Dining - Odyssey - Evening hours of operation.....

[Emperor Norton]

An interesting thing about food hold time - on previous cruises the crew was adamant that any food that met/exceeded its hold time was tossed. On this cruise crew were saying that food that met/exceeded its hold time wound up in the crew mess.

[DUHCAR]

Can we let this thread die?

 

We know that a first-timer would like to eat earlier.

We know that the majority don't want or need this.

We now know many reasons why it would be problematic.

 

Let's get back to whinging about things like NF. :halo:

[stamfordian]

Let's get back to whinging about things like NF. :halo:

 

Or what the dress code should be if you get to the MDR at 5.55pm for a 6pm dinner?:evilsmile:

[shellsrus]

I have cruised Seabourn 3 times. I'm one who would like a 6 pm dining option and would happily give up something else if staffing had to be re-allocated. Anecdotally, I've talked to several guests on the cruises (mostly Americans) who feel the same way. I do think Seabourn is out of sync with the preferences of most north Americans on this, and most other cruise lines who offer earlier dining options. It won't stop me cruising with Seabourn, we can all adapt, but I'll keep putting it on the feedback form in hopes of change in the future. Ultimately, it's their cruise line and they will determine what they think most of their customers want and what resources they're willing to allocate to meet their needs.

[SKP946]

Can we let this thread die?

 

We know that a first-timer would like to eat earlier.

We know that the majority don't want or need this.

We now know many reasons why it would be problematic.

 

Let's get back to whinging about things like NF. :halo:

+1 DUHCAR. This thread has become tedious.:rolleyes:

[Dusko]

Glad to see that Conde Nast Traveller has just ranked Seabourn as number one for small ships. maybe those who want to eat earlier like larger ships??? Just kidding.

[marama]

You didn’t ask, but here are tonight’s menus (The Grill by Thomas Keller never changes):

 

 

My mother and I tried In Suite dining one night from The Restaurant’s menu but the order was wrong and lukewarm at best. I wouldn’t suggest it.

 

 

Thank you - looks as fabulous as ever - we can't wait for our next Seabourn Cruise! We actually love in-suite dining, especially if it has been a busy day and always find it good - a nice lazy evening. Its what we almost always do on day one of our cruises. `Looking forward to the delicious Seabourn chocolate pot!

[Pavovsky]

Is it waiter service in the evening in the Colonnade?

 

 

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[Isklaar]

Is it waiter service in the evening in the Colonnade?

 

 

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Most evenings yes.

Some evenings there is a buffet - usually it's quite lavish depending what part of the world you're sailing.

[Pavovsky]

Thanks.

 

 

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[Emperor Norton]

You didn’t ask, but here are tonight’s menus (The Grill by Thomas Keller never changes):

 

 

My mother and I tried In Suite dining one night from The Restaurant’s menu but the order was wrong and lukewarm at best. I wouldn’t suggest it.

 

 

 

Actually the TK menu does change and has different specials every night.

 

 

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[blaze14]

Seabourn can improve their dining experience by shifting a few of the staff who are now serving in the bar to serve in one of the dining rooms for a 6:00 p.m. early dinner. Kitchen staff is already working for those selecting early dinner in their room. No extra staff or hours would be required for this improvement. Some guests prefer eating early for health reasons and others prefer not to go to bed after a full dinner.

 

Those who like to eat late can still eat at their chosen time and their service will improve as many nights many enter dining room at around 7 p.m. so all orders are ready to be served at the same time which slows service. (as some have posted entering the dining room at 7 pm , didn't receive salad until after 8 pm and entree after 9 pm. finishing up just in time for 10 pm entertainment.)

 

T.K. grill opens at 6 pm but you are only allowed to eat their once a week with a reservation and since it is the only option for early dinner (except dining in your room) the early dinner times are sometimes difficult to reserve. (service is good here)

 

Many competitors have found flexable dining options are very popular with their guests. This would improve the Seaboourn experience for many who have posted they would enjoy that option.

[Robisan]

Seabourn can improve their dining experience by shifting a few of the staff who are now serving in the bar to serve in one of the dining rooms for a 6:00 p.m. early dinner.

Now you're just trying to incite a riot. There are a zillion posts on the importance of cocktail hour before dinner and your solution is to diminish bar service? Don't you understand the most dangerous place in the world is between a Seabourn fangyrl and the bartender at cocktail hour? Fair warning, don't go there.

[wripro]

There are FAR more passengers having cocktails at 6PM than dinner. So why would SB deprive the majority of its passengers of better service in order to please a very FEW who want to eat at that hour?

[Roxburgh]

Those in favor of early dining certainly know how to make friends and influence people. :confused::confused:

[Mr Luxury]

It is my experience that TK opens fo dinner at 18.30 and not 18.00 as suggested.

Makes no sense to take staff from the bar and put them in the dining room as most of us enjoy a cocktail before dinner.

If it was wanted or needed then Seabourn would have done it already

 

 

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[Roxburgh]

It is my experience that TK opens fo dinner at 18.30 and not 18.00 as suggested.

Makes no sense to take staff from the bar and put them in the dining room as most of us enjoy a cocktail before dinner.

