shiner6 Posted July 9 #1 Share Posted July 9 (edited) Ok, I admit that I am flustered. I am not a newbie and I should know this! I have spent a fair amount of time looking for answers, but could not find them. How do I make Main dining reservations for a set time every night? I am not a fan of anytime dining. Edited July 9 by shiner6 grammar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavecreekguy Posted July 9 #2 Share Posted July 9 (edited) A couple weeks ago I used the chat feature on the HAL website to get my dining changed from anytime to main dining on my upcoming cruise. Edited July 9 by cavecreekguy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruise Suzy Posted July 9 #3 Share Posted July 9 If you have Any Time Dining, you can only make MDR reservations once you are onboard. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiner6 Posted July 9 Author #4 Share Posted July 9 On my printout it says "Confirmed Main" no time noted. I cannot find it on the HAL website under my bookings. Is there a special place to look? Thanks for the quick response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksqueak Posted July 9 #5 Share Posted July 9 I requested "late seating" and my reservation says "confirmed main". It's usually around 8 or 8:15. The time is usually printed on your key card from what I remember. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavecreekguy Posted July 9 #6 Share Posted July 9 10 minutes ago, shiner6 said: On my printout it says "Confirmed Main" no time noted. I cannot find it on the HAL website under my bookings. Is there a special place to look? Thanks for the quick response. "Confirmed main" means you're confirmed for late dining. I requested late dining and my new updated confirmation also says "Confirmed Main." When I first booked and had anytime dining it said "Dining: Open Seating." I think the time for main dining is usually 8 p.m. but it may vary by ship/itinerary. This will be my first time. Previously I've always had anytime dining but realized I always go to the dining room at 8 p.m. anyway so might as well have the set time and table. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StLouisCruisers Posted July 9 #7 Share Posted July 9 On the Zuiderdam currently on an Iceland-Greenland cruise and late seating (also called main) is at 7:30 p.m. It has varied according to ship and itinerary over the years as @cavecreekguy mentioned. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shiner6 Posted July 9 Author #8 Share Posted July 9 16 minutes ago, ksqueak said: I requested "late seating" and my reservation says "confirmed main". It's usually around 8 or 8:15. The time is usually printed on your key card from what I remember. You are correct! I just used the "chat" feature to find this out and a very nice person named "Noel" was able to change it to an earlier time for me. I never eat dinner past 7pm due to reflux issues. I have found that all of my dining reservations made 2 months ago were changed by Holland at some point. Now, I am checking all of my reservations weekly to ensure no more mess-ups. Today their website is especially funky. I did send a report to be forwarded to their IT department (don't hold out much hope for improvement in the near future). Thank you to all for your swift responses. Very helpful! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaMatesNYC Posted July 9 #9 Share Posted July 9 (edited) 4 hours ago, shiner6 said: You are correct! I just used the "chat" feature to find this out and a very nice person named "Noel" was able to change it to an earlier time for me. I never eat dinner past 7pm due to reflux issues. I have found that all of my dining reservations made 2 months ago were changed by Holland at some point. Now, I am checking all of my reservations weekly to ensure no more mess-ups. Today their website is especially funky. I did send a report to be forwarded to their IT department (don't hold out much hope for improvement in the near future). Thank you to all for your swift responses. Very helpful! There are three dining room options - Early Fixed (5pm), Main Fixed (7:30pm) and Open Seating (aka Anytime dining). The times for early and main fixed seating can vary ship to ship and are sometimes referred to as Traditional. It will most often be the times noted above. The only earlier, dining room time “nice Noel” could have switched you to that is the same night to night is the early fixed seating (5:00pm). You may have made reservations 2 months ago for Specialty Restaurants, but you have pre-paid for those (or redeemed HIA credits). That is totally a separate issue than the default selection for dining room dining (the three options above). Someone could book a specialty restaurant in advance for every night of a cruise, and still have a default Dining Room assignment, Early, Main or Anytime. As others have said, in the dining room, you may not reserve times in advance that are other than the Three Choices Above: early, main, and Anytime. Only once onboard may you attempt to make other types of dining time reservations for the Dining Room. But beware, they will often have already allocated all available reservation slots to passengers on “back to back” or continuing voyages, even