Tried Any Time Dining - won't do it again

[Houstoncruiser2007]

I know some folks love it but we will not do it again. This was our 7th cruise and the first time with any time dining. Dinner is always one of our favorite times of the day - not because of the eating but just because of the atmosphere in the MDR, the time with family and the fun with the wait staff. I had read many who had great experiences so we were eager to try it out.

 

For the record, we had no waiting on any night other than elegant night (which was 45 min.).

 

None of us felt like we got the same service we have received when eating with a scheduled eating time in the MDR. We barely saw the head waiter and it seemed as if he had a responsibility for quite an extraordinary number of tables. It looked as if there were 2 assts. helping him. It was really hard to tell. Service was just not the same.

 

I know some folks love it but it just wasn't our cup of tea and we will return to regular seating from now on. Why am I posting this? Mainly, because I only see posts from people who had great experiences with ATD and I just want to put this out there for anyone who may be questioning whether to do it or not.

 

JMO

[riffatsea]

What ship were you on?

When did you go to dinner?

I have a feeling that service gets more slammed as more people come into the MDR.

We generally get seated soon after the dining room doors open and at that time have no probs with the Anytime wait staff.

We usually get the same bunch(if we like them) and they know us and our preferences very quickly!

[cruzinlisa]

Sorry you had such a bad experience with it. Did you have the same wait staff each night or did you sit in different areas. I am a little hesitant about trying ATD on our upcoming cruise but we are taking our little one, who will be 14 months. We really need the flexibility that ATD offers because I fear that if we stuck with standard dining and DD happened to be cranky, it would mean missing out on dinner altogether on one or more nights. Atleast now we can TRY to go when she is in a good mood, has had a nap, no tummy troubles etc. Hopefully our experience is better. :)

[flounder315]

my friend from work just got back from his 7th cruise, they tried the ATD and they hated it too. they had to wait every night for up to 1 hour, they were given a pager thingy to come back when it went off. Not for me, I like haveng a set dinner time and getting to know the wait staff. I was even ask dance by our assistant waiter, it was great, until a lady a table over, came and cut in... :p

[jtdlmc]

We loved ATD but I think it all depends on the waitstaff team you have. We also went early evening. We loved the wait staff we had the first night but never asked for them the second night. We had terrible service the second night - didn't even see a team - just one waiter. After that we always requested the original team. We waited about 10 minutes on the day of embarkation only. We again have ATD on our next cruise and am crossing my fingers that we also get a great team the first night and can keep them for the week. My son was the head waitress' dance partner every night (except the night we didn't sit in her area).

[Houstoncruiser2007]

What ship were you on?

When did you go to dinner?

I have a feeling that service gets more slammed as more people come into the MDR.

We generally get seated soon after the dining room doors open and at that time have no probs with the Anytime wait staff.

We usually get the same bunch(if we like them) and they know us and our preferences very quickly!

 

Triumph

7ish

We got seated immediately every night except elegant night. That wasn't the issue we had.

We had the same crew every night but the first (was a 4 day cruise).

They were too busy to get to know our preferences. Not calling them out on that I just think they had too many tables assigned to them and were just trying to get us or food - which was appreciated.

 

Sorry you had such a bad experience with it. Did you have the same wait staff each night or did you sit in different areas. I am a little hesitant about trying ATD on our upcoming cruise but we are taking our little one, who will be 14 months. We really need the flexibility that ATD offers because I fear that if we stuck with standard dining and DD happened to be cranky, it would mean missing out on dinner altogether on one or more nights. Atleast now we can TRY to go when she is in a good mood, has had a nap, no tummy troubles etc. Hopefully our experience is better. :)

 

You definitely get the flexibility so it will great for you in that regard. I hope it does work out better for you. We were just disappointed with it mainly because we've had such great experiences before. Have a great cruise!

[Houstoncruiser2007]

my friend from work just got back from his 7th cruise, they tried the ATD and they hated it too. they had to wait every night for up to 1 hour, they were given a pager thingy to come back when it went off. Not for me, I like haveng a set dinner time and getting to know the wait staff. I was even ask dance by our assistant waiter, it was great, until a lady a table over, came and cut in... :p

 

I hate that they had a bad experience but glad to know we are not alone! Gosh an hour?! That's really too bad. We at least got seated right away, save elegant night.

