As You Wish Dining - Opinions, Comments and Discussions

[jkrislc]

I've never seen As You Wish as an option on HAL. That is their generic term to cover all dining on board. The only options I've seen when booking have been either selecting a fixed time or going for Open Seating.

 

HAL doesn't seem to know what to call it at times. In some of their brochures, they print "dine with fixed dining or as you wish" even though "as you wish" refers to the entire program. HAL is just adding to the confusion.

[rotjeknor]

Just got back from 7 day cruise with ms Rotterdam to Norway. Open seating didn't quite work out this cruise. There were 1200 Dutch and Belgian passengers onboard , most with open seating. Since we like to spent a lot of time talking after dinner at the table ( na tafelen , as we call it) , the whole system was screwed up. HAL figures that you spent a maximum of 2 hours at your table, not three. There were also large groups who wanted to sit together. This caused long lines and irritated passengers on the first 2 nights at dinner, the staff worked out a plan, because the other nights it went rather smoothly.

[ScubaPirate]

What happens if you are assigned to open seating and get tied up in an excursion or activity and miss your reservation? We aren't planning to do this...just curious!

[RuthC]

What happens if you are assigned to open seating and get tied up in an excursion or activity and miss your reservation? We aren't planning to do this...just curious!

HAL excursions have a projected return time. If you are taking a HAL excursion, figure the planned return time, add a half-hour because they always run late, then add in time to get cleaned up and change. Don't make a reservation for earlier than that.

It's not required to make a reservation for open seating. The dining room is open for walk-ins until at least 9:00.

[RM]

Sorry new to HAL......

 

If you have early seating and your off on a shore excursion can you go to as you wish dining that evening if you return to the ship late or do we eat at the buffet?

[RuthC]

Sorry new to HAL......

 

If you have early seating and your off on a shore excursion can you go to as you wish dining that evening if you return to the ship late or do we eat at the buffet?

If you have fixed seating, you can't switch back and forth to open seating (both of which are As You Wish, btw).

If you expect to return late, you can make a later reservation at Pinnacle, Tamarind (if there is one on your ship), or Canaletto, or you can order room service off the dining room menu, or go to the Lido (all of which are also As You Wish dining).

[Mary Ellen]

Sorry new to HAL......

 

If you have early seating and your off on a shore excursion can you go to as you wish dining that evening if you return to the ship late or do we eat at the buffet?

Early seating is part of As You Wish Dining. If you are asking if you can go to the Open Seating, you probably won't need to do so. As Ruth mentioned you shold know about when you should be back to the ship. HAL knows their passengers want dinner every night, shore ex are rarely scheduled to miss dinner. If something unforeseen occurs talk to the maitre'd. Most likely something could be arranged. The Lido buffet will be serving essentially the same food as the MDR. It isn't a bad option.

[RM]

Thank you both for your answers. We have a few overnights on our cruise so I was wondering how to handle this.

[ardeur]

We opted for the 8pm main seating every night. Do we have to let someone know if we can't make it, if that should happen?

[RuthC]

We opted for the 8pm main seating every night. Do we have to let someone know if we can't make it, if that should happen?

If you're sharing a table with others, it would be the polite thing to do if you let them know you won't be there. That way they can go ahead and order, without awaiting your arrival.

If it's just your party, and you know in advance you won't be dining there the next night, it's nice to let your steward know.

[GeriatricNurse]

We opted for the 8pm main seating every night. Do we have to let someone know if we can't make it, if that should happen?

 

 

No, you do not have to let someone know if you can't make it! ;)

[offtoseethe world]

Have tried both open seating and assigned dinner options and there is no way we will ever accept a cruise without assigned seating for dinner. Hate that lines like Oceania, etc ONLY have open seating as the service definitely suffers. Love not having to ask for lemons for my water or my cappucino after dinner and just having theses appear. We enjoy getting to know our table mates in more depth and still correspond with some many years after the cruise. How many times do you want to the do the 'where are you from', 'do you have children/grandchildren' conversations at dinner! Enjoy interacting with the same dinner stewards, seeing pictures of their families, hearing about their homelands. When we get back late from an excursion, we can always slip into the Lido or use room service for dinner, so it works well for us.

 

Hopefully HAL will never drop assigned seating for dinner!

[RM]

Is there anyway to change your dining arrangements on our reservation online or do I have to call HAL?

[cruise31350]

We will be on the Zaandam in September. We are very used to the free style crusing and hate packing extra stuff just to cowtow to formal nights...which by the way, we hate. We feel we should be able to dine in the dining room with nice if not formal attire and enjoy a great meal...We have not sailed HAL before, but have been on other lines which did not e

Edited June 21, 2012 by cruise31350

[offtoseethe world]

Formal nights for women on HAL range from fabulous gowns to a pair of slacks and a nice blouse. You can get great mileage out of a pair of black slacks and a few different tops. For men it ranges from tuxedoes to a suit coat and tie to just a tie. Dinner in the Lido is more casual in dress and pretty much the same food.

