Anytime Dining

[Jeka]

Also' date=' Jeka, are you booked on one of the Freedom cruises that will feature anytime dining? I'm a little sick of people who aren't booked on those sailings (I am booked on the 10/21) dismissing the concerns of those who will be on the ship and accusing us of now wanting to try new things. If you are so eager to try new things, I know there are still cabins available for 10/21 - why don't you come with us, do the anytime dining, and then come back here and report?[/quote']

 

Sure, if you want to buy my ticket I'd be happy to go.

 

I'm not sure where I'm dismissing anyone. As I said earlier "The only point I'm trying to make is let's not condemn it before RCCL has a chance to check it out. Most of their competitors are now offering it and it is a plus to a lot of people. RCCL is marketing to a younger more active group who want more flexibility in their scheduling. Let's see how the test goes before jumping to conclusions."

I assume from the tone of your email, that RCCL has forced you into the optional dining program. That is unfortunate and a bad way to start out testing a new product. Hopefully it won't go as poorly as you anticiapate and you'll have a wonderful cruise.

[It'sRC4ME]

I'm not sure where I'm dismissing anyone. As I said earlier "The only point I'm trying to make is let's not condemn it before RCCL has a chance to check it out. Most of their competitors are now offering it and it is a plus to a lot of people. RCCL is marketing to a younger more active group who want more flexibility in their scheduling. Let's see how the test goes before jumping to conclusions."

I assume from the tone of your email, that RCCL has forced you into the optional dining program. That is unfortunate and a bad way to start out testing a new product. Hopefully it won't go as poorly as you anticiapate and you'll have a wonderful cruise.

 

Actually, this is what you said earlier - sounded pretty dismissive to me:

 

"What justification????? Have they tried this on RCCL? I think not. Also, because some folks on CC don't like the idea of trying something new and different doesn't mean the other 3,000,000 annual RCCL cruisers agree.

 

How many Princess cruises have you been on?"

 

And no, RC has not forced us into anytime dining - had they done so I would have cancelled the cruise - regardless of what the penalty might have been.

[DonnaK]

I think there is also an issue of the time of year you travel and how full the ships are sailing.

 

We must sail during the summer, and the ships are always filled to capacity. It makes me wonder if those who say there is no waiting with anytime dining are sailing at less crowded times of the year?

 

Although I personally haven't tried freestyle or personal choice, I have friends and relatives who have, and they all had negative experiences regarding the wait for a table. They sailed during school holidays when the ship is full. I value my friend's and family's opinion and experience enough to conclude that I do not wish to sail on a ship that has these issues caused by dining options..

 

I tried to book Crown Princess for August 2007 over a year in advance, and the wait list for tradition dining was over 300 long. Needless to say, we decided to sail on Mariner instead because we didn't want to be forced into anytime dining.

 

Another issue is that RCI has very few tables for two and four, and a large percentage of bigger tables. This is a huge concern because most anytimers request the smaller table sizes.

 

I, for one, sincerely hope this trial fails. Anytime dining changes the entire atmosphere aboard the ship into something less attractive to me. For example: with anytime dining, people often arrive very late for the shows, or leave early, because dining anytime is not synchronized with the showtimes. This would negative affect me, even if I opt for traditional dining.

 

Again - this may be more of a problem during the season when the ships are sailing at capacity, but that's when I sail too, so it becomes my problem

[pepsicruiser]

ItsRC4me I'm on the same sailing. We have late seating but I am under the impression that we can try out the "Anytime Dining". Am I correct if we want we can go to the "Anytime Dining" line or however/wherever it is?

 

If I do try it out I will get back to the boards and let you all know what I thought of it. Never tried it so I am unbiased.

[It'sRC4ME]

I think there is also an issue of the time of year you travel and how full the ships are sailing.

 

We must sail during the summer, and the ships are always filled to capacity. It makes me wonder if those who say there is no waiting with anytime dining are sailing at less crowded times of the year?

