Free-Stlye Cruising - What's Your Opinion

[franu]

Although I was told by someone that I trust that his experience with freestyle was negative to the point that he was ready to disembark early, I will try to find an answer that suits me better. In this I hope that you will help me.

 

My friend went on a cruise solo and was continually seated by himself facing the wall although he repeatedly asked to be seated with others. He found some friends on-board and this solved his dining solo problems.

 

Does this mean that my friend and I will always be seated at a table for two? Is there any way that there are open tables that anyone can join? How do I access them? For me the social part of cruising is important.

Fran

[Suebee42]

Thank you, Kamfan... comments like that also make reading this forum difficult, at times, for those of us who read more than we post. Actually, I think posts like that are what PROMPT some of us to read more than we post. ;)

 

I appreciate all the honest opinions on this topic... after two Carnival cruises, the charter company I sail with is trying Norwegian, so I'll be Freestylin' in February 2009. :D

[halos]

I would certainly suggest that you give NCL a try.

 

We have cruised most of the mass market lines and have always found something that sets each apart from the others. The Freestyle dining is the big difference with an NCL cruise. And, yes, there are some people who will absolutely not enjoy the experience. However, the reality is that most lines are more alike than they are different.

 

Some have more annoying annoucements than others. Some have more "active" activities (like a rock climbing wall). Some have a real piano bar instead of a "piano bar area". And so on and so forth.

 

Just don't necessarily buy in to all of the negative comments about any cruise line.

 

For example, we started cruising in December 2003 and heard from other cruisers that we should avoid Carnival at all costs. Images of drunken passengers, loud music everywhere, garish decor, etc. were some of the common themes.

 

Finally we booked Carnival Valor for our 16th cruise in November of 2006. We booked our first balcony also figuring that if we really didn't like the shipboard experience we could retreat to our cabin. The bottom line is that next January will be our 5th Carnival cruise:p

 

While we have cruised NCL more than any other line, it is not our only choice and no line is our real "favorite".

 

Happy sails whatever you choose,

 

Charlie

 

I second all your thoughts. :)

(thank you. You saved me quite a bit of typing ;) )

[CruisnGram]

Although I was told by someone that I trust that his experience with freestyle was negative to the point that he was ready to disembark early, I will try to find an answer that suits me better. In this I hope that you will help me.

 

My friend went on a cruise solo and was continually seated by himself facing the wall although he repeatedly asked to be seated with others. He found some friends on-board and this solved his dining solo problems.

 

Does this mean that my friend and I will always be seated at a table for two? Is there any way that there are open tables that anyone can join? How do I access them? For me the social part of cruising is important.

Fran

 

Well, I'm not a difficult person to please, but if I asked for a table for 2, and I was taken to a table with 6 other people, or if I asked to be seated with others, and was taken to a table for 2, I'd simply tell them that was not what I wanted, and make them seat me where I wanted to be. If it is done nicely "Sorry, I guess you didn't understand me, we'd like to sit with some other people instead of dining alone tonight", they will honor your request. You just need to be aware that if there is no one eating at that time who have requested to have other guests seated with them, you may have to wait a little while for a table. Afterall, they can't take you to a table that has 3 family members at it who specifically want to dine alone, and seat you there.

 

I could be way off base on this issue, but I would think that they automatically sit you at your own table, unless they are extremely busy and have limited tables, or you request otherwise. There's a logistics issue too as if the table seats 6, and 4 have already been there and are halfway though their meal, it's difficult to add 2 more people to the table so then the table is at varying stages of dining.

 

Honestly, the absolute best way to guarantee that you will having dining companions is to make friends at the pool, or at a bar, and plan to have dinner together.

[halos]

To each his own, but I don't have a problem whatsoever saying, "could I have coffee please". I don't need my waiter to know my preferences and will trade that perk for the choice to eat whatever time I want. Early if I'm starved at 5:30 pm, or 9:30 pm if I had a late lunch. Nothing worse for me then coming back on board after a long shore excursion and having just a little time to shower, change and rush to a dining room at a set time.

 

To each his own is right.

 

I enjoy freestyle, don't get me wrong. After taking one NCL cruise, I have booked another. I like the change.

BUT I will say that despite the few positive aspects about 'freestyle', nothing can compare to a wait staff knowing you and anticipating your every need.

 

There is never any reason to 'starve' on ANY cruise ship and personally, I have never had to rush back from any port.

[CruisnGram]

To each his own is right.

 

I enjoy freestyle, don't get me wrong. After taking one NCL cruise, I have booked another. I like the change.

