Let’s talk about traditional dining versus “my time” dining (also known as flexible, anytime or freestyle dining). Even if you’ve cruised a few times, do you really understand your mealtime options and what to choose?
An acquaintance, who is not a new cruiser, confessed to me that she only recently learned that meals in the luxurious-looking main dining rooms on cruise ships are included in the cruise fare. She had previously thought the phrase “anytime dining” referred only to eating in the buffet area whenever she wanted.
While it’s true you can eat in the buffet anytime it’s open, flexible dining (by whatever name your cruise line calls it) specifically refers to the main dining room. It’s one of the standard complimentary dining options on every cruise ship. Whether you select to eat at the same table at the same time each night or opt to take your chances on any available table during the dining room’s open hours, you never have to pay to eat in your ship’s grand dining hall.
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Don’t let the complexities of cruise ship dining plans keep you from enjoying all the great food your ship has to offer. Here, I’ll walk you through the ins and outs of “my time” versus traditional dining, as well as how these dining concepts came to be and how to choose the best meal plan for your trip.
A brief history of cruise ship dining concepts
For a bit of history of the dining concepts used by most mainstream cruise lines, you have to go back a couple of decades. In the past, all cruise ships served dinner at two fixed times, dubbed early and late seatings. Everyone was assigned to one of the seatings, and they’d sit at the same table, with the same dinner companions and waiters, for the duration of their cruise.
That concept began to evolve in the early 2000s when Norwegian Cruise Line introduced Freestyle Dining. Rather than have everyone assigned to arrive at specific times, cruisers were allowed to show up to eat whenever they wanted during the dining room’s hours of operation. NCL’s Freestyle Dining also heralded the modern version of specialty restaurants, so not only could passengers eat at the time of their choosing, but at whichever eatery suited their fancy each evening. It was a stunning change to the long-running system previously used.
The idea took hold. After considerable fine-tuning of the dining concept over the years and plenty of variation among cruise lines, the industry standard now is that most ships allow you to choose either the traditional early or late dining options or a flexible option with open seating and no set dining time.
Traditional dining
Traditional dining includes an assigned table and your choice of an early or late dinner time. Though what constitutes “early” and “late” varies by cruise destination, on most cruise lines, the early seating is usually set to a specific time between 5 and 6 p.m., while the late seating might be as early as 7:45 (Carnival Cruise Line) or as late as 9 p.m. (MSC Cruises, which has three traditional seatings on some ships).
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You can opt into this traditional plan when you book your cruise, and the decision-making ends there. When you arrive for your cruise, you’ll be handed a cruise card marked with your dining room name and deck number, dining time and possibly even your table number.
From that point, each evening you will show up at your table at the appropriate time. If your travel group spans several cabins and you want to dine together, you should coordinate your choices before booking, then ensure that the reservations are linked. It’s wise to have someone in the group stop by the restaurant on boarding day to make sure the group will be seated together.
Related: The ultimate guide to cruise ship food and dining
If you’re just a couple or a small travel party, the dining team may assign you to a table by yourself or place you at a large table with cruisers you don’t know. You can ask for dining time and table changes once on board, but the restaurant staff may or may not be able to accommodate requests.
Cruisers who prefer traditional dining say they prefer it over flexible options partly because they feel it allows them to get to know their waitstaff, which is not always a guarantee with “my time” dining. Others feel it’s better simply because once you know where your table is on the first evening, there’s no standing in line to be seated unless you arrive before the doors open.
There are reasons to think twice about set seating. An early dinner often leaves you with no time to wind down and dress for dinner, especially when the ship has a late departure from port and you want to make the most of your time ashore.
Also, if you’re cruising in a time zone just a few hours different from your norm, you might find you’re hungry at the wrong times for traditional fixed dining. Alaska is the worst for me. I’m not hungry enough for the early seating but hangry by the time the late seating rolls around. Flexible options work best for me on those itineraries.
‘My time’ dining
On cruise lines that offer both traditional and flexible dining, you generally opt into the flexible dining program at the time of booking. Your stateroom keycard will list you as a flexible dining passenger and note your assigned dining room.
Lines that offer both a traditional and anytime dining program will usually separate the two groups into different dining rooms or different areas of a large dining room. Menus are identical for both groups, so don’t worry about missing out.
Here’s where it gets a little confusing. On most lines, prior to sailing, those who opt into flexible dining can make main dining room reservations for each night of the cruise. Do you have to make reservations? The answer is a resounding no, unless you have a large group wanting to dine together.
Think of it like dining out at a restaurant on land. You can show up at your leisure and wait in line for a table, or you can make a reservation and possibly be seated more quickly. On a cruise ship, those with reservations may be offered a priority line, sometimes even a separate section of the dining room. Those without reservations will still be seated, but during a rush you may have to wait a few minutes (or even an hour) for a table to open up.
One big plus for flexible dining is that you can make specific table requests each night. You might have to wait a bit longer for that window table for two, but if it’s important to you, it might be worth the wait.