 

Although I personally haven't tried freestyle or personal choice, I have friends and relatives who have, and they all had negative experiences regarding the wait for a table. They sailed during school holidays when the ship is full. I value my friend's and family's opinion and experience enough to conclude that I do not wish to sail on a ship that has these issues caused by dining options..

 

I tried to book Crown Princess for August 2007 over a year in advance, and the wait list for tradition dining was over 300 long. Needless to say, we decided to sail on Mariner instead because we didn't want to be forced into anytime dining.

 

Another issue is that RCI has very few tables for two and four, and a large percentage of bigger tables. This is a huge concern because most anytimers request the smaller table sizes.

 

I, for one, sincerely hope this trial fails. Anytime dining changes the entire atmosphere aboard the ship into something less attractive to me. For example: with anytime dining, people often arrive very late for the shows, or leave early, because dining anytime is not synchronized with the showtimes. This would negative affect me, even if I opt for traditional dining.

 

Again - this may be more of a problem during the season when the ships are sailing at capacity, but that's when I sail too, so it becomes my problem

 

I hear you. Honestly, I don't wish failure on anyone, because I'm sure someone's promotion at HQ is riding on the success of their idea, but if RC changes their dining in such a way that I can't have a table for our whole family (who have cruised with us on 6 out of 8 RC cruises we've taken) reserved at a specific time, we will be switching to another cruiseline.

 

I just don't see how a request for a table for 10 or 12 won't leave us waiting in line, which isn't an option when you're travelling with elderly relatives. Especially since I think anytime dining will result in reconfiguration of the dining room to include many more small tables (2, 4, 6) because, given a choice, it's obvious that smaller parties will want to dine by themselves, so there just won't be as many large tables available.

 

Maybe if we only ever travelled as a couple I wouldn't care one way or another, but we look forward to cruising with groups of family and friends, and up until now RC's dining arrangements have made that a pleasant experience which I don't want to lose.

[It'sRC4ME]

ItsRC4me I'm on the same sailing. We have late seating but I am under the impression that we can try out the "Anytime Dining". Am I correct if we want we can go to the "Anytime Dining" line or however/wherever it is?

 

If I do try it out I will get back to the boards and let you all know what I thought of it. Never tried it so I am unbiased.

 

When RC emailed us about it I got the impression that you had to choose either "traditional" seating or "anytime" seating, and couldn't switch between the two at will. If you can, definitely give it a try and report back!

[Jeka]

Actually' date=' this is what you said earlier - sounded pretty dismissive to me:

 

"What justification????? Have they tried this on RCCL? I think not. Also, because some folks on CC don't like the idea of trying something new and different doesn't mean the other 3,000,000 annual RCCL cruisers agree.

 

How many Princess cruises have you been on?"

 

And no, RC has not forced us into anytime dining - had they done so I would have cancelled the cruise - regardless of what the penalty might have been.[/quote']

 

Actually, that was in response to another poster's comments.

 

If you aren't part of the experiment, why are you so upset about it? As I understand it, the trial will only effect 1 dining room. I can't imagine getting myself all worked up over something that will have little or no impact on my dining experience.

 

As far as my trying it, I'm sure I'll be able to within the next year. Let's face it, NCL, Princess and Holland now offer some form of alternative dining hours. Carnival has more set times to choose from. These are RCCL's biggest competitors and some RCCL cruisers are trying other lines specically for this reason.

[mckinna]

I think there is also an issue of the time of year you travel and how full the ships are sailing.

 

We must sail during the summer, and the ships are always filled to capacity. It makes me wonder if those who say there is no waiting with anytime dining are sailing at less crowded times of the year?

 

Although I personally haven't tried freestyle or personal choice, I have friends and relatives who have, and they all had negative experiences regarding the wait for a table. They sailed during school holidays when the ship is full. I value my friend's and family's opinion and experience enough to conclude that I do not wish to sail on a ship that has these issues caused by dining options..

