Freestyle vs MyTime, YourTime, AnyTime dining

[crisp1]

We've done them all and they are all very similar except Freestyle. The other cruise lines encourage passengers to share their dining experience, ask if you'd like to share and fill up the tables quickly- if you prefer to dine alone you may have to wait for a table. With Freestyle you have to let them know that you prefer to share and many nights you may end up dining alone. 7 out of 12 nights we sat for over 20 minutes waiting for others to join us and finally had to order and ate alone. I won't be back

[sparks1093]

We've done them all and they are all very similar except Freestyle. The other cruise lines encourage passengers to share their dining experience, ask if you'd like to share and fill up the tables quickly- if you prefer to dine alone you may have to wait for a table. With Freestyle you have to let them know that you prefer to share and many nights you may end up dining alone. 7 out of 12 nights we sat for over 20 minutes waiting for others to join us and finally had to order and ate alone. I won't be back

 

To each his or her own but I'd much rather sit with my family than with a bunch of strangers (but for 7 days I could put up with assigned dining if we were on a line that offered it). Freestyle is not for everyone.

Edited December 15, 2014 by sparks1093

[ColinIllinois]

To each their own.

 

That's exactly why I like NCL freestyle dining...I don't have to sit with some passenger who is boring me with intimate details of their lives five minutes after I've introduced myself.

[RuthlessBoss]

So, how was your cruise other than no one asked or wanted to sit with you? To not want to return to NCL for that reason is pretty flimsy.

[Laszlo]

We've done them all and they are all very similar except Freestyle. The other cruise lines encourage passengers to share their dining experience, ask if you'd like to share and fill up the tables quickly- if you prefer to dine alone you may have to wait for a table. With Freestyle you have to let them know that you prefer to share and many nights you may end up dining alone. 7 out of 12 nights we sat for over 20 minutes waiting for others to join us and finally had to order and ate alone. I won't be back

 

So 7 out of 12 nights nobody wanted to sit with and thats why you won't be back LOL:rolleyes:

[TifffanyD]

I *love* not having to sit with other people!! The few times I enjoyed having tablemates were when we linked up with people we knew. And I am assuming you could easily do that on NCL (just show up to dinner together).

[getupgo]

We must have been lucky or short Carnival cruises attract interesting people. On a 4 day cruise, we had very very entertaining people that we thoroughly enjoyed seated with us every night. All different. All fun. Freestyle, the tables for 2 are so close, you can visit if you choose or not. We always do and enjoy.

[LrgPizza]

We've done them all and they are all very similar except Freestyle. The other cruise lines encourage passengers to share their dining experience, ask if you'd like to share and fill up the tables quickly- if you prefer to dine alone you may have to wait for a table. With Freestyle you have to let them know that you prefer to share and many nights you may end up dining alone. 7 out of 12 nights we sat for over 20 minutes waiting for others to join us and finally had to order and ate alone. I won't be back

Like you said, the other cruise lines do this. NCL doesn't. I'm sorry you didn't realize this before you cruised. It's not supposed to be like the others. I, for one, am thrilled that it isn't. But it's certainly not for everyone. Sorry you had to eat alone and it ruined your view of NCL.

[Demonyte]

I *love* not having to sit with other people!! The few times I enjoyed having tablemates were when we linked up with people we knew. And I am assuming you could easily do that on NCL (just show up to dinner together).

 

Exactly this. We're happy to dine with friends or earlier acquaintances met onboard, but to me dinner table is not a place where I would want to meet new people.

 

As said, Freestyle is not for everyone, but that is the reason we have so far sailed with NCL exclusively - on our upcoming Celebrity cruise we'll be dining with friends via the Select Dining option.

 

BTW, Based on their signature, OP has cruised with NCL four times before this 12-nighter - one would think that Freestyle dining wasn't that unfamiliar concept to them anymore. O_o

Edited December 15, 2014 by Demonyte

[crisp1]

So, how was your cruise other than no one asked or wanted to sit with you? To not want to return to NCL for that reason is pretty flimsy.

Extremely slow service in the dining room, the meals I had ( I like fish) were mediocre at best- little or no vegetables and potaoes/rice etc. I can see the attraction to freestyle for families and groups, but to either wait for a table each night or have to make reservations for dinner kind of defeats the purpose of freestyle to me. I travel with just my wife and eat all my meals with her every day of the year. We enjoy meeting other people- whether it's just for a meal or for an entire cruise. Breakfast and lunch are also 'dine alone' with NCL. Princess and X both offer better service, food and equal if not better entertainment and itineraries.

[crisp1]

[quote name=Demonyte;44980962

BTW' date=' Based on their signature, OP has cruised with NCL four times before this 12-nighter - one would think that Freestyle dining wasn't that unfamiliar concept to them anymore. O_o[/quote]

My very first cruise with NCL was in '81- a very different product then, the next 3 were one nighter's and the last one we cruised was in 09 and we were able to dine with others. We hadn't been back because we were disappointed in the food in the mdr- We recently had lunch on the Breakaway and were impressed- but that was one meal. You all are correct 'Freestyle':rolleyes: is not for everyone.

To the poster who said that dinner is not the best place to meet people- I disagree- JMHO- we don't hang around bars

[Demonyte]

... to either wait for a table each night or have to make reservations for dinner kind of defeats the purpose of freestyle to me.

 

Possibly waiting for the table just like in a land based restaurant is exactly the purpose of Freestyle dining - meaning that you do not need reservations but can arrive at your convenience. If you happen to want to eat when everyone else is, you might need to wait - just like in a regular restaurant on land.

