Jump to content

Favorite Yacht Club Waiter


CarolnLarry
 Share

Recommended Posts

We will be doing our second BTB on the seaside in June.  We have had great waiters and servers on our cruises but we are sure they have moved on.  Doe s anyone have a favorite/recommendation for a waiter for our June 15 cruise .  The recommendations we have had in the past have been the best. Thank You in advance for your help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Allesandra was there when we were last month. The waiters were all nice and capable during our cruise but service was not good. Very inattentive and rushed. We loved the Yacht Club and would go back, but we'd consider eating in the MDR next time. Just our experience. Others may differ but it really was the only thing we didn't care for when it came to our cruise. 

Edited by LakeWobegon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, LakeWobegon said:

Allesandra was there when we were last month. The waiters were all nice and capable during our cruise but service was not good. Very inattentive and rushed. We loved the Yacht Club and would go back, but we'd consider eating in the MDR next time. Just our experience. Others may differ but it really was the only thing we didn't care for when it came to our cruise. 

If you are in the YC you won't have a table in the MDR, but you can eat in the buffet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agree totally with LakeWobegon on the service in YC restaurant . Enjoyed everything about the YC , but the restaurant seemed understaffed and disorganized at times . We have had much better dining service in MDR on other ships , and considering this is supposed to be MSC premium product  not what you expect when you look at the fantastic service in all other areas . We have been in seaside YC  before and had great  service  ,  much worse in March this year than previous. Did not put us off the YC still a great experience  . I am sure others will have a great service all week just reporting our experience and it looks like others have had similar. I did report our views to the maitre d while onboard ( Alan ) .

Edited by Mighty_Fine
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/20/2019 at 9:47 PM, modes said:

We had Alesandra and she was great but don't know if she has moved on.

Alessandra is great.  We had her on the March cruise this year and March the year before.  I would bet that she will be on in June, since she just came back the end of February.  She said she was trying to move to Meraviglia on the next rotation, but since they usually sign-on for six months.

 

The hidden advantage with her is that she is in the smaller starboard side and has three to four tables right by the window with great views.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I confirm what JAGR said. We asked to try different sections and the starboard or the right side had better service. I also agree with Mighty_Fine. I am thinking the issue is that one waiter is responsible for many tables by themselves essentially. Others may help them out here and there upon request but it doesn't seem as if there's a true team of waiters, with a strategy and experience working together, serving your table like you'll find in many ships' MDRs. 

 

Again, I loved the overall experience. Almost feel bad mentioning it but it was a bit of a disappointment. We are very excited about our (week after) Christmas cruise on Meraviglia. We'll be staying in a balcony room on that one. On one hand, it's not the Yacht Club. MSC wanted twice what we paid for our spring break cruise for a Deluxe Suite (Norwegian Haven prices! lol). But on the other hand, I'm looking forward to trying the ship's MDR. 

 

Have fun! I've never been on a bad cruise, but I love to critique the good (mostly with MSC for myself) and the little issues that irritate me.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, floridian1 said:

I'm watching this thread ..9 of us are cruising in June. Does Alessandra serve big tables?

She can.  Up front are primarily two-top and can adjust to do a few four tops.  In the back row, they can adjust to seat four two-tops, or can put them together for groups up to eight in a rectangle.  The large six and eight top ovals and circles are not in her area. I'd say overall, she can have up to 24 in her section at any one time.  That being said both times we sailed with her as our waiter, she had an assistant, and service was good, but Americans may find it a bit slow (in Europe, we would politely say it is "measured").  BTW, Alessandra is Italian, but fluent in English, French, and Spanish as well.  She also did reasonably well with Portuguese and some German.  If you can get her as your server, you will not be disappointed!

 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, JAGR said:

She can.  Up front are primarily two-top and can adjust to do a few four tops.  In the back row, they can adjust to seat four two-tops, or can put them together for groups up to eight in a rectangle.  The large six and eight top ovals and circles are not in her area. I'd say overall, she can have up to 24 in her section at any one time.  That being said both times we sailed with her as our waiter, she had an assistant, and service was good, but Americans may find it a bit slow (in Europe, we would politely say it is "measured").  BTW, Alessandra is Italian, but fluent in English, French, and Spanish as well.  She also did reasonably well with Portuguese and some German.  If you can get her as your server, you will not be disappointed!

 

Interesting you say it that way. While not Americans, we found the dinner service in YC very rushed. 3-4 courses and we were done almost every night in under an hour. It was nuts. We asked twice to slow down, give us time to actually enjoy our courses - and the next course would show up while we were still esting the previous.  It was nuts.  Definitely not a slow or measured or leisurely meal by any means.  And it didn't matter who we had as our wait staff - we tried multiple different tables/sections and it was all very rushed.  As above in several posts.  