 

We loved ATD but I think it all depends on the waitstaff team you have. We also went early evening. We loved the wait staff we had the first night but never asked for them the second night. We had terrible service the second night - didn't even see a team - just one waiter. After that we always requested the original team. We waited about 10 minutes on the day of embarkation only. We again have ATD on our next cruise and am crossing my fingers that we also get a great team the first night and can keep them for the week. My son was the head waitress' dance partner every night (except the night we didn't sit in her area).

 

We didn't get to take part of any of the songs/dances with the waiters. I think it was because the time we came was right smack dab between the two scheduled times and we just missed when they were doing it. Good luck on your cruise. I hope you get a great team!

[AWCHIEF]

Sorry it did not go well for you. As a solo passanger I love it. I have used it the last 5 or 6 cruises and really would not eat other way now. I have never had to wait and have received excellant service. Usually have the same wait staff each evening and they treat me just like anyone else eating at a set time if not better. I normaly would eat around 7PM.

[tracyanns]

We just got back from our cruise and had the Any Time Dining. I have to say we only waited one night and that was when we went there at 7:30...we always got the same server and by the second night he already knew our preferences.

 

I do have to say I love the convenience of going when we want and not having to wait for the entire table to be seated. We were in and out within and hour and 15 minutes most nights...our friends with late seating were there for 2 hours...

[Angiet75]

I have a question, as of now for our crusie dec 18th ont he Legend we have early dining. If i find after night 1 i dont like that can you switch to any time dining or are you stuck with the same 6 pm dining with the same people everynight?

[tami60429]

Thank you for posting. I am trying ATD for the first time on my upcoming cruise. I like to hear both sides.

[Crazy4Koko]

I have had ATD twice..liked it just fine the first time..loved the staff, the entertainment..it was almost as if we had a set dinner time they were so attentive.

 

 

Just had it for the second time aboard the Destiny... even had the same headwaiter as I'd had on the Inspiration in March..but I have to say the overall experience was lukewarm at best. Never had a wait for a table, but the table locations were TERRIBLE. We didn't feel guilty about not going to the MDR every night at all ( three times on a 5 day cruise)..and found that our wait for entrees, refills of glasses, etc was a bit longer than with traditional dining, and I think the word 'afterthought' really does apply here...its what we felt like every night.

[Jolimont]

Whatever works for you. We loved my time and don't care very much how often we talk to the head waiter. Nice guy, but I'll never see him again once the vacation is over, so I don't get attached. But really, if it's important to you, choose early or late dining. That's the great thing about a cruise, there's something for everyone.

[MamaParrotHead]

I totally agree. It was not the same as having early/late seating. I only picked it this time because we don't plan on even eating in the MDR much this time around bc we're tired of the menu, and I didn't want our waiters to have an empty table for the majority of the week.

[PatrickZJD]

Don't feel too bad, OP. My DW and I tried ATD last year on the Miracle cruise-to-nowhere, and while we didn't have a bad experience, we also couldn't say it was anything extra-special over our traditional late dining. Something to be tried, but not our cup of tea. I just hope that the feeling I have isn't true and that ATD is going to become the default dining option on Carnival ships -- just a feeling, so please no flames, but I can't help but think it!

[crewsweeper]

DW prefers the MDR seated dining. But I think ATD is a great option for singles, couples or parties of 3-4. It is becoming more popular. We have noticed that if the ship has a separate dining room for ATD, the wait doesn't seem to be all that long, with the exception of elegant night when everyone seems to head for dinner at once. But the MDR used for seated dining doesn't appear to be as crowded either. Ships that use the same dining room for ATD and seated dining do appear to have longer waits. And for those who don't want to hassle with cleaning up before dinner, especially if you're just getting back from a long day of shore excursions, the Lido buffets often serve similar food as offered that evening in the MDRs....shorts, flops,and t's permitted on the Lido.

[Jimmy Geegitz]

Yea I like having the same crew everynite. We wont be using anytime dining either.

[SBthud326]

I'm sorry to hear that others didn't have the same experience that my cousin and I did. We had ATD on the Valor last Oct, and absolutely adored it. We had a different staff the first three nights then found one we loved and stuck with them. We never had a wait and we went at all different times during the week, depending on if we needed a nap after the port or not. :D

 

The staff all knew us by name after the first night (not just our wait staff but the Maitre'D and others), and we had so much fun with Coco and her group once we stayed with her. I hope those of you thinking about trying it do and try to relax and enjoy it. I think its a great option, but maybe its not for everyone.

