'Freestyle dining'..is RCCL going to follow..other though-provoking ?s..

[weareadams]

Another vote for No Freestyle. That's why I love RCCL. I like routine. The same way I like to make lists :) I think the original idea of Freestyle may have been good, but in reality if your party is bigger that four, I don't think it's as simple as they make it sound. We went on the Diamond Princess the first year she came out. They had both traditional and freestyle. We were a party of 8. We requested traditional which would serve dishes from the different freestyle restaraunts each night. There were always lines of people waiting at these restaurants each night, where we were able to walk into our dining room and enjoy our meal. One of the couples who had been on that cruise with us went again the following year. They had made the ship all traditional, according to them. I guess it didn't work like they thought it would.

[kittymom65]

I hope they don't change a thing. We live in a pretty small town, and there are not any "dress up" restaurants here. It is a memorable part of our trip to dress up for dinner...It's just not something we get to do that much, and we would be so disappointed without it.

If I want to go eat whenever I want, wearing whatever I want, I will go to the Windjammer.

[cws]

One of the couples who had been on that cruise with us went again the following year. They had made the ship all traditional, according to them. I guess it didn't work like they thought it would.

 

Your friends are wrong. The Diamond did not change. All Princess ships, with the exception of the Regal, Tahitian and Pacific, offer a choice of anytime dining or traditional. That is one main point of difference for Princess, the fact that they offer both kinds of dining. It is not going away.

 

RCCL could not just switch from traditional dining. A ship has to be designed to accomodate such an arrangment by offering multiple freestyle dining rooms (as is the case with NCL) or both traditional and anytime dining rooms (as with Princess). Since RCCL ships are built with one main dining room they would not be able to switch the way the dining program is run.

[threeofus]

Freestyle cruising is offered NCL - 9 or 10 different restaurants: Italian, French, Asian and Sushi, Mexican and a traditional dining room with anytime seating.

 

Princess offeres two dining rooms one with traditional set times and one with open seating but you can make reservations and sit with the same people with the same server just dine at different times. That is not the same as freestyle. Princess also offers two alternate restaurants.

 

I understand why everyone might not enjoy freestyle - it's like a hotel everyone coming and going at different times...

But princess's personal choice is not the same as freestyle.

If you could eat with your server and the same people every night - just had the opportunity to make a reservation an hour later or earlier once or twice-----what would you be missing?

[frudutx]

I too enjoy the traditional style of dining. Getting to know the servers. Being able to dress up. And if I don't I'll go to Windjammer! :)

[wvjohn]

I would like to see both offered. For our family 6 is too early and 8 is too late.

[ChuckyMoe]

We have done 2 freestyle cruises on NCL. The first time was OK but the second time, we showed up for dinner at 6:30 and they told us that it would be at least an hour before we could get into dinner. The next night, it happened again. We decided that we should have one of us go down an hour before we wanted to eat each night and put our name on the list. They will then call you in your cabin or you can wait at one of the bars and have a drink. We always have around 8 people in our group and we would all like to sit together to eat. They did not let us make reservations for the same table and time each night.

 

I prefer the same waiter every night who knows what we like to drink and when we like it and you get to know a little about where they come from, their families, etc.

 

We have only been on one RCI cruise and have our next one already booked. If RCI changed to freestyle, I'd have to find somewhere else to vacation.

[LMCAT123]

We loved Anytime Dining on Princess and everyone that we saw was dressed decently. There was no wear what you want attitude. Eating in the dining room when you want to is a huge plus to us and we never had more then a 6-7 min. wait. You can also reserve a time so you have the best of both worlds I think.

[flagger]

They do - It's called the Windjammer.

The food is NOT the same in the Windjammer.

[realtorron]

I would also vote for traditional dining.:o

[xpcdoojk]

Freestyle cruising is offered NCL - 9 or 10 different restaurants: Italian, French, Asian and Sushi, Mexican and a traditional dining room with anytime seating.

 

Princess offeres two dining rooms one with traditional set times and one with open seating but you can make reservations and sit with the same people with the same server just dine at different times. That is not the same as freestyle. Princess also offers two alternate restaurants.

 

I understand why everyone might not enjoy freestyle - it's like a hotel everyone coming and going at different times...

But princess's personal choice is not the same as freestyle.

 

If you could eat with your server and the same people every night - just had the opportunity to make a reservation an hour later or earlier once or twice-----what would you be missing?

I can see the discussion at dinner night one with a couple and 6 new people that you just met today. Couple1 "Hi we want to eat at 7:30pm tommorrow." Couple2, "Um we were thinking 8:30pm would work best for us." Couple3, "We are going to Piano bar and Hugo starts playing at 8pm so we need to stick to 6:30pm like we did tonight. Couple4 "Honey, let's book RCI next time because this is just stupid".

 

jc

[emilygrace]

I agree with threeofus, personal choice dining is NOT the same as freestyle. As I see it, freestyle could be called free for all, since you have to deal with all the choices and all the other people all the time when you want to eat. At least on Princess you have a choice of traditional or anytime. And they still do have a dress code for dinner, regardless of which option you choose. Personally, I prefer traditional because of the special service you get, having the same waiter every night. But it is not for everyone and maybe there should be options. I would not stop sailing RCL if they had the choice of traditional and anytime. Now if they went totally freestyle, I might!

[Bichon Dad]

I've done "Traditional" with Carnival, "Freestyle" with NCL and "Personal Choice" with Princess: "Personal Choice" was my favorite, we had a waiter and his helper who we loved and requested them every night and they treated us like family, it was fantastic.

