Legitimate way to "get around" one entree/course at a time new rule?

[SuperPlanner]

One of my kiddos is a VERY picky eater and will likely be eating pizza before or after each meal instead of what is served in the MDR. If my husband and I want more than one app or entree at the same time, can we "order for her" even if she won't be eating and waiter would be able to bring out multiple courses for us at the same time that way? Similarly, if our son orders from the kids' menu, can we still do the above for him with an extra app or two we want to try? Not trying to break rules, just wondering if this is a legitimate solution for those of us with littles....

[ChessE4]

Lobster is the entree with charge for 2nd one. I'd ask waiter for what you want and see if it's OK. It probably will be. No need to work around, just don't waste food.

[Traveling Mike]

Is there a new rule that you can only have one entree?  I was under the impression that is only for the Lobster on Lobster night.

[Mike.s]

4 hours ago, Traveling Mike said:

Is there a new rule that you can only have one entree?  I was under the impression that is only for the Lobster on Lobster night.

On our recent Vision cruise you could order 2 entrees, as you say only an additional lobster tail had an upcharge. You could order 2 entrees on lobster night, our friends did, he ordered lobster and steak, and gave his lobster to his wife, so she got 2 lobsters without the additional charge.

[Matt]

9 hours ago, Traveling Mike said:

Is there a new rule that you can only have one entree?  I was under the impression that is only for the Lobster on Lobster night.

The OP means more than one entree served to them at a time. You can order multiple entrees still, but they bring one out at a time.

[JBC]

You can always order more than one app.  I typically always order two.  That is never an issue.  For entrees I typically only order one, but on my last cruise I did order the lobster and the steak entrée.  The waiter brought the lobster first and I ate it slowly waiting for the steak, and he asked me if I was finished with the lobster and I told him I am waiting for my steak, which he then brought but commented that he isn't supposed to bring more than one entrée at a time.  It appeared as though a lot of people were doing this. With the changed MDR menus and the charge for a 2nd tail, Royal needs to come up with a surf and turf option for the 2nd formal night ("lobster night").  Not the Chops surf and turf option that is available for purchase every night. It would waste less food, because people just want the surf and turf, they don't want the accompaniments of both entrees. 

      

[Carlos A.]

This new approach of "we're not bringing anything other dish until you finish all your vegetables" is terrible. I can't see anybody happy with this. 

[Jolly Ogre]

1 hour ago, Matt said:

The OP means more than one entree served to them at a time. You can order multiple entrees still, but they bring one out at a time.

What about if you want surf and turf on lobster night? Do you have to wait on the surf or the turf? Can you pick the order in which they are served?

[KevinK]

18 minutes ago, Jolly Ogre said:

What about if you want surf and turf on lobster night? Do you have to wait on the surf or the turf? Can you pick the order in which they are served?

On my Feb trip, on Lobster night, I asked for a lobster and a steak.  My waiter said he could only bring one out at a time.  I asked if he could combine lobster & steak into one dish.  He said he can't have to be one dish course at a time. I guess that's the new MDR rule.

[JBC]

17 minutes ago, KevinK said:

On my Feb trip, on Lobster night, I asked for a lobster and a steak.  My waiter said he could only bring one out at a time.  I asked if he could combine lobster & steak into one dish.  He said he can't have to be one dish course at a time. I guess that's the new MDR rule.

Yes, this is what I experienced last week.  It's dumb.  Royal really isn't accomplishing anything with that policy other than to annoy a guest.  

[Xaa]

I don't see this surviving even the mildest pushback.  I'll be on Anthem next week and I'll be ordering 2 and expecting 2 at once simply by saying "Please bring them both at the same time" 

If offered the rule that he has to wait until I eat the first, I'm simply going to tell him "I know that you want me to be happy and I know that you would like to receive all 10's on the survey at the end, and I want to give you all 10's.  I really want to do that.  I'm only going to be able to do that if I'm able to enjoy my meal the way I'd like to enjoy it.  Please bring me both"

I should also say, before I sit down and order anything on my first visit, I will have tipped him.

