Free Style Dining Question

[zverybestfamily]

My family & I have been on both Disney & Royal Caribbean cruises and we will be on The Pearl next month. My wife and I thought it would be a nice change to try NCL with its Freestyle Dining but our two boys are used to the traditional early/late dining and are disappointed that they won't have the same experience of knowing their waiter & bus boy for the entire cruise. (On Royal Caribbean, you eat in the same dining room at the same time each night and have the same waiter & bus boy. On Disney, you get to eat in a few different restaurants but your waiter & bus boy go with you!)

 

How do the main dining rooms work on The Pearl? Are we still assigned a specific main dining room to eat in or do we just show up in either main dining room?

 

I suspect we will try 2 or 3 of the specialty restaurants but if we want to eat most nights in the main dining room at approximately the same time, do you think we can arrange to have the same table and same waiter & bus boy so our sons will still have the dining room experience they're used to? How accomodating are the Maitre D's?

 

Just curious. Thanks.

[fin]

If you get to the dining room when it opens, you should not have a problem getting a particular table more than once ... if you want to.

[Arwenmark]

You can in fact book a particular table or particular waiters. but the waiters move around the room so you have to follow if that is the part you want rather than the table. however you can only do that very early or very late. they do not reserve a particular table for the prime time periods, you could come and ask to be seated in a particular waiters section but you would probably have more of a wait to do so.

You won't be assigned any dining room you eat where and when you please each night, and with whom. but yes you can book a more traditional plan if you want too. Just set it up that way

[KeystoneCruiser]

You may have the same table, but you most likely will not have the same waiter since the waiters rotate stations within a restaurant and also rotate restaurants.

 

We found a very good waiter on the Dawn this summer, and when we went back to Impressions later in the week and asked for him, they told us that he did not have tables that night as he was a "relief waiter" that night.

 

You can ask for the same waiter each night and they may be able to put you with them, but it may require a longer wait until a table in their section comes open. Reservations are not accepted in the main dining rooms. (only in the specialty restaurants.)

[KeystoneCruiser]

A quick synopsis of Freestyle:

 

1.) There are optional formal nights. Formal nights are OPTIONAL in ALL restaurants and dining venues on board all NCL ships. They no longer designate one dining room as formal only. Resort casual is perfectly acceptable in all dining rooms on ALL nights. Resort casual means no shorts, t-shirts, etc. after 5:00 p.m.. Polo shirt, dockers/kahkis, sneakers are perfectly acceptable in all dining rooms at all times. Shorts, t-shirts are allowed in the buffet and Blue Lagoon (diner on some ships) at all times. It does appear that NCL is now allowing jeans in all the dining rooms as long as they are not ripped.

Only about 40% of the passengers will dress up on the first optional formal night. (even less on the second) The 40% will range from tuxes down to shirt/tie. The other 60% will be in resort casual. On Hawaii cruises, the formal number drops to about 30% formal, 40% resort casual and the other 30% in Hawaiian attire, which is also acceptable. (no shorts)

 

2.) There are two or three main restaurants per ship and these serve the traditional cruise fare. These restauarants do not take reservations and do not have a charge. They are open between 5:30 and 9:30 and you just walk up and ask for a table like an onshore restaurant. During the peak hours of 6:30-8:00, there might be a short wait for a table.

 

3.) There are 3-6 specialty restaurants on board each ship and these range from a Steakhouse to Asian to Italian to European. These restaurants all require reservations. (which can be made for the whole week the first day) Some of these require a cover charge of between $12.50 and $20 per person. They are open the same hours as the main restaurants.

 

4.) You have no set dining times and no set table mates. You also do not have the same waiter each night. You can request a waiter again, but it could result in a longer wait. (and the waiters do rotate through some of the venues. We had a waiter we liked on the Dawn and one night, he wasn't available because he was a "relief waiter.")

 

5.) Freestyle disembarkation means that you can wait in your cabin until called. No being herded into public areas like cattle. You can also take advantage of Express Disembarkation, where you can carry your own luggage off and be in the first group off the ship.

 

I love Freestyle and that is why I love to cruise NCL.