Dining inquiry

[Archipelago]

I am considering another HAL voyage and have not sailed the line in 20 years. Does HAL still do 2 seatings and allow solo travelers to request a table top of 8 people 

[0106]

Yes

[jeh10641]

Hi, Archipelago,

There are two assigned seating times as well as Any Time (My Time, your choice of seating time, etc.). I can only assume that solos are included since I have never cruised as a solo.

Jim

[RuthC]

The two fixed dining times are now much earlier than you remember. The early dining is at 5:00 PM, with main starting at 7:30, Far earlier than the former late time of 8:15. 
Showtimes, are earlier, too, with it a bit tighter getting to the late show timely. 

Solo diners can ask for a fixed table of any size; my personal preference is table for 6, but a table for 8 (or even 10) is possible. 
If you choose open seating, you can arrive and ask to join a table that is in the process of being filled with others who want to share a table. You will not join people who are already part-way through their meal. 

[YourWorldWithBill]

4 hours ago, Archipelago said:

I am considering another HAL voyage and have not sailed the line in 20 years. Does HAL still do 2 seatings and allow solo travelers to request a table top of 8 people 

Since you haven't sailed on HAL since Club Orange was created, be sure to look into the benefits. Most here like it, and there is a separate dining room on Pinnacle class ships with no need to choose a specific time.

Edited January 25 by YourWorldWithBill
added a phrase

[Archipelago]

Okay thank you  ...I will check it out ! 

[SunnyNy]

3 hours ago, RuthC said:

The two fixed dining times are now much earlier than you remember. The early dining is at 5:00 PM, with main starting at 7:30, Far earlier than the former late time of 8:15. 
Showtimes, are earlier, too, with it a bit tighter getting to the late show timely. 

Solo diners can ask for a fixed table of any size; my personal preference is table for 6, but a table for 8 (or even 10) is possible. 
If you choose open seating, you can arrive and ask to join a table that is in the process of being filled with others who want to share a table. You will not join people who are already part-way through their meal. 

Do you recall what time the shows start? And what time Any Time dining opens?

[RuthC]

10 minutes ago, SunnyNy said:

Do you recall what time the shows start? And what time Any Time dining opens?

No, sorry, I don't remember the times the shows start. Open seating dining opens at 5:00 PM, and runs until something like 9:00 or 9:30. 

[canadarocks]

On our upcoming Eurodam cruise, the showtimes are at 7:30 & 9:30pm.

Edited January 26 by canadarocks

[3rdGenCunarder]

34 minutes ago, RuthC said:

No, sorry, I don't remember the times the shows start. Open seating dining opens at 5:00 PM, and runs until something like 9:00 or 9:30. 

 

5:00??? Is that when first seating is, too? 5:00 is ridiculously early. What time is late seating? I can't see dining times on Navigator, and I'm annoyed that my boarding pass says I have open seating. I want a set dining time at a large table. I guess I have to get in the line and argue with the maitre d'. It's years since I've had to do that. I have CO. Does that help me get my preference?

 

Looking at Navigator for my upcoming cruise (Feb 3), I see some shows are 7:30 and 9:00 and other nights it's 8:00 and 9:30 or 8:00 and 9:00. 

[RuthC]

I agree that 5:00 PM for dinner is ridiculous. I have barely started digesting lunch at that hour. 
Late sitting is at 7:30 these days. 

With dinner starting so early, and the shows/entertainment shutting down at early hours, too, it's as if HAL is trying to get everyone to go to bed early. 
Even morning activities are routinely starting earlier than they used to. 

[YourWorldWithBill]

15 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

5:00??? Is that when first seating is, too? 5:00 is ridiculously early. What time is late seating? I can't see dining times on Navigator, and I'm annoyed that my boarding pass says I have open seating. I want a set dining time at a large table. I guess I have to get in the line and argue with the maitre d'. It's years since I've had to do that. I have CO. Does that help me get my preference?

 

Looking at Navigator for my upcoming cruise (Feb 3), I see some shows are 7:30 and 9:00 and other nights it's 8:00 and 9:30 or 8:00 and 9:00. 

CO is a whole different arrangement, and should help with what you want. On the three Pinnacle class you have a separate dining room with no set time, and on the other ships you have a separate line into the MDR, but if you want a fixed time it will probably have to be the early or late.

[3rdGenCunarder]

3 minutes ago, RuthC said:

I agree that 5:00 PM for dinner is ridiculous. I have barely started digesting lunch at that hour. 
Late sitting is at 7:30 these days. 

