Freedom v sittings

Quick question.

Are people finding that freedom dining really means queueing to get in followed by v slow service. Or would I be better off getting first sitting with no queueing and they speed you through because they have to as second sitting are waiting to come in.

I am talking Arcadia in term time to the Fjords.

We always have 2nd sitting. Couldn't eat at 6.30!! I have only seen queues for Freedom dining for those that seem to want to eat at 6. The queues started at 5.15. Unbelievable.

We have first sitting, in reality by the time you are seated and the food starts to arrive it's more like 7pm. We did try second once but found it was 9pm before we were eating and that's just too late for us. I will be interested to read the responses to this thread because I am trying Freedom in November.

We always have 2nd sitting, table of 8. We like time between getting back from a day on shore to have leisurely bath/shower, hair wash etc. then relaxing with a drink before dining. We would find it too much of a rush if we had 1st sitting dining.

We enjoy getting to know our table companions and you don't have the first night conversations every night - where do you come from - have you been on this ship before etc. - which you would tend to have on Freedom Dining. We have now been on around 20 cruises since 2003 and we have never had a "bad" table. We are still in touch with some of the people we have met.

On our last cruise on Oceana we were having lunch in the main dining room and got chatting to a younger couple who had always had Club Dining but on this cruise they had booked late and were given Freedom Dining. They said to us, "Isn't the food on this cruise dreadful?" We were astonished as the day before we had been saying how good the food was. The couple told us that the food arrived on plates so hot that the sauce/gravy on them was sizzling round the edges as though they had been under hot lights or something. They also said they missed getting to know the waiters who always seemed in a rush. Now I know that some people love Freedom Dining and would always choose it. That's what's so good, that people have the choice. But for us it's Club Dining.

We are also still in touch with friends we made on a Table for 8 and also another single lady who joined our table. She and I have become very close friends and we now always cruise with her.

Agree that by the time you have got back from ashore or finished sunbathing etc. we are ready for a bit of TV, shower, change, drink in the bar.

We always have freedom dining as we prefer a table for two, we usually get a pager and have about half an hour wait, we factor this in so as we like to eat around 8pm we go to the restaurant about 7.15 and then go for a drink in the Glasshouse. On Aurora we didn't have to wait long at all and had to take our drinks into the dining room as we had only ordered them and were paged before the drinks arrived.

The service can seem a bit huried but you don't spend time waiting for water or your order to be taken as the server is not trying to do everything at the same time.

We like to take our time over our meal and linger over coffee and we have never been made to feel this was inconvenient.

Fiona

We usually dine around 7 to 8pm freedom dining and have never had to wait for a table, as we always ask for a shared table. We love to meet and dine with different people each night. On a couple of occasions we have people we really hit it off with and arrange to meet again on another night.

You will only have to wait with a pager if you request a table for two. We will not book early saver in case we don't get our choice of freedom dining. We would hate to have fixed sittings with the same people each night. Variety is the spice of life :D

annieuk

Totally agree with you. We were allocated Freedom dining on our last cruise but managed to change it once on board for table of 8 second sitting.

It turned out to be one of the best cruises we have done as we didn't stop laughing every evening. We were always the last ones to leave the dining room each evening as we were having so much fun.

Would hate a table for 2 as we enjoy the social aspect.

We have done Freedom/Anytime dining on Princess and P&O ever since the launch of Ventura and before that on Princess. Always ask for a table for 8 and have never queued for any longer than 5 mins and the service has never been any different than on fixed unless you are on 6-30 fixed where they do rush you to get you out before second sitting.

Quite often given a pager on Freedom dining (but that's because we like a table for 2) - normally wait 20 -30 mins max. We used to get a glass of wine while we waited. We normally got to the dining room 6.30-7pm. People happy to share were going straight in.

We like the freedom of being able to dine when we like or sometimes have a bigger meal at lunchtime and then just a lighter meal in the evening (when we'd go to the buffet or the Glasshouse) Also depended what entertainment was on each evening.

I too have always dined at late sitting and usually on a large table, and this what I prefer for many of the reasons already stated.

