CRUISE DINING
If you have been on a cruise before, most of this information will just be a reminder for you but if you are new to cruising there is some very key information here that you should be aware of before you walk up the cruise ship boarding ramp or even start to Google “seven day cruises“.
FREE STYLE OR ASSIGNED DINING
Most cruise lines offer the same two basic choices as far as dining goes. They offer free-style dining or assigned dining. Free style dining means that guests are free to choose the time they would like to have their meals and just appear at the dining room at that time. Assigned dining generally means that there are two choices for seating at each meal, a late one and an early one. You choose which seating you prefer when you book your cruise and you are locked into that time slot for the duration of the cruise.
You are assigned a table and most times table mates that you will be sharing your meals with each day. Generally you are given a choice of table size, determining how many others you have sitting with you at your table. If you are travelling in a large group, it is better to make the cruise booking over the phone so that you can request to all be seated together. The cruise lines do their best to seat passengers in what they think will be a good fit but if you find that you absolutely cannot sit through another one of your table mates tedious travel tales by all means, discretely speak to your maître d’ and generally an effort is made to move you to more suitable dinner companions. Be open minded though, people have made lifelong friends of others who were once strangers across from them at their dinner table on a cruise ship. It’s really a great way to meet people from all around the globe and make you feel like you have an ally on a giant boat full of strangers.
PROS AND CONS
Free style dining can be more preferable as you don’t have the issue of having to be there at certain times each day and you can eat where and with whomever you want however there can be a problem when everyone on board the ship decides they are hungry at the same time on any given day and this could result in lines.
Assigned dining is generally more organized and you know exactly what to expect each evening. Choices of dining times are first come, first served so if it’s important to you when you eat, book early.
The early choice for assigned dining generally starts somewhere around 6:00 or 6:30, with the second seating being somewhere between 8:00 and 8:30. First time cruisers often will choose the earlier seating while veterans opt for the later seating. Those who have cruised before realize that they might want extra time for an onshore excursion, or just to spend time shopping or sight-seeing at whichever port they are docked at that day. Additionally, when a large portion of the guests are getting ready for the early dinner, it gives others time to enjoy the pool or other ship amenities in a somewhat less crowded environment.
There are some advantages to the early dinner as well though and there are those who would rather spend the evening enjoying the show in the theater or taking part in other activities aboard the ship rather than have the dinner seating be the main event of the evening. If you are an early riser or prefer to go to bed before midnight or are travelling with small children who need to be in bed at a certain time to maintain their schedules than the early seating is probably the one for you.
On the other hand if you love the night life and you don’t want to feel rushed to make an early dinner then the later seating is for you.
Some cruise lines allow guests to bring wine onboard but expect to pay a ‘corkage fee’.
FORMAL DINING
Most week long cruises have two formal dining evenings. Shorter cruises will have less, longer cruises more. On these evenings, men are expected to wear a tux or suit and tie. In some cases slacks, a button down shirt and a sport coat are acceptable. Some cruise lines are more vigilant about enforcing dress codes than others. For women this is a chance for them to wear that new cocktail dresses or evening gown that they might not otherwise have a chance to show off.
These days formal wear in the dining room is required on one or two nights only and not always enforced and always with other options but until the 1920’s formal wear was absolutely required on all public areas of any ship after 6:00 pm. This dress code was enforced every night during the entire length of the trip.
OTHER OPTIONS
If formal dining is just not for you or you can’t be bothered to change out of your shorts and Hawaiian shirt after a full day of shore excursions, then there are always other options. Most cruise ships have numerous other options including a complimentary buffet, room service or cafes. Be aware though, that not all alternative dining options are complimentary. Some come with an extra price tag. Most ships do offer some type of alternative complimentary dining options and you can take advantage of these at will during the course of your cruise.
Click here for more Cruiseoften featured articles: http://www.cruiseoften.com/category/cruiseoften-featured/
Cruiseoften.com is a very user friendly site. The content & site layout is very clean & organized. I’ve always found their cruise articles to be well written & provide valuable insight & tips for both novice & seasoned cruisers alike. I was curious about trends in dining options in the cruise industry since the last time that I sailed, which was several years ago.
This is a good site that everyone who is planning or thinking about their next cruise should visit often!