Food etiquette

[papadave]

Many people would not mind sitting with you for a nightly feast and I hope you find a large table of like-minded people to enjoy the experience with you.

 

I am sometimes bothered by a tablemate ordering several appetizers or main courses in sequence because it plays havoc with the service of the meal. The waiter either has to serve some people main courses while others are still eating appetizers, or tablemates who have finished a single course need to wait over their empty plates waiting for the person who ordered more food to finish up before the next course arrives.

[sharonella]

A good waiter can minimize the potential difficulties with delivering multiple orders of each course. And if you and/or your tablemates instruct the waitstaff to "continue on" with other people's courses that can also be a help.

 

My BF's mom is such a SLOW eater (I swear, she takes the teeniest bites & chews each one 100 times!) :rolleyes: Anyway, she told the waitstaff not to "wait for her" to continue to the next courses & they did. After the first night, he also made sure she (as well as anyone who ordered more then one item) was served first - and we had a "rule" at our table (of 8), that after the first course had been served, there was no "wait for everyone to be served to eat" rule. The food just keeps coming as each person is ready & it minimizes waiting for anyone.

 

On our 1st cruise, we did have a person in our group who ordered multiples of EVERYTHING and it was a bit unpleasant. It wasn't so much that he ordered the extra food, it was his attitude that he was going to squeeze every bit of "enjoyment" out of the cruise (basically get EVERYTHING he felt he had coming to him!) But I never felt he was really enjoying his food, just making sure he got his "money's worth".

 

Enjoy your cruise & do what works for you!

 

Sha

[Jane110]

 

On our 1st cruise, we did have a person in our group who ordered multiples of EVERYTHING and it was a bit unpleasant. It wasn't so much that he ordered the extra food, it was his attitude that he was going to squeeze every bit of "enjoyment" out of the cruise (basically get EVERYTHING he felt he had coming to him!) But I never felt he was really enjoying his food, just making sure he got his "money's worth".

 

Sha

 

I hear ya'. Very unpleasant experience and is nothing like people who are simply "big eaters", that's not what I'm referring to.

 

I read once about a family who bragged about their two teenage sons having lobster eating contests and regalled us with the number of lobsters ordered. Horrible behavior.

 

They'd never consider doing this in a restaurant because they would have to pay extra for it.

[4Bees]

I am a size 8 woman and I usually order 2 appetizers main courses and desserts. I found it helpful to warn the waiter that you will want extra lobster so that it comes shortly after the first serving. Also, if you order 2 appetizers or whatever all at the same time it will not cause delay in the other tablemates dinner,as the waiter will be able to time the meal better. We were on RCL NOS and this worked well.

 

Why do you care what others think? You should be concerned about your trravelling companion. A table for 2 is a good idea. But if you decide to sit with others I hope you get some like minded people!

[babakookie]

I am a young professional going on a cruise with soon to be wife on our honeymoon on the CB during the month of July. Be her first cruise, my third.

 

We signed up for late traditional. I am debating whether or not we need a table for 2 or a large table.

 

I am the type of guy who orders 3 shrimp cocktails everyday for appetizer and 4 lobster tails(or other entrees). Is this normal? Am I going to get weird looks?

 

I love to eat, and I take advantage of all the food my stomach can tolerate.

 

How hard is it to get a table for 2 for late traditional seating?

 

I would advise taking it easy on those entrees, but ok to order 2 appetizers. You don't want to gain too much on this cruise, do you?

[bkr50]

Wow, I've never thought to ask for another lobster tail until now. On my last two cruises the lobster tails were so small 4 would equal a regular size lobster tail, at least the kind I buy from the local market. I will confess to ordering multiple appetizers. But, in real life I usually order multiple appetizers at restaurants. I say go for it and enjoy!

[GoofingOff]

Hey CPCruiser,

 

Enjoy yourself. It's your honeymoon and that metabolism will surely slow down at some point.

 

I'd be happy to have a guy like you at my table so I'd only be the SECOND biggest eater.

[Lightsluvr]

Oh my, such drama over someone else's choice of food...

 

:cool:

 

LL

[sharonella]

Oh my, such drama over someone else's choice of food...

 

:cool:

 

LL

 

It's not so much another person's choice of food that could pose a potential dining "problem", but how they choose it & how they eat it! :p Seriously - there are some selfish people out there - like the person I previously mentioned, who just HAD to have 2-3 entrées every night, mostly because he "wanted to get everything he could" from the cruise experience. One of the last nights of the cruise, he had a sore throat. He still came to dinner, ordered 2 entrées & had the head waiter keep the lids on, because he actually took them back to his room to eat!! (His wife - who stayed thru dinner with us - later told us he hardly ate any of it because of his sore throat.) I have to say, that the evening he ate dinner is his room, he was hardly even missed, since when he did eat with us, his whole focus was on his food & he hardly participated in conversations unless asked a direct question!

