Dining Room Service

[tarheelmjfan]

I've been reading comments from people who say they never saw the head waiter. As usual, I'm a bit confused. :o Who waits on you? I'm used to a head waiter, asst. waiter, asst. Maitre' d, & a Maitre' d. Apparently this isn't the set up on RCCL, or there would be major problems, if you never saw your head waiter. :p Also, it doesn't sound like there's sommeliers. Who takes care of wine orders & service? Could someone please explain the dining room service to me so we know what to expect? TIA :)

[JENANDGENE]

The head waiter is like a matrie'd I guess.... he/she is there to fix any problems and supervise the staff in their section. I have had head waiters that were very involved and others I barely saw except on tip night.

 

Your waiter/waitress serves your food.... asst waiter/waitress serves bread,condiments, non-alcoholic drinks and wine (no sommolier sp?).

 

Then the bar server assigned to your table serves any drinks from the bar (except wine).

 

Hope that helps and hope I got it relatively right.

 

~Jen

[Boatbuilder]

I've been reading comments from people who say they never saw the head waiter. As usual, I'm a bit confused. :o Who waits on you? I'm used to a head waiter, asst. waiter, asst. Maitre' d, & a Maitre' d. Apparently this isn't the set up on RCCL, or there would be major problems, if you never saw your head waiter. :p Also, it doesn't sound like there's sommeliers. Who takes care of wine orders & service? Could someone please explain the dining room service to me so we know what to expect? TIA :)

 

 

The head waiter is the guy who shows up on tip day and introduces himself and asks if there was anything he could have done to make your meals more enjoyable. He will nod in a most patronizing way, perhaps even get a little teary eyed when you tell him your stories of bad service. It's still quite a value since you'll get more incredible acting for your money than any Tom Cruise movie. :o

[Cruise-Nut]

I have been on 12 RCCL cruises and have only had 1 cruise that we didn't see the head waiter. They usually come by on lobster night & shrimp night to take the shells for you. I must tell you that I am surprised you never see the.

[Zoey1]

We just got off the Marniner this past Sunday. This was our 4th cruise (3rd RCCL and one on Princess) this was the first time we have seen our headwaiter..he was very hands on and even helped clear tables on busy nights. On the other cruises we took the extra money we would have given to him and gave it as an extra added bonus to the waiter and asst waiter.

This time it was a pleasure to give the well deserved tip to the correct person.

Wendy

[Boatbuilder]

We just got off the Marniner this past Sunday. This was our 4th cruise (3rd RCCL and one on Princess) this was the first time we have seen our headwaiter..he was very hands on and even helped clear tables on busy nights. On the other cruises we took the extra money we would have given to him and gave it as an extra added bonus to the waiter and asst waiter.

This time it was a pleasure to give the well deserved tip to the correct person.

Wendy

 

We actually had a terrific head waiter on Mariner as well. He was from India and he visited our table every night and he even stopped by for a chat when we were in WJ. He knew that my wife was allergic to shellfish and he took great pains to make sure she knew if any soup had a clam base or whatever. Best tip money I ever handed out.

[tarheelmjfan]

It sounds like the head waiter is equivalent to an Asst. Maitre'd on X. A waiter is the same as a head waiter, & the asst. is the same except for the wine service. Now, it makes sense. :D We have experienced some AMDs that were very hands on & came by every evening to chat. Some even prepare special desserts, etc. Others you rarely see. BTW, is there not a MD? Who takes care of table assignments? Thanks again :)

[nanfromatlanta]

The MD will only assist with table assignments on the first day before the first dinner seating. Since your table is pre-assigned prior to boarding, the MD is only there to make last minute table adjustments/changes. Remember, on all RCCL cruises, there are two set dining times. The table assignment as well as the seating time will be on your Seapass card when you board.

[Boatbuilder]

Others you rarely see. BTW, is there not a MD? Who takes care of table assignments? Thanks again :)

 

Not sure what you mean. You know your table assignment when you arrive in your room. It is printed on your Sea Pass card too. The table assignment never changes. Does an MD at Celebrity sit you at a different table each night?

[wolfcathorse]

My first cruise on Vision we only saw the head waiter the first 2 nights, like previously posted all he did was extract my lobster. But on my last 3 cruises, the head waiter was working his/her butt off helping the waiter and ass't waiter and they still had time to stop and just chat and joke with us. It was the head waiter that presented my bottles wine to me. They all got extra on gratuity night. I even refused to let the waiter open my scampi (garlic tiger shrimp) and later when the head waiter saw it wasn't done yet, he just picks up a spare knife and approaches to do it for me. The waiter stopped him and said I could do it, so I did and it "wowed" them. They said I did it like a professional. Yeah right, professional eater that I am!

[Alexis]

Your Maitre'd is in charge of your dining room and is visible but not as much as your other waiters because he has a large area to handle.

Your head waiter is in charge of so many of the tables and the wait staff in his, or her, areas. There are many different Head Waiters in one dining room.

Your waiter and assistant waiter are the people who bring you your food and drinks every night.

 

We have been very fortunate to have had excellent Head Waiters on the RCCL ships we have sailed. They have shown up at our tables every night of the cruise and always asked how is everything? Can I get you any special meals or requests? Plus they have always made conversation with us and our tables mates about did we enjoy our port that day? Special things of interest we might like at the next port of call and so on.

To say the Head Waiters only show up on the last night of the cruise for their tips is just not always true. It has never been true on our cruises.

We had a lady on one of our cruises who drove the Head Waiter crazy. Every single night. I want this and I want that and whine, whine, and more whine. Made his life miserable but he smiled through it all.

On the last night of the cruise, we all had our envelopes ready to give to the staff. Someone just happened to mention the list of who we give to. Head Waiter, waiter and so on. This demanding lady who drove that Head Waiter nuts for a week said. "I am not going to tip a Head Waiter who I have never seen at this table all week." She gave him nothing.

Just goes to prove that maybe you have seen the Head Waiter and did not pay attention to who he/she was.

[tarheelmjfan]

Sorry, I wasn't clear on the MD question. :o I hadn't read anything about a MD, so I was checking to see if they have the same title on RCCL as on X. I realize the table is assigned ahead. I was just checking to see who you would speak with, if there should be a problem. The MD is the same, so I'm good with that one. :p

[cb at sea]

We've had attentive head waiters, and one's that are apparently invisible. We tip the invisible ones with invisible money!