Server envy

[AquaDame]

5 cruises down, every one had servers that were just servers. It does make it easy to feel like you are missing out on something, but what can you do? Tricks aren't exactly in the job description so we haven't said anything.

 

[SwimMom2]

Our main server was great (funny with the kids and napkin animals) assistant was trying very hard, host was very helpful and kind. I also expect this from Disney. When I get anything less, I speak up and it has always been corrected quickly.

Most of my experience is in the parks/resorts; only one cruise under my belt.

I don't get the Facebook thing either, but I deleted my account just after I graduated with my master's.

 

[plutos1fan]

Hi,

Let me first say that DCL Dinning room service is overall fantastic! However, sometimes a family can get a service team that is not as great as an another team. For my family on our first cruise we got a FANTASTASTIC server and assistant server. Honestly, we have not had another team like them ever since, they were expectational and we have been on 6 cruises (including our first one). I think there is one thing that could definitely affect a family's experience in the MDR with a server or assistant server and that is if the server is close to the end of the current contract with DCL. We had a server once who was close to the end of his contract and you could tell he was tired and not as energetic as the other servers. With all this being said, the server teams in the MDRs are great and our family always looks forward to meeting and interacting with our DCL Dinning room server and assistant server. I hope you get a better service team next time!

 

[kmgt]

Krissy - I don't remember his last name but he was from the Philippines!

 

[oam]

So last October we were super lucky enough to take our very first cruise on the Disney Fantasy. It was by far the most amazing family vacation we have ever taken and now we are planning our second on the wonder so I am busy reading trip reports again. I am really struggling with server envy though! It's silly, I know, but I read about all these adored servers who do cute little things and your kids fall in love with them and they are practically the highlight of people's trip! Our server was nice enough. He was really only at our table to take our order and he always seemed very busy and looked a bit scared. I guess every server has to learn and he wasn't unfriendly per say. I can remember a couple of smiles. But the experience was just like going to the local Olive Garden. Someone tell me I am not alone in my server envy and that I should let it go because in the grand scheme of things, I was on the greatest vacation ever!!! I think only a Mickey bar will get me over these silly blues.

Some people are just better at what they do than others

 

[SamIAm8]

We have had both. On my first cruise with Disney our team was amazing! We were on the twelve day med cruise and my three sisters and I love to color. After our server learned this on the first day he started carrying a pack of 8 count Crayola crayons in his back pocket. These are now know as the magical butt crayons in my family. He gave them to my sister on our last day and they are in her shoe box of keepsake items. I have a disability which causes me to use a wheelchair full time and I also have problems with my hands. He made sure my food was cut into bite size pieces so I wouldn't have to wait for one of my family members to cut it. A few times he helped one of my sisters get me and my chair on and off the ship. The best thing though was I couldn't get off the ship one day due to it being a tender. He and my state room host put together a scavenger hunt for myself and the sister who stayed with me.
Our second cruise the staff was a close second. We were on the seven day Alaskian cruise. Their talks about their home countries were awesome. (Jamica and Ukraine). The head of the wait staff was from India and actually made us an Indian meal one night after learning my sister, husband and I will try anything and are adventurous eaters. They also taught us to fold our napkins into eight different shapes.
Our third and fourth serving teams were good but nothing special.

 

[mevelandry]

We've had both. I read that book Cruise Confidential and it was very eye opening. You will never want to be late to dinner again LOL.

Thanks for the book mention. I was looking for something fun/interesting to read this summer. I just ordered it.

 

[professorandmom]

I did notice people looking at our table when the waiter had my sons in fits of laughter. Lots of riddles. Lots of jokes. Things with the crayons.

Yeah, that was me...well sort of.
When I saw the title of this thread I thought the discussion would be centered around noticing other tables getting magic tricks and interacting with their servers on a warm level while our table was still waiting for the dessert menu...

Now the good news is that my expectations 3 cruises later ISN'T this level of service, it's hard not to notice when other tables are laughing and joking loudly...

 

[Uncleromulus]

All servers are not created equal.

 

[sunryzez]

I have been on 5 disney cruises and this past Alaska cruise was the first time we had AMAZING servers. Even the Main head server came over to our table each night and knew all my children by name and spoke to each one every night. Both my server and asst server were so patient with the kids , spoke with us, did tricks each night. It was the first time I ever really experienced this. I had one other cruise on the wonder and those servers were probably my second best but still nowhere near close to my servers a few weeks ago. Then the other two cruises were just servers who took our orders, brought us our food, and I am fine with that. I am very easy to please. The only time I have to say was dreadful was our very first disney cruise. We had a guy who had just gotten back from months vacation that day and an assistant server who was brand new that day. We had a lot of bad experiences with them but we still had a great cruise. So my point is I totally get the server envy cause I had it for 4 cruises but just dont let it ruin your trip. You are in the dining room only 1.5 hours a day and disney vacations are so magical so try to just focus on the good =)

