That Time I Tried Anytime Cruise Dining...

I've been following a bunch of cruise message boards and I've noticed that a lot of people are confused about what's called "Anytime" dining that more and more cruise lines are starting to do. I decided to break it down....

First let me explain what "Traditional" dining is. The way cruise ship dining was done traditionally was that passengers picked what time they wanted to eat, early or late (usually ~6pm and 8pm), and then they would be assigned to a table. Most of the tables are large so generally cruisers eat with passengers they hadn't previously met unless they are part of a big group. They would eat at the same time, at the same table, with the same people, and the same wait staff every day. Some people like this experience because they get to meet new people and potentially make friends to hang out with while on board.

Note: to be a considerate cruiser, if you know ahead of time that you're not going to be able to make it to dinner the next night at your assigned time, and/or you are just choosing to eat else where on any night, you should try to let your server know so that they don't keep checking back for you to not show up.

Some lines still offer traditional dining on a first-come-first-served basis (selected when booking the cruise) and some have switched entirely to Anytime Dining. My guess is that cruise lines started offering Anytime dining as a way to feed more passengers in the same amount of space because not everyone takes 2 hours to eat dinner.

In the Anytime dining rooms there are more smaller tables so guests only eat with the people they want to eat with; appealing to those who are trying to have an intimate vacation, people who don't love meeting new people (no judgement from me!), and those who have had bad experiences getting stuck with people they didn't care for with the Traditional dining experience.

Anyway... how does Anytime dining actually work? *Disclaimer: I have only experienced Carnival, Royal Caribbean, & Norwegian's Anytime dining so I cannot elaborate on other cruise lines*

Anytime dining (Carnival calls it "Your Time Dining," NCL calls it "Freestyle Dining") is like going to any restaurant on land without reservations. For Carnival, you use the app to request a table when you're ready to eat and you will subsequently be notified in the app when your table is ready. This is way nicer than the old buzzer system because you can wait anywhere. The app will approximate your wait time at the time that you request your table. If you're with a group and your group is linked correctly, you can select your cruisemates to join you for the correct sized table.  NCL only offers Anytime dining, but has two or three Main Dining Rooms on each ship. Go to the one you want when you're ready to eat; if there is a wait they will give you a buzzer (eat early to avoid a wait). NCL offers reservations for their MDRs for groups of 8 or more since its harder to accommodate bigger groups on the fly. Reservations can be made ahead of time online or in person. Royal Caribbean offers reservations for all party sizes but aren't necessary. They will attempt to put you in the same server's section each night so the server can learn your preferences. Sometimes you'll get a different server based on what tables are available.

The only differences from that point is that you aren't seated at a big table with the same people and waitstaff every night. You would be seated with just your party (though I think you can ask to be with other people? I never tried), and you'd have different waiters every night. You can request the same waiters and/or table if you like them one night, but may have to wait longer if you do so.

The main negative I've really had with Anytime dining is that they are set up for smaller groups/couples, so if you are cruising with a large group, or if you're trying to eat at peak times (~6pm-7pm) you may wait a while for your table. Basically, you'd want to plan on getting to the dining room (or with Carinval, requesting your table) a little earlier than you'd like to eat, and then expecting to wait at a nearby bar for a bit. Likely you will be split between two tables depending on your group's size but they will put them next to each other.

With Anytime Dining, you can opt to eat at the buffet any night and not have to tell the dining room not to expect you. I've had Anytime Dining on the Carnival for the majority of my cruises and I have been happy enough with it each time that it's become my preference. The one time we went later at night (8ish?), the service was not great, so you're better off going to the buffet if you're eating later than 7:30.

I did feel that the overall service is a little slower, a result of servers getting random tables at random times and/ or multiple tables all at once, but it's nice to have Anytime Dining and just eat with who I want to eat with.

For anyone wondering, MSC does not offer anytime dining to the majority of its passengers (you have to be in an "Aurea" cabin or a suite to get to do it). So I don't know how they do their Anytime dining even though I've been on three MSC cruises.