Can a guest refuse the concept of Freestyle Cruising?

[loveandcruises]

The last time I cruised with NCL was in 2003, just as Freestyle was getting started. At that time, we declined the whole freestyle concept and opted for the same dinner time with the same server in the main dining room every night. As such, we would skip the long line and ask the maitre d' that we were there for our 8PM dinner, and were escorted to the table accordingly. Can this still be done on NCL should we decide to cruise with them again? We are traditionalists and enjoy developing a special relationship with our waitstaff.

[weltek]

People on here have reported doing this, even in 2013, so I think you'll be fine. I think the key is picking an odd hour (8 sounds perfect) and speaking directly to the maitre'd on day one. It may not be as seemless as lines that still embrace traditional dining, but you hopefully you can get the same server at least most nights.

[hawkeyetlse]

On our last cruise, even without saying anything, we always seemed to get the same servers in each MDR, even though we switched back and forth unpredictably and went at different times every evening. I think maybe the computer tries to arrange this when you give your room number to the hostess.

 

Since they take reservations in the MDRs, I think they will be able to accommodate you. It amounts to making a reservation for the same table at the same time every evening, right? But I'm not sure if you can be guaranteed to have the same server(s) for the duration of your cruise.

[vols_159]

Won't be the same table and same wait staff.. You can make a reservation for large party's but that's all I've heard about .. The waiters move / work different dinning rooms different hours

[vols_159]

The last time I cruised with NCL was in 2003, just as Freestyle was getting started. At that time, we declined the whole freestyle concept and opted for the same dinner time with the same server in the main dining room every night. As such, we would skip the long line and ask the maitre d' that we were there for our 8PM dinner, and were escorted to the table accordingly. Can this still be done on NCL should we decide to cruise with them again? We are traditionalists and enjoy developing a special relationship with our waitstaff.

 

Ncl wait staff is one server there is other people who stop by and refill drinks but don't make small talk

[bob brown]

We love Freestyle...

That said, we sort of dined "Defacto Traditional"....what I mean by that, is we were always "early birds", and were lined up to get into MDR when they opened. We asked to be seated at the same table, same time every night of the cruise, and it was accomplished. We had the same server's, just as in 'Traditional'....

Then, a couple of years ago, all that changed....we could still get the same table each night at the same time, but now they were rotating table assignments for the crew. If we wanted the same crew, we would have to 'follow' them around to their new stations each night.

We were told that at first, crew stations were assigned by seniority, but then they changed it to be 'fairer' to all the crew....since the crew does not get any more pay for serving more meals, some of the stations required more work. For example, the window tables were always full, while other tables in less popular locations were mostly empty, except at peak times.

[Love my butler]

No.

[mpk218]

The last time I cruised with NCL was in 2003, just as Freestyle was getting started. At that time, we declined the whole freestyle concept and opted for the same dinner time with the same server in the main dining room every night. As such, we would skip the long line and ask the maitre d' that we were there for our 8PM dinner, and were escorted to the table accordingly. Can this still be done on NCL should we decide to cruise with them again? We are traditionalists and enjoy developing a special relationship with our waitstaff.

 

If you are looking for the 2003 experience , go with Celebrity . They haven't changed that much in the last 10 years . But remember to bring a tie for dinner . ;) NCL will let you book a set time , BUT its not going to be what you recall from 10 years ago.. Same waiter , same water boy , same cocktail server, same busboy , same Sommelier... Times have changed on "most" lines. In every life a little rain must fall ..

[Love my butler]

Same waiter , same water boy , same cocktail server, same busboy , same Sommelier...

 

Because of that list on NCL, all but one very busy waiter is left.

[mypleasure]

I sail on NCL because of freestyle. I love the convenience of going to eat when I want to eat and sitting only with the people I want to sit with. I accept that there may be times when I may have to wait a few minutes, longest has been 20 minutes, for my table to be ready.

 

I don't think I am happy that someone could waltz in after me and be seated because they reject the concept and want the same table, same staff, same time and have pre-booked this. We are all equal on board, or should be, so why should someone be entitled to special treatment over the other 2-4 thousand other folks on board that week? Traditional dining is available on other lines but not on NCL. It needs to stay that way or we will soon find that when we get to the dining room we have to wait an hour because all of the tables are pre-booked by "traditionalists" who got their own way. Thin end of the wedge right now but once people see it being done it will get more and more.

[debnjoe1438]

The wait staff also rotate dinning rooms. When on the Epic DH and I encountered a waitress we had seen on the Jewel a couple of years previous. Dinner she was in the Manhattan room and rotated lunch and breakfast. We went to whatever venue she was working in and requested her table. No problem there. (Of course no set time or table)

[lisakoivu]

Just by happenstance on the Dawn last year, we sat within the same three or four tables in Aqua every night, but we had a completely different wait staff every night, and I agree with the poster who said there's no small talk. They are polite, but you get in and you get out .... I didn't see any opportunity to bond with wait staff, they're busy and they MOVE! Same waiter is not something I look for in a cruise, but if it were important to me, I don't think I'd said NCL.

 

We sailed Carnival a couple years ago, hated it, but they had the whole sit at the same table with the same waiter. Food was such a "production" that we skipped the MDR after the third night, too much of a hassle. Then we were stuck with buffet options, which is the same food as MDR (so why wait two hours for it) but isn't open all that much. You've got to sail the line that has the services you want, I think, and NCL is not the place for the whole set time, same waiter thing. I wish the news were better and I hope you find something you're looking for in a cruise ...

