Please Sell Me On Anytime Dining......

[SmogMonster]

Well, we must be in the minority because we did not like ATD. We were not able to get the same waiter on any night even though we asked. Also, we noticed that unless you were at the Ding Room door pretty early, you faced a long line of people waiting to be seated. On two nights the line was all the way around the atrium to the elevators on the other side.

 

But this really is a personal choice type of thing. We enjoy meeting new people and getting to know our wait staff. I agree that having the flexibility is very nice.

 

Try it and if you like it, go for it again. If not you can go back to a set dining time.

[Mustanggirl]

We tried it in April on the Freedom and absolutely hated it. We only went 2 times because of it. The tables like someone else stated were about and 1 inch apart, no exaggeration. If I wanted to sit with strangers I would have requested it. In my opinion they dropped the ball on this. On our Royal Caribbean cruises they had it right. If Carnival cannot fit that many into your time dining, they should limit it. Next time we go we will go to early dining and get a table for 2.

[klmorg]

We tried it in April on the Freedom and absolutely hated it. We only went 2 times because of it. The tables like someone else stated were about and 1 inch apart, no exaggeration. If I wanted to sit with strangers I would have requested it. In my opinion they dropped the ball on this. On our Royal Caribbean cruises they had it right. If Carnival cannot fit that many into your time dining, they should limit it. Next time we go we will go to early dining and get a table for 2.

 

Did you ask for another table? When it's been two of us, we've been seated in nice booths.

[serene56]

Did you ask for another table? When it's been two of us, we've been seated in nice booths.

 

 

in the three times I tried it-- we tried asking for booths and were told no they are for 3-4 people.

 

what time did you get your booths?

 

I had the same as the poster-- stuck in the middle of a 6 person table which was separated by mere inches-- so uncomfortable sitting like that with strangers-- and come in when people are already eating at various stages of the meal-- sucked.

 

 

In the past two cruises -- anytime is where the left over people go. Most requested dining time is early dining-- and if early fills up those people are given Anytime while wait listed for early.

 

by reading these boards it sounds like everyone prefers anytime. We represent less then 1% of the sailing public.

 

my next cruise is early traditional

[klmorg]

in the three times I tried it-- we tried asking for booths and were told no they are for 3-4 people.

 

what time did you get your booths?

 

I had the same as the poster-- stuck in the middle of a 6 person table which was separated by mere inches-- so uncomfortable sitting like that with strangers-- and come in when people are already eating at various stages of the meal-- sucked.

 

The times I'm talking about when there were just two of us, we went at different dining times. We have never been squeezed in the middle of a 6 person table. Lucky, perhaps.

[l8cruiser]

I went on my first cruise last week. I had requested 6:00 dining. Next cruise, we are going to try any time dining. The 600 was just too early. We had to stop early what ever we were doing, to get ready for dinner. Also most shows are late and we had a long wait. Also there were days that we didn't feel like dressing up for dinner and would rather go to lido buffet. We did not want to go to lido and leave our dinner mates hanging. We would rather have any time dining and let us decide if we want mdr or lido.

 

Losing my cruiseginity Sept.16 ,2012 "Chuck"

[crewsweeper]

We tried it in April on the Freedom and absolutely hated it. We only went 2 times because of it. The tables like someone else stated were about and 1 inch apart, no exaggeration. If I wanted to sit with strangers I would have requested it. In my opinion they dropped the ball on this. On our Royal Caribbean cruises they had it right. If Carnival cannot fit that many into your time dining, they should limit it. Next time we go we will go to early dining and get a table for 2.

Yeah we had that on the first cruise on the Dream. They squeeze the YTDs into the smaller Crimson dining room. Put the kaboosh on DW's view of YTD on subsequent Dream cruises. On the Liberty, this spring they had devoted more space to YTD and none of the tables were jammed together. Each ship's dining rooms layouts are different unfortunately.

[katiel53]

We have had ATD several times and now we are going back to late seating. The first time we were with another couple on Dream. We loved the wait staff and tried to get the same servers nightly, but we had to wait long times for them even after asking the Maitre D' what time we should show up so we don't have to wait too long. The second week of that B2B we changed to early dining as our friend is diabetic and normally eats about 6 at home.

 

Last Feb DH and i were alone on Dream and the ATD I understand is similar to Breeze. There are many tables for 2, but there is NO PRIVACY at all. There are several areas where there are 3 sets of tables for 2 and they are about a foot apart. It's like going to dinner at a stranger's house, but being late for dinner. I say that because the first night we were seated in the middle of the three tables and the other two tables were on entrees or dessert when we sat down.

