NCL freestyle dining vs. traditional dining?

[OneWiseCruiser]

We just finished our first Norwegian cruise, and thus our first experience at Free Style Cruising. We have taken at least one cruise each year and sometimes two on other Cruise Lines. In brief, what we thought...

 

The Good:

 

Relaxed dress and typically nearly immediate seating in the primary dining room. On the first sea-day folks tended to get a little more dressed-up for dinner and the entertainment event. The same thing was true on the second to last sea day. You are never supposed to wear shorts to dine in the main dining room in the evening. On the first sea-day, I did see one individual pulled from the dinner line and requested to change. On several other evening I saw a few men eating in shorts anyway.

 

The Not-as-Good:

 

You don't get to know your servers like you do on the non-free-style cruising ships. We did receive pagers on two evening, but quickly learned that it was because we tried to eat in the primary dining room right after the first Show let out. From then on, we ate prior to the first Show with no delay at all.

[Nelie]

On the Star this last fall, we spent the first night dining alone. The second night I mentioned to the hostess that I missed sitting with others, and don't they ever do that. The rest of the week we were asked if we cared to share and had tablemates whenever we went to the dining room for dinner, and sometimes we got tablemates for breakfast or lunch.

 

Sometimes we prefer some alone time, but we really do like the opportunity to sit with others more. Let the hostess know what you prefer if she doesn't ask.

 

We were never asked if we wanted to eat with other although. i do recall a poster saying they were put at a table where people had already started eating.:( I may have to ask about being seated with others, ill be spending a total of 4 weeks with my mum, i may even want to eat on ym own lol

 

 

 

I would suggest joining the Roll Call for your cruise and attend the Meet and Greet (if there is one organized for your cruise). This is a great way to meet a whole bunch of people at once. Perhaps there will be a few that you will click with and from there can meet for drinks, share a dinner, share an excursion, etc.

 

Ill have to check it out thanks

[js]

I'm a fan of freestyle dining. I avoid random people at all costs. Maybe I'm antisocial. I don't get people's obsessions with a set dining time. And sitting with random people? People choosing cruises because it has traditional dining? Do you sit with the same people at a restaurant on land? The only reasons cruise ships originally had dining like this was so that they could serve all the guests in the main dining rooms. Now with all the other options for dining, traditional seating seems very archaic.

 

Why do you want to get to know the waiters? Let's be realistic, you will probably never see them again and the oh so important "they remember my name" disappears as soon as the cruise is over.

 

I'm willing to bet that more people on traditional cruise lines have more trouble with the set dining time and table then people who actually enjoy it. Its a nightmare, sitting with random people with nothing in common. If they actually paired people with similar interests then that might be more interesting.

 

If freestyle cruising is the reason you don't try NCL, then I feel sorry for you.

 

We usually cruise on RCCL, so no freestyle but I can tell you, we have sailed with just my family of 4 and with friends and family of 20 and we have NEVER had to sit with strangers and I, too, wouldn't want to. I don't care if the waiters know our names, but they always know them after day one and I must admit, it is nice having your favorite drink waiting for you when you arrive in the MDR and have the waiter know your favorite sides, apps, etc.

 

I certainly don't pick a cruise because of set dining times and I personally don't like it, especially as the kids get older but it does make us regroup at the end of the day and get ready knowing we have to be somewhere at a certain time.

 

Having said all that, my mother, dd and I are taking a quick all girls 3 night cruise on the Sky in May and we just booked (about an hour ago) the Breakaway. We are ALL very, very excited about the Freestyle dining and knowing we can eat when WE want to, not a cruiseline telling us when. Granted, on Sky we will just do the speciality restaurants so that will be a set time and I am guessing on Breakaway, we will do about 3 speciality restaurants. I am VERY much looking foward to Freestyle dining and also that we DO NOT have to get dressed in suit jackets and semi/formal wear. I need to be in business attire 5 days a week and SO happy I don't have to get "dressed" now on vacation although we will still look nice, no jeans, shorts, etc.

[justkiya]

I ate in the MDR three times on my cruise on the Spirit - the first sea day for dinner, and the last sea day for lunch and dinner.

The first day, I requested to be seated with others, and was - two other couples joined me in a matter of minutes.

For lunch, I requested to be seated alone, and was, at a table for two.

For dinner, I was sitting with a group of folks from the RollCall.

 

Despite never having the same servers, the staff regularly recognized me (by name!) and provided amazing service.

[JMHAM1]

We prefer Freestyle since we don't have to rush around getting ready for a set dining time. DH and I went on CCL and skipped dinner a couple of nights opting to go elsewhere and when we returned to the dining room it was like 20 questions where we were, etc.

 

We were at a table for 8 on that one and everyone was in the cabins on either side of us. We did not like that either since the walls between the cabins were quite thin. :p

 

Freestyle is the only way to go for us because of the choices. Gotta love choices.

 

Che had the best description of Freestyle which is most like normal land dining. I'm not sure either why people are confused.

[luddite]

I ate in the MDR three times on my cruise on the Spirit - the first sea day for dinner, and the last sea day for lunch and dinner.

The first day, I requested to be seated with others, and was - two other couples joined me in a matter of minutes.

For lunch, I requested to be seated alone, and was, at a table for two.

For dinner, I was sitting with a group of folks from the RollCall.

 

Despite never having the same servers, the staff regularly recognized me (by name!) and provided amazing service.

 

Sweetheart, they remembered you because you are memorable!:)

Are you home?

[sail2sea]

I like the flexibility. But it's a bit too much like land trips.

[msunrullieone]

We liked freestyle because we could eat when we wanted and didn't have to make small talk with our table mates. However, we've been on 2 cruises where we've hit it off so well with our table mates and waiters that dinner was such a highlight. So, we've really enjoyed both.

[gra2172]

I'm a fan of freestyle dining. I avoid random people at all costs. Maybe I'm antisocial. I don't get people's obsessions with a set dining time. And sitting with random people? People choosing cruises because it has traditional dining? Do you sit with the same people at a restaurant on land? The only reasons cruise ships originally had dining like this was so that they could serve all the guests in the main dining rooms. Now with all the other options for dining, traditional seating seems very archaic.

 

Why do you want to get to know the waiters? Let's be realistic, you will probably never see them again and the oh so important "they remember my name" disappears as soon as the cruise is over.

 

I'm willing to bet that more people on traditional cruise lines have more trouble with the set dining time and table then people who actually enjoy it. Its a nightmare, sitting with random people with nothing in common. If they actually paired people with similar interests then that might be more interesting.

 

If freestyle cruising is the reason you don't try NCL, then I feel sorry for you.

 

 

OMG, thats the reason I love NCL. I did a Royal Caribbean as my very first cruise and because Id have to sit with random people I ate at the buffet every meal. (Ive seen theyve changed it to a choice now. Freeestyle or traditional.) The other reason is that I can have a date with my wife and not have to do it with a table full of people I dont know. We can get a window seat for 2.