BUT I will say that despite the few positive aspects about 'freestyle', nothing can compare to a wait staff knowing you and anticipating your every need.

 

I'm glad that you enjoy it that much. To me, I just couldn't care less whether someone anticipates my every need or not.

 

There is never any reason to 'starve' on ANY cruise ship and personally, I have never had to rush back from any port.

 

Well I sure have, and it was ugly. I mean really UGLY! :) We were scheduled for the murder mystery dinner and needed to arrive at 5:30. Our ship sailed at 5 and our intentions were to be back on board by 4:30. That would give us an hour to shower and dress. They had told us "no jeans" and for everyone to dress "nicely". So we are in Cozumel all day, swimming with Dolphins and snorkling and get back to the dock about 4:05. And the tender line is about a mile long. We end up reboarding the ship at 5:15, and back in our room at 5:20. No time to shower, just throw on some decent clothes over our sea salt encrusted bodies. And I can only tell you what the ladies hair looked like. None of us could wait till that dinner was over to rush back to our cabins and shower. If I ever needed a reminder at how much I dislike set dining times, that experience sure did it for me.

 

 

Happy sailing!

[slk230]

You're clearly one of the small number of people incompatible with freestyle cruising. No disrepect intended, but if it bothers you to have ask for coffee each night, you have no business being on NCL.

 

Go back and read my statement nicknack. I never once said it 'bothered me'. What I said was,

 

"It's a small thing but having the waiter know what you like without asking for it is a nice touch."

 

Also, as I stated, the waiter often did not know if a dish was made with mushrooms and had to go ask the chef sometimes delaying dinner.

 

With traditional dining we always had late seating to avoid any 'rushing' back to the ship after an excursion. If we were hungry, we had a quick bite in the buffet to hold us until dinner.

 

It's just our preference which is what the OP was asking for.

[watchdiva]

Freestyle is our preference - we've done HAL twice with set dining times and really didn't care for having to be sitting down to dinner at a set time. In fact, on our last HAL cruise (and the reason we returned to NCL) we disliked set dining so much that several nights we didn't even both to go to the dining room but had room service instead.

 

It doesn't matter to us that the waiter/waitress knows and/or remembers our preferences - what matters the most is that we can eat when we want, where we want.

 

The one thing we don't want during our vacation is to have to be somewhere at a set time.........

[cheshiremackat]

We *LOVE* the flexibility of 'freestyle", it is great to eat when and with whomever we choose, terrific. :)

 

BUT, it is important to remember that there isn't much "free" about freestyle. Many, many first-time cruisers are surprised that the "free" is for "freedom" not "without charge"... :o

 

I know NCL has untold millions in marketing money in the "freestyle" campaign, but I think "freedom- cruising" would better explain their offering.

 

Now, I am sure I will get razzed by the cheerleaders that "there are plenty of free options", I agree that there is no need to pay for a surcharge, should you choose. Here is my point, when only half of the venues are free and the marketing program says 11(!) different dining venues... I think there is a tremendous chance of miscommunication.

 

Contrast the marketing on "freestyle" with the Sandals all inclusive resort "love is all you need". The difference? Sandals, all dining venues are included, as are drinks and TIPS... I am *NOT* saying I prefer the resort (we actually prefer to cruise) but the marketing of freestyle is a little misleading.

[newmexicoNita]

Although I was told by someone that I trust that his experience with freestyle was negative to the point that he was ready to disembark early, I will try to find an answer that suits me better. In this I hope that you will help me.

 

My friend went on a cruise solo and was continually seated by himself facing the wall although he repeatedly asked to be seated with others. He found some friends on-board and this solved his dining solo problems.

 

Does this mean that my friend and I will always be seated at a table for two? Is there any way that there are open tables that anyone can join? How do I access them? For me the social part of cruising is important.

Fran

our experience has been that most nights you will be asked if you want to share a table? If you are not asked and you would like to have someone sit with you just tell the hostess. I don't know why your friend was always seated by himself, that would not make for a very pleasant cruise. As for someone being so unhappy with freestyle they were tempted to disembark early, that might be a first. No, freestyle may not be for everyone, but I can't imagine anyone letting it bother them that much.

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

To each his own is right.

 

I enjoy freestyle, don't get me wrong. After taking one NCL cruise, I have booked another. I like the change.

BUT I will say that despite the few positive aspects about 'freestyle', nothing can compare to a wait staff knowing you and anticipating your every need.

 

There is never any reason to 'starve' on ANY cruise ship and personally, I have never had to rush back from any port.

