Eat whenever . . . sort of

One of the things that first-time cruisers seem to like about freestyle dining on NCL is the idea that you can eat whenever you like; you don't have to go to dinner at the same time every night and eat in the same restaurant. And that point is stressed often, in TV ads and while you're aboard. Although it sounds good in theory, I was doubtful of its practicality even before I experienced it for myself. And even though Donna and I had little difficulty in dining when we wanted -- because the ship was about half to, at most, two-thirds full -- dining "whenever you want" is a matter of loose interpretation.

Let me explain.

Since we are pretty much creatures of habit, Donna and I decided to go to dinner in the Venetian after eight o'clock, which corresponds approximately to the time a traditional cruise line would schedule its late seating. But on two nights, the one and only show was scheduled for 9:00pm, making it all but impossible to have a multi-course meal in any of the sit-down restaurants. So our choices were to skip the show and go to dinner at the time we originally planned; go to dinner earlier, say, no later than seven o'clock; go to the buffet at eight and rush through dinner (not much of a choice since I don't care much for buffets, especially at dinner); or go to dinner after the show, which I'm uncertain was possible at that late an hour.

Going to dinner at seven is not much of a hardship -- unless you show up but are told there is no availability for 30, 45, or 60 minutes, in which case you're cooked. You could run over to one of the surcharge restaurants to see whether there are any tables available, but on a full ship that would be unlikely, since reservations are generally required, especially if the ship is fully booked.

So, I guess the choice is up to you: 1) dine when you want in the restaurant of your choice and miss the show; 2) dine when you want in the only restaurant with an available table, even if sushi or Tex-Mex doesn't float your boat; or 3) go to the buffet, where people with small children, or folks who hate to dress, go to dine.

All those choices are sub-optimal, in my opinion, and when I'm on vacation, I want as close to optimal as can be reasonably expected.


-- Joe L., CruiseCounselor