[nonna5]

I am a solo cruise and do not like anytime dining. Carnival does such a good job of matching solo cruisers together. Also I like having the same waiters every night and knowing I will not have to wait for a table.

[riffatsea]

You cannot switch around from early or late to Anytime. What you start out with is what you have unless you are able to completely change your dining for the whole cruise.

I think that I am probably right that getting to the dining room at 7PM is a very busy time so that even if you got seated right away the wait staff wi busier than if you get there immediately when the doors open around 5:45 or 6PM.

Everyone travels differently and so I hope you enjoy your next cruise!!

[teddy'sgirl]

I really think it varies from ship to ship. DH and I cruised in March on the Elation. It was our first experience with ATD. While we loved the flexibility, we really didn't have a lot of interaction with the wait staff which I missed. Our first two cruises we had early dining. Our first cruise was on the Inspiration and had a fabulous wait staff. Last December we cruised on the Triumph. Our wait staff was good but just didn't stand out. We seemed to be an after thought on more than one occasion. Last week, we cruised on the Fascination with ATD. I have to say, the wait staff was fantastic! We did have a night where one team just didn't have the personality as the others but another night, the head waiter knew our names even without asking! We sat in different areas each night but I have to say Malvin on our first night and KJ on our third night were fantastic! We've had good experiences with both and we've had not so great experiences with both. I think it just boils down to the ship you are on.

[Rankbronc]

Yea I like having the same crew everynite. We wont be using anytime dining either.

 

If you find a waitstaff that you like you just ask for them each night, no problem.

We love the your time dining option, the flexability of eating when we want and the ability to keep a great waitstaff or try another. Plus no sharing a table full of people I don't know. If the singing and dancing waiters are important, just eat closer to the regular dining times.

Our worst week of dining was with traditional dining. We have yet to not find a great waitstaff with your time dining, just takes a night or two sometimes.

[crewsweeper]

You cannot switch around from early or late to Anytime. What you start out with is what you have unless you are able to completely change your dining for the whole cruise.

I think that I am probably right that getting to the dining room at 7PM is a very busy time so that even if you got seated right away the wait staff wi busier than if you get there immediately when the doors open around 5:45 or 6PM.

Everyone travels differently and so I hope you enjoy your next cruise!!

No you can switch, if you ask the Maitre d' and there is available slots. But you have to specifically go and ask once youre on board, you can't do it at check-in on embarcation.

[ready2cruzagain]

I know some folks love it but we will not do it again. This was our 7th cruise and the first time with any time dining. Dinner is always one of our favorite times of the day - not because of the eating but just because of the atmosphere in the MDR, the time with family and the fun with the wait staff. I had read many who had great experiences so we were eager to try it out.

 

For the record, we had no waiting on any night other than elegant night (which was 45 min.).

 

None of us felt like we got the same service we have received when eating with a scheduled eating time in the MDR. We barely saw the head waiter and it seemed as if he had a responsibility for quite an extraordinary number of tables. It looked as if there were 2 assts. helping him. It was really hard to tell. Service was just not the same.

 

I know some folks love it but it just wasn't our cup of tea and we will return to regular seating from now on. Why am I posting this? Mainly, because I only see posts from people who had great experiences with ATD and I just want to put this out there for anyone who may be questioning whether to do it or not.

 

JMO

 

Thank you so very much! I totally agree. I was beginning to think that it must just be me and dh since we don't like it at all and all we ever hear from other people is that they love it.

[Skywench]

We've had ATD on our last several cruises and LOVE it. Personally, I like that I don't have to be on a set schedule for dinner, especially on port days where you might feel rushed to get back on board and get ready for dinner. I like that I can have a table just for me and the person/people I am on the cruise with. I don't care to eat at a table with strangers and I don't care about having the same waitstaff, although I think we almost always have done. Most of the time I've not had to wait, but the couple of times I remember waiting, it was only for about fifteen minutes. I know everyone feels differently about the whole dining experience and I'm glad that there's something for all of us. I really don't cruise for the dining experience anyway and would be happy to never step into the MDR, but depending on who is on the cruise with me, I'll dine there, but not every night. I will certainly continue to choose ATD!