 

Halo, to each his own, but not always does the traditional dining work to everyone's advantage. There are the times that you are seated at a table with others you have nothing in common with and there are those wait people that are not all that spectacular. We have had wonderful wait people and have had just as many not any better than the wait person in the nearby coffee shop. They may or may not be friendly, they often seem to care more about the tips than sincerely want to be of service, etc. I agree most of the time they are very good at what they do, not as good as in years past when tips were not automatic. For those who consider pampering as part of the cruise experience probably traditional does work better. For those who are more flexible freestyle works very well.

 

Nita

[mbisson]

My opinion of freestyle? (like my opinion matters ;) )

 

I've been on several freestyle cruises. I have another one booked and I'm starting to watch and see which NCL cruise I want to take after that one. I guess my opinion is that it works for me. :D

[CruisnGram]

We *LOVE* the flexibility of 'freestyle", it is great to eat when and with whomever we choose, terrific. :)

 

BUT, it is important to remember that there isn't much "free" about freestyle. Many, many first-time cruisers are surprised that the "free" is for "freedom" not "without charge"... :o

 

I know NCL has untold millions in marketing money in the "freestyle" campaign, but I think "freedom- cruising" would better explain their offering.

 

Now, I am sure I will get razzed by the cheerleaders that "there are plenty of free options", I agree that there is no need to pay for a surcharge, should you choose. Here is my point, when only half of the venues are free and the marketing program says 11(!) different dining venues... I think there is a tremendous chance of miscommunication.

 

Contrast the marketing on "freestyle" with the Sandals all inclusive resort "love is all you need". The difference? Sandals, all dining venues are included, as are drinks and TIPS... I am *NOT* saying I prefer the resort (we actually prefer to cruise) but the marketing of freestyle is a little misleading.

 

Why is someone who disagrees with you labeled a cheerleader?

 

How many "free" dining options do other cruiselines offer? Certainly not 11. NCL ships offer a minimum of 4, some as many as 6 that are included in the price of the cruise, which outnumbers the majority of other cruiselines.

 

I also don't understand why people think that "freestyle" means "free". Could you please explain why anyone would think that? The definition of freestyle has nothing to do with money. If people believe that "freestyle" is the same as "free" then they need to read a dictionary as the two words are not connected in meaning whatsoever.

 

Finally, advertising is advertising. It is used to make a product look good and while outright lying isn't allowed, companies will say whatever they can to make people buy their product. Is Crest toothpaste really better then Gleam? Is Folgers coffee that much smoother then Maxwell House?

 

People that pound the advertising of NCL claiming that it isn't freestyle because some of the restaurants charge, are just stretching to attempt to prove their point.

[mpk218]

Love freestyle. Just booked another today:D

[coffeebean]

DH and I prefer Freestyle over Traditional cruising. Nothing beats having the freedom to dine at a time that suits us and we can dine at a different time each evening at a table for two or large enough for just our party. We love the choice of dining venues with their different ambiance, cuisine and decor. We also prefer the smaller restaurants with their intimate atmospheres.

 

We love Freestyle. Have I mentioned that????

[halos]

Halo, to each his own, but not always does the traditional dining work to everyone's advantage. There are the times that you are seated at a table with others you have nothing in common with and there are those wait people that are not all that spectacular. We have had wonderful wait people and have had just as many not any better than the wait person in the nearby coffee shop. They may or may not be friendly, they often seem to care more about the tips than sincerely want to be of service, etc. I agree most of the time they are very good at what they do, not as good as in years past when tips were not automatic. For those who consider pampering as part of the cruise experience probably traditional does work better. For those who are more flexible freestyle works very well.

 

Nita

 

I know there are some great points to Freestyle, Nita :) ..I was only refering to having a waiter who gets to know you.

I have to be honest that I LOVED my NCL cruise, but the service was totally lacking in the dining rooms. (ALL of them)

This didn't bother me enough to not sail the line again by any means. But I have had 6 Traditional cruises and have had service that was far superior on each.

 

There are many good points to freestyle, however. And we did enjoy the freedom of meeting up with different people from our group and dining together.

When I sail NCL again (March on the Star) I'll see how the service is on that sailing. I won't make a snap judgment on just a single cruise.

One thing I did love was the friendliness of the NCL crew. We couldn't be annoyed even with the poor servce because they were just so freaking NICE.

AND we loved all the different restaurant choices. That was very nice, espcially on a long cruise.

