To freestyle or dine traditional?

[snowbegone]

Okay, we probably can't do anything about our room (E121):( but what about eating. We are booked for traditional seating(early) and we really don't know if we want to waste space bringing dress clothes (which are not evening gowns and tuxs). Is the food better? We have no idea on how this works. If you don't have assigned seating can you still eat in the dining room? We really need help on this cruisin' business!!:confused:

[Canuck Cruzer]

The dress attire for the dining rooms is the same regardless if you are doing traditional or anytime dining.

 

A few people don't follow the dress guidelines that Princess requests for these dining rooms. If you feel uncomfortable going under dressed to the dining rooms, you can always grab food a slice of pizza, or a hamburger...but then....you pay a lot of money for a cruise...you should eat the food!

 

The food is the same regardless if traditional or anytime dining.

 

On the smart casual nights, a guy can easily "fit in" by wearing what I would call golf clothes...you know..khaki pants, golf shirt etc.. some wear sports coats etc. The women, I'm not good at answering that one.:D For formal, most guys are in suits and some tuxes. Women are usually in some pretty fancy dresses.

 

I have read that some people, who don't want to do the suit/tux/fancy dress, will do their regular dining on most nights..but the formal nights will skip it and eat something else.

 

hope that helps.

[FredS]

Since you are in Traditional Dining you will have a dining table assigned. It will be listed on one of your receipts in the little passenger ticket book that has your ticket in it. You can eat in the PC dining venues should you so chose, but let the Matri'd know that you will not be at your table on the nights you do this. As for a tux and dressy gowns it depends on where you are going. On my recent trip to Mexico on the Sapphaire there were probably less than 5% of the men that wore tuxes. Most wore sport coats and slacks or dark suits but some had light colored sport coats on. Women wore cocktail dresses to nice looking pant suits. I saw several men with turtle neck shirts on under a sport coat.

 

On longer cruises you will find more tuxes and gowns;by longer I am thinking over 14 days. It also depends on the destination as well as to how dressed up people get. Princess on their web site give a wide range of options for "formal night" which is really not formal anymore. On the month long cruises I have been on 90% wear tuxes and gowns.

[Next]

It depends what you mean by freestyle.

 

Princess offers Personal Choice (PC). The dress implications are the same. The food is the same. The difference is that in PC you can show up in either of 2 designated dining rooms and get seat as available.

 

An alternative to the dining room is the Horizon Court. It is a buffet. The food is different than the dining rooms. On the some of the Grand Class ships there is a second buffer called the Caribe Cafe. It offers different choices. The dress in the buffet is more relaxed and does not have any sort of formal night.

 

There are also alternative dining venues on certain ships. These are typically Sabatini;s and Sterling Steakhouse. The dress is smart (resort) casual with no set formal night.

 

If you want super casual, stick to the buffet. If you can handle smart casul, than I'd recoommed traditional or PC. The dining experience is fun especially if it is your first time. IMHO I think you get better service in either traditional or a standing reservation in PC. My rationale for this belief is that your servers get to know you and your desires. By the end of the week they will do thngs without having to be asked. For me, that meant bring fettuccini as an appetizer, with grated cheese, ancovies in the Ceasar Salad, etc.

 

You do not need to dress formally on formal nights although it is encourged.

 

Please do not ask about jeans becuase that will start a nasty discussion and the thread will end up being pulled.

 

Above all, just relax and enjoy the trip.

[RodneyG]

I went on my first cruise and 1st princess cruise which has just ended (Diamond , Singapore to Sydney - 19 days) and was also on early sitting traditional. Some days it was fine to eat early and others we ate elsewhere if we wanted a later dinner (espacially after port days), never finding it a problem to get in anywhere . Often the buffet was better in terms of variety than the food at the dining room. EVERYONE dressed up for formal night on this cruise , well just about everyone and certainly in the dining rooms we never saw anyone less than very smart. Wonderful gowns and dapper looking men , was surprised at jeweled studs , exquisite cuff links and the variety of outfits. I wore a good suit one night and then 2 black silk and embroidered mandarin style shirt/jackets subsequenty (no Im not oriental - bought em for $15 warfside in vietnam) and got tons of compliments on em as an alternate form of formal wear.

We ate about 1/2 the time in the dining room , our dining companions did so as well and it worked out fine. No one was offended if we didnt turn up and we felt no pressure or obligation to inform anyone whether we would be there or not. We had our 9 yr old daughter with us and she got a kids menu and was treated well by all (early seating was also too early for her mostly)

At the end of the 19 day cruise , one gets a bit sick of food and we tended to start skipping meals or just wanting small stuff or simpler meals.

