Cruise line dining elicits a lot of emotion. I find people fall into one of a very few camps such as:
- I don’t like a company telling me when to eat
- If I don’t have a set time, I won’t get there
- I never go to the main dining room
With that said, I found this tiny little snippet of info from Cruise Critic quite interesting. It seems that the cruise line that pioneered “Free Style” dining is now taking reservations. While still optional, Norwegian Cruise Line is now accepting reservations in the main dining room. A Cruise Critic member reported the news for an upcoming Pride of America cruise. Apparently, you can make reservations 90 days before your cruise or once you are onboard.
Frankly, I don’t care one way or the other. I tend to mix it up when I’m on a cruise with going to the main dining room and at least one or two (if not more) specialty restaurants. Funny thing is, I usually book those specialty restaurants for the same time as late main dining…..it helps with planning. What say you? High time for reservations with free style cruising, or a bad development?
-MJ, July 11, 2014
I really like choosing my own time. NCL has long taken reservations for large parties and even their elites, so this isn’t a surprise. Perhaps it helps them plan better.
I have noticed the first night of the cruise usually is horrible and there is a wait. After that I never usually have an issue getting a table.
Thanks Marshall! I hadn’t heard about this. I am eyeing the repositioning cruises from Alaska for September!