Dining Question

[Spartancoach]

We are going on the Freedom April 5th for an 8 day cruise. Can anyone give me advice on which is a better option to select? Open dining or sign up for the specified dining times? What are the pros and cons of either? My wife and I are going for our 10th anniversary and will not have children with us.

 

Thank you in advance!

[golfadj]

We like traditional so we can meet new people and get to know our tablemates instead of new people each night

[craftykitty]

We prefer traditional set time dining so we can plan our day around the time. We also like having the same table/staff each evening.

[manda513]

We prefer your time dining. We don't like having to rush in case we have a late port, or show that we want to be at during a certain time. We aren't very 'schedule' people and don't particularly care being told when we have to eat. That being said, I have heard some say that they prefer the set times so they do not have to wait for a table or that they have the same waitstaff each night. We have done your time each cruise and only once had a wait (less than 10 minutes) and were able to request the same waitstaff who were amazing. Hope you have an amazing cruise!!

[vols_159]

I want to eat when I'm hungry not when carnival tells me to.. I prefer my time

[Spartancoach]

If you do open dining can you still eat the same menu?

[Sammycupcaker]

It's the same menu either way. I was "stuck" with your time dining last time. I loved it and have chosen it for our upcoming trip. It was nice to not have to rush to make early seating or wait until the late seating.

The only thing that was a negative at all was that you had to tell the waiters each night what you wanted to drink. Usually in the set dining, after a couple of nights they know. Not a big deal at all though.

[5Hawkeyes]

Two things for us, we have a rather large group (24 total) and we can gaurantee we'll be sitting together or relatively close with assigned dining. And we also like the traditional dining to set up our day. We're kind of fortunate that both port days depart before our dining time. Would I rather spend more time at one of the ports, heck yes, but it still works out we'll all be together for dinner.

[carrieluvsgreg]

We prefer anytime dining. We do still arrive in the dining room at pretty Mapuche the same time each day, but we aren't locked in. That way we can be flexible and still not miss the dining room. We've even been able to request the same dining team if we really liked them, so you still make the connections with them. For us, it's the best of both worlds!

[Island Hopping]

If it's just the wife and I, we do any time. If we are with others we do set time.

[golfadj]

If you do open dining can you still eat the same menu?

 

Yes but it must be well done. Sorry couldnt resist.

 

Menu will not change.

[wantocruisemore]

To the OP, since you are celebrating your anniversary you will likely want a table to yourselves. Anytime may be your best choice. But I know sometimes that is already taken, I know it was on our last cruise by the time we booked. We chose early seating and then emailed the maitre'd that he please put us at a table just for 2. He did and it worked great.

[cruzinlisa]

I like traditional because you have the same waitstaff and you get have dining companions that are the same all cruise. If that is what you are looking for.

 

But I also like anytime because of the flexibility of being able to eat when you want to do so. I like to eat later and DH likes to eat early. So I would pick late seating and he would pick early. If we do ATD, we can go around 7:00 and meet in the middle. I did traditional on my first two cruises (2004 and 2009) and I feel like we had better service. I was not besties with the wait staff or anything, but they seemed more attentive. The last two (2012 and 2013) were with ATD and the service ranged from decent to subpar. I am not sure if its an issue with ATD, ATD on the Conquest or changes in carnival in general since 2009. We did opt to sit with others last cruise for elegant night in ATD and it was nice. The other nights we either had a table for 2 or 3, depending on whether DD came to eat with us.

 

All in all, I think if the service is the same, ATD would win for me.

[Phlybice]

We are going on the Freedom April 5th for an 8 day cruise. Can anyone give me advice on which is a better option to select? Open dining or sign up for the specified dining times? What are the pros and cons of either? My wife and I are going for our 10th anniversary and will not have children with us.

 

Thank you in advance!

 

We also like traditional. Then we are in synch with all the activities. No waiting, and know where to go.

[midwifejen]

We prefer traditional, because we love having the same wait staff each dinner. They learn our preferences quickly and are great with the kids. Their names are spoken in hushed and reverent tones for months afterward :D

Last cruise, we tried late seating and it was perfect for us - no rushing to get back to the ship, and we could partake of, say, afternoon teas, and still be able to muster enough appetite by the time dinner rolled around. :p

[riffatsea]

Not sure why people think they cannot get the same wait staff each night with Anytime Dining? You certainly can!!

In fact you have more options because IF you like your wait staff then you can ask to be seated in their section every night during Anytime Dining. IF you do not like your staff you can ask to be changed. With set dining you have your staff set and cannot easily make changes if you have any problems with them.

We will only sail with Anytime Dining!! We like to have our own table for 2. We also like to choose our dining companions so that if we meet people whose company we enjoy we can arrange to eat dinner with them. We don't want to be seated at a table picked randomly by ship staff!!

[Sammycupcaker]

Not sure why people think they cannot get the same wait staff each night with Anytime Dining? You certainly can!!

In fact you have more options because IF you like your wait staff then you can ask to be seated in their section every night during Anytime Dining. IF you do not like your staff you can ask to be changed. With set dining you have your staff set and cannot easily make changes if you have any problems with them.

