Question about open seating

[Fog123]

We are in open seating for our cruise. I've read some posts here that talk about making reservations each day.

 

I was under the impression that we could just show up any time we wanted.

 

Do we need to make reservations?

 

Thanks,

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[nana51]

You can certainly just show up and will probably have little if no wait. However if you want to make a reservation for the following evening you can do so.

[utahtea]

We are in open seating for our cruise. I've read some posts here that talk about making reservations each day.

 

I was under the impression that we could just show up any time we wanted.

 

Do we need to make reservations?

 

Thanks,

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

We eat early and never had to wait for a table. We never ate late so that might be different. If you want a window seat then you will want to make reservations.

 

Utahtea

[Krazy Kruizers]

Open Seating is from 5:15 - 9 PM.

You do not have to make reservations if you do not want to. You can just show up whenever you are ready for dinner.

If you do decide to make reservations, you can make them for 3 days at a time. But you can only make reservations between the times of 5:15 - 6:15 and from 7:30 - 9. The time between 6:15 and 7:30 is all for walk-ups.

[Fog123]

Thanks for the help. That is exactly what I wanted to hear.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Typhoon1]

Peak times, 7:45 and beyond may experience a short delay.

 

Immediate seating earlier.

[catl331]

If you want a specific size table or location it's best to make a reservation.

[boards]

You do not have to make reservations if you do not want to. You can just show up whenever you are ready for dinner

but

If you do decide to make reservations, you can make them for 3 days at a time. But you can only make reservations between the times of 5:15 - 6:15 and from 7:30 - 9. The time between 6:15 and 7:30 is all for walk-ups (the quote is from KRAZY KRUIZER)

 

After our experience of going to early and being told we would have to wait - we then made the reservations like suggested above and it worked out really well.

Edited May 28, 2014 by boards

[seavoyager6]

Thanks for this thread. Waiting??? Making reservations? Different table and servers every meal????

 

Thank heavens for fixed dining late seating

[Loreto]

As soon as we board the ship we go right to the reservation maître d' in the Lido. We request a table for 2 at a certain time in open seating. When we leave the dining room after dinner, we ask the steward at the podium where you check in if we can have the same table for the following night. After 3 nights they let us keep that table for the length of the cruise.

 

We had a great table and stewards on our Zaandam 21 day Holiday cruise!

 

Karen

[utahtea]

As soon as we board the ship we go right to the reservation maître d' in the Lido. We request a table for 2 at a certain time in open seating. When we leave the dining room after dinner, we ask the steward at the podium where you check in if we can have the same table for the following night. After 3 nights they let us keep that table for the length of the cruise.

 

We had a great table and stewards on our Zaandam 21 day Holiday cruise!

 

Karen

 

Good to know. I'm going to try this on our upcoming 14 day cruise. How do you find the reservation maître d' in the Lido?

 

Utahtea

[POA1]

Good to know. I'm going to try this on our upcoming 14 day cruise. How do you find the reservation maître d' in the Lido?

 

Utahtea

 

There's a podium, typically near the Canaletto part of the Lido. Our ship had a sign to indicate that it was the reservation spot.

[jtl513]

Thanks for this thread. Waiting??? Making reservations? Different table and servers every meal????

 

Thank heavens for fixed dining late seating

Stuck with some table mates you don't like for the whole cruise? Forced to go dinner at the same time regardless if you ate a light/early or large/late lunch? Not able to make a last minute change of plans without being discourteous to your table mates? Thank heavens for Open seating! ;)

.

Edited May 29, 2014 by jtl513

[seavoyager6]

Stuck with some table mates you don't like for the whole cruise? Forced to go dinner at the same time regardless if you ate a light/early or large/late lunch? Not able to make a last minute change of plans without being discourteous to your table mates? Thank heavens for Open seating! ;)

.

 

I bet you love the cafeteria too...

[Cruisepucks]

Is the podium on the Lido also where you go to make reservation upon boarding for the Pinnacle or do you go directly to the Pinnacle for that?