 

 

Well I sure have, and it was ugly. I mean really UGLY! We were scheduled for the murder mystery dinner and needed to arrive at 5:30. Our ship sailed at 5 and our intentions were to be back on board by 4:30. That would give us an hour to shower and dress. They had told us "no jeans" and for everyone to dress "nicely". So we are in Cozumel all day, swimming with Dolphins and snorkling and get back to the dock about 4:05. And the tender line is about a mile long. We end up reboarding the ship at 5:15, and back in our room at 5:20. No time to shower, just throw on some decent clothes over our sea salt encrusted bodies. And I can only tell you what the ladies hair looked like. None of us could wait till that dinner was over to rush back to our cabins and shower. If I ever needed a reminder at how much I dislike set dining times, that experience sure did it for me.Happy sailing!

 

Well, we usually choose late seating for this reason...and when we sail Freestyle we also choose to dine late to avoid crowds, lines OR the chance of not being seated in a specific restaurant at all.

Either way we sail, Freestyle or Traditional, it's just easier to eat late.

[CruisnGram]

We couldn't be annoyed even with the poor servce because they were just so freaking NICE.

 

This is hysterical! Love your attitude! :D

[more cruises]

We've only cruised once - so far:D :D It was on NCL and we absolutely loved the Freestyle concept - so much so that we will never be able to cruise any other way. Some days we were hungry for dinner at 5:30, some at 9. A few times we just grabbed some goodies to eat on our balcony. And I may be showing my upper/middle/lower class mentality but we really liked the buffet.

 

My question is this: does any other cruise line offer multiple dining choices that approach Freestyle? My husband would like to try another cruise but there's no way we would consider set times and formal attire.

[lyndyb]

We've been on only one short Disney cruise - and while we enjoyed it, we felt we weren't true cruise types as a result of our experience. We didn't like having to eat at a specific time to have our meal in the dining room. Being casual people, we didn't enjoy having to dress for dinner. The thought of formal attire on a longer cruise had us scrambling to book at All Inclusive resorts in the Carribean.

 

When we learned about the Freestyle with NCL, we decided to give it another try and have booked a cruise to Bermuda - can't wait!! I was thrilled to see so many people had a good experience with NCL and would do it again. I think NCL is ahead of the trend with the Freestyle Cruising - I know a lot of people who would be interested in cruising, if only it wasn't as dressy or regimented. Maybe the others will catch on!

[NowVoyager908]

We've only cruised once - so far:D :D It was on NCL and we absolutely loved the Freestyle concept - so much so that we will never be able to cruise any other way. Some days we were hungry for dinner at 5:30, some at 9. A few times we just grabbed some goodies to eat on our balcony. And I may be showing my upper/middle/lower class mentality but we really liked the buffet.

 

My question is this: does any other cruise line offer multiple dining choices that approach Freestyle? My husband would like to try another cruise but there's no way we would consider set times and formal attire.

 

AFAIK, only NCL offers true freestyle. But most of the other mainstream lines have begun offering, or are at least testing, some type of anytime dining, in combination with traditional early and late seating.

 

I sailed with Princess a few years ago and you could go to one of two dining rooms between 5:30 and 9:30 and be seated. I believe both RCI and HAL are introducing the concept fleetwide and Carnival is testing it on the Legend some time this summer.

 

I guess the cruiselines are finally getting the message that many passengers don't like being tied into a set dining time. However, they don't want to alienate those pax that prefer traditional, so they are offering both options. I think only Celebrity is holding out, but I could be mistaken in that.

 

As far as formal attire, thankfully Carnival has loosened their requirements somewhat, but I think the other lines are still holding on to the concept of formal nights.

[franu]

Thank you to all who answered my posting. Now I am aware that there is an option to share a table. I also understand that this depends on having others with like minds. No guarantees!

 

My friend was probably not assertive enough. He tends to be shy until he is comfortable. I am not usually shy so I will ask. I want this cruise to be a positive experience and be able to show myself that I am not a dinosaur but a flexible person waiting for new experiences.

Fran

[cheshiremackat]

Why is someone who disagrees with you labeled a cheerleader?

 

I did not say that at all, I said that I knew my comments would raise the ire of the 'cheerleaders'. All I ask is for you to consider the fact that "freestyle" may be misleading to cruisers used to other cruise lines and "all inclusive" style vacation packages.

 

I also don't understand why people think that "freestyle" means "free". Could you please explain why anyone would think that? The definition of freestyle has nothing to do with money. If people believe that "freestyle" is the same as "free" then they need to read a dictionary as the two words are not connected in meaning whatsoever.

 

Now c'mon on... there is no linkage between "free" and "freestyle", the terms are not connected in meaning whatsoever? That is blatantly incorrect. There is a root word here, FREE. I will gladly leave the dictionary work to you.

 

In my opinion, NCL choose "freestyle" EXACTLY to convey the idea of FREEdom, FREEspirited, and yes just plain old "FREE". Using NCL's own language "your free to whatever"... however, at a cost.

