That was then......the Dining Room

That was then...... the Dining Room

Yes...cruising has changed...

It amazes me to hear some of the comments made by passengers on a cruise.  They are all over the place and I always feel like I have to come to the defense of the cruise line.

You will hear such things as "No matter what  - it is still better than being at work"... to... 

"I am never cruising this line again because they have taken ------ off the menu".

It seems that lately seasoned cruisers are comparing cruising today with cruising 10 years ago.  These of course are sometimes the same people who do not want to pay anything more for their vacation then what they paid back then.

Let me take you down memory lane.  I am 57 years old and my first cruise was when 

I was only 3.  I do not remember that one of course, but I can remember back to over 40 years ago.  

• My father had to wear a dinner jacket for supper and shorts were never allowed no matter what meal it was.  Even a little, I had to wear a dress.
• The dining room doors were locked after 15 minutes and you were not allowed in after that point.
• They played a little 6 note xylophone over the intercom when it was time for dinner.    I think that is where "Close Encounters" got their tune from...lol
• You choose a appetizer, soup, salad and one entree off the menu.  Vegetables were served table side. Desserts were good but not masterpieces.
• You ate at your assigned table and assigned time for all meals.  
• There was no 24 hour food, ice cream or room service.. but there were midnight buffets!

Slowly, dress codes have disappeared.  Dining options have flourished and alternate venues have become ordinary. Just as family dinner tables have been reduced across the country, so have our manners and wanting to make cruise dinnertimes special.

Let's fast forward to May 2007.  We were on the Carnival Legend and it was formal night.  A gentleman in the dining room (in his ordinary clothes) has just boasted about breaking his lobster tail record.  This cruise he has made it to eight!  

Meanwhile, his waiters are watching as he throws away all his side dishes.  Some he ordered just to "taste".  I think to myself:  these waiters have got to be hurting inside. They leave their families behind for months at a time, they watch us make pigs of ourselves and throw food away foolishly and still continue to smile and take our verbal abuse.  I wonder what they really would like to say to us?

Have you been to a department store lately?  In 1977, I worked for Sears in the Sporting Goods department.  We had three employees in that department at all times. We actually helped customers pick out their merchandise and answered questions. My point is...businesses all across America have discovered that Customer Service is a thing of the past.  They have cut manpower hours to keep costs down.

Guess what?  Cruise lines have done the same thing.

And in the department store you don't hear people complaining rudely in the center of the store...and you certainly don't see people mistreating someone who is "just an employee" doing as they are told.

Try to think about the positives of cruise line changes! 

We are always dieting these days...by having less waiters in the dining room the service is slower.  If we eat slower we will be full faster, thus eating less.

The cost of cruising is still about $100 day...for all that food, lodging, fun and relaxation

The food onboard didn't not involve menu planning, shopping or cooking.

My point is:  Enjoy your cruise...things have changed....but you work hard to earn vacation and you need to relax.  Chill out cause....it really is the best way to enjoy your time!