Service in the dining room and all the other places we ate (especially Sabatinis and the steakhouse) was excellent and in fact the service at the alternate restaurants was sometime better or the waiters more solicitous almost begging you to try this or that or asking why we werent eating more. The portions in the main dining room , especially appetisers were small but all one has to do is ask for a double on the same plate or a man sized portion.

We refered to the Horizon court as the trough - the food was actually very very good , but the pushy feeders and the over attentive table clearers made for a more rushed meal. We were shocked at the wasteage , ppl piled the plates high , ate 1/2 the food and then went back for another piled plate and did the same. We often took plates of food to our room and ate there on the balcony.

I rated the food exceptional on this trip (I am used to good food , live in Cape town which has some excellent restaurants) except for the coffee which was very strong and the white fish dishes at the buffets which all tasted more or less the same - a very minor niggle. The meat was excellent and steaks were wonderful wherever we had em.

We thought the early thing might be a disaster , but it wasnt and by not cancelling it , we had the best of anytime and traditional. I would do the same as we did If I were you.

Some pics from the cruise are at http://www.rodg.fotopic.net

[chrysalis]

Okay, we probably can't do anything about our room (E121):( but what about eating. We are booked for traditional seating(early) and we really don't know if we want to waste space bringing dress clothes (which are not evening gowns and tuxs). Is the food better? We have no idea on how this works. If you don't have assigned seating can you still eat in the dining room? We really need help on this cruisin' business!!:confused:

 

There is nothing wrong with your room, it should be quiet, you have a window....all is right with the world.

 

We do PC dining....we love the flexibility to having dinner when we want and not having to be stuck with a particular time. If there is a night that we do not wish to go to the dining room, we eat somewhere else.

 

If you do not want to dress up for formal nights (there will be 2 of them during a 7 day cruise), just go to the buffet. Not a problem.

 

It sure beats all that snow you have in the Nation's Capital!

[Coral]

I went on my first cruise and 1st princess cruise which has just ended (Diamond , Singapore to Sydney - 19 days) and was also on early sitting traditional. Some days it was fine to eat early and others we ate elsewhere if we wanted a later dinner (espacially after port days), never finding it a problem to get in anywhere .

 

We ate about 1/2 the time in the dining room , our dining companions did so as well and it worked out fine. No one was offended if we didnt turn up and we felt no pressure or obligation to inform anyone whether we would be there or not. We had our 9 yr old daughter with us and she got a kids menu and was treated well by all (early seating was also too early for her mostly)]

 

I am going to disagree with this post.

 

Maybe on a 19 night cruise - it is ok to not show up to Traditional dining and not let others know if you are planning on going but it is entirely different on a 7-10 night cruise.

 

It is understandable in Traditional dining to miss dinner a night to try a speciality menu or if the ship is in port late to miss dinner and eat elsewhere. But if you select Traditional dining - you really should plan on being at that table the majority of the time and if you plan on missing dinner, to let others know. Otherwise, your dining mates and waiter will most likely wait for you.

 

There are often hundreds of people on waitlists for Traditional dining because they want to eat with the same people every night. If this is not your intention - Personal Choice/Anytime dining is where you belong.

 

-------

 

Just a clarification - Freestyle on Norweigen Cruise Line is different from Personal Choice/Anytime dining.

[Genessa]

Okay, we probably can't do anything about our room (E121):( but what about eating. We are booked for traditional seating(early) and we really don't know if we want to waste space bringing dress clothes (which are not evening gowns and tuxs). Is the food better? We have no idea on how this works. If you don't have assigned seating can you still eat in the dining room? We really need help on this cruisin' business!!:confused:

 

I'd recommend bringing the dress clothes and eating in the traditional dining room. If the early seating bothers you, let the maitre d know and do personal choice, but the food is a thousand times better in the dining room than in the buffet. If you don't want to bring that many dress clothes because you are wasting space, try what I do...I usually bring one very pretty black cocktail dress and wear it both formal nights. One pair of dressy black sandals are my footwear for dinner every night. One black skirt, one black dress pants and lots of beautiful tops to mix and match for the resort casual nights. Costume jewelry changes the looks without having to pack expensive or heavy.

 

DH brings one suit, one or two shirts, two ties. The rest of the nights he wears black or navy "dockers" with his button down sport shirts.

[Shelly97060]

Snowbegone - you mention wanting to save space by not bringing formal wear. One nice option is to order your formal wear from Cruiseline Formal Wear. They will have the items waiting for you in your cabin on arrival. The price is reasonable and we have been satisfied with them.

