As You Wish Dining - Opinions, Comments and Discussions

[odiesam]

We just got back from the Eurodam and were assigned As You Wish Dining which gave me much precruise anxiety. We ended up loving it! We never had a problem getting a table for 3 - which is what we wanted - and never waited. Our ship was full. We did make reservations a couple nights but they were not needed as we either decided to eat later or earlier than our reserved time and the change was easily made.

 

It was so much nicer not having to hurry to get ready for an assigned time or wait around for an assigned time. Most of the wait staff were still very friendly so even though we didn't strike up an ongoing relationship since we would get a different table each night it was nice to meet different waiters. We did not see any drop in level in service.

[goghd]

On my next cruise I'm going to try the non time slot dining (Dec on the Z-dam to the canal). My last HAL cruise DW and I were seated at a table for 8 with only 2 showing up most nights besides ourselves. Last year was on the Princess and was in a table for 4 and the other two only showed up once -- the next to last day. So I'm not impressed with assigned diner seating. I did the anytime on NCL and loved it.

 

Going start with the anytime and then talk with the concierge and see if I can get a great wait staff and wine guy and then stay with them during the 10 days.

[NHBob]

I hadn't looked at the HAL boards recently, so was surprised to see that this thread is still alive and well a year and over 1600 posts since introduction of AYWD. It appears that a lot of people are still enduring wait listing for traditional dining.

 

In my review of my March '08 transatlantic on Zuiderdam I commented that I wouldn't be cruising on HAL again until they were willing to confirm my dining choice at time of booking, always at least six months out. Guess I'll have to wait a while longer, although I doubt that HAL/Carnival management is losing any sleep over this!

Edited April 13, 2009 by NHBob

[kryos]

Can anyone tell me, if you are wait-listed for traditional dining, how likely ae you to get it??

You don't tell us in your post what kind of a cruise you are going on. Is it a short one that's popular with younger families, or a longish one that gets a lot of older people? If it's a longer one, I would say that early will be very popular. If it's a shorter one, it could be that late is more popular. But if there are a lot of children on the cruise, then early could be more popular on a short cruise as well, since children can rarely wait until 8:30 or so to eat.

 

Personally, if it were me, I would waitlist for the late seating if late dining is important to you. Then once onboard, your friend can see if she can get moved to early. Often if it's only one person, the dining room manager can move them ... since there are some tables with an odd number of passengers and since most people travel in couples, and want to eat together, they can't put anyone else in that slot. So, it's perfect for a single.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[acry-artist]

We just returned from the 14 day Southern Caribbean Cruise on the Maasdam. We had the "as you wish dining." We first experienced it on the Veendam and enjoyed the flexibility it provides. It is good to tailor your time to your daily activities and also to socialize with a variety of people.

 

Our recent experience was as follows:

 

(1) Call early and you almost always get the time you desire. Out of 14 nights we only had to wait one time. That particular time we had called late and had an 8pm seating reservation. It appears that a lot of people show up without reservations at that time and it is hard to take care of so many people at once. Most of the time we had 6:45, 7:15 or 7:45 seatings. Also, one time I called and no one answered and within a few minutes we had a call-back.

 

(2) During the first few nights we experienced very slow and disorganized service. It seemed to us that the crew was shorthanded and we decided the economy was affecting the HAL service quality. After a few days we were talking about the possibility of trying a new cruise line. My husband finally became exasperated with the different problems and spoke (in a very polite manner) to the Mai'tre-d explaining we were concerned with the level of service. The Mai'tre-d insisted on calling the manager. The manager came and talked with my husband at length. He explained that the staff hadn't been stretched thin. He kept asking us "what would you like us to do?" We emphasized that we didn't want anything...we were just concerned for HAL's guests and future bookings. He told us he appreciated our feedback and promised we would see a difference. After that it was like night and day. Regardless of where we sat we had flawless, solicitous service. We hope everyone saw a difference. One night at a table of six after we had extraordinary service one of the couples asked "can we sit with you again?"

