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

[negc]

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??????

 

Anytime dining may work for couples, but try telling that to my friends (party of 4) who were told by the Maitre'd onboard that they could not reserve the same table, time and servers for every night of their cruise, unless they were willing to eat at 5:30 or 8:30, and if they wanted to come at different times each evening they definitely couldn't be guaranteed that the tables or servers would be available (which obviously makes sense, since others might already have been given those seats).

 

If PC works so well, please explain why there are lengthy waitlists for traditional dining on every cruise and many guests end up being forced into anytime dining. The cruiseline knows well in advance of sailing how many guests each week have requested traditonal dining and how many have requested anytime dining. When there is a significantly larger proportion of diners requesting traditional dining than requesting anytime dining, why can't the cruiseline realign the dining room allocations to reflect that fact. Princess has finally begun to do this, in a small way, by designating a portion of one of the anytime dining rooms to be used for early traditional dining. Why can't they extend this so that the dining rooms reasonably reflect the desires of their guests? If, on a particular cruise, two thirds of the guests request traditional dining while one third request anytime, why should two of the three dining rooms remain anytime while only one is traditional?

The devil is in the details. In theory, Princess' plan should be a wonderful solution that offers guest whichever type of dining experience they prefer. In practice, however, they have yet to work out the kinks in the system. :mad:

[alexkrn46]

When we did our only cruise with Princess we had persona; choice, you could only make appoitment for dinner on the same day. first thing in the am we had to make a reservation...it is work, I am on vacation I rather just show up for dinner.

[Alphawave]

I have a good friend who has sailed several lines from Galveston. NCL, in their opinion has gone way down in class. They took a cruise in December and found the free-style dining meant: Chipped china and glasses, sloppy serving, never the same waiter and the worst part was how the wait staff HURRIED everyone along so that they would vacate the seating, asap. Part of the CRUISE experience is the wonderful dining ambience. Sounds like NCL is ruining that, and many people won't return.

[threeofus]

When we did our only cruise with Princess we had persona; choice, you could only make appoitment for dinner on the same day. first thing in the am we had to make a reservation...it is work, I am on vacation I rather just show up for dinner.

 

I'd rather eat when I want....I guess that's why they make vanilla and chocolate.

[Ohunion Cruzers]

I hope RCCL is listening. NO DO NOT CHANGE A THING!!!

[ute_fan]

I'll chime in for just a minute here as a fan of freestyle dining. We have friends who tried for several years to get us to cruise. I had NO interest at all. I didn't like the idea of having to dress up for dinner every night, and even less interest in being seated at a table with strangers that I had nothing in common with. I have a hearing problem, and the idea of having to make "small talk" in a situation of that sort was very unappealing.

 

We do choose to "dress up" for formal night, but part of what I like about NCL is that it doesn't have to mean a formal dress -- I don't even own a formal, and feel just fine wearing what my children refer to as a "church dress". There have been several other couples in tuxes & formal gowns -- what ever you're comfortable with.

 

With freestyle dining, you also have the option of requesting the same table/waiter every evening, but they do restrict the hours at which it's available. We learned after talking to a great waitress on our first cruise that you can request the same wait staff each night, and they will be glad to accomodate you if space is available. We usually take that option once we find a waiter that we enjoy -- and get the same benefits of having them know our likes and dislikes after the first night they've served us.

 

Freestyle dining also gives us the advantage of being able to change the people we dine with rather than being stuck with someone at our table that we don't enjoy. For instance, on our last cruise, we ate 3 nights with just our family of four, and the other 4 nights we had various members of our roll call group join us. A couple of nights we had 6 people, and the others we had 8. We've been on 3 NCL cruises, with another one booked, and have yet to try any of the alternative restaurants, as we've been so satisfied with the service and food available in the main dining rooms.

 

Frankly, the more I read this thread, the less likely I am to try RCL. Feel free to flame away -- I put on my fire-retardant suit before posting :D .

[FLCruiseGirl]

I would love to try freestyle dining. We currently have 2 RCCL cruises booked, but after that we will be trying freestyle dining. I love the idea of coming back to the ship at the end of the day when I want and not having to rush because I have to be at dinner at 6:00 or 6:30 if we have early seating. Some days we would like to eat early (maybe "at sea" days) and other days we might prefer to eat later. Personally, I think the early seating is too early and the late seating is too late. I would prefer to eat dinner somewhere in the middle.

 

And the Windjammer is NOT the same thing as freestyle dining. The Windjammer is a buffet where you wait on yourself and can dress very casually. Freestyle dining is having your meal in the dining room in the traditional manner - whenever you want. Sounds great to me!

[pmcd404]

My wife and I have been on several cruises, the last two being Princess which we chose for the 'anytime dining' option. The one previous to that was NCL where we discovered 'Anytime dining'. We are going on May 7th on AOS purely because we like the itinerary, but were disappointed they do not have an 'anytime dining' option. Most of the time we enjoy our own company and don't like to be tied down to a particular time and venue, and like to dine when and where the spirit moves us. The last two years on Caribbean Princess we never had to wait for a table, and were invariably asked if we would like to join other dinner guest, which we did a couple of times and enjoyed it. We also never notice the slightest difference in the attire of the 'anytime diners' compared to the traditional ones. I'm definitely for an 'anytime dining' option.