 

Now, you have been around these boards for longer than I, but we both know that every few weeks there are new posts from cruisers back from their first cruise that complain about "fee-style" or the "nickel and dimming"

done on their cruise. You can agree or disagree with the sentiments but there is a miscommunication going on somewhere.

 

People that pound the advertising of NCL claiming that it isn't freestyle because some of the restaurants charge, are just stretching to attempt to prove their point.

 

I disagree that this is a stretch. You make the point that no other line offers as many alternative restaurant choices, and this is true, but the converse is also true... no other line has as many "for pay" restaurants as NCL. I feel that NCL needs to do a better job of communicating what "freestyle" really is about.

 

Lastly, consider this... if the F3 upgrade rumours are true, and the F3s have no traditional dining rooms, is everyone still going to be on board (no pun intended) for "freestyle"... even if just the 'action-station' buffet is "cost-free"? Would you continue to argue that there is no implied nature to freestyle if just the buffet is cost-free?

 

I **love** the idea of freestyle, but I worry for NCL that too many people are getting the wrong idea.

[newmexicoNita]

I did not say that at all, I said that I knew my comments would raise the ire of the 'cheerleaders'. All I ask is for you to consider the fact that "freestyle" may be misleading to cruisers used to other cruise lines and "all inclusive" style vacation packages.

 

 

 

Now c'mon on... there is no linkage between "free" and "freestyle", the terms are not connected in meaning whatsoever? That is blatantly incorrect. There is a root word here, FREE. I will gladly leave the dictionary work to you.

 

In my opinion, NCL choose "freestyle" EXACTLY to convey the idea of FREEdom, FREEspirited, and yes just plain old "FREE". Using NCL's own language "your free to whatever"... however, at a cost.

 

Now, you have been around these boards for longer than I, but we both know that every few weeks there are new posts from cruisers back from their first cruise that complain about "fee-style" or the "nickel and dimming"

done on their cruise. You can agree or disagree with the sentiments but there is a miscommunication going on somewhere.

 

 

 

I disagree that this is a stretch. You make the point that no other line offers as many alternative restaurant choices, and this is true, but the converse is also true... no other line has as many "for pay" restaurants as NCL. I feel that NCL needs to do a better job of communicating what "freestyle" really is about.

 

Lastly, consider this... if the F3 upgrade rumours are true, and the F3s have no traditional dining rooms, is everyone still going to be on board (no pun intended) for "freestyle"... even if just the 'action-station' buffet is "cost-free"? Would you continue to argue that there is no implied nature to freestyle if just the buffet is cost-free?

 

I **love** the idea of freestyle, but I worry for NCL that too many people are getting the wrong idea.

Where are you getting the idea NCl will no longer offer main dining rooms with the cost of the cruise? I haven't heard that rumor but maybe I have been in a tunnel or something. I have read some comments that say: what if this was to happen? Never, have I heard it is going to be part of the program.....

 

Nita

[cheshiremackat]

Where are you getting the idea NCl will no longer offer main dining rooms with the cost of the cruise? I haven't heard that rumor but maybe I have been in a tunnel or something. I have read some comments that say: what if this was to happen? Never, have I heard it is going to be part of the program.....

 

Nita

 

There was a thread about this a few weeks ago... someone spoke to a CD or HD and they let it slip... now it *could* be nothing more than unsubstantiated bunk... but if true, it raises questions. I *only* give the rumour the slightest weighting because of the trend with 2.0 adding surcharges to previously free restaurants (Italian, etc)... so maybe 3.0 goes further along this trend?

[newmexicoNita]

There was a thread about this a few weeks ago... someone spoke to a CD or HD and they let it slip... now it *could* be nothing more than unsubstantiated bunk... but if true, it raises questions. I *only* give the rumour the slightest weighting because of the trend with 2.0 adding surcharges to previously free restaurants (Italian, etc)... so maybe 3.0 goes further along this trend?

and someone, not you spoke to a head waiter who let it slip: I would call that a true rumor: remember when we were kids and played the game gossip, this falls into the same catagory. I certainly would not claim this will not happen or be the trend of the future, but I would not be inclined to repeat or believe it at this stage. If there is any truth to it, my guess is no one on the staff would even know about it at this stage. I can remember hearing that our company was going to be sold and it was fact, we heard it more than once (this was when I was in management with a major hotel chain) it never happened but there were those who could give us all the details.

 

also I will add, not all the ships have added sur charges to all the restaurants as reported from those returning from various cruises. Many have, some have not. ..