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Fixed or open MDR seating on the Island?


Ken the cruiser
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We are currently on the Island and dining in the Club Class area on this cruise. However, on our next two on the Island, we will be dining in the MDR. 
 

We’ve noticed on this cruise at 5 pm, when we like to dine, there is a LONG line waiting to be seated in the Open Dining section when it opens. Because of this and since we like dining at a table for 2, we’re thinking on future cruises we should try to reserve an early fixed seating table for 2 which on the Island is in a separate dining room directly above us. 
 

But we’re curious, what is the reason why there are so many folks in line when the Open Seating MDR opens at 5 pm? Is it because you need to reserve those early fixed seating tables for 2 at least 12+ months in advance or is there some other reason for this?

Edited by Ken the cruiser
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We like to eat early & at a table for 2. 

If you get there at 5:30 you might be waiting for that table or have to share which always take longer being forced to have conversations with everyone. 

Getting there early lets us also get a decent seat in the show lounge. 

We don't reserve seats in the AT DR. 

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12 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

We like to eat early & at a table for 2. 

If you get there at 5:30 you might be waiting for that table or have to share which always take longer being forced to have conversations with everyone. 

Getting there early lets us also get a decent seat in the show lounge. 

We don't reserve seats in the AT DR. 

Just curious, but why not just book an early fixed seating table for 2 and avoid all the stress of standing in line hoping there will be one when you finally get to the front of the line and are seated in the open seating MDR?

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On the Regal last February I walked by the ATD dining room at 4:30 and there was already a line.  Walked by again at 5 and couldn't believe how long the line was.  Personally don't understand the reason as we don't eat dinner till at least 7.

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14 minutes ago, franktown said:

On the Regal last February I walked by the ATD dining room at 4:30 and there was already a line.  Walked by again at 5 and couldn't believe how long the line was.  Personally don't understand the reason as we don't eat dinner till at least 7.

Many people want to eat about 5 pm. So many that the fixed dining fills up leading some to go to ATD at 5pm

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21 minutes ago, franktown said:

On the Regal last February I walked by the ATD dining room at 4:30 and there was already a line.  Walked by again at 5 and couldn't believe how long the line was.  Personally don't understand the reason as we don't eat dinner till at least 7.

In our case there are a couple of reasons for eating early. First, for digestive reasons as we are in our mid 60s, we like to eat early and usually are in bed before midnight. In addition as we like to go to the 7:30 early show in the main theater followed by any game show entertainment in the Explorers Lounge at 8:30, it’s kind of a must we finish eating around 7 pm. But that’s just us. I’m sure other folks have their own reasons. 

Edited by Ken the cruiser
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1 minute ago, Ken the cruiser said:

In our case there are a couple of reasons for eating early. First, for digestive reasons as we are in our mid 60s, we like to eat early and usually are in bed before midnight. In addition as we like to go to the 7:30 early show in the main theater followed by any game show entertainment in the Explorers Lounge 8:30, it’s kind of a must we finish eating around 7 pm. But that’s just us. I’m sure other folks have their own reasons. 

My surprise wasn't that some people prefer or need early seating it was the length of the line before the dinning room was even opened.  At first I thought is was people waiting for the TD room to open.

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32 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Just curious, but why not just book an early fixed seating table for 2 and avoid all the stress of standing in line hoping there will be one when you finally get to the front of the line and are seated in the open seating MDR?

If you book traditional for a table for 2 it's alway a later seating and we prefer AT dining.

Tradition alway takes longer- small or large tables. 

I always show up 10 minutes before the door open (without AT reservations) and never had really long lines. Sometime there may be 20 + people standing there but as soon as the door open they quickly file in. 

Since we like to get to the early show which is sometimes at 7:30 we can get better seats if we dine early & sit alone. If it's taking to long to be served, we eat & leave early, go to the show & return later for dessert & coffee. No lines at 8:30 PM.

Many people just love having conversations while dining- we're long past that stage.

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IMO,

The same reason you see the same crowd lining up at traditional opening times as well.

They already have a table and a time but they still want to be first into the DR.

 

The Island is the only ship we saw between 5:30pm and 8:30pm ATD lines wrapped around the atrium every night of our month long cruise. I felt bad for the HW at the door. There were people screaming at him every night.

I blame this directly on the refit, adding 300 plus people to dining venues not designed to handle that much of an increase.

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3 hours ago, franktown said:

On the Regal last February I walked by the ATD dining room at 4:30 and there was already a line.  Walked by again at 5 and couldn't believe how long the line was.  Personally don't understand the reason as we don't eat dinner till at least 7.

 

Makes you wonder whether there might be people that don't eat when you do.

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1 hour ago, Colo Cruiser said:

IMO,

The same reason you see the same crowd lining up at traditional opening times as well.

They already have a table and a time but they still want to be first into the DR.

 

The Island is the only ship we saw between 5:30pm and 8:30pm ATD lines wrapped around the atrium every night of our month long cruise. I felt bad for the HW at the door. There were people screaming at him every night.

I blame this directly on the refit, adding 300 plus people to dining venues not designed to handle that much of an increase.

