Anytime Dining on RCI??

[debgirl]

We have been on NCL with "freestyling" and we will never go back to NCL because of that. The service was terrible, never the same waitstaff, and sometimes they put you with the most obnoxious people. When we had horrible table mates, we would rush through our meal. Keep with the traditional dining times.

[Grayce]

I like the idea of the same wait staff and table mates. Hate the idea of waiting in line because the "anytime" I chose to dine was the "anytime" everyone else did.

[negc]

I would love to see anytime dining as an OPTION on RCL, as it is on Princess. That way, those who prefer traditional dining may choose that and those who want could choose the anytime dining. It in no way diminished the dining experience.....formal night was still dress up, even if you chose anytime dining. It's just that you ate in a different dining room. Since RCL has multi-deck dining rooms, they could designate one deck anytime dining and the other(s) traditional.

Unfortunately, on Princess there are usually long waiting lists for those who want traditional dining and can't be accommodated. When Princess has three dining rooms they automatically designate two of them for anytime dining even when they know in advance that switching the designation to: one anytime and two traditional would better fit the desires of that particular cruise. Secondly, many, though not all, Princess passengers report difficulty getting a table or even a reservation if they choose to eat between 7:30 and 9:00 pm. In such cases, the slogan should read "eat when and where we want you to" ;)

I don't see anything especially stressful about knowing what time dinner is. More stressful, in my mind, is wanting to eat at a specific time and learning that there are no tables available at that time and you will have to wait half an hour or more. My wife drinks tea with milk, never coffee, and having the same waiter means that she doesn't have to mention again after our first meal in the dining room.

[madforcruising]

Another NO, Nada, No way, ...... from here. I could quote most of the above posts as they speak so out of my heart. DON´T CHANGE IT ( I wanted to shout this out;) )

[hdawson]

I think the suggestion has been asked and answered.

[FLACRUISER99]

YES YES YES:D :D :D I love NCL,s Freestyle. Never had to wait more then 5 Minutes on the Spirit. Just returned from the Coral Princess Alaska and never waited on her either. Maybe all you traditionalist should go someware for vacation that tells you when to wakeup, go to sleep, and what to eat, This is my opinion so feeel free to FLAME.:eek:

[awm]

My family and I were on NCL's Majesty during Christmas week of 2003. I must say that Freestyle Dining was not what I expected. It sounds good mind you but it was very crowded, the waitors don't know you as you have different ones every night, and you miss out on meeting tablemates.

Sounds better than I thought it was.

[negc]

YES YES YES:D :D :D I love NCL,s Freestyle. Never had to wait more then 5 Minutes on the Spirit. Just returned from the Coral Princess Alaska and never waited on her either. Maybe all you traditionalist should go someware for vacation that tells you when to wakeup, go to sleep, and what to eat, This is my opinion so feeel free to FLAME.:eek:

Why bother? You do it so well. :D

[madforcruising]

YES YES YES:D :D :D I love NCL,s Freestyle. Never had to wait more then 5 Minutes on the Spirit. Just returned from the Coral Princess Alaska and never waited on her either. Maybe all you traditionalist should go someware for vacation that tells you when to wakeup, go to sleep, and what to eat, This is my opinion so feeel free to FLAME.:eek:

 

Why should I flame you, I already know where to go, a cruise line with traditional dning like RCCL or X. I leave all NCL for you.:cool:

[johnql]

Yes. I love being able to dine when, where and with whom I choose. No need to rush following a late excursion. Or eating when I'm actually hungry, or when it fits my schedule. All good things.

 

I understand why others prefer traditional - fixed times, no lines (altho I have never had to wait more than a few minutes to be seated), same wait staff for more personalized service, and possibly tablemates who become friends. But to me, it's not enough to offset the freedom of NCL's Freestyle or Princess's Anytime Dining.

[negc]

Yes. I love being able to dine when, where and with whom I choose. No need to rush following a late excursion. Or eating when I'm actually hungry, or when it fits my schedule. All good things.

 

I understand why others prefer traditional - fixed times, no lines (altho I have never had to wait more than a few minutes to be seated), same wait staff for more personalized service, and possibly tablemates who become friends. But to me, it's not enough to offset the freedom of NCL's Freestyle or Princess's Anytime Dining.

 

Very well put. That's why there are different lines that appeal to different people. The lines that are most successful are going to be those that don't try to be everything to every person. I understand the appeal that anytime dining and freestyle has to some people, and only wish that some enthusiasts would more realistically portray the pluses and minuses of these options. Not everyone who chooses these options is able to "eat when and where they want" especially if they want to eat at a popular time, but for those who can be flexible it seems to work quite well. NCL seems to have made some adjustments so that if there is a delay in seating at one of their restaurants, diners can see by means of video monitors if another venue has immediate seating available. That to me is a positive improvement. My only real complaint about Princess' system, which would seem at first glance to be the perfect solution, is their apparent inflexibility in designating how many dining rooms should be traditional and how many should be "anytime" when there is a preponderance of requests from their passengers for one or the other.

[abridalmaven]

:( If it turns into a NCL wannabe I am never sailing it again, freestyle stinks!

[hdawson]

I'm sure alot of loyal Royal Caribbean cruisers would switch to another line.

[Ericknow32]

I'm sure alot of loyal Royal Caribbean cruisers would switch to another line.

I would. But were do we go?

