Jump to content

anytime dining - wait times?


suec12
 Share

Recommended Posts

We will be on a Pacific coastal on Ruby and have chosen anytme dining. If we want to dine around 7, should we expect to wait? We are a party of two but would prefer to be seated with others so we can meet some new people. Can we make reservations? On X (our usual cruise line) you can make reservations, however they are often not honored :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We will be on a Pacific coastal on Ruby and have chosen anytme dining. If we want to dine around 7, should we expect to wait? We are a party of two but would prefer to be seated with others so we can meet some new people. Can we make reservations? On X (our usual cruise line) you can make reservations, however they are often not honored :rolleyes:

Normally 7pm is a difficult time to be seated in ATD. The Michelangelo DR, deck 5 mid ship, opens at 5pm for ATD. Between 5:30 and 6 is the busiest time. By 6pm the tables are generally full. Since it takes about two hours to dine tables start becoming available around 7:30. Sometimes tables for two are available earlier as dining for two is quicker. The Da Vinci DR, deck 6 mid ship, is used for very early traditional dining and Club Class dining. It opens for ATD at 7:30. If you wish to dine 7:30 or later it is easier to be seated as more tables are available. I will also add that the first evening is usually more hectic. Passengers establish a more stable pattern after the first day. We generally dine somewhere else on boarding day, such as the Crown Grill, International Cafe, Trident Grill or Horizon Ct. Buffet.

Reservations

Most maitre'd's allow reservations for ATD. But, those reservations are for fixed times, usually 5:30, 5:45, 7:30 & 7:45. I have never seen 7:00 as an allowable reservation time.You call the dine line in the morning for a reservation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Different ship....this was on the Crown, but here's my experience this fall on our 11 day cruise. We made a reservation for 2 each evening for 7:00. Only one day was 7 not available, so we got 7:15. I called each morning when the Dine Line opened at 8 except one morning I didn't call until about 9. The people doing the seating at the dining room doors were suggesting to people that it is better to make reservations. Our reservation was always for 2, but each time they asked if we would like to share, so I would think you could make the reservation, ask to share and if there weren't others to fill it with reservations, there would be others at the door to fill the table.

 

When we got to the dining room each evening, we were seated within 5 minutes except one day when we were handed a beeper. Even then, we were seated within 15 minutes.

 

YMMV. :cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did a three night on the Island at the end of September and wanted a table for two. Two nights we had no wait whatsoever and on the third, it was 30 minutes. We went around 6:15 p.m. the first two nights and then around 6:45 p.m. the last night and that is where we incurred the wait. That said, if we wanted to eat with others, we would have been seated immediately.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just off the Star last Wednesday. We were four ladies traveling together on a 15-day Hawaiian cruise. I went to the Maitre D’ on embarkation day and requested a table for four in the Provence (Anytime) dining room at 7pm. There was a line every night at 7pm but by the time those people were seated, probably 7:15 or so, there was no line. There were lots of empty tables. I’d say that the dining room was ⅔ full at most.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I doubt that you could reserve with the share proviso, however as has been said it is usually easier to be seated if willing to share. A warning sharing is quite often at a table for 8. We have found that a meal at a table of 8 can take a long time with 4 couples especially as the wait staff have to go for alcohol orders, there is no wine waiter!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So if you're on ATD you can turn up at either of the restaurants that offer it after 7:30?

 

If you turn up and there is a wait will they get you a table for 2 at the other?

 

Will be sailing on the Crown if that makes a difference.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So if you're on ATD you can turn up at either of the restaurants that offer it after 7:30?

Yes

If you turn up and there is a wait will they get you a table for 2 at the other?

If you ask they can call the other DR to see if a table is available.

 

Will be sailing on the Crown if that makes a difference.

See above

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I doubt that you could reserve with the share proviso, however as has been said it is usually easier to be seated if willing to share. A warning sharing is quite often at a table for 8. We have found that a meal at a table of 8 can take a long time with 4 couples especially as the wait staff have to go for alcohol orders, there is no wine waiter!!

 

Since they always asked if we wanted to share when I called for a reservation, it would seem logical that you could.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Never had to wait more than about 10 minutes. Mostly straight in.