 

I tried to book Crown Princess for August 2007 over a year in advance, and the wait list for tradition dining was over 300 long. Needless to say, we decided to sail on Mariner instead because we didn't want to be forced into anytime dining.

 

Another issue is that RCI has very few tables for two and four, and a large percentage of bigger tables. This is a huge concern because most anytimers request the smaller table sizes.

 

I, for one, sincerely hope this trial fails. Anytime dining changes the entire atmosphere aboard the ship into something less attractive to me. For example: with anytime dining, people often arrive very late for the shows, or leave early, because dining anytime is not synchronized with the showtimes. This would negative affect me, even if I opt for traditional dining.

 

Again - this may be more of a problem during the season when the ships are sailing at capacity, but that's when I sail too, so it becomes my problem

 

How could when and where someone else eats bother you? People have always left shows early and arrived late. I do not let what other people do get to me at all. I think it is great that they are giving people choices. Hopefully, RCCL is looking at all the issues concerning freestyle dining, and will design a plan to ensure things go smoothly. I am sure that at first, it won't be perfect, but I might give it a try. I love the dining room experience, but we have done it many times. I might not like the other way, but if I don't, I have a choice of traditional. It won't stop me from cruising with RCCL.

[It'sRC4ME]

Actually, that was in response to another poster's comments.

 

 

Actually, take a look at post #6, where you quote ME.

[Janet524]

In March when we sailed on HAL they were experimenting with "flexible dining": you were assigned a table, but could arrive anytime between 8 and 9 PM (for late seating). It was a nightmare! Ours was a table for 10 and you never knew when anybody would show up. As a consequence, we all ended up waiting for the last couple to arrive each night before starting dinner - so much for "flexible".

 

That said, it would seem to me that given the size of ships today with their multi-level dining rooms, both traditional dining and anytime could be accommodated. Make one floor of the dining room available for anytime dining and the other for traditional seating. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

[SherriZ366]

And no' date=' RC has not forced us into anytime dining - had they done so I would have cancelled the cruise - regardless of what the penalty might have been.[/quote']

From what I've been reading and hearing etc, RCI has not forced anyone into the anytime dining. The reps. have called people on the Freedom sailings that are testing it and offered it (and tried to sell the concept). Please let me know if my impression is correct or incorrect.

[SherriZ366]

Another issue is that RCI has very few tables for two and four, and a large percentage of bigger tables. This is a huge concern because most anytimers request the smaller table sizes.

 

I, for one, sincerely hope this trial fails. Anytime dining changes the entire atmosphere aboard the ship into something less attractive to me. For example: with anytime dining, people often arrive very late for the shows, or leave early, because dining anytime is not synchronized with the showtimes. This would negative affect me, even if I opt for traditional dining.

 

Again - this may be more of a problem during the season when the ships are sailing at capacity, but that's when I sail too, so it becomes my problem

Totally agree -- espeically about the experiment failing.

[Oville]

 

That said, it would seem to me that given the size of ships today with their multi-level dining rooms, both traditional dining and anytime could be accommodated.Make one floor of the dining room available for anytime dining and the other for traditional seating. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

I believe this is how they are doing it on Freedom which has 3 dining rooms. Hopefully those who choose traditional seating in the other 2 rooms will not notice what's going on in the 3rd.

[Michelle1234]

Dear Just Joan (OP),

 

Were Platinum Princess cruisers and have done NCL also so can give you a description of how it works on those lines. Of course RCL will likely be a bit different so I can't necessarily predict how it will work with them.

 

For Princess it is very nice. Pretty much like going to a very nice restaurant but since their anytime dining rooms (for the ships we have been on) are very similar it doesn't much matter which one you go to. If you go early you walk right in. If you go late you walk right in. You can get a table with others or for just your party.

