Norwegian Freestyle vs Princess Anytime

[barb-ottawa]

We went on our first cruise in March - Norwegian Dawn - and loved it. My husband is not the "sociable" time so we chose Norwegian because of the freestyle dining, i.e. the ability to eat when we wanted, by ouselves. We also wanted a more casual atmosphere - no dressing up. We would like to cruise again and I would like to try other cruise lines. How does the Princess's anytime dining compare to freestyle? Does my husband have to wear a jacket and tie with Princess? Appreciate your comments re the differences between the two cruise lines.

[NeurosurgeryNP]

I can't comment specifically on NCL, but with anytime dining works similar - you can pick traditional seating on Anytime dining (AD). The dress code is the same for either depending ont he dress code for the night. Depending ont he length of your cruise, there will be usually 2 formal nights, and gents are asked to wear a suite and tie at minumum and aome even wear tuxes. On Cruise casual nights, a poloshirt or shirt and tie without a coat, dockers, slacks, etc are OK. The dress code states no shorts in the dining rooms at dinner, however you will have some that show up in shorts.

 

With AD, you can request a table for 2 by your selves, usually with a minimal wait (there are many discussion on the AD on this forum - just look), or you can join a larger group if you'd like and meet differenct people each night. They will take a certain percentage of reservations for a specific time for the AD dining rooms, not on the first night of the cruise though.

[DANofNORTH]

Yes, Princess have formal nights (2 on a 10 day cruise) but no, you don't have to dress up if you go to the buffet on those nights.

 

We have been on a couple of Princess cruises & for the 1st time we are going to go flex dining. We also do not want to do the formal thing. Been there .. done that .. fun a few times but we need a break. Besides the new airline luggage rules are getting nasty!! :eek:

 

So we will opt out of the formal night hoop-a-la this November & yes I understand the formal nights apply to the flex dining room as well.

 

We'll do the buffet or the balcony meal in our room that night. :cool:

 

I hope this helps.

[soccerref]

We went on our first cruise in March - Norwegian Dawn - and loved it. My husband is not the "sociable" time so we chose Norwegian because of the freestyle dining, i.e. the ability to eat when we wanted, by ouselves. We also wanted a more casual atmosphere - no dressing up. We would like to cruise again and I would like to try other cruise lines. How does the Princess's anytime dining compare to freestyle? Does my husband have to wear a jacket and tie with Princess? Appreciate your comments re the differences between the two cruise lines.

 

I have sailed on both NCL (not Dawn though) and Princess. 'Anytime Dining' is similar to 'NCL Freestyle' in that you go to the restaurant when you choose and can be seated with others or on your own as you choose. The dress code on Princess is a bit more traditional but your husband should be fine in smart casual. The main difference between the two lines is that NCL offers a much wider range dining options especially on the newer NCL ships. My personal preference will always be NCL, given that most other things are the same, as we prefer several alternative places to eat and the different styles of food but don't be afraid to try Princess. The product is good.

[paul929207]

On Princess, the same dress code applies to Traditional and Anytime Dining. On formal nights, if you do not want to dress up, you can go to the buffet or order room service.

[jpg1747]

Despite the inference in NCL's latest commercial, you can get a table for 2 with traditional dining. You do not have to sit with others, no matter what kind of dining you prefer - traditional or alternative.

[cruisinbuddy]

Which ever you choose, there'll be a line up to get in. I like the traditional dining. You just walk in.

[amy417]

Although the idea of freestyle is the same as anytime dining is it safe to say that Princesses dress code is a little more demanding? We like NCL because the freestyle applies to dress as well as dining. We lso love the variety of venues.

 

But we have decided to try Princess again. Can some one speak to the difference in dress codes between NCL and Princess.

thanks

[SactoSteve]

I've sailed both NCL Dawn and Golden Princess and really prefer Princess. While the variety of dining venues on the Dawn offered many more choices than the Golden, I felt the quality of the food was just better on Princess.

 

We did the Anytime Dining on the Golden and the longest we had to wait was less than 5 minutes. Generally we walked right in. On the Dawn, we were in one of the Owner's Suites (what an incredible cabin!!) so the Concierge made reservations for us. The wait was always longer, even with reservations.