[KevinK]

32 minutes ago, JBC said:

Yes, this is what I experienced last week.  It's dumb.  Royal really isn't accomplishing anything with that policy other than to annoy a guest.  

I totally agree.  Sometime I want to sample different dishes at once.  Now I can't, I have to finish one dish and wait for another dish to show up.   That's why couple night I went to Windjammer for dinner..

[Cello56]

17 minutes ago, Xaa said:

I don't see this surviving even the mildest pushback.  I'll be on Anthem next week and I'll be ordering 2 and expecting 2 at once simply by saying "Please bring them both at the same time" 

If offered the rule that he has to wait until I eat the first, I'm simply going to tell him "I know that you want me to be happy and I know that you would like to receive all 10's on the survey at the end, and I want to give you all 10's.  I really want to do that.  I'm only going to be able to do that if I'm able to enjoy my meal the way I'd like to enjoy it.  Please bring me both"

I should also say, before I sit down and order anything on my first visit, I will have tipped him.

So even though you know full well that this is the rule that your waiter needs to follow so as to not get in trouble, you are going to basically threaten him to do things your way? Perhaps asking to speak with the maitre'd or head waiter would be a better route to go? Please don't put the pressure on the lowest guy on the chain by holding his tips and ratings hostage to him breaking rules. You could probably ask to speak to the restaurant manager before your first meal to try and get this sorted out without involving the wait staff. 

[Carlos A.]

19 minutes ago, Xaa said:

I don't see this surviving even the mildest pushback.  I'll be on Anthem next week and I'll be ordering 2 and expecting 2 at once simply by saying "Please bring them both at the same time" 

If offered the rule that he has to wait until I eat the first, I'm simply going to tell him "I know that you want me to be happy and I know that you would like to receive all 10's on the survey at the end, and I want to give you all 10's.  I really want to do that.  I'm only going to be able to do that if I'm able to enjoy my meal the way I'd like to enjoy it.  Please bring me both"

I should also say, before I sit down and order anything on my first visit, I will have tipped him.

This! 

I would add trying to speak with the Food & beverage manager to let him know that this policy is Stupid. 

[KevinK]

 

22 minutes ago, Xaa said:

I don't see this surviving even the mildest pushback.  I'll be on Anthem next week and I'll be ordering 2 and expecting 2 at once simply by saying "Please bring them both at the same time" 

If offered the rule that he has to wait until I eat the first, I'm simply going to tell him "I know that you want me to be happy and I know that you would like to receive all 10's on the survey at the end, and I want to give you all 10's.  I really want to do that.  I'm only going to be able to do that if I'm able to enjoy my meal the way I'd like to enjoy it.  Please bring me both"

I should also say, before I sit down and order anything on my first visit, I will have tipped him.

I was on Anthem on Feb. 4, I had my time dining, and all different waiter said they wouldn't bring more than one dish at a time.  I will be on Anthem on April 23 again, please let us know how it turn out.

[Xaa]

14 minutes ago, Cello56 said:

So even though you know full well that this is the rule that your waiter needs to follow so as to not get in trouble, you are going to basically threaten him to do things your way? Perhaps asking to speak with the maitre'd or head waiter would be a better route to go? Please don't put the pressure on the lowest guy on the chain by holding his tips and ratings hostage to him breaking rules. You could probably ask to speak to the restaurant manager before your first meal to try and get this sorted out without involving the wait staff. 

He's going to be tipped before I even ask.  If he has latitude, he'll exercise it, if he doesn't, he'll seek his boss.  In the end if I don't get my meal how I want, I will not give 10's.  That's a certainty.

I think it's fair, they'll tell me many times during the week what is most important to them.  The survey.  I will tell them what is most important to me along with my real desire to give 10's.

[Freegirl]

1 hour ago, Carlos A. said:

This new approach of "we're not bringing anything other dish until you finish all your vegetables" is terrible. I can't see anybody happy with this.

Just to clarify....

In my experience, they are not insisting that you eat everything on the first plate, only that you are finished with one plate before they bring another. They do not care how much is left on the first plate when they take it away.

Still not ideal, but they are definitely NOT making you "finish all your vegetables".

