As You Wish Dining - Opinions, Comments and Discussions

[mamaofami]

On my upcoming Noordam cruise, I am confirmed for early traditonal dining in the upper level diningroom. I noticed that the early dining on the lower level is closed, both late seatings are waitlisted and then they list a 5th choice of AYWD.

 

Does anyone know why the early lower dining would be closed? Wouldn't that be the AYWD for early seating? I'm confused.

 

Also, I have friends who might be coming on the cruise but haven't booked yet who have asked if AYWD means waiting in line. I was wondering if anyone has experienced this dining on the Noordam and if lines are common. Thanks!

[RuthC]

Does anyone know why the early lower dining would be closed? Wouldn't that be the AYWD for early seating? I'm confused.

It's possible, just possible, that there's some space on the lower level that's been allocated to traditional dining to meet the demand.

[she says hopefully (fingers, toes, and eyeballs crossed) that every effort is being made to satisfy as many passengers as possible.]

[mamaofami]

Thanks, Ruth. That's certainly a possibility.:)

[hammybee]

Perhaps there is a large group who wants to dine together.

 

We took AYW in May. We did not experience any waits. I suspect this could change from cruise to cruise, sailing to sailing, dependent upon when the majority of AYW diners decide to show.

[Marmarjudy]

..and that's why we ALWAYS opt for table for TWO... and with this new AYW dining that'll probably end...

 

 

Just the opposite...if it works like Princess, with the AYW dining you will always be able to request a table for two, and at the time of your choosing......there may be a short wait, just like in a restaurant, but a table for two is assured if that is what you want.

 

Judy

[O2B@C]

... We took AYW in May. We did not experience any waits. I suspect this could change from cruise to cruise, sailing to sailing, dependent upon when the majority of AYW diners decide to show.

 

And, indeed, from night to night on any given cruise - e.g., if everyone gets back at the same time from a relatively late port call, that could mean more of a crunch on the AYW side than there would be on a sea day.

[hammybee]

And, indeed, from night to night on any given cruise - e.g., if everyone gets back at the same time from a relatively late port call, that could mean more of a crunch on the AYW side than there would be on a sea day.

 

Thanks O@B.

That's exactly what I meant and did not say. Because we did not experience a wait does not mean the next guy won't and vice-versa.

[bUU]

LOL, Mr. Bicker; are you implying that all Mariners aka Traditionalists are non-active "pomp and circumstance" types

Gosh no!

 

and that all AYW supporters are inclined to be relaxed outdoor athletes:) ?

This seems closer to reality -- they're, at least, more likely to be out doing their own thing, I'm sure you'll agree. After all, they're rebels right? :D

[bUU]

geez.. thank you for that most in-depth ..and useless to moi...

I'm not surprised that you disagree with my comments.

 

I think you missed my point(s)

That wouldn't be a good bet, however it does seem evident that you missed mine. :p

[terrydtx]

.

 

It seems to me (and maybe I'm wrong:o ) that those of us who prefer Traditional are being open minded and saying we have no problem with a choice if there is truly a choice, but we want to be able to continue Traditional dining.

 

Yet others just keep hammering away at us that change is inevitable, we have to adjust, "freestyle", "AYW", whatever you want to call it, is the wave of the future and we're just going to have to accept it.

 

No we don't. We're willing to understand the opposite point of view, we're willing to accept both being offered, but we don't want to give up what we enjoy.

 

:D :D ???

 

The posters on here who say they will leave HAL to go elsewhere are "Open Minded”? Give me a break! HAL is giving you a choice either traditional or AYWD. Wanting to eat at 6:15pm and having to accept only 8:00pm because you book a cruise late isn’t any choice either. If you have to have the same table with the same table mates every night, then all you have to do is reserve that table with the same people every day at the same time. Of course that’s only if AYWD was you dining preference before the cruise departs. Only those passengers with AYWD as their preference get to reserve times and tables. If you have a traditional seating and want to use AYWD then you may have to wait in line for a table at times other than your assigned dining time.

 

Yes change in all things is inevitable and those of you who are so strongly opposed to AYWD are probably the same folks who opposed giving up their old IBM Selectric Typewriters in favor of computers with word-processing. You probably preferred telegrams instead of emails too!

 

AYWD now gives me the CHOICE of cruising on HAL instead of NCL and I can’t wait for AYWD dining. By the way our group of 6 booked early and had a 5:45 table for 6 that we all gave up when the AYWD was announced so 6 of you “Traditionalists” out there on our cruise in November can thank me and the 4 others we are cruising with.

