Regular or Premium Dining...Perspectives

[OuiOnboard]

Some pax feel that in order to keep cruise fares attractive to larger numbers of new cruisers, Princess (and other mass market lines) have lessened the quality of some on board services and experiences. Indeed, over the past 5-7 years or so, we have seen the introduction of premium dining at nominal fee which promises some degree of improvement of the overall dining experience. With regard to the total dining experience (ambiance,service,food quality, presentation), do you think that (a) the regular dining program experience is of lesser quality than before the premium dining venues were introduced..or..(b).. the regular dining experience is of unchanged quality and the premium venues are offering a new improved level altogether..or..© perhaps a little of each, with regular down a little and premium up a little relative to the pre-premium dining days.

..............Thoughts??............Oui :)

[LARGIN]

c...

[Druke I]

"C" does appear to be appropriate, at least as pertains to my opinion relative to mass market cruise lines.

 

Playing the advocate, we were on Oceania's Regatta into the Baltic last August, and the main dining room food on board was the best we have experienced in some 3 dozen cruises, surpassing even Crystal, HAL, and Celebrity.

 

Oceania's alternative restaurants were also excellent.

[spongerob]

There is nothing new under the sun. Alternative dining is not a recent invention. It could be found on ocean liners prior to the First World War. As for today, though, I'm not sure if the cruise lines are offering less, or if its the passengers demanding less. For example, Caribbean and Crown Princess offer expanded self-serve dining. I guess people still want their lobster, they just don't want to sit down for over an hour to get it.

 

My choice is "B". Some cruises have been better than others.

[OuiOnboard]

"C" does appear to be appropriate, at least as pertains to my opinion relative to mass market cruise lines.

 

Playing the advocate, we were on Oceania's Regatta into the Baltic last August, and the main dining room food on board was the best we have experienced in some 3 dozen cruises, surpassing even Crystal, HAL, and Celebrity.

 

Oceania's alternative restaurants were also excellent.

WoW!!! ...do love good food...never sailed on the "next step up" lines...will have to give 'em a try...thanks for the response.

..Oui :)

[bdjam]

My choice is “B.” I haven’t seen any less quality in service or food in the dining rooms since I started sailing Princess in 1996. There was a dip in quality around 2000, but that’s before the alternatives became the big thing. It seems, however, that when Princess rolls in terms of quality, the cruise line like a sound ship seems to right itself.

That’s why I don’t get the posts with complaints about having to pay for extras – you can have the same cruise experience as was presented two and three years ago for no extra cost. The cruise line offers added options for a fee and everyone gets upset when in reality, they don’t have to pay for anything more to have a good cruise. And if they DIDN’T patronize these for tariff alternatives, the cruise lines wouldn’t offer them for a price in the first place. I think people just like to complain and feel they are being cheated out of something.

[adbnva]

we started cruising n the mid-80s & the whole dining experience was much more elegant than now. the food was of a higher quality & more variety of things everyone didn't eat @ home. i prefer 2 eat n the dining rm because 4 $15-30 pp ( not counting drinks ) we can have another nite out @ home. we have eaten n the alternative dining & it was very good. now very few (if any) lines have wine stewards. i miss that.

[Wormy53]

I guess I don't get it either. We have done the premium dinners, but I don't really see the need. Sabatini's is just too much - and I would really like some authentic barbequed shrimp at the cajun place. We don't like to eat burgers or chain restaurants at home. Why at sea? Princess offers some wonderful pastas every night and I could write home about their souffles!

[DickM]

With Princess, I think the regular dining experience is less than it used to be -- but cruise prices have not changed much over the last several years. Although the quality of the food remains about the same to me, service has gone downhill. Princess used to have Section Captains in the dining room that prepared pasta dishes almost every night and visited every table to help out and ensure everything was up to par. Additional waitstaff took orders for wine and drinks and brought them back quickly. Now the waiter and his / her assistant have to do it all.

 

If you pay a little more, whether by using an extra cost dining venue or upgrading to a better cruise line, the service gets substantially better.

[bdjam]

Princess used to have Section Captains in the dining room that prepared pasta dishes almost every night and visited every table to help out and ensure everything was up to par.