 

If you chose to eat with others they seat you with the others in line who want a large table. If it is not filled in minutes the waiters take your order. Generally I've had the tables fill right away or maybe one or two seats open. Once they take your order the table is closed. I have never felt like I waited for the table to close. It seems like they just get it seated right away.

 

If you go at the premium time you may be given a beeper. It is helpful to then go one floor down where the other anytime dining room is and likely you will walk right in. Alot of folks stop at the first one and don't check out the other. However, on a rare occasion we have had a 10 min. wait or so. But it is only when wanting our own table at a premium time. I've just wandered the stores until the beeper goes off.

 

If you are on your own (a solo traveler) you will likely want to sit with others. There is no problem with this and you meet nice people. Alot of people chose to sit with others to meet people. If you get someone that rubs you the wrong way it is only one night. You do not have to stay while everyone finishes desert if you didn't order any. Excusing yourself is just fine. The service is generally pretty quick. Some folks don't like that and others (like us) love it. Alot of traditional dining fans like 2 hour dinners and you would have to tell the waiter you want that type of experience which they are happy to provide as I've read on Princess threads that some folks prefer it that way, make their preference known, and are happy. Some people always request a certain table or waiter. You can reserve a table if that is what you would like. Sometimes people don't always get to reserve the one they want but not everyone can have the same table so it is pretty much like traditional in that sense (not always getting your preferred seating or the table by the window).

 

For NCL they operate it quite a bit differently. Each dining room is decorated differently. They pretty much all serve the same food on a given night but you feel like you are dining in a different restaurant each night. I loved it! We eventually picked the restaurant that had the atmosphere we liked the best and continued to go there. There are also several restaurants (free) that have a certain ethnic cuisine like Mexican, Japanese, Italian etc. They served the same menu every night but provided additional choice. This is my preferred dining experience.

 

I do not know if people were sitting with others on NCL. I never waited for a table but others may have. However there are alot of restaurants so you can go to another.

 

The ethnic restaurants tended to fill up with reservations. When you get on the ship you can make reservations for the entire week if you like. We just went to eat when we were ready.

 

The service on NCL was very quick. Some people don't like that and want 2 hr meals. If you let your preference be known the wait staff is very accommodating.

 

We have also cruised Celebrity and Holland America so have limited experience with Traditional. When we booked our first cruise I chose Princess due to the Anytime dining choice. The description of how Traditional works horrified me and I knew it wouldn't be for me. I think folks just know how their personality is and whether Traditional or Anytime works for them. So you will always have both types of people and neither is right or wrong, it is just a preference and what one group values the other might find a negative.

 

My upcoming cruise is my first RCL cruise. We are excited to try the line as it has a great reputation. However if I had not developed a special dietary need I would not be trying them. They are known to handle this dietary restriction well. NCL is the other line that does well with it. Our upcoming cruise fit our budget, timeline, location etc. So were giving it a try and we signed up for early seating and a 2 person table. Were going into it with an open mind and will see how it goes.

 

However our history with tolerating traditional is not good. On Holland America we went to 2 traditional meals (the first night and one formal night) but retreated to room service and the buffet for the other dinners. Sitting for two hours for dinner with folks that answered with one word when asked a question was just too much. Likely they were just as horrified as us by the experience.

 

On Celebrity we only got through one traditional meal and ordered the rest of the meals on a 10 day cruise from room service. I think we had a 2 person table so it wasn't the company but the pace of the meal. We were expected to go at the pace of all the other large tables even if we just ordered an entree and desert. We were also at the late dining which was much too late for us so we opted into room service which was very good.

 

I hope this was helpful on how dining at anytime works on other lines.