Enjoyed the overall product, dinners were a let down. The MDR was better in our opinion..

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, floridian1 said:

I'm watching this thread ..9 of us are cruising in June. Does Alessandra serve big tables?

Alessandra is now working in the Specialty restaurants. We just disembarked April 20th.  We had Alex in YC and he did a great job. Others also chipped in when necessary.   I agree they seemed to be really rushed but it was week before Easter and had lots of large groups to accommodate.  Otherwise, I don't think there will be a problem with service.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, reedprincess said:

Interesting you say it that way. While not Americans, we found the dinner service in YC very rushed. 3-4 courses and we were done almost every night in under an hour. 

Another one of those YMMV!  We took an almost an hour and half, and we don't do a dessert. I prefer measured service, but I was born in Europe.  I would not allow myself to be rushed, and I would be concerned if you gave your service time preference to your server and he/she still rushed you!  If I can't get Alessandra next trip, I will work with my server to better understand our service preference.  I also wouldn't play dining assignment roulette.  Once we get our first server on any ship we try and stay with them.  I wouldn't want to "train" every server on my preference, but that's just me.  I have better things to do with my time on a cruise.

 

On a personal note, The Coal Pot in your home country is an excellent restaurant.  I would add that at the prices they charge ($27 for a bowl of Callaloo soup and $78 for Yellowfin Tuna), I would not allow them to rush service for me!

Edited by JAGR
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's key JAGR. I dislike it when people complain but did nothing to resolve the matter. You have to be upfront about what your preferences. In our case, we are fine with 1.5-2 hour dinners (it gives us family time to talk), it was more the inattentiveness (i.e., having to track a waiter down to get water or wine refilled). I tried to wave one down one night and he rushed by asking me how I was doing this evening without waiting for a reply. My wife and I were choking laughing and people were looking at us. It was hard to be mad as he was very nice and trying his hardest!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, LakeWobegon said:

 I tried to wave one down one night and he rushed by asking me how I was doing this evening without waiting for a reply.

He must have been from "Friendly Fridley!" 😉

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Haha. You must know the area. Our kids (11 and 14) thoroughly enjoy long dinners. They tell us all about school and other things we often don't hear about during the 20-30 minute dinners at home. They also enjoy people watching in the restaurant. Some examples: "Hey that lady's waving down the bread guy," my son exclaimed and started laughing hysterically. We had to tell him to tone it down a bit. lol. There were also a few ladies from a country not to be named who throughout the cruise were always complaining about everything. I noticed they got their food immediately. Service was prompt. The restaurant manager at their table often. My daughter always had a big grin on her face watching them. It was like dinner and a show for the kids. : )

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We're people watchers, too!  Good way to pass time and have fun. 

 

We did live in the Twin Cities for a few years (grad school after school in Ohio and grad school in New Mexico). Did spend a few days watching PHC shows at the Fitzgerald, as well.  Didn't like the cold weather so we moved to Eau Claire (not a smart decision!) and then finally got back to my wife's home state of Ohio.

Edited by JAGR
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, JAGR said:

She can.  Up front are primarily two-top and can adjust to do a few four tops.  In the back row, they can adjust to seat four two-tops, or can put them together for groups up to eight in a rectangle.  The large six and eight top ovals and circles are not in her area. I'd say overall, she can have up to 24 in her section at any one time.  That being said both times we sailed with her as our waiter, she had an assistant, and service was good, but Americans may find it a bit slow (in Europe, we would politely say it is "measured").  BTW, Alessandra is Italian, but fluent in English, French, and Spanish as well.  She also did reasonably well with Portuguese and some German.  If you can get her as your server, you will not be disappointed!

 

 

 

Agreed that Alessandra was really, really good on our B2B (one week with you and wife).  There were no issues with timing at all as we simply told her what we wanted, how done, how fast, etc.  She was EXCELLENT and her assistants were very good also.

 

However, we dine at the 'open (very early).  We normally do the same at home or traveling and in the Yacht Club we've really never experienced the problems that some are experiencing per their posts in this thread.

 

We also love the longer European timeline, more courses of smaller portions and time to talk (to each other and to adjoining tables).  We also 'stick to ONE waiter/waitress and their team, same table area and the reliable predictability that comes with it.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah, yes, I'm from Illinois originally but my wife drug me off to the woods about two hours to the north and west of Minneapolis after college. I literally live in Lake Wobegon country. Been fortunate enough to live here and work from home until recent when my company moved everything to NY and decided I wanted to stay here and not live in Manhattan. Now I'm looking and investigating travel-related careers for a change! Our plan is honestly to move to Florida in six years when kids are done with high school. The weather is better and we'll save on airfare for cruises!

