Anytime dining

[Cruise Passenger]

O.K. explain to me about this anytime dining. We have always had either early or late seating. We are going on the Elation and I think they have this anytime dining. How does this work? I don't even know what I booked.

[Bonnie J.]

Sometimes you have to let them know if you are doing this. Then they will not assign you to a table at 1st or 2nd seating. You go between any time posted (Usually 5:30 tp 9:30) to the anytime dining room. You can ask for a table for two or to share a table. You will have different people at your table and a different waiter every night.

We don't like this. We like to get to know our tablemates and not have to ask for coffee or ice tea every night. We had tablemnates a few years ago and we have now taken 5 more cruises together and we are doing the same B2B in November. Three times they have driven from Flint, Michigan to our house on the NC coast then we drive together for a cruise. If we hadn't shared the same table with the same people we never would have made good friends!

[uppitycats]

O.K. explain to me about this anytime dining. We have always had either early or late seating. We are going on the Elation and I think they have this anytime dining. How does this work? I don't even know what I booked.

 

This is very simple. Think about a land-based restaurant -- you show up when the restaurant is open. The hostess (or host) asks "how many in your party". You're seated accordingly, handed a menu, the waiter appears to take your order, and you're eating dinner.

 

You don't have to rush to meet some artificial time set by the cruise line for dinner ("early" or "late" seating). You can eat with whomever you want: maybe you've met someone (or another couple) on board, and want to spend more time with them. None of this "we're early seated", you're "late", we'll have to split up and meet later"..

 

You won't have waiters pretending to know your preferences. Heck, I don't even know my preferences every night! Maybe I don't want coffee every night..or want to try something different on my salad than I had last night. And I certainly don't want to engage in "small talk" with waiters, asking them about their home life, or any of that.

 

The BEST part of anytime dining is that you don't have to wait on others, your "tablemates", to arrive. Nor will they have to wait for you. Or have to wait, wondering if they're going to show up, before being served dinner.

 

Nor do you have to engage in "small talk" with people you don't know, likely will never see again, and may or may not be compatible with.

 

You should check your documents, though, and see if you did sign up for either traditional or anytime dining. On most cruise lines you have to stay with what you signed up for, unless you can change it before you cruise (or on the first day that you board the ship.) Usually it's listed someplace in your documents, or at the very least, noted on your sign-and-sail card once you check in.

[sparky-elpaso]

Also, in most cases, if you want to eat at a specific time you can call ahead and make a reservation. If you find you like your waiter you should also be able to make the reservation for a specific table or area.

[bob brown]

Several cruiselines have changed their show schedule so that those with fixed early seating will see the later show around 9pm, and those with fixed late dinner will see the 7pm show before having their dinner.

 

With anytime dining, you can have dinner around 515 or 530pm, tell your server you would like to make the early show, and then usually have no problem making it.

[Treven]

I will ONLY do Anytime dining; and I always get a table for 2. I certainly don't want to spend dinner making small talk with a bunch of strangers that I have absolutely no interest in. Dinner is ME :D time; I'll sit and read through dinner or go back over that day's excursion.

My TA doesn't even ask me when I want to have dinner, she automatically puts me down for anytime dining, just like she automatically has the beds reconfigured as a queen size bed.