What to Choose?

[palmsandpines]

So we have never sailed on a ship with four main dining rooms. If we choose Anytime, we can go to any of the four when we want (just show up), but if we choose a specific time, we will be assigned one dining room for the entire cruise, with the same people at a specific time. Is that about right?

 

How long do you usually wait around 6PM for Anytime dining? Also assuming that the menus are a bit different in each to make it worth having the four dining rooms.

 

Thank you!

[jelayne]

You can get any of the menu items in any of the 4 dining rooms.  So for example if  you are seated in Cyprus you can order on of the Tuscan Exclusive items.

 

You can select Anytime dining and go when you want to any of the 4.  You can also select Anytime and make reservations for each night.  So maybe on night 1 you want to eat at 6 but on night 3 you have a long excursion that day and want time to freshen up and relax before dinner you can make reservation for 7:30. The reservations don’t have to be at the same time every night.

 

We generally make reservation for the first 2 nights as things see to be a bit hectic t he first day or 2 and after that we go when we are ready.

[med2cruise]

We have anytime dining and have made reservations in each of the dining rooms.  I have seen on CC that if you walk up without a reservation, the wait time is usually less than 10 to 15 minutes, which isn't bad.  

[palmsandpines]

37 minutes ago, jelayne said:

You can get any of the menu items in any of the 4 dining rooms.  So for example if  you are seated in Cyprus you can order on of the Tuscan Exclusive items.

 

You can select Anytime dining and go when you want to any of the 4.  You can also select Anytime and make reservations for each night.  So maybe on night 1 you want to eat at 6 but on night 3 you have a long excursion that day and want time to freshen up and relax before dinner you can make reservation for 7:30. The reservations don’t have to be at the same time every night.

 

We generally make reservation for the first 2 nights as things see to be a bit hectic t he first day or 2 and after that we go when we are ready.

Great info, thanks! I had no idea that you can choose Anytime and then make a reservation. So, I would just call the prefered dining room and ask for a reservation for 2 at 630PM and we would be seated either by ourselves or they would place us with some other folks in the dining room that we pick for that night? 

[davekathy]

17 minutes ago, palmsandpines said:

Great info, thanks! I had no idea that you can choose Anytime and then make a reservation. So, I would just call the prefered dining room and ask for a reservation for 2 at 630PM and we would be seated either by ourselves or they would place us with some other folks in the dining room that we pick for that night? 

You will need to make your SD reservations for the times and dining room in your CP before your cruise. When we first board the ship we always check out the dining room, verify our reserved time, always request a two top and a specific location. We have always been accommodated. 

[jelayne]

52 minutes ago, palmsandpines said:

Great info, thanks! I had no idea that you can choose Anytime and then make a reservation. So, I would just call the prefered dining room and ask for a reservation for 2 at 630PM and we would be seated either by ourselves or they would place us with some other folks in the dining room that we pick for that night? 

No you can make the reservations ahead your sailing in the Cruise Planner. They only release about 45% - 50%  of the tables for advance reservations so if you look at the Cruise Planner and your desired time is not open to book that doesn't mean that the dining room if full.  They hold the remaining tables for walk up guests.  

[Oceansaway17]

I tried for my Edge cruise to select the various dining rooms. and it said my time as selected as I have early dining.  So now what they randomly tell me which of the four I can eat at.

See they had something like this on RCI Anthem of the Seas, and it was removed as a lot of folks complained.   

Won't it be confusing for wait staff to have 4 menus to choose from if one can really order off of tghe other dining rooms.  so confusing at best.  Then again for Princess, no one gets to select any dining until final payment.  What a surprise that was for me recently.  

 

[prmssk]

Even though it allows you to choose early or late dining when you book an Edge class ship, I don’t think any of them are actually doing fixed dining in practice. I suggest choosing Anytime so that you have the ability to make reservations ahead of time if you want. 

[davekathy]

14 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

I tried for my Edge cruise to select the various dining rooms. and it said my time as selected as I have early dining.  So now what they randomly tell me which of the four I can eat at.

See they had something like this on RCI Anthem of the Seas, and it was removed as a lot of folks complained.   

Won't it be confusing for wait staff to have 4 menus to choose from if one can really order off of tghe other dining rooms.  so confusing at best.  Then again for Princess, no one gets to select any dining until final payment.  What a surprise that was for me recently.  

 

Not confusing at all. The wait staff is very familiar with the options. You ask for the different menus. If you don't ask, you only get the menu for the dining room you are eating in. 

[hcat]

21 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

I tried for my Edge cruise to select the various dining rooms. and it said my time as selected as I have early dining.  So now what they randomly tell me which of the four I can eat at.

See they had something like this on RCI Anthem of the Seas, and it was removed as a lot of folks complained.   

Won't it be confusing for wait staff to have 4 menus to choose from if one can really order off of tghe other dining rooms.  so confusing at best.  Then again for Princess, no one gets to select any dining until final payment.  What a surprise that was for me recently.  

 

 everything downscale  from Royal C is imposed on X..Often  less workable..

 

guess they want a food court type atmosphere.. like at the mall

not quite Modern Luxury!

 

We liked making advanced res in our preferred mdrs..on EDGE...never had a beeper or  waited in lines (except in suite class for Luminae on BEYOND!.)

 

..now who knows what we'll be faced with..luckily we eat early so it will be ok on APEX.. and happy we will be in BLU on our next cruise..on ASCENT

[palmsandpines]

2 hours ago, jelayne said:

No you can make the reservations ahead your sailing in the Cruise Planner. They only release about 45% - 50%  of the tables for advance reservations so if you look at the Cruise Planner and your desired time is not open to book that doesn't mean that the dining room if full.  They hold the remaining tables for walk up guests.  

Good to know. Thanks!