If it was wanted or needed then Seabourn would have done it already

 

 

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We ate in TK at 6.15pm. We had missed lunch :eek: due to a tour and decided to do an early dinner. We had absolutely no difficulty getting a table as the TK was pretty much deserted until after 7.15pm. We were advised by the TK staff that we could almost always get a table before 7.00pm.

 

There seems to be some misinformation regarding TK reservations. We made one reservation prior to boarding and then made another four reservations at Seabourn Sq. during the cruise. In all we ate there six times on a 36 day cruise. We could have eaten more frequently had we wanted. This was on Sojourn. Perhaps the other ships have a different policy.

[DUHCAR]

Seabourn can improve their dining experience by shifting a few of the staff who are now serving in the bar to serve in one of the dining rooms for a 6:00 p.m. early dinner.

Really? Another one?

:icon_deadhorse:

 

Update: looks like this site doesn't allow the “beating a dead horse” icon/smilie. Too bad.

Edited June 18, 2018 by DUHCAR

[Catlover54]

While we're virtually moving dining hours around, how about allowing LATE dinner commencement, to 9:30 instead of just 9 (e.g., on HL dining hours were 7-9:30 on the cruise I just got off of)? DH and I would typically not show up until 8:30 or 8:45, as it took that long for us to recover from our excursions, to get hungry after our prior usually huge lunch, and sometimes also to process the cakes from tea time, and extra time would allow him to go to the gym or get a massage, and me to have a long protracted bubblebath before dinner and maybe post cruise reports.

 

But I certainly understand the desire for early dinners by some, e.g., if one had an early or small lunch and nothing else later on, , or for possible health reasons Blazer mentioned. The bigger, more mainstream ships usually offer earlier dining MDR starts, but with more personnel planned to spread around.

 

If it were just a matter of getting hungry early, you could have a late afternoon snack set up in your suite (e.g., order a cheese or sausage tray, or keep some emergency cheese in the fridge, or have the fruit, to keep the wolf away), or get canapés (harder), but some want the whole meal experience early. Small ships unfortunately have to compromise on something.

The problem seems to be more the delays in keeping the courses moving (e.g., not getting salad until after 8 when you sit down at 7 in some cases, that is very annoying and unacceptable), which reflects a personnel shortage, and is reflected in the price.

 

 

To contrast, one thing that impressed me on MS Europa was that at least as a solo diner (i.e., no distracting companions to talk to and slow thing :)), I could get a five-course meal from start to finish completed easily and luxuriously within 1.25-1.5 hours if I started at 7, with one course quickly brought as soon as I finished the prior if I was ready for it, i.e., definitely no French style waiting and lingering for 3 hours, even though there was no pressure to get me out as no one else would be using my table. Meals should not take 3 hours on a ship unless pax want them to take that long.

[SKP946]

Those in favor of early dining certainly know how to make friends and influence people. :confused::confused:

+1:rolleyes::mad::D

[Catlover54]

It is my experience that TK opens fo dinner at 18.30 and not 18.00 as suggested.

Makes no sense to take staff from the bar and put them in the dining room as most of us enjoy a cocktail before dinner.

If it was wanted or needed then Seabourn would have done it already

 

 

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Perhaps they changed things, but each time we ate in TK in 2017 it was right at opening, at 6PM, and pre-booking for a December 2018 cruise we see on the website availability at 6PM for reservations. But as Blaze said, dining there is not allowed every night, even if it is not as hard to get in as some think.

[rols]

I find this thread confusing because time on vacation and especially on a cruise ship is very relative. After one of the regular 'change your clock' nights, 6pm yesterday is 7pm today, or 5pm and unless you're travelling in the same latitude and longitude you live in none of the hours match up and the days are a completely different length. Midday is kind of around the time the sun is highest, unless daylight savings have kicked in and the whole day is offset an hour from that.

 

It would be quite possible to set your watch an hour slow and go to dinner at '6' arriving exactly as the MDR opens when the ship, on its own time, believes it to be 7.

 

As long as food and activities are scheduled so you can eat at regular intervals, at least generally aligned with your circadian rhythm, eat at a pace which allows you to go to the show without rushing, or hanging around forever, sleep when it's sort of dark and get up when it's mostly light the actual wall clock time, within a hour or two, doesn't make a whole lot of difference.

[Robisan]

It would be quite possible to set your watch an hour slow and go to dinner at '6' arriving exactly as the MDR opens when the ship, on its own time, believes it to be 7.

Will they also likewise adjust the clock for the next morning's early excursion starts or the next day's shore hours? Or do early risers have to pretend they didn't lose an hour overnight?

[dalliowner]

In southern Europe people tend to eat later at about 10pm should the restaurants therefore stay open til midnight for them ?

[lincslady]

I am sure I am not the only getting a bit bored with this thread. The dining hours suit nearly all the Seabourn passengers, and anyone who really needs something different has plenty of other lines to choose from. including some fairly small high class ones.

 

The only thing which is a bit concerning that some people find service unduly slow - we have always been lucky that way. One thing that SB perhaps does need to address. I suspect it happens mainly when there are quite a few new not completely trained staff in the dining room.