a new Open Seating option for dinner

[Kellie Poodle]

I am wondering if you have ever done Freestyle. This is what we experienced on NCL: Each night we had to wait in line until the snippy lady maitre'd decided to give us a table. The smallest wait was 15 minutes. We weren't picky. We would have taken a table for 2 or sat at a larger one. Still we waited and waited.

 

Once at our table the harried wait-staff barely had time to take our orders. With people coming and going at all different times, the dining room was chaotic. During the 7 night cruise, there was not a single night when some one didn't drop a tray making the place ring with clattering china. Not my idea of a relaxing dinner!

 

After waiting close to 45 minutes for an after-dinner espresso, not one night, but for 3 consecutive nights, I approached the assistant maitre'd and asked why it was on the menu if they could not produce it. I got a cup grudgiongly delivered by him but didn't order it again.

 

One of the pleasures of cruising, at least to us, is the wait-staff who pamper us and know what we like. I enjoy sitting down at table and have my iced tea brought to me without even asking for it. On our last cruise on the Brilliance, our wait-staff would bring us things we had asked for only one time. We had to tell them that we didn't want it every night.

 

As far as I'm concerned, Freestyle cruising belongs at the bottom of Davy Jone's Locker. I will never, ever take a cruise on a Freestyle ship again.:mad:

 

If I want to wait in a line for someone to decide there is a table available for me, I'll go to Denny's.

 

What is the big deal of getting to know the wait staff? I guess for some people it is important that the server call them by name.

By the end of the week it gets very boring, predictable, and it's like here we go again. The same routine gets old, and sometime so do the same people.

Change is good, and who knows try it you might like it.

[Kellie Poodle]

I have to assume that the wait-staff pools their tips. NCL also charges the gratuities to your credit card like your drinks. I did not feel any crew member deserved a gratuity (even the cabin attendant was terrible) so I went to the purser and asked to have the gratuities refunded. I left the one for the message on there. A gratuity is something given for good service. Why should a guest be required to leave gratuities for bad service?

 

Just another reason why I prefer Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. I can give the proper gratuities that I find appropriate. Most of the time they are larger than the ones other lines charge in advance. JMHO

 

 

I have a question on this...how would you tip your waiters,etc. If you don't get the same table every night...how could this work.

 

It's not like Princess where you prepay your gratuities.

 

Just wondering.

[KAWS]

I agree. Next thing you know they will be handing you a beeper 'til your table is ready. I can do that in any place in town. When I cruise I want to know I have a table where I want when I want.

 

They actually do that on Princess with the Anytime Dining. We sailed with them in July. While we did not care for the AD, we did book another Princess cruise BUT specified 2nd seating traditional dining. Lucky for us we booked two years out so it's confirmed. I will never do anytime dining again. It's just not the same - nope, not at all.

[Kellie Poodle]

I tried it. I hated it. I sent NCL a 4 page letter letting them know about Freestyle and the constant barrage of advertising on the PA system as well as being forced to take my chocolate buffet selections back to my cabin and not being permitted to eat in the dining room. BTW, the paper plate resided in my cabin for two days. I had to throw it out myself. The cabin attendant wouldn't.

 

I received back a letter saying they would take some of my suggestions into consideration and offering to put a gift basket in our stateroom the next time we cruised with them. What part of "I hated this Freestyle cruise" didn't they understand?:confused:

 

 

I don't understand why everyone is so against this before they try it. Try it, if you hate it, let them know.

[SherriZ366]

I am wondering if you have ever done Freestyle. This is what we experienced on NCL: Each night we had to wait in line until the snippy lady maitre'd decided to give us a table. The smallest wait was 15 minutes. We weren't picky. We would have taken a table for 2 or sat at a larger one. Still we waited and waited.

 

Once at our table the harried wait-staff barely had time to take our orders. With people coming and going at all different times, the dining room was chaotic. During the 7 night cruise, there was not a single night when some one didn't drop a tray making the place ring with clattering china. Not my idea of a relaxing dinner!

 

After waiting close to 45 minutes for an after-dinner espresso, not one night, but for 3 consecutive nights, I approached the assistant maitre'd and asked why it was on the menu if they could not produce it. I got a cup grudgiongly delivered by him but didn't order it again.

 

One of the pleasures of cruising, at least to us, is the wait-staff who pamper us and know what we like. I enjoy sitting down at table and have my iced tea brought to me without even asking for it. On our last cruise on the Brilliance, our wait-staff would bring us things we had asked for only one time. We had to tell them that we didn't want it every night.

 

As far as I'm concerned, Freestyle cruising belongs at the bottom of Davy Jone's Locker. I will never, ever take a cruise on a Freestyle ship again.:mad:

 

If I want to wait in a line for someone to decide there is a table available for me, I'll go to Denny's.

Good post. Please convey your thoughts to RCI. web_cruise_comments@rccl.com

[My2Kitties]

Brian, I agree! One of the best things about cruising is dinner...