We cannot book on line as it is an added perk from the TA.

Thanks

[psbtrvlr]

Stuck with some table mates you don't like for the whole cruise? Forced to go dinner at the same time regardless if you ate a light/early or large/late lunch? Not able to make a last minute change of plans without being discourteous to your table mates? Thank heavens for Open seating! ;)

.

 

This is why I love open seating! And, I do not like the buffet.

[RetiredMustang]

We liked fixed-time dining, early, but tried open seating on one cruise. We were able to make reservations for several days in advance, and were able eventually to have the same table each night ... which was like fixed dining.:D

 

We have discussed this, and decided that we will ask for fixed dining early, table for 2, because after 20 or so cruises, we just want to dine alone. If we get a larger table, for 4 or more, we will go a couple of times and decide if we want to continue, or go to open seating. If we go to open, and in that case a two-top is not available on a particular night, we will dine in the Lido.

 

Bottom line -- if HAL is going to do open seating, like a restaurant, they need to have many more two-tops, like a restaurant would have. I understand that tables at sea need to be immobile, but I hope the new Pinnacle-class designers have taken this into their planning.

 

Dave

[Loreto]

Is the podium on the Lido also where you go to make reservation upon boarding for the Pinnacle or do you go directly to the Pinnacle for that?

We cannot book on line as it is an added perk from the TA.

Thanks

 

You need to go to the Pinnacle Grill to make a reservation....I think you can also call from your stateroom, but I like to go in person.

 

Karen

[cruz chic]

I bet you love the cafeteria too...

 

How are those related? I hate the lido but like open for the reason stated by other posters.

[Cruising-along]

Stuck with some table mates you don't like for the whole cruise? Forced to go dinner at the same time regardless if you ate a light/early or large/late lunch? Not able to make a last minute change of plans without being discourteous to your table mates? Thank heavens for Open seating! ;)

.

 

Amen! We love open dining!

[BruceMuzz]

I bet you love the cafeteria too...

 

For the past 10 years, all the mass market lines that offered open and fixed seating reported the same average numbers:

66% wanted open seating

34% wanted fixed seating

 

This year, something has changed:

73% want open seating

27% want fixed seating

[nanlaur]

For the past 10 years, all the mass market lines that offered open and fixed seating reported the same average numbers:

66% wanted open seating

34% wanted fixed seating

 

This year, something has changed:

73% want open seating

27% want fixed seating

 

Interesting statistics. We are almost 250 days out and both fixed seating options are waitlisted for our cruise. I wonder if that's because there are fewer tables available or if there is a more traditional crowd on this cruise.

[jtl513]

I bet you love the cafeteria too...

Not for dinner, but we have eaten dinner there occasionally when we just didn't feel like changing and spending two hours eating.

 

And if you want the same table at the same time every night, all you have to do is tell your waiter or area captain and it will be arranged. However, that takes the flexibility out, and defeats what we like about Open. :cool:

Edited May 30, 2014 by jtl513

[NMLady]

We are in open seating for our cruise. I've read some posts here that talk about making reservations each day.

 

I was under the impression that we could just show up any time we wanted.

 

Do we need to make reservations?

 

Thanks,

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

We chose open seating for our 14 day Alaska cruise and just showed up when we were ready to eat. No problem and never more than a 5-7 minute wait.

 

To me, making reservations defeats the whole reason why we chose anytime seating -- to be flexible in our dining time and place.

[fla742]

For the past 10 years, all the mass market lines that offered open and fixed seating reported the same average numbers:

66% wanted open seating

34% wanted fixed seating

 

This year, something has changed:

73% want open seating

27% want fixed seating

 

Aside from eating when and where you want, the advantage of open seating is the wonderful (sometimes not so) people you meet if you sit at a large (6-8) share table. It has been a long time since we've sailed on a mass market line (of which I consider HAL to be a member) and been offered a fixed seating option. Also, I can't imagine making a reservation. IMO this defeats the whole purpose of open seating.