Survey: Open or fixed dining /early or late seating

[lenquixote66]

We have been in every category .

[mauimacho]

We always do early fixed.

[Rockfan2]

We always have late fixed dining as the early dining option is just way too early for us.

 

Rockfan2

[Randyk47]

Late fixed. We usually get off the ship on port days and prefer port intensive cruises. We've found that late dining gives us a chance without rushing to get back on the ship after a day in port, cleaned up, and relaxed for dinner. Our next cruise is all open and is port intensive but we figure we'll just go to dinner whenever we feel like it, most probably about the same time we'd go if we were on HAL and had late fixed.

[Bill S]

Early, fixed always, except one time when we were bumped due to a large group using early, fixed, and then forced into open seating. :(

[iancal]

Open....except that it needs to be a little more 'open'.

[goldengatecruisers]

We enjoy late fixed - although on our last HAL cruise it was not available. The wonderful Neptune Lounge staff arranged for our table of 2 at the same time each night in the main dining room.

[hypercafe]

We use open but I wish it was more like NCL

[Shatty]

open seating all the way, we just love the flexibility, never a problem if you want a table for two or quite the opposite !

[Twickenham]

I have done early fixed, late fixed and open, and there's no question - open all the way!

[Big Dawg CC]

Early fixed. Need some time to digest before bed.

[JORAY]

Late fixed dining 95% of the time the other 5% ledo.

 

Don't want to rush after port visits and always have one drink before dinner when we cruise.

 

Ray

[Cruising-along]

Until open seating came along we always had early fixed. Once we discovered open seating, we'll never go back to fixed. We don't feel like eating at the same time every night at home, why would we on a cruise ship?

[RuthC]

For me, As You Wish equals late/fixed. It's always my preference.

Once, HAL took the liberty of switching me from my confirmed late/fixed to open seating, but I insisted they switch me back. They did.

And, for a couple of reasons, last summer I switched to open seating half-way through the Amsterdam Alaska cruise. I was happy with the way it worked, but not enough to want it every cruise.

[durangoscots]

For a long cruise I do early fixed (I just can not eat late in the evening), but for shorter I go with open seating. I love just doing my own thing.

 

Susan

[localady]

For many years we were early fixed dining, but I have had so many positive experiences with open dining that we go with that now! Yes, I am a convert! ;)

[mamaofami]

Late fixed is too late for me, and early fixed is too early, but I prefer the same table with the same wait staff every night, so we do early fixed.

[DeepWaterMariner]

It has been a seasons of our life thing for us. When we were younger it was always late seating...there was no open sitting in those days. As we aged we moved to early sitting. Now that open sitting has come about for most cruise lines, we prefer the flexibility of open sitting.

[Krazy Kruizers]

early -- fixed -- for us

[jaspersmycat]

Always - late fixed (and table for 6 or 8)

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Early fixed

[gregdude]

Open, more flexible and you don't get stuck with folks you just don't want to eat with every night. On short 7 day cruises this is not as important as long cruises where you simply meet more interesting people.

[GeriatricNurse]

We have been in every category .

 

 

I always do Open Dining (and always eat dinner in either the Lido, Canaletto or PG)! Haven't had/experinced the pleasure/thrill of dining in the MDR for the past several cruises! :p And I miss it terribly! :rolleyes:

[Jemima]

Open. We also do a mix of Lido dinner, MDR, Canalettos, and when available the Tamarind. We do make reservations for the MDR as neither of us want to chance a long wait. We are very happy with the way HAL's As You Wish dining works including how the open dining works.

[LindaM]

We've done fairly equal numbers of early fixed and late fixed. Now we love open seating. At this stage of our lives, even on port intensive cruises, we are back at the ship early. Sad to say we just don't have the same stamina to wander the cities all day as we once did. We both like seeing the show after dinner. Gives our food time to digest as DH has GERD.