[Jolly Ogre]

But what if i want my steak 1st?

[JBC]

I can see it both ways with the waiter.  Yes, he is just doing his job, but they do ask constantly if they have met expectations, is there anything additional they can do for you, etc., almost to the point of being annoying.  So simply informing them that they have not met expectations, and that yes, there is something they can do additional for you, I don't think that is totally out of line.  I just wouldn't word it that bluntly that their survey will suffer if they don't bring me two entrees at once.  And I also agree that speaking to the head waiter will likely resolve this issue.  

It ultimately is a really dumb thing, and if you need to play games to get around it, it is possible.  Just have one other person order with you and state the order you want them brought in.  As soon as they come, combine two plates and viola, now one person is done with their first meal and please bring the 2nd dish. 

Last week this is the first time this happened to me so it caught me off guard.  Now that I know about it I would easily fix it while ordering without being overly rude or threatening.  At the end of the day, they genuinely want to do whatever they possibly can to make you happy without getting in trouble.    

[Carlos A.]

57 minutes ago, Freegirl said:

Just to clarify....

In my experience, they are not insisting that you eat everything on the first plate, only that you are finished with one plate before they bring another. They do not care how much is left on the first plate when they take it away.

Still not ideal, but they are definitely NOT making you "finish all your vegetables".

Obviously it was an hyperbolic statement, still it's a stupid policy. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

I agree that the best way to handle this is to immediately ask to speak with the head waiter/restaurant manager and let him/her know that this policy is not acceptable.  The waiter is only doing what he/she has been directed to do.  This is a ridiculous policy and management is the only avenue to changing it.  I would never put my wait staff in a position to have to break the rules.

I agree with @Xaa that this policy will not prevail if people begin pushing back….but let’s do it through the management chain not by bullying the wait staff.

[Pattycruise]

I’m on Anthem, B2B.  Last week, the first week-we asked for a bowl of spaghetti bolognese as a table share.  Nope, they couldn’t bring the dish out until someone was done with their plate.  
now we wanted this so my niece would try it, (she’s 9)  and we could have a little too. 
absolutely ridiculous!
Well the head waiter stopped by to introduce himself, runs  through his spiel and goes to move on to the next table.  We stopped him and informed  him we’d like the spaghetti served in the center of the table while we had our meals.  He tried to give some stupid “it will be cold” (why would it be?) and some  other equally stupid nonsense excuse.  We let him know this new policy was not acceptable . Anyhow  his “work around” was when the kid finished her meal before we were served our dinner he brought out the pasta.  It just happened that way, he never said he’d do it if she finished first.   So I guess we all need a kid who eats before us!

maybe I should ask for  an empty plate, scrape the food to it and cover it with a napkin and have them take away the dirty plate so I can get that second entree?

we had coastal kitchen as an option, since we were in a JS.  After looking over the new menus and the lack of ability to get a shared dish , we opted for Coastal, where they still offered the classics!!! Desserts were much better there too!  
 

this second week I’m sailing with my daughter and  we are splitting our dinners between Coastal and MDR.  If I see an entree on the menu I want to  share with my daughter I’ll be asking.  Btw, hubby asked for an extra lobster tail in Coastal, it was as if he asked for someone’s head on a platter.  Then we said my niece would like a lobster tail….in addition to her meal.  Again, looks were given.  In the end he gave us 3 extra tails and said he had to sneak them out to us.  I thought the poached lobster in coastal was way better than the grilled lobster tail in the MDR. 
 

