My wife has finally talked me back into traditional dining for our next cruise & it's been a while since we've done so. Does anyone know if they still have the Bananas Foster, Baked Alaska parade, Cherries Jubilee & singing waiters? She's convinced that we're missing something at pc dining & I say those things are events no longer held.
Thanks,
Rich

RichC, it may vary by ship, but on our last three cruises (Golden Princess, Island Princess and Sapphire Princess) the only event of the ones you mentioned still in effect is the Parade of the Baked Alaska. The waiters still sing for birthdays and anniversaries, but that's all. I don't remember Bananas Foster; but I very much miss the Cherries Jubilee.

Rick

Good to hear. Maybe my wife will change her mind & we can switch to pc dining. I never cared for singing waiters anyway. ( I think it was on RCI)
On the Grand last Jan they did have a fruit flambé during a deck party one evening.

Thanks Rick- My wife had changed her mind again back to pc dining after what you posted knowing she won't miss out on anything. I would have hated to take up a spot at early traditional & than disappear to anytime dining on the ship since I realize there lots of people wanting early seating.

I might suggest to my partner we do traditional on our 2nd cruise. But I need to see how it looks and feels in person first. Frankly it seems a little Benny Hana to me to be forced to sit with people you don't know for two weeks in a row. I get claustrophobic if I get seated next to someone obnoxious and then have to eat too. It would be nice to think that every single passenger will just be loads of fun, but that's just not realistic. And honestly even if they were ... 12 nights of it? Nuh-uh.

Simple solution: reserve a table for two.

quote:

Originally posted by Detroit Mark:
I might suggest to my partner we do traditional on our 2nd cruise. But I need to see how it looks and feels in person first. Frankly it seems a little Benny Hana to me to be forced to sit with people you don't know for two weeks in a row. I get claustrophobic if I get seated next to someone obnoxious and then have to eat too. It would be nice to think that every single passenger will just be loads of fun, but that's just not realistic. And honestly even if they were ... 12 nights of it? Nuh-uh.

If you opt for traditional, select a table for 8 just in case you do get someone who you don't click with. It's easier to just let the others jabber away & occasionally chime in with a polite remark. NEVER get a table for 4 unless you know for sure who you'll be seated with.

See, you guys have been so you have that advantage of having seen things like the seating arrangements, and what other dining rooms are like first hand. Great advice, I will be jotting it down.

RichC has a good solution. If you can't manage the table for 2 like Rick suggests, turn it around and ask to be seated with a big group (8 to 10). That way you have better chances of another group at the table being compatible AND if that fails, you can choose to disappear to the personal choice thing and having 2 people missing is not a huge propblem for the wait staff (although you might want to let them know you will not be back so they don't hold things up waiting for you to arrive)

We were seated with two other familys on our last cruise. Luckily we all got along and we didn't have and issues. But I am sure there are times when someone just doesn't play nice.

Maybe someone should start a thread about "horror stories being seated with strangers in Traditional Dining".



If no one responds, then I'll switch.

But seriously, it's not a big deal. I just want to observe the lay of the land first. I definately plan on taking more than one cruise in my life.

Maybe I'm just lucky, but in 30+ years of cruiseing I have had just one tablemate that was genuinely annoying. But like RichC and Jim said, it was a big table and the rest of us pretty much just ignored her. In fact she became the subject of a lot of winks and nudges around the table.

I guess in some ways an annoying person at the dinner table can be fun. I can see how he or she would end up being what people laughed about for days.

Or years!

I respond although it's not horror story. It was the first evening & although we were suppose to sit at a large table we wound up with a couple who were both deaf. I can sympathize with their problem but it was next to impossible to carry on much of a conversation. I really forgot the reason why we seated at a table for 4 that evening but thankful for the change. Their handicap was impossible to deal with on a one to one basis & they should have been seated at a large table also. There was no polite way of changing tables if we hadn't already been assigned one.
There have been people we've met at a large table who I wouldn't care to have a continued conversation with but as long as there are others to talk to everything worked for the best. I'll say it again DON'T ever ask to a table for four unless you know for sure who you'll be seated with.

We have had some doosies, but all in all, it's been fun. Two cruises stand out in my memory, one with a couple that had way too much to drink before dinner every night. One was a couple who ordered everything on the menu each night, and then added extras. They ate everything, so at least the food didn't go to waste. They never missed a midnight buffet either.

Yikes!!

quote:

Mr. Creosote (perusing the menu in a fine French restaurant): "Give me the lot."

Yikes is right. I am a big girl and I don't think I can eat that much! I am wondering how my dinner at Sabatini's is going to go - 18 courses is a lot of food!

Two tips for dinner at Sabatini's: don't rush it; relax and let the waiters do their thing. They are very proud to be working the specialty dining room, and if they see you really savoring the meal they will pour on the service. Secondly, don't try to eat all of everything; you probably couldn't if you wanted to. But you will enjoy the experience much more if you are not stuffed after the appetizers.

I remember one fellow on my first cruise. It was a see day and my sister and I had gone to the dining room for lunch. He was complaining about how he couldn't get food like at home and he asked the waiter if he could get a tuna fish sandwich. The waiter said he would check and a few minutes later he came back and announced that the kitchen could accomodate this gentleman. The rest of us were served and this gentleman continued to wait for his sandwich, complaining about how long it was taking for something so simple. Finally, my sister had listened enough and she said "You know, the cruise line likes to be sure that everything is fresh. Perhaps they had to go catch the fish."

Sabatini's is definitely a place you need to go to with a HUGE appetite. Although the portions aren't huge, it's that there are so many portions. I don't eat a lot at any one time, so I really couldn't do them justice. My hubby, however, ate everything. He then had to go to bed. We were in there at least 2 1/2 hours, closer to 3. It was wonderful, though.

quote:

Originally posted by Jill SC:
Finally, my sister had listened enough and she said "You know, the cruise line likes to be sure that everything is fresh. Perhaps they had to go catch the fish."

That is too funny! But when you think about it they probably did have to at least cook the fish, then make the salad and chill it. They may have even had to look up a recipe for tuna salad depending on the background of the chef!

I think I would have told him something a little more harsh like "If you wanted food like home maybe you should have stayed there!"