As You Wish Dining - Opinions, Comments and Discussions

[jrzebird]

Indeed, As You Wish is indeed working out fine. By comparison, Holland America has yet to adequately change their standard operating procedures sufficiently to adjust to the reality of recurrent norovirus outbreaks: Their inadequate facility and logistical changes cause substantial service inadequacies in the Lido, affecting practically everyone using the Lido during a Code Red in a negative manner, while the open seating situation in the Vista Dining Room is an improvement for some and a disappointment to others.

 

I totally disagree that it affected practically everyone in a negative manner. It was only negative if you chose to look at it that way. I looked at our Code Red last month as a slight inconvenience until I got accustomed to it. I also elected to enjoy being waited on. And, the lines were actually no longer (or not substantially longer) than if I had to wait for someone to pick over each morsel in the buffet themselves. I applaud the way the Captain and crew handled it, and the many rude passengers.

 

What does this have to do with AYWD? Which, by the way, I also enjoyed.

[bUU]

This got my attention, so I pulled a partial quotation from your post and started a new thread, instead of hijacking this one (and making it longer, when hammybee is hoping it ends soon :D ). I think you have something worth discussing! Please go to the new thread I started and share with us your thoughts on how HAL can change to help prevent the virus.

Will try to do so. I haven't been picking up any new threads since we've been on the cruise. I'll try to find the new thread using my RSS feeds.

[bUU]

I totally disagree that it affected practically everyone in a negative manner.

Yes, perhaps saying "everyone" was an exaggeration.

 

It was only negative if you chose to look at it that way. I looked at our Code Red last month as a slight inconvenience until I got accustomed to it. I also elected to enjoy being waited on.

Perhaps things worked differently. I didn't see any additional being "waited on". I haven't encountered one counter-measure that didn't result in more work for me, as the passenger, explaining which of the various sweeteners I wanted, and trying to communicate how many packets (with the end-result often being that I get either the wrong sweetener, or the wrong number of packets, or both).

 

And, the lines were actually no longer (or not substantially longer) than if I had to wait for someone to pick over each morsel in the buffet themselves.

Well, if that's the case, that's unfortunate. My previous experience was with the Windjammer on Royal Caribbean, so perhaps that is the reason for the difference in our perspectives on this.

 

I applaud the way the Captain and crew handled it, and the many rude passengers.

I agree.

 

What does this have to do with AYWD?

As mentioned above, it isn't really directly related; it was a tangential statement that spawned its own thread now.

[Quent]

As I have said on other posts, it seems to me, after having just returned from Australia on the Statendam, that part of the answer to the seating of the requesting majority of the people in traditional dinning is to reverse the dining levels.

 

I suggested that they move the traditional seating to the lower level and have AYW on the upper level. The lower level seats more people in that it does not have the open center space of the upper level.

 

I suggested this to the maitre d' at the beninning of the cruise and he said that this was suggested to HAL and they declined to make the change. It would not completely solve the problem would certainly help.

[Tredebo]

Have recently returned to the pseudo-real world after my first cruise and thus my first experience of AYW dining. I have nothing to complain about.

 

The first couple of nights were the learning curve and once we had an idea, I didn't have a problem with the process. It took approximately 30 seconds each morning to book our table for dinner. The Dining Room Manger, Robert, was an absolute gentleman and from my observations, looked after all diners with grace and aplomb. Congratulations to all the staff who, if you stop to think, do an extraordinary job. Bravo the staff!

[gentlemancruiser]

we have just returned from the Oosterdam. We were assigned open seating but were eventually able to changed to 2nd seating. This change only happened once we were onboard and really insisted it be changed. during the 2nd seating many guests were brought up to the 2nd level from the open seating, which made if more difficult for the waiters.

Our biggest complaint was the horribly slow service. the first night was ok but during the 2nd night the service started to really slow down. We only saw the assistant waiter once during the whole meal. By the 3rd night, diner became really uncomfortable. 55 minutes after being seated we had received our appeitizer and they were still on the table in front of us. 10 minutes later we recevievd our soup/salad, but they hadn't cleared the appeitizer.

