What is your preferred dining option

[Suekersh]

We prefer freedom dining but would choose first if this is not available. Hate to eat so late but have never been 'togged up' at 5 pm. If we want to do the sailaway we would dine in the speciality restaurant. I leave the deck at 5:30 ish maybe 4:45 for a formal night. We are out on deck before 8 am so plenty of time in the sun. We enjoy the entertainment and for us the evening meal is not the entertainment. We have met many pax who go straight to the cabin after the evening meal. Each to their own and a good thing we don't all want to do the same sitting.

Sue

[Boris+]

Seem to have lost my post - silly me - we always went for 1st sitting when we were on Arcadia, but since then we enjoy The Grills system - and it is nice that we always seem to get a window table for 2.

It's just so convenient - no need to worry, no rush - when we are with our friends we are more than capable of starting to eat 18.45 ish, and still be there way after 21.00! Now that's what I call a leisurely dinner.

Em

[Kendhni]

Isn't it curious the different preferences? We are confirmed late or Freedom diners & would never consider dining at 6-30, I see people all togged up at 5pm when we are just watching the ship sail or have barely boarded from a day ashore, people say we miss things while at dinner but they equally must miss what we do when they are at dinner. I suppose some have medical reasons for being unable to eat later.

As i have said before there is no right or wrong answer and no need for anyone to make things up in relation to other peoples choice. Iam sure some people have medical reasons for having to eat late. I have also heard people on second sitting complain because they can never get a good seat at deck parties, in the show lounges lr in bars.

There are pros and cons for both options.

[Mo2013]

We have usually eaten at the late sitting but it is a little bit later than we eat at home and as I get older eating that bit earlier might suit me better now.

[Wina G]

We usually eat around 7.30 at home but when we're cruising (or even on a land based holiday) we prefer to eat later so second sitting is ideal for us.
We're not always bothered about the evening entertainment depending on what it is but on our last cruise we did go to see quite a few shows after dinner as we went with our table companions, they were a really great group of people

[JohnTheDog]

Isn't it curious the different preferences? We are confirmed late or Freedom diners & would never consider dining at 6-30, I see people all togged up at 5pm when we are just watching the ship sail or have barely boarded from a day ashore, people say we miss things while at dinner but they equally must miss what we do when they are at dinner. I suppose some have medical reasons for being unable to eat later.

As i have said before there is no right or wrong answer and no need for anyone to make things up in relation to other peoples choice. Iam sure some people have medical reasons for having to eat late. I have also heard people on second sitting complain because they can never get a good seat at deck parties, in the show lounges lr in bars.

There are pros and cons for both options.

Do I get the impression I have said something wrong here?

[Delboy]

A couple we met on our first cruise and have become friendly with, always choose first sitting, because that is the time they have their evening meal at home, as we have found when staying with them.

It has nothing to do with medical reasons, they go to bed very early at home, get up extremely early in the morning. (They are both retired)

Although they eat early, it is their last meal before bed.

We did manage to entice them to the buffet at midnight on our cruise.

Personally we prefer the flexibility of freedom dining.

[Gill W]

Isn't it curious the different preferences? We are confirmed late or Freedom diners & would never consider dining at 6-30, I see people all togged up at 5pm when we are just watching the ship sail or have barely boarded from a day ashore, people say we miss things while at dinner but they equally must miss what we do when they are at dinner. I suppose some have medical reasons for being unable to eat later.

I wouldn't consider 8.30, but I've certainly never been 'togged up at 5pm'. Can't think of any reason why anybody would do that.

I haven't got any medical conditions either, eating early is just a personal preference.

I don't care what time others eat.

[oldbluefox]

I suppose some get dressed early so they can have a stroll on the deck and then go for a few pre-dinner drinks in the bar. Each to their own. This is the beauty of cruising inasmuch as you can tailor it to suit yourself.

[JohnTheDog]

I don't care either, presumably the OP does? Still curious though how people can be so set on one time ot the other.
I have spoken to several people over time who have medical reasons for eating early. Diabetes related usually.
Never seen anyone in dinner dress at sailaways? we certainly have, the reason being I presume they wish to go for a drink or two before dinner. There are certainly people dressed for the evening between 5 & 6pm

[Serendipity]

Would not do for everyone to want to dine at the same time I guess. I think we will opt for later dining times as I like to have a rest before dinner.

[JohnTheDog]

I was against freedom dining but tried it & we loved it, eat early or later, MDR or elsewhere. Mind you on Azura we did have the choices.

[Jan Rosser]

Am i the only one who felt freedom dining was a little more rushed than club dining

Depends on the ship Ken - some times the service can be really slow. In November on Aurora I opted for second sitting and after being on freedom dining for the last few years really enjoyed it and the service was consistently good and my fellow diners were good company too.

