Booking Traditional Dining

[geoherb]

When looking at booking a cruise on the Amsterdam on HAL's website, I'm getting a choice between "Open Seating" and "Main Dining." On our previous cruises, we had a choice of early or late traditional dining. Do they still have both? Could this just be a glitch for this particular sailing?

[jtl513]

It could be that the third choice, Early (fixed) is filled. If that is what you want, choose one of the others for now and try to get it changed on board.

[DaveOKC]

When looking at booking a cruise on the Amsterdam on HAL's website, I'm getting a choice between "Open Seating" and "Main Dining." On our previous cruises, we had a choice of early or late traditional dining. Do they still have both? Could this just be a glitch for this particular sailing?

 

"Main" is what we consider as "Late". So, Early must be filled. You can always waitlist for it and failing that, check once onboard.

[geoherb]

Great. Late traditional is what we prefer. Thanks.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad that the "late" -- Main dining which you prefer is still available.

Enjoy!!

[take us away]

If needed, sometimes this can be handled by a phone call to HAL before you leave - and it is so much easier.

[HUNKY]

Glad to know that MAIN dining is in reality the later fixed dining! I was afraid that MAIN would be at 5:45PM (also known as late lunch)!

[DaveOKC]

Glad to know that MAIN dining is in reality the later fixed dining! I was afraid that MAIN would be at 5:45PM (also known as late lunch)!

 

I know - it happened to me once, I thought I had Early booked since I saw Main on the reservation. WHen I doubled checked, I found out I actually had LATE - not what we wanted, so was very glad I checked.

[Homosassa]

You are lucky you managed to get traditional dining. In spite of booking as far out as over a year, we have only been able to get the "Not As You Wish" open seating on our last few HAL cruises.

[summersigh]

We were booking a cruise BUT months and months ahead late fixed dining was already gone. Based on some good info here on CC research was done and it was found a HUGE group of a political bent opposed to ours :D was booked and had totally reserved late dining.

 

Once we found out we moved our reservation and along with no large group we got the late dining we wished :D

 

It might be worth checking into ....

[Scrapnana]

You are lucky you managed to get traditional dining. In spite of booking as far out as over a year, we have only been able to get the "Not As You Wish" open seating on our last few HAL cruises.

 

I have had the same thing happen on two of my last three HAL bookings. Although specifying that I wanted Main dining both of them came up "As You Wish" (and I agree that it almost always is not when you wish). In one case my TA (now my ex-TA) was not able to get me changed over the course of 11 months. I asked for a change the first afternoon I boarded the ship and it was changed without any problems in 30 seconds. On my upcoming cruise my (new) TA was able to get the change done within an hour of my telling her I did not want "As You Wish".

[geoherb]

Apparently the only people who booked our cruise on the Amsterdam are folks who wanted the early seating. When I finally went to book through a travel agency's website, I could see both dining times. The early seating was marked as waitlist only. I'm glad we're confirmed for late, especially since this is an Alaskan cruise.

[DaveOKC]

Apparently the only people who booked our cruise on the Amsterdam are folks who wanted the early seating. When I finally went to book through a travel agency's website, I could see both dining times. The early seating was marked as waitlist only. I'm glad we're confirmed for late, especially since this is an Alaskan cruise.

 

I have found that on most HAL cruises, Early fills up first (often up to a year prior to sailing).

[3rdGenCunarder]

I have found that on most HAL cruises, Early fills up first (often up to a year prior to sailing).

 

Yes, early does seem to fill first. Suites get first choice of dining time (not sure which level of suites, maybe only Neptune and Pinnacle), so HAL may hold out space in early dining until the suites have made their choices, and then move the waitlisted people into early.

 

We've always been able to get early when we've been in a Neptune. For our 3 non-Neptunes, we've been able to get early once. Once waitlist was changed to early onboard. Once waitlist could not be changed and we had to do open dining (or whatever they call it). That may have been because we boarded rather late and all the remaining early seats had already been taken.

[DaveOKC]

Yes, early does seem to fill first. Suites get first choice of dining time (not sure which level of suites, maybe only Neptune and Pinnacle), so HAL may hold out space in early dining until the suites have made their choices, and then move the waitlisted people into early.

 

We've always been able to get early when we've been in a Neptune. For our 3 non-Neptunes, we've been able to get early once. Once waitlist was changed to early onboard. Once waitlist could not be changed and we had to do open dining (or whatever they call it). That may have been because we boarded rather late and all the remaining early seats had already been taken.

 

We have been waitlisted for Early when in a Signature Suite and then when we upgraded to Neptune we immediately cleared the waitlist.

[kevingastreich]

I was afraid that MAIN would be at 5:45PM (also known as late lunch)!

 

Or, on HAL, the "Early Bird Special" :D