Best dining option for a family?

[m15terroboto]

Hi all, we are a family of four looking at our first cruise in August 2015, we will be travelling with my cruise regular parents.

They are advising us to go fixed dining as they do, although reading about it, this may not be our best option (and we have been doing a lot of reading!).

Our kids will be 13 & 11 at the time of travelling, we like the idea of fixed dining but are unsure whether this will be too formal, if we do not like it can we change or are we just best off selecting anytime dining?

With it being main season will the anytime dining be busy?

Thanks in advance.

[Cruising Golfer]

First time, try main dining, if you don't like it you don't have to go to the M.D.R.

Your parents will be happy you tried...:cool:

[wassup4565]

Fixed dining takes time. You order and are served at least three courses, and there is never a feeling of being rushed. With little kids, I think it would be too challenging to sit patiently for more than an hour. However, with children the ages yours are, it's a great opportunity for them to learn how to dine well and enjoy a polite, pleasant adult meal. Many kids don't have a lot of opportunities to sit down at a table with linens and cutlery and glasses arranged just so, and carry on an enjoyable conversation.

 

It might be asking a lot to do that for dinner every night, however. Depends on your kids. But you could intersperse fixed dining with dinner in the buffet some nights. Just give the dining room waiter or maitre d' a heads up before dinner if you're going to the buffet.

[Marie51]

I have cruised several times with my children and now with my grandchildren. We do just fine in the dining room. We usually do early seating (6pm) as this is the time we eat at home and we sort of like to keep on that schedule. The waiters bend over backwards to keep you happy. The dining experience is wonderful.

[Essiesmom]

Fixed Dining, and Anytime dining are the same experience. The only difference is that with anytime, you don't have to report to the dining room at a specific time. You will still be served three to five courses by waiters. The more casual experience is in the buffet. EM

[cb at sea]

Fixed or traditional seating is no more "formal" than MTD...with traditional, you KNOW what time to head to dinner, and your table is waiting for you. With kids, early seating is better for the evening kid's activities.

 

On a 7 nighter, there are 2 "formal" evenings....some or all of you could choose to skip those evenings, if you want....you don't have to wear tux and gown, you know!

 

If you choose MTD, and the kids want to go and do the stuff in the evening, you'll have to schedule your dinner around them.

[Sauer-kraut]

You might find your kids will want to hang at the kids clubs or do activities when you are scheduled to dine, so you might have to take them up to the buffet for a quick meal so they can get back to the fun!

 

I'd book the traditional dining to be with your parents and play it by ear, the kdis are big enough to manage a meal with family, but don't expect that every night.

 

Have a fun cruise!

[m15terroboto]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

After a quick deliberation we have decided on anytime dining as we think this will give us the best of all worlds.

Before we could change our minds we have booked our first cruise eek!

Never booked an holiday this far in advance in fact we do not go on this years until Monday!

So the countdown has started, just the 374 days to go :)

[COMBOY]

Hi all, we are a family of four looking at our first cruise in August 2015, we will be travelling with my cruise regular parents.

They are advising us to go fixed dining as they do, although reading about it, this may not be our best option (and we have been doing a lot of reading!).

Our kids will be 13 & 11 at the time of travelling, we like the idea of fixed dining but are unsure whether this will be too formal, if we do not like it can we change or are we just best off selecting anytime dining?

With it being main season will the anytime dining be busy?

Thanks in advance.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "too formal." Whether you have fixed or anytime it's the same dining room, but how and when you are seated. With Fixed you have the same table and wait staff throughout the cruise at a pre-set time - either early or late. With Anytime it's just like a restaurant - you go into the restaurant at the time you wish to dine. You are seated with just your party or with other people (if you like to share) at whatever table is available. (There might be a wait time depending how busy it is.) There are certain evenings where the dress code is "formal" and that applies to both Fix or Anytime dining. Maybe you are assuming that with Anytime dining you don't have to dress formal and that is not the case. If you do go with Fixed dining and you wish not to dress formal - you can eat in the casual lido restaurant or one of the specialty dining rooms. But formal does not mean wearing a Tuxedos or long evening gowns either. A coat and tie for the gentlemen and nice dress for the ladies is perfectly fine. Just keep it simple, but nice. One of the benefits of fix seating is you get to know your wait staff and they get to know you - this is what makes cruise ship dining great...the attention to service and detail. With Anytime you are at the mercy of whatever wait staff you get and how busy the dining room is. There could be a wait and the service could be slower depending upon how busy the dining is especially during peaks times. Sometimes dining can drag on too long especially if you want to hurry up and get to the show. The only time you should select Anytime is if you want complete flexible with when and with whom you wish to dine. It's really just a matter personal preference. I think Fixed dining is generally better when you are traveling with kids and older folks.

[Marie51]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

After a quick deliberation we have decided on anytime dining as we think this will give us the best of all worlds.

Before we could change our minds we have booked our first cruise eek!

Never booked an holiday this far in advance in fact we do not go on this years until Monday!

