Any Time Dining vs. Traditional Dining

One thing that I've noticed when discussing various cruise lines is that everyone on the NCL boards 'rave' about the Freestyle dining. I've done tradition and anytime dining on =X= as well as Freestyle and didn't see any real difference between the two. This got me wondering about table seating so....

What do you prefer when crusining on =X="

Traditional dining

Anytime/Select dining

We prefer Select dining. The pros include you can eat when you want (obviously), so you have more flexibility in scheduling other activities; you're not stuck with unpleasant tablemates for the whole cruise (I know you can ask to switch, but to me that seems a rather harsh rejection of someone); you meet a variety of interesting people; you can sometimes sit with a large group, other times at a smaller table; there's seldom much of a wait.

The pros of Traditional dining include having the same waitstaff each night who get to know your preferences; forming a small group of friends, at least for the cruise but sometimes longer, to share stories with at the end of the day if everyone gets along); you don't need to prepay gratuities; the tables for two are not as crowded together.

Different strokes for different folks, and I'm glad they give us all the alternative.

We will have select dining on our next cruise. Will we be able to get just a salad and entree and skip the rest?

We will have select dining on our next cruise. Will we be able to get just a salad and entree and skip the rest?

If that's what your little heart desires. Just let your waiter know.

We will have select dining on our next cruise. Will we be able to get just a salad and entree and skip the rest?

Hi, "Karin&Isaac."

When you dine in this way (salad and entree), would you enjoy sitting and chatting and drinking beverages while your table-mates are eating an appetizer, soup, and dessert?

If not -- that is, if you wish to be served your salad immediately ... and to be served the entree right after the salad ... and to feel free to get up and leave after finishing the entree --

well, then, I would recommend that you ask for a table for two.

If you dine with two to ten other people, you will probably have to wait as they make their way through the other courses of the meal. But if you have a private table (and there are many of these in "select" dining), you can eat at your own pace.

Have fun.

Traditional dining.

Late seating.

More relaxed, and not too early. I like to get to know my waiter, and vice versa. I like to sit at the same table, and maybe get to know my table neighbors.

The days of single-seating dining are long gone (gosh I loved Vistafjord and Sagafjord....) unless you cruise on perhaps Crystal.

I HATED FreeStyle; absolutely despised it.... NCL is only a memory now.

We prefer Traditional dining. PartyAllDaTyme hit the main points on either choice, but I'll stress the enjoyment of Traditional: you get to go beyond the 'where you from', 'what cruises have you made' type discussions you usually have with Select dining unless you dine with set friends, and it is very nice having the waitstaff know your preferences on coffees, having the wine steward right there to take our pre-dining order and then return before the entree, have the 'right' mix of breads, and have a feel for what we enjoy.

And although I can see the point of flexible dining, which I can have by goig to a specialty or the Bistro, one of the enjoyments on cruise is it differs from being at home or on a land vacation: the set dining time, set table with waitstaff gives the experience a special feel. Personally, I'm not trying to make a cruise more 'efficient' or more like home, I want it to feel special and Traditional dining does that.

When we travel with a group I also don't want to have to go through the drill or 'when is everyone available'. With Traditinal, we all meet to have drinks before dining, socialize and then off to dinner.

To each their own, and I agree it is great having the options. And I enjoy the way 'X' has set it up. We we on a Princess cruise and got a set dining time, but on our last, even with booking many months ahead, we couldn't get it - it worked OK, and not really a big issue, but.....

Denny

I like the traditional dining. We have done the late seating in the past, and for this cruise we picked the early seating, so we can sit on our balcony every night and just enjoy each other's company! Last few late seating we are pooped by 10 and wanted to go to bed :)

I like having the same waiter who knows exactly what I will like suggesting meals or my frequent add-ons (oh do you want french fries with that? YEP I sure do!!!) and which tea I like. I've never had table mates so I don't know what it's like to eat with other people in the MDR. And I do like the regularity of having the pre and post dinner routine, glass of wine, martini, cocktail, ect...

Also... I'm never actually hungry on a cruise anyway so why pick my time for a meal? Just feed me :p

There is no question that I prefer a fixed table and a fixed time.

Keith

In a dozen cruises or so, we've almost always done late seating, traditional. We tried the early seating once, thinking we'd have more time after dinner to explore the ship, play in the casino, just relax, etc., but found that we just went to bed that much earlier! I cannot seem to stay up much more than an hour or so after dinner - horrible for the digestion, I'm sure! At least with late seating, we have a couple hours to rest and freshen up after days in port.

We may possibly try select dining next spring on the Summit. (Our 20th Anniversary!!) I recall that she did not have many tables for 2 when we sailed last summer - have they reconfigured the DR at all since the introduction of select that might make tables for 2 more available - either for select or traditional dining?

Thought I'd miss Traditional dining until my last cruise on Princess when I did their Personal Choice or whatever they call it. I LOVED being able to eat when I wanted. Not to have to stop doing an activity in order to run and shower. Although I did miss (somewhat) having the same dining companions (we've been very lucky that way), we did speak w/ people at adjoining tables, and even arranged to dine w/ some of them on other days. Both have advantages but for me the advantages of any time outweighed those of traditional, and while the service may have been a tad less "personal" it was every bit as friendly and attentive. Doubt that i'd ever go back to traditional, after doing it happily for over 40 cruises.

We prefer Anytime/Select.

