Specialty restaurants

[Mura]

I had heard that this was discouraged in general just because it puts an extra burden on the butler. (Clearly it wouldn't be so burdensome where kitchens are shared.)

 

 

When we're in an aft suite we don't worry about that, but then again I don't think we ever tried to order one dish from here and another dish from there.

 

 

Come to think of it, when they really deliver it course by course this shouldn't be a problem. Most of the time we've gotten the first and second courses together, and dessert separately, but we've never made a point of specifically requesting course by course.

 

 

 

Mura

[StanandJim]

In our experience, there will occasionally be a, shall we say "less than motivated" Butler who tries to discourage passengers from ordering from more than one Restaurant because it IS more difficult to coordinate multiple kitchen orders.

Our response is to thank that Butler for the notification of the restriction, also asking that he have the Hotel Manager set up a meeting with us to discuss the change.

Said Meeting will literally never be referred to again because the multiple kitchen request will appear precisely as ordered, and with it arrives that sudden amnesia of the request ever having been denied, at all.

Best to nip this type of thing in the bud, as once the remiss few learn that "don't mix kitchens" works, the misinformation spreads like wildfire.....you'll be doing the rest of us a favor . :halo:

[JeffElizabeth]

Try the Asian restaurant if you have the chance. Best Asian restaurant I have ever eaten at.

[ORV]

In our experience, there will occasionally be a, shall we say "less than motivated" Butler who tries to discourage passengers from ordering from more than one Restaurant because it IS more difficult to coordinate multiple kitchen orders.

Our response is to thank that Butler for the notification of the restriction, also asking that he have the Hotel Manager set up a meeting with us to discuss the change.

Said Meeting will literally never be referred to again because the multiple kitchen request will appear precisely as ordered, and with it arrives that sudden amnesia of the request ever having been denied, at all.

Best to nip this type of thing in the bud, as once the remiss few learn that "don't mix kitchens" works, the misinformation spreads like wildfire.....you'll be doing the rest of us a favor . :halo:

 

A few years ago I was told in advance of the cruise that this was no longer allowed. Perhaps due to abuse of the system. How was it on your most current cruise?

[pinotlover]

We were told by a recent Concierge Manager the policy had been put into effect to accommodate the fact that the number of cabins/ suites assigned to the Butlers ( and cabin stewards) had been increased significantly.

 

I never found only ordering out of one kitchen to be an inconvenience, just happy to have in suite dining. The Butlers appear to be busting their bottom as it is without attempting to demand 1 course from this restaurant, another from that one, and yes how about restaurant #3!

 

It wouldn’t surprise me however that some of the allowances made for those in the top suites , VS and above, may be different than for the rest of us . At those rates, I’d give them whatever they requested likewise.

Edited July 5, 2018 by pinotlover

[StanandJim]

A few years ago I was told in advance of the cruise that this was no longer allowed. Perhaps due to abuse of the system. How was it on your most current cruise?

 

Worked fine on an O ship last year, but we were in a Vista so nothing was ever questioned.

If it had been an issue, I would have wanted the Hotel Manager to explain why, regardless.

[pinotlover]

JeffElizabeth;

 

I too enjoy dining in the Red Ginger, but the “best” Asian food you’ve ever eaten! I’d suggest an Asian cruise for you to Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, etc. where you get off the ship and eat real Asian food in a great restaurant, in lieu of the Americanized “Asian “ food served in most areas! The Red Ginger is good, but its Asian fusion cuisine barely qualifies as Asian.

[blacksmith]

We were told by a recent Concierge Manager the policy had been put into effect to accommodate the fact that the number of cabins/ suites assigned to the Butlers ( and cabin stewards) had been increased significantly.

 

I never found only ordering out of one kitchen to be an inconvenience, just happy to have in suite dining. The Butlers appear to be busting their bottom as it is without attempting to demand 1 course from this restaurant, another from that one, and yes how about restaurant #3!

 

It wouldn’t surprise me however that some of the allowances made for those in the top suites , VS and above, may be different than for the rest of us . At those rates, I’d give them whatever they requested likewise.

 

 

 

If the concierge manager is correct, it would suggest that Oceania has decreased service staff on their ships. Does anyone (Stan & Jim) have information regarding this?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Paulchili]

If the concierge manager is correct, it would suggest that Oceania has decreased service staff on their ships. Does anyone (Stan & Jim) have information regarding this?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

I do not have the numbers but that has been my impression just from observations on the last few cruises (especially noticeable in the Terrace, IMO),

That said, impressions are just that - impressions but not facts.

[Mura]

JeffElizabeth;

 

I too enjoy dining in the Red Ginger, but the “best” Asian food you’ve ever eaten! I’d suggest an Asian cruise for you to Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, etc. where you get off the ship and eat real Asian food in a great restaurant, in lieu of the Americanized “Asian “ food served in most areas! The Red Ginger is good, but its Asian fusion cuisine barely qualifies as Asian.