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

I have been on 5 disney cruises and this past Alaska cruise was the first time we had AMAZING servers. Even the Main head server came over to our table each night and knew all my children by name and spoke to each one every night. Both my server and asst server were so patient with the kids , spoke with us, did tricks each night. It was the first time I ever really experienced this. I had one other cruise on the wonder and those servers were probably my second best but still nowhere near close to my servers a few weeks ago. Then the other two cruises were just servers who took our orders, brought us our food, and I am fine with that. I am very easy to please. The only time I have to say was dreadful was our very first disney cruise. We had a guy who had just gotten back from months vacation that day and an assistant server who was brand new that day. We had a lot of bad experiences with them but we still had a great cruise. So my point is I totally get the server envy cause I had it for 4 cruises but just dont let it ruin your trip. You are in the dining room only 1.5 hours a day and disney vacations are so magical so try to just focus on the good =)

Yes in 12 DCL cruises we have had servers from good to superb, not all did magic tricks some did some didn't but for all of them the service was wonderful.

I tend not to focus on what everyone else's server is doing, just enjoy the food.

 

[PizzieDuster]

Thanks for the book mention. I was looking for something fun/interesting to read this summer. I just ordered it.

Get the Diary of a Pissed Off Flight Attendant one too. Great sense of humor!!! Made me giggle a lot! Matter of fact, we are moving soon - I have too many books. PM me your addy and I'll send it to you for free Heck, in a garage sale, it would go for $1.00 LOL

Anyone else want the cruise book, I'll send it for free too. Anything for my fellow DISers.

 

[AshleeH]

We've only been on one cruise, this month, but our servers set the bar HIGH. They were phenomenal! If you go on the Disney Wonder to Alaska, definitely request Bagus and Derrick - they're a great team and felt like our friends by the time we left. Both had a great sense of humor, wonderful rapport with the kids (including magic tricks) and kept them entertained so my husband and I could eat in peace.

I noticed (and it might have been in my head) that we were getting more attention than the other tables after the food arrived (all of us were served at the same speed, depending on the course), but the table to our left had a very cold couple with two kids. I barely saw them interacting with each other throughout the week and never saw a friendly gesture or a smile directed at anyone, so I'm sure befriending their servers was not on their agenda. The other table was a large party who would skip dinner, be late, or have them running back and forth for requests.

My family and I are very straight forward and try to be as low maintenance and courteous as possible to the waitstaff, so I hope we took it easy on them. My only regret is not having enough extra money to tip them even more (we did add to it, just not as much as I wish we could have, with added expenses coming up in the following week).

It's good to see threads like these - I'll try and drag my expectations down before our next cruise.

 

[lulucornbread]

For our 4-night last July, I was not impressed with our main server.. She seemed uninterested & rushed.. just going through the motions. Our assistant server was really great. My kids loved her. I have to say I was disappointed bc one of my best friends had just come back from their cruise and could not stop talking about their great servers.

 

[Bruiserknits]

We loved our server on our cruise last month. Artadona and Ivan. They were great. No magic tricks or anything but we were a table of all adults. The first night my daughter was a little queasy from the motion of the ocean and her vegetarian meal was not to her liking at all. She decided to order some mac and cheese from the kids' menu, but before she could Art had brought her a whole new dish of something different and it was delicious. He then brought her a menu for the next night's MDR to see what she might like or if she wanted something else. He also was very good about my (very weird) food issues and when I couldn't have one of the desserts (I can't have moldy cheeses or artificial sweeteners) he brought me something else that he felt I might like based on my other nights' choices. And he was right. I loved it. In a matter of just three meals he got to know us and cared for us so wonderfully.

 

[wcw57]

In a matter of just three meals he got to know us and cared for us so wonderfully.

THAT would have been nice....I can only hope for better results on our next cruise. Maybe they won't be in a training mode (since the new ships had just come online when we last cruised) and things will go MUCH better. Not that they were BAD, just not very good. The term "adequate" comes to mind........

 

[professorandmom]

I wonder what Disney management thinks about their servers...do you think that with all the "excellent" ratings, management thinks they have ships full of perfectly amazing servers? I wonder just how realistic they are....

 

[Julylady]

In 11 cruises, we have never had bad servers, but a couple of times they really stood out!

 

[srferson]

Any idea how long servers stick around? Or whether they stay on the same ship or move around?
(We had someone I loved. But it was a couple years ago on a different ship than our next cruise. Seems like it would be a little crazy to think he'd be there...)

 

[kmgt]

Our Server told us they sign 6 month contracts (he didn't specify if it was 6 months with one ship...) and also shared that he's been a DCL server for over 3 years.