Anytime dinning

[N00B]

I really enjoy assigned dining. I like being assigned a table and getting to know the people I sit with. I usually request the largest table size as well. Having an assigned dinner time gives our evenings structure, the wait staff get to know your preferences and I have had very good luck with tablemates. Last cruise DH and i became quite good friends with all our table mates and are still in touch with some of them.

 

That said, this time we are opting for Anytime Dining. We have recently had a baby and our mealtimes often take MUCH longer as a result of juggling her, feeding her and other necessary ministrations. We really enjoy plated and served dining so the buffet or other casual options are not appealing to us. Normally we find that our tablemates tend to wait for the last person to be finished before leaving. We did not want to be rushed or to hold up dinner service in some way. As it was our table was usually one of the last to leave and if we had taken any longer I'd begin to feel bad for the staff. At the same time if we chose early dining I'd feel pressure to clear our table for the next seating.

 

We went with Anytime Dining so that if our dinner happens to take 4 hours, we only inconvenience ourselves.

[taymiss2]

Ever since my first NCL cruise, I never looked back - NCL FreeStyle all the way. However, I am now booked back on CCL- cruise was picked by someone else. I am torn on what to do about dining. You would think it would be easy to just pick ATD but we have a large group so am afraid the wait will be long for 7 people? Early seating is just too early so we are scheduled in late seating right now. Contemplating switching to ATD.

 

What to do, what to do? I don't like the idea of being tied to a set dining time but figured the shows are timed around the set meal times. I will probably go back and forth all the way until March.

[T. Advisor King]

Advantages of YTD (disadvantages of “traditional” seating)

- You can go to dinner when you are hungry, not when the clock says it is time for dinner

- As a result, you don’t need to plan your day around being hungry at a specific time

- The service tends to be faster and more efficient for a couple reasons. First, with traditional dining, they generally serve the entire table the same course at the same time. Your are typically stuck waiting for the slowest person. Second, the service staff don’t generally spend time trying to establish a “relationship” with you that might lead to a large tip at the end of the cruise. They just pleasantly take food orders, serve and get on to the next table as quickly as possible.

- You can miss the song-and-dance routine

- No chance of getting stuck with awful tablemates for the whole cruise

 

Advantages of traditional seating (disadvantages of YTD)

- You are guaranteed a seating time without having to wait in what could be a long line for a table. We have had hit (no more than 5 minutes for the whole cruise) and miss (always between 25 and 50 minutes during the first four days of the cruise) with waits for YTD

- You have the same wait staff for the whole cruise, which means (a) they will figure out and anticipate your preferences, and (b) you may get to know them better. Personally, I don’t put much value on (a) because I don’t have any preferences that I want anticipated

- If you have an open wine bottle saved from the previous night, they will have less trouble finding it. This was a major issue in the YTD dining room on our recent cruise.

- Generally more of an opportunity to meet and get to know tablemates

 

While it is often said that the service with traditional seating is "better", I think it depends on what you consider good service. I agree traditional seating is slower, more deliberate and perhaps more personalized. However, while I don't mind a long (> 1 hour) dinner once in a while, I still like a served meal (as opposed to a self-serve buffet) where I can get in and out without it taking out a long chunk of the evening. To me, speed is part of good service and more than offsets the extra pleasantries you get with regular wait staff.

 

I was very much a convert to YTD based on our experience on the Inspiration. But the speed and flexibility of YTD is completely lost if you have to wait 50 minutes to get a table. And if the way to avoid that is by "coming before 6:30 or after 8:00", then it really isn't your time dining.

Edited October 27, 2014 by T. Advisor King

[Lovefuninthesun]

While we much prefer Anytime/Your Time Dining so we can have dinner when it suits us, some love Traditional Dining so they'll have the same waiter and tablemates each night. :) We lucked out the first night and had an awesome wait team, so we asked for/were seated in their section every night. Interestingly enough, it ended up being the same diners each night who had also asked for the wait team -- so we had the same dining friends every night! :)

LuLu

 

Is there a wait if u do anytime dinningWe only waited one night and that was the first elegant night -- waited about 30", but just sat in the Lobby having a cocktail and listening to the live music

 

Just back from Liberty where we did YTD for the first time -- loved it!! See my comments in red. Thx