Benefits of YTD

[IMKTDQT810]

I have never done YTD nor do I know anyone who has that I can ask. I get the main points of the facts that you can come and eat anytime with the "YTD Hours". And that at times there might be a wait.

On our last cruise we went with family and sat together at assigned table and it worked out fine. Time before that it was just DH & I on our honeymoon and sat at an assigned 10 top and every night one couple seemed to come late, which slowed down dinner for the whole table. DH is really wanting to do a low-key cruising and wouldn't mind missing in the MDR all together. We currently have 6pm set dining. SO please give me any pros or cons to YTD. Thanks!!!

[riffatsea]

It is really a personal choice.

We have tried traditional dining and do not enjoy sitting with strangers at dinner.

With YTD we can have a table for 2 each night.

We can ask for the same wait staff each night so that they get to know us in the same way they would if we had traditional dining. IF we meet folks during the cruise whose company we enjoy we can arrange to meet at dinner (if they also have YTD) and can sit with them that night but we don't have to sit with them every night!

It gives us more freedom.

[okgirl]

We love YTD. We usually arrive just before 6:30 (hint: never go to any eating venue on the hour or half hour). We're usually not behind more than 10 people. We ask for a table for 2 with 2 chairs (we don't like the booth/chair combination). And generally speaking sit at the same table every evening.

 

In fact our waitstaff will come out to see if we're in line and come and get us.

[maldenmusic]

We are going to try this on our December cruise

[beachbum53]

We have chosen YTD for our last three cruises. We typically go to the Atrium around 5:45 and wait for the MDR doors to open. There is usually a very short line of ten or less people, and when the doors open, we get seated very quickly. It may not always be the exact same table each time, but it is always in the same section with the same wait staff. I've noticed that by about 6:20 - 6:30, the line waiting to get seated has gotten a lot longer. This pretty much mirrors what we've encountered at home when going out to eat. If we get to a restaurant between 5:30 - 6:00, there is almost no wait to get seated. After about 6:15 - 6:30, there are quite a few people by then waiting for a table. So, if you want to avoid a long wait, and you've chosen YTD, get to the MDR at around 5:45 for first seating, or around 7:45 for second seating. ;)

[cruiseonthebrain]

For me, the best benefit of YTD is being able to skip the MDR altogether without feeling guilty for not letting the table know in advance. Now we always do YTD and we almost never eat in the MDR. It saves time and inches on the waistline :-)

[jenms2000]

The biggest pro for us is we don't feel rushed to be back on the ship at a certain time to get ready for dinner. If our excursion runs late we don't miss dinner in the dining room.

 

 

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[JaniceB]

To me the biggest plus is not feeling rushed on vacation and we don't mind sitting in a lounge waiting to be called enjoying the entertainment or just talking to our group about their day.

[bar1068]

to me the biggest plus is not feeling rushed on vacation and we don't mind sitting in a lounge waiting to be called enjoying the entertainment or just talking to our group about their day.

 

^^^^this^^^^

[cruisinkelsey]

I really enjoy YTD for the simple reason of not being on a schedule. If I want to sit at the bar and have a few drinks or go see a show, I don't have to worry about rushing to get to the dining room at a certain time to make it. The flexibility is really the main thing for me. My first cruise, we did an assigned dining time. With a large group, it was nice to all connect after a long day. I also really enjoyed having the same wait staff. I know others have said you can ask for the same staff with YTD, but I've yet to even remember to request it!

[BrezQ]

We are trying this for the first time next month! I've read the pros and cons. this is our first time cruising just the 2 of us, so we thought this would be best! Enjoy!

[OCruisers]

We love YTD! It's much more relaxing not having a set dinner time! :)

[JenSDCA]

For us, when we are on vacation we don't like to be locked in to a rigid schedule. Plus, and for us this is big, with YTD we can be in and out in an hour if we want, or take a two hour dinner if that's the mood we're in. We don't have to keep pace with non-family members. And if we're in the mood to meet new people, we can just ask to be seated at a large table. Flexibility!

[Tigeress297]

We have done both. I like the YTD since I like being able to go when I want. If we are running late I don't have to worry about it. We can choose if we want to sit with other people (this way you can meet new people every night) or just get a table for my hubby and me. We obviously go early because we've never had to wait longer then a couple of minutes, but I have seen the line get pretty long before.

[GradUT]

Never again will I do YTD on Carnival.

 

I have used YTD on 2 previous Carnival cruises and the waits were acceptable, but on my cruise 2 weeks ago (party of 2), the wait to eat around 8:15 pm was 30 minutes on Elegant Night and a predicted 45 minutes on another night. (We skipped that and ate pizza instead.) In addition to that, the waitstaff served us in a perfunctory manner, as if they'd never see us again (which they didn't) and all of the 2-tops seem to be in the "traffic lanes" (none near windows). It was definitely the worst part about our entire cruise.

