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Why Are Set Dining Times (MDR) So Important To You?


need2cruisesoon
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9 minutes ago, calliopecruiser said:

Afternoon tea is great!  It's a time to meet up with friends on board and share what you've been doing since you last met, or make plans for the evening or next day.   I'm sure you could get a coffee or cocktail if you wanted it -- it's the activity that's more important.  (In the same way that I go out with friends "for coffee", but don't actually have coffee). 

But couldn't you just go to the bar and have  beer or two?

 

Which on great nights turns into 7 or 8.

 

And you forget to turn up for dining.

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15 minutes ago, calliopecruiser said:

Afternoon tea is great!  It's a time to meet up with friends on board and share what you've been doing since you last met, or make plans for the evening or next day.   I'm sure you could get a coffee or cocktail if you wanted it -- it's the activity that's more important.  (In the same way that I go out with friends "for coffee", but don't actually have coffee). 

Yes, there's often a slippery slide from afternoon tea into early evening drinks!

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16 minutes ago, DarrenM said:

But couldn't you just go to the bar and have  beer or two?

 

Which on great nights turns into 7 or 8.

 

And you forget to turn up for dining.

There is a time in the afternoon when it is too late for post lunch drinks, and too early for pre dinner drinks. That's why God, being English, invented afternoon tea!

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The only reason I would want traditional dining was if I was going with a group of friends and family so we could have a set time and place to meet for dinner.  Otherwise I prefer the flexibility of eating when, where, and with whom I prefer.  Anytime/Freestyle dining is one change in cruising, since we started cruising in 2001, that we absolutely enjoy and appreciate and has sold us on doing more cruises as a couple and with just immediate family.

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I tend to eat my final meal of the day between 7pm and 8pm when not on vacation. I try to maintain this while on vacation. Whether a cruise, a resort, or camping I tend to choose to dine during that time. On a cruise the evening entertainment is not a priority to me. I like an assigned time and table. Guess I'm a creature of habit/routine. I also enjoy coming back to the ship or in from the pool showering, dressing and having a cocktail or 2 before dinner.

Edited by JennyB1977
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1 hour ago, DarrenM said:

I offer my humble apologies and will endeavour not to let the side down again.

 

 

Good chap.

So pleased that you've repented, what.

Awfully good show, old bean.

Dunkirk Spirit and all that

 

Brigadier Bull  :classic_smile:

 

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20 hours ago, need2cruisesoon said:

 

 

So this will be my first cruise out of many were we are locked in to set dining, I just hope I'll be hungry at 5?

 

I take it by this line that you plan to cruise with these same friends in the future? I personally prefer anytime dining. Perhaps since you are doing traditional dining with them this cruise they can do anytime dining with you next cruise. It may be that they end up liking that option also and just haven't tried it yet.

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It's ALWAYS the right time for an "adult beverage".

 

Anyway...we prefer the late sitting.  On port days, there is no rushing to get back to the ship to shower and change if you chose early sitting.  We don't usually eat that late when home, but on vacation, nothing is our "normal" schedule.   We prefer a set seating as the wait staff knows your preferences (like if you like iced tea with dinner, it's there right away without asking for it) and we like the camaraderie  of the same staff, same table, every evening. 

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6 hours ago, John Bull said:

For us it's not the time that's important with set ("traditional") dining.

 

It's our table being there and waiting for us, the same table-mates & the same waiters. You actually get to know your table-mates, with none of the endless round of introductions and immediately-forgotten names that you get on "anytime" shared tables. We've often ended up exploring ashore with table-mates, and still correspond with some.

"Same table mates" can backfire if they're not our type, but we've been lucky, and in any case if it doesn't work out you can ask the Maitre D'  to change your table - that happens a fair bit after the first night.

Clashing with entertainment is rare, since the production shows are twice-nightly to co-incide.

 

Late sitting rather than early sitting. few kids or very elderly, and the staff don't need to rush us out to make way for the next sitting.

But 5.00 pm ??????????? Helfire, we're often only just back on board from a port-of-call !!!

 

 

JB :classic_smile:

 

Our feelings exactly. Have made many great friends on longer transatlantic sailings. Always have late seating and are often one of the last tables to leave the dining room. 

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2 hours ago, sanger727 said:

 

I take it by this line that you plan to cruise with these same friends in the future? I personally prefer anytime dining. Perhaps since you are doing traditional dining with them this cruise they can do anytime dining with you next cruise. It may be that they end up liking that option also and just haven't tried it yet.

Has anyone suggested that they not dine with their friends every day (not night!)

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Mrs Ldubs and I prefer flexibility so normally would not opt for a fixed dining time.  But when we are traveling with our large family group (over 20 for our Feb cruise) it is much more convenient to have the fixed dining.   But group or no group, 5 pm is just a little too early for dinner.  I mean there isn't an early bird special, so just sayin. . . 😀

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Sometimes the early dining time is quite early, but we still prefer traditional dining for a few reasons

  • you can walk right to your table at the dining time (rather than lining up and not knowing how long a wait you'll have...even with reservations)
  • you get to know your waiters and they get to know you
  • the time works well with the shows
  • we tend to eat same time at home, so nothing keeping a schedule works well with us
  • we tend to get a table just for us, but if you want table mates, then it lets you sit with the same people all week and get to know them (assuming no one is at specialty that night)
  • on a couple cruises that we have booked, My Time doesn't start until 6:45pm (and we switched from My Time to Traditional for that reason)
Edited by LuCruise
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We are "old school"...we usually ask for a table for two, late dining.

We love that we can go to our table and have the same waiter and assistant waiter.

No waiting...we just walk straight to our table.

Romance in the air...😁

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5 hours ago, clo said:

What time do you eat at home? We're not late diners but usually 730ish.

 

Never before 20.00!

To us - 17.00 is the middle of the afternoon, not evening dining time. But maybe those very early diners (the elderly and children!) have breakfast before 09.00???

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1 hour ago, Lutèce said:

 

Never before 20.00!

To us - 17.00 is the middle of the afternoon, not evening dining time. But maybe those very early diners (the elderly and children!) have breakfast before 09.00???

I agree totally!  I'm always amazed when I see large groups of passengers (without wanting to stereotype,  but usually Americans) queuing outside the MDR for lunch at 11:45. That's only a couple of hours after I've had breakfast! 

 

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4 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I agree totally!  I'm always amazed when I see large groups of passengers (without wanting to stereotype,  but usually Americans) queuing outside the MDR for lunch at 11:45. That's only a couple of hours after I've had breakfast! 

 

I must admit I find that weird. How hungry can they possibly be?

 

I do love a good breakfast mind. And I dont mean a healthy one.

 

I really struggle with folk telling me how much they enjoy their healthy all bran or their muesli with their tasteless yoghurt and pretend they dont prefer a good fry up.

 

 

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7 hours ago, wowzz said:

I agree totally!  I'm always amazed when I see large groups of passengers (without wanting to stereotype,  but usually Americans) queuing outside the MDR for lunch at 11:45. That's only a couple of hours after I've had breakfast! 

 

My normal routine is up by 6:00 to be to work by 7:30.  Breakfast is normally sometime during that time span.  On the weekends and on vacations my internal clock has me up almost always before 8:00.  Lunch at home is normally my main meal of the day with a light breakfast and supper.  So having a light breakfast before 7:30 means I am ready for lunch at 11:30 and dinner at 5:30 when I get home from work.  On vacations I normally eat a slightly larger breakfast a little later then I normally do with a light lunch around Noon- 1 pm and dinner at 6 pm.  I couldn't even imagine eating dinner later than 7:00.   Too each his own.

Edited by Warm Breezes
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