Any talk of RCI offering Anytime Dining?

[kkorman]

the only reason I can see for being against offering both is that alot of people have never tried the traditional dining and would be afraid too. They have tried restaurent style dining. And if people don't try it, it will die out just like alot of traditions.

 

my 2 cents.

 

The same arguement can be said about the people with Personal Choice. The only way it is like a restaurant is that you make a reservation for when you want to go. Princess has the concept worked out rather well. It is interesting to see how the traditional dining rooms empty out as the trip goes on because people switch over to pc. It happen last year on an AK cruise. I was travelling alone, so set it up to be traditional. I was at a table of ten. On the 3rd night I was the onlu person who showed up. I know some of the people went to other dining options (the premium restauarants that night) but 2 couples never went back.

 

I have been on about 15 cruise of traditional cruising, so understand the pros and cons involved. I think that having both just makes more sense.

[DonnaK]

kkorman - the closest friends we've made on a cruise HAVE BEEN our tablemates. And (just think) we wouldn't even have met them if we hadn't been seated with them!!! Plus, on the 6 cruises I've been on with RCI, we've always liked our waiters, they go out of their way to make it a pleasant dining experience. I wouldn't like to "shop around" for a waiter I like - what if it took 5 days to find one?!? Again, JMO:D .

 

I think on this topic we can all agree to disagree (pleasantly).

 

I feel this way too! Traditional dining is an integral part of the cruise experience for us.

[threeofus]

Folks...you can still eat at a scheduled time with the same server...it's a win win...IF you want to change your time you can do that as well...you're not giving up anything.

Don't confuse Princess with NCl freestyle.

Princess has it all worked out believe me I was there. You lose nothing and gain everything.

[TexasMom2]

Princess does not do anytime dining well. We booked 11 months in advance and never made it into traditional dining. The waits were really long at times (and behind angry passengers venting at the Maitre 'd). The service was not even as good as your local Applebee's. Certainly not up to RCI quality. And why does anyone think making a standing reservation at a certain time, in order to secure a certain table/waitstaff at a certain time, is any different than traditional? It's not "anytime", you can't reserve during prime hours 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. and you are doing all the work. I have a hard time understanding that logic.

 

We hashed through this a couple of months ago, and my post on that thread still stands....if RCI considers a mix of traditional and anytime, I hope they get it right before they implement it (if ever, and I hope not). Like NEGC said, there isn't any good reason why Princess can't make adjustments on each sailing to reflect what passengers want. Luckily my next Princess cruise has traditional only.

 

On the matter of being stuck with tablemates you don't like .. ask to be moved. The staff will accommodate you.

[kkorman]

Princess does not do anytime dining well. We booked 11 months in advance and never made it into traditional dining. The waits were really long at times (and behind angry passengers venting at the Maitre 'd). The service was not even as good as your local Applebee's. Certainly not up to RCI quality. And why does anyone think making a standing reservation at a certain time, in order to secure a certain table/waitstaff at a certain time, is any different than traditional? It's not "anytime", you can't reserve during prime hours 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. and you are doing all the work. I have a hard time understanding that logic.

 

We hashed through this a couple of months ago, and my post on that thread still stands....if RCI considers a mix of traditional and anytime, I hope they get it right before they implement it (if ever, and I hope not). Like NEGC said, there isn't any good reason why Princess can't make adjustments on each sailing to reflect what passengers want. Luckily my next Princess cruise has traditional only.

 

On the matter of being stuck with tablemates you don't like .. ask to be moved. The staff will accommodate you.

 

I recently made one for 7:15. When PC cruising was first came out, it was unorganized. It has changed and it is working. On the first day, many people will go to see if they can switch and many are accomidated.

 

I have never had applebee's type service on any cruiseline. PC does not change the level of service.

[jeffw47]

After just being on the Caribbean Princess three weeks ago with PC dining, I will never do it again. On two nights, I had the worse service I have ever had on ten cruises. Matter of fact anywhere. I tried two different dining rooms just to make sure it wasn't the dining room. After the second time we did manage to find a waiter and assistant who seemed to care about their job. After that we stayed with him when we could. I will admit I did like the convenience of eating when I wanted to, but we sure did miss the personal attention that you get from traditional dining.

[Blizzard54]

We are rather loyal RCL cruisers. Of our last 26 cruises, 22 have been on RCL. Our next 5 are also scheduled to be with them. We like traditional dining. I would prefer that RCL not mess with what works.