 

Best,

Michelle

[RetireeWannabee]

I just don't see how a request for a table for 10 or 12 won't leave us waiting in line' date=' which isn't an option when you're travelling with elderly relatives. Especially since I think anytime dining will result in reconfiguration of the dining room to include many more small tables (2, 4, 6) because, given a choice, it's obvious that smaller parties will want to dine by themselves, so there just won't be as many large tables available.[/quote']

 

Does the "RC Experiment" include the reservation aspect? Princess would allow you to make a reservation for your party in advance.

 

Don't know what the table sizes will be, but I do not believe "it's obvious that smaller parties will want to dine by themselves" as I have always been part of a small party and never want it to be Just Us. I'm not sure if my electing "to share" helps you if we are seated with other small groups at those tables for 10, taking up one of those large tables that you think will disappear.

 

I don't know - it will be interesting to hear everyone's assessment.

[It'sRC4ME]

Does the "RC Experiment" include the reservation aspect? Princess would allow you to make a reservation for your party in advance.

 

Don't know what the table sizes will be, but I do not believe "it's obvious that smaller parties will want to dine by themselves" as I have always been part of a small party and never want it to be Just Us. I'm not sure if my electing "to share" helps you if we are seated with other small groups at those tables for 10, taking up one of those large tables that you think will disappear.

 

I don't know - it will be interesting to hear everyone's assessment.

 

I guess it seemed "obvious" to me that smaller parties would want to dine by themselves because I have seen so many posts over the years where people complain about dining with "strangers".

 

Not sure what RC will do, but Princess offers reservations, but you have no guarantee of getting one for the time/table size you need.

[39august]

You cannot just go and "try" the anytime dining on the Freedom. If you are on one of these test cruises, either your TA or RCI will contact you to see if you are interested in that dining option. If so, you must pre-pay your gratuities. I believe that it is to be 5th floor dining room for this option. Too bad for the rest of us who like to have the beautiful view from that upper tier. I will post when I return from my Oct. 14 cruise and advise whether this had an impact on the traditional dining experiece. My fear is that it will cause confusion for the waitstaff and kitchen workers which will have an adverse effect on the rest of us. We shall see.

[Merion_Mom]

I'm with you! Six is too early and 8:30 is too late. I am going to stick with my early dining at least for the first night. We had a great dining experience on our first cruise because we were a big group all at one table. The second cruise, conversation was forced with a family that doted on their ill-behaved child (I'm a mother of three, so don't kill me: it just didn't make for much in the way of conversation). The last cruise we were seated at a table of lovely people from Quebec but my high school French was miserably inadequate. If possible, we'll try a night of anytime dining just to see how it works!

 

Again, I'll let you know after I return.

Joan, I went into cruising feeling that way about the dining times, but my experience has been different from my pre-conceived notion.

 

*Time* is a much more frangible commodity on a ship. It just doesn't feel the same as it does when you are on land, at home, in your regular schedule.

 

Dining time is more about what you can do before and what you can do after dining.

 

We generally choose main seating because we like to see a show AFTER dinner. It's not just about the time - if we are late seating, we can get a snack in the late afternoon to tide us over.

 

It's more about the sequence of events.

 

And on Royal Caribbean, the timing of evening activities is built on the dining times.

 

There's a show time for people who eat main seating. For example, dinner at 6, show at 9. Dinner at 8:30, show at 7. Then a dance party for all at 10:15. Late night entertainment - quest, love & marriage show, karaoke, etc. - at 11.

 

Anytime dining, for better or for worse, throws a monkey wrench into that set-up.

 

My experience with Princess and anytime dining is that it has good aspects and bad aspects. People who say that THE reason that they want anytime is because 6 is too early and 8:30 is too late are usually the ones who are the most disappointed. It is the MIDDLE, btw traditional seatings, time that is the most popular and crowded, forcing people to wait to be seated.

 

If what you crave is the ability to eat at 6 one day, 9 another, 7:30 (with a potential long wait) another, you may like anytime dining.

 

OR you may be just as happy going to the Windjammer when you can't make your scheduled TRADITIONAL dining time. You can already do this kind of anytime dining on Royal Caribbean.