With dinner starting so early, and the shows/entertainment shutting down at early hours, too, it's as if HAL is trying to get everyone to go to bed early. 
Even morning activities are routinely starting earlier than they used to. 

 

And it isn't like we have to get up to feed the chickens. Walk a Mile is at 7 AM and Tai Chi is at 8. Not that I would do either events, but that IS early.

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 minute ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

CO is a whole different arrangement, and should help with what you want. On the three Pinnacle class you have a separate dining room with no set time, and on the other ships you have a separate line into the MDR, but if you want a fixed time it will probably have to be the early or late.

 

I've had CO on a Pinnacle ship. This is Zaandam. I booked very early, within days of the cruise being posted. I requested early fixed. I've never had trouble getting that when I've booked early. I hate the nuisance of having to line up to change this on embarkation day. It really isn't a big deal, but HAL has made so many changes with this cruise that my patience is wearing thin.

 

[oakridger]

3 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I've had CO on a Pinnacle ship. This is Zaandam. I booked very early, within days of the cruise being posted. I requested early fixed. I've never had trouble getting that when I've booked early. I hate the nuisance of having to line up to change this on embarkation day. It really isn't a big deal, but HAL has made so many changes with this cruise that my patience is wearing thin.

 

 

Call your Travel Agent and have them fix you to the seating you requested.

[AKJonesy]

11 hours ago, RuthC said:

I agree that 5:00 PM for dinner is ridiculous. I have barely started digesting lunch at that hour. 
Late sitting is at 7:30 these days. 

With dinner starting so early, and the shows/entertainment shutting down at early hours, too, it's as if HAL is trying to get everyone to go to bed early. 
Even morning activities are routinely starting earlier than they used to. 

We always do 5:00, and this reminds me of a Seinfeld episode :).  But anyway, we don't eat lunch so by 5:00 we are hungry.  Then after, we take a nice leisure walk on the Promenade, mostly by ourselves because everyone else is in the bars or getting ready for dinner.  Then after, we head to a show; not to bed.  :)  

[Archipelago]

If I get Club Orange ..can I still request late seating and a large table for 8 or 10 ? I'm sailing solo and enjoy a larger table with other great passengers . I've always had a great time . One of my table mates last time said I drank a glass of wine the slowest she had ever seen 😂. A bottle lasted me more than a week . 😂👍

[RuthC]

1 hour ago, Archipelago said:

If I get Club Orange ..can I still request late seating and a large table for 8 or 10 ?

Yes. 

If on a Pinnacle class ship, it means you won't be eating in the separate Club Orange dining room. 
On other ships, since you will eat in the main dining room anyway, you can choose fixed or open seating. If you choose fixed, you can choose early or main, and what size table you prefer. 

[Archipelago]

Okay thank You 😊

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 hours ago, RuthC said:

Yes. 

If on a Pinnacle class ship, it means you won't be eating in the separate Club Orange dining room. 
On other ships, since you will eat in the main dining room anyway, you can choose fixed or open seating. If you choose fixed, you can choose early or main, and what size table you prefer. 

 

I was on K'dam when CO was new. Most tables were 2s or 4s. One or two 6s. Because it's open seating, I expected to not find a group to sit with. I didn't want to have dinner alone at a s-top, so I asked to revert to my original arrangement of fixed dining large table in the MDR. There was no problem arranging that, and I was still able to have breakfast in CO, where eating alone was fine (I'm not a morning person). 

[Haljo1935]

This month on K'dam and Oct & Nov on NS, World Stage show times were 6 & 8 pm. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

5 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

This month on K'dam and Oct & Nov on NS, World Stage show times were 6 & 8 pm. 

 

How did that work? Did late seating go to the show before dinner and early sitting go at 8? Or were they counting on most people doing open dining and working it out for themselves?

[Shippy]

I always liked dining at a large shared table.

On most cruise lines, that is getting harder to find. Seems a lot of people do not want shared tables anymore.

[Haljo1935]

2 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

How did that work? Did late seating go to the show before dinner and early sitting go at 8? Or were they counting on most people doing open dining and working it out for themselves?

It did not work well. I don't know how they expected it to work - for me it didn't. I missed a lot of the early shows and the ones I did make were packed. Probably all the late diners (open or fixed) and on a full ship, it was hard. 

Late show didn't work for me since I had late dining. 

If they added a 3rd show at 10pm the late diners would have a better chance of making it and it wouldn't be so crowded. 

Edited January 27 by Haljo1935
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