 

We have not sailed on Princess since they started PC. In the case of NCL, we tried it twice. We did not care for Freestyle.

[kkorman]

After just being on the Caribbean Princess three weeks ago with PC dining, I will never do it again. On two nights, I had the worse service I have ever had on ten cruises. Matter of fact anywhere. I tried two different dining rooms just to make sure it wasn't the dining room. After the second time we did manage to find a waiter and assistant who seemed to care about their job. After that we stayed with him when we could. I will admit I did like the convenience of eating when I wanted to, but we sure did miss the personal attention that you get from traditional dining.

 

Were you on my cruise? lol. I was on 3 weeks ago.

[SherriZ366]

, i RCI has chosen to keep traditional dining as one of its chief selling points and I say more power to them.

I think this is the point that Adam Goldstein, RCCL President, has made in forums attended by my agent. They want to please their customer base on this point. I know it's not scientific but this thread and others like it show a strong preference for Traditional Dining.

[jmcal123]

You know all this back and forth with traditional and Non-traditional is a little silly. How many people go to a fine dinning establishment and get the same waiter? You typically have to ask for them. Done. How many people go to a fine dinning restaurant 7 nights a week in your town and decide ok I’m going to sit with Joe whoever. Not likely. And before you say "Ohh but I’m on vacation" that is exactly my point. You’re ON VACATION! Meet people, experience new things and don't say you're NOT going to go on a cruise line because you have to sit with different people each time you eat. That is absurd! These cruise ships go above and beyond to make people happy and enjoy their vacation and I for one think they do a great job. Chances are if I was forced to sit with narrow minded people such as these, I would be miserable and jump ship!

 

Telling people to go to a buffet vs. going to the dinning room is stupid. So your saying I can sit at my own table and not have the pleasure of meeting people? You go sit in Windjammer!!! Great for lunch but I’m missing the point in this. Being able to say, hey I want to meet some people tonight, 2 please! And they sit you with whoever has availability. It makes for a great night. You run the chance of getting a dinner with people that you might not like or prefer to sit with but you can wipe your brow, because tomorrow it’s another selection if you want it to be. Plus if you are so gung ho ready to sit with the same people every night, meet in the lobby and you can say, Table for 8! Hello!! Does the cruise line have to do everything for you?

 

Do this, Next time take a poll at your table and ask if those people really want to sit with you or would they prefer to sit with someone else… Get ready you may have a rude awakening or they are just being polite!

 

P.S. I just hope you don’t get suck with someone for a week that you just can’t stand to eat with, if you do see you at Windjammer!

[negc]

Folks...you can still eat at a scheduled time with the same server...it's a win win...IF you want to change your time you can do that as well...you're not giving up anything.

Don't confuse Princess with NCl freestyle.

Princess has it all worked out believe me I was there. You lose nothing and gain everything.

 

If Princess had it all worked out, there wouldn't be lengthy waitlists for traditional. They would adjust the dining room assignments to reflect the wishes of their clients. If it was all worked out you could make reservations for the 7:00pm to 8;00 pm time frame (The maitre'd on Sapphire Princess was emphatic that they don't accept reservations for that period of time but claimed that there should be little if any wait if you were willing to dine before 7 or after 8. And if it was all worked out there wouldn't be a stack of beepers for those who can't be accommodated when they arrive at the dining room for dinner, and people who wanted traditional but were forced to take anytime dining wouldn't be told how they can replicate it in the anytime dining rooms by making reservations for the same times in efffect in the traditional dining room.:)

When it was first introduced I thought that Princess had come up with a perfect solution that would satisfy both those who wanted traditional dining and those who preferred to dine each night whenever the spirit moved them. As with all things, however, the devil is in the details and in reality the Princess solution does not work far too often. :(

[kkorman]

If Princess had it all worked out, there wouldn't be lengthy waitlists for traditional. They would adjust the dining room assignments to reflect the wishes of their clients. If it was all worked out you could make reservations for the 7:00pm to 8;00 pm time frame (The maitre'd on Sapphire Princess was emphatic that they don't accept reservations for that period of time but claimed that there should be little if any wait if you were willing to dine before 7 or after 8. And if it was all worked out there wouldn't be a stack of beepers for those who can't be accommodated when they arrive at the dining room for dinner, and people who wanted traditional but were forced to take anytime dining wouldn't be told how they can replicate it in the anytime dining rooms by making reservations for the same times in efffect in the traditional dining room.:)

When it was first introduced I thought that Princess had come up with a perfect solution that would satisfy both those who wanted traditional dining and those who preferred to dine each night whenever the spirit moved them. As with all things, however, the devil is in the details and in reality the Princess solution does not work far too often. :(

 

What didn't work? I never have had aproblem with any reservation.

