Assigned Early Seating - Running Late??

[waverlyonthewaves]

5:45 is the assigned time. Does anyone have experience arriving late due to an unforeseen circumstance? And if so, how late were they able to accommodate and still seat you? 6:15? 6:30? 
 

I know the next round of seating is at 8pm. I’m assuming 7 would be too tight. Would they recommend going up to the Lido for dinner at that point or could you just use As you wish dining at that point?

 

I sincerely hope to not find ourselves in this situation, but with little kids, I wanted to explore as many hypothetical scenarios as possible to be prepared!

Edited May 1, 2023 by waverlyonthewaves
Fix title

[*Miss G*]

They hold your regular table for 15 minutes.  I recall, one time, the people at the table next to us were late so they had seated anytime diners there.  The regular table-goers showed up to find their table taken.  They didn’t arrive late after that.

[Torquer]

Are you sharing a table with others?  If so, I think it would be awkward, if not rude, to arrive more than 5 or 10 minutes after the others at your table since the servers try to serve everyone at the table at the same time.  If it is just your family at the able then I'm sure 15-30 minutes late is OK.  Any later than that and it may be difficult for you to finish your meal and have the servers prepare the table for the late seating.

 

You can always go to the Lido for dinner.  I think it is also fine to go downstairs to the as-you-wish dining room.  But be forewarned, that depending on the ship and the cruise, it might be a wait for you since 6:30 is peak dining time.

[waverlyonthewaves]

That is helpful! BUT it raises another question, on our ship (Oosterdam) flexible dining is exclusively on deck 2 and set seating is on deck 3 exclusively. So I wonder?

[waverlyonthewaves]

2 minutes ago, Torquer said:

Are you sharing a table with others?  If so, I think it would be awkward, if not rude, to arrive more than 5 or 10 minutes after the others at your table since the servers try to serve everyone at the table at the same time.  If it is just your family at the able then I'm sure 15-30 minutes late is OK.  Any later than that and it may be difficult for you to finish your meal and have the servers prepare the table for the late seating.

 

You can always go to the Lido for dinner.  I think it is also fine to go downstairs to the as-you-wish dining room.  But be forewarned, that depending on the ship and the cruise, it might be a wait for you since 6:30 is peak dining time.

Just us! So that’s good because I agree that would be terrible 😳

[waverlyonthewaves]

5 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

They hold your regular table for 15 minutes.  I recall, one time, the people at the table next to us were late so they had seated anytime diners there.  The regular table-goers showed up to find their table taken.  They didn’t arrive late after that.

Woops forgot to tag you in my reply. So copy and pasting below:

 

 

That is helpful! BUT it raises another question, on our ship (Oosterdam) flexible dining is exclusively on deck 2 and set seating is on deck 3 exclusively. So I wonder?

 

•  

[*Miss G*]

3 minutes ago, waverlyonthewaves said:

That is helpful! BUT it raises another question, on our ship (Oosterdam) flexible dining is exclusively on deck 2 and set seating is on deck 3 exclusively. So I wonder?

 

I don’t think it’s a hard and fast rule since we’ve had set seating on the flexible seating deck a few times.

[waverlyonthewaves]

Just now, *Miss G* said:

 

I don’t think it’s a hard and fast rule since we’ve had set seating on the flexible seating deck a few times.

Oo how interesting! Good to know! And it honestly makes sense. If there’s a table sitting open and people are waiting for a table, it would be silly not to utilize it.

[CruiserBruce]

1 minute ago, *Miss G* said:

 

I don’t think it’s a hard and fast rule since we’ve had set seating on the flexible seating deck a few times.

Agree. It depends on the demand for one style or the other. I have seen fixed seating on Deck 2, and we had open seating on the third deck a few times.

[terrydtx]

I would change your seating to anytime, we never chose a set dinning option as we have no idea what time we will be ready to have dinner. We prefer to enter the MDR between 6:30 and 7:00 and 5:45 is too early and 8:00 is way too late for us.

[dobiemom]

If it’s just one night, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Do as others have said and eat at the Lido or maybe flexible seating (maybe try specialty dining). Try to let the maitre’d know you’ll be late or not at all. 
 

If it’s going to be several nights, then switch to Anytime Dining. 

[Florida_gal_50]

Is the assigned dining at 5:45? Its been a long time since I've seen that.  Maybe it's the class of ship.  I've seen 5:00 and 5:15 for times.  Please don't just show up in open dining.  Its not fair to the people that have picked that option just as it would not be fair to you for someone to take your table just as the dining was opening (I'm not talking later on).  I would also not show a half hour late.  That is not fair to the crew that works so hard.

[1025cruise]

I showed up to the anytime dining room at around the same time as the late seating was started. I was brought to the traditional floor and seated with another couple who's tablemates didn't show that evening.

 

If dinner is at 5:45, if you aren't there by 6:00, please just go to Lido.

