Freestyle dining - a little apprehensive

[IWORK2CRUISE]

As others have posted you can show up and ask to be seated alone or with others. Sometimes there are not others looking to share at the time you may happen to select.

One very nice opportunity is that if you meet others on the ship (meet & greet, activities, cocktail lounges, etc) you can make plans to dine together. Even last minute plans. That is something that you cannot do on ships with traditional dining.

[sparks1093]

We just got off of the "Jewel" yesterday. A 12 day cruise. We were a fairly large group and we travel every year in Jan/Feb to the Caribbean. I had asked our travel agent to request us to be seated at 2 or 3 tables near each other every evening at the same tables, same time. We were a group of 24, so we wanted either 3 tables for 8 or 2 tables for 12. We were told we could, but either at 5:30 or 9PM. When we got on board, we talked to the matre' de. And again, it was either 5:30 or 9 for that size group. Absolutely, positively NO!!!!! if we wanted to dine as a group anytime between 7 and 8:30. We ended up not doing the group at 5:30 or 9 and we sort of sub divided into groups for 4, 6 or 8, and dined "whenever". Still, we ended up with a beeper, and they beeped us when a table was ready. They joke in our group was that Freestyle didn't mean you got to dine when YOU wanted to, but rather, you got to dine when THEY were ready to feed you!

 

Every individual in your group could have gone to the dining room when they wanted and they would have been seated. But the dining room is not set up for large groups like that to eat together. The reason you can be seated together at the given times is because the staff knows they will have the large tables available then.

[True Texan]

I agree with what others have said, it's like eating at a restaurant, you may ask to be seated with others, etc., but I have to ask- if being seated with others is so important why book with NCL? (This is meant as a polite question and should not be taken any other way, I am just curious, nothing more, nothing less:).)

 

We have never cruised on NCL and are also a little apprehensive but to answer your question there is a Panama Canal cruise in 2014 that ends a the new Houston port ($ saving, no return flight). That is why we are considering Freestyle Cruising for the first time.

[sparks1093]

We have never cruised on NCL and are also a little apprehensive but to answer your question there is a Panama Canal cruise in 2014 that ends a the new Houston port ($ saving, no return flight). That is why we are considering Freestyle Cruising for the first time.

 

That would be a good reason:). I must admit that I was aprehensive at first about traditional seating but turns out everything was fine. If you think of Freestyle dining as more of going to a restaurant it might help. I mean, when was the last time you were seated with complete strangers at a restaurant?