Hope Princess does not begin doing this ...

[Coral]

8 hours ago, OCruisers said:

Let's all keep in mind this $10.00 for a second entree in the MDR is on HAL, not Princess at this point.  

 

Yes, but if it flies there, it will probably come to Princess. Princess does report to the Holland America group when you look at the Carnival Corp umbrella.

[Reina del Mar]

24 minutes ago, Coral said:

Sometimes food served on a cruise is different than what I get back home.

 

I have often asked to have an "appetizer sized portion" to try something and order something else. Many times it is items I have never tried but am not sure if I am going to like it and would never order it back home to try it. Of course they rarely bring out out an appetizer sized version. Or sometimes we ask for an extra entree to share around the table. Many of us want to try it but not eat the whole version.

 

Personal choice I suppose......I was brought up NEVER to eat from anyone else's plate !

[bemis12]

8 hours ago, Grburkart said:

 

Since when did this thread become a place where I’m getting a hard time because of what I paid for a cruise?

 

 

Well, you were actually the first person to mention how much you paid.  Surely there was a reason for that.

[omc329]

I've never ordered a second entree, never needed to, but I would STRONGLY object to this policy because of where it could lead.

 

Our local dinner theater comes with a set dining menu. A couple of years ago they came up with upcharged alternate menus. THEN, they started reducing the portions of the meals. The meals now, are a senior portioning, fine for dh and myself but when my son visited and we took him, it was downright embarrassing what they served him. Half his meal was the free bread, (which they are also making more difficult on refills).

 

I see the cruise lines charging extra for second portions and then reducing meal portions on the same premise of waste, and before you know it, you are on a diet unless you pay more. I also noticed that Holland is trying it first on the formal nights where entrees run them more. Heaven forbid one should get two of the more expensive entrees!!

 

No, I would be livid with this sort of thing. The potential down the line would not be promising.

[Coral]

25 minutes ago, Reina del Mar said:

 

Personal choice I suppose......I was brought up NEVER to eat from anyone else's plate !

I am not indicating such. You take a piece and put it on your own plate.

[Coral]

I have also had poorly prepared to tasting meals on Princess and have asked for a different entree - would there be a charge?

[Reina del Mar]

Coral-

 

We will have to agree to disagree on plate sharing,  as this is not something I would feel comfortable with.Even with someone cutting up meal to distribute to others.

 

However, I would not expect to pay for a second entree if the first was not up to standard.

 

 In fact on South America, Emerald Princess cruise last year, my steak was tough and not cooked as requested. The Maitre D'Hotel noticed and immediately had it replaced !  I didn't mention it to him..he noticed it was not being eaten .

( Had always wondered what his job was !!!!!)

[JF - retired RRT]

11 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

As far as I know yes they are on all ships.

First saw them on the Ruby in March 2017.

Regal and CB within the last 6 months.

They were attached to the menu.......

I found sometimes they don't paperclip these to the inside of the menu.

 

No paperclips on the menus I've seen. Two ships...Star and Ruby, IIRC they both had the extra charge entrees built into the menu.

[stoneharborlady]

10 hours ago, Grburkart said:

Just to make sure we’re not blowing smoke here I did a search and it’s fair enough. 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/3803/

The reasoning behind it is to prevent or reduce food waste, according to the article. I can buy into that because some people... I don’t need to finish the sentence. 

I’m a bigger guy and I have the potential of eating more than my share of food. From what I understand, with the several courses at each meal, there should be ample food to sustain life. If the guru’s in charge think a fee for a second entree is in order then I’ll go along with that. No complaints. 

If $10.00 is going to ruin my $26,000 cruise then I need to rethink my vacation choices. 

I’m looking through the culinary options on a cruise ship and they’re plentiful. What are we missing that’s going to stop us from not cruising or changing cruiseline loyalties?

 

Glenn

 

Right, and the reasoning behind removing the barrel chair from your stateroom on Princess is to give you more room in your cabin.  It truly all comes down to the same bottom line, THEIR bottom line, that is.

[Grburkart]

27 minutes ago, stoneharborlady said:

Right, and the reasoning behind removing the barrel chair from your stateroom on Princess is to give you more room in your cabin.  It truly all comes down to the same bottom line, THEIR bottom line, that is.

Agreed. But in the big picture, their bottom line, be it Princess, HAL, Cunard, or any other cruise line, (just using cruise lines as an example) have to worry about bottom line. It’s what makes them tick. They don’t have all these ships spread out all over the world to lose money. 

They are in the people business and they need to make you happy and put a smile on your face and make you want to come back for more. BUT, they need to make a profit to do that and they’re not dummies at doing such. 

They just didn’t arbitrarily decide to take the chairs out of the rooms. They studied it, surveyed the situation, had meetings upon meeting and decided to do so to please a certain demographic. 

We hear the complaints but there are probably more people praising the situation. 

Back to the topic at hand... same thing. If there’s an issue that’s needs addressing like wasted food, then they are working towards a solution. If it’s about the bottom line, as you suggest, then it’s a good place to start. 

 

Glenn

Edited March 3, 2019 by Grburkart
Grammar

[Doubt It]

Just another in a long line of cutbacks on all cruise lines. It is not just on the mass lines, read recent reviews for the premium lines, they are reducing staff levels, menu choices and food quality.

 

It is entertaining to read posts from the cheerleaders on all boards attempting to defend the loss of value to the guest and using the tired refrain of go find another cruise line or it is written in the cruise contract ....

 

Bottom line, cruisers are getting increasingly hosed in receiving value. 