 

Summary: We would request any-time dining again and we will definitely sail with HAL again because of their overall responsiveness to anything that concerns you.

[deezeee2]

We booked several months ago on the Rotterdam for a Baltics sailing this July. I was quite disappointed that we were only waitlisted for traditional dining; we strongly prefer traditional. I spoke with my travel agent, who called HAL for us and, ta da! we are now confirmed for traditional dining. I'm glad is was easy for us....as it sounds like others have been unsuccessful.

[Terpnut]

We are doing a 20-day B2B in the Med next month. For a couple of our port days, we will have a very long day and will miss our assigned early seating. Can we still "walk-up" for open seating? IOW, do they only seat passengers who are specifically assigned to open seating, or is it just a free-for-all for open tables?

[Roz]

Terp,

 

My understanding is that you can't switch back and forth from fixed seating to walk up seating. If you miss your early time, you could go to the Lido or order room service, or make a reservation beforehand at the Pinnacle.

 

Roz

[RVRCLC]

How do you like having dinner in the Lido?

Is it quieter than the dining room?

Is the food good?

Do you do it often?

Has anyone taken a cruise without ever going to the main dining room?

We have only one HAL cruise, years ago.

On X we like the "Lido" better than the main dining room.

It's quieter, nicer, more relaxed, great service.

We are planning a HAL cruise and are thinking about not going to the main dining room at all.

[tuckmics]

We sailed on the Zuiderdam in August for a 7 day cruise to AK. We ate most of our meals either on the Lido or in our room. We did have one lunch and one dinner in the main dining room during the trip. Our main reason was that we didn't want to take a bunch of business or semi-formal wear with us, since most of the time we would be wearing jeans or shorts due to the more relaxed atmosphere of the AK cruises.

I think it really depends on what you are looking for. We had a very excursion-intensive trip (on shore days) and attended a lot of activities on board, so we really wanted not to be bound by dining times (even the open seating isn't as flexible as it would sound) or feel the need to rush back on board and change clothes just to have dinner, so the Lido was perfect for us, as was room service, which we used several times for breakfast and a few dinners, as well as for a small cocktail party we held in our room while in Glacier Bay.

I found the food in the Lido to be quite good, the atmosphere was not as "cafeteria-like" as many make it out to be...more like an upscale buffet restaurant. We enjoyed the variety and ability to eat as much or little as we wanted. We had excellent service in the Lido both from the food service folks as well as the dining room staff. We were usually spotted by the same guy (busboy? - not sure what his title is) and he would get us a table and bring us our drinks (remembering our choices every time) as soon as we walked in. The Lido dining room manager was very visible and walked around speaking with patrons on a regular basis. We just really liked the informal atmosphere and the ability to get in and out quickly, if need be, or sit for an hour and talk over a cup of coffee. In contrast, while the food and service was certainly very good in the dining room, I felt that the staff was a bit rushed and I could have been eating in any "family" priced restaurant in the country.

On my very first cruise, we ate exclusively in the dining room and so we made a conscience choice on this cruise to eat more casually. It is likely that on our next cruise we will again stick to the Lido and room service, with the occasional venture to the Pinnacle (which we enjoyed very much...definitely worth the $20 seating charge). Hope this is helpful information and you enjoy your cruise :)

[RVRCLC]

Are coat and tie needed for dining in the Pinnacle?

[tuckmics]

Are coat and tie needed for dining in the Pinnacle?

The Pinnacle follows the same dress code as the rest of the ship, so, for example, on formal nights, you follow the formal dress code. However, on non-formal nights you still can't wear jeans, shorts, tank tops, etc in the Pinnacle (and I believe not in the main dining room either).

[Boytjie]

The Pinnacle follows the same dress code as the rest of the ship, so, for example, on formal nights, you follow the formal dress code. However, on non-formal nights you still can't wear jeans, shorts, tank tops, etc in the Pinnacle (and I believe not in the main dining room either).

