Four fixed dining times?

[POA1]

Once upon a time, there were four fixed dining times. The upper and lower MDR had two seatings each. Does anybody happen to remember when this changed? I think that it was between 2004 and 2006, but I am trying to narrow it down.

[RMLincoln]

It was still in effect on our first HAL cruise 12/11/2006. Maasdam out of Norfolk. m--

[Ricktan]

Once upon a time, there were four fixed dining times. The upper and lower MDR had two seatings each. Does anybody happen to remember when this changed? I think that it was between 2004 and 2006, but I am trying to narrow it down.

 

I think that would be great! I know they call the 8 seating Main but seemed to me that I had to pick Early or Late :eek:

[OVgirl]

January 2010 on Noordam we had the open seating option.

 

Before that was Zuiderdam(TA), March 2008 and I think we still had both levels on traditional seating.

 

Don't know if all the ships switched at the same time.

[rkacruiser]

Never have experience 4 dining times for fixed dining. Would like to do so, however. The latest is almost a bit too late and the earliest is way too early. 7:45 or 8:00 would fit me perfectly.

Edited July 29, 2015 by rkacruiser

[RuthC]

Never have experience 4 dining times for fixed dining. Would like to do so, however. The latest is almost a bit too late and the earliest is way too early. 7:45 or 8:00 would fit me perfectly.

When there were two fixed dining times, they were set at 6:00 and 8:15.

I can't recall the two earlier times when HAL switched to four, but the later times were 8:00 and 8:30.

 

You might have been happier with the 4-choices set-up. Late upstairs would have been within your preference.

[rkacruiser]

When there were two fixed dining times, they were set at 6:00 and 8:15.

I can't recall the two earlier times when HAL switched to four, but the later times were 8:00 and 8:30.

 

You might have been happier with the 4-choices set-up. Late upstairs would have been within your preference.

 

Hi Ruth,

 

Late upstairs has always been my preferred place to dine. No matter what the time may be, I find the venue to be quieter and it more closely meets what I expect fine dining to be.

[POA1]

Thanks all! I kinda remember 6 & 8 with a 15 minute offset between the upper and lower dining rooms.

[OBX-Cruisers]

It was still in effect on our first HAL cruise 12/11/2006. Maasdam out of Norfolk. m--

 

I just happened upon your comment by serendipity............THAT was our very first cruise and the one that caused my cruising addiction after many years of resisting my wife's urging to try cruising.

 

Well the Maasdam cured me very well and we are now on our 24th cruise and will be going on a 20 TA on the Nieuw Amsterdam in October.

[sail7seas]

The many years when we sailed HAL prior to Anytime You Want dining, Main Upper Seating was always 8:15 P.M. EVery cruise we had that dinner assignment many, many times. :)

Edited July 29, 2015 by sail7seas

[Yaya&Papu]

From what I remember it was at half hour intervals.

Early early was at 5:45

Late early was at 6:15

Early late was 7:45

Late late was 8:15

 

Hope this makes sense as this is what hubby and I always called the times. We always chose the 6:15.

 

Don't remember when anytime dining started, but it was after the fall of 2006 because I know we had fixed seating/group on the Rotterdam cruise that year.

[RuthC]

From what I remember it was at half hour intervals.

Early early was at 5:45

Late early was at 6:15

Early late was 7:45

Late late was 8:15

 

Hope this makes sense as this is what hubby and I always called the times. We always chose the 6:15.

They may have tweeked the times at some point.

I remember booking the new Noordam for three weeks later (her third cruise) and only being able to get the 8:30 dining. This was my first experience at dining "so late", as my usual time was 8:15 under the 2-times schedule.

That 15 minutes made a real difference! My friends and I were hungry!

[dfish]

The four times were still in use in September, 2007 when we took our first cruise to Alaska. We had 7:45 dining upstairs on that cruise.

[take us away]

From what I remember it was at half hour intervals.

Early early was at 5:45

Late early was at 6:15

Early late was 7:45

Late late was 8:15

 

Hope this makes sense as this is what hubby and I always called the times. We always chose the 6:15.

 

Don't remember when anytime dining started, but it was after the fall of 2006 because I know we had fixed seating/group on the Rotterdam cruise that year.

