New to NCL

[shofer]

We are booked on the Pearl and I am having a hard time convincing DH that freestyle requires booking reservations at the alternate restaurants as soon as we board. He says it's his vacation and he doesn't want to stick to a schedule. I tried telling him that from reading these boards we will be stuck in the MDR for the whole cruise, to no avail.

 

What are the chances of getting into the alternate dining places after a few days aboard?

[bakerintn]

Unless you are booked in a suite, you will not be able to book the specialty restuarants for the whole cruise. I think inside cabins get 24 hour time period, balconies and mini-suites get 48 hours in advance.

 

You can probably count on getting reservations 24 hours in advance or less, but maybe not at your "perfect" time. We have been able to get in to what we want by reserving during the day for that evening ... others report being successful just walking up and asking if there is something available "now". A lot will depend on your individual cruise, and you can't control that.

 

Don't build up a sweat over this!!

[veggie59]

On our last cruise in March we had to book our alternate dining options a day before we dined.....not at the beginning of the cruise. I think that the rules may be different from ship to ship. We sailed in March on the Jewel.

[Terrafreaky]

We've gotten in on the spur of the moment & have also made same-day reservations. The Pearl has TV screens that show the seating availibility at all of the restaurants.

 

In our experience, the restaurants that seem to constantly be full are Teppenyaki and Cagney's. But it also depends on your fellow passengers.

[Zeno]

We are booked on the Pearl and I am having a hard time convincing DH that freestyle requires booking reservations at the alternate restaurants as soon as we board. He says it's his vacation and he doesn't want to stick to a schedule. I tried telling him that from reading these boards we will be stuck in the MDR for the whole cruise, to no avail.

 

What are the chances of getting into the alternate dining places after a few days aboard?

 

You can't reserve ALL your alternate restaurants as soon as you board anyway - I am not sure what the timeframe is but you can only book an alternate restaurant something like 24 or 48 hours ahead of time. And the rules are different for suite passengers. I hope someone who knows will clarify this.

 

That being said you really should book your alternate restaurant ahead of time - say if you want to dine at one on Tues, book it on Monday.

 

However and just to confuse things, it is NOT impossible to book the "day of" or even to just walk-in some night (If there is space they will take you - However note empty tables does NOT mean there is space - if a table is booked 1/2 from when you appear with no reservation, they are not going to give it to you - it is reserved.) You are more likely to get a "last minute" seating at an alternative restaurant if you are flexible. For example, you walk up and ask if they have any tables and they say no but they will have one in an hour - reserve it then unless you are starving. We once did just that.

 

Also dining only in the main dining rooms is not a fate worse than death - on our second NCL cruise, we did that and were happy.

 

Have a good cruise!

[uppitycats]

We are booked on the Pearl and I am having a hard time convincing DH that freestyle requires booking reservations at the alternate restaurants as soon as we board. He says it's his vacation and he doesn't want to stick to a schedule. I tried telling him that from reading these boards we will be stuck in the MDR for the whole cruise, to no avail.

 

What are the chances of getting into the alternate dining places after a few days aboard?

 

No, freestyle doesn't really require booking reservations at the alternate restaurants! We simply walked up, asked to be seated, and were. Just once we had to wait a half-hour. Another time we were told that nothing was available, so we just tried a different one, and were seated immediately (and came back to the other one the next night.)

 

We're like your husband -- we don't like to stick to a schedule (if we did, we'd cruise on a line that had traditional dining!), and we like spontaneity. Nothing like having a drink late in the afternoon, and discussing where to eat that night!

 

The main dining room fare really isn't all that awful, either, should indeed you decide to go that route!

[2Cruise4Ever]

Technically speaking, you really don't have to make reservations at any of the specialty restaurants at any time. But, if you want to eat during prime time, then it helps. On our last Dawn cruise last month, we made same-day reservations with no problem. One of them was literally less than 2 hours away from the time we wanted to eat. So, really, you're both right. If you have your heart set on a specific restaurant, then pick one night and make the reservation 1-2 days before-hand. Otherwise, just relax and enjoy!

[Clay Clayton]

Not to beat a dead horse, but all the above posters are correct. We usually only book ahead of time for special occasions. Last year on Jade, we only made reservations ahead of time for a birthday dinner for me and a traveling companion. Otherwise, we would perhaps have a plan for dining but we stayed flexible. If we were having a great converstion in the bar before dinner, then why ruin it to run to dinner....we never had to wait but on our trip due to the busy port days, it seemed to be an early dining crowd, whereas we usually didnt eat until 8 or later. So my suggestion is to compromise, isn't that what a good marriage is all about anyway? Pick one or two nights ahead of time, and decide when and where you are going to eat and make the reservations 24 or 48 hours ahead of time...the rest of the time, go with the flow!

have a great cruise!