 

Traditional dining is very popular and there is usually a long wait list for this option so if you don't want to eat at the same time you may want to opt for Personal Choice which would allow you to choose the time you want to dine ( as previously said the dress code is the same as in traditional). If you do keep traditional, you should let the staff know if you are not planning on dining otherwise they will delay dinner waiting for you.

 

In answer to your question about the food -The food in the dining room ( in my opinion) is better than the food on the buffet.

[RodneyG]

I am going to disagree with this post.

 

Maybe on a 19 night cruise - it is ok to not show up to Traditional dining and not let others know if you are planning on going but it is entirely different on a 7-10 night cruise.

 

It is understandable in Traditional dining to miss dinner a night to try a speciality menu or if the ship is in port late to miss dinner and eat elsewhere. But if you select Traditional dining - you really should plan on being at that table the majority of the time and if you plan on missing dinner, to let others know. Otherwise, your dining mates and waiter will most likely wait for you.

 

There are often hundreds of people on waitlists for Traditional dining because they want to eat with the same people every night. If this is not your intention - Personal Choice/Anytime dining is where you belong.

 

 

We did not inconvenience anyone with the way we chose to eat , neither the waiters or our dining companions who did as they pleased as well. There was NO waiting list on this cruise for early seating (which was NOT our choice but was foisted upon us) and due to the fact the ship was late at just about every port , our tours ended late and we embarked later than the start time of the early sitting - this of course was OUR fault.

The same way that I was allocated a disabled persons cabin which is significantly larger than others , there were NO pax that needed or wanted it , but by your logic , I didn't belong there either and should have given it up.

What I find amazing about these boards are the number of posters who seem to think that they are entitled to tell others what to do or censure them for so called "infractions". One gets some pretty good info here , but one has to also sift out the pedants and pettiness.

[Nova Scotia]

Hi Snowbegone,

 

The only difference between Traditional and Personal Choice is that in Traditional you are assigned a table with the same table mates for the whole cruise at the same time every night. Whereas with personal choice you eat in the assigned dining room or any of the other venues whatever time you like.

 

The dining room dress code, except for formal night is casual and the only things not acceptable in the dining room are shorts and Jeans(but we are not going there, ok):D.

 

This will be our 4th cruise and we love P/C dining. We have flexibility and this time we are going to choose not to dress up for formal nights. We have 3 on this cruise. Out of respect for those passengers who will take the time to dress formally, we will not go to the regular dining room on those nights but will either eat in Horizon Court or the Pizza Place. This choice we are making because we simply want to relax this time out and our cruise very port intensive. Going for 14 days we also don't want to take along the extra clothes needed. We all have a long way to travel.

 

Have a great cruise and relax. You really are on vacation and the choices should be whatever makes you comfortable.

[ourlol]

We did not inconvenience anyone with the way we chose to eat

 

Whilst it may well be the case that you did not inconvenience anyone - it was nevertheless the case that on our Med cruise last year that the wait times to be seated in the Personal Choice dining rooms were severely impacted by 'Traditional Diners' who chose to wander into these dining rooms. It is a pretty intensive itinerary and perhaps some folk felt too exhausted to eat at their designated time. Indeed I overheard a large family group of about 16 discussing with a waiter at 'Afternoon Tea' if they could skip traditional so they could 'try' PC. I was a little disappointment that he didn't try to dissuade them.

 

What I am trying to say (without sounding petty) is that 'sometimes' it does have an impact.

[LARGIN]

We did not inconvenience anyone with the way we chose to eat , neither the waiters or our dining companions who did as they pleased as well. There was NO waiting list on this cruise for early seating (which was NOT our choice but was foisted upon us) and due to the fact the ship was late at just about every port , our tours ended late and we embarked later than the start time of the early sitting - this of course was OUR fault.

The same way that I was allocated a disabled persons cabin which is significantly larger than others , there were NO pax that needed or wanted it , but by your logic , I didn't belong there either and should have given it up.

What I find amazing about these boards are the number of posters who seem to think that they are entitled to tell others what to do or censure them for so called "infractions". One gets some pretty good info here , but one has to also sift out the pedants and pettiness.

 

Talk about petty, reread your post.. If I read the post by Coral correctly, She said while it maybe appropriate on a 19 day cruise, it is not on a 7 nighter. And this I agree.. The waitstaff in Traditional will not start serving until all parties are seated. Not letting them or your dining partners know you are planning to eat elsewhere that evening is just plain rude.. And on 7-10 day cruises, first seating traditional is always waitlisted.. As for first seated foisted on you, you could have switched to PC...

