Anytime Dining??

[JChurchill471]

My BF and I are taking our very FIRST cruise on July 31st.

 

We would love to here from all of you cruise veterans about your experiences with Anytime Dining. Both good and bad.

[bassmaster150]

That is all that my wife and I do now. Gives you the freedom to eat whenever you want

[Man of Many Hats]

Here too, it allows us the flexibility of eating when we want. Don't have to schedule other activities around dining schedule. Have never had a problem with it plus we always get a table for 2 or 4 depending how many are cruising with us.

[DEBnGAB]

I've been doing Anytime Dining since they've offered it 5 cruises ago for me. I love it!

 

You can request the same wait staff, table area each night. Avoid the high traffic times, like right after the Captains Party where everyone is rushing to dinner.

 

In Sept we have a paty of 16 so we are going to do set dining :(. Kinda bummed but for 16, we'd probably have a long wait for a table with Anytime and we didnt want to chance it.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Your first cruise I would pick for you late seating

[JChurchill471]

Thanks to all of you cruise vets for your excellent insight!

 

We really like knowing we can get a table for 2.

 

Please keep the advice and insights coming!:)

[JChurchill471]

Your first cruise I would pick for you late seating

 

we're sailing away...why would you pick late seating for first time cruisers?

[JChurchill471]

I've been doing Anytime Dining since they've offered it 5 cruises ago for me. I love it!

 

You can request the same wait staff, table area each night. Avoid the high traffic times, like right after the Captains Party where everyone is rushing to dinner.]

 

Great info about requesting the same wait staff and table area and avoiding the high traffic times DEBnGAB! Thanks!:)

[btorlv]

We do any time whenever we can. 1st seating is way too early (you have to start getting ready around 5 and sometimes you are barely getting back to the ship by then). The late seating is sometimes too late, ESP. If you have to get up early for the next port. We just got back from a 9day Met. Cruise and did anytime with our friends. We usually went between 7 and 7:30 and never had to wait for a tab,e for 4. We did not really like our first server but our 2nd one was great, so we just asked for table every night. There was only 1 night that we did not get her back because her tables were all full and we did not want to wait. We have done late seating and were put with 3 other couples that we did not know and it worked out really well. One couple lived about 5 miles from us and we ended up seeing them post cruise for dinner a few times. It all depends on if you want to have more flexibility. If you want to eat at a table for 2 then any time is better because there are not that many tables for 2 with set dining times.

[DEBnGAB]

I've been doing Anytime Dining since they've offered it 5 cruises ago for me. I love it!

 

You can request the same wait staff, table area each night. Avoid the high traffic times, like right after the Captains Party where everyone is rushing to dinner.]

 

Great info about requesting the same wait staff and table area and avoiding the high traffic times DEBnGAB! Thanks!:)

 

You're welcome and I hope you enjoy your very first cruise yay!

 

Ps-You can also order a banana split from the kids menu for dessert..if you are so inclined. :) Sometimes I feel like having ice cream for dessert, but want a little more than just a scoop. :)

[Dawn125408]

We have done your-time dining on our last two cruises and LOVE it. Go whenever you want. We go early on sea days, but when we are off the ship and on excursions, it's great coming back onto the ship knowing you don't have to be at dinner at any set time. You will love it, and we always have a booth for two. They also have tables for two also, but they are just so tiny!

[riffatsea]

We only do Your Time Dining!! We like having a table for 2 and IF we meet folks we like who also have Your Time then we arrange to have dinner together at a table for 4.

We love being in control of choosing our dinner companions!!

[amcankid]

We're leaving next week on the Liberty. Does ytd work as well for a party of 8? We're on two separate bookings of 4 each (same extended family) and we want to have a table together. I never did ask my agent when we picked ytd.

[Sports Mama]

Since this is the first time we are using the "your time dining" how does the tipping work? I know the tips are put on your S&S or you can prepay them, but on the last night when you are suppose to give the vouchers (and in the past when we have had excellent service I will put in extra $$$ in the envelope) to the wait staff, do you just give it to the wait staff on the last night even though you may have had a few others serving you? :confused: Because what if I can't have the same wait staff each night for one reason or another. Thanks!!!:)

[notme1955]

There are no vouchers, nor envelopes, to give to the waitstaff on the last night. Everyone either pre-pays or has their tips charged to their sail and sign account. The tips are charged to the account usually by the second day. The only envelope provided is if you want to tip the Maitre de. He's not included in the tip pool.