I had all of this and more on my recent Regal Princess sailing – we had about four pasta dishes and a few desserts prepared tableside. Our Head Waiter did visit the table every night and suggested a couple of “special” items for us which we ordered for future evenings.

[OuiOnboard]

I had all of this and more on my recent Regal Princess sailing – we had about four pasta dishes and a few desserts prepared tableside. Our Head Waiter did visit the table every night and suggested a couple of “special” items for us which we ordered for future evenings.

Sometimes...you will experience what BD experienced....perhaps that is one really good reason he likes Regal so much. BD, has this been your experience on grand class ships in Trad. dining also?

............Oui

[DickM]

I had all of this and more on my recent Regal Princess sailing

 

Interesting, we have not yet cruised on the Regal. We have been on the Sun (1999), Dawn (2004 x 2), Coral (2003), Grand (2002) & Caribbean (2005). On the Sun, Grand and Coral we had the tableside preparations; on the rest we did not. From our experience we saw a change in service in 2004. We will be on the Crown in July and the Tahitian in October. Perhaps we will have better luck on these ships.

[Pam in CA]

Some pax feel that in order to keep cruise fares attractive to larger numbers of new cruisers, Princess (and other mass market lines) have lessened the quality of some on board services and experiences. Indeed, over the past 5-7 years or so, we have seen the introduction of premium dining at nominal fee which promises some degree of improvement of the overall dining experience. With regard to the total dining experience (ambiance,service,food quality, presentation), do you think that (a) the regular dining program experience is of lesser quality than before the premium dining venues were introduced..or..(b).. the regular dining experience is of unchanged quality and the premium venues are offering a new improved level altogether..or..© perhaps a little of each, with regular down a little and premium up a little relative to the pre-premium dining days.

..............Thoughts??............Oui :)

None of the above. I don't think the quality of the dining experience has lessened so much as passenger's requirements and needs have changed. Prior to Anytime dining, the dinner meal was an "experience" and treated as such by both passengers and the dining staff. Entertainment was planned around each of the set dining times. There was tableside preparation of pastas, some entrees and some desserts almost every night, which has gone the way of the do-do due to insurance and liability. Yes, you'll see the Maitre D doing a pasta every now and then but it's limited to a particular area. People also dressed up more: there were formal, semi-formal and maybe one or two smart casual nights.

 

The entire cruising experience has changed. I don't think the food overall has changed but from reading these boards and experiencing Anytime, more and more people want to show up, eat and run on to the next thing. Dining is no longer the "experience" it used to be.

 

Specialty dining offers some of the former experience with not only special food more elaborately prepared, but a personal, attentive service that used to be standard.

 

It appears to me that many people don't want the personalized, attentive service -- they want to eat good food, dress casually and move on. I'm willing to pay for specialized service and a dining experience, and to me, that's what the special restaurant fee is for.

[crusdiva]

None of the above. I don't think the quality of the dining experience has lessened so much as passenger's requirements and needs have changed. Prior to Anytime dining, the dinner meal was an "experience" and treated as such by both passengers and the dining staff. Entertainment was planned around each of the set dining times. There was tableside preparation of pastas, some entrees and some desserts almost every night, which has gone the way of the do-do due to insurance and liability. Yes, you'll see the Maitre D doing a pasta every now and then but it's limited to a particular area. People also dressed up more: there were formal, semi-formal and maybe one or two smart casual nights.

 

The entire cruising experience has changed. I don't think the food overall has changed but from reading these boards and experiencing Anytime, more and more people want to show up, eat and run on to the next thing. Dining is no longer the "experience" it used to be.

 

Specialty dining offers some of the former experience with not only special food more elaborately prepared, but a personal, attentive service that used to be standard.

 

It appears to me that many people don't want the personalized, attentive service -- they want to eat good food, dress casually and move on. I'm willing to pay for specialized service and a dining experience, and to me, that's what the special restaurant fee is for.

 

Thank you Pam, you said exactly what I was thinking (how did you know? ;) ) and you said it far more eloquently than I ever could.

