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Is it now "rude" to be five-ten minutes late to dinner in the MDR?

Z'Loth

By Z'Loth,
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mrgabriel

mrgabriel

Posted
Posted (edited)
39 minutes ago, Z'Loth said:

As the original poster... allow me to defend myself....

 

First of all, lets set the proper context... this is the Master Dining Room. The food isn't going to run away on you! much like the all-aboard time is 4:00 PM, but you are advised to be back on ship by 3:30 PM. The ship isn't going to abandon you if you are standing on the gangplank in line waiting to go through security at 3:32 PM. 

 

In addition, the MDR, during the evening dinner, usually has assigned seating every night, so your seat isn't going to change. Five minutes after the MDR doors open, you are still at the point of ordering drinks and reviewing the menu, not to mention chatting with your table mates over what interesting things each one of you observed during the day. A MDR meal is about 60-90 minutes long as well. It also takes five minutes to travel from my room, up the elevators, and to the MDR as well. 

 

Mind you, I've either travelled solo or my traveling companion has been my mother, not a group. If you promise to meet up at 5:30 PM for dinner, all bets are off. You show up at 5:30 PM so that you aren't a imposition to your fellow travels. 

 

For all those who quoting lines that sounds similar to "Lombardi Time", I like to remind you that you are on vacation, and there are enough times where showing up early is a danged good idea, such as for your flight, initial ship boarding, or being part of a tour group. Those are all times where you are waiting and twiddling your thumbs waiting for the tour to start. I really don't want to add "waiting for the MDR doors to open" to that list.

 

And, yes, there have been times where I overslept and missed the early MDR dining. I ended up attending the early show, and then was very apologetic to the Matre'd to see if they accommodate me for late dining. I would agree that there is a major difference between 5 minutes and 15-20 minutes lateness including having a major impact on the dining staff who work their tails off (so tip generously). 

 

You asked the question and there was a pretty clear response. It's rude to be late.

 

We don't like to stand in line so typically arrive a few minutes after the doors open and like others have mentioned, we then don't stand in line but just cruise on in with those who are the back of the line.

 

Your signature says you're an engineer. My husband is an engineer, too and yeah, he likes to mess with systems. But system changes generally impact other systems and that's where there's a problem. If others at the table are waiting because you're late - that's a problem. If wait staff have to stop delivering the starter to another table and walk back to the wait station because you need a menu - that's a problem. 

Edited by mrgabriel
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klfrodo

klfrodo

Posted
Posted
45 minutes ago, Z'Loth said:

As the original poster... allow me to defend myself....

 

 

That's about as far as I read.

Everything after is an excuse.

The maximum effective range of an excuse is 0 meters.

 

Late = Rude

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ldubs

ldubs

Posted
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7 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

The doors open at 5:30 and, as noted, there is a line waiting for them to open. By the time the doors open and the line is gone we're probably talking about 5 minutes in any case. So, was someone standing at the very back of the line, or were they late? (This is presupposing that the doors don't open early, which happens more often then not on the cruises we've been on, and I know that because I was in line 🙂.) 

 

I would not consider them late.   But then arriving 5 or 10 minutes after the crowd clears means the table mates have been sitting and will wait longer will the late comers order drinks look at the menu, etc.  I don't constantly look at my watch and likely wouldn't notice someone arriving 5 minutes later.   However, I do think it rude of people who repetitively keep others waiting for their own selfish reasons.  

 

 

 

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ldubs

ldubs

Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

That's about as far as I read.

Everything after is an excuse.

The maximum effective range of an excuse is 0 meters.

 

Late = Rude

 

I quit after reading  "the food won't run away on you".  😃

 

 

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ldubs

ldubs

Posted
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16 minutes ago, Underwatr said:

Lots of chips on shoulders in this thread.

And this is coming from someone whos' generally on-time, just happy to see the people who arrive a few minutes after I do.

