Table for 2

[MICK48DC]

We are sailing on the Noordam next summer, what is our best chance of getting a table for 2 , fixed time dining or anytime dining ?? , i assume anytime dining would guarantee a table for 2 if you book early enough , true or false ???

[jtl513]

We are sailing on the Noordam next summer, what is our best chance of getting a table for 2 , fixed time dining or anytime dining ?? , i assume anytime dining would guarantee a table for 2 if you book early enough , true or false ???

You can always get a table for 2 with the Open seating if you're willing to go early enough or wait long enough. With the fixed dining, I don't think HAL will ever guarantee a specific table size - they're always just "requests" until you get on board. Or do you mean guarantee a specific table size when you call in the morning to make reservations for an open seating time? I don't know about that.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We always book traditional dining and request a table for 2.

 

On our last Westerdam cruise, there was a suite couple who had requested anytime dining and had also requested a table for 2. A couple of nights they couldn't get a table for 2 as they were on shore excursions when you could call at 8 AM to make a reservation.

 

So -- sometimes it will work out and other times it won't.

[MICK48DC]

yeah , thats my concern , if you request a table for 2 at set dining you have a fair chance of getting it i feel, with 'anytime' i guess its varies day to day , that said i assume if you request a table early enough you should be ok ?? , we are not that antisocial , just like our own company at meal times

[Krazy Kruizers]

With this AYWD dining, you can call between 8 AM and 4 PM and a request a certain size table and a dining time -- BUT -- and the times do vary a little from ship - to ship. The reservations will only be accepted for certain times -- like from 5:15 until 6 or 6:15 and then begining around 7:30 or 8. Otherwise, you just show up and take your chances.

[vbmom87]

yeah , thats my concern , if you request a table for 2 at set dining you have a fair chance of getting it i feel, with 'anytime' i guess its varies day to day , that said i assume if you request a table early enough you should be ok ?? , we are not that antisocial , just like our own company at meal times

 

I am a one time cruiser, but I can tell you what we did on the Volendam last month. We had the As You Wish Dining option. As soon as we boarded the ship, my BIL (frequent cruiser) reserved us a table for 5 for that evening. He asked for a window table. After dinner was over, my BIL decided he liked our servers and wanted to keep them if possible. With his previous cruising experiences he values good service and wanted to keep that great service for the remainder of the cruise. He then spoke with our server about having him for our waiter for the rest of the week. The server booked us for that table for the remaining days. A couple of times we had to change the time due to our excursions in port. We always did this the evening before as we concluded our dinner. Anyway, we always had the same table and same waiters, which worked out great.

[innlady1]

As You Wish Dining was in place on our February cruise on the Noordam, and we had Open Seating (our TA chose that for us and by the time I noticed it, it was too late to change to Fixed Seating).

The first night, we made reservations at 5:45 for a table for 2. Liked the Dining Steward and the table by a window, so reserved it every night of our cruise thereafter (we called the DR each morning after 8 to reserve...I didn't think to ask if we could just do it for the length of the cruise). Many in our server's section did the same thing. It didn't hurt that on the 2nd morning, when we were having breakfast in the Lido, the Dining Steward saw us and addressed us by name! ;)

[dr1ce]

Make sure you request a table for 2, if that's what you want. We were surprised our 1st night to be seated with another couple! I wrote about it under this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=722376

[Sprocket]

When we boarded the Ryndam we went to the DR and wrote down the numbers of the 2 tops we were interested in. Called right away to make the reservation for that night, and called each morning to request it. One day I did forget until later, and was told it was already reserved, but he did make sure we got that table after all.

I am slightly claustrophobic and wanted a table at the back by the window, it was perfect.

[hammybee]

Dining on a cruise ship is banquet dining at itsbest. It depends upon people sitting at larger tables and sharing a meal with strangers who may or may not become friends.

 

Regardless of other people's experiences or venue, fixed or open seating, it all depends on how many other people want a two top when you want a two top because there are just so many two tops available. There is no way to predict the outcome in advance other than to sail in a Deluxe Suite which will help you snag exactly what you want, when you want it.

[djhsolara]

On both of our Westerdam sailings we had "traditional" dining and requested a table for 2 when we made the reservation. I had read on this board that sending a nicely worded letter to the ship services office a few weeks prior to sailing will help to ensure your requests...so I faxed a letter before each sailing.

 

I do not know if the letter had anything at all to do with it, but what I do know is that on each sailing we had a table for 2 waiting for us when we arrived onboard and went to check the dining arrangements...so I will continue to fax my requests just in case.

 

Good Luck!!