 

Everything that is said at either table could be heard by us or by them, depending on who was talking. We were seated at a different set of 3 tables the next night. We asked if we could sit in a booth which would afford a little privacy and were told not unless we came in late as those are for 4 people.

 

We then started arriving at 8:30 and got the same terrible waiter both nights. One night, no butter dish, the next night a butter dish, no butter. Neither night did we have dessert as the waiter disappeared and we never saw him again after we ordered. The assistant took care of bringing us the food etc.

 

I can't say that it would be that bad on another ship. I just really think it's the fault of the Maitre D' and each time we have sailed Dream, it's been the same Maitre D' for ATD. He seems to spend his time flirting with the hostess and not knowing anything that is happening in the dining room.

 

 

Anyway, long story short, if you want privacy, you may prefer regular seating for reasons you mentioned as well. Enjoy your cruise.

[Warm Breezes]

Have had late dining for the majority of my previous cruises and my GF drops hints now and then that she wants to possibly try ATD. I like the consistency of having the same waiter and assistant waiter and having the same table mates for dinner. I feel that ATD would be like open seating in the MDR is for breakfast and lunch, it's OK, but not the same service that you get at night when they know after the first night that you like iced tea instead of water in your large glass.

 

So, veterans of ATD, please convince this cruise veteran why we should switch in January on our upcoming cruise on the Breeze. Thanks.

 

You can ask for the same waiters if you find some you prefer. We always choose to get a table for just our family, but you can request to sit with others...especially if you make friends with others on board who also have Anytime. We like the flexibility of going when we are ready and based on our time table. We have had ATD on 2 cruises and have only had to wait for a table one time on Elegant Night for approx 15 minutes. We will never go back to traditional dining.

[4wheelr]

We tried it in April on the Freedom and absolutely hated it. We only went 2 times because of it. The tables like someone else stated were about and 1 inch apart, no exaggeration. If I wanted to sit with strangers I would have requested it. In my opinion they dropped the ball on this. On our Royal Caribbean cruises they had it right. If Carnival cannot fit that many into your time dining, they should limit it. Next time we go we will go to early dining and get a table for 2.

 

I love it... I was just about to post this exact same response. Except, I was going to say the tables werwe 1.5 inches apart. It's awful. We hated it. I felt like I needed to share my appetizers with the people next to me. I also despise getting a pager and being told to wait for a table. Tried it once, won't do it again.

[Sailor_Sally]

We have done it twice and really like it . We like the flexibility and while the tables are close we had nice conversations with other couples.Its nice to just decide when to eat and no worry about offending table mates .We have never waited longer than five minutes even on elegant night . I also like early traditional dining but I've had great table mates and awful table mates so now I am ATD all the way.

[golfb4cruzing]

We always do ATD and ask for a table for 2. Our schedules are tough at home, so we enjoy dinner together. We like to get in and get out for shows or other options for the evenng. We liked our waiter and server and asked and kept them for the week. I don't like waiting for others and always eat around the same time. No down side to ATD to me.

[okwriter]

Just wanted to say thank you for everyone that has responded with your feedback regarding YTD. I put in the request with my TA and he has confirmed us on our January Breeze cruise for YTD. The cruise will be many firsts for us.....first time on the Breeze, first time for YTD and first time for "My Awesome Bar Program".

 

Hope you come back and let everyone know how you like it. I booked a set dining time my first two cruises but have done Any Time Dining since then and LOVE it! :D

[092306]

We love anytime dining. We began doing it at first because it was easier to get a table for 2 and ended up sticking with it now that we're a family of 3. We've been very fortunate to get some of the best waiter teams and will never going back to traditional dining. It was a relief to get away from a table of 4 or 6 or 8 strangers having forced conversation or worry about not being able to switch to a table for 2. I think people worry that if they go with anytime and don't have the same waiter team that those waiters won't care about the level of service they provide. We found it quite the opposite and often stayed with the same waiter teams throughout the cruise. Hope you have a positive experience too!

[T. Advisor King]

I'm not sure I can convince you to try YTD based on your own preferences, although if your travelling companion wants to try it, I would encourage you to be flexible.

 

If having the same waiter is important to you, and you really enjoy the typical MDR experience, you may not be happy with YTD.

 

What I love about YTD is that it sets you free from the constraints of a schedule. One of the worst parts of cruise ship vacations is that you're stuck on someone else's schedule. If I'm taking a vacation in Hawaii and I want to stay on the beach for an extra hour or two, I don't have to worry that the hotel will be gone when I get back.

