Favorite/Least Favorite Servers

[MrsG]

We just got back from the 7/6 7 day Western and had Sasha from Croatia and Oka from Indonesia. They were both fantastic!!! We had Zita from Hungry in Palo who was super. Our head server, Dale, was also wonderful. What an incredible trip!!!

 

[BethA]

Any recent cruisers comments?

 

[stormkrow]

Originally posted by MrsG
We just got back from the 7/6 7 day Western and had Sasha from Croatia and Oka from Indonesia. They were both fantastic!!! We had Zita from Hungry in Palo who was super. Our head server, Dale, was also wonderful. What an incredible trip!!!

Wow, MrsG, we had the same two servers, Sasha and Oka. My two kids absolutely adored them both. In fact, my DS said that the two of them were the highlight of the cruise for him. Quite a statement from a teenager.

Two of the parties at other tables told us that they had previously cruised and specifically requested Sasha as their server.

MrsG, which seating did you have - early or late? We had the early seating on the 7/6 cruise. Were you at one of the other tables? Which table?

My DW and I had Salvatore when we went to Palos. I have to agree with the other posters, Salvatore is incredible.

 

[adkaul]

Just got off the ship this past Saturday. We had Arvind from India and Rowena from the Philippines. They were both wonderful and great with the kids.

 

[MrsG]

Stormkrow,

We were in the late seating. Sasha was not supposed to be on our rotation. He usually is on the same rotation as his wife Dora (who began in Parrot Cay) but he said that 3 previous guests on our rotation had requested him! He has a 10 month old son who is staying with Sasha's parents in Croatia. They see him every few months. It is difficult, he said, but it is what they have to do. He eventually wants to open his own business. Oka has a wife in Indonesia and only sees her every 6 months! But he said it was like having a honeymoon twice a year!

They were really a very special part of our trip. To impress teens, they must have been fantastic.

 

[StaceyA]

Originally posted by Gina
Yep, that was me! I sure hope Powell is still on the Magic in February -- he's just a great guy, and great at getting people involved in the fun on the ship.

-gina-

Gina,
DH and I met Powell on our cruise (just got off Saturday)
and his last day was Saturday.....sorry to have to tell you!
His girlfriend (the lead singer of the band Free Reign that plays on the ship) both ended their contracts as of Saturday.

As far as Servers,
We had Sasha from Croatia and Ashley (I can't remember where he was from) and our head server was Allen (also from Croatia)

We loved them all, especially Sasha, he would bring something extra from the appetizers, entree's and desserts and say it was For the Family for us to share with our table mates (fellow disboarders Tiffany and Mike) we loved that!

At the Character breakfast I asked for two hashbrowns and then when we had Sasha again on the last morning he told me he already had me down for two hashbrowns....just the fact that he remembered from earlier in the week was great!

Allen made it over to our table each night to ask how every thing was and of course to tell us what the next days buffet theme would be, we were joking that you wouldn't be done with one meal and they were telling you about the next!!!

Ashley our asst. server was also great, he would get so nervous if we didn't eat everything and wonder if we would like something else...and he always remember DH's 7 and 7.

We also had Zita at Palo's, we had her for our Champagne brunch and loved her so much and got to know her so well that when we told her we would be back the following day for dinner she asked if we wanted to have her as our server...of course we did!!

She remembered us as soon as we walked in, and remembered that we had a spa ressie that day (surial!!) and asked how it was, and she also remembered that my DH likes seafood and recommened something for him.

At the Champagne brunch she saw that he really liked the smoked salmon and told him about a mixture of Horseradish sauce and whipped cream that her father makes, so she whipped some up and brought it to him, he loved it!

For those of you who have had Zita in the past, she told us that she was also leaving the Magic, her boyfriend used to work on the ship and he left and she is leaving to be with him.

We also saw Salvitore at Palo, so we know he is still there!!

 

[StaceyA]

Originally posted by MrsG
Stormkrow,

We were in the late seating. Sasha was not supposed to be on our rotation. He usually is on the same rotation as his wife Dora (who began in Parrot Cay) but he said that 3 previous guests on our rotation had requested him! He has a 10 month old son who is staying with Sasha's parents in Croatia. They see him every few months. It is difficult, he said, but it is what they have to do. He eventually wants to open his own business. Oka has a wife in Indonesia and only sees her every 6 months! But he said it was like having a honeymoon twice a year!

They were really a very special part of our trip. To impress teens, they must have been fantastic.

I wrote my message before reading the rest of the thread, Im so glad to hear others comments on Sasha, we thought he was great and would gladly request to have him again!!
We also got to hear about his baby, he talked about him like a proud poppa!!

Stacey

 

[stormkrow]

My kids got him to bring his photographs of his wife and child. we heard the whole as well. My DD was always asking him questions. He stated that he wants to start a restaurant in Croatia. Both his parents and Dora's parents live right near each other in Croatia, so his son gets plenty of attention.