We use ATD and like to eat about 6-6:30 PM. Very low wait time and even faster if you want to share. As a general rule I am not a proponent of a venue named Anytime taking reservations. The whole point is you go at your convenience and eat as the dining room allows. Perfect compromise. But that is just me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our problem with anytime dining is that we like to share a table with others but hate to wait. We found that we could solve the second problem by showing up after 8 on the one cruise where we were forced into anytime dining. But at that time, no one else was requesting to share a table. We ended up eating by ourselves even when seated at a table for four or six or eight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We will be on a Pacific coastal on Ruby and have chosen anytme dining. If we want to dine around 7, should we expect to wait? We are a party of two but would prefer to be seated with others so we can meet some new people. Can we make reservations? On X (our usual cruise line) you can make reservations, however they are often not honored :rolleyes:

 

 

 

We were on the Ruby 11/18-11/25 and anytime dining had a miserable line that had over an hour wait for a table. My suggestion is to go to the dining room when you board and ask the Maitre’d if you can reserve a table for X at 7:00 each evening. You may not get your preference of time, but you may get a table without standing in line. We did and got a table at 5:30 each night and I was so grateful we didn’t have to stand in that long line we saw each night when leaving the dining room.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We were on the Ruby 11/18-11/25 and anytime dining had a miserable line that had over an hour wait for a table. My suggestion is to go to the dining room when you board and ask the Maitre’d if you can reserve a table for X at 7:00 each evening. You may not get your preference of time, but you may get a table without standing in line. We did and got a table at 5:30 each night and I was so grateful we didn’t have to stand in that long line we saw each night when leaving the dining room.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

You would normally not be allowed to reserve a table for 7:00 pm. Unless they could count on someone arriving at 5:30 pm and leaving in less than 1 and 1/2 hours, the only way they could reserve the table would be to keep it empty for the entire 1 and 1/2 hours, and that would not be good for other passengers. Generally they only make reservations for when they first open and after 7:30 pm (when people are leaving and the other MDR is changing from traditional to anytime.

 

I was able to make reservations during this time period when I was in a full suite. However that was before Club Class was available - I'm not sure they still provide priority reservations for sull suites in the MDR.

 

After 7:30 when the second dining room converts to anytime, there generally isn't much of a wait anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We were on the Ruby 11/18-11/25 and anytime dining had a miserable line that had over an hour wait for a table. My suggestion is to go to the dining room when you board and ask the Maitre’d if you can reserve a table for X at 7:00 each evening. You may not get your preference of time, but you may get a table without standing in line. We did and got a table at 5:30 each night and I was so grateful we didn’t have to stand in that long line we saw each night when leaving the dining room.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Why did you just do an early or late seating? you would have gotten your table right away (every night) and you would not have perverted the system for those who truly want to eat anytime.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You would normally not be allowed to reserve a table for 7:00 pm. Unless they could count on someone arriving at 5:30 pm and leaving in less than 1 and 1/2 hours, the only way they could reserve the table would be to keep it empty for the entire 1 and 1/2 hours, and that would not be good for other passengers. Generally they only make reservations for when they first open and after 7:30 pm (when people are leaving and the other MDR is changing from traditional to anytime.

 

I was able to make reservations during this time period when I was in a full suite. However that was before Club Class was available - I'm not sure they still provide priority reservations for sull suites in the MDR.

 

After 7:30 when the second dining room converts to anytime, there generally isn't much of a wait anyway.

 

Ah, yes that explains the long line when we were leaving the dining room at 7'ish since our dining time was at 5:30. We thought that was early until we realized it was the perfect time to have dinner and then go to the early show at 8:00. I felt like I was able to do and see more since dinner wasn't smack dab in the middle of our evening. There is no need to make reservations if you are in a full suite. CC dining allows you to walk up and be seated right away. When we were in a suite we LOVED CC dining!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You would normally not be allowed to reserve a table for 7:00 pm. Unless they could count on someone arriving at 5:30 pm and leaving in less than 1 and 1/2 hours, the only way they could reserve the table would be to keep it empty for the entire 1 and 1/2 hours, and that would not be good for other passengers. Generally they only make reservations for when they first open and after 7:30 pm (when people are leaving and the other MDR is changing from traditional to anytime.

 

I was able to make reservations during this time period when I was in a full suite. However that was before Club Class was available - I'm not sure they still provide priority reservations for sull suites in the MDR.

 

After 7:30 when the second dining room converts to anytime, there generally isn't much of a wait anyway.

 

We made a reservation each night for 7:00 on an 11 day cruise on the Crown this fall. No problem. :cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...