 

Jeans can be worn on non-formal nights. It seems that in general people dress up a bit more for the Pinnacle than for the MDR.

[RVRCLC]

No problem with the jeans.

Dockers are as casual as DH ever gets, even by a campfire!

[annde]

Terp,

 

 
My understanding is that you can't switch back and forth from fixed seating to walk up seating. If you miss your early time, you could go to the Lido or order room service, or make a reservation beforehand at the Pinnacle.

 

I (a solo woman traveler) did not have that experience on Zuiderdam (Panama Transit Oct). I switched from traditional late to open. Went anytime etween 7 and 8, waited a little with a discount drink, 10 to 4 at a table whereever there was a seat. Met interesting people and had great variety of companions. Remember: like a bycycle: you can always get off!

Annde

[pms4104]

Terp,

 

 
My understanding is that you can't switch back and forth from fixed seating to walk up seating. If you miss your early time, you could go to the Lido or order room service, or make a reservation beforehand at the Pinnacle.

 

I (a solo woman traveler) did not have that experience on Zuiderdam (Panama Transit Oct). I switched from traditional late to open. Went anytime etween 7 and 8, waited a little with a discount drink, 10 to 4 at a table whereever there was a seat. Met interesting people and had great variety of companions. Remember: like a bycycle: you can always get off!

Annde

I believe HAL will permit a one-time switch either from open to fixed or vice versa ... they will not allow passengers to alternate between dining options, open for a night or two then fixed for a night and back to open for a couple of nights.

[OBX-Cruisers]

I believe HAL will permit a one-time switch either from open to fixed or vice versa ... they will not allow passengers to alternate between dining options, open for a night or two then fixed for a night and back to open for a couple of nights.

 

You are correct that HAL will allow a one time and permanent switch between the two dining styles.

 

I accidentally happened upon this thread and can contribute that I HAVE experienced both dining styles: AWYL dining has the advantage of a semi-flexible schedule (you still must have reservations); however, you CAN show up and take your chances for an open seat if you do not make reservations........thus, explaining the "waiting in line folks".

 

AWYL it dining has advantages of new dining partners every night and meeting many different people.......unless you want to team up with some chosen partners and reserve or show up together. But, it has the disadvantage, in my humble opinion, of not having the same waiters that in the case of HAL usually remember your preferences after day one for the rest of the cruise..........Love those guys!!!

 

Fixed dining has the advantage of getting to know your dining partners much better than the transient meetings at AWYL dining. It has the advantage of the same waiters. However, both of these could be disadvantages if you are assigned less than optimum partners and/or waiters. We have NEVER had either of those possibilities happen in our 8 cruises to date..........then we might make use of the one time switch however!!

[kat1007]

We just got off the Zuiderdam yesterday, we booked late and were given open seating AYWD. First night we went to the secnd floor dining roomand were shown to a great table with three other interesting people, we all choose to meet again the next evening and we were taken up to the 3rd floor. Another night and the last night we all sat together by choice but in between we had different tours and schedules and we sat with other equally interesting people and when we met them around the ship we knew people ! Breakfast was new people every day sometimes in the main DR sometimes in the Lido. All the food was wonderful, we did get to know some of the staff and they got to know us too, , maybe not as well as if you saw them every day but well enough to feel they were interested in our likes and dislikes. Not that we had any dislikes the food was fantastic, my only issue was what to have from my vast shortlist every mealtime.

 

We only reserved for the last night every other night we walked up to the dining room at 8pm and were seated by 5 past at the latest,we never had a bad table, uninteresting companions or a bad waiter.

 

We have cruised before on fixed seating (not with HAL)and one of the couples we were lumbered with were especially miserable and AYW prevents a week of dreading dinner time for some people, we didn't actually let them worry us as we had plenty to discuss with our own family group and the other couple who did bother to communicate.