Sasha and Oka definately made the cruise so much more enjoyable.

 

[Familyof6]

We had Andras from Hungary as our Server and Eugenie from Bulgaria as our Assistant Server. Ibrahim from Turkey was our Head Server. We did not have the experience that I had read so much about on these boards...and was so looking forward to.
The first night, my ds11 ordered escargot and Andras was amazed and not pleased, I don't think. Also ds11 and dd9 ordered from the adult menu that night. I got the impression that Andras was sort of put out by this. The next night he had them circle what they wanted to eat on their "CHILDREN'S" menu. We were never brought anything to try. As a matter of fact, when I hemmed and hawed about what to have or mentioned that I was torn between two entrees or desserts, there was never an offer of getting both. Once when I asked if he recommended one dessert over the other, I realized that he recommended the dessert that was easiest for him to get in the kithchen, not the one that had to be prepared at the table. Stupid me, I went with his recommendation...it was not good.
He was fine as a regular waiter and would have been just fine in a restaurant, I just expected more from a Disney server. His personality was rather cool.
Eugenie had a better personality but it was so funny to see what mistake he would make each night. He had trouble remembering what we drank. Some nights he brought drinks to us that we didn't want. He brought iced tea to dh...who hates iced tea. He brought ds a Diet Coke. Ds only drinks water, milk and Shirley Temples. It was too funny!
Ibrahim was probably the best of the three, although we didn't see him a whole lot until the last evening. He cut my lamb for me when I was holding my dd2, sound asleep. (and brought mint jelly that our server didn't offer) He also brought my dd6 3 ears of corn because he heard me mention her loose teeth. (it didn't work)
Overall, they were fine, but not what is represented here on the boards...no chatting, games with the kids, extra food to try, etc.

Just my opinion.

Lisa

 

[adkaul]

Familyof6

That's too bad. Our kids dd7 and ds5 couldn't wait to get to dinner each night. Arvind made a "pirate hat" for my son out of a napkin, made a jumping frog out of paper, made sure he cut up the kids meat. My daughter ordered off the adult menu a few times and we never had a problem. She loved to order the chocolate cake from the adult desserts. One night ds wanted jello which wasn't on the kids menu but Arvind made sure he got it for him. Another night when my son fell asleep and missed dessert, Arvind made sure the strawberry shortcake came with us. Rowena always had the drinks ready to go. It's a shame you didn't have a good experience.

adkaul

 

[blb531]

Just got back from July 20th Western. We were a party of 12 (3 families travelling together). We had Iso from Croatia as our server and Pastama from Bali, Indonesia as Asst. server. Both were excellent! Very accommodating for our large group, especially with the kids. Served the two boys their dinner while the rest of us had appetizers so the boys could leave early. Plenty of card tricks, paper airplanes and brain teasers. Iso is leaving for his vacation the end of this week. Pastama is there till Sept. 14 when he leaves to go home for his wedding!

Got both of their email addresses, but am having trouble getting them to go through. Iso and Pastama, if you see this, thanks from the whole Annapolis Maryland clan!!

Barbara

 

[Dancind]

Familyof6, were you on the Wonder or the Magic? Is there any thing you can do if you get a snotty server like this, ie request a different table? I would hate to have someone like this for a 7 night cruise! Diana

 

[DisneyCruiseluvr]

We just took the July 20th Western cruise and are also from Annapolis, Md.. I agree with BLB531, Pastama from Indonesia is a great asst. server. He helped us out for breakfast one day and was wonderful with our two children. Every time I saw him after that he always greeted my family with a BIG smile! Very nice man.

We had Shawn from Canada as our server and Zoltan from Hungary as our assistant server. I feel sorry for whoever was sitting around us (that includes your group BLB531 ... you were right behind us!) because we were always laughing and yucking it up with these two guys! Hope we didn't make too much noise or disturb anyone. Our children loved Shawn's magic tricks. He would also offer his arm to my DD9 and walk her into the dining hall like a real gentleman. I so wished I had our video camera with me every night because it was so much fun to watch him escort her to our table. Shawn was also very good about making sure that we were happy with our meals and if we didn't like something he'd replace it right away. We're so sad he won't be around for our cruise next summer, he said he'd be on vacation at that time.

Benedicto, the wine keeper (I called him the "wine specialist"), always came around with a new trick for the children every night. They looked forward to seeing him and we so appreciated all of the attention he gave to each and every one of them. (We sat with another family of four from New Jersey ... Hi Ed, Donna, Jennifer & Christopher!!)

Dinners on the ship were AWESOME thanks to our wonderful servers and new friends.