 

I totally understand the desire to avoid a suit & tie. It's much easier to avoid on NCL but I'll trade a night or two of minor discomfort to get the better quality food and service.

 

But overall, if you were happy on NCL, you'll probably be happy with either cruise line.

[karatemom2]

Although the idea of freestyle is the same as anytime dining is it safe to say that Princesses dress code is a little more demanding? We like NCL because the freestyle applies to dress as well as dining. We lso love the variety of venues.

 

But we have decided to try Princess again. Can some one speak to the difference in dress codes between NCL and Princess.

thanks

 

The main difference is that NCL has made formal nights optional in the dining areas, while on Princess passengers are expected to adhere to the formal dress requirements in the dining rooms on formal evenings. The following is from the Princess website:

 

Onboard Attire

 

Princess makes it easy to know what to pack and what to wear when you're dining onboard. There are two designations for dress codes: Smart Casual and Formal.

 

Smart Casual Evenings:

• Passenger attire should be in keeping with what would be worn to a nice restaurant at home. Inappropriate dinner wear such as pool or beach attire, shorts, ball caps and casual jeans (with fraying and/or holes), is not permitted in the dining rooms. Shoes must be worn.

Formal Evenings:

• Evening gown, cocktail dress, or elegant pant suit for women
  
• Tuxedo, dark suit or dinner jacket and slacks for men
  

 

This by contrast is an excerpt from the NCL website regarding dress codes (or lack thereof):

 

Freestyle Attire:

 

One of you wants a little glamour and you-know-who wants to wear khakis. Can this relationship be saved? No problem. Thanks to our policy of, well, no formal policy, you can be elegant one night and casual the next. It's called resort casual and it's a lot more comfortable than wearing a tuxedo.

 

I think that pretty well sums up the difference.

[jnmrlk]

I have not sailed Princess yet but it is on my "choice" list for our family cruise next year (we will need 6 to 8 cabins and the ages will range from 18mos to the 60's - yikes!!!).

As you can imagine every-one wants and needs will be different - here's my questions - we have prev. sailed NCL before their freestyle dining is nice but I found the service lacking, not only did you wait to get seated but all the times that we ate we always had long waits for drinks and food - a couple of times we asked for refills or an extra condiment or something and never got it.

On our last cruise we gave up and finished the cruise in the buffet (by that time all the pay places to eat were full) - which was okay but nothing special.

So (finally a question!!!) how does Princess compare with their anytime dining - should I be prepared for the wait or is the general consesus that Princess was better or worse?

Can we combine our dining options - some nights traditional and some AD - and if we are a large party is it likely that we will be able to get a large table or should we know now that it is likely to get split into say tables of 8 or tables of 12 - Thanks for any help you can give me - we will probably choose to sail out of NY - (or relatively close - within driving distance to NY).

[karatemom2]

So (finally a question!!!) how does Princess compare with their anytime dining - should I be prepared for the wait or is the general consesus that Princess was better or worse?

 

We have cruised with both Princess and NCL and in my opinion the Anytime Dining on Princess is superior. It is much more like traditional dining, but with your choice of dining rooms and at the time you choose. NCL is more like a loosely spread bunch of restaurants with the best requiring extra fees and reservations. We find Anytime Dining on Princess much easier to navigate. We don't have a problem with waits, the service is excellent and the food is superior, without having to pay an added charge.

 

Can we combine our dining options - some nights traditional and some AD

 

Technically no. You are supposed to choose Traditional or Anytime and stick with your choice. Some have reported having success switching back and forth on occasion, but most who switched mid-cruise found they were unable to return to Traditional.

 

 

[bburns]

Be prepared for a wait on Princess.

 

In our recent May cruise, after having problems getting into anytime dining the 1st day, I resorted to reservations. They wouldn't allow us to make reservations until 8am each day and reservations could only be made for that day. I called right at 8am, was put on hold for quite some time, and then once the live person finally answered, was told all tables were taken until 8:15pm. This happened on more than one day.

 

We went to the dining room at 5:30 (when it opened) and were turned away until 8:15pm because we didn't have reservations. To be able to see the show, we had no choice but to go to the buffet. It was formal night. Do you think the buffet was serving lobster? No. So, Princess turns me away from Anytime dining and then won't serve me the same meal, which I paid for.

