My only option on our forthcoming cruise was "as you wish" and I tend to believe you would receive better, or possibly I should say more personal, service with fixed seating.
My only proof of this was on my first cruise when the anytime dining room was busy, we were put at a table for 8 with fixed seating passengers. The waiter hardly said two words to us, but kept bringing his regulars little extras and second portions of lobster without them asking (it had to have been lobster night!) On the other hand he wisked our plates away and didn't even offer us, very rude I thought.
The concept of "as you wish" suits us but I wondered if it's normal/a good idea to keep asking for a particular waiters area, if you find a good one early on?
On our last HAL trip, we chose "open seating" and during the first few days found great variation in the quality of service around the "open seating" dining room. So, we began making reservations not only for time, but also for specific areas where we got to know our waiter, ass't waiter and wine steward very well. In addition, sometimes we reserved tables for more than two when we wanted to have dinner with friends we had met on board (who also had chosen "open seating"). And, sometimes we asked for larger tables when their was just the two of us so we'd meet other cruisers. I've named this strategy "hybrid dining" since it offers many options and some of the advantages of both "open" and "fixed" seating. It let's you get to know a specific serving team, which we enjoyed greatly.
As You Wish Dining - Opinions, Comments and Discussions
in Holland America Line
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On our last HAL trip, we chose "open seating" and during the first few days found great variation in the quality of service around the "open seating" dining room. So, we began making reservations not only for time, but also for specific areas where we got to know our waiter, ass't waiter and wine steward very well. In addition, sometimes we reserved tables for more than two when we wanted to have dinner with friends we had met on board (who also had chosen "open seating"). And, sometimes we asked for larger tables when their was just the two of us so we'd meet other cruisers. I've named this strategy "hybrid dining" since it offers many options and some of the advantages of both "open" and "fixed" seating. It let's you get to know a specific serving team, which we enjoyed greatly.