We will only sail with Anytime Dining!! We like to have our own table for 2. We also like to choose our dining companions so that if we meet people whose company we enjoy we can arrange to eat dinner with them. We don't want to be seated at a table picked randomly by ship staff!!

 

I didn't know you could request the same section. We just went where they seated us. We sat all over the dining room, which was nice.

[carrieluvsgreg]

You sure can- we just got off the paradise in December with 14 friends. We loved our servers on night one, so we asked to be in their section every night. They accommodated us every night.

[riclop]

We are going on the Freedom April 5th for an 8 day cruise. Can anyone give me advice on which is a better option to select? Open dining or sign up for the specified dining times? What are the pros and cons of either? My wife and I are going for our 10th anniversary and will not have children with us.

 

Thank you in advance!

Its all up to you no one can decide for you.

[hftmrock]

Not sure why people think they cannot get the same wait staff each night with Anytime Dining? You certainly can!!

In fact you have more options because IF you like your wait staff then you can ask to be seated in their section every night during Anytime Dining. IF you do not like your staff you can ask to be changed. With set dining you have your staff set and cannot easily make changes if you have any problems with them.

We will only sail with Anytime Dining!! We like to have our own table for 2. We also like to choose our dining companions so that if we meet people whose company we enjoy we can arrange to eat dinner with them. We don't want to be seated at a table picked randomly by ship staff!!

 

 

I was thinking the same thing....

 

and for the people saying they love having the same people sitting with you all cruise, that is a double edge sword too... what happens if you DONT like the people or they are rude or loud or something... for the most part you are stuck (I know you can try to change your seat but I dont think its gauranteed).

 

you can get the same waitstaff with anytime dining... if you really like the people you are sitting with (and they like you) you can meet up each night and sit together too.

[felidaet]

We have used both. We liked Anytime much better. The first night we really liked our waiter. We asked to sit in his section every night. One night his section was full and so we sat elsewhere. Did not like that waiter. Went back to our favorite waiter the next night. Still remember his name even though it was 14 months ago - Noel. He was on the Splendor out of Long Beach. Hope we find a waiter like him on the Sunshine in a couple of weeks. We will be watching closely to see if he is on the sunshine but I am sure our chances are very slim.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

We are going on the Freedom April 5th for an 8 day cruise. Can anyone give me advice on which is a better option to select? Open dining or sign up for the specified dining times? What are the pros and cons of either? My wife and I are going for our 10th anniversary and will not have children with us.

 

Thank you in advance!

 

I have always done assigned time dining and that is what I like and am comfortable with. I am an evening person and I like to spend the afternoon doing whatever so I do the late seating which is usually at 8:15 pm. They also have an early seating which is usually around 6 PM. The pros of assigned dining time are that you get the same table and waiter every night and you get to see the same tablemates every night. The downside is that if you don't like where you are seated, your wait staff, your tablemates or any combo of that, you are kind of stuck unless you luck out and they can move you somewhere else in the dining room. Also, you are locked into that specific time so if there is a time conflict with some other activity, you have to then decide which one you want to miss. With anytime dining you don't necessarily have that problem.

 

With atd, your choice of timing is more flexible. However, the downside is that you will rarely sit in the same place, or with the same tablemates, or see the same waiters every night. For some people that makes the experience not as special and more impersonal as with assigned dining.

 

Personally, I would say assigned dining but if you are with a group and you don't want to be locked into a set schedule for dinner, give atd a try. You said it will just be you and your wife so I would lean towards assigned. The wait staff and tablemates or the diners around you if you are seated at a table for two can make it more special also if you happen to get a good rapport with them during the cruise. It is all up to you though and everybody sees things differently. Whichever you choose, have fun and enjoy and congrats on 10 years of marriage.

[sharecruises]

Two things for us, we have a rather large group (24 total) and we can gaurantee we'll be sitting together or relatively close with assigned dining. And we also like the traditional dining to set up our day. We're kind of fortunate that both port days depart before our dining time. Would I rather spend more time at one of the ports, heck yes, but it still works out we'll all be together for dinner.

 

Good choice - fixed seating is the BEST way for most groups - the large tables are upstairs in the fixed seating dining room - you will probably get 4 8 tops or a 10 top *(round) and some 8 tops/6 tops

 

For the OP - lots of people like the anytime - they do say the "two tops" are very very close together - the two tops in fixed dining are more private - I pass by them on the way "back" to our dining area

so that might be a factor

 

really with 2 people...or a small family group - it is your preference,early/late or anytime

 

groups? MY experience (pretty extensive LOL) - fixed is the way to go

[sanmarcosman]

 

groups? MY experience (pretty extensive LOL) - fixed is the way to go

 

There are 46 of us confirmed for YTD and we're just going to show up at the same time and let the staff seat us as best they can.

[kanadakid]

The only thing that was a negative at all was that you had to tell the waiters each night what you wanted to drink. Usually in the set dining, after a couple of nights they know. Not a big deal at all though.

 

As a new cruiser I am wondering if non alcoholic bevvies are provided with meals (milk, juice, soda, etc) or if you have to pay. I read elsewhere that iced tea, lemonade, hot tea, coffee, and hot choc are available anytime in the buffet. Is one limited to these items at dinner times as well?

Thanks,