[JohnTheDog]

I think it may be rushed if you go in early, we went about the same time as club dining between 8 & 9 so few were after us, another reason we liked late sitting no pressure to leave, real or imagined.

[towny44]

While we really enjoyed freedom dining, and would gladly do it again, both Julie and I felt that you had no sooner finished one course and the next was being served. Maybe there is a desire to turn the tables as quickly as possible. I suppose some people would refer to that as 'good service'

We didn't get any bad tablemates or anything like that, just wasn't the same atmosphere.

Interesting comment about atmosphere that Ken, on Celebrity Eclipse there is only one MDR with 2 tiers, upper is freedom (Celebrity Select) lower tier is club dining. We were often in freedom dining as the late sitting started and the noise as everyone arrived and started chatting was rather like a school canteen cacophony, could not really call it "atmosphere".

[JohnTheDog]

''Good service'' ....some do think that the object of dinner is to get all done as quick as possible & get out.

[Delboy]

When we had Freedom dining on P&O we used to like going to dinner between 7pm to 7/30pm, this gave us time to enjoy the meal, and still be in time for the 9pm theatre show, followed by the 10/30pm cabaret show in one of the other venues.

We also found that most of those on our tables, different table each night, had the same idea. We have had Freedom dining or its equivalent, with P & O, RCI and Thomson and at no time have we ever felt rushed.

These arrangements personally suited us fine, that's the thing with cruising so many options, you can plan to suit the way you want to spend your time. If you want to take your time over dinner, or if you want to get it over with as quickly as possible, if you want to eat at 6/30 or say 8/30, you have the choice.

Like everything, one persons meat is another persons poison.

[Kendhni]

Do I get the impression I have said something wrong here?

No, but i think it is important that we try to keep actual fact and pseudo-fact separate.

[Kendhni]

Interesting comment about atmosphere that Ken, on Celebrity Eclipse there is only one MDR with 2 tiers, upper is freedom (Celebrity Select) lower tier is club dining. We were often in freedom dining as the late sitting started and the noise as everyone arrived and started chatting was rather like a school canteen cacophony, could not really call it "atmosphere".

Yes, we experienced that as well ... I have difficulty hearing conversation in a noisy atmosphere and it always amazes me just how noisy dining rooms can be.

[Anne D]

Freedom dining prefered. It means you can plan your evening.

[lioness]

Annie - bit confused by that! Surely on Freedom you might have to wait, so you wouldn't know when you were eating. If you know dinner is at 6.30 or 8.30, isn't planning easier, or am I missing something.

[JohnTheDog]

Do I get the impression I have said something wrong here?

No, but i think it is important that we try to keep actual fact and pseudo-fact separate.

So what part is Pseudo-fact...if in fact there is such a thing?

[Kendhni]

Correlating 'medical reasons' to 'being unable to eat later' is one of those silly comments where cause and effect only tie up in the persons mind. You may start with a factual comment 'some people eat early due to medical reasons' (which is true) ... but totally ignore the fact that some people also eat late due to medical conditions (such as my FIL) ... so ultimately it is only a pseudo-fact because it is deliberately designed to mislead ... so ultimately the conclusion is illogical, fallacious and fatuous.

I have taken another example of this characteristic from Carols cruising facebook page which is the poll you put up about lying by the pool. I needed an example of how NOT to present a poll for a group of graduates that I will be giving a presentation to later in the week ... and yours has won the prime joke spot.

[Gill W]

Annie - bit confused by that! Surely on Freedom you might have to wait, so you wouldn't know when you were eating. If you know dinner is at 6.30 or 8.30, isn't planning easier, or am I missing something.

When I'm on Freedom dining ( which is my prefered option), we've never had to wait. We just go when we are ready and have been seated straight away.

[JohnTheDog]

Correlating 'medical reasons' to 'being unable to eat later' is one of those silly comments where cause and effect only tie up in the persons mind. You may start with a factual comment 'some people eat early due to medical reasons' (which is true) ... but totally ignore the fact that some people also eat late due to medical conditions (such as my FIL) ... so ultimately it is only a pseudo-fact because it is deliberately designed to mislead ... so ultimately the conclusion is illogical, fallacious and fatuous.

I have taken another example of this characteristic from Carols cruising facebook page which is the poll you put up about lying by the pool. I needed an example of how NOT to present a poll for a group of graduates that I will be giving a presentation to later in the week ... and yours has won the prime joke spot.

Not at all Ken, I have met people who must dine early due to medical conditions. I have not met anyone who has to eat late because of medical problems so I made no comment on that. Perhaps it is those who see problems where none exist have the problem?
I'm glad you see that my poll about lying by the pool had an amusing aspect, it was hardly a serious subject... "Main pool Heaven or Hell" & led to some discussion on people's thoughts, all quite pleasant & polite.


.