 

As for your comment about being in a disabled room, you have no knowledge that someone that needed it was denied becasue youroccupied it. Some TA's reserve those and they are deemed not available. Princess has no knowledge whether the occupant really needs it or not. I am willing to bet that at least one person on that 19 day cruise needed that room more than you..

 

The only thing I agree with your post is that "One gets some pretty good info here , but one has to also sift out the pedants and pettiness."

 

There is a big difference between a 7 and a 18 day cruise...

[coiran]

We did not inconvenience anyone with the way we chose to eat , neither the waiters or our dining companions who did as they pleased as well. There was NO waiting list on this cruise for early seating (which was NOT our choice but was foisted upon us) and due to the fact the ship was late at just about every port , our tours ended late and we embarked later than the start time of the early sitting - this of course was OUR fault.

The same way that I was allocated a disabled persons cabin which is significantly larger than others , there were NO pax that needed or wanted it , but by your logic , I didn't belong there either and should have given it up.

What I find amazing about these boards are the number of posters who seem to think that they are entitled to tell others what to do or censure them for so called "infractions". One gets some pretty good info here , but one has to also sift out the pedants and pettiness.

 

Sorry to disagree, but you did inconvenience the Maitr De - If everyone that had Traditional Dining treated it as anytime dining nthere may as well not be a Traditional option. If everyone did this it would become a big problem for the Maitr De trying to fit everyone in for dinners.

Ron

[Lynda90]

We did not inconvenience anyone with the way we chose to eat , neither the waiters or our dining companions who did as they pleased as well. There was NO waiting list on this cruise for early seating (which was NOT our choice but was foisted upon us) and due to the fact the ship was late at just about every port , our tours ended late and we embarked later than the start time of the early sitting - this of course was OUR fault.

The same way that I was allocated a disabled persons cabin which is significantly larger than others , there were NO pax that needed or wanted it , but by your logic , I didn't belong there either and should have given it up.

What I find amazing about these boards are the number of posters who seem to think that they are entitled to tell others what to do or censure them for so called "infractions". One gets some pretty good info here , but one has to also sift out the pedants and pettiness.

I will have to agree with Coral on this one. In your mind you may have thought you were not offending anyone, but you probably were. When passengers sign up for "traditional" dining it is because they enjoy sitting at a table with other people. It is not much fun to go to the dining room, expect 8 at your table, and either being alone or with another couple. I am not trying to flame anyone, I am just expressing my own opinion. Princess used to enforce the policy of not allowing passengers to switch back and forth. It's too bad that they don't seem to do this anymore. Anyone who is a regular reader on this board knows that there seems to be a huge waitlist for "traditional." IMHO, it is just plain rude not to let your tablemates and waiter (or at least the maitre'd) know that you will not be attending on a certain night. That way they won't be waiting for your arrival prior to ordering.

[Love Boat Dream]

I prefer traditional dining because I like having the same waiter every night who knows my preferences. Although all the waiters are fantastic, having your own gives you the personal touch, such as having your beverage of choice waiting there for you when you get to the table.

 

Also, as much as I like meeting new people, I really do not want to play the "getting to know you" game every night at PC dining when you are seated with others.

 

We travel with our 6 year old and many older cruisers do not like kids. My son is very well behaved, but he is still a small boy. so, we request a table for 4 for the 3 of us and have our family dinner alone. We are happy to meet people at other meals or during activities.

 

Before we had our son, I liked traditional dining because your tablemates become your "family" on the ship. You get familiar with them and root for them during activities and maybe share a cab or a shore excursion. I have many friends that I met on cruises that were my tablemates. One was over 20 years ago and one 15 years ago and we are still good friends and have met many times since. It's hard to bond when you are only sharing one meal together.

 

Others here have addressed that the food and dress code are the same.

 

Just my opinion...

 

Susan

[bdjam]

What I find amazing about these boards are the number of posters who seem to think that they are entitled to tell others what to do or censure them for so called "infractions". One gets some pretty good info here , but one has to also sift out the pedants and pettiness.

Wow – I don’t think Coral’s suggestion was one of censuring for an infraction at all. I see the point she’s making as more of suggesting some common courtesy and good manners. Anytime I’ve decided not to show up in Traditional Dining because I’m going to another venue, I’ve always told the waiter or the head waiter – as well as my tablemates. They’ve been thankful because they realize they don’t have to wait to start service for me and they don’t have to wonder where I am.

After someone sporadically shows up a few days, the wait staff probably gets used to it. But constant change throws service off and adversely affects others – whether you think it did or not. That's not trying to tell you what to do, censure you or the like. It's just the facts.

