MDR Question

[hishorselover]

I have toggled back and forth with our dining time. I am concerned that the early dining is TOO early (with 3 of us needing to get ready after spending the day on the islands!) and my husband doesn't want the late dining. I would prefer to choice a dining time rather than do anytime dining because I like the idea of sitting with the same people each night. We are booked for early dining. My question is this: If we are running late and don't make it to the early dining time are we limited to the buffets or can we still eat in the MDR as "anytime"?

[bUU]

I think this thread answers the question: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1414408

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

[Micahs Grandad]

Buffet once you pick a time that is it cannot switch to anytime for a day

[RHilla619]

You can't flip back and fourth between a set dining and your time dining, reason being is only a certain number of people are allowed to chose each option (early, late, anytime) solely for the sake of being able to service everyone. Think about it, if 90% of those on board chose late dining it would be a disaster. I know the times are very different, but I think in your case your better off choosing your time.

[maryred]

This really depends on the Maitre'D, and the reason you will be late to dinner. On one past cruise we had a late ship's sponsored tour in San Juan that stretched past our assigned dinner time. We informed the Maitre'D during the embarkation day Q&A session and he sent a letter to our cabin allowing entrance to the late set time dining for that night only. On other occasions were we stayed late in ports on our own we generally opted for a specialty dining venue instead of the buffet.

[Florings]

Sounds like anytime dining would be your best bet, or as the previous post said - on those late days when you don't make early dining try one of the specialty restaurants.

 

For anytime dining, you can ask for the same wait staff each night when you check in.

[jma624]

I have toggled back and forth with our dining time. I am concerned that the early dining is TOO early (with 3 of us needing to get ready after spending the day on the islands!) and my husband doesn't want the late dining. I would prefer to choice a dining time rather than do anytime dining because I like the idea of sitting with the same people each night. We are booked for early dining. My question is this: If we are running late and don't make it to the early dining time are we limited to the buffets or can we still eat in the MDR as "anytime"?

 

 

If your main concern with early dining is having 3 people trying to get ready in one room, one or more of you could use the locker room showers.

[jsglow]

In 6-7 cruises we've not had trouble getting ready for Early dining. Frankly, we come back to the ship a little hungry most times typically no later than 4p. And that has always given us plenty of time to shower and change.

 

Have fun on your cruise.

[First and Ten]

I dont know if you enjoy the shows, but i have found an issue as far as crowds for the "late show"....The main production shows usually have 2 showings per night. If you have late dinner seating, you would go to the earlier show that starts around 6:30 or 7:00 pm....I have found that show to be, at most, 60% full. The late show, that starts around 10 pm is PACKED....For some reason there seem to be alot of late diners that try to bust it out of dinner to go to that show (i have no idea why they didnt show up for the early showing, its the same show). So if you do enjoy the entertainment at night and want to see the main show, you are better off lining up about 30 mins prior to show time so you can get a seat

[sanger727]

I dont know if you enjoy the shows, but i have found an issue as far as crowds for the "late show"....The main production shows usually have 2 showings per night. If you have late dinner seating, you would go to the earlier show that starts around 6:30 or 7:00 pm....I have found that show to be, at most, 60% full. The late show, that starts around 10 pm is PACKED....For some reason there seem to be alot of late diners that try to bust it out of dinner to go to that show (i have no idea why they didnt show up for the early showing, its the same show).

 

 

That's easy to explain. All of the early diners and most of the anytime diners are eating during the first show so they have to go to the late show. And many of the late diners chose that so they don't have to be ready early, so they also don't make the early show.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[hishorselover]

If your main concern with early dining is having 3 people trying to get ready in one room, one or more of you could use the locker room showers.

I didn't even know this was an option!

[hishorselover]

I dont know if you enjoy the shows, but i have found an issue as far as crowds for the "late show"....The main production shows usually have 2 showings per night. If you have late dinner seating, you would go to the earlier show that starts around 6:30 or 7:00 pm....I have found that show to be, at most, 60% full. The late show, that starts around 10 pm is PACKED....For some reason there seem to be alot of late diners that try to bust it out of dinner to go to that show (i have no idea why they didnt show up for the early showing, its the same show). So if you do enjoy the entertainment at night and want to see the main show, you are better off lining up about 30 mins prior to show time so you can get a seat

Thank you for this information. I was wondering about this!

[hishorselover]

I think any time dining will be our best option. I really only wanted a set dining time to sit with the same people. If we do anytime dining will we be seated with other people? I really enjoy meeting other people and would prefer to.

[First and Ten]

I think any time dining will be our best option. I really only wanted a set dining time to sit with the same people. If we do anytime dining will we be seated with other people? I really enjoy meeting other people and would prefer to.

