Bar/drinks before dinner

[oakridger]

1 minute ago, Ryten said:

Not sure if it has made it to the Konigsdam. but on the N. Statendam there is a small bar right outside the Club orange called the half Moon Bar. Only six seats at the bar and one lowered areal for a scooter as well. their claim to fame are specialty cocktails. Usually friendly bartender and assistant makes it a great stop.

 

Rotterdam has this same small bar by the Club Orange dining room.

[Blackduck59]

2 hours ago, MrBill923 said:

I posted separate thread for my Covid experience, so if people were interested in that subject, it was easy to find.

Unfortunately I didn't notice what waiters were doing until the last night when I sat at the bar to order our drinks to see if I could get them faster. The bartender ignored us and waiter walked up behind us to take order. I watched the bartender make our drinks, place them and the waiter station and then saw what he did. This whole procedure had already taken over 15 minutes. Since we were heading to dinner, I knew I would just order wine at the table and not drink the Manhattan and Cosmo. 

So, didn't report it. Just posted here so others were aware. 

 

 

Have you watched the bar tender at your favourite bar? Do they ever touch the glass, or shaker with their bare hands? How do they put ice in the glass or shaker? Do they use a shot glass or dispenser? I wonder how much you would complain about the wait for a drink if the bartender sanitized their hands after every drink or perhaps changed gloves after every drink. 

You seem offended by the bartender's technique but did nothing to correct it, just posted on here "so others would be aware"

[Ineke]

We always have fixed late seating, and really enjoy a pre-dinner drink in the Ocean Bar.

Edited September 13, 2023 by Ineke
Typo

[oakridger]

On HAL my experience has been that the bartenders and waiters have always used tongs to grab the drink garnishes/fruit.  And, I will confess to doing many, many hours of bar "observation"!! 

 😉

 

If the waiter is using their bare fingers they shouldn't be.

 

 

Edited September 13, 2023 by oakridger

[Blackduck59]

3 minutes ago, oakridger said:

On HAL my experience has been that the bartenders and waiters have always used tongs to grab the drink garnishes/fruit.  And, I will confess to doing many, many hours of bar "observation"!! 

 😉

I applaud your dedication for researching bartending technique, it is a vital service wherever bars are found.😁

[MrBill923]

Blackduck: As I mentioned, I noticed the problem on the last night as I saw it while sitting at bar. I had not seen any waiters touching raw ingredients going into the finished drink with his bare hands previously. In this case he grabbed a peeler and a portion of orange and peeled of a section and then used his fingers to drop in glass. In most cases a bartender is using his bartender tools to properly make and finish off the drink. Of course, a bartender touches an ice scoop, glass and shaker. But they don't touch the inside of the items. I posted this to alert anyone else that prefers dirty fingers not be in their drink --- to be aware. 

[albingirl]

6 hours ago, MrBill923 said:

Just off Nieuw Amsterdam, we tried Pinnacle and Ocean bars for pre-dinner drinks. SLOW service in both between 6:30 and 7:30, not crowded. One bartender and a few waiters. Two simple drinks often took at least 15 mins. Several times the waiter finished garnishing the drink. Poor hygiene with his hands on garnish after touching everybody's key cards, pens, etc. Some Officer needs to put a stop to that before there is a virus outbreak on ship. 

Agree. There is something strange about handling pens, key cards and so on and then reaching for a lime for your drink. Heck, I never shake anyone's hand anymore in church because of the virus. Thanks for that observation. 

[mjmagee]

On Koningsdam this past July.  No Half Moon bar.  No Pinnacle Bar in the Pinnacle Grill.  Ocean Bar closest to CO DR.  Very busy at prime time.  Get there early or late to get a drink quickly.  No live pre-dinner music anywhere on the ship that I could find.  There was a piano in the Ocean Bar but it was mainly used by photographers as a prop.  Personal experience on HAL and Celebrity ships is that it is smart to get a cocktail or wine and take it to the dining room with you if you want to be certain to have a drink with your starter.

[Hobar]

4 hours ago, JohnnyPS said:

We were on the Koningsdam a couple of weeks ago.  We had a Neptune suite with comes with Club Orange.  The first night we decided to eat in the Club Orange dining room.  We wanted to have a drink before dinner but decided we can order it while in the dining room and drink it before we eat.  They do have a drinks menu in the restaurant.

 

We told the waiter we would like martinis before dinner.  We ordered those as well as our dinner.  A few minutes later our starters arrived.  We asked where our martinis were, and the waiter said they were coming from the bar.  We ate our starters and still had no martinis.  A few minutes later our main courses came.  Still no martinis.  We finally got the martinis after consuming a few bites of our dinner.  We did order a couple of glasses of wine with came well before our martinis.

 

Lesson learned…If you want a drink before dinner get it yourself from the bar.  We did that for the remainder of the trip.  The Ocean bar is just across from the CO dining room.

If I am ordering drinks at dinner, I do not order the dinner until my drinks are in hand.  Period.  The end.