The issue that was discussed on the Grand Princess with our Cruise Critic group was people signed up for "Traditional" but used "Personal Choice". The "Traditional" Dining room was half empty with 2 people sitting at a table for 8. yet it was "waitlisted" for people that wanted "Traditional". I think a ship should be either all "Traditional" or all "Personal Choice", mixing them does a disservice to "Traditional" seating.

I'm a "easy-to-please" cruiser, I'll enjoy it either way!

[cruisinMike]

How will you keep track of who's turn it is to buy the round on the next night if you go non-traditional. :D

[cws]

I can see the discussion at dinner night one with a couple and 6 new people that you just met today. Couple1 "Hi we want to eat at 7:30pm tommorrow." Couple2, "Um we were thinking 8:30pm would work best for us." Couple3, "We are going to Piano bar and Hugo starts playing at 8pm so we need to stick to 6:30pm like we did tonight. Couple4 "Honey, let's book RCI next time because this is just stupid".jc

 

This may be true of NCL. But not Princess since they offer BOTH traditional and anytime.

[cws]

Princess offeres two dining rooms one with traditional set times and one with open seating but you can make reservations and sit with the same people with the same server just dine at different times.

 

The bigger Princess ships have three dining rooms, one traditional and two with open seating (in addition to the Italian restaurant and steak restaurant for a fee).

[karessamom]

hey weareadams: i know where you're from Lol! lets say I only live a couple of miles from where you are! I'm in Ogden

[PhoenixCruiser]

I would love to see the option of freestyle dining.

 

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[negc]

I've done all three...freestyle, traditional and princess' personal choice. The personal choice is clearly the winner. You can request a table with the server you want every single night but opt to dine at different times depending on what is going on with your day. So it really is the best of both worlds. All you have to do is make a call in the morning. So you look at your schedule for the day and pick a time.

 

You don't miss out on anything because you get the personal service from your server - if you want it- but you win because you don't have to be there at 6 pm every night.

 

It was wonderful.

 

For those that really like traditional...what would you be missing with this system???

 

The problem with Princess' personal choice dining, which on its face seems to be the perfect solution, offering you the choice of traditional dining or anytime dining, is that IT DOESN'T WORK. If it did, there wouldn't always be long wait lists for traditional dining. PC on Princess has become Princess' choice since it is they, not you, who chooses your style of dining.

Even those who select anytime dining and try to replicate a form of traditional dining by reserving the same table, wait staff, and dining time, report that they are unable to do so, unless they are willing to dine very early or late.

With the Windjammer and the alternative restaurants available on RCI ships I believe there are sufficient options so that you are not locked into dining in the same room at the same time every evening of your cruise.

Like many others who have posted, we appreciate and enjoy the traditional dining experience offered by RCI. We like getting to know our wait staff and our tablemates and we like the fact that the wait staff gets to know our preferences (tea not coffee, decaf coffee not regular).

I have always felt that cruising is a unique experiene and traditional dining is a significant factor in that experience. If I want the anytime dining experience I can go to my local restaurant at home and get it.

I see no evidence that RCI is about to change and I believe that they will make it a selling point to differentiate themselves from other lines. Let's hope so at least.:)

[SLH]

I hope not! My hubby has worked on both RCI and NCL and from the stories he has told me and what I have read on the NCL boards, I will stick with it the way things are.

 

If I want freestyle dining I will go to a line that offers it, I choose RCI because I like the way things are done, such as set dining times, I know when I show up to eat I am not going to have to stand around waiting an hour for a table to get ready. If I want to have to make a reservation to eat, that is too much like being at home. I dont want to plan or think or anything when I cruise, I do it to get away and just be. Tell me where to be when and Im there, no thought, no worry.

 

I too love formal nights and the same table and waiter every night and all the other things that come with the traditional cruise experience. I wish they would go back to enforcing the dress code in the dining room personally.

I too like the traditional dining for all the same reasons.

[threeofus]

That is not true. It does work. The reason it is waitlisted is because people THINK that they can't sit with the same server in the personal choice-- but they can. They just get to come WHEN THEY WANT. They can come Every Single Night at 6 - or they can come at 7 one night, 6:30 the following night etc.

You can still sit with your server .....

Honestly...I still want to hear from the traditional people....what are you missing??????

[bubbie617]

I still miss sitting at my regular table for breakfast and lunch!!

 

When we started cruising in 1983, you ate all your meals (except for an occasional lunch at the grill by the pool) at the same table. My waiter knew by the second day that I only drink decaffeinated beverages. My decaf coffee was being poured as I approached the table. With open seating for breakfast and lunch in the dining room, I always have to "break in" a new waiter every day. They are always most accommodating, but I wistfully remember the "olden days".

 

Obviously I vote for TRADITIONAL!!

[wrp96]

That is not true. It does work. The reason it is waitlisted is because people THINK that they can't sit with the same server in the personal choice-- but they can. They just get to come WHEN THEY WANT. They can come Every Single Night at 6 - or they can come at 7 one night, 6:30 the following night etc.

You can still sit with your server .....

Honestly...I still want to hear from the traditional people....what are you missing??????

 

Having the same table mates every evening. I occasionally travel as a solo cruiser. I look forward to the evening when I can touch base with the people I've gotten to know throughout the week. Even if I could make a reservation (which I don't want to have to do) to have the same waiter each evening, how would I guarantee having the same tablemates?

 

I won't try Princess because I can't be guaranteed I will have traditional dining - it is that important to me!

[Sigtau21]

I went NCL once, and I have to say I choose not to cruise with them because I dont like freestyle. Thats just me!

[perkyblue]

I have always felt that cruising is a unique experiene and traditional dining is a significant factor in that experience. If I want the anytime dining experience I can go to my local restaurant at home and get it.

 

You stole the words right out of my mouth! :p