[katiel53]

I have a few views on this thread. Last year we went to Alaska on NCL and I absolutely loved Freestyle. We ate in the main dining room 1 night, the other dining room 1 night and the rest of the nights in various restaurants on the ship. Two nights we went to pay restaurants but the others were not. 7:00 is the time I would choose to eat as that's when we eat at home. I made reservations for 7 at the various restaurants.(except the main and other dining rooms.) My husband loved that he didn't need to get dressed up any nights (no formal clothes) and he was a happy camper. I also think Alaska is a totally different type of cruise than the Caribbean and that dining can be different.

 

I also like traditional dining. When we go on RCI or Celebrity, we go to late seating. I guess traditional to me equates to being dressed appropriately. That doesn't include jeans at dinner. I am NOT trying to get into that discussion. If RCI wants to continue with just traditional dining, then I think they need to enforce their dress code. If they don't want to do that, then why not have something like Personal Choice or something similiar for those who don't want to dress up? In any case, I don't plan to go to the Windjammer for dinner as to me that is not what I am looking forward to. I think RCI has to make some changes, but it's up to them what they will be.

[Nitra]

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!!

 

 

Oh I remember those days too and loved it. I was surprised when I went and had to sit where they put me and could not have my regular waiter. I remember the assistant waiter would see me coming and he immediately knew what I ate and had it already on the way and my coffee poured when I sat down. I ate about the same time every morning so it made it easier for him to give that level of service. I loved just walking in and my sliced banana and croisant would be placed in front of me. Now I usually just go to the Windjammer and grab a banana and some yogurt, my usual breakfast at home too.

[CruiseFever]

Well I'll tell you what. We did just one NCL cruise and found freestyle very enjoyable. Sure, there's no substitute for a great formal night if thats what you're in the mood for. I've even defended formal night as an amost sacred part of the cruising ritual.

 

But on last months Sovereign of the Seas cruise we did not step foot in the dining room one time...just to see what that would be like.

 

I was totally impressed with the job they did at the Windjammer. I know food "quality" is a really subjective topic; what one person thinks is delicious makes another ill. But I think theres really something to be said for having lots of choices.

 

There was a time when you couldn't have paid me to miss the dining room experience. On future cruises I know we will be there every night. But it was kind of refreshing to see it all from a different angle.

 

I was surprised at how many people dressed up for dinner at the buffet, took them up on their offer of wine service and generally put more of an upscale twist on it that I would have imagined.

 

I was also surprised at the number of management people on the floor making sure everything was going well.

 

As far as NCL Freestyle is concerned I think they do what Princess wishes Anytime Dining would do and they do it better. The "choice" of traditional or Anytime on Princess is a sore spot for many (I thought it was great) that just won't go away. Freestyle being THE way makes it all much easier to....um.....swallow.

 

Just one persons opinion though, yours is right too

[plarimer]

I vote for traditional dining and if I come back late from a shore excursion we have been known to do the Windjammer or one of the specialty restaurants.

 

It is my one time to dress up in a world that only wants casual.

[arb18]

My first cruise was on Princess and we had Anytime dining and loved it. You could choose when you wanted to eat based around the shows you wanted or didn't want to see, or if you were at sea or in port that day, if you wanted to see the ship pull away from port etc... It was great. You would make a reservation in the morning or just show up and hope for no wait. Everyone still got dressed up and you could choose what type of seating you wanted. I enjoyed this so much because you were not stuck with people who you didn't get along with at the table. If you meet up with a group you really liked to dine with you just made a reservation with the group at the same time, I would love it if all cruise ships had this option.

[abridalmaven]

As a once a twice a year customer of NCL, I truly enjoyed their service and attitude. Now, they have become a fast food line when it comes to dining.

 

We have moved on, RCI and Celebrity as our choices.

 

Here is one more vote for retaining the traditional two seating dining arrangement.

I soooo agree, on NCL we had as many as 7 servers during one dinner, they could not even remember our orders right no less our names.:eek:

[cmich068]

my waiter on Explorer 2 weeks ago said he's been hearing rumors that RCCL was going to go freestyle with Genesis class, and may even test it out on the Final freedom class ship.

[herecomesthesun]

When the Matre D greets us, my arm must go into his to escort us to the table, but now it is first night only.

 

Does the Maitre D really escort you to your table? How can they do that for everyone? That's a nice touch though.

[whale-watcher]

I vote for traditional dining and if I come back late from a shore excursion we have been known to do the Windjammer or one of the specialty restaurants.

 

It is my one time to dress up in a world that only wants casual.

But anytime dining on Princess is every bit as formal as the traditional dining room on RCI -- if not more so. And with anytime dining, you can arrive late from a shore excursion AND still eat in the formal dining room if you choose...can't comment on NCL and freestyle as we have yet to sail on them (although we plan to try them for Hawaii one of these days).