Edited by LakeWobegon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Cruisergal1208 said:

Alessandra is now working in the Specialty restaurants. We just disembarked April 20th.  We had Alex in YC and he did a great job. Others also chipped in when necessary.   I agree they seemed to be really rushed but it was week before Easter and had lots of large groups to accommodate.  Otherwise, I don't think there will be a problem with service.

Yes, Starboard side is now served by Alex and Gary.  We were family of 9 and this was where we dined.  Alex and Gary did a good job but others helping them with drink was not up to the task.  Meal was done in about 2 hours so bit slow for my speed but Alex always brought out extra dishes that we didn't order for us to taste so it all worked out fine.  Alex and Gary was also very engaging with customers and we had a great time there.  Because I like variety, he often made recommendation and added extra dish on the large plate to make it a combo (ex. rack of lamb and lobster)

 

Floridian, if you planned to dine in YC, you will need to make a pre-arrangement.  They have only 2-3 location that can seat 9.  We did 5:45 dinner and it worked out well for us.  Those with 2-4 don't need to make arrangements.  Also, after asking for your table, go down to the lounge for drink and they will come and get you when table is ready.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, LakeWobegon said:

That's key JAGR. I dislike it when people complain but did nothing to resolve the matter. You have to be upfront about what your preferences. In our case, we are fine with 1.5-2 hour dinners (it gives us family time to talk), it was more the inattentiveness (i.e., having to track a waiter down to get water or wine refilled). I tried to wave one down one night and he rushed by asking me how I was doing this evening without waiting for a reply. My wife and I were choking laughing and people were looking at us. It was hard to be mad as he was very nice and trying his hardest!

We did "complain" or rather, spoke to the maitre'd the one night when the wait staff brought out the next course while we were still eating the prior. The next night, dinner was just at an hour. Didn't seem to make any difference when we told them - whether wait staff or maitre'd - that we enjoy d taking our time, having time to actually enjoy our wine, talking to each other, etc.  No matter what we said, or which wait staff we had - an hour was the longest it took. To assume did not address it aboard is just that - your assumption..

I too dislike having to "train" a waiter and would normally stick with whomever we had the first night - but after that meal taking 45 minutes for 3/4 courses, we tried another - same thing. So, spoke to the waiters, told them we're not in any rush, please take their time - managed a whole hour. That, after speaking with the maitre'd also.. 

So, our experience was white rushed meals, and disjointed service, regardless of whichever wait staff.  

Which was particularly odd, as other tables - same wait staff - would be getting their second course or  such when we sat, and and would still not be having dessert by the time our whole meal had been served. So - we could see that a nice leisurely meal, which we vastly prefer, was doable . We just could find the magic words apparently, whether directly telling the wait staff to please slow down, speaking with the maitre'd or what. 

 

6 hours ago, JAGR said:

Another one of those YMMV!  We took an almost an hour and half, and we don't do a dessert. I prefer measured service, but I was born in Europe.  I would not allow myself to be rushed, and I would be concerned if you gave your service time preference to your server and he/she still rushed you!  If I can't get Alessandra next trip, I will work with my server to better understand our service preference.  I also wouldn't play dining assignment roulette.  Once we get our first server on any ship we try and stay with them.  I wouldn't want to "train" every server on my preference, but that's just me.  I have better things to with my time on a cruise..

 

On a personal note, The Coal Pot in your home country is an excellent restaurant.  I would add that at the prices they charge ($27 for a bowl of Callaloo soup and $78 for Yellowfin Tuna), I would not allow them to rush service for me!

Yes, Coal Pot is fab. And no, definitely not a rushed meal there.  Island time is definitely in full effect .. which we both enjoy and prefer . 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

reedprincess, I understand. We spoke up too. I think the magic words were being downright rude to the restaurant manager. Excuse me, not sure if that's the proper job title. He never even really spoke to us. He seemed pre-occupied with the tables that must have really let him have a piece of their mind. That's just not our style. I'm direct. I don't like to be rude unless I'm put in a dangerous situation, for instance. Especially if the wait staff are trying and its not necessarily their fault. The assistant restaurant manager, she was terrific. I mentioned her by name in the survey feedback. She moved us around and allowed us to try different servers and tables. She always asking how they could better serve us. It just didn't translate to the actual service. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...