 

[NotPayinExtra]

5 hours ago, Pattycruise said:

I’m on Anthem, B2B.  Last week, the first week-we asked for a bowl of spaghetti bolognese as a table share.  Nope, they couldn’t bring the dish out until someone was done with their plate.  
now we wanted this so my niece would try it, (she’s 9)  and we could have a little too. 
absolutely ridiculous!
Well the head waiter stopped by to introduce himself, runs  through his spiel and goes to move on to the next table.  We stopped him and informed  him we’d like the spaghetti served in the center of the table while we had our meals.  He tried to give some stupid “it will be cold” (why would it be?) and some  other equally stupid nonsense excuse.  We let him know this new policy was not acceptable . Anyhow  his “work around” was when the kid finished her meal before we were served our dinner he brought out the pasta.  It just happened that way, he never said he’d do it if she finished first.   So I guess we all need a kid who eats before us!

maybe I should ask for  an empty plate, scrape the food to it and cover it with a napkin and have them take away the dirty plate so I can get that second entree?

we had coastal kitchen as an option, since we were in a JS.  After looking over the new menus and the lack of ability to get a shared dish , we opted for Coastal, where they still offered the classics!!! Desserts were much better there too!  
 

this second week I’m sailing with my daughter and  we are splitting our dinners between Coastal and MDR.  If I see an entree on the menu I want to  share with my daughter I’ll be asking.  Btw, hubby asked for an extra lobster tail in Coastal, it was as if he asked for someone’s head on a platter.  Then we said my niece would like a lobster tail….in addition to her meal.  Again, looks were given.  In the end he gave us 3 extra tails and said he had to sneak them out to us.  I thought the poached lobster in coastal was way better than the grilled lobster tail in the MDR. 
 

 

Oh see....I would have said to the head waiter....Tips are not an absolute guaranteed given, neither is your job. Bring me the plate now please. Thank you very much. And have a great day. (With a smile)

I refuse to play this new game they have going. I just won't do it. 

[Xaa]

While the status of their job isn't up to me and I would never mention it, the status of the review, a review they will want me to be sure to complete, is up to me.  They have always satisfied me and always received full scores.  I think they will again next week and probably without additional conversation.  The person sent to my table will understand my needs and has access to all of the decision makers to allow this to happen.  While it appears anecdotally that there is some directive to stop 2 plates from being delivered at once, I'm not certain it's a hard and fast rule against it.  If it turns out to be one, I will in the end have to live with that.

If this random new rule comes in conflict with my enjoyment of the meal, then I will express that.  I see why some here see it as bullying the waiter, but it won't be like that, it will be an exchange of information.  There will be no hostility or anger.  Just my truth expressed clearly.  He/she will either be able to resolve the issue themselves, will involve someone who can or will accept that I am not going to be satisfied.

What Royal decides to do with my review scores is up to them and based on the current survey anxiety, I think more bullying is coming from Royal to the servers.  I can't put myself in that equation, I can only express what I want and review the experience I have.

Remember that garbage about new menus so they can speed up dining?  How in the world does sequential plating speed anything up?  Of course it doesn't and we know that was the secondary concern with the primary being dollars.  This passive discouragement of the second plate is also about dollars.  The menu change won't impact my enjoyment as I see many things that I like, but asking me to eat, wait, eat, wait etc will impact the enjoyment of the meal and elongate it.  That's just my reality.

It certainly won't ruin my cruise or stop me from cruising, but it will be the first time I felt a cruise line wasn't able to provide service above and beyond.  But that is all whatif talk.  I sort of think there's a strong chance they'll just bring it as I ask.  

[NotPayinExtra]

Not me. My bite is way worse than my bark. I won't put up with it. And it will ruin my entire week if I don't fight back against and call bull****. That's just how I operate. Give us an update when you return. 

[recogneyes]

22 hours ago, Xaa said:

I don't see this surviving even the mildest pushback.  I'll be on Anthem next week and I'll be ordering 2 and expecting 2 at once simply by saying "Please bring them both at the same time" 

If offered the rule that he has to wait until I eat the first, I'm simply going to tell him "I know that you want me to be happy and I know that you would like to receive all 10's on the survey at the end, and I want to give you all 10's.  I really want to do that.  I'm only going to be able to do that if I'm able to enjoy my meal the way I'd like to enjoy it.  Please bring me both"

I should also say, before I sit down and order anything on my first visit, I will have tipped him.

 

 

1 hour ago, Xaa said:

While the status of their job isn't up to me and I would never mention it, the status of the review, a review they will want me to be sure to complete, is up to me.  They have always satisfied me and always received full scores.  I think they will again next week and probably without additional conversation.  The person sent to my table will understand my needs and has access to all of the decision makers to allow this to happen.  While it appears anecdotally that there is some directive to stop 2 plates from being delivered at once, I'm not certain it's a hard and fast rule against it.  If it turns out to be one, I will in the end have to live with that.

