confused about this

[lougee1043]

these are the dinner times offered on the 1/6/07 oosterdam cruise

 

Early Upper Dining: Available

Early Lower Dining: Available

Main Upper Dining: Available

Main Lower Dining: Available

Open Seating: Available

 

i was under the impression that the early upper and early lower is combined into an early sitting

and

the main upper and main lower is combined into the late sitting

so

what does open seating represent

[bruceh4]

these are the dinner times offered on the 1/6/07 oosterdam cruise

 

Early Upper Dining: Available

Early Lower Dining: Available

Main Upper Dining: Available

Main Lower Dining: Available

Open Seating: Available

 

i was under the impression that the early upper and early lower is combined into an early sitting

and

the main upper and main lower is combined into the late sitting

so

what does open seating represent

Here is an explanation from a previous thread on open seating:

 

Yes, HAL is experimenting with "Leisure Dining" on the Oosterdam. It is not quite as loose as some of the other lines. You are still assigned a table and a seating (early/late). However, you can arrive anytime during a specified window. I think that, for the early seating, it is 5:30 - 6:00 and for late it is 8:00 - 9:00.

 

When we were on the Oosterdam last month, we had the late seating. My wife and I were travelling with my brother, sister and their spouses. We were assigned a table for six, so we did not have the problem of our tablemates arriving at different times.

 

We usually arrived at about 8:00. On one of the formal evenings, we stopped to have photographs of the six of us taken, before dinner. This made us about a half hour late.

 

When we arrived, our waiter was already serving entrees to his other tables. There was a little delay in getting the preliminaries, such as bread and butter brought to our table. This was the only lapse (and it was a tiny lapse, indeed) in the otherwise impeccable service we received all week.

 

This may seem like nit-picking, and I suppose it is. I mention it only because this is one of the consequences that has been brought up in other discussions such experiments in relaxed scheduling. It did happen, just as some critics of the plan suggested it might. It might have even been worse, if it were only my wife and I who arrived late to a table of strangers. In that case, the two of us would have been working on our appetizers while the others were finishing their entrees and preparing for dessert.

 

All in all, the concept worked reasonably well, but, if I were given the choice, I would opt for the traditional fixed dining times. This is probably the way things will be in the future.

[jhannah]

No, I don't think that's it. The Oosterdam experiment previously just listed early and lower, upper and late. There was no mention in the pre-cruise letter or onboard our sailing in April of a separate open seating. The only way they could do this and maintain their fixed arrangements would be to divide the dining rooms.

 

I also wonder what this is.

[lougee1043]

No, I don't think that's it. I also wonder what this is.

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must be a big secret-- 128 people checked the message out and there were only 2 responders and we still dont know what it means