[TexasMom2]

How can you let your maitre 'd know in advance that you are late/missing because you are still on a tour and not back on the ship yet? Just wondering.

[Coral]

How can you let your maitre 'd know in advance that you are late/missing because you are still on a tour and not back on the ship yet? Just wondering.

 

Usually the night before - you can tell your waiter/tablemates that you have a late excursion the following day and you may be 15 minutes late and to start with out you, or that you won't be there, etc . . I have even seen people forget that they are doing alternate dining that day and will drop by the dining room for 2 minutes and tell the Matrie'd that they were going to Sterlings that night.

[bdjam]

How can you let your maitre 'd know in advance that you are late/missing because you are still on a tour and not back on the ship yet? Just wondering.

:rolleyes:

Obviously if the tour has run late, you can’t. But as Coral points out, if one knows their tour is a later one and feels they won’t make the start time for the meal, it is courteous to let their tablemates and wait staff know. In the context of this thread, the poster indicated they switched because they were in port and/or wanted to eat later. Different than being on a tour that inadvertently ran late.

Princess provides Anytime Dining as an option for those who don't want to be constrained by a set dining time. Potential passengers should plan ahead and take advantage of what Princess offers - especially in this case because Traditional Dining is in high demand.

[Lynda90]

:rolleyes:

Obviously if the tour has run late, you can’t. But as Coral points out, if one knows their tour is a later one and feels they won’t make the start time for the meal, it is courteous to let their tablemates and wait staff know. In the context of this thread, the poster indicated they switched because they were in port and/or wanted to eat later. Different than being on a tour that inadvertently ran late.

 

Princess provides Anytime Dining as an option for those who don't want to be constrained by a set dining time. Potential passengers should plan ahead and take advantage of what Princess offers - especially in this case because Traditional Dining is in high demand.

My thoughts, exactly!:D

[TexasMom2]

My response got wiped out and I was thinking if I "refreshed" it would post twice but it didn't.

 

Anyway, our very first cruise we were late reboarding after an excursion one night (bus breakdown). Even after scrambling to shower/change we were 45 mins late and decided not to go to dinner because it might throw the servers out of whack and delay the end of dinner for everyone else. Our tablemates didn't mention that they had to wait for us, only that they had missed our company. What a great cruise that was for beginners ... we had the best tablemates ever. I can't imagine what the difference would have been if they weren't gracious, easy-going people and us as newbies.

 

Having early traditional dining wouldn't stop me from booking a later excursion, short cruise or long cruise, but I would let my tablemates know we wouldn't be there. I don't think I'll do Anytime Dining again. You have to wonder if the long waits in AD are due to the reservations that are being held. If they didn't allow reservations, it would truly be Anytime Dining. Having a long wait and looking at seas of empty tables while being seated makes you wonder.

[gooselace]

Hi Snowbegone,

 

The only difference between Traditional and Personal Choice is that in Traditional you are assigned a table with the same table mates for the whole cruise at the same time every night. Whereas with personal choice you eat in the assigned dining room or any of the other venues whatever time you like.

 

This is my first time for non-traditional dining, but we signed up for it on our Star Princess Baltic cruise because of the tours. My cruise-buddy, who may not go on the longer tours, prefers to eat early and likes the casual dining options. I'm not one for buffets or "fast food" choices and was under the impression that PCers could eat in the dining room(s), just at different times and not at an assigned table. But from reading this thread, I gather that there are separate dining rooms for the PC diners, and it sounds as if they are more like second class, or at least more casual.

 

Several mentioned long waitlists for traditional, and I wonder if this would be true for a Sept. cruise already. Also can one person request traditional and the cabinmate request PC? If not, I'm sure I'll manage, but I would feel better with full-service. Can one sign up for the extra-cost steakhouse in advance for every night?

[ourlol]

PCers could eat in the dining room(s), just at different times and not at an assigned table.

 

You've got it right! Basically there are 3 identical dining rooms... slightly different decor... but all serving the same food with full service. One is for people who are traditional - the other two for Personal Choice diners. The food served in the PC dining rooms is by no means inferior to that served in traditional.

[Nova Scotia]

Gooselace, the food is exactly the same and the decor may be slightly different but just as elegant. They have separate dining rooms to accomodate the various times for the P/C folks, the Traditional Dining room is only for early and late seatings.

 

You can also make a reservation for a certain time/group #, or just show up. We have never had to wait very long for a table. Most of the time seating is immediate. You are given the option of dining at a table for two, or more as your mood dictates. As in the name it is all Personal Choice.

 

We have tried both and prefer P/C.