If this random new rule comes in conflict with my enjoyment of the meal, then I will express that.  I see why some here see it as bullying the waiter, but it won't be like that, it will be an exchange of information.  There will be no hostility or anger.  Just my truth expressed clearly.  He/she will either be able to resolve the issue themselves, will involve someone who can or will accept that I am not going to be satisfied.

What Royal decides to do with my review scores is up to them and based on the current survey anxiety, I think more bullying is coming from Royal to the servers.  I can't put myself in that equation, I can only express what I want and review the experience I have.

Remember that garbage about new menus so they can speed up dining?  How in the world does sequential plating speed anything up?  Of course it doesn't and we know that was the secondary concern with the primary being dollars.  This passive discouragement of the second plate is also about dollars.  The menu change won't impact my enjoyment as I see many things that I like, but asking me to eat, wait, eat, wait etc will impact the enjoyment of the meal and elongate it.  That's just my reality.

It certainly won't ruin my cruise or stop me from cruising, but it will be the first time I felt a cruise line wasn't able to provide service above and beyond.  But that is all whatif talk.  I sort of think there's a strong chance they'll just bring it as I ask.  

We will also be on Anthem in a few weeks and will plant to take a similar approach.  I don't mind the menus being changed and some items no longer being available each night but having to wait while each person at our table receives different portions of their meal, that is only going to increase the amount of time everyone spends in the dining room.  This seems counteractive to speeding up the dining process and I feel for the wait staff who will undoubtedly being dealing with a lot of unhappy passengers.

[FSUFAN]

On 2/28/2023 at 11:40 AM, WAAAYTOOO said:

I agree with @Xaa that this policy will not prevail if people begin pushing back….but let’s do it through the management chain not by bullying the wait staff.

Attica!  Attica!  Hey Hey, Ho Ho, this one meal policy got to go!  

[NotPayinExtra]

Just read a trip review on CC. The one plate at a time thing slowed down the meals for the poster (and others I assume). So much for making cut backs in the name of speed. Poster who has traveled often with Royal decided to pass up next cruise and have a think about what next vacation will be. Stupid policy.

[Matt]

14 minutes ago, NotPayinExtra said:

Just read a trip review on CC. The one plate at a time thing slowed down the meals for the poster (and others I assume). So much for making cut backs in the name of speed. Poster who has traveled often with Royal decided to pass up next cruise and have a think about what next vacation will be. Stupid policy.

On Liberty we had the one dish at a time rule. Still a faster meal experience (~90 means each dinner)

[NotPayinExtra]

15 minutes ago, Matt said:

On Liberty we had the one dish at a time rule. Still a faster meal experience (~90 means each dinner)

Well people reviewing seem to feel it unnecessary drags things out. And they do not like having their meals micro managed. Been reading this all morning long.

[Matt]

13 minutes ago, NotPayinExtra said:

Well people reviewing seem to feel it unnecessary drags things out. And they do not like having their meals micro managed. Been reading this all morning long.

You're more likely to read negative reviews because people that are happy are less likely to post a rant. There are far more happy people with the dining experience than not.

Nothing wrong with you reading them, but take them with a grain of salt. 

[NotPayinExtra]

14 minutes ago, Matt said:

You're more likely to read negative reviews because people that are happy are less likely to post a rant. There are far more happy people with the dining experience than not.

Nothing wrong with you reading them, but take them with a grain of salt. 

Different tone in reviews vs the rants. I think I can tell the difference. I take everyone with a grain of salt.

[Ampurp85]

My experience on Grandeur was the first couple of nights they were strict with the rules of one entree. After night three, they would ask if I wanted my second entree maybe a few bites into my first entree. Since I don't eat lobster, this doesn't bother me. I was solo so I was out in less than an hour in most cases. 