I did complain to the dining room manager, but nothing seem to change. I had thought it might just be our waiters but when I look around the dining room most others were on the same course.

Frequestly guests looked around the dining room to see if anything would be coming from the kitchen.

If this is trend in the future I'm sure I won't be returning to HAL.

[LynnObie]

If AYWD (what a misnomer!) is so wonderful, why is it the only choice available? :rolleyes: You'd think from the hype it would be the other way around.

 

My wish = early, upper, table for 2 on the rail! :p

[Quent]

Have recently returned to the pseudo-real world after my first cruise and thus my first experience of AYW dining. I have nothing to complain about.

 

The first couple of nights were the learning curve and once we had an idea, I didn't have a problem with the process. It took approximately 30 seconds each morning to book our table for dinner. The Dining Room Manger, Robert, was an absolute gentleman and from my observations, looked after all diners with grace and aplomb. Congratulations to all the staff who, if you stop to think, do an extraordinary job. Bravo the staff!

 

 

Did you seat with the same 6 other people at the same table for 8, every night? Or were you seated by your selves at a table for two? That makes a difference. I agree Robert did try to do his best.

[Tredebo]

Did you seat with the same 6 other people at the same table for 8, every night? Or were you seated by your selves at a table for two? That makes a difference. I agree Robert did try to do his best.

We had a table for two. The couple who dined beside us at a parallel table for two most nights were wonderful company and conversation was good, yet private when we wanted. We did have a few nights on tables for 8 and enjoyed the company - different dining experiences. Both had their high points but no lows.

[hammybee]

If AYWD (what a misnomer!) is so wonderful, why is it the only choice available? :rolleyes: You'd think from the hype it would be the other way around.

 

My wish = early, upper, table for 2 on the rail! :p

 

Over the past 5 or so years, there has been a trend towards early seating.

Those wishing for early fixed seating had and probably will continue to have the greatest likelihood of being disappointed, cause when the seats are full, someone is going to have to dine later.

 

We don't always get what we wish for, do we?

[Cruising-along]

 

We don't always get what we wish for, do we?

 

Exactly, Hammy.

 

Every single time with traditional dining we had to get in line the first day to ask that our dining be changed. We always book at least a year ahead.

 

Every time when we boarded, we found it wasn't what we had chosen or what our booking papers said we would have.

 

It goes both ways ;)

[LynnObie]

We don't always get what we wish for, do we?

 

Good point but we made our wish a precondition of our booking... read on:

 

When we talked to our travel agent about booking, she got someone from HAL... I think in Shipboard Services, to tell her they'd confirm us in early dining for one 7 day segment & waitlist us in the other even though their web site was showing both segments closed. When the confirmation of our booking came through it showed "Personal Choice Dining" for both segments! :eek: After our agent pushed the right person's buttons at HAL, she just sent us a revised confirmation showing "Early Dining Confirmed" with "table for 2 requested". I would have been happy to accept what HAL originally committed to but extremely pleased that our agent & HAL came through with confirmed early for both segments of our B2B. :D

[mjwood77]

It seems that there are many different experiences with AYWD based on the ship. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with AYWD on the Zaandam? According to the schedule they only implemented it on this ship in early Feb.

 

We want to eat early, but will be off the ship at 8am most mornings that we are in port. So not sure we will be able to make reservations. We would like to meet new people, so we are hoping that it will be easier to seat us.

 

Thanks!

[Mr Veendam06]

I i just got off the Noordam .I love Any time dinning .It"s so much better then Princess .I went to the dinning room at 8:30 every night and got the table i wanted !! I think it"s works good on HAL because the crew is very friendly .

[RuthC]

I went to the dinning room at 8:30 every night and got the table i wanted !! I think it"s works good on HAL because the crew is very friendly .