 

 

I like it and I would not choose fixed seating on a future cruise.;)

[voyeurism26]

Personally I don't like this new dinning situation. Here are my reasons:

 

I don't like eating with others...nothing personal but I don't want to eat with a group of folks. I prefer a table for 2 and eat at 8pm. In the past two cruises (eurodam & noordam) I requested reserved seating for 2 at 8pm. I was waitlisted on both cruises and was told I had no choice but to eat in the lower dinning room and the "as you wish dinning" was offered.

 

Okay...its "AS YOU WISH"...but never are my "wishes" come true. I have to fight with the matire'd for a table for two. Each time I'm told there are NO table for two...I arrive in the dinning room at 6, 7 or 8pm and there is never a table...but when I walk around the dinning room...tables are empty and I'm told that we have no choice but to eat with other guest at table for 6, 8 or 10 seats. So we end up at the PG or the Lido or the new Canaletto Bistro or on the Eurodam, the Tamarind. On the Eurodam, we never made it to the dinning room due to the fact there were no tables, but yet tables were empty. I was told that seating for 2 is very popular and its difficult to get a table for two when you. If they realize that table for 2 is very popular...then this should tell HAL to remove the big tables and replace them with smaller tables if they insist they want there guest to have this AYWD experience.

 

Just recently on the Noordam (November 1st sailing) we requested once again a table for 2 at the 8pm seating...of course we didn't get the request. However, we did end up at a reserved table for 10 at 5:45pm table number 89. First...I'm not going to eat at 5:45pm on my vacation and rush from the pool or the port of cut into my nap time to rush to dinner to sit at a table with 8 different people I don't know and I don't care to know (nothing personal). As usual when we get on the ship, we took a visit to the matre'd and again was told there is nothing available. So the first night on November 1st we again ate up in the Lido (Canaletto bistro). However, luck would have it and the next day we get a note from the matre'd that we have a table 79 for two reserved for 8pm. It seems the folks that had that table change to anytime dinner and went down to the lower dinning room. Table 79 is located at the upper level dinning room over looking the lower level dinning room. I noticed again, there we many empty tables of various sizes. So if this as you wish dinning is so popular, why was the lower dinning room most empty? Why if you do choose this sort of dinning, they just don't let people who want to sit alone an enjoy a dinner just go into the dinning room and at least sit at a four top, I just don't get the whole thing.

 

This is why this type of dinning will not work for me. Some may like it others may not...but call me old fashion. I like the same table at the same time with the same waiter. I like to build that relationship with the waiter...I like the fact he knows what I like to drink and how much rolls and butter I'm going to eat and that I want coffee at the end of each meal. I prefer to give that particular waiter an extra tip because that individual took care of me for 7 or 10 days in a row. I think that HAL should go back to normal dinning....its bad enough they took the trays away in the Lido..its bad enough they don't give out a nice ticket holder and nice luggage tags anymore, I can accept these minor changes...but at least keep our dinner options as it was and stop trying to keep with NCL, or RCCL...the reason why HAL has such a great return is because of the fact they keep cruising a tradition and its part of there great service of excellance which separates them from the others. Okay Carnival owns HAL...but try not to cheapen the HAL product....by introducing things that folks on Carnival are doing...if I want to be on a party boat with a bunch of beer drinking hillbillies and kids screaming...I would go on Carnival...but I expect more from HAL. I hope many others complain and hopefully HAL will get rid of this anytime seating and go back to normal dinning!

 

-V26

[mancunian]

No Voyeurism. HAL will not go back to traditional seating and nor should they as half of HAL's passengers prefer it and that is why they are given a choice. It is certainly sad that you did not get a table for two on traditional dining, but I think it is also true to say that if everyone was on traditional as you would like, you would probably still not have got a two as they are hard to get and suites have priority.

 

However, having said that I think it was very unfortunate you were unable to secure a two on open seating as on Prinsendam and Rotterdam twos were actually very easy to procure -in fact tables for four were often the most difficult. Particularly on Rotterdam they seemed to have a large number of tables for two in the lower dining room and indeed on later times which are often less popular they often changed a four to a two to accommodate wishes. On open it is also possible to have the same waiter provided you book. If you like your first night waiter just book early each morning and request that table.

