Open Seating Time?

[TDF]

So more of a curiosity question more then anything… how does open seating work when on lets say a 8 night bahamas cruise out of Galveston? Do you eat in your assigned restaurant for the night at anytime or go to any restaurant… or what?

 

[Disneyfalcon]

So more of a curiosity question more then anything… how does open seating work when on lets say a 8 night bahamas cruise out of Galveston? Do you eat in your assigned restaurant for the night at anytime or go to any restaurant… or what?

What is this open seating time you speak of?

 

[EOD K9]

Last time I checked, you had a set seating and a set table. Maybe at Cabanas you can eat where you want. This is news to me. @Disneyfalcon is our resident expert. If hasn't heard of it....it doesn't exist.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

It doesn't exist on DCL. It does on other cruise lines!

 

[TDF]

Uhmm… maybe I am confusing you guys. When the Disney Magic visits Port Canaveral from Galveston according to some navigators I read that two of the three main dining rooms have an open seating time.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/photos/DCL-Navigators/2-15-13/Day5.PDF
If you scroll down to operating hours… next to Lumieres and Parrot Cay is a little “*” and below it says open seating.
Also on the main first page next to dinner menu it says Master Chef Open Seating Dinner.

It doesn't exist on DCL. It does on other cruise lines!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Oh sorry! I thought you meant assigned open seating times like on other cruise lines where you do that every night!
Those were special for Port Canaveral days. They knew most guests would be at Disney all day and the regular dining times would be empty. So those nights worked like lunch onboard. You could go in any time, sit wherever they seat you and have whatever servers you happen to get.

 

[TDF]

Interesting! Nothing like rotating dining though.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Interesting! Nothing like rotating dining though.

True!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Oh sorry! I thought you meant assigned open seating times like on other cruise lines where you do that every night!
Those were special for Port Canaveral days. They knew most guests would be at Disney all day and the regular dining times would be empty. So those nights worked like lunch onboard. You could go in any time, sit wherever they seat you and have whatever servers you happen to get.

^^^
This.

On the WDW/Port Canaveral day they didn't expect many people to be back for dinner. Instead of working the usual rotations they offered dinner as an "open seating" the way it's done at the main dining rooms that are open for breakfast or lunch. It worked out nice for us because when we stepped back on the ship from our parks day we were able to go have dinner regardless of our usual rotation. We ate at Parrot Cay and it was set up in the buffet style. It was PERFECT!

 

[ChuckElias]

Interesting! Nothing like rotating dining though.

I know that there are people who LOVE "freestyle" dining, and I totally get why they like it. But there is just something special about rotating through multiple restaurants with the same serving staff. I think I would always choose the rotational "method", just for that reason. I really like that I don't have to tell a new waiter every night to forget the water and just bring me a Diet Coke.

 

[TDF]

I know that there are people who LOVE "freestyle" dining, and I totally get why they like it. But there is just something special about rotating through multiple restaurants with the same serving staff. I think I would always choose the rotational "method", just for that reason. I really like that I don't have to tell a new waiter every night to forget the water and just bring me a Diet Coke.

We HATED freestyle dining on our NCL cruise. I personally missed like you said the connection you get with your wait staff. Their is nothing like it!

 

[5thGenTexan]

^^^
This.

On the WDW/Port Canaveral day they didn't expect many people to be back for dinner. Instead of working the usual rotations they offered dinner as an "open seating" the way it's done at the main dining rooms that are open for breakfast or lunch. It worked out nice for us because when we stepped back on the ship from our parks day we were able to go have dinner regardless of our usual rotation. We ate at Parrot Cay and it was set up in the buffet style. It was PERFECT!

We thought the same thing. Plus, we got a better server than our assigned team. It was a much more enjoyable meal with Francesca.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

We thought the same thing. Plus, we got a better server than our assigned team. It was a much more enjoyable meal with Francesca.

We may have had Francesca before. If she's gorgeous, we have. And the young men at the table next to us who showed up in shorts and unkempt hair the first night, showed up looking sharp every other night. Coincidence? I think not.

 

[ChuckElias]

I met a gorgeous Francesca on the Wonder in '08. I remember her not so much because she was gorgeous (yeah, right ), but because she told us that she interviewed with DCL in Civitavecchia/Rome the previous year, and we wondered together if her interview had been at the same time that my family was actually in Rome with the Magic. I wonder if it's the same Francesca.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

I met a gorgeous Francesca on the Wonder in '08. I remember her not so much because she was gorgeous (yeah, right ), but because she told us that she interviewed with DCL in Civitavecchia/Rome the previous year, and we wondered together if her interview had been at the same time that my family was actually in Rome with the Magic. I wonder if it's the same Francesca.

I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that she was gorgeous.

 

[5thGenTexan]

We may have had Francesca before. If she's gorgeous, we have. And the young men at the table next to us who showed up in shorts and unkempt hair the first night, showed up looking sharp every other night. Coincidence? I think not.

The Francesca we had was English. Gorgeous is subjective, so I am not sure. She was great with the kids, kept my Coke coming, and asked if we had tried one of the desserts off the buffet. Before she finished asking she took off to get us both a dish wach off the buffet. She was right, it was good!! My wife and I both agreed that she was awesome, so although she wasn't assigned to us... she got an extra tip on the last night.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

The Francesca we had was English. Gorgeous is subjective, so I am not sure. She was great with the kids, kept my Coke coming, and asked if we had tried one of the desserts off the buffet. Before she finished asking she took off to get us both a dish wach off the buffet. She was right, it was good!! My wife and I both agreed that she was awesome, so although she wasn't assigned to us... she got an extra tip on the last night.

Nope, our Francesca was Italian. And there was nothing subjective about how beautiful she was.