Can't find this information on dining...can you make reservations for any time dining

[mjkacmom]

I've cruised 6 times with NCL and I've never waited long to be seated in the dining rooms. When there are a few minutes wait (I think the longest we've experienced was 10 minutes), we take the pager and go for a walk on the promenade. Very pleasant! We've also never had any problem getting a table near a window. Of course we're only 2, it may be more difficult with a large group. I love freestyle. I tried fixed time dining with shared tables on other lines and I hated it. Freestyle is just a wonderful concept!

 

We were a party of 9 on our last NCL cruise, and never had to wait. Of course, if we encountered long waits at the time we chose to dine, I think we would learn to choose another time.

 

I can't understand why anyone would get excited over waiters prancing about with flaming dessert - they did something cheesy like that on our DCL cruise, and I thought it was - well - cheesy!

[tammy531]

I guess it depends because I'm 60+ days from sailing date (on breakaway) and I've already booked all my excursions!

 

We are sailing in December and our excursions have been booked since May...I am now 51 days out so will have to see about the restaurants and shows in 6 days!

 

sent from my Samsung galaxy s3

[SeaShark]

Carolyn Spencer Brown - I feel sorry for you - broaden your horizons girl. You may learn something.

 

Congratulations. You are the first person I've seen on Cruise Critic who has attacked someone who is not even participating in the thread simply because you don't agree with their opinion. I'll bet you're glad you didn't get seated together at dinner! :rolleyes:

[Crusin6]

Personally when we travel as a family of 6 I am glad we always get our own table wether it be freestyle or traditional. When I cruised with just my dd this year we chose Ncl over ccl specifically so we would not be seated with strangers as we didn't trust ccl to put us at our own table.

 

Regardless of my preferences I am wondering about solo cruisers? It would seem to me that freestyle could certainly pose a problem for them and traditional would work better

 

Any opinions from solo cruisers? What do you folks usually do and if you have done freestyle has it worked out?

[Medtech2]

Correct - but we'd be comfortably seated in the Atrium lounge at 7pm, enjoying table service with cocktails and light snacks prior to walking in to our reserved table without any line. The wait staff would greet us by name, and have our favourite wine ready.

The longest most horrendous lines we have ever encountered were waiting for the doors to be opened for ASSIGNED dining on Carnival Triumph. Every. Single. Night.

[davy jones]

Interesting to note that on Princess your traditional seating would have no 7 PM option at all.

 

I used anytime dining on Princess and the lines and waits at 7 PM were very long. I have seen this on other lines. I came to the conclusion that dining rooms open at 5:30 or 6:00 and fill up between 6:30 and 7:00. If you come at 7, you likely have to wait until the early arrivals finish.

 

In an odd way, it can be like early and late seatings.

[SeaShark]

Personally when we travel as a family of 6 I am glad we always get our own table wether it be freestyle or traditional. When I cruised with just my dd this year we chose Ncl over ccl specifically so we would not be seated with strangers as we didn't trust ccl to put us at our own table.

 

Regardless of my preferences I am wondering about solo cruisers? It would seem to me that freestyle could certainly pose a problem for them and traditional would work better

 

Any opinions from solo cruisers? What do you folks usually do and if you have done freestyle has it worked out?

 

Traveling solo, I'd rather have Freestyle than Assigned.

 

Aside from the fact that it is rather easy to meet new people to dine with, it is never an issue to get a table for one (as a matter of fact, it may be easier than getting a large table).

 

The solo traveler is typically more independent and more flexibile in selecting dining times (as you don't even have to get one more person to agree) so Freestyle works far better.

 

Considering that Freestyle is how we all each each and everyday normally, it isn't an issue to continue to do so on vacation.

 

Besides...consider the alternative...a solo traveler on a ship employing assigned dining could very well find themselves seated at an 8-top with a family of seven! Talk about being an outsider!:eek:

[GORDONCHICK]

I thought Princess was the worst at flexible dining. We've been on 3 NCL cruises, and never have we waited for more than 10 minutes - we've waited much longer at land-based restaurants.

[pliskin]

I know a lot of cruisers who come from other lines that have the same issue with freestyle dining. I think that's because they are so used to the usual early seating late seating thing. The advantage to free style is being able to eat whenever you want. Eat earlier and enjoy the sunset. Or have a snack and eat later. Or make reservations at a specialty restaurant. I usually cruise with 10+ folks so we adjust the time we eat dinner and spend the energy enjoying our cruise.