[katybird]

We always got a table for 2 on the Volendam on a 14 day cruise. I did call too late a few times and was told no tables were available so we did not have a reservation. However, when we arrived there were several tables available and we were seated without a problem. I wonder WHY there were empty tables for 2 available and we were told there were none. They seemed to remain empty. Do they just hold some for those without reservations? Anyone have a clue?

[mancunian]

Katybird

 

No I do not know the answer. Maybe the do hold some for the drop-in people, or maybe they hold some if they have suite people on open. Did you go at the same time as you would have booked? Could you book two nights at a time. On Prinsendam and our last cruise last month on Rotterdam you could and that helps if you have a specific request.

 

Glad to hear youl had no problems though on Volendam as this is our next cruise. To be honest we hate tables for two. I eat alone with my DH most of the year and we want to meet new people when on holiday. However on this last cruise on Rotterdam I had a bad cough which I thought would be unnpleasant for others and we went for 2's for most of the second week and walked in anytime.

[voyeurism26]

Hi Mancunian! Lucky for you and others that your able to get a table. My experience with this open seating has been a disaster and I haven't been lucky like you have. The more people I speak to (outside of this board) agree with me 100% and share the same issue's I have and they too prefer HAL go back to traditional dinning. In many cases, the people I speak with don't mind sitting with others...but then the next night they don't get the same waiter or table or the same group can't eat together at the same time.

 

And although you state that people in the better suits get preferred table...I usually have a SS suit on the ships and that is not true, if that was the case, then I wouldn't have a problem. My point to this whole open seating situation is not good for all of us. Perhaps out of 2000 guests on a ship, they can satisfying 1000 guests but perhaps the other 1000 is having a difficult time. Perhaps you haven't experienced any bad situations and your in the group of the 1000 passengers that hasn't experience any problems but my overall experience and speaking with others have expressed the same as I did. If you take a many cruises like I do, you day will be numbered. Now you praising the great efforts of this "As You Wish Dinning" option, but I will guarantee that on one of your HAL cruises, you will have a difficult time and you will see and understand what I'm saying. Matter of fact, on my recent cruise I was asking our waiter about it and he agreed that it has become a nightmare. The Matre'd that helped us out, even said that his job duties because of this had become more of a nightmare. Between the Matre'd and our waiter, it seems they too prefer that HAL goes back to traditional dinning. But who are they...they, the waiter and the Matre'd, are just employees and have to deal with upper management and HAL's decisions.

 

Regardless if HAL goes back to regular dinning is really not up to me, I don't own HAL. I've been a HAL client since 1995 and have over 120 sailing days and although I do enjoy HAL, I have no issue's trying other cruise ships for my vacation. My loyalty to HAL can only go thus so far and regardless if I go on HAL or not is not going to make a difference to HAL or not. I've just booked on the Eurodam for next year the Thanksgiving cruise for 2010 so perhaps booking early, I can get a table in the dinning room :) and I can be lucky like you!

 

-V26

[katybird]

Katybird

 

No I do not know the answer. Maybe the do hold some for the drop-in people, or maybe they hold some if they have suite people on open. Did you go at the same time as you would have booked? Could you book two nights at a time. On Prinsendam and our last cruise last month on Rotterdam you could and that helps if you have a specific request.

 

Glad to hear youl had no problems though on Volendam as this is our next cruise. To be honest we hate tables for two. I eat alone with my DH most of the year and we want to meet new people when on holiday. However on this last cruise on Rotterdam I had a bad cough which I thought would be unnpleasant for others and we went for 2's for most of the second week and walked in anytime.[/quote

 

Yes, we did go the same time we wanted to book. We didn't try to book ahead so don't know if that was possible.

Have a great cruise! We really loved the Volendam!!

[Kentchikan]

Hi,

We loved Freestyle on NCL and have had good experiences with Anytime Dining until our Alaska cruise last summer when the waits were an hour and a half or more.

Does that happen on HAL?

Thanks,