 

 

Horse, your post is refreshing....the vast majority of posts about seating usually go the way of:

 

How can I get a table for 2.....it can't be to close to any "strangers".....I don't want anyone listening to my conversation and I don't want to hear anyone else's....I don't like eating at a table with strangers....they may be annoying and I don't want to deal with it.....[emoji849]

 

I often wonder why these people, who seem to want to live in their own bubble and not interact with anyone else choose to take a cruise with 3000 strangers [emoji23]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Edited April 7, 2017 by First and Ten

[originalgeek]

Horse, your post is refreshing....the vast majority of posts about seating usually go the way of:

 

How can I get a table for 2.....it can't be to close to any "strangers".....I don't want anyone listening to my conversation and I don't want to hear anyone else's....I don't like eating at a table with strangers....they may be annoying and I don't want to deal with it.....[emoji849]

 

I often wonder why these people, who seem to want to live in their own bubble and not interact with anyone else choose to take a cruise with 3000 strangers [emoji23]

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

One of the best things about our first cruise was sitting with another couple at dinner and catching up on everything we all did that day (Hey Chris and Linda wherever you are! Tell your puppy we said howdy!). In fact, I really missed it on our second cruise (much shorter cruise though) when the other couple never showed up even once.

 

OP I am pretty sure I've read here that you can request the same section and waitstaff very night with Your Time Dining but I guess they can't control who else comes to dinner at the same time. I'd definitely tell them I'd want to be seated with other people if it's possible.

[First and Ten]

One of the best things about our first cruise was sitting with another couple at dinner and catching up on everything we all did that day (Hey Chris and Linda wherever you are! Tell your puppy we said howdy!). In fact, I really missed it on our second cruise (much shorter cruise though) when the other couple never showed up even once.

 

 

 

OP I am pretty sure I've read here that you can request the same section and waitstaff very night with Your Time Dining but I guess they can't control who else comes to dinner at the same time. I'd definitely tell them I'd want to be seated with other people if it's possible.

 

 

Agree Geek....if people would venture out of their bubble, they would find that meeting new people is enjoyable

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Smithkids5521]

I think any time dining will be our best option. I really only wanted a set dining time to sit with the same people. If we do anytime dining will we be seated with other people? I really enjoy meeting other people and would prefer to.

 

Folks arriving for YTD are given their own separate tables. So this would only work if you and the other people you wish to dine with (and also have YTD) all arrived at the same time each evening and asked the hostess to sit you together at a table for whatever # in your party. If not, you would have your own separate table.

[mistycruiser]

Hope this isn't a duplicate but my computer locked up when I tried the first time. With ATD the hostess will ask you every night whether you want to just sit with your group or whether you want to sit with others. If you choose others you'll sit with different "others" every night.

[Yvonne]

I often wonder why these people, who seem to want to live in their own bubble and not interact with anyone else choose to take a cruise with 3000 strangers [emoji23]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Agree Geek....if people would venture out of their bubble, they would find that meeting new people is enjoyable

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

And I often wonder why people who enjoy dining with others simply cannot understand that there are people in this world who don't. I really don't get it. I can see both sides, some enjoy it and others don't, but why do you refuse to see it?

 

When we first started cruising we did sit with other people at dinner (four cruises were that way if I remember correctly) and we didn't enjoy it, at all. But, we gave it a try.

 

Not everyone enjoys chatting with strangers and asking/answering all the same things over and over: where are you from? what work do you do? how many kids have you got? blah blah blah.

 

Our family doesn't go on a cruise to make friends with strangers. We have friends at home (whom we sometimes cruise with), and when we cruise we do it because we enjoy the ship, ports, and spending time with each other.

 

Why is that so difficult for you to understand?

 

As for the OP's question, I agree with those who have suggested that Anytime Dining might be the better option. They have started cracking down on set time diners arriving late. If you're a couple minutes late, it's not a big deal, but if you're very late you may not be allowed in. We love anytime dining, no set time to have to worry about going to dinner so sometimes we go early, other times later. We always enjoy having a table for just our family, but you can request to sit with others too. And you can request the same wait staff each night if you choose to.

[First and Ten]

And I often wonder why people who enjoy dining with others simply cannot understand that there are people in this world who don't. I really don't get it. I can see both sides, some enjoy it and others don't, but why do you refuse to see it?

 

When we first started cruising we did sit with other people at dinner (four cruises were that way if I remember correctly) and we didn't enjoy it, at all. But, we gave it a try.

 

Not everyone enjoys chatting with strangers and asking/answering all the same things over and over: where are you from? what work do you do? how many kids have you got? blah blah blah.

 

Our family doesn't go on a cruise to make friends with strangers. We have friends at home (whom we sometimes cruise with), and when we cruise we do it because we enjoy the ship, ports, and spending time with each other.

Why is that so difficult for you to understand?

.

 

I was giving Horse props for his/her refreshing take on it and agreeing with Geek, i didnt call you out specifically (cant say i got the same consideration from you ;))....You make mention that you have to answer the same questions over and over again....NO, you meet someone for the first time , its called an "icebreaker"....where are you from, what do you do, how many kids do you have....after that, they arent asking the same questions over and over. So your reasoning is you have enough friends, you dont need anymore. So while you cant seem to understand my way of thinking, i genuinely cant understand yours. You convey the attitude of "those are STRANGERS, i dont want to talk to them"....You are absolutely right Yvonne, i truly dont get that mindset. I think its especially ironic that you are taking a vacation, SURROUNDED BY STRANGERS in a confined space....but hey, if you dont look, talk or acknowledge them, they really arent there....:rolleyes:

 

Quick question....who were your friends before they were your friends......they were..........STRANGERS!!!! :p

[bUU]

And I often wonder why people who enjoy dining with others simply cannot understand that there are people in this world who don't. I really don't get it. I can see both sides, some enjoy it and others don't, but why do you refuse to see it?

