As You Wish Dining - Opinions, Comments and Discussions

[cruzincurt]

Don't shoot me, but I don't believe any reservations should be allowed with anytime. You show up when you want and wait if necessary, that way it's fair for everyone and '2 tops' could be used 3, maybe even 4 times for the duration of dinner. Being able to reserve tables, especially up to 3 days in advance seems to defeat the object, to me at least.

I agree, anytime, mytime should mean just that. On HAL it's "their " time.

 

Every night they tried to force us to join tables for eight when we showed up even though there were plenty of 2 tops sitting unmade. For the "regulars" that insist on reservations, then pick the traditional dining times as before and leave the rest of us alone. One night after pestering them, they gave us such a crappy 2 top in the back corner behind a column, shaking up and down, we got up and left and went up stairs only to find out the Lido dining was "staff only" that night. See ya.

Edited September 29, 2010 by cruzincurt

[debsjc]

Last year on the Eurodam they only accepted reservations 1 day in advance. I nthink that system, or even only on the day would be the best in my opinion.

 

I don't like the idea of no reservations, as people don't like having to stand in line and wait.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Last year on the Eurodam they only accepted reservations 1 day in advance. I nthink that system, or even only on the day would be the best in my opinion.

 

I don't like the idea of no reservations, as people don't like having to stand in line and wait.

 

Maybe that was just the Eurodam.

On our Westerdam - spring 2009 and Zuiderdam - fall 2009 -- you could make reservations for 3 days at a time.

[chaching]

We love any time dining and have had excellent experiences with it. We show up early and sit at the next available table. We've had great experiences with all the people we have had the pleasure of meeting and then you get other people the next time you dine that way.

 

No matter what the BooHooing and Hullabalooing is about, if you don't like Any Time Dining, get an early or late arrangement in the main dining room!

 

ChaChing:eek:

[legalslave]

Getting early or late traditional dinning is not easy. We have booked 7 months in advance for our next cruise and were informed traditional dinning is not available. We have booked a year in advance and told it was not available. Many passengers would love to reserve traditional dinning, book way ahead of time of the cruise and are informed traditional dinning is not available when the ship is not anywhere near half booked.

 

Diane

[bilmo]

Thanks for the input on dining. We have done mostly Freestyle on NCL and it suits us best. We like sharing a table, so think we won't have a problem.;)

[Orlandocruiser]

Yesterday we booked a Dec 5 cruise on the Ryndam. Booking so late we were prepared to have to accept As You Wish. But when they asked us for our dining preference we replied "late" and there was no problem. Our invoice shows late (or actually main) confirmed. Now I know that in the past sometimes people with a "confirmed" dining time will find it changed when they get to the ship so we shall see.

[RuthC]

Yesterday we booked a Dec 5 cruise on the Ryndam. Booking so late we were prepared to have to accept As You Wish.

So, you really did get "As You Wish" after all. Congratulations.

[deserttraveler]

Yes

 

Open Seating is on the lower level of the dining room. You can make reservations for to 3 days at a time. But you can only make the reservations between 5:15 to 6:15 and from 7:30 - 9 PM. The times between 6:15 and 7:30 -- no reservations -- first come -- first served.

 

In September sailings of Statendam and Rotterdam, we were able to reserve 2-tops between 6:15 and 7:30, so this may be ship-specific rather than fleet wide, or something that is evolving.

[Kittycat2009]

We sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam in September, the cruise was fully booked and we never had a problem with any time dining. We rarely waited. Amazing that the line for the booked times was very long. I am not sure how long anyone had to wait, but was just amazed that there was a long line and when we walked down another level, no line.

 

We have always chosen any time dining, as we do not want to be pinned down to a certain time. One never knows when they will get back from their excursions and if one will need a nap or need some down time before getting ready for dinner.

 

I did find it odd that on this cruise that we were usually seated at a table for 4. When we sailed the Ryndam last year, we were seated at a larger table with other guests. We liked that as we got to know our other cruisemates. We met some interesting people. We did inquire about it on this cruise and that night we were seated with a few other couples, but that was the only time. :confused:

[esimon]

I agree -- to only have a 2 top the entire cruise -- pick a time and sit in the main room with closed seating.