[ozzycruzer]

Freestyle = Wait in Line Style. I will never travel this way again. The setup for Grand Pacific was dreadful: Try to dine at 7pm – push down the narrow passageway (obstructed by throngs of passengers viewing photos, or lining up against the wall to wait, or using the elevators, plus a disabled restroom door that protrudes into the narrow space) – wait in line for buzzer, whilst partner struggles back through crowd to bar, waits for service, carries 2 full glasses back through pack – get buzzer and struggle back to bar carrying glass. Buzzer sounds – struggle through pack, wait in line AGAIN because the single hostess is dealing with everything including group reservations

 

Thanks for the contributions everyone - it seems that many who enjoy freestyle do so because they travel as a group, and are thus allowed reservation privileges in the main dining rooms. This of course may make it harder to get seated for those who wish to meet fellow travelers whilst dining (and after 40 years of travel, it is meeting new people that is ALWAYS a highlight for me).

 

This was the problem on Gem. As per the quote in my original post, it was the location of the single hostess station on Gem, and the way in which Gem managed it that caused our grief. I have no problem with waiting 30 minutes or more - as pointed out that is common in restaurants - but NOT by standing in line - TWICE. I expect to spend just a few minutes to obtain a buzzer, and once it sounds to walk straight in. Without incurring extra costs, NCL could have provided this - eg by handing out the buzzers in the Atrium Lounge Bar area.

[TravelDiva88]

Thanks for the contributions everyone - it seems that many who enjoy freestyle do so because they travel as a group, and are thus allowed reservation privileges in the main dining rooms. This of course may make it harder to get seated for those who wish to meet fellow travelers whilst dining (and after 40 years of travel, it is meeting new people that is ALWAYS a highlight for me).

 

This was the problem on Gem. As per the quote in my original post, it was the location of the single hostess station on Gem, and the way in which Gem managed it that caused our grief. I have no problem with waiting 30 minutes or more - as pointed out that is common in restaurants - but NOT by standing in line - TWICE. I expect to spend just a few minutes to obtain a buzzer, and once it sounds to walk straight in. Without incurring extra costs, NCL could have provided this - eg by handing out the buzzers in the Atrium Lounge Bar area.

 

To each their own. I love NCL as I am not forced to eat dinner with strangers. I enjoy my table for two with my husband, and we have never had to wait more than 10 minutes.

 

I know on the breakaway there was "traditional" dining offered if you wanted to be seated with the same strangers nightly and have the same waiter. But only in one restaurant, and only at 5:30 PM

[B6ConMe]

Thanks for the contributions everyone - it seems that many who enjoy freestyle do so because they travel as a group, and are thus allowed reservation privileges in the main dining rooms. This of course may make it harder to get seated for those who wish to meet fellow travelers whilst dining (and after 40 years of travel, it is meeting new people that is ALWAYS a highlight for me).

 

This was the problem on Gem. As per the quote in my original post, it was the location of the single hostess station on Gem, and the way in which Gem managed it that caused our grief. I have no problem with waiting 30 minutes or more - as pointed out that is common in restaurants - but NOT by standing in line - TWICE. I expect to spend just a few minutes to obtain a buzzer, and once it sounds to walk straight in. Without incurring extra costs, NCL could have provided this - eg by handing out the buzzers in the Atrium Lounge Bar area.

 

I'm sorry things didn't work out for you on NCL but it really seems as though you are happier on a different cruise line. Happy sailing...to each his/her own.

[cruisecritiquer]

To each their own. I love NCL as I am not forced to eat dinner with strangers. I enjoy my table for two with my husband, and we have never had to wait more than 10 minutes.

 

I know on the breakaway there was "traditional" dining offered if you wanted to be seated with the same strangers nightly and have the same waiter. But only in one restaurant, and only at 5:30 PM

 

Being an INFJ, I am the same way. I much prefer to dine with my family (alone) than with strangers. Now, if we meet a couple during the cruise, hit it off, and decide to do dinner one night...that's fine but just to be thrown into it...not knowing who you might end up with...I just can't do it. :p

[TravelDiva88]

Being an INFJ, I am the same way. I much prefer to dine with my family (alone) than with strangers. Now, if we meet a couple during the cruise, hit it off, and decide to do dinner one night...that's fine but just to be thrown into it...not knowing who you might end up with...I just can't do it. :p

 

See, I'm an ENFJ, but by a hair's breadth. When I'm "on" for work I'm definitely more extroverted, but I do enjoy my decompression time- and vacation is that decompression time for me.