 

I don't care about getting the same wait staff and, to be honest, I don't really want my waiter to know my preferences. In fact, if my prefernces are so obvious after two dinners in the MDR, I'd worry about being too predictable and stuck in a routine, but I digress.

 

One of the things I like the least about the MDR is the artificial chit-chat where typically the waiter relates the hardships of his life story. Call me cynical, but it always seems like a sales pitch for sympatht tips. Put it this way, when I've had YTD, the waiters don't try to cultivate the same "relationship", which is just fine with me.

 

And when I'm on a regular vacation, I don't typically go to the same restaurant twice and I wouldn't expect to get the same waiter if I did. So I'm not sure why it is even an issue on a ship.

 

With YTD, I've never had to wait for a table (not even 5 minutes) and I can get in and out in about an hour.

 

But if you like the whole song-and-dance routine (both figuratively and literally), then you may not be happy. The YTD tables were in one corner of the MDR and because you weren't one of 500 guests all getting your appetizer within 10 minutes of each other and all getting your main course within 10 minutes of each other, etc., it certainly has a different "feel" to it. It does feel a little like you're in a restaurant in which 3/4 of the room has been booked out for a private function that you're not part of.

 

But I'm fine with that. I eat what I want. I'm welcome to have genuine conversations with the staff. And I can get in and out in pretty close to half the time of the regular sitting times.

[sjn911]

[quote name='T. Advisor King']I'm not sure I can convince you to try YTD based on your own preferences, although if your travelling companion wants to try it, I would encourage you to be flexible.

If having the same waiter is important to you, and you really enjoy the typical MDR experience, you may not be happy with YTD.

What I love about YTD is that it sets you free from the constraints of a schedule. One of the worst parts of cruise ship vacations is that you're stuck on someone else's schedule. If I'm taking a vacation in Hawaii and I want to stay on the beach for an extra hour or two, I don't have to worry that the hotel will be gone when I get back.

I don't care about getting the same wait staff and, to be honest, I don't really want my waiter to know my preferences. In fact, if my prefernces are so obvious after two dinners in the MDR, I'd worry about being too predictable and stuck in a routine, but I digress.

One of the things I like the least about the MDR is the artificial chit-chat where typically the waiter relates the hardships of his life story. Call me cynical, but it always seems like a sales pitch for sympatht tips. Put it this way, when I've had YTD, the waiters don't try to cultivate the same "relationship", which is just fine with me.

And when I'm on a regular vacation, I don't typically go to the same restaurant twice and I wouldn't expect to get the same waiter if I did. So I'm not sure why it is even an issue on a ship.

With YTD, I've never had to wait for a table (not even 5 minutes) and I can get in and out in about an hour.

But if you like the whole song-and-dance routine (both figuratively and literally), then you may not be happy. The YTD tables were in one corner of the MDR and because you weren't one of 500 guests all getting your appetizer within 10 minutes of each other and all getting your main course within 10 minutes of each other, etc., it certainly has a different "feel" to it. It does feel a little like you're in a restaurant in which 3/4 of the room has been booked out for a private function that you're not part of.

But I'm fine with that. I eat what I want. I'm welcome to have genuine conversations with the staff. And I can get in and out in pretty close to half the time of the regular sitting times.[/quote]
This hits the nail on the head for YTD..my experience exactly..and I'll add, when alone it can be freeing or awful..depending on your mood with meeting group..but on a latger solos's table the group can change over the week..i think right now with the food and service cutbacks seen on my April 2012 cruise..you run a risk of less hot food and less palatable food with the logistices in main diningroom...S

[klmorg]

[quote name='sjn911']This hits the nail on the head for YTD..my experience exactly..and I'll add, when alone it can be freeing or awful..depending on your mood with meeting group..but on a latger solos's table the group can change over the week..i think right now [B]with the food and service cutbacks seen on my April 2012 cruise..[/B]you run a risk of less hot food and less palatable food with the logistices in main diningroom...S[/quote]

When did you last cruise before your April 2012 cruise to notice such food & service cutbacks?:confused:

[sjn911]

[quote name='klmorg']When did you last cruise before your April 2012 cruise to notice such food & service cutbacks?:confused:[/quote]
Cutbacks between Paradise June 2009 and Spirit 2012, 4 and 5 day respectively...truly, and think a solo on YTD made it even more noticable..even had issues of first night in the Steakhouse but that was of course my first time and ate early..think they lined up and prepared the sides early and they were cold..but that is seperate from dining room...2 dinners were good in dining room..prime and a 2 different beef thing...neither of these were the Cruise Elegant night.:)

[sjn911]

[quote name='serene56']in the three times I tried it-- we tried asking for booths and were told no they are for 3-4 people.

what time did you get your booths?

