Dining - open or assigned

[Fanofcruising]

We have been very lucky and have enjoyed assigned seating on many cruises. We understand that you may have a problem that could limit your pleasure in the dining room however, I believe those instances are rare.

 

We just completed a cruise of the British Isles on the Azamara Journey, a wonderful ship and a great cruise. The open seating was our first test and unfortunately, we found that our pleasure in the dining room was diminished. The Maitre d' always seated us with other passengers as we requested but we found ourselves repeating the same story each night to new folks. We are the Campbells from Califorina etc. etc. We never really got to know anyone at any depth, and we felt that the open seating became a lot of work. In talking to other cruisers, we have found those with good experiences agree with us.

 

Hopefully the cruise lines will give us more options in the future.

[deepnite10]

depending on your priorities..

 

we enjoy dining alone alot..it give s the wife and i the sensation

of a date :D

 

there are also time s when we intentionally ask to be seated with others..

mainly after a port day..when we can share our experiences that day and find out what we missed..and perhaps take those activities into consideration the next time around..

 

there are advantages to both..and i ve yet to be disappointed with dining

with total strangers as well as with just the 2 of us..

[aboutThat]

We're taking Azamara for the first time in September. We prefer a table for two. Does anyone know if they are easy to find in the open seating concept? Is there a trick to make sure one has a table for two every night?

[Jancruz]

We have been very lucky and have enjoyed assigned seating on many cruises. We understand that you may have a problem that could limit your pleasure in the dining room however, I believe those instances are rare.

 

We just completed a cruise of the British Isles on the Azamara Journey, a wonderful ship and a great cruise. The open seating was our first test and unfortunately, we found that our pleasure in the dining room was diminished. The Maitre d' always seated us with other passengers as we requested but we found ourselves repeating the same story each night to new folks. We are the Campbells from Califorina etc. etc. We never really got to know anyone at any depth, and we felt that the open seating became a lot of work. In talking to on board other cruisers, we have found those with good experiences agree with us.

 

Hopefully the cruise lines will give us more options in the future.

 

There are those of us who love open seating..I for one would not go back to a ship with set dining..I know Azamara has no plans to change their seating policy..Im sorry you didnt meet people on board to dine with several nights..the fun of open dining is the meeting of new people..I was on the same cruise as you were..are you from Woodland Hills..I heard there was a lovely couple form Woodland Hills that we never met..I am from Oxnard!

Jancruz1

[Ask4Jay]

Fan -

Open seating for dinner is indeed not to everyone's, er, taste. We prefer to eat by ourselves. However, on embarkation day on our last cruise on the Quest we were asked to share a table. We sat with two other couples, had nice conversations, and toward the end of the dinner we (discretely) arranged to get together with one of the couples after dinner. For the rest of the cruise we ate all dinners and most lunches together. Who'd a thunk we introverts would hit it off so well with another couple? The four of us are booked on the Journey for March 09 and April 10.

My point is, with open seating one has to make one's own arrangements.

 

AboutThat -

In the past we ate prior to or after the rush and asked to be seated at a able for four. Hardly ever had to wait to be seated.

[susiesan]

We have been very lucky and have enjoyed assigned seating on many cruises. We understand that you may have a problem that could limit your pleasure in the dining room however, I believe those instances are rare.

 

We just completed a cruise of the British Isles on the Azamara Journey, a wonderful ship and a great cruise. The open seating was our first test and unfortunately, we found that our pleasure in the dining room was diminished. The Maitre d' always seated us with other passengers as we requested but we found ourselves repeating the same story each night to new folks. We are the Campbells from Califorina etc. etc. We never really got to know anyone at any depth, and we felt that the open seating became a lot of work. In talking to other cruisers, we have found those with good experiences agree with us.

 

Hopefully the cruise lines will give us more options in the future.

 

You have the option of going with another cruise line. Most of them have assigned dining so you have many choices of ships. Very few ships/lines offer only open dining. Some offer both open and assigned. So you can choose one of them and let Azamara stay the way it is for those of us who prefer open dining. It's why I choose Azamara, Oceania, or NCL and not all the others.

[orchestrapal]

I agree, don't try to change what works when you have other choices that work for you. By the way Regent also offers open seating and limited smoking.:)

[Beach Nut]

Next time you book a ship with open seating, you might want to join the Roll Call on CC for that sailing, and ask if there are folks there that would like to have a set seating with you every, or most, nights of the cruise. Who knows? You might be able to put together your own "table" even before embarkation. Then you would all meet each evening and go in together and asked to be seated at the next "table for (put in the number here)" that comes up.

 

Or, the first couple of days at lunch and dinner, you might remark to tablemates that you prefer set seating with set people and are looking for others who feel the same way. Then let your cabin number be known so that those that felt the same way and would like to join you could call you later to set that up.

 

A lot of people who book ships with open seating like the flexibility of being able to have dinner with people they meet during the cruise and "hit it off" with, so if you get a group of say, 8 or 10 together, you might want to set the "rules" to be a bit flexible, sort of what worked in our family when I was growing up. We had dinner together as a family unit at a set time each evening, but sometimes one of us would go off to have dinner with a friend.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Susan

[shoshona2]

Ask4Jay,

 

Thanks for the photo of the Aft cabin with our favorite view. Can hardly wait until next June on our Iceland cruise on the Journey.

 

We love open seating and have never had a problem finding someone to share our table. We have met such interesting well traveled people and even have booked future cruises with them. When we want to eat alone, we just ask for a table for two.

 

Sheila

[Aussie Gal]

We were on Oceania's Nautica for 35 days in April/May and it was our first experience with anytime dining. We loved it and we met lots of interesting table mates.

 

We also chose to eat on our own at a table for two on quite a few nights and as the dining room is set up with the tables for two in a row of three, we could chat with our neighbours and still be just the two of us.

 

We wondered how we would enjoy anytime dining before we boarded the Nautica but now wish that we could partake of this on all the ships. We will be back to Traditional in just over a weeks time on the Tahitian Princess and we will have to wait until 8.30pm for dinner instead of choosing to go whenever we wish, which was usually around 7.30pm, an ideal time for us!

 

Jennie

[aboutThat]

Fan -

Open seating for dinner is indeed not to everyone's, er, taste. We prefer to eat by ourselves. However, on embarkation day on our last cruise on the Quest we were asked to share a table. We sat with two other couples, had nice conversations, and toward the end of the dinner we (discretely) arranged to get together with one of the couples after dinner. For the rest of the cruise we ate all dinners and most lunches together. Who'd a thunk we introverts would hit it off so well with another couple? The four of us are booked on the Journey for March 09 and April 10.

My point is, with open seating one has to make one's own arrangements.

 

AboutThat -

In the past we ate prior to or after the rush and asked to be seated at a able for four. Hardly ever had to wait to be seated.

Thank you. What is the "rush time"?

[Ask4Jay]

aboutThat -

Discoveries was open from 6 pm to 9:30 pm. We don't like to stand on line at 6 o'clock sharp as if we were starved, even though it would get us seated fast. Plus, we needed to enjoy our sherry on the balcony first. :) If I recall correctly, we showed up at about 7:30 or so, when the early diners were starting to leave. The short answer: 7-ish to 7:30-ish.

Juergen

[daisysheridan]

I like the assigned seating! I also like not having to repeat my stories every night.

[susiesan]

I like the assigned seating! I also like not having to repeat my stories every night.

 

Then you may not like Azamara. Better for you to choose another cruiseline with assigned seating and the same tablemates.