My time vs: Seated dining?

[twokey]

I thought that we would like the freedom of the MY TIME DINING on RCI. After reading some of the posts, however, I wonder if we might be missing out on some commraderie.

What are the "seasoned cruiser" opinions?

[penguinscott]

It's like asking people chocolate or vanilla. I personally like fixed (second sitting) dining. Why?

 

I like having the same servers who get to know me and can anticipate my needs. It's a higher calibre of service than having someone new each night.

 

On my last cruise, we found a server we all loved and started asking for him each night. They came to know that we would come in to ask for him, but I guess he couldn't just sit around to wait for us, so there were nights we arrived, asked for him, and he was not available.

 

Also, with fixed dining times, you can just walk right in and head to your table. With open dining, you have to wait in line and be taken to a table. And then you're with different people every night, unless you find others to dine with and you go in a group. I travel solo often, so having to retell my story gets kind of old, esp. if you're on a 2 week cruise!

 

I like my evenings structured: Happy hour at 5; dress for dinner at 715; dinner at 8; entertainment in the theater; dancing in the night club; bed.

 

But many others like the flexibility of dining whenever they wish and don't mind the downsides I mentioned. I'm just happy that some lines offer both to make us all happy.

[paul929207]

Neither AD not TD is "better".For some the flexibilty of Anytime Dining is best. For others the benefits of Traditional are best. Pick which works for you

[Keith1010]

If you want to be seated with the same people on most nights and have the same waiter and table I would go with the fixed time. If that is not important to you then I would go with the anytime. Just remember with anytime there might not be tables available when you want one so you might have to wait for awhile.

 

Keith

[uppitycats]

We've done both, and will never go back to traditional or fixed dining. We love the flexibility, the choice of when we want to eat, and with whom. We'll often meet people on board that we enjoy, and will go to dinner with them. Or if we choose to eat by ourselves, that's possible too.

 

We've been on 3 different cruise lines now with flexible dining, and have never had more than a 10 minute wait to be seated, regardless of how few or how many we've gone to dinner with, so I don't think the waiting is all that major an issue. We've not tried to eat with more than 6 people, though..

[kazu]

I think penguinscott said it best - it's like comparing vanilla to chocolate.

 

It just depends upon what you want. Our table mates on the Maasdam stayed on the ship for the next segment and opted to give flexible (open, whatever) dining a shot. They reported to me that they will stick with fixed dining in the future.

 

Each to their own - we prefer fixed - but that's just us:) I like having the same waiters and wine steward

[cb at sea]

We enjoy having tablemates, so we choose traditional seating at a larger table.

[Steve_Red_Dog]

We enjoy all the "perks" of fixed seating others have mentioned, plus we thoroughly enjoy getting to know our table mates over the duration of the cruise. We always ask for a 6 or 8 top table to cast the widest possible net.

[John Bull]

With anytime you can enjoy the best of both.

 

Even with the world's best Maitre D, your tablemates are a bit of a lottery.

 

On a big table (8 to 10) on the first or second evening you'll doubtless be seated with at least one couple you gel with. So you can agree with them to meet up next evening before dinner & go to the restaurant as a foursome to join a large table. Adding others from that table to your foursome for the next evening. By mid-cruise you (and they) will have the equivalent of fixed dining (even reserving times if you like) but with hand-picked tablemates. Its worked well for us several times. And has put us on a nodding acquaintance with others we've shared with on other evenings.

But do ask to share with english-speaking !!!

 

JB :)

[gymbomb]

As others have said you should choose the one that fits your style best. We prefer flexible dining options and prefer to eat alone (or just with others traveling with us). We don't cruise to make friends -- although we are very friendly toward others -- and our needs/desires aren't the same each night so it's not important to us that our servers get to know us.

