"Anytime Dining"???

[FoxyTerrier]

Hi all-

 

Just got off the phone with the travel agent booking the Noordam for Alaska next August.

 

We set up all the standard things when it came to dining choice he told me HAL has a new dining option and I thought he was going to tell me about what we experienced this summer - two seating but arrive anytime in the open window.

 

Nope he surprised me with "Anytime Dining" he described it as similar to what Princess is doing - arrive anytime between 5:30 and 8pm and they will seat you at an open table. Each night you will be a different talble with different wait staff.

 

He also told me the traditional dining was also available - I picked the later traditional dining.

 

Looks like more changes are coming.

[SandyMc]

WOW - that's a new one! :eek: I think your TA must be mistaken or you would have heard lots about it on this board! As far as I know, with the exception of the buffet, all dining times are scripted on HAL.

[Krazy Kruizers]

They are going to test this new concept of dining on the Oosterdam starting in Januray.

[mmp13]

Actually if you go to the Hal website it is listed as an option under the NOordam cruises

[Randyk47]

Ugh! (And that's all I'll say.......) :(

[AlohaPride]

dam!

[AAAAmerican]

Its getting closer for ya now **S...**

 

At least there is hope choice will be at hand ..but in there pocket...

 

I would want the HAL Standard as always we do that. Most past cruisers I have ever met still like that and when your servers are good... thats so mich nicer like Apple Butter.... :cool:

 

dam!

[AlohaPride]

Its getting closer for ya now **S...**

 

At least there is hope choice will be at hand ..but in there pocket...

 

I would want the HAL Standard as always we do that. Most past cruisers I have ever met still like that and when your servers are good... thats so mich nicer like Apple Butter.... :cool:

lol, thanks :D

[jhannah]

This is no surprise to me. Once they started fiddling around with dining arrivals it was just a matter of time before they went full-bore to offering anytime dining. I guess they felt this way was better than going cold turkey.

 

So what wonderful concept will HAL next bend to?

[Gsel]

I agree! DAM! We were given the choice of 5:15 (too early), 8:30 (too late) or "Leisure Dining" when we booked the Noordam. None really appealed to us but we took the Leisure as the Lesser of the Evils. We really like having the same waiter and staff each evening and don't like this new experiment. Hope they decide it is not going to work before we get on board. Maybe if we all protest loudly we can get somewhere?

[codyody]

I have been paying attention to all the dining conversations and was surprised when, after I requested later dining, I was offered 7:30 or 8:15. Honestly, I was so glad to get my SS I decided not to worry.

[Pam in CA]

I agree with you if HAL is now offering Anytime dining. There are many families on Princess who like it because if they're cruising with kids, they can be more flexible and eat when they want (sort of); there are also many passengers who enjoy it because they like to eat and run to the shows.

 

I've done Anytime twice on Princess and both times, we had anywhere from short (5 minutes even with a reservation) to long waits (45+ minutes). Usually, there are very long lines for people who just walk up and expect to be seated. In addition, no matter what anyone says, the dining experience isn't the same as traditional dining. That doesn't matter to some but it does to me.

 

There is always a very long waitlist for people requesting traditional dining when booking with many people unable to be confirmed. We booked the Golden Princess in February two months ago and traditional dining was already full. I'm currently waitlisted at #167 and I'll tear my hair out if I don't get confirmed for traditional. Anytime is a nice alternative but I don't think Princess has implemented it well. It's not really "any time" and most people make reservations, which you can do for times before 6PM and after 8PM. Even with a reservation, you still have to wait in line to be checked in and be seated.

[European_CruiseGirl]

Damn! Or should I say Dam! This was bad news! :( I love the fixed seating!

 

I really am sad with this all. I love the formality of fixed seating, getting to know your waiters, having that bottle of Pellegrino waiting for us at our table automatically every night after the first evening (and my diet coke :p)...knowing where I'm going to be seated, with whom etc.

