As You Wish Dining - What and How

[RuthC]

This is/was my grand plan.

 

-We eat in the Lido for all three meals and show up whenever we like during the time periods they're serving food with no problem.

-We sit wherever we want in the Lido for all meals, including dinner. (My idea about this has changed as I've read more. Do you get a table assignment for dinner in the Lido or does it function just as lunch and bfast?)

-Dinner dress will be business dressy (not casual) for formal nights and that's perfectly acceptable in the Lido. (Help? Is this true?)

-In the event we want to experience the main dining room, we can make reservations. This also hold true for the Pinnacle Grill and I do understand that we may combine with another group at the same table in the main dining room, have to wait depending on the time, walk in basis during peak times, etc..

Yes, that's all basicly correct. If you go to the Lido for dinner you find your own table. You go through the buffet line, pick salads, appetizers, and place your order. Your dinner is brought to you.

 

If you decide to go to dinner in the dining room (and you might want to try it at least once), you can make reservations for early or late, or you can show up anytime it's open and ask to be seated.

[hammybee]

 

-Dinner dress will be business dressy (not casual) for formal nights and that's perfectly acceptable in the Lido. (Help? Is this true?)

 

Not to turn this into a dress code thread......I think you are apt to find most people dining in the Lido, especially on Formal Night, to be causal. It's my best guess you will see everything ranging from business causal to shorts and perhaps a sprinkling of some more formal attire. If you dine early, you are apt to run into those with young children.

 

Those who dine in The Lido on Formal night usually do so, because they prefer to not dress for a formal dinner.

 

There is no way to tell in advance what the 2000 +/- other passengers on your cruise will wear for dinner and what percentage of them will change into more casual clothing after dinner.

 

Do you best to not offend others and take no offence at other people's attire and you will have a great time.

[Miss Priss]

Just a note regarding dining. This summer we went on a 7 day cruise to Alaska with our DS and his wife and had our first experience with open dining. Because of our excursions, hikes, etc., we often got back to the ship rather late, and didn't make reservations. After cocktails, we went down to eat about 7, along with quite a few other people. We found that if we requested a large table with 8 or 10 people, we were seated right away, while others had a 15 - 20 minute wait. Also, they made a note that we were "available" for large tables, and they kept that information from dinner to dinner. For the balance of the trip we sat at large tables, met fabulous people and never had a wait even though we went at a busy time. So if you are open to sitting with other people, this might work for you.

[Roboat]

and I do understand that we may combine with another group at the same table in the main dining room.... etc.....

 

and of course you do not have to accept being combined with another group if you don't want to. But you'll probably get seated faster if you are OK with it.

[Susie51]

Thank you for the info about as you wish dining. Can you make reservations for a certain time?

 

I have been on NCL several times with freestyle dining and on Princess with Personal choice dining. On those cruise lines they let us reserve dining times. On Diamond Princess for example, we had 4 restaurants to choose from and we could reserve the times and the dining room up to 3 nights in advance.

 

This will be my third cruise on a HAL ship. The other times I had assigned seating. Your help is greatly appreciated.

[geshaw30]

Thank you for the info about as you wish dining. Can you make reservations for a certain time?

 

I have been on NCL several times with freestyle dining and on Princess with Personal choice dining. On those cruise lines they let us reserve dining times. On Diamond Princess for example, we had 4 restaurants to choose from and we could reserve the times and the dining room up to 3 nights in advance.

 

This will be my third cruise on a HAL ship. The other times I had assigned seating. Your help is greatly appreciated.

 

Yes you can (and suggested) but flexibility does come into play if you want a certain table. As an example table 132 on the Noordam is along the aft window and is set up for 4 people. I called down every morning and asked about the available time slots for that particular table. I always got it and I doubt it had a lot to do with the fact we were in a deluxe veranda suite. They never asked for our room number until AFTER we were told of the availability. I may have mentioned this somewhere else before (memory is fading at a young age) but if you have anytime dining I suggest you take a walk around the dining room on day 1. Find the numbered table you like. Then simply request that one every morning. In our case #132 was a table for 4 but that allowed us to find dinner companions, or meet a new couple, or dine just the two of us as we did 3 nights. The system works well---you'll never be faced with "locked in" unpleasant dinner guests again (as happended to us on Princess). Enjoy

[Susie51]

Thank you for your suggestions.