 

I think there's a big difference between someone who truly enjoys food (like the OP) & someone who just has to greedily grasp everything he thinks he's entitled to (like my former cruise companion). I think the OP's concern is that he will be thought to be the latter - the greedy person - & possibly offend potential tablemates.

 

I think the OP need not worry. The fact that he even thought to ask the question shows that he's probably a very polite, thoughtful person & wouldn't offend his tablemates with his eating habits.

 

Sha

[stoneharborlady]

Thanks again for the replies....

 

In regards to abbreviations....Im also clueless

 

CB = Caribbean Princess

CP = Coral Princess

KP = Crown princess

 

Im still trying to learn what's up with the "D" in front of H [DH] somehow means husband, but still have no clue exactly what the D stands for

 

Is their a link for defining all these abbreviations

 

 

Hi, I mostly post on the Princess board, and I guarantee you we think these abbreviations are less than self explanatory too!! Especially if you are a new cruiser, or new to the board. But these are made up (literally) by Princess, so we just go with the flow.

 

Karen

[Jane110]

Thanks again for the replies....

 

In regards to abbreviations....Im also clueless

 

CB = Caribbean Princess

CP = Coral Princess

KP = Crown princess

 

 

How absurd!

 

Im still trying to learn what's up with the "D" in front of H [DH] somehow means husband, but still have no clue exactly what the D stands for

 

 

D stands for Darling or Dear

So DH is Darling Husband or Dear Husband.

DW is Dear Wife, DS = Dear Son, DD= Dear Daughter.

 

MIL, FIL, BIL, SIL = Mother in Law, Father in Law, Brother in Law, Sister in Law

[CPCruiser4Life]

Thank you Sha for your comments...

 

My concern is that I love food, one of the main reasons why I love cruises. I exercise often to offset my eating habits.

 

Maybe for the average person, 4 shrimps is enough to satisfy the appetite, but I sometimes need one or two more. I rarely get a chance to eat shrimp, so when the opportunity arises, I like to indulge. This is the same with most of the foods I get on a cruiseline.

 

People make the comparison about, would I do this in a restaurant...absolutely not, because I don't have $10 to pay for each shrimp cocktail.

 

If I get weird looks, life moves on...I'm going to eat, and eat until I'm full. I know I am not the only person who doubles or triples up. My honeymoon, my first cruise with my fiancee. She'll probably give me more dirty looks than anyone else.

 

I'll survive. Thanks for all the comments.

[shipshape sam]

eating extra appetizers is a common practice on ships, eating 4 lobsters is also a common practice. Lobster is not served every night. I do it! :)

 

I would think 2-3 appetizers and 4 entres every night would be 'over the top' but IF you eat it all, then who am I to care. It is very true that there is so much food on ships that it would seem that you could eat elsewhere to make sure you are not hungry if the above is a nightly occurance.

 

As to tablemates, I would not think any tablemate would be upset with the above on a single night, but every night I believe it would be a problem. Would they say something? Who knows, but it clearly would be delaying their dining experience EVERY night and thus something you might want to think about or as you mention get a table for 2.

[sharonella]

Thank you Sha for your comments...

 

My concern is that I love food, one of the main reasons why I love cruises. I exercise often to offset my eating habits.

 

Maybe for the average person, 4 shrimps is enough to satisfy the appetite, but I sometimes need one or two more. I rarely get a chance to eat shrimp, so when the opportunity arises, I like to indulge. This is the same with most of the foods I get on a cruiseline.

 

People make the comparison about, would I do this in a restaurant...absolutely not, because I don't have $10 to pay for each shrimp cocktail.

 

If I get weird looks, life moves on...I'm going to eat, and eat until I'm full. I know I am not the only person who doubles or triples up. My honeymoon, my first cruise with my fiancee. She'll probably give me more dirty looks than anyone else.

 

I'll survive. Thanks for all the comments.

 

Like I said before - it's not the amount of food a person eats in one sitting, it's the attitude while eating it. :rolleyes: As long as you are polite, join in with the conversation at dinner & chew your food slowly & properly (all of which I'm sure you'll do), you won't have any problems! The "greedy" people don't do those things & those are the ones who can make the dining experience unpleasant for their tablemates. Your fiancee won't give you dirty looks if your attention at dinner is mostly on her instead of the food! ;)

 

Have a great honeymoon trip!

Sha