But just to recap the original post, simonpjd is talking about Arcadia which does not have a Glass House ( unfortunately!). It also does not have two MDRs like other ships, just two tiers and I am not (yet) convinced freedom dining on Arcadia is as efficient as it is reported to be on the larger ships.it has only been running a relatively short while on Arcadia. Just food for thought..😀

I too have always dined at late sitting and usually on a large table, and this what I prefer for many of the reasons already stated.

 

 

 

But just to recap the original post, simonpjd is talking about Arcadia which does not have a Glass House ( unfortunately!). It also does not have two MDRs like other ships, just two tiers and I am not (yet) convinced freedom dining on Arcadia is as efficient as it is reported to be on the larger ships.it has only been running a relatively short while on Arcadia. Just food for thought..[emoji3]

Good point! I may revise my thinking for November!

We had Freedom dining on Oriana last year and it worked like a dream, very efficient service, we couldn't fault it :)

The previous year we had been on Crown Princess and booked second sitting, that was a disaster as freedom and traditional shared a dining room and we had to walk past a queue (they were not happy !!) every night and were challenged (every night !!) at the door by an over zealous assistant head waiter.Dinner was stressful and not pleasurable :( - we used the buffet a lot !

Off on Island Princess soon watch this space .... ;)

We had Freedom dining on Oriana last year and it worked like a dream, very efficient service, we couldn't fault it :)

The previous year we had been on Crown Princess and booked second sitting, that was a disaster as freedom and traditional shared a dining room and we had to walk past a queue (they were not happy !!) every night and were challenged (every night !!) at the door by an over zealous assistant head waiter.Dinner was stressful and not pleasurable :( - we used the buffet a lot !

Off on Island Princess soon watch this space .... ;)

Oriana has two separate dining rooms....

With Arcadia, the entrance to the upper tier is separate so there isn't the same issue as on crown princess by the sound of it.

I get the impression that the main issues for freedom dining are that if you want a table for two, you will have to wait and because you may have different wIters every night you don't build up that rapport that you do with set dining. It's really a matter of personal choice! But we had brilliant waiters and lovely food (nearly always ) hot and tasty on Arcadia in July on set dining.

Whatever you decide, I shall be very envious as I would love to be on her again when you are!

I have to say our only experience of freedom was on Azura to try it out. We lasted 1 night. We both did not like it the staff were fine but we found it 'busy' sounds daft but there was so much movement it was hard to relax. On top of that we had the only poor table in all our cruises. After that we just ate in the other venues, not the buffet. We only chose to do it as we were on Azura with plenty of alternates. We may have another go on Britannia in a year or ten. Second sitting table for 8 rules OK.

Ok thanks for replies so far. We are going in a party of four. If we did freedom would it make it tricky to catch the evening show. Would we likely to be finishing dinner when the show starts, as the show is timed to start soon after first sitting ends.

We want it to work well, two of our party have never cruised before and we want to make their first time as good as possible. Last thing we want is to have to queue for dinner, get slow service and then miss the show.

Maybe we would be better getting first sitting. Thoughts?

Freedom means go when you like so if there's something you want to do or see, go earlier enough to do it. We were a group of 4 on Oriana and asked for a table for 4 if we wanted a quicker meal otherwise we shared with others. We love Freedom dining.

Ok thanks for replies so far. We are going in a party of four. If we did freedom would it make it tricky to catch the evening show. Would we likely to be finishing dinner when the show starts, as the show is timed to start soon after first sitting ends.

We want it to work well, two of our party have never cruised before and we want to make their first time as good as possible. Last thing we want is to have to queue for dinner, get slow service and then miss the show.

Maybe we would be better getting first sitting. Thoughts?

First sitting if available to you is my preferred option. If you are allocated the Freedom Dining Option; my plan would be to get in between the two fixed sittings as a quite early second sitting time. This would in my view facilitate a good chance of attending the "second showing" of an theatre production (all shows have two showings per night) and beating the genuine second sitting people to the better theatre seats. If it looks crowded on arrival to theatre as often happens when a lot of indecisive people all stand about chatting and waiting for the rest of their groups, blocking up the rear of house. Go down a deck to deck 6 and along the fire exit route emerging near the front of house and walk up the tiers! On port days you would not be as rushed as might be the case as first sitting patrons returning from a shore excursion. If you are first sitting again; in my view, late starting or long shore excursions might be problematic but to get round this "upgrading" to the special pay extra restaurants on that/those nights is an option to consider. You will know which nights they are based on what shore excursions you book.

