Funny thing happened on the way to the forum-i mean dinner

[notentirelynormal]

Okay, I have to add my two stories. The first – many years ago we were at a booth for 6. One of the couples were older then us (LOL probably our age now). This was their first cruise. The husband shows up for dinner on formal night wearing a Hawaiian shirt. I told him that it was formal night and he really needed to be wearing a tie and jacket. He comes back wearing just that – over his Hawaiian shirt. As were eating dinner I see him slipping a couple of Cornish hens into his pocket. I told him if he wanted to take one back to his room he could just ask the waiter for a better “take out” container then his pocket. He looked embarrassed then said the he was worried he might get hungry later, that’s why he was doing it. He didn’t realize that the food was free all over the ship.

 

The second story: As we’re walking into the restaurant one night we see a lady crying outside the doors. We go over to see if everything is okay and she tells us that she is travelling with her elderly aunt and her aunt told her she HAD to eat at the scheduled time or she wouldn’t be allowed to eat again until the next day – and she just wasn’t hungry when dinner started. Apparently she had only met her aunt a few times before traveling with her and the seasoned traveler aunt was just making up the rules as she went along. Total control. I took her to see the maitre’d and told him the story. He told her she could eat anytime she wanted and to come back during the second meal and he’d find her a spot and not to worry. The lady couldn’t believe how friendly people were and wanted to know how I met so many people. I told her you just smile and say “good morning” and in no time you’ll have friends all over the ship. We kept running in to her after that – we were on the old Pacific Princess and its small – and she was having the best time. Her only stress then was how NOT to go home and spend another week with this aunt in Los Angeles. I told her it is possible to change your flights and go directly back to Belize … and she did.

[OCruisers]

Guess all of us have stories about people who "just didn't know" ....

 

We finished lunch in the main dining room and were looking at the Dinner Menu (oink, oink) when an older lady shyly asked me if I knew how much it would be to have lunch there.

 

When I told her lunch as well as breakfast and dinner were totally FREE in the main dining room, she could not believe it and called her husband over for us to tell him.

 

They were SOOOOOOOOOO Happy! Wish we'd met them earlier in the cruise. :rolleyes:

[tigerdadky]

All of these stories are so good, but I am glas I became a cruise critic before my first cruise. I didnt seem like a newbie by the time I boarded. I felt like a veteran cruiser pointing out all the things to my cousin and his wife that were cruising with us. Thank God I found this website before my first cruise.

[NorcalGuy]

Exact same thing happened to me. I was talking to a lady on the Emerald Princess in the buffet on the last morning of the cruise. It was her first cruise. I asked her how she enjoyed the cruise. She said she was very tired of the buffet day after day for every meal. I said why didn't you go to the dining room. She said, "Dining Room, What dining room?" She had no clue there was one. She thought she had no choice. It was the buffet or nothing. :eek:

 

Do these people not have travel agents? Or read their brochures? I hate to be critical but before my first cruise I read every word of the brochure cover to cover.

And they must not read any of the printed materials in the cabin either. I think the dining options are pretty documented for those that bother to read. Hours, locations, etc.:rolleyes:

[Cruisin' Chick]

Even when we stay in a hotel, I will try to read the materials about dining in the hotel and the environs.