Cruise Ship Dining
By Alara Shannon, Marketing | July 01, 2013 ( Comments)
Cruise ship dining has always been part of leisure cruising’s storied past. From an ocean liner’s elegant dining rooms complete with dazzling chandeliers to the more relaxed buffet-style restaurants on Lido decks, it is well-known that you can always eat, and eat well, on a cruise vacation.
Until recently, dining on a cruise was fairly predictable. You had your classic first (5:30-6pm) and second (8-8:30pm) seatings, along with a more casual dining venue available on the Lido (pool) deck of the ship.
But, fortunately, cruise lines are constantly transforming, bringing their fresh and exciting innovations to the cruise industry. The focus shifted to cruise ship dining and now your static, traditional first and second seatings are suddenly out of date - with ‘open’ seatings, specialty restaurants, and spa-like eateries taking over.
Typically, when you confirm your cruise reservation you select the traditional early (6pm) or late (8-8:30pm) dining time based upon personal preference. You dine in the main dining room at the same time each evening, at the same assigned table, with the same table mates and server.
A traditional dining time has many advantages in addition to its rich history:
- Your meal time is not up in the air. You do not need to remember to make a reservation or discuss what time to eat dinner each day. You just know what time to be ready to go and enjoy.
- Your server is good, very good, and will remember if you like to have exactly 1 ½ Diet Cokes before you even order your meal. You can bet there will be exactly 1 ½ Diet Cokes waiting for you at your seat for the duration of the cruise.
- You are assigned to a particular table with other passengers, with table sizes ranging from 4-10 guests. This, also, is a classic piece of cruise history. Cruising is a very social vacation; it allows you the opportunity to meet life-long friends. Many of those friendships made at sea have started at the dinner table.
While the traditional seating options are popular with many, one of the biggest revolutions to cruise ship dining was Norwegian Cruise Line’s Freestyle Dining, or open seating. This concept was initially scoffed by other lines in the industry but became so well received by guests that they later adopted the idea. Open Seating is coined differently depending on which you select such as Norwegian Cruise Line’s Freestyle Dining, Royal Caribbean’s My Time Dining, and Carnival’s Anytime Dining.
If you choose open seating for your cruise ship dining, this simply means you have an open dining time.
- You are able to visit the Main Dining Room whenever you’d like, usually between the hours of 5:45pm-9:30pm.
- Similar to restaurant-style seating, you approach the dining room and ask for a table for 2, or however large your party may be. You are able to dine alone, or be seated with other guests.
- This style of seating provides wonderful flexibility. If you’d like to stay in port a little longer, take a nap, or have a little extra time at the pool - so be it. You don’t have to be anywhere.
- With the flexibility, you lose a little familiarity. Your server will change each evening (unless you make a specific request for the same person, there might be a wait) and you will not be sitting with the same guests.
- There may be a short wait at popular dinner times, but you are able to call down and make a reservation each evening if you have an idea of when you would like to have dinner.
Depending on your cruise ship, along with your choices in the Main Dining Room you can have upwards of 10-15 alternative dining venues including options that are included in the cruise fare and those that are an additional fee.
And don’t forget about the 24 hour room service!
Whatever you’re craving, whatever time you’re craving it, you’re sure to find it on your next cruise vacation.
Do you prefer traditional or open cruise ship dining? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