 

Its not a matter of starvation. Its a matter of being able to do the other things you want to do on that cruise. If they won't let you in anytime dining until 8pm, you can't go see the 8-9pm entertainment. That was a part of my cruise purchase price, I ought to be able to go see it. You could wait for the really late entertainment at 11 to midnight, but when the ship is scheduling shore excursions for 6/7am the next day, its not a viable option.

 

Its just all wrong. Make anytime dining really any time. As I said, I've sailed with Princess alot. Anytime dining started out good, but its been going downhill and now, ugghh. Reservations are not any time.

[amy417]

Mary...thanks for the dress code information. As far as food quality goes, we are very easy to please. Also we are not tied to certan wait staff. But my husband truly hates to dress on his vacation for dinner. He will never do formal night and his idea of Smart Casual would be khakis and a polo shirt. Will this suffice. Or will we be frowned upon? We are doing 3 weeks B2B and I want to make sure we will be happy. We are already worried about the mattresses:eek:

[karatemom2]

Mary...thanks for the dress code information. As far as food quality goes, we are very easy to please. Also we are not tied to certan wait staff. But my husband truly hates to dress on his vacation for dinner. He will never do formal night and his idea of Smart Casual would be khakis and a polo shirt. Will this suffice. Or will we be frowned upon? We are doing 3 weeks B2B and I want to make sure we will be happy. We are already worried about the mattresses:eek:

 

Khakis and Polo shirt are fine for Smart Casual evenings, just not for formal nights. If you are concerned about the mattress, just make sure to request an eggcrate topper. It really made a big difference for me on our last Princess cruise. I've heard you can have your TA fax in a request in advance, but we just asked our room steward right away when we got to our cabin and he had it on for us that evening. Three weeks B2B sounds awesome, have a great time!!

[cmarshall9]

My DH will not dress formally on a cruise or anytime, but he loves Princess over NCL. On formal night, he wore Dockers, a polo shirt and blazer with deck shoes and he felt fine about it. NCL would not let us into the dining room on formal night with that outfit, but Princess didn't blink.

 

The food quality is much nicer and we had no trouble getting good service on board Princess. We felt the food on NCL was just o.k. and service was not so good. One breakfast we waited 45 minutes to get a basic breakfast order served and the turn away at the dining room didn't help either.

 

We were very happy with anytime dining on Princess because DH is kind of an independent guy and wants to go to dinner when he wants to go, whenever that is on any particular night. We did have to wait because we only wanted a table for two - at most 15 minutes - and usually spent that time in the local bar with a pre-dinner cocktail or glass of wine watching people go by. It was a very enjoyable time for us.

[cruisemom42]

We are doing 3 weeks B2B and I want to make sure we will be happy. We are already worried about the mattresses:eek:

 

 

The mattresses have all been replaced according to staff. On our recent (5/26) cruise, they were much better than they were a year ago.

[chrisbd1]

My DH will not dress formally on a cruise or anytime, but he loves Princess over NCL. On formal night, he wore Dockers, a polo shirt and blazer with deck shoes and he felt fine about it. NCL would not let us into the dining room on formal night with that outfit, but Princess didn't blink.

 

.

I don't understand this. There's no formal night. It's called Dress Up or Not Night. He was wearing resort casual, which is acceptable every night, in every dining room.

[cmarshall9]

I don't understand this. There's no formal night. It's called Dress Up or Not Night. He was wearing resort casual, which is acceptable every night, in every dining room.

 

We were trying to get into the main dining room and the maitre'd just wasn't having any of us. We figured that it was his problem and we moved on to the more casual dining room where we usually had breakfast. We were disappointed because we had eaten in the main dining room on sailing night - probably because it was more casual that night and they didn't mind the dockers - and had really enjoyed that experience.

 

It didn't ruin the cruise, of course, but there was definitely a different feel with Princess which we thought would be more stuffy but didn't turn out that way at all. They were very gracious in comparison.

[amy417]

I don't understand this. There's no formal night. It's called Dress Up or Not Night. He was wearing resort casual, which is acceptable every night, in every dining room.

