Anyone with experience with anytime dining?

[PatC]

Hi Bob

 

We haven't sailed together since Summit to Hawaii years ago. How are you enjoying retirement? John retired almost 2 years ago, me, I'm out next year, little earlier than my time but who knows what's going to happen in the future?

 

Thanks for update on this select dining. Cruisebunny is my dear DIL and, LarryS is a good friend also. Can't believe you were all on the TA together. Anyway, we've asked our TA to switch us back to traditional after reading your comments and Joan's. Why pick a time and end up eating at the late seating time, or later, anyway??? Seems nuts:rolleyes: So, we'll stick with our traditional seating and know that the table awaits.

 

We'll watch and see how it pans out on the smaller ships. Of course they aren't rolling this out on all ships at the same time so who knows what's going to happen.

 

Again, best to Garry and hope we get to sail together again soon.

 

Pat

[erms]

Like Bob, I too was on the Equinox TA. You hit the nail on the head. Going with Select dining consider it a restaurant where you walk up and ask for a table then wait. Save yourself the aggrevation and "do not" let me repeat do not leave the hostess site. If you need a drink ask a tablemate to get it for you and drink it there. Otherwise you may be forgotten.

 

Esther

[floridafolks]

There is no ability to alternate between Select and Traditional on Celebrity if you opt for Select.

 

For us, we had pre-selected 6:30 and 7:30 pm dining times depending upon what ports we were in or not it as we prefer to dine early. In our cabin when we boarded was our dining itinerary as we had arranged on line pre-cruise and as I had indicated we had no issue with our selections; at times we chose to dine later and had no issue being accommodated.

 

I am uncertain what options exist for guests who decide along the way they do not care for the Select dining option and wish to dine instead under the traditional dining plan in the MDR. Perhaps over time some will be able to comment with personal experience if they decided to change during the cruise.

 

 

 

Actually I was wondering about the reverse of the above. We have traditional late seating dining and wondered if we could use the anytime option on occasion. I know on Holland America that those with fixed seating could call each morning for a flex time that evening if they wanted.

 

Has anyone had experience with that on Celebrity? I thought it might be different with the required prepay gratuity that Celebrity has on the flex time dining.

[PatC]

From the threads I've been reading, since we were trying to decide what to do, no, you cannot switch once you pick. If you're traditional, you stay there and can't switch to Select, or visa versa.

 

They really need another system or at least take some time to perfect this one. It sounds as if it was implemented way to quickly and is very confusing. Maybe they should perfect this on one ship and wait on the others. The staff takes the pressure and the complaints when it's the higher ups who implement these new ideas. We've always had such wonderful service and pleasant experiences, especially in the dining rooms, so I hope this whole new system doesn't take much away from the experience.

[bob278]

Pat,

 

How are you? I didn't quite make it to retirement. I have been doing contract consulting with my former company ever since we left Atlanta in 2007. But the hours are only part-time and I can deal with it. The unplanned income helps fund our cruising addiction.

 

If you have a group of 6 or less and want to go around 7:00, your odds are pretty good. But by 7:30, almost all the tables are occupied and most won't come free until at least 8:00 or later.

 

Give our regards to John and the rest of the Posse.

[FinelyCruising]

Cheryl,

 

It wasn't a perception. If you went in early there may have been no line but if you try to go at a time that I would consider a "select" choice you will definitely wait. Going at 6:30 or 8:30 serves no purpose and you might as well have traditional dining. Trying to go at a time that most people like between 7:15 to 8 is a problem.

 

Parties of two to four will also be much more successful than larger parties.

 

Joan -

 

There was a distinct purpose in taking this option. I dislike the cattle call of MDR seating with masses of people lined up and waiting in the port to starboard swath of the dining lobby areas for the moment the doors open no matter what of the two times are selected. I hope as long as I cruise I don't ever have to eperience that environment for the sake of being on time dinner again. Missing that starting gate atmosohere with Select was a very important benefit to the new option for us to in order to have a beginning to a much different dining experience.

 

There were times we did not dine until 7:30 - 8:00 on an at will basis in Select enjoying the flexibilty of the venue and I still can't comment in an unfavorable fashion. We were aware that others had been waiting before us and there were clearly tensions and I was embarassed to be in earshot, we don't have hunger pangs, we eat in such a way that we are not ravenous at dinner time, which I think makes some unsettled when they wait for a bit and have not.

 

I am not sure how long you were waiting so I can't begin to truly understand, we were content to be willing to be accomodated at a variety of tables, and not with a preference to be at the same table each evening with the same staff, so our fluidity matched the openings of the tables in the venue and it worked for us. Had we wanted the same table and staff, we would have needed to be the first diners, I feel, to ensure that, and that idea was not part of what we wanted or needed.

 

We will continue with this dining option as long as we do not find it is over-booked and can't accomodate guests without a terribly long wait. I think at most we waited about 15 minutes on a busier time for a table. If they told me a half hour, another Chocolate Martini would have been fine with me to kill some time.:D

 

I am sorry to hear that it was not a good experience for you, there was an obvious quantity of larger tables but it seems that the larger groups lingered a bit more and created the back-up for availablitly for those that followed.

 

It's still a new option and over time this will probably get better with some constructive feed-back from those who had the greatest difficulty in the early stages with timing and staffing as you had.

