09/07/2016, What is freedom dining?

The explanation is in the expression. Well, to a degree. Every ship has its own way of feeding the travellers. There is always a self- service restaurant on the very top of the ship near the swimming pools. Here you can have breakfast,lunch,dinner, eat practically round the clock. And many people do, oh, they do! It is acknowledged,that during a seven night cruise an average eater puts on about 2 kg, 4-5 lb for you and me. Breakfast,lunch and dinner can also be taken in he main dining room.Dining there in the evenings can be a very special affair,I love the formal nights when every-one who so desires puts on their finery. Those who sail for the first time and have no idea what FORMAL entails [and unbelievably,many people do not know] can go to the self-service dressed casually. But having a meal in the dining room and be waited on by 2 waiters is a wonderful way of spending an evening and one really should make an effort and take a full advantage of it. It makes one feel special, cossetted,looked after. In the main dining room,[this on all large ships occupies two levels connected by a staircase] there are usually two seatings - the first between 6-6.30, at 8 the doors close, tables are laid for the second seating guests arriving between 8.30-9. Many ships now offer freedom dining,so one level is allocated to those who prefer set eating times and the other floor is for those who prefer freedom dining. Cunard still offers only set times evening dining in the main Britannia restaurant. Britannia restaurant is for the Cunarders who had booked a balcony cabin or a lower grade. For those occupying expensive suites the arrangements are more flexible, these people dine in a different restaurant at any time they like. Every ship has own way of rewarding those who spend a lot of money on accomodation and want luxury to go with it. This is what I myself had longed for when booking Celebrity Eclipse to sail on 14 August. To some degree I am going to be spoilt much more than usually.Concierge class is a higher grade than the balcony class I normally book. Also Celebrity Eclipse now offers freedom dining and I can eat at a time convenient to me. This is the theory and in practice quite possible if you want to share a table. If you would like a small table just to yourself often you must wait for a table. You are provided with a buzzer and when a table becomes available red light lights up  and you go in. Never have I waited for longer than 40 minutes, mostly much less . Anything,as long as I do not have to share a table. So every time I book a cruise and am told a ship offers freedom dining, my heart jumps with joy. Because on any cruise there are two things that matter to me the most-my own balcony with unobstructed view where I can sunbathe in the nude and freedom dining [this guarantees a small table to myself], in this order. And a priority check-in is a wonderful start.