 

Reservations to MDRs for non-VIPs on NCL ships are a very new addition that I personally dislike tremendously because those will defeat the purpose of Freestyle dining making the actual Freestyle waits longer.

[sparks1093]

Extremely slow service in the dining room, the meals I had ( I like fish) were mediocre at best- little or no vegetables and potaoes/rice etc. I can see the attraction to freestyle for families and groups, but to either wait for a table each night or have to make reservations for dinner kind of defeats the purpose of freestyle to me. I travel with just my wife and eat all my meals with her every day of the year. We enjoy meeting other people- whether it's just for a meal or for an entire cruise. Breakfast and lunch are also 'dine alone' with NCL. Princess and X both offer better service, food and equal if not better entertainment and itineraries.

 

That is the key to Freestyle and it's similar to dining in a restaurant at home- you choose when you want to eat. I cannot imagine a restaurant saying "we have two dining times to choose from and you'll be assigned to a table with other guests selected at random" and being successful.

[gooch47]

Odd. On our last few NCL cruises we got a little tired of being asked if we want to share. We prefer dining alone.

 

I had to chuckle at the comment about learning strangers' life histories. At breakfast one morning we sat next to a share table. One man dominated the conversation, and at one point actually bragged about how much he earned each year. Couldn't help but overhear. He was loud.

[Demonyte]

Odd. On our last few NCL cruises we got a little tired of being asked if we want to share.

 

Maitre d´ asking and people responding "yes" are two completely different things - we too have been asked numerous times but IIRC, always declined. I'd assume that majority of people have chosen Freestyle Cruising because of Freestyle aspects of it and that does include being able to dine with the people one has chosen - if any.

[mypleasure]

The two things I love most about freestyle are 1) Not having to share with strangers 2) Not needing to make reservations to dine or be told when I can dine.

 

I like a table for two when we are hungry.

[sjbdtz]

We've done them all and they are all very similar except Freestyle. The other cruise lines encourage passengers to share their dining experience, ask if you'd like to share and fill up the tables quickly- if you prefer to dine alone you may have to wait for a table. With Freestyle you have to let them know that you prefer to share and many nights you may end up dining alone. 7 out of 12 nights we sat for over 20 minutes waiting for others to join us and finally had to order and ate alone. I won't be back

 

 

This is exactly what I've been saying to others who say they're the same. They're not. This is precisely why we only sail on NCL.

 

I cannot IMAGINE going into a local restaurant and them expecting me to dine with strangers. That would be horrific.

 

 

.

[sparks1093]

This is exactly what I've been saying to others who say they're the same. They're not. This is precisely why we only sail on NCL.

 

I cannot IMAGINE going into a local restaurant and them expecting me to dine with strangers. That would be horrific.

 

 

.

 

And what's worse the restaurant would only give you two dining times to choose from.

[Markanddonna]

We were on an NCL TA and they asked every time if we wished to share and we met absolutely wonderful people that way. Maybe it was because it was a long cruise and many people were from other countries. Most people chose to do this.

 

We just finished our first Carnival cruise and could only get into late dining and our dining partners never showed up. I found that very boring. The restaurant was quiet, filled with one couple at large tables.

Edited December 15, 2014 by Markanddonna

[NMLady]

We've done them all and they are all very similar except Freestyle. The other cruise lines encourage passengers to share their dining experience, ask if you'd like to share and fill up the tables quickly- if you prefer to dine alone you may have to wait for a table. With Freestyle you have to let them know that you prefer to share and many nights you may end up dining alone. 7 out of 12 nights we sat for over 20 minutes waiting for others to join us and finally had to order and ate alone. I won't be back[/quote

 

That is not a Freestyle issue but instead depends on the host. On the Jewel we experienced what you did. But on both the Sun and on the Star the host asked each person/couple if they wanted a sharing table. As a result there was no problem being seated with others when we wished.

[sfaaa]

Yeah, don't call us, we'll call you. Free style & my time dining all the way.

[warriorking]

To me nothing is more soothing than to sit down to a great meal and a good book when sailing...No awkward meeting with total strangers...

That's why I love NCL freestyle choices..

My first two cruises were aboard the old SS Norway back in the day..They were nice but I basically dreaded dinner due to the awkward arrangements...

On my last cruise aboard the jewel I experienced Freestyle and loved it....

Will never go back to the old way...;) But hey that's just me...

Edited December 15, 2014 by warriorking

[sparks1093]

But hey that's just me...

 

Nope, there is a whole bunch of us that feel the same way:D.

[Raleigh Traveler]

Nice thing about Freestyle is that you can choose how you dine. We just took our sixth NCL cruise, a 14 day TA on the Star. We have eaten by ourselves, with total strangers and as a group. Never have we felt pressured to dine with others, just sometimes we had to wait five minutes to eat alone. If you try to eat just as a show lets out, yes you will wait a few minutes.

Our last TA cruise, we met three other couples at the CC Meet and Greet and chose to dine together each evening. Fortunately all were great people and we enjoyed our times together. Our meals always took over 2 hours but we planned for it and enjoyed it.

When we dined with strangers during breakfast or lunch, it was like spinning the wheel. Some were great people that we enjoyed dining with and others, well once was enough. There were a few that complained the whole meal.

Bottom line...you get to choose at each meal. Freestyle is great for us.

[gooch47]

Maitre d´ asking and people responding "yes" are two completely different things - we too have been asked numerous times but IIRC, always declined. I'd assume that majority of people have chosen Freestyle Cruising because of Freestyle aspects of it and that does include being able to dine with the people one has chosen - if any.

 

Good point.