[newmexicoNita]

We are booked on the Pearl and I am having a hard time convincing DH that freestyle requires booking reservations at the alternate restaurants as soon as we board. He says it's his vacation and he doesn't want to stick to a schedule. I tried telling him that from reading these boards we will be stuck in the MDR for the whole cruise, to no avail.

 

What are the chances of getting into the alternate dining places after a few days aboard?

 

We have only had one restaurant where we had problems: Tayenakis (spelling) that is because they only have 3 seatings a night an space is limited. Other than that if you are at all flexible with your dining times you should be fine. You will want to make them the day or or day before though. In some cases you can just show up and get seated, It is like your favorite specialty restaurant at home, it might work, it may not.

 

Nita

[ALBE]

First up ... Hi Clay (one of the posters above - we have known each other for many years!) ;)

We just returned from a 12 night Baltic Cruise on Norwegian Jewel - our 4th NCL cruise in the past 2.5 years. For the most part, I vote with your husband. On the 12-night cruise, I booked reservations for four dinners - each of which was for 18 people all dining together (2 at specialty restaurants, 1 for the first formal night after having pictures made, and 1 for my husband's surprise birthday party).

You can only book reservations for the same day or the day ahead anyway, and unless there is a huge group / special occasion, I wouldn't be bothered. We NEVER had to wait to be seated (nor did anyone else in our large party), whether we ate in small groups or even all together on a couple other occasions. It's so nice to not have to go to dinner at a set time, why spoil it by locking down every night? Half the dining room is kept available for walk-ins anyway, so it's not like they run out of tables and besides, with the electronic boards telling you seating availability, you can always select a different restaurant if the one you were thinking about is full - go there another night. Two families in our group even made last minute reservations for specialty restaurants (like a couple hours before dinner) and had no trouble getting what they wanted.

Have a wonderful cruise, and enjoy your dining flexibility!

Janet

[mypleasure]

We were on the Pearl a couple of weeks back. We ate 5 nights in the speciality restaurants. We only booked once. That was on our wedding anniverary so it was special. All other nights we just checked the screens and went where there was availability and we fancied it. We tend to eat after 8PM.

[shofer]

Thanks to all for such encouraging information. Looks like we will have a stress free vacation after all. DH is insufferable w/"I told you so". I may be speaking to him before we leave. LOL!

[terrymtex01]

Thanks to all for such encouraging information. Looks like we will have a stress free vacation after all. DH is insufferable w/"I told you so". I may be speaking to him before we leave. LOL!

 

As others have said, the only issue you may encounter is with Cagneys and Teppanyaki. Especially Teppanyaki. I just want to stress that so you know what to be prepaired for. If you want one of those two on a certain night, you will most likely have to book in advance. Other than that, you will have no issues. Here is the key. No matter what comes your way, short of the ship sinking, god forbid, on a cruise be sure and go at it with the attitude of making lemonade out of lemons. We have been on seven cruises and I can assure you something went wrong on all seven. Or at least did not go according to plan. It is just up to you to turn it around and make the most of it. Planning ahead of time is a good thing, like you and I seem to do. Doug and I usually plan a cruise down to the smallest detail. Just be ready to change your plans if the need calls for.

[ruffs]

I haven't cruised on NCL yet, but I've read so many post here in the last few weeks about this I just want to add on thing I've read to the advise posted above - it seems that the most popular time to eat is right before the shows, that it might be hard to get in at those times.

[Markanddonna]

Hi,

 

The Alaskan Pearl itinerary makes any prediction a bit uncertain as far as dining times and availability. Sometimes for Teppanaki there were 7 seating times, one other 2 (Victoria) but mostly 6 seatings. That was the hot restaurant. They also have "beepers" you can carry around the ship to wait for an opening.

 

Personally, we rarely did anything besides Summer Palace. I loved all my meals there and the service was very good to excellent. It was well paced. Dennis, the hotel officer, told us to just ask for quick service if you were going to a show and we would be accommodated (go to your Cruise Critic meeting to meet officers).

 

You will love the Pearl! I took pictures of all my foods and the menus for memory sake.

Connie

[Cruise Raider]

We are booked on the Pearl and I am having a hard time convincing DH that freestyle requires booking reservations at the alternate restaurants as soon as we board. He says it's his vacation and he doesn't want to stick to a schedule. I tried telling him that from reading these boards we will be stuck in the MDR for the whole cruise, to no avail.

 

What are the chances of getting into the alternate dining places after a few days aboard?

 

We've sailed on the Sun and were able to walk right in on several occassions, however, our ship was not sailing at capacity. We actually found the food and the service in the MDR much better than in the specialty restaurants. Yes, it was fun to try...but no, this time around, wouldn't try them again.