[pgphoto]

I am cruising in Jan. There will be 6 of us. We have AYWD. My question is, can we always request a table for 6, or could we possibly be forced to sit at table for, say, 8, and have 2 people we don't know sitting with us?

[Mary Ellen]

I am cruising in Jan. There will be 6 of us. We have AYWD. My question is, can we always request a table for 6, or could we possibly be forced to sit at table for, say, 8, and have 2 people we don't know sitting with us?

Everyone on the ship has AYWD. Your TA can request table size ahead of time if you have the 'fixed' (early or main) seatings. If you prefer the open seating, just tell the person at the podium that you want a table for 6 when you check-in (and give your cabin numbers).

[DRWhit]

Everyone on the ship has AYWD.

Probably a bad name for their dining program. It implies you get to dine as you wish, but that doesn't always happen. We wish to dine downstairs on the fixed late setting, but that's not an option.

[JJ33328]

My experience was good even without making reservations. The only problem was on the Chef's Dinner night we couldn't be seated because there was no "AYW" dining that night, just the traditional early and late seating. We waited for the late seating and enjoyed the show.

Edited November 11, 2010 by JJ33328

[kennicott]

Last time I posted on this thread we were still trying to determine the advantages or disadvantages of “anytime” type dining, since in all our travels, just shy of a years total time on the high seas then, only traditional had been available. Since then, we have enjoyed 45 days of voyaging where traditional wasn’t even offered. Never had a single problem. No waits, and had our choice of tables almost always. Mostly we ate by ourselves. We both prefer this type of arrangement, immensely, over traditional. The primary benefit, in our view, is that we are no longer stuck on a one or two month duration cruise with the same dinner companions. Contrary to what critiques had suggested, we had plenty of opportunities to meet others and got to know dining staff members pretty well. Of course, we only travel on long trips and smaller ships, the last was the Seven Seas Mariner. We will never book traditional again.

[NJpassenger]

Are the menu options and quality of the food the same for the AYWD and Main Dining room?

[terigo]

[quote name='NJpassenger']Are the menu options and quality of the food the same for the AYWD and Main Dining room?[/quote]

Exactly the same. It is the same restaurant and kitchen.
If you think in terms of going to your favorite restaurant, and having your favorite table always available to you, or one time desiring to just show up and being seated at a different table.... it's not exactly the same thing, but it makes it easier to get the concept.
The food is the same, either way. Edited November 14, 2010 by terigo

[Mary Ellen]

[quote name='NJpassenger']Are the menu options and quality of the food the same for the AYWD and Main Dining room?[/QUOTE][SIZE="3"]Open and fixed seating in the MDR have the same menus. Other venues of AYWD dining have different menus from the MDR.[/SIZE]

[demo]

Hello to all,

I will do a HAL cruise for the first time. We choose the Prinsendam, how is the AYWD there working. Because they only have a one level dining room.
I appreciate every comment and tip.

We do also like a fix tabel seating on QE2 caronia restaurant, so I do not know wich to choose.

Thank you and cheerio
Dennis

[Mary Ellen]

[SIZE="3"]demo - The Prinsendam only having one level in the MDR didn't affect our dining in the PG, Lido, or Pinnacle Grill - all venues of AYWD. Enjoy the 'Elegant Explorer', she is a wonderful ship.[/SIZE]

[Jalex63]

[quote name='Orlandocruiser']Yesterday we booked a Dec 5 cruise on the Ryndam. Booking so late we were prepared to have to accept As You Wish. But when they asked us for our dining preference we replied "late" and there was no problem. Our invoice shows late (or actually main) confirmed. Now I know that in the past sometimes people with a "confirmed" dining time will find it changed when they get to the ship so we shall see.[/quote]

We just returned from a cruise on the Ryndam (11-14 to 11-21) and dining was the worst experience we have ever had on a cruise. We chose the Anytime dining option, as we have on other HAL cruises, but found if we did not have "reservations" we were forced to wait. We ended up trying to make reservations on the last few days of the cruise, but ended up having to eat dinner at about 8:00 every night as everything earlier was "booked". It is pretty obvious that more and more passengers are opting for the anytime and that HAL is not responding well to it. A peek in the upper dining room confirmed that about 1/3 of the tables were empty at each seating as more and more opt for the anytime. Result appears to be that HAL is attempting to run 2/3 of the passengers thru the lower dining room. Also the service in the dining room was horrible to poor at best. The first night we were left with our dining plates left sitting on our table for 20 minutes before we had to ask for the table to be cleared. I was served coffee with my dessert only one night without having to ask 3 or 4 times. I can tell by past experience that the dining room staff has been cut by at least 1/4 if not more in the last couple of years.

