Waitlisted Dining

[spcl4cs_gal]

Currently I am waitlisted for my dinner seating on the August 26 Noordam sailing. When I get my tickets in my hands (as my TA still has them in hers), will the set time be shown or will I need to wait until I board and then find out? Thanks. :)

[jtl513]

Currently I am waitlisted for my dinner seating on the August 26 Noordam sailing. When I get my tickets in my hands (as my TA still has them in hers), will the set time be shown or will I need to wait until I board and then find out? Thanks. :)You won't know for sure until check-in. Even when they are "confirmed" they have been known to change before check-in. :(

[Big Al B.]

I have a feeling that a good many of the waitlisted people will just be told they are doing the open seating (unless they plan to open a space in the lower dining room) for traditional.

[Suitegurl]

When we booked our December cruise last month there were only 3 seating listed and all were waitlisted. Does that mean they aren't sure if there will be traditional dining or that the ship is almost full and they are waiting to assign suite passengers before others? Any ideas?

[Denn33]

Similalry, I booked my August med cruise on the westerdam back in January and all 4 dining times were waitlisted, even though there were cabins available in every category at the time.

[Krazy Kruizers]

It was mentioned on another thread that by Feb 2008 the lower dining room of all the ships (except Prinsendam) will be the new "Dine As You Wish" or "Anytime Dining". It sounds like HAL will be changing the various ships as this year comes to an end.

When you get your packet at check-in, then you will know if you have been assigned traditional dining or will be trying the venue.

Don't have a list as to when wach ship will make the change. But the Noordam presently is doing the Any Time Dining.

[Gerd]

Hell all,

about this story of Dining Room wait list, I also was surprised to receive from my TA exactly this information on last April – for an cruise in April 2008……

Is this really a sign, that they will change, because we always book for lower 8.30 PM sitting ??:confused:


Happy cruising

Gerd




Our marvelous cruises :

MS Ryndam – Wayfarer – March 1997
MS Noordam - Transatlantic Island Hook - April 2001
MS Volendam - Southern Caribbean - April 2002
MS Volendam - Westfarer Caribbean - April 2004
MS Prinsendam - Windmills & Waterford – September 2004
MS Westerdam - Western Caribbean - April 2005
MS Statendam - Hawaii Circle - September 2005
MS Rotterdam - Vikings and Czars – July 2006
MS Veendam - Southern Caribbean – March 2007

106 days - 29'479 Nm


Future Cruise :

at least a 7 day Caribbean Cruise in the next 18-month => just won from its MS Veendam raffle, oh happy cruising days....


=>> MS Volendam, April 1st 2008

http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/4;10731;128/st/20080401/e/MS+Volendam%2C+Panama+Canal/dt/6/k/0b7b/event.png

[Krazy Kruizers]

Gerd

From what some of us are hearing there will no longer be an 8:30 Pm dinner seating by Feb 2008. It will all be open seating and you can go any time between certain hours - not certain about the times.

[BruceMuzz]

Unfortunately the Dining Rooms and Lido Buffets on HAL ships are designed to accommodate a smaller percentage of total passengers at one time than many of HAL's mass market competitors.

The Vista Ships are especially problematic in this regard. A Vista Ship Dining Room can accommodate about 52% of a full ship at one seating.

Far too often, demand for early or late seating is far higher than 52% of the total Guests onboard. Alaska is almost always a problem with an average of 75% requesting/demanding early seating.

Unfortunately when all the available chairs and tables are assigned for early seating, no amount of threatening, pleading, begging, or complaining will produce additional chairs or tables in the dining room. There are no more chairs or tables, nor is there any more space in the dining room to place additional chairs or tables.

What are the options?
1. Eat early in the Lido every night. (Most people do not like this option)
2. Call room service early every night. (Most people do not like this option)
3. Eat early in the Pinnacle Grill every night. (Most people cannot / will not afford this option)
4. Establish an additional seating time. (How many people do you know who want to eat dinner at 4pm or 10pm? Not nearly enough)
5. Build a larger dining room? (Not likely)
6. Build a larger ship? (Not likely)
7. Come up with an alternate dining scheme that allows the ship to maximize the existing chairs and tables in the dining room. (Already done. It's called "As You wish Dining". It allows the ship to serve more diners earlier. And it satisfies far far more people than any other idea tried so far)
8. Come up with an even better idea that none of the geniuses in all the mass market cruise lines have thought of yet. (Maybe you have thought of that elusive idea and are about to become a millionaire as soon as you tell one of the cruise lines about it.)

[Suitegurl]

Gerd

From what some of us are hearing there will no longer be an 8:30 Pm dinner seating by Feb 2008. It will all be open seating and you can go any time between certain hours - not certain about the times.


I have read alot and I know that all is not decided, but when you say "all" do you mean none of the seatings will be traditional? My TA was under the impression that there would be 1 early and 1 late seating still traditional (either upper or lower) and the opposite dining room would be "as you wish".

[serendipity1499]

Now that we've heard from BruceMuzz, can understand why HAL is now implementing "As you wish dining" ..

However, in my opinion, it does not seem fair to the individually booked passengers for HAL to assign an entire seating either early or late to a group while excluding others...

Post No. 12 by "intheWAside" in the following thread, quotes an e-mail received from HAL re. the implementation dates of the dual choice (fixed & Anytime) seating with FAQ's..

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=582072

It looks like we'll have to adjust to the changes, whether or not we like it, or quit cruising which we will not do..JMO :) Betty

[LAFFNVEGAS]

We very recently booked the Noordam for September of course booking this late in the game everything is Wait Listed. To give you an idea of how many are on the Wait List for Early Dining when we booked this cruise on Friday we were number 240 on the wait list. The good news by the time my TA confirmed with our Credit Card number on Saturday morning we moved down to 220:) Now what do you think will be the chances of us getting this. The person my TA spoke with really tried to talk our TA into just having us sign up for "As You Wish Dining" Now I more than expect that we will end up with the Dine As You Wish and will not have a prolem with it since we talked about wanting to try it but we were hoping to get the table we had last month with the same Dining Room Staff. What ever happens will happen and it will still be great.

To go back to answering the question posted, No you really will not know for sure till you check in. But just go with an open mind. You will still have a wonderful cruise on a beautiful ship:)

[hammybee]

Come up with an even better idea that none of the geniuses in all the mass market cruise lines have thought of yet. (Maybe you have thought of that elusive idea and are about to become a millionaire as soon as you tell one of the cruise lines about it.)

Not that long ago, late seating was the coveted time. Then it seems as though, all of a sudden, early seating almost consistently is the first to fill, especially on popular 7 day sails. It's my belief that this is more about group accommodations than it is is huge shift in passenger dining preferences.

Given large groups are becoming the bread and butter of HAL's 7 day sails, I think individual passengers need to be flexible with regards to their dining arrangements or consider another cruise line that is not nearly as attractive to group bookings.