[B6ConMe]

You've got to sail the line that has the services you want, I think, and NCL is not the place for the whole set time, same waiter thing. I wish the news were better and I hope you find something you're looking for in a cruise ...

 

Totally agree with this, it's not as if NCL is the only cruise line, however, it's the best for those of us who are NOT traditionalist diners.

 

Happy cruising

[Inuvikcouple]

I love sailing with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, etc. you know, all those old school traditional cruise lines. But now I want to see what all you NCL folks have been raving about so I think I should take a Norwegian Cruise Line cruise but only on one condition, I want it to be exactly like Royal Caribbean or Celebrity. That way when I report back with my negative review of NCL it will have been based on a level playing field.

 

Just saying :)

[UPGrandma]

We were on POA last summer and after 2nd night when we went to eat requested a table with "xxx" server and were accommodated. Did have to wait sometimes. Believe I saw where you could call each morning and make a reservation for your dining time. Not sure if you could request server then or not.

[shelly11]

NCL is freestyle. You can't really get around it. I've had the same server a few times without asking but it was just chance. You can make reservations in the MDR. If you don't like freestyle choose another cruise line.

[SeaShark]

Can a guest refuse the concept of Freestyle Cruising?

 

The last time I cruised with NCL was in 2003, just as Freestyle was getting started. At that time, we declined the whole freestyle concept and opted for the same dinner time with the same server in the main dining room every night. As such, we would skip the long line and ask the maitre d' that we were there for our 8PM dinner, and were escorted to the table accordingly. Can this still be done on NCL should we decide to cruise with them again? We are traditionalists and enjoy developing a special relationship with our waitstaff.

 

Yes...and your right to do so is supported by the 1979 Supreme Court Case of Jones v Broadway Catering Corp.

 

In this case, the plaintiff (Robert Jones) sued the owners of the popular NY nightspot Studio 54 (operating as Broadway Catering Corp). Mr Jones asserted, and the court upheld, that he had the right as a patron of Studio 54 to refuse the concept of dancing to music while alcohol was being served.

 

 

:rolleyes:

[che5904]

OP looks like you've gotten your answers, that the old days are gone. In my thoughts, thank goodness, but to each their own.

 

Hope you find a cruiseline that meets your needs and have a fabulous time.

[biker@sea]

The last time I cruised with NCL was in 2003, just as Freestyle was getting started. At that time, we declined the whole freestyle concept and opted for the same dinner time with the same server in the main dining room every night. As such, we would skip the long line and ask the maitre d' that we were there for our 8PM dinner, and were escorted to the table accordingly. Can this still be done on NCL should we decide to cruise with them again? We are traditionalists and enjoy developing a special relationship with our waitstaff.

 

Yes You Most certainly can .

I ask for Erikson .

He is My dear friend that served us many years ago on NCL Spirit and on 8 more cruises since then . I hope to see him again soon .

 

BUT ya still gotta wait your turn in line .;)

[Homosassa]

Yes, you can make a reservation for the same dining time with the same waitstaff every night. However, there are big strings attached to doing so. The reservation must be for dining before 5:45 PM (the traditional early seating time). You will follow your waitstaff around the dining room as their station changes every night.

 

Our experience has varied on setting up the reservations. On one ship, we could set a standing reservation on the first night. On another ship, we had to make the reservation each night as we left the dining room for the following evening. Once the maître d' realized that the reservation was to be our set pattern for the rest of the cruise, he put a standing reservation in for the rest of the cruise.

 

I am glad that NCL will allow the reservations. As the "Freestyle" concept is to allow passengers to enjoy dining as they wish, having a set dining time and waitstaff is the way some passengers wish to enjoy their dining experience.

Edited January 5, 2014 by Homosassa

[SeaShark]

 

I am glad that NCL will allow the reservations. As the "Freestyle" concept is to allow passengers to enjoy dining as they wish, having a set dining time and waitstaff is the way some passengers wish to enjoy their dining experience.

 

 

That said, isn't it a wonder why no land based restaurants follow this model that so many people "enjoy"?

 

 

You could probably make a KILLING by opening a restaurant where people have an assigned dining time, at an assigned table, with assigned table mates, with the exact same waitstaff (so they could "learn" to give them the same drink every night instead of checking to see if they might want to have something different). You could have an early seating, a late seating, and if you required formal wear twice a week people would be lined up for miles!

[KweezyCruiser]

That said, isn't it a wonder why no land based restaurants follow this model that so many people "enjoy"?

 

 

You could probably make a KILLING by opening a restaurant where people have an assigned dining time, at an assigned table, with assigned table mates, with the exact same waitstaff (so they could "learn" to give them the same drink every night instead of checking to see if they might want to have something different). You could have an early seating, a late seating, and if you required formal wear twice a week people would be lined up for miles!

 

I believe they have this at nursing homes and assisted living facilities. I'm not ready for that.

[vols_159]

Yes...and your right to do so is supported by the 1979 Supreme Court Case of Jones v Broadway Catering Corp.

 

In this case, the plaintiff (Robert Jones) sued the owners of the popular NY nightspot Studio 54 (operating as Broadway Catering Corp). Mr Jones asserted, and the court upheld, that he had the right as a patron of Studio 54 to refuse the concept of dancing to music while alcohol was being served.

 

 

:rolleyes:

 

And that matters why? For a foreign flagged ship in international waters ?

[SeaShark]

I believe they have this at nursing homes and assisted living facilities. I'm not ready for that.

 

Agreed. FWIW they also have this dining concept in prisons.

[SeaShark]

And that matters why? For a foreign flagged ship in international waters ?

 

I'm guessing by your questions that you missed the use of the ":rolleyes:" smiley?