So the countdown has started, just the 374 days to go :)

 

The others are correct....whether fixed time or anytime dining you go to the same place and dress the same way. With anytime you get different waiters every night but with fixed you get the same ones the entire cruise.

Just be aware.....last year when we did anytime dining we made reservations for 7pm each evening so we ended up eating at the same time all week....our choice. When we were arriving for dining one evening (about 7) some other people who did not make reservations were told the earliest they could get a table was 8:45. So sometimes you may have to wait and it could be a long time.

[Calgon1]

I'd recommend you go with fixed dining, table for six. This would provide everyone, especially the 11 and 13 yos, the opportunity to do something together, as a family. During the day, everyone will be going in a dozen different directions, at the same time. The kidletts in particular will be hanging with all their new friends at the youth center.

 

If it turns out that family dining isn't working, you can always do the anytime dining. You don't have to cancel your table. There are going to be plenty of other dining venues also. And, there will be (at least one, if not two) dinner events just for the children (pizza party, birthday party, etc.) and they'll be off doing that on those evenings.

 

So, go with "fixed". You are not forced to eat only at that arrangement . . .

[paul929207]

There is really not a "best". it is what works for you and your family.

 

The dress code will be the same for anytime dining and traditional (fixed) dining

[OCruisers]

There is no difference at all in formal dress, etc. between Traditional Dining and Anytime Dining.

We like Anytime ... but if you want the teens to know when they have to meet you for dinner every night, you might consider Tradition Dining.

LuLu

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Your parents are right ...

[Cruisin' Chick]

I'm not sure what you mean by "too formal." Whether you have fixed or anytime it's the same dining room, but how and when you are seated. With Fixed you have the same table and wait staff throughout the cruise at a pre-set time - either early or late. With Anytime it's just like a restaurant - you go into the restaurant at the time you wish to dine. You are seated with just your party or with other people (if you like to share) at whatever table is available. (There might be a wait time depending how busy it is.) There are certain evenings where the dress code is "formal" and that applies to both Fix or Anytime dining. Maybe you are assuming that with Anytime dining you don't have to dress formal and that is not the case. If you do go with Fixed dining and you wish not to dress formal - you can eat in the casual lido restaurant or one of the specialty dining rooms. But formal does not mean wearing a Tuxedos or long evening gowns either. A coat and tie for the gentlemen and nice dress for the ladies is perfectly fine. Just keep it simple, but nice. One of the benefits of fix seating is you get to know your wait staff and they get to know you - this is what makes cruise ship dining great...the attention to service and detail. With Anytime you are at the mercy of whatever wait staff you get and how busy the dining room is. There could be a wait and the service could be slower depending upon how busy the dining is especially during peaks times. Sometimes dining can drag on too long especially if you want to hurry up and get to the show. The only time you should select Anytime is if you want complete flexible with when and with whom you wish to dine. It's really just a matter personal preference. I think Fixed dining is generally better when you are traveling with kids and older folks.

 

I agree with this description. If those in your group tend to be impatient, then traditional is great. You know that when it's your assigned time, you go to the dining room, sit at your table and place your order. With anytime, you may or may not have a wait. So we find it easier to plan our evening knowing that we will be eating at a specific time. Many of the shows are presented twice so that those with early dining can go to the later show, if desired, and those with the later dining, can go to the earlier show. We can get a mid-afternoon snack to tide us over. With anytime, if it happens that a large number of anytime diners want to go at the same time as you, you could have a wait (our one time with a.d. we did have a 20 minute wait once and with some other times on that cruise, we ended up sitting with passengers whose order was already time -- awkward).

 

Another thing is that your kids might decide they aren't into the scheduled activities. Take them the first night to meet the other kids in their groups. Princess will have a day-by-day schedule in your cabin for the Shockwaves group (the 11-year-old) and Remix (your teen).

[EdmPair]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

 

(SNIP)

So the countdown has started, just the 374 days to go :)

 

 

Congrats. It will seem FOREVER for 11 months. Those last few weeks will be

torture trying to hit all the details. And the next moment, they are rushing you off

the ship.

:-)

M

[jammen]

Hi all, we are a family of four looking at our first cruise in August 2015, we will be travelling with my cruise regular parents.

They are advising us to go fixed dining as they do, although reading about it, this may not be our best option (and we have been doing a lot of reading!).

Our kids will be 13 & 11 at the time of travelling, we like the idea of fixed dining but are unsure whether this will be too formal, if we do not like it can we change or are we just best off selecting anytime dining?

With it being main season will the anytime dining be busy?

Thanks in advance.

 

You should have no problem with fixed dining, many times they triy to arriange the age groups. If you want to make a change see the maitre d'.

[donaldsc]

There is no difference in the meals or service between any time dining and fixed time dining except that you can choose your dinner time w any time dining. Since you are going with your family, I would go with the flexibility of any time.

 

Your parents are wrong.

 

DON

Edited August 20, 2014 by donaldsc