Which cruise lines have dining when ever you want instead of formal planned dining?

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TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

Norwegian Cruise line has FREESTYLE cruising; you go to dinner any time after about 5:30 to 6:00 PM each day. They seat people first come first served, but you can reserve a time and/or table for 2/4/6 if you want.

Princess has PERSONAL CHOICE cruising which is essentially the same. BUT, you can elect to go to dinner any time each day after about 5:30 to 6:00 PM, OR you can elect to have the traditional dinner seatings at 6:00 PM or 8:30 PM.

Holland America has the same as Princess called AS YOU WISH, you go whenever you want after 5:30 to 6:00 PM, OR pick a time for dinner.

All three of these cruise lines have optional dining restaurants. Most ships on Holland and Princess have 2 or 3 alternatives. Norwegian has the most alternatives with up to 8 or 9 on some ships. These alternatives places typically charge a fee/gratuity of between $5. and $25 per person per visit. Some of the alternative restaurants on NCL ships do not have a fee.

Royal Caribbean plans to test the freestyle or optional dining in its Freedom class ships.

So on any cruise line you can go up to the casual restaurant (usually called the "lido") or make a reservation at the specialty restaurant (for which there's usually a charge).

NCL has the most restaurants to choose from and lots of advertising about "freestyle" but most cruise lines now offer some variation of dine-when-you-want in their dining rooms:
- Princess has it on all ships except the smallest ones (Tahitian, Royal and Pacific Princess)
- Oceania and Azamara are always dine-when-you-want
- Holland America Line has rolled it out, I think on all ships except Prinsendam
- RCI and Carnival are experimenting with it

BTW, NCL is really working on cleaning up their act. They've invested $1 Billion in the past year. Norwegian Pearl actually looks pretty nice:
http://www.cruisesavvy.com/journals/savvy_ship_visits/2008/ncl_norwegian_pearl_panama_canal_408

Johan from Sweden

NCL and Princess have frestyle dining with free choices of reasturants and will be excellent choices for you. With that said every cl has alternate resturants/eateries that are not formal even on formal night and cls like Rccl dont take to serious on the formal night demands. Just dress as you would in a downtown reasturant and youll be fine Ill think. And you cant get more than a no, he? Johan

shhhhhhhhhhhimhiding

NCL , RCL and Princess all have some form of freestyle dining. I cruise often and actually prefer the assigned times. If i dont want to eat in the main dining room the buffet is always avaliable or room service. Have you tried it? you might actually find it preety nice, we have made many friends thru the cruise being table mates. if you dont like to eat with strangers you can also request a smaller table for your party

littlemomma711

I'm not sure why everyone thinks NCL is horrible. But, it's true....NCL has freestyle cruising, and I loved it! It's casual, and you can choose to dress up as well.

RedSoxfan1982

I agree with the first answer. NCL does and they are horrible. Your best bet is to just take the cruise with the planned dinning.

I have heard nothing but horror stories about that cruise line. One where the whole ship was infested with bed bugs. Another one where the person said when they finally were able to get to their room, it was dirty and not cleaned up from the last people that were in it. They said there were blood stains on the cruise.

My friend knows someone who went on the NCL and they had a horrible time. There were only 5 dinning rooms that each only held about 70 people. She said the person she knew said that if you did not plan with the ship ahead of time about what time you wanted dinner you had to wait until 11pm.

Just search NCL cruise lines on google and you will find the horror stories about it.

Trust me STAY AWAY from NCL!

Justin

Carnival has the planned dining, but they have food available 24/7.

Ayelle

NCL does - never been on them.
Princess has freestyle - tried that.

I didn't like the freestyle dining. We usually ended up going to dinner at the same time every night so it would have been better to have the same wait staff. It's more personal and much more fun. I like having a set dinner time and then if you don't make it there you can just go to the buffet.

P.S. I'm 16 and I've been on 7 cruises - 4 Carnival, 1 Disney, 1 Royal Caribbean, 1 Princess

dani8

NCL...horrible.

Kitu

I experienced CARNIVAL has both options..you should try that out.

ThunderStruck Wakeboarder

Well i say just go on either Carnival or Royal Caribbean Because they are good

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