How many dinner courses?

[highseascruiser]

I've just been reading the Noordam review and noticed the comment about being offered 3 courses at dinner, rather than 4. We are just back from Alaska on the Zaandam and had 3 courses every evening, salad and a soup being offered in the general 'Appetizers' section. Two years ago on the Volendam, we were offered 5 courses, also the same on the Zuiderdam last year. Is this a new blanket policy or just some ships? It probably did me a favor, I'm certainly not complaining about the amount of food! I'm also sure if I'd wanted both soup and salad, it would not have been a problem. But I'm just intersted if this a general change.

[Kamloops50]

We where on the Volendam last and had 5 courses(soup , salad,appetizer,

main and dessert) This was every night of the cruise.

[sail7seas]

There is no reason you can't order appetizer, soup, salad, entree and dessert. If they lump the appetizers, soups and salads in one heading, they are still offering those items. Order whatever and however much you desire.

 

[x lindsay x]

I noticed that change a few weeks ago on the Ryndam. I had no problem with the new menu format as I never left the dining room feeling the slightest bit of hunger.

 

I also noticed that the vegetarian menu has changed, it was divided into three categories as well. The categories were, Cold Appetizers, Soups, and Entrees.

[sab490]

Maybe it is just a effort to cut down dining time. It seems some have complained recently about how long dinner takes. If people only see three sections, maybe they will only order three courses. I'm smarter than that though... Appetizer, Soup, Salad, Entree and Desert (optional) and sometimes two from one category! ;)

 

- Steve

[Solo Cruiser]

I'm with you Steve, sometimes more than one item from more than one course. However I am curious, if you order an appetizer, a salad and a soup are they all three brought at different times (with the rest of your table having to wait until the plates from the last "starter" course are cleared before they can move to the entree) would it be considered good manners to delay the table by eating one from every heading under the starter menu?

[hammybee]

The menu presentation is new, but there remains 5 full courses, appetizer, soup, salad, entree and dessert. There is no reason not to enjoy all, if that's what you want to do. To tell you the truth, I did not even notice the difference, until I read it on this board.

[peaches from georgia]

Do we consider this another 'cutback' or just a change in style to a little less formal menu and dining?

[sail7seas]

I'm with you Steve, sometimes more than one item from more than one course. However I am curious, if you order an appetizer, a salad and a soup are they all three brought at different times (with the rest of your table having to wait until the plates from the last "starter" course are cleared before they can move to the entree) would it be considered good manners to delay the table by eating one from every heading under the starter menu?

 

 

No matter how much you order, your steward will bring one serving at a time. He won't stack up a pile of dishes in front of you. If you order soup, salad, appetizer and the rest of the table only orders one of those three, they will wait until you are ready for your entree before their entrees are served.

 

It really would not be very good service for the steward to not serve everyone's entree at the same time.

[hammybee]

I'm with you Steve, sometimes more than one item from more than one course. However I am curious, if you order an appetizer, a salad and a soup are they all three brought at different times (with the rest of your table having to wait until the plates from the last "starter" course are cleared before they can move to the entree) would it be considered good manners to delay the table by eating one from every heading under the starter menu?

 

For as long as I can remember, HAL serves all entrees together. Those that order appetizer, soup and salad are the last to receive their entree and somehow it all seems to work out, just fine. Presumably, those that do not partake of all the courses, are sipping wine, buttering their bread and making pleasant conversation.

 

For some reason, it seems that more and more pax do not want to wait for their fellow diners to finish each course. It's a part of the potential trend away from dinner as a social event to putting on the feedbag. I do not mean this in a disrespectful manner. Some of us enjoy 2+ hour dinners and getting to know our table mates and some of us just want to eat and get on with the evening. I am thinking that the latter group has the potential to become the majority, one day.

[hammybee]

It really would not be very good service for the steward to not serve everyone's entree at the same time.

 

We posted at the same time. Serving all entrees together is indeed a part of formal dining service. I am thinking that there are more and more pax who do not want to wait for others. Perhaps some are socially uncomfortable or simply anxious to get on with their evening. Formal dining is not the social event it once was on cruise lines.

[sab490]

I'm with you Steve, sometimes more than one item from more than one course. However I am curious, if you order an appetizer, a salad and a soup are they all three brought at different times (with the rest of your table having to wait until the plates from the last "starter" course are cleared before they can move to the entree) would it be considered good manners to delay the table by eating one from every heading under the starter menu?