Some cruise lines only offer flexible dining options. Norwegian’s modern version of Freestyle Dining has no fixed dining times; you can dine anytime you wish during a venue’s hours of operation. Reservations are not required but are “highly suggested.” These can be made pre-cruise online in your MyNCL planner or on board, subject to availability.
Princess Cruises recently changed its dual system to a single system called Dine My Way. You can dine at the same time, same table every night, or change it up on a daily basis, but you need to make advance reservations for your preferred mealtimes. Changes are made in the Princess MedallionClass app.
People who rave over flexible dining options often have a serious aversion to sitting with strangers or prefer to dine with different people each night. Let the maitre d’ know your preferred table size. Families with small children love the ability to eat around the schedule that works for their family on any given day.
One last advantage of flexible dining (and it might be the deciding factor for some) is the ability to book spa appointments during the traditional dining times. Especially on big ships where the spas stay open late, flexible dining allows you to dine around your spa time, not the other way around.
On the other hand, you might think twice about selecting “my time” dining if the cruise line’s shows are a priority for you. On cruise lines that offer both traditional and flexible dining, the show schedule is likely to match the traditional time frames to allow as many people as possible to attend the shows. Dining between the two traditional times would cause you to miss the early show, if there are two performances, and the entire show on nights when there’s only one performance.
Also, if you feel like you are queuing in enough lines already, you might be happier with a traditional dining time. Flexible dining always involves lines, even when you make reservations. On a good night, at a late evening arrival time, your wait might be minor, but on a megaship with 3,000-plus people wanting to be seated at 6:45, you could find yourself waiting for an extended time.
Specialty dining
Making plans to skip the main dining room in favor of a specialty restaurant or dining rooms exclusive to your stateroom category does not alter your ability to choose either a traditional or “my time” style of dining in the main dining room. You don’t even need to let the wait staff know you plan to dine elsewhere. (In most cases, the maitre d’ will have access to your specialty reservations, so they will not be expecting you, but if you have tablemates, it’s a courtesy to let them know.)
Related: 5 reasons you should splurge on a cruise ship specialty restaurant
It’s perfectly OK to choose traditional dining as your main option but make a 7:30 reservation in a specialty restaurant one night, plus try out the suites-only dining room a few nights (if you have access). You can usually see the menus in advance, either in the app, on interactive screens in your stateroom or posted near the restaurants themselves.
Cruise line offerings
Several cruise lines offer both flexible and traditional dining in the main dining room.
Carnival offers a flexible plan called Your Time Dining that uses pagers to let you know when your table is ready. Carnival’s website states that “advance table reservations are not accepted,” but recent Carnival cruisers report being able to use the app to let the dining room know they are on their way to speed up their wait time most nights.
Royal Caribbean’s My Time Dining plan uses optional reservations with separate lines for those who reserve a seating time. Sister line Celebrity Cruises’ options are a bit confusing. Its traditional dining plan is named Celebrity Select Early or Late, and its flexible dining is dubbed Celebrity Select Anytime. This latter plan offers advance reservations and separate lines for those who walk up without reservations.
Holland America calls flexible dining As You Wish Dining, with reservations accepted but not required. MSC Cruises calls its nontraditional dining plan My Choice Dining. This option is only available to guests who book the Aurea or Yacht Club experience; passengers selecting the Bella or Fantastica packages can only access set-time dining.
In addition to Princess and Norwegian, which have dropped set-seating dining options, upscale lines like Windstar Cruises, Viking and Oceania Cruises do not utilize set dining times, tables or dining companions, nor do luxury cruise lines. Most of these accept main dining room reservations made by calling the maitre d’ or have dining rooms so spacious they can accommodate all walk-ups with no wait. Advance reservations on these lines are especially useful for group dining.
All cruise lines expect reservations for sit-down specialty restaurants.
Related: 12 dining mistakes you must fix on your next cruise
Bottom line: ‘My Time’ dining vs. traditional dining
Traditional dining, when it’s offered, is a great option for large groups traveling together. There’s no last-minute quibbling over dinner reservations and whether the group can get a table together. Everyone knows ahead of time when they’ll be eating and which dining room and table to go to for dinner.
Flexible dining — whether called My Time, Anytime, Freestyle or something else — works for those for whom the early or late traditional times aren’t ideal or those who want to eat at different times each night depending on the day’s schedule. Cruising with children is one reason some people prefer to keep all dining options flexible. The same holds true for travelers who pack their cruise days with every available activity.
The bottom line when it comes to traditional versus “my time” dining is to choose what works best for you and your travel companions on any given cruise. Some people choose traditional dining when they travel with groups of friends and family and the flexible plan when they travel with only one partner or with children. Others stick with one or the other on every cruise.
Either way, cruise lines want happy cruisers. Giving you choices of how and when your main dining room experience is scheduled is one way to keep everyone satisfied.
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