 

We also prefer our meals to be shorter, and a flexible dining option where we don't share a table with others makes this much easier to accomplish. If we only order salad we're not stuck waiting for our main course until 6 other people finish their soup and shrimp cocktail. Likewise, if we want to skip dessert we don't feel rude leaving the table early.

[caripoo]

After 25 plus cruises, we will never go back to traditional dining....!st seating toooo early, and the second traditionally tooo late...Love the flexability. We have made life long friends over the years from out traditional dining tables, but you can also make friends you choose to dine with on the cruise...You also can request and sit at same tables, and waiters each night if they are available...We like meeting new people..If you are going to keep cruising, try them both and pick which works for you....Happy Cruising:D:D

[Hlitner]

Let me tell you about an experience we once had on the Adventure of the Seas. It was a 7 day cruise out of San Juan and we had booked our normal late seating (we always requested a large table). We did get a large table (for 8) and the first evening we were the only 2 at the table. The 2nd night (formal night) we were again the only ones at our table. The maitre'd stopped over and said that he could not move us because the seating was full (we had a lot of Puerto Rican's onboard and they all love to dine late) but we would check on our tablemates. The 3rd night we were again alone (at our large table) and the maitre'd stopped over and said that the other 6 folks assigned to our table were all friends traveling together and apparently preferred to dine in the buffet. But they would not give-up their MDR seats in case they changed their mind. The 4th night the maitre'd actually sat with us at our table for about half the meal and that was the only time (in a week) that anyone else was at our table. That was also the last time we voluntarily seleced a fix dining. Now, we always choose an anytime dining option (we cruise on lots of cruise lines so its called different things on different lines) and always ask to share a large table. Every night we sit at a full table and quickly meet lots of different folks. We tend to take long cruises (our most recent was 62 days) and we find that after a few days we often end-up forming our own table with others we have met at dinner (and elsewhere).

 

Hank

[TracieABD]

I prefer assigned seating.

[wallie5446]

This is the ole, "is the glass half full, or half empty" question. We all pretty much beat to the same drum, just with a different cadience.

Our 1st cruise was in 1987, and we are 'stuck' on 2nd seating. We look forward to going to the speciality venues. On Ruby in Nov we can not wait to see if we can get to do the 'Chef's Table".

IMHO, you need to try ea type and see which feels and fits best for you. Now you know what that means``````you have to do more cruises!

 

Here is a link to a very good article here on CC about this very thought;

http://www.cruisecritic.com/blog/index.php/2012/07/24/at-sea-flexible-dining-take-it-away/

[Jimnbigd]

I like to attend the evening shows in the theater. Since these start at a fixed time, traditional fixed time dining works for me. Also for our spring cruises we have a group of 10. Fixed dining works better I think with a group.

[twokey]

Your responses certainly aren't unanimous. Therefore, I guess I'll just stick to what I have, the Anytime Dining. That way, we can join others when we want to.

I'm a big one for not commiting too soon. Hmmm. I guess I just gave away my gender.

It's not until December that I'm cruising. I've already picked a reservation time for our fist night on board. I guess we'll take it from there.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

Ya'll have fun, now, ya hear!

[geekybiker]

I've done both. Pros and cons to both.

+ Seated

Better service by far (Both because they get to know you, and that their tip depends specifically on you.)

Chance at making some lasting friends.

- Seated

Dinners can take awhile if everyone orders all the courses

Might miss the fancy dinner if you have early seating or just want to do something else at that time.

 

+My time

Sometimes you get in out quickly

New faces every night if you choose larger tables

Choice of time

-My time

Sometime you get forgotten completely- especially if you are a smaller table.

Harder to form a lasting friendship with new folks in a hour

Wait times to get a table at popular times.

 

In general I wouldn't take an early seated slot. You have to run back from port early and rush to change for it on port days. I think I'd take a late seating over my time though because the service gap is *HUGE* Like I get better service at Denny's huge. If you're traveling with a group instead of alone you might shift preference towards my-time. You'll get more attention and less worry about making friends on the ship.