[kkorman]

I think this is the point that Adam Goldstein, RCCL President, has made in forums attended by my agent. They want to please their customer base on this point. I know it's not scientific but this thread and others like it show a strong preference for Traditional Dining.

 

They could still keep it, but offer more!

[PhoenixCruiser]

They could still keep it, but offer more!

 

Exactly!! Why can't they just provide more options? Not stop the traditional dining, just add other venues?

 

This is obviously a very HOT topic and it doesn't have to be :confused: JMO :D

 

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[Blizzard54]

One thing that I have noticed here is that many of those that want RCL to change have never sailed on their ships.

 

To us the traditional dining is part of what makes cruising different than other vacations. We like it that way. I know that Princess gives a choice but I would be very dissapointed if I sailed with them and traditional was not available.

 

When we started cruising there were no buffets we had 3 meals a day at "our table". We do appreciate the choices available with the buffets for breakfast and lunch want to stay with dinner as it is. We have had tablemates that we did not care for and changed tables.

[PhoenixCruiser]

One thing that I have noticed here is that many of those that want RCL to change have never sailed on their ships.

 

 

Why do you think that? I don't include my past cruises because I really don't like the *long* signatures.

 

 

###

[kkorman]

One thing that I have noticed here is that many of those that want RCL to change have never sailed on their ships.

 

To us the traditional dining is part of what makes cruising different than other vacations. We like it that way. I know that Princess gives a choice but I would be very dissapointed if I sailed with them and traditional was not available.

 

When we started cruising there were no buffets we had 3 meals a day at "our table". We do appreciate the choices available with the buffets for breakfast and lunch want to stay with dinner as it is. We have had tablemates that we did not care for and changed tables.

 

Well, I seem to be one of the big advocates of having it offered and I have sailed RCI... since the 80s actually, so I know about the 3 traditional meals a day. I would probably sail RCI much more frequently if PC dining was available and there would be little affect to those who would stay in the traditional dining rooms. I do not understand why others are so closed to something that would not change their experience at all?

 

I know that this is really a nonissue for most, but I really would like to have everything available to me.

[masterbaker]

I really see no need for RCI to offer "anytime dining". They do not need to compete with Princess or NCL over dining. They all offer different options and we as passengers can pick and choose what type of vacation we want for a particular trip. BTW, you can dine ensuite anytime on RCI.

 

I don't use long signatures showing our past cruises, but have sailed all these cruiselines (and more). We choose a cruise for what we are in the mood. If we want freestyle, we book NCL, anytime dining, we book Princess and if we want traditional dining we have several to choose from. We like choices. ;)

[happy cruzer]

How does anytime dining work with the entertainment schedule?

 

I know that when a ship offers mainly traditional dining the shows and lounge entertainment is organized around the dining times. The entertainers take their breaks during one of the meals. There is usually plenty of seating because half the passengers are dining.

 

How is this organized with anytime dining? Is some of the entertainment mobbed? empty? Do you miss something if you happen to choose the wrong time to dine?

 

Thanks.

[MGoBlue2]

What didn't work? I never have had aproblem with any reservation.

Obviously, just from reading this thread lots of others have. Have you considered the possibility that it works so well for you because as a person who has sailed with them umpteen times, you get preferential treatment?

[Philly Ken]

Another vote for tradional dining, that is why we stick with RCI.

Sure, however, you can get both options on Princess...which was my original point. I think its great that they offer both options, i just wish that RCI would do the same...that and the salt water pools is what's holding me back right now.

[SherriZ366]

How does anytime dining work with the entertainment schedule?

 

I know that when a ship offers mainly traditional dining the shows and lounge entertainment is organized around the dining times. The entertainers take their breaks during one of the meals. There is usually plenty of seating because half the passengers are dining.

 

How is this organized with anytime dining? Is some of the entertainment mobbed? empty? Do you miss something if you happen to choose the wrong time to dine?

 

Thanks.

From postings on Cruise Critic and cruise review, I have noticed that with Princess's anytime dining there is a frustration with getting dining times to match up with show times even though shows are offered numberous times.

[PhillyCruiser]

We are looking forward to our forthcoming cruise on the Empress OTS to Bermuda with good friends of ours. It will be our second cruise on RCI.