 

 

I agree. I can only speak for the NCL Dawn. My DH had no problem any night going into any dining room including the premium restaraunts. He always wore khakis and polo shirts ( much to my chagrin on Dress Up night in Le Bistro). He was never stopped confronted or made to feel out of place.

 

BTW thanks for the info about the mattresses.

[chrisbd1]

We were trying to get into the main dining room and the maitre'd just wasn't having any of us. We figured that it was his problem and we moved on to the more casual dining room where we usually had breakfast. We were disappointed because we had eaten in the main dining room on sailing night - probably because it was more casual that night and they didn't mind the dockers - and had really enjoyed that experience.

 

It didn't ruin the cruise, of course, but there was definitely a different feel with Princess which we thought would be more stuffy but didn't turn out that way at all. They were very gracious in comparison.

 

I'm not picking on you, I guess I'm still confused about the dockers. There is No Formal Night. Dockers are fine in every dining room, every night for dinner. There are no shorts or jeans allowed in the more formal dining room after 5pm however. Assuming your husband wasn't wearing Docker shorts, there shouldn't have been a problem.

[cmarshall9]

I understand there shouldn't be a formal night, but this particular maitre'd wouldn't let us in and DH was in long pants. They were cotton khaki - not jean material. We were surprised and it colored our perception of NCL as a result. As I mentioned, we wanted to have a good time and we did, but we felt the love more on Princess than on NCL.

[OnMedic]

Be prepared for a wait on Princess.

 

In our recent May cruise, after having problems getting into anytime dining the 1st day, I resorted to reservations. They wouldn't allow us to make reservations until 8am each day and reservations could only be made for that day. I called right at 8am, was put on hold for quite some time, and then once the live person finally answered, was told all tables were taken until 8:15pm. This happened on more than one day.

 

We went to the dining room at 5:30 (when it opened) and were turned away until 8:15pm because we didn't have reservations. To be able to see the show, we had no choice but to go to the buffet. It was formal night. Do you think the buffet was serving lobster? No. So, Princess turns me away from Anytime dining and then won't serve me the same meal, which I paid for.

 

Its not a matter of starvation. Its a matter of being able to do the other things you want to do on that cruise. If they won't let you in anytime dining until 8pm, you can't go see the 8-9pm entertainment. That was a part of my cruise purchase price, I ought to be able to go see it. You could wait for the really late entertainment at 11 to midnight, but when the ship is scheduling shore excursions for 6/7am the next day, its not a viable option.

 

Its just all wrong. Make anytime dining really any time. As I said, I've sailed with Princess alot. Anytime dining started out good, but its been going downhill and now, ugghh. Reservations are not any time.

 

woo...woo...woo... hold that boat! Are you saying anytime dining is just not that!? there are times throughout the day you CAN'T dine?

[OuiOnboard]

I've sailed both NCL Dawn and Golden Princess and really prefer Princess. While the variety of dining venues on the Dawn offered many more choices than the Golden, I felt the quality of the food was just better on Princess........But overall, if you were happy on NCL, you'll probably be happy with either cruise line.

We too have done both ships and we too think Princess offers the better quality food.

[chrisbd1]

I understand there shouldn't be a formal night, but this particular maitre'd wouldn't let us in and DH was in long pants. They were cotton khaki - not jean material. We were surprised and it colored our perception of NCL as a result. As I mentioned, we wanted to have a good time and we did, but we felt the love more on Princess than on NCL.

 

I'm sorry if I'm being persistant, I'm not doubting your experience, it just makes no sense to me. Again I say-There is NO formal night. What did the maitre'd say? Did he say that your husband couldn't come in because your husband was wearing khaki's? Or that there were no tables for your party? The latter can make sense, depending on the size of your party. I cruised twice in 07 on NCL and there was always a Dress Up or Not night. Never a Formal night. Was everyone else in the dining room dressed formally? No Formal Night, is part of the whole Freestyle concept. It's just strange that one would suddenly show up.

 

I actually see that you cruised on NCLA, which is different from NCL. Be that as it may, I'd actually think that there'd be even less a chance of a "Formal Night", in Hawaii.

 

Sorry if I'm being a pest :o