though each new cruise SHOULD have an equal opportunity. Edited July 9 by SeaMatesNYC More points 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartexas Posted July 10 #10 Share Posted July 10 I have my travel agent confirm late fixed when she books the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cccole Posted July 10 #11 Share Posted July 10 (edited) shiner6 - Sounds like you were able to get early fixed dining. That's great. Keep us posted regarding your dining reservations, it is helpful to all of us who plan ahead and may not realize HAL has made a change. Cherie Edited July 10 by cccole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Gail & Marty sailing away Posted July 10 #12 Share Posted July 10 20 hours ago, Cruise Suzy said: If you have Any Time Dining, you can only make MDR reservations once you are onboard. When you board there are Host tables where you can sign up for it .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow 123 Posted July 10 #13 Share Posted July 10 (edited) 21 hours ago, shiner6 said: Ok, I admit that I am flustered. I am not a newbie and I should know this! I have spent a fair amount of time looking for answers, but could not find them. How do I make Main dining reservations for a set time every night? I am not a fan of anytime dining. I did it with my travel agent at the time of booking. If you don't have a travel agent call Holland directly. I always get reserved seating. It's more comfortable for me. Edited July 10 by shadow 123 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaMatesNYC Posted July 10 #14 Share Posted July 10 1 hour ago, shadow 123 said: How do I make Main dining reservations for a set time every night? I am not a fan of anytime dining. Again, Main dining is fixed 7:30 seating, every night same table, same waiters, in (usually) the 3 deck aft dining room. This is chosen before the embarkation, usually at booking, but can also be requested (space permitting) later on after booking. We’ve even switched to it once on board. It is fixed, traditional dining and Holland calls it MAIN. As opposed to EARLY fixed seating at 5:00pm. This is not so much dining room reservations as it is the selection of a default dining choice. Dining room reservations are what “Anytime” diners can attempt to make upon boarding for the deck 2 dining room (or any reservations one makes for speciality restaurants). This will not (usually) be the same table or same waiters (except possibly if you are requesting table at opening [5:00pm] in which case they may be able to accommodate that). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow 123 Posted July 10 #15 Share Posted July 10 18 minutes ago, SeaMatesNYC said: Again, Main dining is fixed 7:30 seating, every night same table, same waiters, in (usually) the 3 deck aft dining room. This is chosen before the embarkation, usually at booking, but can also be requested (space permitting) later on after booking. We’ve even switched to it once on board. It is fixed, traditional dining and Holland calls it MAIN. As opposed to EARLY fixed seating at 5:00pm. This is not so much dining room reservations as it is the selection of a default dining choice. Dining room reservations are what “Anytime” diners can attempt to make upon boarding for the deck 2 dining room (or any reservations one makes for speciality restaurants). This will not (usually) be the same table or same waiters (except possibly if you are requesting table at opening [5:00pm] in which case they may be able to accommodate that). I don't know how what you're responding to is under my handle. I never wrote that. Look at #13 that's what I wrote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare POA1 Posted July 10 #16 Share Posted July 10 22 hours ago, shiner6 said: On my printout it says "Confirmed Main" no time noted. I cannot find it on the HAL website under my bookings. Is there a special place to look? Thanks for the quick response. Main = Late. Technically it's Main Upper, but I am pretty sure that I'll call it Late Fixed forever. This all harkens back to when all seating was fixed. There was Early Lower, Early Upper, Main Lower and Main Upper. This ended in the early 2000s. At that time, cruise lines started rolling out anytime, as-you-wish, or open seating. Open seating proved to be popular. It occupies the larger, lower dining room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaMatesNYC Posted July 10 #17 Share Posted July 10 37 minutes ago, shadow 123 said: I don't know how what you're responding to is under my handle. I never wrote that. Look at #13 that's what I wrote. I grabbed the "quote" from the "quote" inside your post. Did not notice that it tagged it to you. Apologies. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTeee Posted July 21 #18 Share Posted July 21 Mine on Rotterdam was 7:30 upper and I loved it. I would waltz in at 7:31 and everything was perfect. Anytime people were stuck downstairs in long lines waiting for an opening. I know this because I went to the wrong deck the first few nights. I agree I prefer the later set time, especially due to time zone and Starlink work requirements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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