That is a very good point. If an additional 300 passengers are added to the ship and both MDRs, traditional and open seating, are not increased in size, then it would seem the available fixed seating times would be filled much quicker than in the past thus causing more “overflow” demand for ATD. 

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The problem with Island is that there are only two dining rooms and they have added cabins.  So they stuck an early fixed seating in the Anytime Dining room (took 50% of space on our last cruise) and the Club Class seating (took up 25%).  This leaves only 25% of the capacity for Anytime.  MAYBE you can get a reservation, but when we had one there were people in line that had fixed seating but wanted to eat with other folks that night.  With four lines going into the dining room had a lot of folks getting off the elevators and crowding in rather that going to the back of the appropriate line.  

 

Our solution was to get there 45 minutes before dining room opened to be in one of the first few people in the line and avoid the line crashers.

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56 minutes ago, LeeW said:

The problem with Island is that there are only two dining rooms and they have added cabins.  So they stuck an early fixed seating in the Anytime Dining room (took 50% of space on our last cruise) and the Club Class seating (took up 25%).  This leaves only 25% of the capacity for Anytime.  MAYBE you can get a reservation, but when we had one there were people in line that had fixed seating but wanted to eat with other folks that night.  With four lines going into the dining room had a lot of folks getting off the elevators and crowding in rather that going to the back of the appropriate line.  

 

Our solution was to get there 45 minutes before dining room opened to be in one of the first few people in the line and avoid the line crashers.

Wow! I’ll have to ask the lady who seats us in the CC dining area tomorrow night if they still have tables reserved for early fixed seating in the Bordeaux dining room. We were under the impression the Provence dining room on deck 6 was the only one designated for fixed time dining. 

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11 hours ago, LeeW said:

Our solution was to get there 45 minutes before dining room opened to be in one of the first few people in the line and avoid the line crashers.

 

I guess if that is what you have to do ... that is what you have to do.

 

But, personally, I would so hate that!

 

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12 hours ago, LeeW said:

Our solution was to get there 45 minutes before dining room opened to be in one of the first few people in the line and avoid the line crashers.

It seems a little extreme but if you wanted to be at the head of the line I suppose you had to. 

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21 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Wow! I’ll have to ask the lady who seats us in the CC dining area tomorrow night if they still have tables reserved for early fixed seating in the Bordeaux dining room. We were under the impression the Provence dining room on deck 6 was the only one designated for fixed time dining. 

@LeeWyou are exactly right. We talked with the CC lady that seats us in the evening and she said there are some fixed seating tables in the Bordeaux DR as a spill over from the Provence DR directly above. She also mentioned folks can reserve a table in the open seating area, but only in the 5:15 and 7:30 time slots. That's good info to know if we ever need to use that option on future cruises

Edited by Ken the cruiser
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On 1/17/2020 at 3:42 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

@LeeWyou are exactly right. We talked with the CC lady that seats us in the evening and she said there are some fixed seating tables in the Bordeaux DR as a spill over from the Provence DR directly above. She also mentioned folks can reserve a table in the open seating area, but only in the 5:15 and 7:30 time slots. That's good info to know if we ever need to use that option on future cruises

 

 

 I will board Island in July when she does the U.K., Iceland and NY cruise.  Is there a CLASS DINING section on Island?

 

 

On 1/17/2020 at 3:42 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

@LeeWyou are exactly right. We talked with the CC lady that seats us in the evening and she said there are some fixed seating tables in the Bordeaux DR as a spill over from the Provence DR directly above. She also mentioned folks can reserve a table in the open seating area, but only in the 5:15 and 7:30 time slots. That's good info to know if we ever need to use that option on future cruises

 

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On 1/16/2020 at 7:47 PM, LeeW said:

 

Our solution was to get there 45 minutes before dining room opened to be in one of the first few people in the line and avoid the line crashers.

I am booked with 5 pm traditional dining on Island. What is a good time to show up without having to stand in line?

not willing to go before 5 pm

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1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We’re in “Anytime” CC dining on the Island right now and have to be shown to a table each evening. But I can’t imagine why you would need to wait in line after the first day once you have been shown where your assigned table is in fixed seating. 

So there is no line up for traditional dining?

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On one ship we had requested early fixed dining at a table for 2 --it was approved on our planner. On boarding  when I went to check with the maitre d' we had been placed on a table for 10! As no other tables for 2 were available he suggested we arrive at the anytime dining room at 4:30 and wait in line for the room to open. The line was very long. We were always then able to have a table for two. 

Perhaps this is what you saw. 

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3 hours ago, Alaskanb said:

On one ship we had requested early fixed dining at a table for 2 --it was approved on our planner. On boarding  when I went to check with the maitre d' we had been placed on a table for 10! As no other tables for 2 were available he suggested we arrive at the anytime dining room at 4:30 and wait in line for the room to open. The line was very long. We were always then able to have a table for two. 

Perhaps this is what you saw. 

Wow! That would definitely put a cramp in things sitting at a table for 10 for the entire cruise with the same people when you were looking forward to that table for 2. But maybe it happens more often than one might think. 

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