[offtoseethe world]

Your TA can help change your dinner or you may need to call HAL if you booked directly with them. Another option is to change after you board but unless you are going from assigned dinner times to open seating, this may not be your best option.

[Boytjie]

No, you do not have to let someone know if you can't make it! ;)

 

Edited to say: What Ruth said. :D

Edited June 22, 2012 by Boytjie

[RuthC]

Edited to say: What Ruth said. :D

Thanks, Peter. It really isn't hard to be considerate.

[kennicott]

If you're sharing a table with others, it would be the polite thing to do if you let them know you won't be there. That way they can go ahead and order, without awaiting your arrival.

If it's just your party, and you know in advance you won't be dining there the next night, it's nice to let your steward know.

 

Absolutely. Also, they may be a little concerned and worry over the reason you didn't show, like a health issue, etc.

 

Having said that, it is just another reason why we are not so enamored anymore with assigned seating. We do HAL, Princess and more recently, Regent. It certainly was a relief when the lines opened things up and we were able to shuck the metaphorical ball and chain associated with being fused to a specific dinner table.

 

Of course, there are some positive aspects of traditional which we do miss, however the plusses of non-traditional greatly outnumber the disadvantages. Our meal companions, for the most part over the years, we got along very well with. But as we gravitated into longer and longer voyages, the horror stories we witnessed where others were saddled with outright borers for months on end was chilling. Better to simply avoid the potential grief.

[SpokaneDan]

We will be on the Zaandam in September. We are very used to the free style crusing and hate packing extra stuff just to cowtow to formal nights...which by the way, we hate. We feel we should be able to dine in the dining room with nice if not formal attire and enjoy a great meal...We have not sailed HAL before, but have been on other lines which did not e

 

I just returned from Zaandam. When it comes to dress code, I feel HAL is really not very different from other lines. People wear comfortable clothing when vacationing, meaning shorts, T shirt and jeans in public area. For formal night at MDR, a male passenger can get by with a dress shirt and a pair of Khakis, though majority of guys have jackets and ties on. I found HAL staff quite "forgiving" and none judgmental.:) Female passengers didn't go "all out" either, most of them wear nice but not overly formal dress.

 

Also a word about Any Time Dinning, it went very smooth on Zaandam.

[judibrown7]

Just returned from a week on the Veendam to Bermuda. The "As You Wish" dining didn't work. Had to wait at least 45 minutes for a table each night, even though there were lots of empty tables in the dining room. Once we were seated we waited for another half an hour before the waiters took our orders. Just awful. Won't do it again.

[GeriatricNurse]

Just returned from a week on the Veendam to Bermuda. The "As You Wish" dining didn't work. Had to wait at least 45 minutes for a table each night, even though there were lots of empty tables in the dining room. Once we were seated we waited for another half an hour before the waiters took our orders. Just awful. Won't do it again.

 

Actually, the "As You Wish Dining" is more correctly referred to as "Open Dining" as "As You Wish Dining" refers to both "Open Dining" and "Traditional Dining" :) That being said, I always choose "Open Dining" and NEVER dine in the MDR for the same reasons (and more) that you have stated! Usually, I dine in the Lido, which offers, more or less, the same menu as the MDR, along with fast, efficient service along with the fact that you are able to direct the amount of the food portions that you wish to have placed onto your plate(s)! ;)

[lindaler]

I am so glad that HAL offers all of us what we want in dinning. I hate eating off of plastic plates and love to be served instead of standing in lines. I like having my servers know what I want to drink and what kind of bread I like and that I will be served in a very reasonable time. But that is just me. We have friends who love the buffet and would never trade.

[JCB40]

Just got back from a Baltic Cruise on the Eurodam. First time with HAL and first time with 'free dining'. Either the marketing was wrong or misunderstood by us. First of all, we thought it meant free choice of multiple dining facilities -- Note: all other restaurants have an extra charge, other than the main diningroom (Rembrandt) and of course the Lido buffet. It seems that there are certain 'high demanded' time slots which causes you to end up in the same 'regular' time prescheduled slots OR even later than 8pm. Between 6:00 (6:30) - 7:45 is close to impossible to get. The lines are long when you 'just show up', very frustrating - despite the hard work of the reservation staff at the entrance. We opted to 'set a regularly scheduled' time slot at a specific table as free diners on the 2nd day - this way we KNEW our table, our time (and knew we had a good waiter) and were able to just go straight there without waiting.

[RuthC]

...first time with 'free dining'. Either the marketing was wrong or misunderstood by us. First of all, we thought it meant free choice of multiple dining facilities -- Note: all other restaurants have an extra charge, other than the main diningroom (Rembrandt) and of course the Lido buffet.

It was misunderstood by you. Neither HAL, nor anyone on this board, has ever referred to the dining selections as "Free Dining".

Calling it "As You Wish Dining" is confusing enough. Let's not add another misnomer to the discussions.