I agree that it is puzzling why so many people get so proprietary about their preference for dining with strangers and so backhandedly judgmental toward those who don't. However, I find that kind of thing pops up with regard to a lot of what people like or don't like about vacations. It's pointless, though, to try to guess why people are like that.

 

I really enjoy meeting new people and even kept the lunch-after-church ministry going while it was between official coordinators for a couple of months. However, what I've noticed is that some folks just want to talk about what they're already interested in, rather than looking at these as opportunities to engage with other people, with people who may be quite different from themselves. There are some people who are unhappy unless they're talking about children, their, yours and everyone else's. Then there are some people who are unhappy unless they're talking about sports, sports and more sports. It is really hard to remain engaged and engaging with people who insist on such a one dimensional conversation. I wonder how many times people who say they like the dining with strangers aspect of cruising but "had bad table mates" was actually a case of not really being interested in getting to know people who are radically different from themselves.

 

My spouse doesn't like the dining with strangers aspect of cruising, I think, specifically because, given that we are on vacation from work, it becomes far too much work to remain engaging and engaged when all that our table mates are willing to engage in is such one dimensional discussion. There was a bit of an argument about it before our last cruise, and I managed to prevail, but just barely. It worked out well. We were seated at a table of six, three couples, one of which never showed, and the other was quite engaged and engaging, interested in talking about a wide range of topics. (It was a Bahamas cruise, which quite frankly are so boring-slash-relaxing that we cannot get much mileage out of, "What did you do in port today?") We spent a small amount of time talking about family and children, a small amount of time talking about other travel interests, a small amount of time talking about work and such, a small amount of time talking about our respective community work, etc., and so on. Over the course of the cruise we learned a good bit about each other. It was quite nice. However, that's the very first time that's happened for us.

 

 

And it won't happen again soon. Since I won the last time, my spouse wins this time. Our relative success last time just makes my spouse figure we've used up all our luck in this regard, so we'll be asking for a table for two.

[cruisinqt]

You should definitely try the free locker room showers. They are HUGE walk in showers with fresh towels, blow dryers, and lots of mirrors to do hair makeup etc. and the lighting is much better there. Me and my 2 girls love to go there to get ready for dinner. This would speed up the getting ready for dinner process and make early dining easier to do.

 

But I understand your preference for the set dining. We've tried all options but really enjoy the early dinner. The theater is isn't so packed, dinner is over early enough to make other plans afterwards, and we get really attached to our wait staff. They have our preferred drinks waiting for us and know us by name. And yes you can always ask for your preferred server with anytime dining, but numerous times our preferred server was full and they offered to put us on a waiting list to get him. :( And even though I'm outgoing and love chatting with other cruisers, our family vacations are for us to get closer as a family. I love spending quality time with my family and the formal dining is perfect for that. So the set dinner time with just the family is perfect for us.

 

 

If you miss the set dining time why not try out Guys Burgers or the Sushi place (very reasonably priced), the BBQ joint, or one of the other restaurants? Yeah the buffet isn't that great IMHO but the restaurants in that area are really very good.

[cb at sea]

You are quite unlikely to be last on the ship on port days. Most folks like to be ON the ship at least 30 mins prior to the posted time. You will be no different. You will have PLENTY of time to "get ready". No worries!

[Talex831]

You are quite unlikely to be last on the ship on port days. Most folks like to be ON the ship at least 30 mins prior to the posted time. You will be no different. You will have PLENTY of time to "get ready". No worries!

 

 

 

This depends on itinerary. Some port days roll into early evenings. We had a sailing like that and two different nights we were on excursions right up to our dinner seating time.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[bobbismith]

You should definitely try the free locker room showers. They are HUGE walk in showers with fresh towels, blow dryers, and lots of mirrors to do hair makeup etc. and the lighting is much better there. Me and my 2 girls love to go there to get ready for dinner. This would speed up the getting ready for dinner process and make early dining easier to do.

 

But I understand your preference for the set dining. We've tried all options but really enjoy the early dinner. The theater is isn't so packed, dinner is over early enough to make other plans afterwards, and we get really attached to our wait staff. They have our preferred drinks waiting for us and know us by name. And yes you can always ask for your preferred server with anytime dining, but numerous times our preferred server was full and they offered to put us on a waiting list to get him. :( And even though I'm outgoing and love chatting with other cruisers, our family vacations are for us to get closer as a family. I love spending quality time with my family and the formal dining is perfect for that. So the set dinner time with just the family is perfect for us.

 

 

If you miss the set dining time why not try out Guys Burgers or the Sushi place (very reasonably priced), the BBQ joint, or one of the other restaurants? Yeah the buffet isn't that great IMHO but the restaurants in that area are really very good.

Where are the free locker rooms? Thanks

 

Sent from my HTC6535LVW using Forums mobile app