Maybe it worked so well for you because you went to the dining room at 8:30. Very few passengers to compete with then.

[gizmo]

I agree with Ruth. Very few people want 8:30. I would think there would be no lines or beepers at that time of the night!

 

IMO when Hal went to the 4 dining times it was a mess. Those that wanted late did not want 8:30. I think 8:30 was at the bottom of the list for most and very few wanted it.

[gentlemancruiser]

I agree with Ruth. Very few people want 8:30. I would think there would be no lines or beepers at that time of the night!

 

IMO when Hal went to the 4 dining times it was a mess. Those that wanted late did not want 8:30. I think 8:30 was at the bottom of the list for most and very few wanted it.

 

They are both right. On the Oosterdam I was told "there's never any problem arriving at the dining room after 8pm". The most difficult times to accomodate guests for AYW is between 6:15 and 7:45, according to the dining room manager.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Maybe it worked so well for you because you went to the dining room at 8:30. Very few passengers to compete with then.

 

I agree with Ruth. Very few people want 8:30. I would think there would be no lines or beepers at that time of the night!

 

..............

 

I can confirm this was also true on a recent Volendam cruise. Our friends just returned (they had confirmed late Traditional which they prefer), but they said there was no problem with AYW when you wanted to dine after 8:00.

[bUU]

The most difficult times to accomodate guests for AYW is between 6:15 and 7:45, according to the dining room manager.

Times during which it was impossible to get a traditional dining accommodation, both before and after AYW was implemented (because they offered/offer only two seatings, before that prime time and after that prime time). With open seating, you've said that it is "difficult" to get seated during that prime time, which is a whole lot better than "impossible".

[kennicott]

, you've said that it is "difficult" to get seated during that prime time, which is a whole lot better than "impossible".

 

Excellent point. In our situation, in our travels, we have never been offered the luxury of AYW dining. Contrary to perhaps the majority of opinion here on CC, most of those folk on board we listen to would and will prefer AYW dining. In our case, having been confined to only traditional, we have always preferred second seating, but would much prefer that time be moved up to say, 7:15-7:30. Unfortunately, this is impossible for most any ship to accommodate, because just about everybody wants to eat at that time. Therefore, you must choose between 6:00 or 8:15, and that is it. But even with traditional being the only option, we still find, even when booking a year in advance, we are always waitlisted for the 8:15 seating up to the point of departure. AYW dining would be ideal for us. For two reasons,---It sounds like we won’t have any trouble getting seated at our accustomed time ----We don’t have to take a chance on getting stuck with the same folk at dinner for a two and a half month voyage.

[off2ctheworld]

My siblings just got off the Oosterdam. Our family had cruised in December-traditional dining-great experience. Became acquainted with dining-wine steward-always friendly. My siblings had different stewards nightly-once he didn't bring a menu to the table for one of the people at their table and person asked for it twice! Were not as friendly (perhaps not receiving as many tips as previously?) steaks were not cooked to order, and the nightly need for reservations they felt were a lot of unnecessary work. No, the cruise was not ruined, just not HAL perfect.

[HeatherInFlorida]

.................. (because they offered/offer only two seatings, before that prime time and after that prime time). ......

 

Actually, until AYW was instituted there had been 4 seatings on HAL for quite some time.

[bUU]

6:30? 7:00? 7:15? 7:30? Because that's what we were talking about.

[HeatherInFlorida]

This is why I generally stay away from this thread.

 

I didn't state the times. But you said, Bicker, that there were only 2 seatings and I was just mentioning there were actually 4. One of them, I'm quite positive, was at 6:15 which is one of the times mentioned above.

 

However, I wasn't disagreeing with your point at all which I absolutely agree with. There was a bank of time you could not stroll in for dinner and AYW gives people that flexibility even if it means waiting a bit.

 

So all my post was about was the number of seatings which you may have been unaware of since it was before your first cruise on HAL.

[NoNoNanette]

Hi Heather :)

 

I love your little zip-lipped smiley!