To me - Anytime dining is way too much like open seating for breakfast and lunch in the MDR. We've not had any really satisfactory experiences in the MDR during these times. Unless you go for "table for 2" which we do at home every other day - at home.

We have always chosen Traditional Dining. To us, this is one of the nicest aspects of cruising. We usually cruise at least 14 days, and we enjoy getting to know a few of our fellow passengers at dinner, as we discuss with them our individual day's excursions or at sea activities.

That said, we're sailing on a short cruise in a few months and have decided to try Select Dining. If we don't care for this style of dining, we don't have to deal with it that long, and we can go back to Traditional Dining for our spring B2B cruises. If we didn't actually try Select, we wouldn't be able to comment on, and ultimately choose our preference.

Mary

I prefer traditional MDR while my wife prefers any-time dining :(

I think the best part of the traditional dining is having waiters/waitress who know what your likes/dislikes are. For example my wife prefers to have ice tea with her dinner. When on =X= on our last cruise (Equinox) the assist waiter had her ice tea ready from day 2 until day 11 - and we never had to ask after the first night - same with her Earl Gray tea...

I just like those 'little' things in the MDR - like being greated by name by the waiters.

Always traditional. We would not want to book a cruise if we could not be guaranteed traditional dining. We like the personal interaction with a familiar waiter and assistant, and we like having our preferences already known (don't have to ask for the bread basket to contain our favourites, for example, and drinks waiting).

We also like our table to be waiting for us as opposed to having to wait for one.

we will be doing select dining next time. would have done it sooner, but it was not offered. 6:15 is always too early on port days, & 8:45 is too late for us, think this will work out nicely.

We are going to try select dining for our next Celebrity cruise. We have always eaten at the late sitting but I sometimes feels it is a little too late. We have chose 7:45 every night but the first one which is at 7pm. We hope we don't miss the same table mates - we have had some great ones in the past.

Lynn

On reason that my wife gives for the anytime dining is she likes to eat around 7-7:30 whereas most traditional times are 6:30 and 8:45. I have to agree with her that 8:45 is just too late to eat...

Most of the reasoning that I've read on other boards regarding the 'superiority' of FreeStyle dining has less to do with times but more with (a) I don't want to be 'told' when to eat and (b) I can't stand eating with other cruisers.

I chuckle at people who don't want to be 'told when to eat' but don't complain that they're told when to go to a show, art auction, demonstration, excursion.... But what I find interesting is that those who complain about their 'tablemates' are usually the first to attack/criticize people who post dissimilar views. Oh well....

Select. We set up standing reservations for 7/730 ish as well. 6 is too early for us, 8:45 too late.

As a solo traveller, I really enjoyed the traditional dining times. I knew that I could change tables if my tablemates weren't clicking with me. But, on my July Solstice cruise I made some great friends. And it was fun to get to know them more each night and hang out with them. By the last night we were all closing down the Sunset Bar and having a great time.

I like the traditional dining. We have done the late seating in the past, and for this cruise we picked the early seating, so we can sit on our balcony every night and just enjoy each other's company! Last few late seating we are pooped by 10 and wanted to go to bed :)

 

I like having the same waiter who knows exactly what I will like suggesting meals or my frequent add-ons (oh do you want french fries with that? YEP I sure do!!!) and which tea I like. I've never had table mates so I don't know what it's like to eat with other people in the MDR. And I do like the regularity of having the pre and post dinner routine, glass of wine, martini, cocktail, ect...

 

Also... I'm never actually hungry on a cruise anyway so why pick my time for a meal? Just feed me :p

There is lots of advantage to having same wait staff as some of you have stated. We enjoy that and when we've not had anything in common with the folks assigned to "our" table, we're not shy (meaning I am not shy) about moving. After all it is our vacation and some folks "click" better than others. I can't wait for this mini break and cruising is very relaxing.

Dianne

On reason that my wife gives for the anytime dining is she likes to eat around 7-7:30 whereas most traditional times are 6:30 and 8:45. I have to agree with her that 8:45 is just too late to eat...

 

Most of the reasoning that I've read on other boards regarding the 'superiority' of FreeStyle dining has less to do with times but more with (a) I don't want to be 'told' when to eat and (b) I can't stand eating with other cruisers.

 

I chuckle at people who don't want to be 'told when to eat' but don't complain that they're told when to go to a show, art auction, demonstration, excursion.... But what I find interesting is that those who complain about their 'tablemates' are usually the first to attack/criticize people who post dissimilar views. Oh well....

I don't mind being told when to eat, just wish they'd tell us at 7:15:D

Thank you PartyAllDaTyme and jg51 for the info. We will probably ask for a table for 2. We have zero will power and alway wind up eating everything in sight. Have always gained at least 7 lbs each cruise and we will be on a 14 day cruise next time. Can't afford to bring 2 different sizes of clothes!

Can't wait. We haven't cruised for the past couple of years and we are missing it. (but not the extra weight).

Select. We set up standing reservations for 7/730 ish as well. 6 is too early for us, 8:45 too late.

Can you reserve the table size you would like? For instance a group of 4 can reserve a table for 4 - or do they stick you with another group at a larger table? We are right now in the late seating for a med. cruise. We don't want to eat at 6:30 because of the port intensive days and want to max them out. However, to eat at 8:30 and need to go to bed soon after because of another upcoming port day isn't ideal either.

Thinking of changing to select - can you get standing reservations immediately, or do you have to wait closer to the sail date (May, 2011)?