 

That never seems to be a problem because I am a fast eater and I can usually put away appetizer, soup and salad in the time it takes my DW to get through just her salad. So if they get upset, it's with her, not me! ;)

But seriously, maybe we have been lucky with tablemates. I can't remember ever being the only one who orders all three or anyone who has gotten impatient.

 

- Steve

[sab490]

For as long as I can remember, HAL serves all entrees together. Those that order appetizer, soup and salad are the last to receive their entree and somehow it all seems to work out, just fine. Presumably, those that do not partake of all the courses, are sipping wine, buttering their bread and making pleasant conversation.

 

For some reason, it seems that more and more pax do not want to wait for their fellow diners to finish each course. It's a part of the potential trend away from dinner as a social event to putting on the feedbag. I do not mean this in a disrespectful manner. Some of us enjoy 2+ hour dinners and getting to know our table mates and some of us just want to eat and get on with the evening. I am thinking that the latter group has the potential to become the majority, one day.

 

I hope not, but if that happens Hammy, you will always be welcome at our table. We can keep the tradition alive.

 

- Steve

[bepsf]

Maybe it is just a effort to cut down dining time. It seems some have complained recently about how long dinner takes.*

- Steve

 

Maybe those folks would prefer a stopwatch and a shovel...

:cool:

[OceanFantasys]

On the Oosterdam in February we had a table for two and beside our table were two more tables for two so close together you could almost touch your neighbors. We noticed that our waiter would bring our appetizer and their appetizer at the same time but the couple next to us never ordered soup or salad but we did so they had to wait on us every night to get finished because our waiter was determined that everyone was going to get the main course at the same time. He would even wait for everyone to finish before he would bring the dessert menu. We started to feel gulity after the third evening for making people have to wait so we ordered only 3 courses.. I can see the waiter doing this with a large party of 6 or more but for a party of 2? To make everyone wait on others was not very appropriate to us anyway.

[hammybee]

On the Oosterdam in February we had a table for two and beside our table were two more tables for two so close together you could almost touch your neighbors. We noticed that our waiter would bring our appetizer and their appetizer at the same time but the couple next to us never ordered soup or salad but we did so they had to wait on us every night to get finished because our waiter was determined that everyone was going to get the main course at the same time. He would even wait for everyone to finish before he would bring the dessert menu. We started to feel gulity after the third evening for making people have to wait so we ordered only 3 courses.. I can see the waiter doing this with a large party of 6 or more but for a party of 2? To make everyone wait on others was not very appropriate to us anyway.

 

This suggests that "clumping" of smaller dinner orders might be necessary to effect customized banquet style dining for the masses, 900+/- per seating. It may not have been necessary back when almost everyone sat at large tables. But given the trend to small tables, they still have to adhere to what works, under the circumstances. I remain amazed that HAL or any cruise line, for that matter, can pull off dinner, given all the variables within orders, preferences, variety and limited space. I will not even touch the personalities of the diners themselves, which most certainly outnumbers the pax. :)

 

This does not happen at typical hotel banquets where the diner is given the choice of chicken or beef and if you don't like or want the rest, don't eat it.

[MissWindyCity]

It's a shame that we have to worry about how fast we are eating or who we are holding up. YOU ARE ON VACATION!!! What happened to the days when dining on a cruise was the highlight of every evening? I consider dinner an event and social gathering to look forward to. Most people don't do this in their normal everyday lives and should be relished and enjoyed while on a cruise! :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

The number of courses really depends on what all you order - JMO.

 

There are some evenings when DH will order an appetizer, soup, salad, entree and dessert - that's 5 courses in my books. Then some nights we will only have an appetizer, salad OR soup and an entree (no dessert) - only 3 courses.

[peaches from georgia]

People who don't want to wait for tablemates to finish a course before another is served or who want to leave the table before everyone has finished their meal should request a table for 2 or eat at the Lido. Are there no manners expected anymore?

[gizmo]

This appears to be another "copy cat" of Princess. Princess changed their menus to "Small Plates, and Large Plates" Same thing, different name. :rolleyes:

[sab490]

People who don't want to wait for tablemates to finish a course before another is served or who want to leave the table before everyone has finished their meal should request a table for 2 or eat at the Lido. Are there no manners expected anymore?

 

On one cruise we had two guys at our table who always left before anyone else was finished. :rolleyes: In this case though, the rest of us (especially our waiter) were glad to see them go!:D

 

- Steve