[AngieBaby161]

I just got to thinking.......With the way RCI is handling their customer relations these days...I would not be suprised to see, that even though 66% of their travelers do not want freestyle dining, that RCI will now change this policy also. :D

[Andipanda1]

NO WAY !!!!!!!!!!

 

Sums up my feelings exactly.:p

[TonyaJune]

:eek: NO:eek:

[egh170]

NO!! If I wanted to go to a restaurant I would stay home and save the money. Part of the uniqueness of a cruise is the formal nights and going to the dining room. It seems some people are just to lazy to dress up and want the majority to conform to their wishes.

[karen_g]

I have to admit, one of the things I do love about Princess is the Personal Choice dining. As another poster mentionned, two of the dining rooms have traditional fixed-time seating and the third is for those who opt for the Anytime Dining. I like having that option and wish RCCL would consider it too. I notice that the results of the poll are now showing approx 1/3 of the participants like the idea, so I would imagine that having 1 of the 3 dining floors (on the larger ships) used for Anytime Dining might work. Each party could decide which style works best for them. And even if you opt for the Anytime Dining, you could sit with other people if you would like to meet new people, or you could ask for a table just for your group. I feel that my vacation is extra-enjoyable if I don't have to be on anyone's schedule but my own. And if I have to wait for a few minutes for a table (5 mins is the longest I have waited on 2 separate cruises on Princess), that's fine.

[PhinsAndGills]

Like it just the way it is! :)

[roe2ship]

NO!! Part of the uniqueness of a cruise is the formal nights and going to the dining room. It seems some people are just to lazy to dress up and want the majority to conform to their wishes.

On Princess, formal nights remain the same, not sure why you think they may be any different with anytime dining. I believe it is NCL that has the formal option.

5 mins is the longest I have waited on 2 separate cruises on Princess

Same here and we always went at very popular times between 7:00 and 8:00. I believe it is when you have a larger group (8 or more) is when you possibly may have a wait.

[trish1c]

I enjoyed my Royal Carribbean cruise but resented the fact that somebody told me when to eat & where to sit. I also wasn't initially thrilled with the idea of sitting with strangers but ended up enjoying my table mates.

 

When I took my 1st cruise on NCL I loved Freestyle & it is my preference. Many of my family member will not sail on any other line.

 

I do miss the lounge around the smoke stacks & the Rock Wall on RCI. I'd love to try some of the other activities but if I have to eat when somebody else wants me to, I'll stay off RCI.

 

As for getting to know my wait staff, once I found a server I liked, I asked for that person & was always seated in their section so I did have the same waiter every night who knew my preferences.

 

There are no other choices if you don't like traditional seating. Buffets in the windjammer are not dining IMO. I also shouldn't have to spend more money on the specialty restaurants.

 

I haven't sailed on Princess but having a choice can't be bad. BTW, you can ask for tradional seating on NCL & you will be given a dining time, table & server. It's not about "dumbing down" a cruise. It's also unclear how someone who opts not to follow the crowd can, by that decision alone, be labled "dumber" than cruisers who prefer traditional dining.

[negc]

I have to admit, one of the things I do love about Princess is the Personal Choice dining. As another poster mentionned, two of the dining rooms have traditional fixed-time seating and the third is for those who opt for the Anytime Dining. I like having that option and wish RCCL would consider it too.

Unfortunately, I think you have Princess' allocation of dining rooms between traditional and anytime, backwards. Two of the rooms are for anytime and only one for traditional, even when the numbers of passengers requesting each are the exact opposite. That is why there is always a long waiting list for traditional and my major complaint about Princess' Personal Choice dining program. :(

[negc]

 

As for getting to know my wait staff, once I found a server I liked, I asked for that person & was always seated in their section so I did have the same waiter every night who knew my preferences.

 

I haven't sailed on Princess but having a choice can't be bad. BTW, you can ask for tradional seating on NCL & you will be given a dining time, table & server. It's not about "dumbing down" a cruise. It's also unclear how someone who opts not to follow the crowd can, by that decision alone, be labled "dumber" than cruisers who prefer traditional dining.

 

I agree with you that having a choice can't be bad, but Princess doesn't really give everybody the choice and always seems to place a large number of passengers, who requested traditional dining, on anytime dining because the way they allocated the dining rooms didn't allow them to accommodate many who requested traditional. On a Princess cruise that four (certainly not a large and unwieldy number to handle, of our friends recently took, they were not allowed to reserve the table or waiter that they requested, and could not reserve in advance the time they wanted to dine.

I understand that there are those who wish to have more flexibility in their dining arrangements and would never denigrate their preferences.

I do, however, have a problem with cruiselines who want to make their product more like a land-based vacation by departing from those things which make a cruise a special type of vacation.

[stoneharborlady]

I agree with you that having a choice can't be bad, but Princess doesn't really give everybody the choice and always seems to place a large number of passengers, who requested traditional dining, on anytime dining because the way they allocated the dining rooms didn't allow them to accommodate many who requested traditional. On a Princess cruise that four (certainly not a large and unwieldy number to handle, of our friends recently took, they were not allowed to reserve the table or waiter that they requested, and could not reserve in advance the time they wanted to dine.

I understand that there are those who wish to have more flexibility in their dining arrangements and would never denigrate their preferences.

I do, however, have a problem with cruiselines who want to make their product more like a land-based vacation by departing from those things which make a cruise a special type of vacation.

 

 

This seems to be exactly the case with many, you are correct. It is a complaint often heard on the Princess board. People who want traditional, are on wait lists for it.