Anytime Dining

We will be on the Mardi Gras

Cons: If you like to have a set dining time or table, the restaurants may not be able to accommodate you. You may have to make reservations in advance, but if you have to change it, you may not be able to once the restaurants open.

Pros: You can try a new restaurant each night.

You are the best type of cruiser. Maybe someday we will sail on the same. If not, may you always find the adventure you seek!

Outstanding post!!!!

I prefer the late seating. I’ve done anytime dining twice. Once on NCL which has so many dining options it wasn’t a problem. When we eat in the main dining room we were able to request a specific table in advance at a specific time. My second experience was on RCL Jewel of the Sea. It was crazy. First, the anytime diners shared the dining room with the scheduled dining time people. The ship allocated about 1/4 of the dining room for anytime dining which was always crowded and had a wait time. The larger ships generally allocate separate floors or a specific dining room for anytime diners. I’ll stick with the late seating. In my opinion, it offers more flexibility. You don’t have to rush from the island, to the shower, to an early seating. After a day on a hot island I like to chill and relax for awhile before heading out for dinner, shows and the casino. The wait staff also gets familiar with your daily dining requests and are more vested in pleasing you.

I've been on just about every style of cruise ship from Windstar's "Windstar" to Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas and I'm a "four star" eligible sailor on both Princess and Holland America. And I've tried set seating and anytime dining. I've been cruising since 1989 when there was no such thing as "anytime" dining. All I can say about anytime dining is if you enjoy your dining partners, go for it. I've sat with all kinds of people from down and out bigoted red necks to delightful companions. Whether set seating or anytime dining you get people you don't care to dine with and people you would like to dine with every night. The difference is with set seating you're stuck with them every night. I am now widowed from the love of my life spouse who I first sailed with in 1989 (that voyage is a tale in itself) who passed away in 2013. But I keep on sailing the seven seas because I've always loved the ocean and the places I can visit on a cruise ship. I book cruises on the basis of where they are going. Having already visited in excess of 60 countries there are few cruise itineraries that don't stop at one or more countries that I've already visited. Fortunately I've found two cruise lines that tend to seek out of the way destinations and in the past and future couple of years since my spouse's passing I've booked cruises with them. And both offer "anytime dining." I may be more adventurous than other cruisers but I still love anytime dining because I get to meet different people every night even though because of the smaller size of the vessels on the two companies I like to sail with recently I often sit with people I've already had meals with on previous nights. Fortunately, those people are usually people I enjoy; and if they aren't people I wish to sit with I can alert the person escorting me to a table in advance. I view cruising as a way to experience new things and that includes new people. On my most recent cruise, almost every other cruiser knew my name even though I couldn't remember theirs (I'm sorry but I am notorious for not remembering names -- and I regret that). But I did remember their faces and that was enough because we met up in various venues on the ship and had serious FUN. That's my take on set versus anytime dining and I'm sticking with it (Big Grin).

We have done anytime dining several times and really like it. The way I am understanding the showtime you mention is the one the wait staff and maître d' put on during dinner. It seems like I remember the show almost every night we had dinner on the Vista last November. We also had a group of 18 that trip. They put us at a 10 top and an 8 top net to each other. They gave us the same tables every night must not have been a big need for large tables. If it is just my wife and I having dinner we prefer set dining, with a group it gives us a little wiggle room to get everybody there.

I see no disadvantages to Any Time Dining. You can have the same wait staff every night if you want. You can dine at the same time. You may not get you same table. The advantage is, you do not have to do these things. You are free to change it up. Formal nights are the same either way. We have only done 1 Carnival cruise and the best thing I can say about it is that they had great calzones. The show started at 10:00 or later. The comedian thought that using really fowl language was funny. The cruise staff seem to be clueless to answer simple questions. And we had, possibly, the worst cabin steward ever.

What ship are you sailing?

When we cruise with a group we tend to select assigned dining because it is easier for a large group rather than trying to get one of the large tables during your time dining.

Thank you! My immediate family always prefers the set dinning for some of the reasons mentioned above. We also have a lot of food allergies and it's easier to give them to the wait staff the first night and then they keep it. We do not have to repeat them each night. We also like goofing off with the same staff. We don't have to wait when we have set times and so forth. On our June cruise coming up we have extended family and friends who may not wish for the set dining time and any time would be more their style, so I am just gathering other peoples opinions.