[RuthC]

The posters on here who say they will leave HAL to go elsewhere are "Open Minded”? Give me a break! HAL is giving you a choice either traditional or AYWD.

You just don't "get it", do you? It's still unknown if everyone who wants traditional will have it. It's still unknown if HAL is going to make the accommodations necessary on each and every cruise so that those of us who want the choice of a set time/table/table mates will have it without going to the trouble of setting it up for ourselves every night.

Some of us don't have the luxury of reserving a table with the same people every night on our own because there aren't any other people we know to reserve with.

Under the worst possible scenario, then, looking at other lines is absolutely being "open minded". We are being open to making a new cruiseline our home.

[terrydtx]

You just don't "get it", do you? It's still unknown if everyone who wants traditional will have it. It's still unknown if HAL is going to make the accommodations necessary on each and every cruise so that those of us who want the choice of a set time/table/table mates will have it without going to the trouble of setting it up for ourselves every night.

Some of us don't have the luxury of reserving a table with the same people every night on our own because there aren't any other people we know to reserve with.

Under the worst possible scenario, then, looking at other lines is absolutely being "open minded". We are being open to making a new cruiseline our home.

 

Ruth, I believe that YOU are the one who doesn’t get it!!! If you wanted the 6:15 Traditional seating and when you booked all that was available was the 8:30 seating, is that getting what you want? Did HAL make accommodations to all those who were stuck at 8:30 so they could eat at the earlier seating? The obvious answer was no, they couldn’t do that. The early seating has always been the first to fill and those of us who couldn’t get the early seating were stuck with either late seating, the Lido deck or room service. Was that a fair choice? So if you have to have your “traditional” seating you will have to book early just like you did if you wanted the 5:45 or 6:15 seating. So obviously all you traditionalist may not get what you want if you book late but you will not have to be stuck eating in the dining room at 8 or 8:30!!

 

Take you open mindedness and go look at the Fred Olsen or SAGA cruise lines and I bet you will be back on HAL. AS I have said in earlier postings, according to cruise industry people in the know, within 2 years Celebrity, NCCL and Carnival will be following HAL, NCL and Princess with some sort of open dining option.

[RuthC]

Ruth, I believe that YOU are the one who doesn’t get it!!!

You believe incorrectly.

[Opinions]

Does anyone know why the early lower dining would be closed? Wouldn't that be the AYWD for early seating? I'm confused.

 

 

It's probably listed as "closed" because it is not available for Traditional dining...Apparently the cruises that have AYWD list the early lower dining as "closed" and AYWD as available.

[terrydtx]

:D

You believe incorrectly.

 

Ruth, let me tell you about two Librarians from Massachusetts we were stuck with at our table of 4 on our last cruise. They had the personalities of dried paint and they were bible thumpers that gave my wife a lecture on the evils of alcohol every night when I ordered a martini and a bottle of wine. They even asked us not to drink in front of them at dinner, because our wine and my martini was offensive to them. I sure wish we had AYWD on that cruise so that “WE” could choose our table mates.

 

We did ask the Matre D to change tables and we were told that was not an option because the dining room was full, but that we could move from our chosen early seating to the late seating. By the third night I drank 3 martinis got kinda nasty and the two librarians never showed up at our seating again, I bet they wish they had AYWD as an option too!

 

So Ruth as I said I get it and you still do not get it and I doubt you ever will.

[terrydtx]

 

Can we at least agree on that or are you a fan of that evil empire from the other side of Alabama?

 

Bob (A Yankee who spent a few years in Tuscaloosa)

NHBob I hope you can count to 6. WAR EAGLE!!

[HeatherInFlorida]

The posters on here who say they will leave HAL to go elsewhere are "Open Minded”? Give me a break! HAL is giving you a choice either traditional or AYWD. .............

 

Terry, they said they would leave HAL and go somewhere else if the CHOICE was taken away ... not if AYW is offered. I think Ruth explained this quite clearly, but just in case not ;) ............

 

Judging from many responses I'm just getting the feeling there's confusion why some people are upset about AYW. They're afraid they can't get Traditional because there's less space provided for it.

 

Most people posting aren't saying they don't want AYW as a choice AS LONG AS they can get their choice of Traditional.