[G-Luvs2cruise]

We are going on our 2nd cruise in July and we are doing "your time dining" again. We love doing that!! You can eat whenever you want. We had a party of 6 last time and never had to wait. We have a party of 8 going this time but I am not worried. Your on a cruise. You shouldn't have tp worry about getting to dinner a certain time.

 

Thanks for the tip and being able to request the same staff. I didn't know you could do that. My friend that is going with us said that would be the thing she would miss the most about doing your time dining. Having the same staff wait on you.

 

Happy Cruising!

[bunchesofun]

We had your time dining on our recent cruise. We were a party of 4. The first night we had to wait about 10 minutes, but after that we got right in every night. We ate at different times every night.

[azgrandmax3]

We have done anytime dining for years and Love it! Some allow you to call in the A.M. and have a place reserved. Working around our schedual not theirs. We always share tables with others for Brk and Lunch, but prefer tables for 2 for dinner. Wait has never been more then 10 minutes. Enjoy

[SMSACE6]

My BF and I are taking our very FIRST cruise on July 31st.

 

We would love to here from all of you cruise veterans about your experiences with Anytime Dining. Both good and bad.

 

I tried Anytime Dining for the first time last September and loved it. I was travelling alone, and normally like to have a larger table fixed time dining, but this was available and I wanted to try it once.

 

You and your BF will be likely seated at a table for two, and if you just want to be alone you can, and if you want to interact with others, the tables are close enough to talk to your neighboring tables. Of 8 nights of dining, only one night, I had folks on both sides who were not interested in saying "hi", that was ok, but other nights I was able to talk to others around me, and never felt alone, but that just my experience as a solo traveller, you will have your BF with you, so it may or may not matter who talks to you. If you like your wait staff the first night, you can request them again, and I was able to get my same wait staff every evening. Good thing is if your not really struck with your first wait staff, you can be seated elsewhere next evening. And the best of all, is not having to go to dinner at a requisite time. Anytime that is right for you is when you go, and as a small group, you should not have to wait for a table at busy times. Im now stuck on Anytime dining.:)

[tandemcruzr]

We choose Late and go to the Maitre d Station right after boarding and request a table for 2. We like to relax after spending the day in port before going to dinner.

 

Just our way of cruising. :D

[Sports Mama]

There are no vouchers, nor envelopes, to give to the waitstaff on the last night. Everyone either pre-pays or has their tips charged to their sail and sign account. The tips are charged to the account usually by the second day. The only envelope provided is if you want to tip the Maitre de. He's not included in the tip pool.

 

 

Thank you so much for clarifying!

[Fishon28]

We are going to be a party of 3 on our June 26th cruise and have anytime dining. We would prefer to dine just the 3 of us and was wondering since there's only 3 if we can get a table alone. I don't like to linger around the dining room and if I'm sitting with other people, I will feel rude if I just chew and screw.

[shunter2309]

For those that have mentioned you can request the same table/wait staff with YTD, how does this work? Who do you request it with, and when?

 

We're going on our first cruise next month and have YTD, I've heard good things about the relationships formed with wait staff at regular dining, and it's nice to know this kind of interaction is avail with YTD!

[S.S.Oceanlover]

 

You're welcome and I hope you enjoy your very first cruise yay!

 

Ps-You can also order a banana split from the kids menu for dessert..if you are so inclined. :) Sometimes I feel like having ice cream for dessert, but want a little more than just a scoop. :)

 

my wife tried to order this on our last cruise and the asst waiter looked at her with that deer in the headlights look and went and got the head waiter. He said no that wasn't available.

 

I really dont think either one of them knew what she was talking about but she didn't wither away from not getting it. lol

 

Bill

[CatlinSTJ]

When you arrive at the dining room to check in each night, just ask for the waiter you would like. We had it last year and will again in a couple of weeks - loved it! DH wasn't totally sold last year until afterwards but it worked out perfectly for us and we only had to wait one night and just for about 15 minutes. Arriving early and at off schedule times seemed to work better for getting seated quick. (Meaning not at the same time as the early or late seatings.) All but once we had a table for 2 and the one time we shared the hostess asked if we would like to dine with another couple and we agreed. We had the joy of meeting and hearing tales from what we later found out were a couple of Carnival legends and it was the highlight of the trip.