[gkny]

I love the anytime dining. We never had to wait and usually had a big table and met new people each time around 8pm. Have a nice day.

[VegasOrCruise]

Would suggest you do reserve early - as they only reserve 50% of the tables in the AYW dining room, and hold the rest for walk ins. So if you call to late, they're all gone. At least this was the case on the Eurodam - 2 weeks ago.

[Macie4]

I will be cruising alone on the Holland American on Jan 10, 09 and was wondering if I should go for Open Seating or Assigned seating.

[RuthC]

I will be cruising alone on the Holland American on Jan 10, 09 and was wondering if I should go for Open Seating or Assigned seating.

That's a highly individual decision. There's a few things to ask yourself to help making it---

How are you at meeting new people all the time? Do you need the security of a familiar group to meet up with? Do you want that security? Would you rather be surprised with new tablemates each night?

Do you want the flexibility to eat at different times, and even in different places every night, without feeling locked in by the structure of fixed dining?

 

Only you know your own needs on this. There are pros and cons for each dining choice, even for a single.

Good luck in your decision.

[wdw1972]

I ended up with the open seating dining when I cruised solo last April and expected to hate it because I would have a group of dinner companions I'd get to know.

 

Imagine my surprise when I absolutely loved everything about the open seating! I will never go back to traditional - not for my next solo cruise, and not for the cruise I booked for the 2 of us coming up in Feb.

 

What it boiled down to were 2 basic questions:

Do you want to eat when you feel like it or at some set time regardless of your hunger or what else you'd prefer to be doing?

Do you want to get to know 6-7 people on the ship or 42-49 people on the ship??

 

In April I never had to stop doing something because it was time for dinner. I didn't have to go eat even though I wasn't hungry yet, and I didn't have to wait a while when I was hungry because it wasn't my "time". Everywhere I went on the ship I kept running into people I'd met at my table on previous nights - it was wonderful. When I cruise solo, I enjoy seeing some friendly "familiar" faces.

 

I know I made the right choice for our Feb cruise - we'll eat whenever we feel like, we'll join others at big tables or might opt for a table for 2 some nights...it's whatever we're in the mood for at that time. I couldn't ask for anything better than that!

 

Sue/WDW1972

Westerdam 2/8/09

[BlackJack2]

We have several shore excursions that return to the ship after our fixed dining (5:45 seating) time. If we miss our assigned seating time, can we then go into open seating? This has probably been answered in this thread, but I could not find it!!

[RuthC]

We have several shore excursions that return to the ship after our fixed dining (5:45 seating) time. If we miss our assigned seating time, can we then go into open seating? This has probably been answered in this thread, but I could not find it!!

If your shore excursion returns too late for you to change and make it to the dining room, the fall-back is the Lido or room service.

Sometimes if sailaway is that late there's a bar-b-que out on Lido Deck that evening.

You could ask the Maitre d' if there are any open tables in main seating, but presumably there will be more people than available seats.

But open seating is for those who have chosen that option, or had it chosen for them by HAL.

[cruzincurt]

On the Westerdam a few weeks ago, when we walked in for ATD around 7:30 and asked for a table for two, they always tried to talk us into a 6 or 8 because those tables were already set with tableware. They really discouraged tables for two. When we finally did convince them to at least seat us alone at a set-up 4, we walked past a lot of empty 2's; they just did not want to reset the tableware on those tables when there were unused larger tables and waiters elsewhere.

 

They were not turning the tables like a traditional restaurant. They are still trying to apply two seatings to the tables in ATD.

 

On other lines, they have people, not the waiters, resetting the tables.

[Koshlong]

That's interesting. Last March, when we tried AYWD, they kept seating us at tables for two, without our asking. We really like to talk to others during our cruise dining (since we have driven to Ft. L from Ontario and have talked to each other at dinner for days) and we finally learned to request seating at a larger table. We made reservations, though. At that time, there wasn't any problem with making a reservation for times like 7:00.