 

OP asks, because it is more convenient for them, should others consider it rude if they come 5 or 10 minutes late.  Responses answered the OP's question and were pretty much universal that it isn't nice to intentionally keep others waiting.  Seems to be little debate about that.   Of course people will wait 10 minutes for that person and in the majority of cases would not let it impact their dinner.  But that wasn't the question.  

 

I'm not sure about chips on shoulders, but yeah, we have probably turned a molehill into a mountain.  

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screwsmcernst

screwsmcernst

Posted
Posted (edited)

We always eat at set dining times, whether early or late, so I am going to pose a question because I genuinely do not know the answer.   

 

If you make a reservation for anytime dining, how late can you be before they give up your table?

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Mary229 "Live from...." Rare

Mary229

Posted
Posted
45 minutes ago, screwsmcernst said:

We always eat at set dining times, whether early or late, so I am going to pose a question because I genuinely do not know the answer.   

 

If you make a reservation for anytime dining, how late can you be before they give up your table?

On Holland they will hold your table 15 minutes, I have never seen a reason to make a reservation for anytime dining unless I discover a really excellent waiter 

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ldubs

ldubs

Posted
Posted
On 10/23/2023 at 11:13 AM, Toofarfromthesea said:

The way to know that your "hack" is wrong is to ask yourself, "What if everyone did it?"

 

Well, one way to look at it is If everyone did it then no one would be late!  😃

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ldubs

ldubs

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

True - of course the other side of that coin is that no one would be on time.   Whichever way you want to look at it, it’s going to be a mess.

 

1 minute ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

No, everyone would be late.  

 

 

It was a JOKE! 😃

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K32682

K32682

Posted
Posted
On 10/24/2023 at 12:52 PM, Z'Loth said:

For all those who quoting lines that sounds similar to "Lombardi Time", I like to remind you that you are on vacation, and there are enough times where showing up early is a danged good idea, such as for your flight, initial ship boarding, or being part of a tour group. Those are all times where you are waiting and twiddling your thumbs waiting for the tour to start. I really don't want to add "waiting for the MDR doors to open" to that list.

 

I'd like to remind you that everyone else is on vacation too and making people wait for your late arrival inconveniences all of them. This is one of the reasons more people are choosing anytime dining. No waiting for dawdlers.  

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Hlitner "Live from...." Rare

Hlitner

Posted
Posted

I find the OP's question a bit strange.   Late is late.  Rude is rude.  Being late, when other folks are involved is not only rude but also disrespectful.  We are in the "me me me" generation where folks have little consideration for others, and they argue that it's all Ok, because it is all about me me me.

 

Hank

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BruceMuzz

BruceMuzz

Posted
Posted

If you are cruising on a Walmart of the Seas mass market ships, where they feed you on a factory production line schedule, it makes good sense to show up on time.

 

If you choose to travel on a more civilized cruise line, where people get to choose what time they want to start eating, there is really no such thing as being late - unless you promised to meet someone for dinner.

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navybankerteacher

navybankerteacher

Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, BruceMuzz said:

If you are cruising on a Walmart of the Seas mass market ships, where they feed you on a factory production line schedule, it makes good sense to show up on time.

 

If you choose to travel on a more civilized cruise line, where people get to choose what time they want to start eating, there is really no such thing as being late - unless you promised to meet someone for dinner.

Obvious.

 

But if you have opted for assigned dining you have both an assigned table and an assigned time.  Showing up at the wrong time is almost as disrespectful to others as showing up at the wrong table.

 

Too many today really do seem to adhere to the “it’s all about me” formula - meaning that everyone else do not matter as much.

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slidergirl

slidergirl

Posted
Posted

In college, I had one professor who had a rule:  if he was not there by 5 minutes after start time, we could leave.  If he was there and you were not there by 5 minutes after start time, he'd shut he door.

 

I follow that lead.  Once I'll be OK, but after that one, you are just plain rude.  

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