[Florida_gal_50]

8 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

I showed up to the anytime dining room at around the same time as the late seating was started. I was brought to the traditional floor and seated with another couple who's tablemates didn't show that evening.

 

If dinner is at 5:45, if you aren't there by 6:00, please just go to Lido.

They for sure do that.  When I go to the MDR I refuse to be brought into traditional.  Its been my personal experience that you will be completely ignored because you are arriving at an "odd" time.  I've sat there waiting for a menu for a very long time and I'm not going to do that.  This happened when I used to go to the mdr a lot.  

[Hlitner]

Just now, waverlyonthewaves said:

That is helpful! BUT it raises another question, on our ship (Oosterdam) flexible dining is exclusively on deck 2 and set seating is on deck 3 exclusively. So I wonder?

On the Westy now and “exclusive” is not reality.  We are Anytime diners, simply walk in and ask to share, and are sometimes seated on Deck 3 along with the fixed diners.  Sat one evening with a fixed dining couple who were lonely.  They had a fixed dining table for 6 and the other 4 seldom came to the MDR.  We have seen a lot of large fixed dining tables with only one lonely couple.  Apparently folks book fixed and than eat most meals in the Lido.

 

Hank

[waverlyonthewaves]

2 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

On the Westy now and “exclusive” is not reality.  We are Anytime diners, simply walk in and ask to share, and are sometimes seated on Deck 3 along with the fixed diners.  Sat one evening with a fixed dining couple who were lonely.  They had a fixed dining table for 6 and the other 4 seldom came to the MDR.  We have seen a lot of large fixed dining tables with only one lonely couple.  Apparently folks book fixed and than eat most meals in the Lido.

 

Hank

How interesting about a lot of folks eating most meals in the Lido. Huh! I wonder why… more casual?

[CruiserBruce]

54 minutes ago, waverlyonthewaves said:

How interesting about a lot of folks eating most meals in the Lido. Huh! I wonder why… more casual?

Its all personal preference. There is a good sized thread on the topic, just a couple threads down the board, here:

 

 

[waverlyonthewaves]

13 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Its all personal preference. There is a good sized thread on the topic, just a couple threads down the board, here:

 

 

Thank you! Enjoy the rest of your cruise!! ❤️

[AncientWanderer]

5 hours ago, waverlyonthewaves said:

How interesting about a lot of folks eating most meals in the Lido. Huh! I wonder why… more casual?

 

Many people miss their fixed dining because they have reservations in the alternative dining restaurants -- Pinnacle Grill, Canaletto, Tamarind, Rudi's, depending on ship. 

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, AncientWanderer said:

 

Many people miss their fixed dining because they have reservations in the alternative dining restaurants -- Pinnacle Grill, Canaletto, Tamarind, Rudi's, depending on ship. 

We always try to inform our waiters if we are missing a MDR meal for a specialty restaurant. 

[POA1]

10 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Is the assigned dining at 5:45? Its been a long time since I've seen that.  Maybe it's the class of ship.  I've seen 5:00 and 5:15 for times.  Please don't just show up in open dining.  Its not fair to the people that have picked that option just as it would not be fair to you for someone to take your table just as the dining was opening (I'm not talking later on).  I would also not show a half hour late.  That is not fair to the crew that works so hard.

It's definitely 5:45 & 8:00 pm for fixed / assigned seating. IIRC, if you are too late, they'll send you to open seating deck 2.

[Florida_gal_50]

5 hours ago, POA1 said:

It's definitely 5:45 & 8:00 pm for fixed / assigned seating. IIRC, if you are too late, they'll send you to open seating deck 2.

Ok it’s the class of ship.  Friends were on the Rotterdam in January and it was 5:15.  If it’s 5:45 on every ship it’s changed recently.  They shouldn’t be sending anyone to open.  The line ups went half the way or more down the ship on the koningsdam in November. 

[PaperSniper4]

Anyone know the traditional, fixed dining times for the Nieuw Amsterdam? We sail on her October 2023 from Port Everglades. I thought I read somewhere it was 1700/5PM? That's a tad early for us, but better than what I was told was the "you choose" dining which didn't start time of 1845/645PM. That would be  too late for us and our schedule.

 

Doug

 

[CruiserBruce]

20 minutes ago, PaperSniper4 said:

Anyone know the traditional, fixed dining times for the Nieuw Amsterdam? We sail on her October 2023 from Port Everglades. I thought I read somewhere it was 1700/5PM? That's a tad early for us, but better than what I was told was the "you choose" dining which didn't start time of 1845/645PM. That would be  too late for us and our schedule.

 

Doug

 

The Open seating probably will start as early as 5pm, but more likely 5:15. Traditional will be 5:15 or 5:30. 

 

Not sure where you got 6:45 for open seating. No way that is correct.

[doone]

I would also worry about the folks who have your table for the 8 pm dining time.  If your late, you may cause their table not to be ready for them.  I would also suggest you eat at the Lido for any evenings your running late.