[Spender Nui]

On the Westerdam a few weeks ago, when we walked in for ATD around 7:30 and asked for a table for two, they always tried to talk us into a 6 or 8 because those tables were already set with tableware. They really discouraged tables for two. When we finally did convince them to at least seat us alone at a set-up 4, we walked past a lot of empty 2's; they just did not want to reset the tableware on those tables when there were unused larger tables and waiters elsewhere.

 

They were not turning the tables like a traditional restaurant. They are still trying to apply two seatings to the tables in ATD.

 

On other lines, they have people, not the waiters, resetting the tables.

 

That's not acceptable.

[wdw1972]

On the Westerdam a few weeks ago, when we walked in for ATD around 7:30 and asked for a table for two, they always tried to talk us into a 6 or 8 because those tables were already set with tableware. They really discouraged tables for two. When we finally did convince them to at least seat us alone at a set-up 4, we walked past a lot of empty 2's; they just did not want to reset the tableware on those tables when there were unused larger tables and waiters elsewhere.

 

Those tables were undoubtedly reserved for 7:45 by people who called earlier that day. Suggesting they just didn't want to reset the tableware is a bit ridiculous, lol!

 

Sue/WDW1972

Westerdam 2/8/09

[From Virginia Beach]

We really prefer dining solo (my job is very social, making small talk all day and it's nice to be private and quiet on vacation). What's the reality of getting a table for 2 for the week or at all. What gives you the best chance?

[cruzincurt]

Those tables were undoubtedly reserved for 7:45 by people who called earlier that day. Suggesting they just didn't want to reset the tableware is a bit ridiculous, lol!

 

Sue/WDW1972

Westerdam 2/8/09

 

I disagree totally, it is not ridiculous (lol); it's what happened. Every time, the M'd tried to talk us out of a 2 to be seated at a larger table. When we were finally seated at a 4 at around 8:15, all of those 2's were still empty and without place settings. That was from the time we were seated at 8:15 until we left at 9:15. If they were reserved, they would have had place settings. I'm talking about 6 to 8 tables for 2 that went un-reset. No one ever came to those tables the entire time. It was obvious what was happening; there were simply tables for 8 that were set with idled servers and they wanted to use them instead of the 2's.

 

On other lines, the 2's were re-set immediately and not by the waiters.

[the_dylaness]

It seems that in general, there is more demand for 2-tops in AYWD than there are available. There seems to be a real quick fix to this problem... HAL, are you listening?

[Roz]

A someone who's worked in a restaurant, 2 2-tops take up more space than 1 4-top. Does this make sense? Yes, they could put in more tables for 2, but they would lose overall dining room capacity.

 

Roz

[the_dylaness]

I've worked in restaurants too, and I know that 2 tops take more space. However, if there are consistently a fair amount of people who are unhappy because they have to share a table, perhaps it would be in HAL's better interests to reconsider their arrangements. (Perhaps allowing slightly more room to the DRs in the future, slightly smaller tables, slightly closer together... on such a large scale as a cruise ship dining room a few inches here and there could really add up.)

 

Also, tables for four with two people at them take up quite a bit more room than a (smaller) two top.

 

I realize it's not something a magic wand could be waved to fix, but it's just a consideration for the future. I've had only moderate luck with traditional dining on other lines (RCCL, Princess x2) mostly due to really awkward table mate pairings. My husband deals with the public for 50+ hours each week and I do too albeit lower volume than he, and straining to make conversation with persons who we don't know and have little in common is not our idea of fun. I suspect there are others who agree.

 

More tables for two would be more versatile, as they could always be pushed together to seat 4 or 6.

[RuthC]

More tables for two would be more versatile, as they could always be pushed together to seat 4 or 6.

That's not likely to work, as I believe the tables are bolted to the floor.

I know when the Rotterdam was slammed by a big wave, and the chairs toppled over (with people in them), the tables did not.

[cruz chic]

However, if there are consistently a fair amount of people who are unhappy because they have to share a table, perhaps it would be in HAL's better interests to reconsider their arrangements.

They can't accommodate requests for traditional dining for cruises over a year out. To me that is a bigger problem then not having enough 2 tops.