 

[caskar]

We had Shawn as our server in June. Hey, he didn't do any magic tricks for us! Wait until I see him next year. I am going to ask for a refund on my tip. He was great but no tricks wonder why?
We had a different assistant server so maybe that was why or maybe because he had a big table to take care of besides us and didn't have time. We were at table 22. Our rotation was LAP which at first I wasn't excited about but afterwards I was so glad because Lumineres it the best. The others, IMO, weren't as nice because they were in the back of the ship with noise and vibration from the engines.

 

[bengals01]

HAD ANDREW (SOUTH AFRICA) ON 3DAY IN 1999, HE IS THE BEST, HE HAS BEEN THERE SINCE THEN, HE IS STILL ON, HE WILL BE LEAVING ON 9/20 I SAW HIM ON MY LAST 4 CRUISES, WE WOULD GO TO BREAKFAST SO WE COULD HAVE HIM AS A SERVER, HAVE ALSO HAD DANNY FROM INDONESIA, GREAT TRICKS, AND ZOLTAN WAS HIS ASST SERVER, HAD OCKE , SAPTO AND JEANIE FROM CANADA, ZORAN AND HEMANT, ALSO IN THE SHOPS JOSH IS GREAT, AND DAMIR SERVES DRINKS, ALWAYS HAD A SMILE ON HIS FACE WHEN EVER YOU SAW HIM AND CALLED US BY NAME, IF ANYBODY HAS ANDREW FROM SOUTH AFRICA, OR SEES JOSH IN THE SHOPS TELL THEM MRS MARTINI SAID HI,

 

[Familyof6]

We were on the Wonder. It may have been that I had requested a specific rotation that is usually assigned to families with adults only. The servers on that rotation may be better with the mature crowd as opposed to the younger children. I must say, they were fine, but just not the "fun guys" that I had read so much about and was SO looking forward to. I didn't ask about changing servers. It was just a 4 day trip so we only saw them 4 times. (and we didn't go to breakfast on the last day...which was good since I've heard such bad things about people being treated poorly and rushed off the ship)
I don't want to dwell on the negative. It was a wonderful trip.

Lisa

 

[t2simon]

We were on the Wonder 11/01. Our server was Andre from Canada, his Assistant was Cynthia (Bali, I think). they were great! My DS was just over two, and because we booked late, we also could only get a late seating. NOT good for a 2 yr old. They really went out of their way to get him in a happy mood. when he found out that DS liked strawberries (and NOTHING else that night) Andre brought him a big bowl to snack on. Cynthia wanted nothing more than to make DS smile.

Actually the best server on the ship had to be Ketut from Bali. We met him on embarkation day at the buffet. I was alone with DS while DH went to get his lunch. Ketut went out of his way, getting milk for us, retrieving DS sneaker (numerous times) and bringing AWESOME chocolate chip cookies! He and DS immediately hit it off and from then on whenever they saw each other Ketut would come over and play with him a few minutes. I have a beautiful photo of the two of them together the final morning at breakfast. DS has a huge smile on his face. As a certain credit card company says: Priceless!

God, I went on! They really made the trip so great, and we just want to do it again-NOW!

 

[amcanzo]

We were on the July 20th Magic (7 day) - we had Dwight from Jamaica & Trifonio from India. Great servers!! Joked with the kids, Trifonio did "brain teasers" at the table for the girls (even dh and I couldn't figure out some of them) They went out of their way for us.
At Palo's we had Marco. Fabulous server!! We would definitely request any of them a second time.

Ann

 

[Dancind]

Now that we have cruised, I'm going to revive this thread! We sailed on the 10/5 Magic, and had the PLAPLAP rotation. First night, we sat with a lovely couple half our age with an active 5 yo old son, we have an 11 yo DD. They were very, very nice, but our DD was miserable, and making us miserable. The servers didn't help. The server was stiff and formal, and the assistant server shy to the point of being nonverbal (or perhaps didn't speak English?). Anyway, I asked for a rotation change the next morning. We wound up two tables over from our original table, but with new servers. Our new table partners, a family of three with an 11 yo boy, never showed up. But it was OK, because our new servers absolutely charmed our DD, and us as well. We had Sachin from India and Dragan from Macedonia. Our DD started out as Princess, and graduated to "little sister" by the end of the week. Sachin did Magic tricks, napkin hats, escorted DD to the table, and overfed us. His recommendations were perfect, to the point that DH quit looking at the menu. DD had a migraine on Tropical night, but Sachin brought our food to our room, with extras! DD's picky eating style was completely catered to, her favorite salad was ready every night. Dragan was quieter, but gave us impeccable service, and was seriously handsome (a plus with DD). He is engaged to a Canadian aerobics instructor on the Magic. DD was so sad to leave them, but Sachin made sure she had his e-mail address! He will be there another year for sure, say hi if you are lucky enough to have him. As I told them at our last breakfast, you know you've had a great cruise if there are people you need to hug at the end! Diana

 

[Krissy22222]

We loved Eddie and Milton from the wonder, but cannot remember Eddie's last name to request him again. Anyone know? He is from the Philippines.