[Ma Bell]

We had thought in the beginning that we would like to have the same table and waitstaff but it became obvious that that would not work so we became very flexible. It didn't matter, we still waited at least 30 to 45 minutes every night. We even went in early to give them our names and ask how long it would be. They would tell us ten minutes and it would be at the very least 30. They would even tell us the night before what time to come and we had the same problem when we arrived. No one minds waiting a little, but this was ridiculous. As Bob said we got a new promise every day and they just never delivered.

 

We made reservations before boarding the ship but they meant nothing. They took people without reservations before us and we just stood there feeling foolish.

 

We did enjoy the dining experience once we were seated and found the food and service to be very good.

[FinelyCruising]

We had thought in the beginning that we would like to have the same table and waitstaff but it became obvious that that would not work so we became very flexible. It didn't matter, we still waited at least 30 to 45 minutes every night. We even went in early to give them our names and ask how long it would be. They would tell us ten minutes and it would be at the very least 30. They would even tell us the night before what time to come and we had the same problem when we arrived. No one minds waiting a little, but this was ridiculous. As Bob said we got a new promise every day and they just never delivered.

 

We made reservations before boarding the ship but they meant nothing. They took people without reservations before us and we just stood there feeling foolish.

 

We did enjoy the dining experience once we were seated and found the food and service to be very good.

 

She wasn't much of a wizard...

[gisnered]

Joan -

 

There was a distinct purpose in taking this option. I dislike the cattle call of MDR seating with masses of people lined up and waiting in the port to starboard swath of the dining lobby areas for the moment the doors open no matter what of the two times are selected.

 

<snip>

 

I can understand your annoyance at the lineup outside the MDR. Hate it myself. However, the last few times we've cruised the Millie class ships we've just sat in the Rendezvous and had a cocktail while everyone lines up - even tripped the light fantastic a time or two. :) Once the doors open and the hoards have descended on their tables we get up and go to our table - in plenty of time so that we don't discommode our table mates. Works like a charm for us. In fact the last time or two most of our tablemates took to meeting us in Rendezvous for a cocktail and chat.

 

As far as I am concerned, it is the business of the restaurant’s Maitre ‘D to make sure that the table you reserved for 8:00 is waiting for you at 8:00. I will not wait more than five minutes for a table at any restaurant. If the table is ready when we arrive, we sit. If the table is not ready, we walk. Most of my friends have come to realize that this is a condition they must endure if I am to go out to dinner with them. I'm a pretty good cook, if I do say so, myself, so I've even taken groups home and whipped up a nice dinner on several occasions. And yes, in spite of this, people do ask me to join them at restaurants. They are forewarned of the possible consequences and seem to enjoy it as an adventure in dining with the terrible tempered Mr. G.

 

Needless to say I've reserved traditional dining, second seating, for my February cruise. ;)

[jackdiamond]

I hope that my assumptions are correct, but I believe, from what I have read that anytime dinning is the norm and, that it is no problem in Blu.

[VTSKIandCRUISEGUY]

Having sailed NCL a number of times with Freestyle dining, I can tell you that your enjoyment with anytime dining will be luck of the draw.

Sometimes you can get a table from 7:00 to 8:00 without a wait, and other times you'll wait forever.

It all depends on the number of people on board that cruise; the average age (older people tend to eat earlier); the ports and times that the ship leaves port; the particulars of the staff and cruisers on that cruise (slow or quick).

 

Two NCL cruises ago, I thought I'd had it with Freestyle dining, due to waits. Then we went on an NCL cruise this April, and it was fantastic.

 

That being said, since our alternative choice would generally be from 7:30 to 8:00, which will be the busiest time, I think we'll stick with traditional 8:30 dining for now.

.

[giggleykim]

We where on the Dream in November and tryed the anytime dinner for the first time in our cruise experience. We personally do not recommand this dinner to other people out there when there is a wheel chair involved. Having difficulty getting around a very busy full dinning room staff always wanyed to seat us by the door. Having the dog staff seemed to think that we should sit alone. Each night we had a longer wait then anyone else in line. Each night I ended up talking to the Maitre'D and he had us seated at the next availabe table with others in line. Staff seem afraid to want to work around absticalse. Passengers where happy to see a dog sleeping under the table.!!

[Oceangoer2]

We just got back on Saturday from the Equinox and had Select Dining. We made reservations in advance, on-line, for 4 people. We had no trouble at all. A few days into the cruise, we met an additional couple we wanted to dine with, and each evening, we just showed up at the same time with them and we were always given a table for 6. We never waited more than 5 minutes, and our service, without exception, was very good. Although we had indicated on our reservations that we were willing to share tables with others, we were always given a table for 6, of which there are quite a few.

 

Of course, our lack of waiting and problems probably stems from the fact that we had made reservations for 6:30 or 6:45 each evening; I'm guessing far more people would have showed up between 7 and 8, which would likely result in waiting.

 

In the future, I would have no hesitation in choosing Select Dining and would do so again if the traditional dining times did not mesh with our port schedule. We have been very fortunate with Traditional Dining in that we have always shared tables with fun, interesting people, so we're good with either choice. If I were travelling with a large group, I'd probably book Traditional just to ensure we could all be seated together, since, from other posts, it appears that Select works best for couples or small groups.

Hi Brenda...it's Carole from Riverbend in London. We're on the Equinox in Feb. and I'm wondering where the 'fixed' or 'anytime' tables are located? I've booked traditional dining and wouldn't like everyone coming and going around our table during dinner.