Freedom dining v fixed dining

[sweby]

Just wondered if the choice of menu is the same for both. We have just come off the Ventura, and had Freedom dining. I noted we weren't given the menus at the end of the cruise, and I felt there was a lot of repetition throughout the cruise. Having said theta we thoroughly enjoyed the company of fellow passengers at the table each night, and met lots of people to chat to this way. The other advantage was the "freedom' to go to dinner when you wanted. We never had to queue, or wait for a table, and would recommend this to others.

 

Sweby

[daiB]

Just wondered if the choice of menu is the same for both. We have just come off the Ventura, and had Freedom dining. I noted we weren't given the menus at the end of the cruise, and I felt there was a lot of repetition throughout the cruise. Having said theta we thoroughly enjoyed the company of fellow passengers at the table each night, and met lots of people to chat to this way. The other advantage was the "freedom' to go to dinner when you wanted. We never had to queue, or wait for a table, and would recommend this to others.

 

 

 

Sweby

 

 

 

The menu's are exactly the same. BTW we tried freedom dining once, hated it.

 

 

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[The Med]

We have always chosen freedom dining.

 

I simply can't imagine eating at the same time at the same table every day..with the same people.

 

We just decide on the day when to start getting ready and what time to eat.

Sometimes we are late back on the ship and by the time we have chilled out a bit then we are later going down to dinner.

 

Sometimes we are hungry early or we want to watch a show and then we go for dinner earlier.

 

Sometimes we go for a drink first and get talking and then just eat when we feel like it.

 

Who wants to watch the clock and be set by routine on holiday?

I can't imagine anything worse but, as they say, each to their own.

[TotallyAngelic]

We have always chosen freedom dining.

 

I simply can't imagine eating at the same time at the same table every day..with the same people.

 

We just decide on the day when to start getting ready and what time to eat.

Sometimes we are late back on the ship and by the time we have chilled out a bit then we are later going down to dinner.

 

Sometimes we are hungry early or we want to watch a show and then we go for dinner earlier.

 

Sometimes we go for a drink first and get talking and then just eat when we feel like it.

 

Who wants to watch the clock and be set by routine on holiday?

I can't imagine anything worse but, as they say, each to their own.

 

I totally agree ... the flexibility to eat when it suits is what is important to me. We eat around what else is going on that we want to do. After fixed dining for all our Disney cruises ( no other MDR options ), when we tried early sitting. late sitting, and none really worked for us without either rushing or missing things, we opted for mytime dining on Royal Caribbean and I would now hate to go back to fixed time dining.

[Slugsta]

Yes, the menus are the same. We enjoy freedom, for the reasons already given, but I am glad that there is still a choice.

[annieuk]

It's good that there is a choice. For us we like the fact that we get to know our table companions on fixed dining and have never in nearly 20 cruises had a "bad" table. We have often been to a show or just for a drink with our table mates - on our last cruise we all (table of 8) went to the quiz together and nearly won - lost on a tie break. We like hearing what everyone has done during the day and not having to introduce ourselves each evening. I know some people love Freedom Dining, so as I say it's really good to have the choice.

[jeanlyon]

Agree annie, have made many friends and one absolutely best friend who we met on fixed dining. second sitting works for us, as I couldn't possibly eat at 6.30, wouldn't know what to do with myself after that, apart from not being hungry at that time. I'm usually still at the pool at 5.30 or sitting on the Prom Deck. Then a relaxing shower, some tv, down to the bar for drinks at 7 or just after. Then dinner, then a show. Perfect.

[Thejuggler]

P&O system appears to have improved dramatically since they followed Princess and made both the mid deck restaurants on Grand class ships Freedom dining.

 

When it was just one venue if you didn't go very early or after about 8.30pm a wait was inevitable.

 

The menus are the same across the ship.

[Jools.s]

I have tried both freedom and set dining and there are benefits to both. Freedom gives more flexibility but some of the best times I have had on board have been as a result of meeting some great people on our fixed dining table. Either way the menus are the same :)

[Bacardi..]

Just off the britannia, the menu was the same for both (read the menus outside each). I do find freedom much better than club dinning

 

 

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[pkpon]

Another big advantage of club dining is having the same waiters every night.

They get to know what you like and don't like. Had two terrific waiters looking after us on the Britannia last month.

 

As a single would not like freedom dining as every night feels like the first night with that slight apprehension of what the table is going to be like.

[dsrdsrdsr]

Who wants to watch the clock and be set by routine on holiday?

I can't imagine anything worse but, as they say, each to their own.

 

Try imagining no holiday at all? ;)

[Sanjam cruisers]

Having experienced both styles of dining since cruising with P&O in 2005 our vote goes for Freedom Dining.

Our reasons for doing so are mainly flexibility of dining times.

You do not have to be at a different table every evening and you do

not have to have different dining companions every evening.

As I am slightly hard of hearing we now always request a table either in one of the alcove areas or near a wall this is nearly always met.

If we get a table where we get on with the waiters we then request a table in their sector again this request is nearly always met even if we have a slight wait.

On occasion during freedom dining we have met fellow diners whom we would wish to dine with again, we just arrange to meet up at a time that suits all and we then meet at the dining room and get allocated a table.

Freedom dining is exactly as described Freedom and I would heartily recommend it.

In all our years of cruising prior to the introduction of Freedom Dining I only had to request a change of table on one ocassion due to the manner one of our fellow diners spoke to the waiters, on one cruise after Freedom Dining we had a very bad experience sitting at a table with an arrogant/ignorant Welsh Nationalist whose behaviour was abominable and very embarrising to all at the table.

Had he spoken to my wife the way he spoke to a fellow table guest's wife I would have requested he join me on deck to explain himself.

[The Med]

Try imagining no holiday at all? ;)

 

***Shudders***

 

What a terrible thought.

 

We are lucky to be able to have lovely holidays, I know that.:)

[tom_uk]

We're another couple who have found that they prefer Freedom to Club, having now tried it. In the past we would have sworn by Club, and to be fair we had some excellent times. But recently the tables we were on didn't really 'gell' in the way they had in the past.

 

One thing that has perhaps made a difference is the existence of all the alternative restaurants. Ventura and Azura have four (Epicurean, Sindhu, Glasshouse and of course the buffet) while Britannia has five - all of the above plus the Limelight Club. We've found in recent years that the presence of these other restaurants has meant that we rarely had a full table on Club dining - other than perhaps the first night, there was always one couple or another dining elsewhere (including us, to be fair). Perhaps this tended to make the tables a little less intimate?

 

But it's Freedom for us from now on.