 

I remember those times as well. It was before as you wish dining so one early was on the upper and the other was on the lower. Liked the 'late early' seating myself. Did like the 4 options but not doable any more with AYW dining using the lower level.

[POA1]

Thanks everyone! We were always late late except for one cruise when we took our parents. DW"s mom and dad thought that late late was too late, so we switched to the first late seating, which if I recall correctly, was 7:45 on that particular cruise.

[cruz chic]

Take a look at the attached thread, specifically post 12. Looks like it started in late 2007

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=582072

[Krazy Kruizers]

From what I remember it was at half hour intervals.

Early early was at 5:45

Late early was at 6:15

Early late was 7:45

Late late was 8:15

 

Hope this makes sense as this is what hubby and I always called the times. We always chose the 6:15.

 

Don't remember when anytime dining started, but it was after the fall of 2006 because I know we had fixed seating/group on the Rotterdam cruise that year.

 

 

Those are the times I remember as we always had 5:45.

[Krazy Kruizers]

This past winter we threw out all our old stuff from many cruises which included the daily programs. I used to save everything.

Had this question come up before February, I could have gone through the daily programs and pin pointed when we last had the 4 fixed dining times.

[Cruzin Terri]

When we took our first HAL cruise to Alaska in July 2007 there were four fixed seatings. When we took our Mediterranen Cruise in September 2008 the change to two fixed dining times and Open Seating had occurred.

Hope this helps.

Terri

[POA1]

When we took our first HAL cruise to Alaska in July 2007 there were four fixed seatings. When we took our Mediterranen Cruise in September 2008 the change to two fixed dining times and Open Seating had occurred.

Hope this helps.

Terri

 

It does. Thanks. That seems to narrow it down a lot. We were only good for one cruise every two years back then, so I only knew that it occurred sometime between 2007 and 2009.

[Alcarondas]

Just going off memory, on my earliest end-of-the-20th-century cruises there were 2 seatings, with times varying slightly depending on the region; usually around 5.30 and 8.00 pm, give or take 15 mins.

 

At some point in the early '00s, it switched to 4 times, with the lower level being seated about 15 minutes before the upper level. At this time, smoking was allowed upstairs but downstairs was smoke-free. Thus, I always tried to get the later downstairs seating.

 

The dining room went entirely smokeless a few years later, but they kept the 4 seating times (and possibly spread them out a bit more; I don't remember as I sit here and I don't have my old programs handy).

 

Then anytime-dining happened, and they moved all the hidebound Luddites upstairs (myself included); I assume so they could use the larger lower level for open seating.

 

Self-indulgent side note: I always used to enter and leave the dining room on the "wrong" level, just so I could make a grand entrance/exit via the curving central stairs. (I'm such a dork.) ;)

[RetiredMustang]

delete - duplicated cruz chic

Edited July 29, 2015 by RetiredMustang

[take us away]

 

Self-indulgent side note: I always used to enter and leave the dining room on the "wrong" level, just so I could make a grand entrance/exit via the curving central stairs. (I'm such a dork.) ;)

 

Had tablemates who loved doing that, especially on formal nights! She once even had white gloves on and trailed down the banister! Thanks for a great memory jolt!

[rafinmd]

Just going off memory, on my earliest end-of-the-20th-century cruises there were 2 seatings, with times varying slightly depending on the region; usually around 5.30 and 8.00 pm, give or take 15 mins.

 

At some point in the early '00s, it switched to 4 times, with the lower level being seated about 15 minutes before the upper level. At this time, smoking was allowed upstairs but downstairs was smoke-free. Thus, I always tried to get the later downstairs seating.

<SNIP>

 

That sounds reasonable to me. I looked at the Daily Programs for my 1997 SS Rotterdam cruise, and while it was 2 different dining rooms rather than 2 levels they had identical times for early and late dining. Staggered times starting early in the 21st century sounds right.

 

Roy

[OVgirl]

January 2010 on Noordam we had the open seating option.

 

Before that was Zuiderdam(TA), March 2008 and I think we still had both levels on traditional seating.

 

Don't know if all the ships switched at the same time.

 

Oops, made a mistake.:eek:

Just checked the Daily Programs for the 2008 Zuiderdam cruise and saw that it was open seating on the lower level with 2 fixed seating times on the upper level.