 

But my main point is the first half of my post, not the second.

 

:)

[Oville]

Dear Just Joan (OP),

 

Were Platinum Princess cruisers and have done NCL also so can give you a description of how it works on those lines. Of course RCL will likely be a bit different so I can't necessarily predict how it will work with them.

 

For Princess it is very nice. Pretty much like going to a very nice restaurant but since their anytime dining rooms (for the ships we have been on) are very similar it doesn't much matter which one you go to. If you go early you walk right in. If you go late you walk right in. You can get a table with others or for just your party.

 

If you chose to eat with others they seat you with the others in line who want a large table. If it is not filled in minutes the waiters take your order. Generally I've had the tables fill right away or maybe one or two seats open. Once they take your order the table is closed. I have never felt like I waited for the table to close. It seems like they just get it seated right away.

 

If you go at the premium time you may be given a beeper. It is helpful to then go one floor down where the other anytime dining room is and likely you will walk right in. Alot of folks stop at the first one and don't check out the other. However, on a rare occasion we have had a 10 min. wait or so. But it is only when wanting our own table at a premium time. I've just wandered the stores until the beeper goes off.

 

If you are on your own (a solo traveler) you will likely want to sit with others. There is no problem with this and you meet nice people. Alot of people chose to sit with others to meet people. If you get someone that rubs you the wrong way it is only one night. You do not have to stay while everyone finishes desert if you didn't order any. Excusing yourself is just fine. The service is generally pretty quick. Some folks don't like that and others (like us) love it. Alot of traditional dining fans like 2 hour dinners and you would have to tell the waiter you want that type of experience which they are happy to provide as I've read on Princess threads that some folks prefer it that way, make their preference known, and are happy. Some people always request a certain table or waiter. You can reserve a table if that is what you would like. Sometimes people don't always get to reserve the one they want but not everyone can have the same table so it is pretty much like traditional in that sense (not always getting your preferred seating or the table by the window).

 

For NCL they operate it quite a bit differently. Each dining room is decorated differently. They pretty much all serve the same food on a given night but you feel like you are dining in a different restaurant each night. I loved it! We eventually picked the restaurant that had the atmosphere we liked the best and continued to go there. There are also several restaurants (free) that have a certain ethnic cuisine like Mexican, Japanese, Italian etc. They served the same menu every night but provided additional choice. This is my preferred dining experience.

 

I do not know if people were sitting with others on NCL. I never waited for a table but others may have. However there are alot of restaurants so you can go to another.

 

The ethnic restaurants tended to fill up with reservations. When you get on the ship you can make reservations for the entire week if you like. We just went to eat when we were ready.

 

The service on NCL was very quick. Some people don't like that and want 2 hr meals. If you let your preference be known the wait staff is very accommodating.

 

We have also cruised Celebrity and Holland America so have limited experience with Traditional. When we booked our first cruise I chose Princess due to the Anytime dining choice. The description of how Traditional works horrified me and I knew it wouldn't be for me. I think folks just know how their personality is and whether Traditional or Anytime works for them. So you will always have both types of people and neither is right or wrong, it is just a preference and what one group values the other might find a negative.

 

My upcoming cruise is my first RCL cruise. We are excited to try the line as it has a great reputation. However if I had not developed a special dietary need I would not be trying them. They are known to handle this dietary restriction well. NCL is the other line that does well with it. Our upcoming cruise fit our budget, timeline, location etc. So were giving it a try and we signed up for early seating and a 2 person table. Were going into it with an open mind and will see how it goes.

 

However our history with tolerating traditional is not good. On Holland America we went to 2 traditional meals (the first night and one formal night) but retreated to room service and the buffet for the other dinners. Sitting for two hours for dinner with folks that answered with one word when asked a question was just too much. Likely they were just as horrified as us by the experience.