[PL8SWPR]

On 2/28/2023 at 10:58 AM, Xaa said:

He's going to be tipped before I even ask.  If he has latitude, he'll exercise it, if he doesn't, he'll seek his boss.  In the end if I don't get my meal how I want, I will not give 10's.  That's a certainty.

I think it's fair, they'll tell me many times during the week what is most important to them.  The survey.  I will tell them what is most important to me along with my real desire to give 10's.

 

The survey now asks if you were asked to provide a positive survey.  On Mariner in Jan, first week with the new menu AFAIK, we never heard anything from the crew about a survey.

 

[Pattycruise]

Met my cabin neighbor on Anthem. She said her meal the first 2 nights as a solo in the MDR took 2 hours at the 7:30 MTD.  Usually solo are served quickly.  She said the whole room was slow, so slow that she’ll be booking coastal kitchen (she’s in a JS) for the remainder of the cruise. 

[Royal Guy]

We were on Radiance of the seas and they had the same one dish at a time rule, their floor manager who was from India and called Roosevelt was so rude to say that he didn’t care that the the guests are diamond plus or pinnacle. The service was horrible and the food quality was worse. Every time they brought you a dish they asked you to give them 10 out of 10. I wanted to show them the video of the gentleman on Regal Princess who had 16 lobster tails and they brought it for him with a smile. All I can say is shame on Royal Caribbean for being stingy, one of the reasons we liked Royal Caribbean was that the the food food quality and service that they have dropped both badly. Tried to talk to the chef he could barely speak English. Asked him if he was a a Michelin star chef and he didn’t even know what that means.The food had a lot of salt and curry. 

[FireFishII]

On 2/27/2023 at 8:35 PM, SuperPlanner said:

One of my kiddos is a VERY picky eater and will likely be eating pizza before or after each meal instead of what is served in the MDR. If my husband and I want more than one app or entree at the same time, can we "order for her" even if she won't be eating and waiter would be able to bring out multiple courses for us at the same time that way? Similarly, if our son orders from the kids' menu, can we still do the above for him with an extra app or two we want to try? Not trying to break rules, just wondering if this is a legitimate solution for those of us with littles....

Going back to the OP's question: Yes, you can "order for her".  Anyone can order multiple apps and they usually come out at the same time (unless they also change that rule). 

[Family Cruisin]

This makes me sad.  I enjoy food! And I enjoy my food together and not eating all of one thing before i move on to another meal.  
 

I wanted to have a steak and enjoy the Portobello mushroom with it.   And so many other things.  Very disappointing! 

[Xaa]

On 3/1/2023 at 9:35 AM, recogneyes said:

We will also be on Anthem in a few weeks and will plant to take a similar approach.  I don't mind the menus being changed and some items no longer being available each night but having to wait while each person at our table receives different portions of their meal, that is only going to increase the amount of time everyone spends in the dining room.  This seems counteractive to speeding up the dining process and I feel for the wait staff who will undoubtedly being dealing with a lot of unhappy passengers.

Just to give you an update.  We had a great sailing last week, really enjoyed the ship.  This was a complete non-issue.  I went about dinner as usual, arrived night 2 (Night 1 at Wonderland), met my waiter, exchanged a pre-service gratuity, at order time, I ordered 2 entrees and asked him to bring them both at once, he said "Absolutely" and brought them both at once.  He did the same on all of our nights in the MDR.  He was really great.

So it looks like there might be some latitude with this new "rule" or Andrew just gave himself his own latitude.  Either way, it was none of my concern.  Dinner was great.

[Bmac]

We don't typically order more than one entree unless we've ordered something new to try and don't like it.

Having said that...

Here's where I play devils advocate. I understand the need to reign in costs where you can especially in the economic climate we are currently in. They are trying to be as efficient as possible not incurring additional costs for their bottom line which would include food waste and waitstaff making as few visits to a table to be able to serve other guests in a timely fashion. All of this is understandable from a business perspective, but here's the rub...

How many people eat at WJ multiple times a day? How many people actually eat ALL the food they have put on their plate? How many people go back multiple times without eating what they have already taken? I would think that these behaviors would have a greater impact on operating costs than asking for two entrees at the same time. 

JMO