Regards John

I too have always dined at late sitting and usually on a large table, and this what I prefer for many of the reasons already stated.

 

But just to recap the original post, simonpjd is talking about Arcadia which does not have a Glass House ( unfortunately!). It also does not have two MDRs like other ships, just two tiers and I am not (yet) convinced freedom dining on Arcadia is as efficient as it is reported to be on the larger ships.it has only been running a relatively short while on Arcadia. Just food for thought..😀

Having said that, our experience of Freedom on Arcadia was our best ever. Table for two every night, straight away. Maybe it depends on the cruise and the varying demands of other passengers? We love the Glasshouse, and are frequent visitors when on Azura, despite booking Freedom, where we find Freedom Dining a bit hit or miss.

annieuk

 

Totally agree with you. We were allocated Freedom dining on our last cruise but managed to change it once on board for table of 8 second sitting.

 

It turned out to be one of the best cruises we have done as we didn't stop laughing every evening. We were always the last ones to leave the dining room each evening as we were having so much fun.

 

Would hate a table for 2 as we enjoy the social aspect.

You were fortunate to get a good bunch, but it could just have easily gone the other way, it's pot luck. You could have ended up on a table full of miserable moaners and been stuck with them for a fortnight. It happens with freedom dining but only for a single night. If we hit it off we can easily arrange to meet again. We met a great bunch on one cruise and all arranged to meet for pre drinks again in glass house next night and went to MDR together and asked for table of eight. They virtually had to chuck us out at the end of the evening

I agree with your view on table for two in the main, but we like one or two evenings at most, in the specialty a-la-carte restaurants

You were fortunate to get a good bunch, but it could just have easily gone the other way, it's pot luck. You could have ended up on a table full of miserable moaners and been stuck with them for a fortnight. It happens with freedom dining but only for a single night. If we hit it off we can easily arrange to meet again. We met a great bunch on one cruise and all arranged to meet for pre drinks again in glass house next night and went to MDR together and asked for table of eight. They virtually had to chuck us out at the end of the evening

 

I agree with your view on table for two in the main, but we like one or two evenings at most, in the specialty a-la-carte restaurants

Well we have over 25 tables of 8 so we must be very lucky as we have never had a bad one. Met many great people. I find people are more likely to moan and complain if they know you are not going to be with them all the time.

Freedom every time,

Have never had to wait more than 5 mins,

Service no different to when we have been on fixed dining,

Standard of food no different than when we have been on fixed dinl

ng,

You choose the time you want to eat and your size of table,

a no brainer !!!

To give a view from a newby, we had an early sitting on Oriana last year on our first cruise and was allocated a table of 4. The people we were with were pleasant enough but we found the time of 6.30pm a bit stifling in terms of flexibility.

On our next cruise a few months later they had introduced Freedom dining on Oriana and so we went for that. We like to come and go when we wanted, not when they wanted, and could choose a table for two if we wanted. Most of the time we had to wait for a pager for the smaller table but that wasn't a problem. If we were particularly hungry then we opted for a larger table. Sometimes a bit dismal but also sometimes (and twice in particular) where we just couldn't stop laughing the whole meal.

Horses for courses. We decided to book Freedom dining for our next two cruises for the flexibility, but I can certainly see why many others like the club dining.

The only thing which worries me about Freedom dining when cruising alone is that I have had the experience at lunch of couples saying they don't want a single person at their table (bloody rude I know!)

I have had various tables on club dining for 6, 8 or 10 as a solo cruiser and always had a really good experience except for one old buffer who was easy to avoid as it was a 10 and I just sat as far away as possible.

I don't especially want to sit on my own at a 2 top in Freedom dining as I'd rather share and talk to others. but fear that might be forced upon me..

The only thing which worries me about Freedom dining when cruising alone is that I have had the experience at lunch of couples saying they don't want a single person at their table (bloody rude I know!)

Absolutely unbelievable! [emoji52] You would always be welcome to dine with us if you could bear it [emoji38]