[OuiOnboard]

None of the above. I don't think the quality of the dining experience has lessened so much as passenger's requirements and needs have changed. Prior to Anytime dining, the dinner meal was an "experience" and treated as such by both passengers and the dining staff. Entertainment was planned around each of the set dining times. There was tableside preparation of pastas, some entrees and some desserts almost every night, which has gone the way of the do-do due to insurance and liability. Yes, you'll see the Maitre D doing a pasta every now and then but it's limited to a particular area. People also dressed up more: there were formal, semi-formal and maybe one or two smart casual nights.

 

The entire cruising experience has changed. I don't think the food overall has changed but from reading these boards and experiencing Anytime, more and more people want to show up, eat and run on to the next thing. Dining is no longer the "experience" it used to be.

 

Specialty dining offers some of the former experience with not only special food more elaborately prepared, but a personal, attentive service that used to be standard.

 

It appears to me that many people don't want the personalized, attentive service -- they want to eat good food, dress casually and move on. I'm willing to pay for specialized service and a dining experience, and to me, that's what the special restaurant fee is for.

Thank you Pam for expanding the scope of answers...in hindsight, I should have perhaps added a "(d) other" selection.:) But do you think the Trad. diningroom experience has become less of an "experience" to the degree that Anytime dining has.

.....Oui

[Cruisin' Chick]

We haven't tried the specialty restaurants yet and I don't suppose we will. But then both of us have smaller appetites compared to many people. And we're not exactly gourmet diners (usually our idea of going to a restaurant is this one Chinese place nearby or the Olive Garden) and we usually leave a restaurant with a "doggie bag." So we go the traditional dining route on our cruises and are very happy. I'm not about to put down something that means I don't have to cook for a week or so.

[caviargal]

IMO, it is "C". The quality of food and service in the dining room has declined significantly since my early days of cruising on most lines (see it less on X than the others). Now, I choose premium dining at least half the time and foresee the day when I will opt for premium every day.

 

On my last HAL cruise, we did the Pinnacle Grill 6 nights of 7 just because it was so very much better and the atmosphere and elegance was worth it to us. Next HAL cruise, we will do the same.

 

On Crown, we will try each ala carte venue at least once.

[spongerob]

But do you think the Trad. diningroom experience has become less of an "experience" to the degree that Anytime dining has?

I've only done Anytime once, and I'm not Pam, but I believe that Traditional dining is a better experience. We've often had really great tablemates and have enjoyed our dining not so much for the food, but for the company and conversation. We've met some very interesting people, even one semi-famous person (sister of a well-known person). Those meals have often stretched out to where we were among the last to leave the dining room. What is nice about that is that a good waiter will recognize that a table is having a good time, and will stretch the time between courses a little.

 

Anytime felt a bit like one of those "take your name at the door" restaurants where they bring your main course before you've had a chance to eat three bites of your salad. They just want that table turned over. It's not quite that bad in Anytime, but I think you get my drift.

[Pam in CA]

Thank you Pam for expanding the scope of answers...in hindsight, I should have perhaps added a "(d) other" selection.:) But do you think the Trad. diningroom experience has become less of an "experience" to the degree that Anytime dining has.

I don't think it's become less of an experience so much as it's a different experience. I prefer traditional dining because with our tablemates (and this has been true for my last several cruises), we made it a dining experience. Even with strangers whom we would never have picked out of a crowd for tablemates, we've had wonderful and enjoyable dining. I've found that if those at the table are enjoying themselves, the waitstaff tends to be more attentive.

 

I agree with Rob... with traditional dining, you can make the experience closer to what it was before Anytime dining. We usually wind up being at the table people look at with the expression "they're having so much fun! Wish I was at that table." On our Island Princess cruise last March/April, the Maitre D wound up stopping by every night and we even asked for a special entree to be made for the entire table after my BIL got into a discussion of the recipes in the Princess Recipe book with him.

 

I don't think you can get the same experience in Anytime dining but many don't look for or want that experience. That's why we have choices.

[ghgeckos]

We have only been sailing for 4 years so we have a new comer perspective. We enjoy the traditional dinning room and tend to be the last ones to leave the room (early dining). The food has always been very good and the service efficient. We also have enjoyed the small feel of the speciality restraunts enjoying them at least one night each cruise. The atmostphere is more peaceful and adult centered in the specialty restraunts we always make reserations when the children's center is open so we go without the kids and enjoy a more relaxed meal.