 

On Princess Cruises (where we've been countless times), we love and appreciate the fact that we can eat a meal at any hour of the day. This is great for lunch on port days. We can either head to the dining room during the traditional time for lunch (12-2 PM), or we can head up to the buffet and still get a full meal at ANY time. We have eaten in both Personal Choice and Traditional (2nd sitting) Dining. We choose one over the other depending on itinerary. For the Caribbean, where we go to relax and hang out on the beach, and for the wonderful days at sea, we prefer Traditional Dining. Go to bed late, get up late.

 

On an itinerary such as Alaska or any of the European cruises, we LOVE Personal Choice. We can eat dinner in the dining room WHENEVER we get back to the ship from an intense day touring ashore. OR, we eat dinner early and then go ashore to enjoy evening activities. Each day we are able to make a different choice. We get to know a lot of the waitstaff in the dining room, not just our waiter and busboy. Actually, that happens even when we eat in Traditional, because breakfast and lunch are open sitting.

 

I remember the "early" days of cruising, when getting shut out of dinner AND the buffet while in port was a routine occurence. (At least, for me it was.) GRRRR! I hated ordering sandwiches from room service while knowing that those people who made it to 1st or 2nd sitting had feasted on rack of lamb.

 

Just my perspective...

 

But I AM looking so forward to our upcoming cruise on the Empress OTS!!

 

Joan

[zackiedawg]

You know all this back and forth with traditional and Non-traditional is a little silly. How many people go to a fine dinning establishment and get the same waiter? You typically have to ask for them. Done. How many people go to a fine dinning restaurant 7 nights a week in your town and decide ok I’m going to sit with Joe whoever. Not likely. And before you say "Ohh but I’m on vacation" that is exactly my point. You’re ON VACATION! Meet people, experience new things and don't say you're NOT going to go on a cruise line because you have to sit with different people each time you eat. That is absurd!

 

Note that you are saying that you do NOT go on RCCL as much because you DO have to sit with the same people. Why is it any more absurd to choose not to cruise on a line because of non-traditional dining than it is to choose not to cruise on a line because of traditional dining? It all comes down to preferences...some people like a scheduled, planned vacation and familiar routine, and others like more spontaneous, unplanned, random vacations. The fact that there are so many cruise lines out there, each offering a slightly different combination of features, styles, and services, is what makes cruising such a wonderful vacation option. Why would anyone want all the cruise lines to offer identical service, styles, decor, benefits, foods, etc?

 

RCCL offers one style of dining on board. Princess offers another. NCL offers yet another. There are always little differences between cruise lines. Rather than complaining that Princess should be more like RCL, or RCL should be more like NCL, or Carnival should be more like HAL...how about we keep them all just the way they are, and each of us can choose the line that offers the best combination of services and styles to satisfy our desires?

 

Those who like anytime dining can choose between those lines who offer it like NCL, and those who like traditional dining can choose between those lines who offer it, like RCL. Those who aren't sure and want to have the option can choose a line like Princess that offers a bit of both. Those who like more formality can choose HAL or Celebrity. Those who want less formality can consider Carnival or RCL. Variety - the spice of life.

 

All many of us are saying is: don't remove the variety by changing what is a primary essence of the RCL experience - traditional dining in a slightly less formal environment. Let freestyle dining be the unique selling point of NCL, and let hybrid dining (some traditional and some anytime) be the unique selling point of Princess.

 

Try to understand that if every cruise line tried to mimic whatever was popular on each other line, you'd end up with a dozen basically identical cruise lines, with the same dining, the same entertainment, the same itinerary, the same formality (or lack thereof), the same service, the same rock walls or outdoor movies...the only difference would be the company logo on the stack. Whereas if RCL can resist the urge to copycat the new anytime dining, and Princess can avoid adding a rockclimbing wall, and Crystal can avoid dressing down formal nights - then we can all have a wonderful wealth of cruise lines to choose from when planning our next vacation, enough to keep many different people with many different expectations very happy.

 

Being able to say, hey I want to meet some people tonight, 2 please! And they sit you with whoever has availability. It makes for a great night. You run the chance of getting a dinner with people that you might not like or prefer to sit with but you can wipe your brow, because tomorrow it’s another selection if you want it to be. Plus if you are so gung ho ready to sit with the same people every night, meet in the lobby and you can say, Table for 8! Hello!! Does the cruise line have to do everything for you?

