Traditional or Freestyle ? Which One Are You ?

Carnival`s decision to introduce a new rule of traditional diners on their ships made me think of the whole subject of when, where and with whom do you choose to dine on your cruise. On board Carnival Glory and Carnival Conquest passengers who opt for first or second sitting traditional dining will be turned away from the restaurant if they are more than 30 minutes late for their selected seating. So that means be there on time , and probably queue to get on, or go to the buffet.

Dining time selection can get tricky I think. If you are travelling with a group of friends then it should be easy, six friends, second sitting and table for 6 simple. If you all decide to opt for a speciality restaurant, or the buffet, one evening, no problem and no one is waiting for you.

Just the two of you travelling? Tables for 2 are always in short supply so maybe the best option in this scenario is My Time or Freestyle dining. You can then decide when you want to eat and vary it every night if you wish. If you meet up with people once on board and want to have dinner together this should be simple to organise too.

How about two passengers though who don’t want to dine alone for the whole sailing? Choose at table for four but you may not get on with the the other couple. Safety in numbers I say but, if you go for a six, what happens if two don`t turn up? You`re back to the dreaded foursome so maybe and eight or ten is a better bet. Traditional fixed seating is also great for solo travellers who will meet new friends. Some cruise lines will even arrange special singles tables.

Of course there are also many speciality restaurants on modern ships, usually at a small cover charge but also, in my experience, well worth it. Oh and we forgot the buffet! If you really want to be totally casual this could be the best  option of all. Just as long as there is always a choice then everyone should be fine !