We have another cruise on the Westerdam in Feb and I am hoping to find a better experience or it will be our last HAL cruise!

[GeriatricNurse]

[quote name='Jalex63']We just returned from a cruise on the Ryndam (11-14 to 11-21) and dining was the worst experience we have ever had on a cruise. We chose the [SIZE=3][B][I][U]Anytime dining option[/U][/I][/B][/SIZE], as we have on other HAL cruises, but found if we did not have "reservations" we were forced to wait. We ended up trying to make reservations on the last few days of the cruise, but ended up having to eat dinner at about 8:00 every night as everything earlier was "booked". It is pretty obvious that more and more passengers are opting for the anytime and that HAL is not responding well to it. A peek in the upper dining room confirmed that about 1/3 of the tables were empty at each seating as more and more opt for the anytime. Result appears to be that HAL is attempting to run 2/3 of the passengers thru the lower dining room. Also the service in the dining room was horrible to poor at best. The first night we were left with our dining plates left sitting on our table for 20 minutes before we had to ask for the table to be cleared. I was served coffee with my dessert only one night without having to ask 3 or 4 times. I can tell by past experience that the dining room staff has been cut by at least 1/4 if not more in the last couple of years.

We have another cruise on the Westerdam in Feb and I am hoping to find a better experience or it will be our last HAL cruise![/quote]


[B][I][FONT=Arial][SIZE=4]Actually, it is not "anytime"! It is called "open"!:)[/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Arial][SIZE=4]The two types of dining with HAL are known as:[/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Arial][SIZE=4][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Arial][SIZE=4]1. Traditional Dining[/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Arial][SIZE=4][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Arial][SIZE=4]2. Open Dining[/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Arial][SIZE=4][/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Arial][SIZE=4]Together, they are referred to as "Anytime Dining"!:)[/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]

[Jalex63]

[quote name='GeriatricNurse'][B][I][FONT=Arial][SIZE=4]Actually, it is not "anytime"! It is called "open"!:)[/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]
[B][I][FONT=Arial][SIZE=4]The two types of dining with HAL are known as:[/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]

[B][I][FONT=Arial][SIZE=4]1. Traditional Dining[/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]

[B][I][FONT=Arial][SIZE=4]2. Open Dining[/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B]

[B][I][FONT=Arial][SIZE=4]Together, they are referred to as "Anytime Dining"!:)[/SIZE][/FONT][/I][/B][/quote]


Excuse me, obviously you are correct I should have written "Open dining".

[lovetocruise43]

:eek:[quote name='Jalex63']We just returned from a cruise on the Ryndam (11-14 to 11-21) and dining was the worst experience we have ever had on a cruise. We chose the Anytime dining option, as we have on other HAL cruises, but found if we did not have "reservations" we were forced to wait. We ended up trying to make reservations on the last few days of the cruise, but ended up having to eat dinner at about 8:00 every night as everything earlier was "booked". It is pretty obvious that more and more passengers are opting for the anytime and that HAL is not responding well to it. A peek in the upper dining room confirmed that about 1/3 of the tables were empty at each seating as more and more opt for the anytime. Result appears to be that HAL is attempting to run 2/3 of the passengers thru the lower dining room. Also the service in the dining room was horrible to poor at best. The first night we were left with our dining plates left sitting on our table for 20 minutes before we had to ask for the table to be cleared. I was served coffee with my dessert only one night without having to ask 3 or 4 times. I can tell by past experience that the dining room staff has been cut by at least 1/4 if not more in the last couple of years.

We have another cruise on the Westerdam in Feb and I am hoping to find a better experience or it will be our last HAL cruise![/quote]

We signed up for a Jan 9th back to back cruise until the 23rd in late Oct and were told by HAL that only late seating was available. THat was OK with us because early seating usually goes quickly but I didn't even think about open dining so don't know if they just didn't mention it or if it was actually not available. I was thinking of calling back for it but maybe I should stick with what I have.