I had the same as the poster-- stuck in the middle of a 6 person table which was separated by mere inches-- so uncomfortable sitting like that with strangers-- and come in when people are already eating at various stages of the meal-- sucked.


In the past two cruises -- anytime is where the left over people go. Most requested dining time is early dining-- and if early fills up those people are given Anytime while wait listed for early.

by reading these boards it sounds like everyone prefers anytime. We represent less then 1% of the sailing public.

my next cruise is early traditional[/quote]

[quote name='klmorg']The times I'm talking about when there were just two of us, we went at different dining times. We have never been squeezed in the middle of a 6 person table. Lucky, perhaps.[/quote]

I was wondering about this..seemed definitely more crowded...

Fun part of YTD solo was the middle time of 2 planned times I prefer..and as I solo travel I did and do and enjoy everything..alone and with and small and large tables..and being asked to join for dessert tables..and that was a "pro" of the being more crowded elbow to elbow feeling...Sarah

I will probably watch the feedback here over the next year or 2 for Carnival because as I have previously stated some of my cons on Easter were my fault..some not.

I too will choose Early dining on a Spirit class ship unless better reports from those seasoned Carnival people recently disappointed with food and service have better reports...and will wait to hear more reports before Carnival again..sigh..so sad about it..want to do dream trip of Alaska and Hawaii with them...Sarah

[azlefty]

Reading through this thread, I was surprised to find only one post that mentioned the quality of the food. Is there any difference? If food is better, or hotter, with YTD I'd choose that for that reason alone. If it's worse, I'd choose a seating.

I suppose it is wishful thinking to imagine that getting anytime dining at a time other than the scheduled seatings would give you food cooked to order.

Has anyone noticed any consistent difference in food quality for YTD vs seatings?

[sjn911]

[quote name='azlefty']Reading through this thread, I was surprised to find only one post that mentioned the quality of the food. Is there any difference? If food is better, or hotter, with YTD I'd choose that for that reason alone. If it's worse, I'd choose a seating.

I suppose it is wishful thinking to imagine that getting anytime dining at a time other than the scheduled seatings would give you food cooked to order.

Has anyone noticed any consistent difference in food quality for YTD vs seatings?[/quote]

Only 2 Carnival cruises here..,June 2009..Loved...April 2012..had issues.

2009 first seating...

2012 YTD

YTD always cold food over cooked..or poor quality but 2 meals. cold entres in steakhouse..Carnival Spirit..rubbery bad shrimp and lobster on elegant night.

2009..First lobster since i can remember, seiously..maybe had it once as a kid on a taste but not sure..not that pickey here but have had good food in my life and it was all above average or great and i did not know i could ask for more than one on elegant night..LOL..it was small lobster but very very good as was every other entree, side and meal..maybe one diet cake and one under cooked crab cake is all I remember as bad..

All in all this year could have been a bad Easter cruise with ship changing it's plan soon but some after me had not so great on way to Hawaii food and it is sad because Carnival at one time was not so good..then wonderful then great to ok and now lower reports again..not totally giving up but open to many other lines as a solo paying times 2 for everything but taxes and fees..6 or 7 total cruises here..age 20 to almost sigh 53 now..Sarah

I also know all this from a friend who sold cruises and i was close to for over 20 years..Sarah

[Cruisin 4 Ever]

Anytime dining is the best. But it really depends on what you like. When we first started cruising we were surprised we had to sit with strangers but we really ended up liking it. THere was one cruise though where we were only with one other couple because the other couples seated at our table just went to buffets instead. The other couple were exremely quiet and it was actually a real effort to keep any kind of conversation going. Then we went on NCL and discovered their anytime dining. It was fantastic so when Carnival started offering the same thing we were thrilled.
We always book that now and it's been great. They put the same waiters on in the anytime dining room each night so if you like your server, just request them again the next night. One other thing I relly like is that all their tables don't show up at the same time so it doesn't seem as hectic as it does when there are seating times. And, another seating isn't coming in so if you like along leisurely dinner that's no problem

[prattmom]

We tried ytd last thanksgiving and weren't impressed. It just isn't for us. We like getting to know our waitstaff and it was near impossible with ytd unless we wanted to wait to be seated. We are back to early dining...

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We think it is the best ..

[kireelady]

YTD worked well for our group. We had a group of people of different ages, tastes in activities and preferences for early or late dining. So it seemed to work best for us to pick a time in the middle. It was perfect for us. As for the dining experience, we really likes it and after the second night, we requested our favorite server and got her each time except for one night. I'd definitely do it again.