 

The fixed seating is one of the reasons we have preferred HAL over some others...This is really a shame. :(

[kryos]

The fixed seating is one of the reasons we have preferred HAL over some others...This is really a shame. :(

Supposedly HAL will always offer both options ... but if this "Anytime Dining" takes hold and becomes permanent ... then if you want traditional, it would behoove you to really start booking your cruises early ... like a year or more out. :(

 

I too don't like this Anytime Dining at all. If I was traveling with a friend it might be okay, but for a solo it's really gonna make meeting people onboard ship difficult. Part of the lure of traditional dining is the opportunity to get to know a small group of people ... over the course of several dinners ... and at least having a couple of acquaintances aboard the ship. With "Anytime" ... yes, you'll meet people each evening ... whoever you happen to be seated with that evening ... but there certainly won't be time to get to know anyone ... as in about an hour or so, they will be gone and chances are you'll never dine with them again.

 

Unfortunately, though ... majority rules. And this "Anytime" dining tends to be very, very popular ... especially with families. The flexibility of being able to change one's dining time based on the activities of the day is very appealing, and I can understand folks wanting this. I just hope that HAL always offers a traditional dining option, and maybe it won't be so hard to get if a lot of folks decide the flexibility of "Anytime" dining far outweighs losing the elegance of traditional dining. Hopefully, in time more people will want the "Anytime" dining and will opt for that, leaving plenty of capacity in the traditional dining room for those of us who prefer that.

 

Yep ... HAL is a changin', huh?

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[RevNeal]

I'm also not surprised.

I had hoped that HAL wouldn't do any more experimenting than what they've done on the Oosterdam ... 2 seatings with a wider arrival window worked well and, when a table coordinated, it worked GREAT. But ... I knew that was just too good to be the case. Seattle is going to keep screwing with things until there's nothing left that we can recognize. :(

[Djptcp]

:eek: After sailing on NCL three times in the 90's and loving those cruises, DH and I experienced NCL's Freestyle Dining in 2003 and disliked it immensely and won't sail on NCL again until absolutely necessary. Long lines at the popular dining times were a complete turnoff and we felt the wait staff really didn't care about establishing a rapport with the pax because they wouldn't see them again at the next meal. No thanks! Please, HAL, don't ever give up the traditional set dining seating times. Parents with kids who have to eat "when they want to" should give up reinforcing instant gratification and teach their kids that patience is a virtue. Why should the rest of us have to suffer?

 

 

Holland America - 2004, 2006

Carnival - 1995, 1998, 2006, 2006

NCL - 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003

Royal Caribbean - 2002

[kryos]

... and we felt the wait staff really didn't care about establishing a rapport with the pax because they wouldn't see them again at the next meal.

Let's be honest ... what's the motivation for the waitstaff to want to establish any special rapport with passengers? Odds are they're not gonna get anything beyond their share of the auto-tip pool from any of those passengers anyway ... because tomorrow night they'll have all new ones. So, there's honestly no financial incentive to want to provide service above and beyond.

 

So, feed 'em, give 'em decent service, and then move 'em out. That's the way they're gonna look at it. And, frankly, I can understand why.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Seattle is going to keep screwing with things until there's nothing left that we can recognize. :(

Including mandatory formal nights, I'd guess.

 

The only thing we can hope is that this "anytime" dining and the other dining room changes remain confined to the Vista class ships (and Signature class beyond them). Those are the ships that seem to draw the younger passenger demographic ... lots of families and groups traveling together. Thus, those are the ships that will more likely than not embrace these changes.

 

I just hope the smaller ships and the ones doing the more varied/longer itineraries are left unaffected by these changes. And, that's a very real possibility since HAL freely admits they market to two entirely separate customer bases ... the traditional cruiser, generally older, who prefers longer itineraries and the more traditional aspects of ocean cruising, and the new family-style cruiser ... generally much younger, demanding shorter itineraries, port-intensive, that can be sandwiched in between everyone's work/school schedules. These are the people who don't give a rat's you know what about the traditions of cruising. They just want to get on the boat, enjoy a lot of beach days in a variety of ports, and work around a schedule that suits them and their families exclusively. Anytime Dining is perfect for them. Not having to lug a bunch of formalwear to the ship would be even better.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[nabby]

Hmm, this could be a big problem for us. I am travelling on the Oosterdam in January and there are 6 people in our party. I can imagine having to wait in very long lines in order to get an empty table for all of us. I certainly would not want to have to break up the group every night! Our TA did not mention that we could opt for fixed seating. Has anyone booked on Oosterdam with fixed seating (is it an option?)