[beachchick]

Does the Maitre D really escort you to your table? How can they do that for everyone? That's a nice touch though.

 

Perhaps when the ships were much smaller that might have worked. With well over 1,000 per seating on the average ship now, there's no possible way; it would take at least an hour just to get pax seated. I think it's a fantasy back to the days when cruising was transportation and only the rich cruised first class. It's not reasonable to expect that kind of personal service on today's mass market lines. The whole formal dining room, formal night and dress to the nines thing is fine, but it doesn't make or break a cruise for me. The cruise lines will do whatever they feel is best for the bottom line. I can't imagine saying that I would or wouldn't cruise on a specific line because of their eating arrangements. I know many people love having the same waiter every night, and enjoy having a relationship, but I really don't care. All I want is pleasant, decent service. I don't want my server to be anything but that.

 

As always, JMHO. And I respect that others opinions differ. That's what makes life interesting.:D

 

beachchick

[Murphy]

I enjoy the same table, same waiter, same dining time of traditional dining, but in all actuality, could do away with the formal dining requirement. We "follow" the rules, but wouldn't mind it one bit if every night was casual. And NO I DO NOT WANT TO EAT IN THE WINDJAMMER ON FORMAL NIGHT!!!!

[mojo4trav]

I say let supply and demand work it out. RCCL should try it and see how people respond. If they get enough positive feedback, I see no reason why it shouldn't be offered as an alternative (not a replacement) to traditional dining.

[Whistlespitter]

My wife and I are taking our first RCCL cruise this month (4/16 on AOS). We have done 3 Princess and one Celebrity cruises so far (and I cruised in '86 on Carnival Festivale - another era altogether!). I am a fan of traditional dining; DW leans towards Princess's personal choice dining. She likes the flexibility while I like the evolution of the relationships formed with tablemates from "the meet" to the last night. This, is of course, assumes that we like our tablemates and our waiter!

 

As long as traditional dining is not totally replaced by freestyle/personal choice or whatever they call it, I don't see a problem with it as an option. On Princess, at least, if traditional dining is full, you can reserve the same table at the same time every night in the personal choice dining room and it is the same experience as traditional - except that you are in the personal choice dining room. You get the same food and the dress code is the same.

 

If the real issue is that one doesn't like the trend that more cruisers are resisting the dress code and other civilities, this is not going to go away on the more affordable lines. Aside from the snobs, who just don't like the more "common" people who are now able to cruise once in a while, many of us enjoy the civilities and don't care whith whom we cruise as long as they don't spoil our experiences with loutish behavior and disregard the social conformances. I'm afraid that the only way to completely (or nearly completely), avoid them is to cruise on the more exclusive and more expensive lines.

 

I can't say that I've found it necessary to move up to one of the Premium lines so far. Since we are cruising Easter week on AOS, this might be a different but, hopefully, pleasant experience. We are not high income or high society wannabe's but we do like to "class it up" once in a while! After all, most of the cruise is really informal.

 

 

John in OH

 

1986 Carnival Festivale (Eastern Carribean)

2002 Grand Princess (Western Carribean)

2004 Celebrity Galaxy (Southern Carribean)

2005 Carribean Princess (Eastern Carribean)

2005 Sapphire Princess (Alaska)

[mojo4trav]

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!!

 

Bubbie,

 

Wouldn't you agree that with cruises being mass-market today, the possibility of that level of personal service may only be found on lines such as SilverSea, etc?

[Cruzntime]

Someone else has probably already said this but here is my two cents w/o reading this entire thread.

 

I vote no to freestyle. I guess if I want freestyle I can go to the Windjammer (buffet/lunch dining room). Supposedly at dinner I can get the same thing there as is being served in the main dinning room. JMHO

[threeofus]

Freestyle (NCL) isn't about going to the buffet restaurant....it's about going to different venues....asian, french, italian, steak, seafood every night....different themed restaurants---as though you were going out to dinner. Not a tacky buffet where you had lunch poolside.

 

Personal choice (Princess) is about going to the dining room with or without the same server every night - just flexibility in the time.

 

They are not interchangeable - totally different.

[negc]

I say let supply and demand work it out. RCCL should try it and see how people respond. If they get enough positive feedback, I see no reason why it shouldn't be offered as an alternative (not a replacement) to traditional dining.

 

When, and if, Princess ever gets it right, I might agree with you. They have offered both options for a while now and still have serious problems. Until Princess can eliminate or significantly reduce those problems , I support RCI's decision to remain traditional.

It is reasonably clear from these posts that most folks who choose RCI prefer traditional dining. Many cruisers have experienced anytime or freestyle dining. RCI doesn't have to offer it in order to measure the demand for this style of dining.

If you prefer freestyle or anytime dining there are cruiselines which offer it. If you want RCI to offer it, suggest it on your comment cards and suggest that others do so as well. That would be some indication as to the level of support it might have. Until there is that support, I say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. :)