Dynamic Dining over time...think NCL Freestyle

[denamo]

I was curious as to when Norwegian Cruise Line decided to embark on the "freestyle" concept of dining. So, after a bit of an internet search, found that it came to pass in 2000.

 

Now here we are 14 years down the road. No one even gives the freestyle dining concept a second thought for NCL. It is the expectation. Wonder if the NCL boards (if CC was around then) lit up with post after post about freestyle dining when this concept was first introduced.

 

So...for now, with RCI choosing to introduce this concept on its newer ships, it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

[Joanne G.]

We were NCL cruisers back then, and there was much discussion when freestyle dining was introduced. Naturally, the traditionalists didn't like the idea at all and swore they would never sail NCL again. I wonder if they ever did?? Eventually all the mainstream cruise lines started offering some version of freestyle dining as an option. So the concept is obviously popular with a lot of cruisers. We personally went from enjoying the traditional dining experience (assigned seating even at breakfast and lunch!) to preferring to eat on our own schedule, whatever line we are on. Tastes change!

 

I do remember in the early days of NCL's freestyle, it worked much better on ships that were built for that dining arrangement, meaning numerous smaller dining venues. Converting to freestyle dining on their older ships with only the big dining rooms was more problematic. By now, all their ships have been designed around freestyle dining.

[rtazz17]

Yeah nobody likes change in the beginning but in the end I think most will like the change.If you don't change you fall behind the times.Sure some won't like it but you can't make all of the people happy all of the time.I look forward to it and wish it was in effect for my nov 8th sailing on oasis but sadly it won't be.Next year!

[emdia43]

It is THE single reason I haven't sailed NCl - their ships look beautiful, the itineraries are good, I just don't want the very mediocre DR experience that most people seem to complain of, and be forced to go to pay restaurants every night.... I know several families that have cruised with them, and none will go back. :eek:

[cb at sea]

Duh....no kidding! So far, no one in my family that has sailed NCL has "loved" their freestyle style....oh well.

[Aquahound]

I was an exclusive NCL cruiser back then. However, that changed after my last Norwegian Sea cruise with Freestyle. It was an utter disaster and service was awful. The crew was a mess. I really hope the transition with RCI is much smoother.

[denamo]

We were NCL cruisers back then, and there was much discussion when freestyle dining was introduced. Naturally, the traditionalists didn't like the idea at all and swore they would never sail NCL again. I wonder if they ever did?? Eventually all the mainstream cruise lines started offering some version of freestyle dining as an option. So the concept is obviously popular with a lot of cruisers. We

 

Yes, that has been the same comments seen over and over again here about Royal's shift to Dynamic Dining. Everything old is new again! :D

[davy jones]

Freestyle must have fans. NCL is doing fine and the competitors began to offer things like MTD as an alternative in an attempt to satisfy everyone. The split traditional /MTD concept seems to work reasonably well.

 

If the ship is outfitted for freestyle / dynamic dining, it works reasonably well.

 

Personally, I prefer freestyle / MTD because for us cruises are our couple / family getaway and it allows us to dine with my DW and / or family at the time we prefer. Traditional often does not allow us to get a 2 or 4 top at early seating.

[Whitnee1]

Even with Freestyle you can reserve the same table same time every night on NCL so it really is not that much different than My Time. In fact they just started what RC has had where you can reserve on line ahead of time for both paid and MDR times. Now another whole debate would be the quality of the food in the DR which at times is mediocre which seems to be an attempt to push you to the paid venues. But will this too happen with RC as they refurb ships add new paid venues and go to Dynamic? It is always all about the money.

Edited October 22, 2014 by Whitnee1

[PSCruiser]

 

Now here we are 14 years down the road. No one even gives the freestyle dining concept a second thought for NCL. It is the expectation.

 

I give freestyle a second thought - every time I decide again NOT to cruise an attractive itinerary on NCL because of bad dining experiences on previous NCL freestyle cruises.

