower".

 

This time I had just received my well-appreciated hot Lobster, while without any warning, the dining room was darkened for its so lovely farewell procedure.

I have had this already on my March MS Westerdam cruise, and unfortunately it re-appears on again on the MS Statendam.

 

Off course, I like very much this HAL event, but why say cannot wait upstairs until all passengers did finish there Dinner ? Or, why on this particularly day, they only give 2 sittings and not 4 ???

 

Because everybody loves that procedure, al second sittings looks for it, takes pictures and follow the show, meanwhile the Entrée cools down…..

 

 

Please give me your opinion about this.

 

Best regards

 

G E R D

 

 

 

MS Ryndam – Wayfarer – March 1997

MS Noordam - Transatlantic Island Hook - April 2001

MS Volendam - Southern Caribbean - April 2002

MS Volendam - Westfarer Caribbean - April 2004

MS Prinsendam - Windmills & Waterford – September 20

MS Westerdam - Western Caribbean - April 2005

MS Statendam - Hawaii Circle - September 2005

 

82 days - almost 22'500 Nm

 

Future Cruises :

 

MS Rotterdam - Vikings and Czars - July 2006

MS RYNDAM - Southern Caribbean - March 2007

[sail7seas]

If I remember correctly, I think that the night of the Farewell Dinner, Maasdam had two seatings instead of the four....as you suggest should be the case. We were 8:00 seating and it seems to me we dined at 8:15 that night and the early seating was 6:00.

 

[JimVrhovac]

We did a back-to-back on the Veendam last December and had about the same problem.

 

The first week we were upstairs on the first seating and everything went great. The second week we were downstatirs on the first seating and it was a disaster. We came in on time but they allowed most of the downstairs people to come in early and started serving them right away. We were among the last to be served the first three nights.

 

After that I refused to eat in the diningroom again. Cased some problems between Ruth and me but I refuse to get bad service like that.

 

Complained to Matri Di, Hotel Manager, and the Captain about the problem.

 

Will be on the Veendam in Nov and hope the problem is solved....

 

Jim & Ruth

[alsas]

sorry but just off the Zaandam and we had 4 seatings I still think we may not like the problem but the cost saving they experience is why they went to 4 seatings (less staff) there are worse concerns for cruisers.how deep will cuts go. happy sailing alsas