 

On Celebrity we only got through one traditional meal and ordered the rest of the meals on a 10 day cruise from room service. I think we had a 2 person table so it wasn't the company but the pace of the meal. We were expected to go at the pace of all the other large tables even if we just ordered an entree and desert. We were also at the late dining which was much too late for us so we opted into room service which was very good.

 

I hope this was helpful on how dining at anytime works on other lines.

 

Best,

Michelle

 

Thanks Michelle, hope the RCCL anytime works as well as you've described above.

[SherriZ366]

You cannot just go and "try" the anytime dining on the Freedom. If you are on one of these test cruises, either your TA or RCI will contact you to see if you are interested in that dining option. If so, you must pre-pay your gratuities. I believe that it is to be 5th floor dining room for this option. Too bad for the rest of us who like to have the beautiful view from that upper tier. I will post when I return from my Oct. 14 cruise and advise whether this had an impact on the traditional dining experiece. My fear is that it will cause confusion for the waitstaff and kitchen workers which will have an adverse effect on the rest of us. We shall see.

Sounds like you like traditional also, hope your comment card will reflect strong support for this type of dining. and that you would include comments about what type of affect the open dining had on your traditional experience.

[jswrpw83]

Joan, I went into cruising feeling that way about the dining times, but my experience has been different from my pre-conceived notion.

 

*Time* is a much more frangible commodity on a ship. It just doesn't feel the same as it does when you are on land, at home, in your regular schedule.

 

Dining time is more about what you can do before and what you can do after dining.:)

 

I guess cruises work for so many different people because we all enjoy different aspects of what is offered. I don't go to the shows, so their schedule doesn't effect my dining choice. I really enjoy a relaxing meal that I didn't have to put any thought into and then I luxuriate with a small stroll and lots of reading time until it's time to pick up my DD from the teen program.

 

Interesting: I've never heard of the word frangible. I'll have to look it up. Learn something new every day on the CC boards :)

[jswrpw83]

Dear Just Joan (OP),

 

Were Platinum Princess cruisers and have done NCL also so can give you a description of how it works on those lines. Of course RCL will likely be a bit different so I can't necessarily predict how it will work with them.

 

For Princess it is very nice. Pretty much like going to a very nice restaurant but since their anytime dining rooms (for the ships we have been on) are very similar it doesn't much matter which one you go to. If you go early you walk right in. If you go late you walk right in. You can get a table with others or for just your party.

 

If you chose to eat with others they seat you with the others in line who want a large table. If it is not filled in minutes the waiters take your order. Generally I've had the tables fill right away or maybe one or two seats open. Once they take your order the table is closed. I have never felt like I waited for the table to close. It seems like they just get it seated right away.

 

If you go at the premium time you may be given a beeper. It is helpful to then go one floor down where the other anytime dining room is and likely you will walk right in. Alot of folks stop at the first one and don't check out the other. However, on a rare occasion we have had a 10 min. wait or so. But it is only when wanting our own table at a premium time. I've just wandered the stores until the beeper goes off.

 

If you are on your own (a solo traveler) you will likely want to sit with others. There is no problem with this and you meet nice people. Alot of people chose to sit with others to meet people. If you get someone that rubs you the wrong way it is only one night. You do not have to stay while everyone finishes desert if you didn't order any. Excusing yourself is just fine. The service is generally pretty quick. Some folks don't like that and others (like us) love it. Alot of traditional dining fans like 2 hour dinners and you would have to tell the waiter you want that type of experience which they are happy to provide as I've read on Princess threads that some folks prefer it that way, make their preference known, and are happy. Some people always request a certain table or waiter. You can reserve a table if that is what you would like. Sometimes people don't always get to reserve the one they want but not everyone can have the same table so it is pretty much like traditional in that sense (not always getting your preferred seating or the table by the window).