 

+1 I was about to add a simple comment that not everyone agrees with the assessment of Red Ginger.

[LHT28]

it may be logistics

If one person orders an dishes from RG (deck 5) & the other from Polo (deck 14)

Unless they can co-ordinate the runners to bring all the dishes from RG & another one brings all the dishes from Polo for the same time frame to be served it could end up with some cold dishes

 

JMO

[YoHoHo]

If the concierge manager is correct, it would suggest that Oceania has decreased service staff on their ships. Does anyone (Stan & Jim) have information regarding this?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Decreased from when is what is relevant if your concern is about current staffing levels. I was told this "one restaurant ordering" a few years back, same a ORV posted earlier. I know it was discussed here on Cc at the time so I was not too surprised when our butler asked which one of the menus do we want. It was polite but very clear. I am 98% sure I read it in official O wording somewhere as well.

 

So bottom line is if this one menu in cabin dining is due to decreased staffing then it is not new issue.

[LHT28]

I am not sure of less staff but certainly some that are not trained as well as some of them were 5 + years ago

[Paulchili]

I am not sure of less staff but certainly some that are not trained as well as some of them were 5 + years ago

Maybe that’s it.

[wripro]

it may be logistics

If one person orders an dishes from RG (deck 5) & the other from Polo (deck 14)

Unless they can co-ordinate the runners to bring all the dishes from RG & another one brings all the dishes from Polo for the same time frame to be served it could end up with some cold dishes

 

JMO

If they cannot execute these requests and orders well they should not offer them.

[LHT28]

If they cannot execute these requests and orders well they should not offer them.

probably why they implemented the one restaurant per cabin order

[Hawaiidan]

Stan&Jim;

 

It was explicitly explained to me, it’s not a 1st come first serve system. Leaving out the hierarchy pecking order of suites, what I have witnessed and experienced is that O accepts requests for additional ( or primary) reservations at the desk from 9:00-13:00, at which time that stop taking requests. After 13:00, they shift through all the requests and allocate out the reservations.

 

Priority is given to those that haven’t got their guaranteed reservations. Then priority by suites. However, for PH and below, priority is also given to those with lesser Specialties dining. If the computer shows Dan has eaten 6 extra times that cruise in a Specialty and Joe only 1 extra, Joe will have priority whether he stood at the desk at 9:30 or 12:30.

 

We were typically notified after about 3:00 if we had secured a seating. Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

 

 

That may be the way it goes today, but as of 2 years ago, I could walk up to the reservation desk, either in the terrace of Reception, and get a reservation or not with a time , right then and there !! On an alaska cruise once we swung to the outside passage and another time in the Bass Straits, I for the heck of it, walked to several places, all 1/2 to 1/3 full and was invited to have a table.... reservations compliments of Mal du Mere.. No I do not book the owners suite, opting instead for a corner of the dry goods store room, where I SCORE a large cardboard empty carton to spread my sleeping bag.

.

On the other hand, with the exceptions of Jaques, I enjoy the main dining room( many new choices every night) or terrace much more. hundreds of combinations to play with....

 

Once you have been to all the specialties, several times, they loose their attraction. Well at least for me

[LHT28]

according to their guidelines on the FAQ page

 

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/faq/

Do you have any in-suite dining options on board the ships?

All Owner's Suites, Vista Suites, Oceania Suites and Penthouse Suites include a Butler to assist guests.

On board Regatta, Nautica and Insignia, each butler is assigned to 15-16 suites and each ship has 4 Butlers. Butler Service is available from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

On board Marina and Riviera, Butler Service is 24 hours per day. This is in addition to the cabin steward and assistant steward. Butlers can assist guests with a variety of services including: Course-by-course in-suite dining offered in all suite categories, Owner’s Suite, Vista Suites, Oceania Suites and Penthouse Suites.

Guests in our suite accommodations can order in from any of our specialty restaurants, in addition to the standard items available on our 24-hour room service menu. Meals from the specialty restaurants may only be served during regular dining rooms in the suites. All guests must order from the same menu.

 

bolding is mine

Maybe it is just a guideline like bringing wine onboard

[keithm]

We have never been real fans of the specialty restaurants so we have tended not to use all our alloted reservations. (We DO like Jacques, so that first sentence has always applied more to the "R" ships.) But we also have also liked the GDR -- which as far as we concerned is FAR from being a catering hall! -- because we liked the changing variety. The new menus, based on our experience last month on Riviera (May 2018) are not an improvement ... so this time around we had more dinners in Terrace than we ever have before.