[jhannah]

Unfortunately, though ... majority rules. And this "Anytime" dining tends to be very, very popular ... especially with families.

Thing is, Rita, I seriously doubt a majority want this. Look at other cruise lines and their huge waiting lists for traditional dining. Like in many facets of life, the vocal minority (who in this case want HAL to be just like other lines they've cruised) tend to get their way. "We" have not been vocal enough. (No, I'm not proposing mutiny ... just stating that we collectively haven't made our preference known up until now. And now is too late!) JMO

[SHayesShip]

This is whats makes us all different in that we all have different priorities and preferences.

 

I for one enjoy the anytime dining. "My Shield has just been raised".

I cruise almost exclusively between Princess and HAL. I for one like to eat on the upper level of the HAL dining rooms and the seating choices are either to early or to late for my preferred time and I have to submit regardless.

 

On Princess in my last 6 cruises I have found a table, waitstaff and time that I wanted it and booked it for the SAME TIME AND STAFF for remainder of my cruise. Done, Finito! That simple! I prefer eating around 6:45 or so. Same service, food and waitstaff as Traditional dining but at MY time that I want. On Princess it has been hit or miss about getting PM to 7:PM standing reservations but 6:30 pm to 6:45 pm I have not had problems. And before there are any naysayers, I have used this approach on the Coral (2), Star, Diamond and Grand Princess.

 

I would prefer to eat in Upper Dining Room on HAL between 6:30 pm and PM. I hope to be able to do this in the future at some point.

 

This will not be preferred by all, that is for sure. I understand that this would not work for a single who wants to get to "know" their table mates. However, there are some singles that like to mingle and get to "work" the room and this anytime would work for them.

 

Different people have different reasons for dining times and IF this is handled properly will meet a larger portion of the passengers wants and needs.

[gizmo]

Thing is, Rita, I seriously doubt a majority want this. Look at other cruise lines and their huge waiting lists for traditional dining. Like in many facets of life, the vocal minority (who in this case want HAL to be just like other lines they've cruised) tend to get their way. "We" have not been vocal enough. (No, I'm not proposing mutiny ... just stating that we collectively haven't made our preference known up until now. And now is too late!) JMO

 

Ditto.....:)

 

On Princess in my last 6 cruises I have found a table, waitstaff and time that I wanted it and booked it for the SAME TIME AND STAFF for remainder of my cruise. Done, Finito! That simple! I prefer eating around 6:45 or so. Same service, food and waitstaff as Traditional dining but at MY time that I want. On Princess it has been hit or miss about getting PM to 7:PM standing reservations but 6:30 pm to 6:45 pm I have not had problems. And before there are any naysayers, I have used this approach on the Coral (2), Star, Diamond and Grand Princess.

 

I have read more than once that this is not always true.

[SHayesShip]

I have read also that some people have not had the same experience as mine. I have no idea what I am doing differently that everyone can not do. I do not know if it is behavior, who I am asking or if it is just luck of the draw. All I can account for is what I have personally witnessed and experienced. After 5 cruises using this technique I am definitely providing a track record.

 

There were 2 times when I asked for 7PM and they could not accomodate me - thus the 7PM to 7:45PM is very uncertain. However, altering the time a little has worked for me every time.

[Gsel]

I am a bit confused here! Are you saying we will have the option of "reserving" a particular time, table, etc. once we get on board? We too would rather have dinner around 6:45 or 6:30 and have the same table and staff but were told we would not have that option.

[cruisinjudy]

We are booked B2B on Oosterdam in January and February. Our Jan 27 cruise we have 5:45 upper dinner as the lower will be open seating for the month of January. For our Feb 3 cruise we have the 6:15 lower as they are planning to return to the regular schedule in February.