 

For NCL they operate it quite a bit differently. Each dining room is decorated differently. They pretty much all serve the same food on a given night but you feel like you are dining in a different restaurant each night. I loved it! We eventually picked the restaurant that had the atmosphere we liked the best and continued to go there. There are also several restaurants (free) that have a certain ethnic cuisine like Mexican, Japanese, Italian etc. They served the same menu every night but provided additional choice. This is my preferred dining experience.

 

I do not know if people were sitting with others on NCL. I never waited for a table but others may have. However there are alot of restaurants so you can go to another.

 

The ethnic restaurants tended to fill up with reservations. When you get on the ship you can make reservations for the entire week if you like. We just went to eat when we were ready.

 

The service on NCL was very quick. Some people don't like that and want 2 hr meals. If you let your preference be known the wait staff is very accommodating.

 

We have also cruised Celebrity and Holland America so have limited experience with Traditional. When we booked our first cruise I chose Princess due to the Anytime dining choice. The description of how Traditional works horrified me and I knew it wouldn't be for me. I think folks just know how their personality is and whether Traditional or Anytime works for them. So you will always have both types of people and neither is right or wrong, it is just a preference and what one group values the other might find a negative.

 

My upcoming cruise is my first RCL cruise. We are excited to try the line as it has a great reputation. However if I had not developed a special dietary need I would not be trying them. They are known to handle this dietary restriction well. NCL is the other line that does well with it. Our upcoming cruise fit our budget, timeline, location etc. So were giving it a try and we signed up for early seating and a 2 person table. Were going into it with an open mind and will see how it goes.

 

However our history with tolerating traditional is not good. On Holland America we went to 2 traditional meals (the first night and one formal night) but retreated to room service and the buffet for the other dinners. Sitting for two hours for dinner with folks that answered with one word when asked a question was just too much. Likely they were just as horrified as us by the experience.

 

On Celebrity we only got through one traditional meal and ordered the rest of the meals on a 10 day cruise from room service. I think we had a 2 person table so it wasn't the company but the pace of the meal. We were expected to go at the pace of all the other large tables even if we just ordered an entree and desert. We were also at the late dining which was much too late for us so we opted into room service which was very good.

 

I hope this was helpful on how dining at anytime works on other lines.

 

Best,

Michelle

 

Wow! Thanks Michelle for such a informative and helpful review. I appreciate your time and insight.

[Michelle1234]

Thanks Michelle, hope the RCCL anytime works as well as you've described above.

 

I hope so also. We've only been on ships built for anytime or freestyle dining. I've heard it is harder to make it work with those converted for the experience. However even if it has a few kinks I'm more likely to over look those so am rooting that it takes off. I read that Holland America is adding it also so that is another line that may be attractive to us as they apparently do special diets well. Alas, Princess's reputation for special diets is not the best and that has been the line we sail on the most due to anytime dinning and numerous freshwater pools.

 

Joan,

 

Glad it was helpful. Have fun on your upcoming cruise!

 

Best,

Michelle

[keep on cruisin]

Many posters have said they might five "Anytime" dining a try one night and report back. This is not a good idea at all.

 

If RCCL lets you change from your assigned traditional time to anytime, you will actually be changing the anytime dynamic. You are not supposed to be amongst the people choosing anytime dining, so while you are being seated, someone is waiting for you. If a whole lot of people decide that they can just go to anytime, that time waiting is increased.

 

This will make it not work. Hopefully, RCCL will do this correctly and not allow anyone who is not asssigned to anytime to go in that dining room.

 

Happy cruising,

David

[Brad1185]

My complaint about anytime dining is the poor service and long waits.

 

On NCL what should take less than 2 hours would drag out to 3 or more hours. The waiters were constantly going to and from the kitchen as their tables had people coming and going at different times.

 

Princess anytime service was way better than NCL but no where near the perfection of RCI or Celebrity.

 

Hopefully the experiment will fail so the RCI standards will not be dragged down as were NCL, Princess and HAL.