 

 

 

When we can't get a reservation should we want one, we're usually in a suite that allows us to order into the suite, so that's what we will do ... especially on a port day when we may not feel like "dressing for dinner".

 

 

That being said ...

 

 

We once showed up in Jacques and asked if there was space. The maitre d' knew us from previous cruises so we knew that when he told us they did not, that was true. OTOH, when we showed up at Polo for our 7:30 reservation on May 13th the maitre d' informed us that our reservation had been for 6:00.

 

 

Since when? Every written confirmation we'd received, including the reminder posted on our door the night before, said 7:30. We were supposed to be sharing with another couple ... Under the circumstances, they DID find a table for two for us. We were concerned that the other couple might have been inconvenienced but we were assured they were not. Perhaps they preferred to dine alone.

 

 

At any rate, the fact is as others have said ... sometimes you can get a "walk up": reservation. In our experience that has rarely been the case, but then we have rarely tried!

 

 

Mura

Mura, what did you not like about the GDR's new menu?

[Mura]

As I said, the repetition of various items. For example, I had prime rib for dinner one night. But two nights later the prime rib was back on the menu. Likewise, one or two of the appetizer, soup and salad items appeared several times on a week's cruise (we were on a 15 day B2B).

 

 

In the past there would not have been this kind of repetition. As a result we went to Terrace more frequently than we have in the past. If the most enticing item on the menu was something I'd just had a day or two earlier, I wasn't interested in repeating it.

 

 

JMO

 

 

Mura

[LHT28]

As I said, the repetition of various items. For example, I had prime rib for dinner one night. But two nights later the prime rib was back on the menu. Likewise, one or two of the appetizer, soup and salad items appeared several times on a week's cruise (we were on a 15 day B2B).

Mura

The repeating of items might be right if it was a B2B & not billed as a 15 day cruise

Will find out we leave next week for a 14 day cruise :D

 

Lyn

[Mura]

Lyn, if the repetition had been every 7 days we would have understood. But it was more like every 2-3 days.

[MisterBill99]

The repeating of items might be right if it was a B2B & not billed as a 15 day cruise

Will find out we leave next week for a 14 day cruise :D

 

Lyn

Please try to take pictures of (and post) menus. Thanks!

[GeezerCouple]

As I said, the repetition of various items. For example, I had prime rib for dinner one night. But two nights later the prime rib was back on the menu. Likewise, one or two of the appetizer, soup and salad items appeared several times on a week's cruise (we were on a 15 day B2B).

 

 

In the past there would not have been this kind of repetition. As a result we went to Terrace more frequently than we have in the past. If the most enticing item on the menu was something I'd just had a day or two earlier, I wasn't interested in repeating it.

 

 

JMO

 

 

Mura

 

Did this (the frequent repetition) occur with *many* of the items (in each category, e.g., entree, salad, dessert), or is it possible that this - since you mentioned prime rib - is something they learned is desired by many who cannot get multiple reservations in, say, Polo?

 

I could understand it, if the repetitions tended to be items that are especially enjoyed, possibly as "measured" by how many order it each time it is offered.

That could be different than if it was something like a relatively large subset of the same items that keeps re-appearing frequently (together or not).

 

If I couldn't get into Polo a lot (which is likely) and I didn't have a suite for en suite dining [uh, yeah, that's where one has the en suite dining, right? :o ], then I would be one very happy camper to see prime rib show up again... and again.

But then, I'm one of those who, when I find something I like, I can keep going after it.

(That could be quite different if it was really all that similar and on a very lengthy cruise, but I don't know what even my threshold is for real favorites ;) )

 

Did you notice if it was many/most items that kept being "recycled", so to speak?

Or was it just a few that stood out? If it's just one or two items that kept re-appearing, perhaps they were indeed very popular?

 

GC

[Hawaiidan]

Try the Asian restaurant if you have the chance. Best Asian restaurant I have ever eaten

 

at.

 

 

I don t doubt your personal opinion but you really need to get some experience, Say, Hong Kong, Singapore, London, in the USA, San Francisco ( Yank Sing, North China), Burlingame CA, San Gabriel CA. ( these latter 2 are the hands down favorite of the Asian population of California and the West....

NY city. AND, an amazing and outstanding Asian restaurant a good 6.... The Red Dragon in Brevard NC....Its both order and buffet and has a 156 menu items.....It was the last place I ever expected and on a par with the best...Fresh, and authentic... It blew me away to find it....in North Carolina !!!!!! The equal of many in Hong Kong !!!

You have an experience awaiting you never dreamed of. I dont know where you live but suggest you venture out. Your comments might change drastically

 

I would rate Red ginger a good solid 4 on a scale of 1-10.. The local Chinese places which dot the country serve fair to awful, Americanized Asian food. and do so in buffet and order at table settings...

Edited July 6, 2018 by Hawaiidan