[RevNeal]

Ruth, I believe that YOU are the one who doesn’t get it!!! If you wanted the 6:15 Traditional seating and when you booked all that was available was the 8:30 seating, is that getting what you want? Did HAL make accommodations to all those who were stuck at 8:30 so they could eat at the earlier seating? The obvious answer was no, they couldn’t do that. The early seating has always been the first to fill and those of us who couldn’t get the early seating were stuck with either late seating, the Lido deck or room service. Was that a fair choice? So if you have to have your “traditional” seating you will have to book early just like you did if you wanted the 5:45 or 6:15 seating. So obviously all you traditionalist may not get what you want if you book late but you will not have to be stuck eating in the dining room at 8 or 8:30!!

 

Dining time is not the only factor that is of importance to many/most of "us traditionalists." There is also the critical importance of regularity with regard to dining companions, location in the dining room, and identity of stewards. All four factors: time, with whom, where, and stewards, are all important to many/most Traditionalists. AYW addresses the ability to choose time, yes ... if we prefer early dining than we can be assured of getting it under AYW. But, as a trade-off, we can't have regularity in the other factors unless we take extra (and, possibly, impossible) efforts to try and arrange those. In other words, under Traditional Dining even if we have to eat at 8 or 8:30 pm (which I prefer being "stuck" at, by the way), we still get the positive trade-offs of having regularity in the same dining companions, the same location, and the same stewards for the duration of the cruise. 3 out of 4 important factors isn't that bad. From the Traditionalist's point of view, however, under AYW we only get 1 out of 4 -- we get the time we want, but we don't get the regularity of having the same dining companions, the same location, or the same stewards. Now, time is the only factor that matters, then great! But if it's not the only factor of importance, then "not so great."

 

Those of us who are Solo cruisers (like RuthC and myself) tend to have concerns that make the "with whom" issue of equal or great importance as the "when" issue. We can make efforts to try and arrange cruises with other people (like the Eurodam Inugural), but that's not always going to be the case. That is a reasonable concern what we have.

[RuthC]

Just wondering Greg, Heather---my mother used to say "Save your breath to cool your porridge". Is there some keyboard equivalent? :confused:

[RevNeal]

:D

 

Ruth, let me tell you about two Librarians from Massachusetts we were stuck with at our table of 4 on our last cruise. They had the personalities of dried paint and they were bible thumpers that gave my wife a lecture on the evils of alcohol every night when I ordered a martini and a bottle of wine. They even asked us not to drink in front of them at dinner, because our wine and my martini was offensive to them. I sure wish we had AYWD on that cruise so that “WE” could choose our table mates.

 

We did ask the Matre D to change tables and we were told that was not an option because the dining room was full, but that we could move from our chosen early seating to the late seating. By the third night I drank 3 martinis got kinda nasty and the two librarians never showed up at our seating again, I bet they wish they had AYWD as an option too!

 

So Ruth as I said I get it and you still do not get it and I doubt you ever will.

 

terrydtx, this illustration -- while humorous -- does nothing to demonstrate that you "get" the concerns that Solo Cruises (like Ruth and I) have when it comes to the issue of dining companions under the AYW system. You may "get it" regarding the advantages of being able to choose your dining time and companions, but thus far you've posted NOTHING to indicate that you "get" the concerns of Traditionalists ... and certainly not of Solo Traditionalists.

[SharonN]

terrydtx, this illustration -- while humorous -- does nothing to demonstrate that you "get" the concerns that Solo Cruises (like Ruth and I) have when it comes to the issue of dining companions under the AYW system. You may "get it" regarding the advantages of being able to choose your dining time and companions, but thus far you've posted NOTHING to indicate that you "get" the concerns of Traditionalists ... and certainly not of Solo Traditionalists.

 

 

Some of them probably won't "get it" until they have to

[RevNeal]

Just wondering Greg, Heather---my mother used to say "Save your breath to cool your porridge". Is there some keyboard equivalent? :confused:

 

LOL ... yes ... and it involves one of my favorite emoticons:

 

e.g.: Don't waste your time ...

[RevNeal]

Some of them probably won't "get it" until they have to

 

I just hope they never do. Not unless it's of their own choosing.

[RuthC]

Some of them probably won't "get it" until they have to

Those moccasins aren't very comfortable, are they. :( I've walked better in 4" spike heals. :rolleyes:

[terrydtx]

terrydtx, this illustration -- while humorous -- does nothing to demonstrate that you "get" the concerns that Solo Cruises (like Ruth and I) have when it comes to the issue of dining companions under the AYW system. You may "get it" regarding the advantages of being able to choose your dining time and companions, but thus far you've posted NOTHING to indicate that you "get" the concerns of Traditionalists ... and certainly not of Solo Traditionalists.

 

I guess you and Ruth have been lucky so far and not had the 2 librarians from Massachusetts as your table mates.