 

Going back to the old NCL TV commercials, freestyle is just one facet of the product that NCL touts as being for people that "don't actually like cruising", and that's the problem.

 

Sure doesn't make me look forward to DD on RC.

[ehfl]

Traditional dining is a relic from the steamship/ocean liner days. Change is overdue. People are more interested in food these days, and mass produced banquet food kept under heat lamps just doesn't cut it anymore for many people. People are also more concerned with waste and cost, so RCL really needs to keep up with what's going on in the industry if they want to remain competitive. Less waste will hopefully lead to budgets for higher quality food.

[cibumcupio]

I always assumed the issue with NCL's food was never the freestyle concept but the fact that they had bad food. It's bad in all the free venues and much better in the paid ones. Royal can do the same concept, call in Dynamic Dining, and only time will tell if the free venues will be good or not. I for one am very optimistic that it will be great, because after all RCI is a different company than NCL.

[RocketMan275]

Dynamic Dining is the one big reason we decided to give Royal another try. The best thing about DD is the lack of formal nights. We do everything we can to avoid formal nights and we're not especially happy to be told to use the buffet if we do not wish to participate.

[Redcat]

Recently back from a NCL cruise on Getaway and other than buffet food was very good everywhere MDR great breakfast and Tropicana main dining room for diner was as good or better than Pay Restaraunts. That being said my first Royal is Oasis next September and can not wait. Have done several Carnival cruises and enjoyed them very much but now am just hunting and picking for best experience available and as many different cruise experiences as I can find.

[time4u2go]

Traditional dining is a relic from the steamship/ocean liner days. Change is overdue. People are more interested in food these days, and mass produced banquet food kept under heat lamps just doesn't cut it anymore for many people. People are also more concerned with waste and cost, so RCL really needs to keep up with what's going on in the industry if they want to remain competitive. Less waste will hopefully lead to budgets for higher quality food.

I'm somewhat confused by your post. Do you think that DD will mean the end of "mass produced banquet food kept under heat lamps"? Do you think it will result in less waste and in cost savings? Please explain.

Edited October 22, 2014 by time4u2go

[Aquahound]

I always assumed the issue with NCL's food was never the freestyle concept but the fact that they had bad food. It's bad in all the free venues and much better in the paid ones.

 

You could be right. I found these stats on a 5 year old thread, so I don't know how true it is today. It's the amount spent per person/day on food:

 

Seabourn, Silver Sea - $24 - 26 per day

Oceania, Regent - $18 - 20 per day

Celebrity, Princess - $12 - 15 per day

RCCL, HAL - $12 - 13 per day

Carnival - $8 - 10 per day

NCL - $7.50 - 8.50 per day

 

Here is the post. Supposedly, this guy was or is a cruise line employee:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=22159681&postcount=4

[3dog]

Traditional dining is a relic from the steamship/ocean liner days. Change is overdue. People are more interested in food these days, and mass produced banquet food kept under heat lamps just doesn't cut it anymore for many people.

 

I'm not sure how DD will change how the food is prepared, only what is prepared, and maybe when.

[Kellie Poodle]

We were NCL cruisers back then, and there was much discussion when freestyle dining was introduced. Naturally, the traditionalists didn't like the idea at all and swore they would never sail NCL again. I wonder if they ever did??.

 

I was very happy with NCL when they were traditional. I did one Freestyle cruise and will never set foot on an NCL ship again. It was not so much the change in the dining scheduling (or not scheduling) it was the immediate decline in the quality of the food, the crew and the maintenance of the ship.

 

I sail on RCI and Celebrity, mostly, and I do MTD or Select dining on those ships, so I'm not at all adverse to unscheduled seating, but I was so disappointed in the cheapening of the entire cruise experience on NCL that I won't sail with them again.

[Kellie Poodle]

Even with Freestyle you can reserve the same table same time every night on NCL so it really is not that much different than My Time..

 

 

You can't reserve a table if you are only two people. That's another reason I won't go back to NCL.