 

Actually, yes. Some people WANT the cruise line to do this for us. It is just one of those things we enjoy about that style of dining. I'm quite sure that left to their own decisions, many people would choose to sit with people they feel comfortable with or people with like minds and opinions...and have a fine and happy cruise. Noone is arguing that point. However, traditional dining can sometimes create more openmindedness than personal choice dining, because it does sometimes force down little barriers by encouraging people to try just a little bit harder to get along when they otherwise might have been too closed-minded or prejudiced to give it a try. Knowing you will be sharing a table with a group of people for the length of the cruise can give you that extra impetus to converse and open up lines of communication where you might not have consciously placed yourself. Sure, you can always request another table assignment if you really feel the need - but surprisingly many people put forth a little extra effort in traditional dining situations.

 

In my 20+ years of cruising, I have sat with every possible range of people: Chinese, Italian, Spanish, German, English, Irish, American, Canadian, Mexican, Nigerian, Australian...'black', 'white', 'yellow', 'red'...Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Athiest...Southern, Northern, Western, Midwestern....Racist, Bigoted, Feminist, Elitist...Straight, Gay, Bi...Old, Young, Middle aged...Single, Married, Families. I never CHOSE to sit with any of them...I thoroughly enjoyed the variety that traditional dining allowed me to meet, and the many language, religious, and cultural barriers I learned to overcome (as did my tablemates) in order to befriend and understand these diverse people...not to mention the vast knowledge I've learned from all of them. I have also seen interesting combinations of the above people, some quite different, who certainly would never have placed themselves together at a table in Personal Choice dining, yet ended up friends. I've seen Muslims and Jews, blacks and mild racists, right-wing conservatives and lesbians, athiests and devout Christians all knock down their prejudices and stereotypes and have a great time.

 

Note, I'm not knocking anyone who doesn't like traditional dining - not everyone who partakes in traditional dining is a wonderful open-minded person and not everyone who prefers personal choice is a wannabe bigot. We all have certain preferences, and our vacations should try to meet as many of those preferences as possible. I'm just pointing out that we already have a great range of choices of cruise lines - each with many ships - so pick the one that best satisfies your preferences.

 

For those who had 'bad' experiences on certain lines - I do feel sorry for you. My experiences with Princess, HAL, RCL, Costa, Celebrity, Carnival, and Dolphin have all been wonderful. I've never had a bad cruise, or experienced bad service, food, or amenities on any ship. I've found that some are better than others, but none are bad. I've found that some satisfy more of my personal preferences than others...but all are very satisfying experiences. I do prefer traditional dining...but have tried non-traditional dining too. I do prefer medium levels of formality - but have been on ships with much less and much more formality. I chose RCL for my next cruise for many reasons, INCLUDING traditional dining. If RCL were to try Princess' hybrid dining, I'd try it, but would choose the traditional dining option as that is my preference. If I found that the traditional dining experience was compromised by the new anytime dining (less people in traditional, not enough space for traditional diners, certain hours restricted for anytime diners only, etc), then that would become a future consideration when booking another cruise - and I might find myself migrating to Celebrity or HAL offerings, all else being equal. I'd never choose a cruise solely because of the dining option...but it would weigh in my decision.

 

PHILLY KEN...It sounds like you are doing fine with Princess, as they satisfy your preferences perfectly well...so why change the formula of RCL which is satisfying other people's preferences perfectly well? I'm sure you'd be fairly upset to learn that every cruise line was going to switch back to traditional dining only...just as there are those out there who would be upset to hear that RCL is switching to Princess' dining style. The choice is already there - NCL versus Princess versus RCL...three different dining styles, all on similary priced, sized, and aged cruise lines. You can choose Princess, I can choose RCL, and someone who wants 100% free dining can choose NCL - and we can all sail happily.

[isujim]

In an effort to get back to Philly Ken's question......"Is there any talk about RC offering anytime dining?"

 

The answer is NO.......and it is economics..........

 

RC at the end of the first quarter reported in their economic data they are sailing at 104% capacity (formulated by adding in 3rd and 4th persons to a cabin).

 

As long as they are full and sailing at 104% capacity........they probably see no need to offer anything different. When and if bookings drop off and it can be attributed to lack of dining options........then and only then will you probably see RC consider changes.

 

Eventually if enough people desire this as an option.......and they begin losing business as a result.........then you might see some changes.

 

In the meantime.......stockholders like to see 104% capacity.:)