 

But cruising is only one way to see the world, land vacations with private car, driver and guide are most wonderful. 

 

 

[Doug R.]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

I have also had poorly prepared to tasting meals on Princess and have asked for a different entree - would there be a charge?

To repeat, this is on HAL, not on Princess. Since there is no such policy, there is no answer to your question.

[Campbell soup]

I sure hope that HAL's test is a failure.  I love to order a second entree so I can try something new or exotic.  I sure don't want to have our waiter running back to the kitchen for another safer entee after I take my one bite of something new and hate it. If i can't try new things in the MDR then I might as well go to the buffet and have meatloaf and macaroni and cheese every night.

 

I also think that if people want more than one entree choice every night they might just choose to only eat at the buffet and then skip out on tips that they would have gladly paid for their amazing waitstaff in the MDR.

[stoneharborlady]

2 minutes ago, Campbell soup said:

I sure hope that HAL's test is a failure.  I love to order a second entree so I can try something new or exotic.  I sure don't want to have our waiter running back to the kitchen for another safer entee after I take my one bite of something new and hate it. If i can't try new things in the MDR then I might as well go to the buffet and have meatloaf and macaroni and cheese every night.

 

I also think that if people want more than one entree choice every night they might just choose to only eat at the buffet and then skip out on tips that they would have gladly paid for their amazing waitstaff in the MDR.

For the last few years you would not have to run to the buffet for mac and cheese and meatloaf.  It is now offered in the main dining room on Princess.

[LB_NJ]

14 hours ago, Murray's Pop said:

Yes, I just read the 17+ pages about this on the HAL board.  After going through about 15 pages worth of judgmental garbage posts ("how could anyone eat 2 entrees") it looks like they instituted a test on 4 ships to charge an extra $10 for an additional entree.  To me this is a terrible way to "test the waters of revolt". 

 

We have done the majority of our cruises on HAL, but for the past 3 years have been exclusively on Princess. All I can say is we probably won't be returning to HAL soon, and I hope and pray that Princess does not follow along with HAL.

 

HAL and Princess are part of Carnival I am sure if they do this on HAL it will come to Princess and the other Carnival mainstream lines.

 

If it works for this I am sure they will add charges for second appetizers, deserts, etc.

[Doug R.]

If you want more food and don't want to pay $10, just run up to the buffet, there is a very good chance they have what you wanted in the MDR.  

[LB_NJ]

35 minutes ago, Grburkart said:

Agreed. But in the big picture, their bottom line, be it Princess, HAL, Cunard, or any other cruise line, (just using cruise lines as an example) have to worry about bottom line. It’s what makes them tick. They don’t have all these ships spread out all over the world to lose money. 

They are in the people business and they need to make you happy and put a smile on your face and make you want to come back for more. BUT, they need to make a profit to do that and they’re not dummies at doing such. 

They just didn’t arbitrarily decide to take the chairs out of the rooms. They studied it, surveyed the situation, had meetings upon meeting and decided to do so to please a certain demographic. 

We hear the complaints but there are probably more people praising the situation. 

Back to the topic at hand... same thing. If there’s an issue that’s needs addressing like wasted food, then they are working towards a solution. If it’s about the bottom line, as you suggest, then it’s a good place to start. 

 

Glenn

 

The problem they really have is that they are building more and more ships.  To fill those ships they will have to keep dropping prices to attract more people or people will choose other ways to vacation.  

 

You can fly almost anywhere at reasonable prices these days. Hotels are not that expensive in most places.

If the quality of food and service approaches the quality in McDonalds why cruise.  

 

Besides there is a lot more wasted food in the buffets than the MDR.  Maybe this is the first step in charging for the MDR.

[golfb4cruzing]

They all have no ships coming. I said this last year that they will soon be charging for everything and raising gratuities several times a year. Monkey see Monkey is doing.

[Colo Cruiser]

1 hour ago, JF - retired RRT said:

No paperclips on the menus I've seen. Two ships...Star and Ruby, IIRC they both had the extra charge entrees built into the menu.

Thats why I said sometimes they don't paperclip them.

On the Regal they were paper clipped , probably until they had the new menu printed with the new charge entrees.

[Colo Cruiser]

12 hours ago, Coral said:

Charge by the weight of the food in the buffet.

Buck a scoop?

[Colo Cruiser]

6 hours ago, Reina del Mar said:

Why would anyone need a second entrée?

 

 

6 hours ago, ohnonotmeagain said:

Gluttony 😎

Judge much?

[ohnonotmeagain]

1 hour ago, Colo Cruiser said:

 

Judge much?

Yep,and your point is?

[cheeseclan]

I was just on Holland’s community FB page.  I was shocked to read that lots of people have no problems with charging an extra $10.  They say people should not want another entree and if they do they are glutinous.  Really???  They also say just walk up to buffet or get room service if still hungry.  

Sometimes hubby wants surf and turf but does not need 2 plates of sides.  That is wasteful from the kitchen.   I sometimes get 2 mains and nothing else. 

 

Hope this is a fail for Holland.    

 

BTW also read that Holland does not have production shows anymore. Can’t say for sure on that.  Maybe they are trying to get rid of customers😳

[sfaaa]

I am ok with this so long as Princess will give me a refund for eating less or skipping meals during the cruise. Fairness goes both ways.

[Grburkart]

19 hours ago, Vic The Parrot said:

Just like me!  .                             

 

On my 1st cruise on Regal Princess, I just had to have a second helping of the Love Boat Dream. Absolute bliss. 

Ok I’ll bite! (No pun intended)

What is the Love Boat Dream?

 

Glenn