 

(FWIW, on HAL, if you are doing their Anytime Dining, you can make a reservation the night before for your dining time and they will seat you with other people if you'd like to mingle some night or if you just want to be seated sooner. Carnival does not offer advance reservations for YTD and, at least on our ship, there was no offer to seat small groups together to allow you to be seated sooner.)

[ABQrobin]

If you are a late diner, do the assigned table dining.

If you are okay with eating at 6pm-7pm, do YTD. We do this, and rarely wait more than 15 minutes.

 

We have only done the assigned time dining on one cruise and our table mates were okay, but by the end of the week, we were actually tired of them. One couple showed up every night with drinks in hand, already lit up. The other couple showed up complaining about the port, how bored they were (of course they didn't do an excursion, they are too cheap), so of course they were bored. The other couple showed up whenever they felt like it, if at all, and that annoyed our wait staff for good reason. My DH says he will never do the assigned time dining again unless we are going with friends and have our own table.

Edited September 6, 2016 by ABQrobin

[Sugaree5335]

The benefit to me is that I don't have to be stressed out about being on time for dinner. I hate the feeling of being late, but married someone who's ADHD doesn't make being on time easy.

[DebJ14]

To me the biggest plus is not feeling rushed on vacation and we don't mind sitting in a lounge waiting to be called enjoying the entertainment or just talking to our group about their day.

 

That is why we enjoy late dinner. We request a table for 2. No lines, no waiting, we get to know our waiters, never have to rush back from port etc.

 

We found ourselves very bored when we had early dinner, especially on nights when there is no production show. We can't stand to be in the casino for any length of time because of the smoke. We found ourselves back in the cabin watching TV. Now we have our dinner, go have a night cap and call it a day.

[oceanv]

we've done late traditional, we've done early traditional, and ytd, personally i think it's easier on the brain to have traditional, we also have a child though so it's just easier to roll into the dining room without waiting - we'd be eating around six anyway.

 

apparently you can ask for a small table by emailing maitrd before cruise so that make it easier better. i'm not a fan of making small talk with strangers.

[ray98]

All positive for me. No more days where a late breakfast leads to a late lunch meaning I'm not hungry for early dining. Also, no early breakfast, early lunch leaving me starving by late dining.

 

 

I eat when I am hungry instead of when they assign me.

 

The second plus is not dining with strangers and ruining a nice meal with an obligation to make forced small talk.

Edited September 6, 2016 by ray98

[bamagirl16]

My mom and I are trying YTD on our cruise this December since it will just be the 2 of us. Our last cruise we did the 8:15 seating when there were 8 of us. We will do that again on our family cruise next March but just thought we would try something different for our Mother-Daughter cruise.

[Warm Breezes]

I have never done YTD nor do I know anyone who has that I can ask. I get the main points of the facts that you can come and eat anytime with the "YTD Hours". And that at times there might be a wait.

On our last cruise we went with family and sat together at assigned table and it worked out fine. Time before that it was just DH & I on our honeymoon and sat at an assigned 10 top and every night one couple seemed to come late, which slowed down dinner for the whole table. DH is really wanting to do a low-key cruising and wouldn't mind missing in the MDR all together. We currently have 6pm set dining. SO please give me any pros or cons to YTD. Thanks!!!

 

Pros: Eat when and with whom you want. We will not go back to traditional. We like the flexibility of eating when we are hungry and we prefer to eat at a table for 2. If we find wait staff we like we can request to sit in their area. If we find wait staff we don't like we can request not to sit in their are. We are more in control of the pace of our meal. We rarely have a wait and if we do it is usually less than 15 minutes.

 

Cons: Some tables for 2 are just inches apart and the waiters treat the tables as though they are one larger one. You need to request a more private table or a booth to avoid this.

[hawaiibound24]

Never again will I do YTD on Carnival.

 

I have used YTD on 2 previous Carnival cruises and the waits were acceptable, but on my cruise 2 weeks ago (party of 2), the wait to eat around 8:15 pm was 30 minutes on Elegant Night and a predicted 45 minutes on another night. (We skipped that and ate pizza instead.) In addition to that, the waitstaff served us in a perfunctory manner, as if they'd never see us again (which they didn't) and all of the 2-tops seem to be in the "traffic lanes" (none near windows). It was definitely the worst part about our entire cruise.

 

(FWIW, on HAL, if you are doing their Anytime Dining, you can make a reservation the night before for your dining time and they will seat you with other people if you'd like to mingle some night or if you just want to be seated sooner. Carnival does not offer advance reservations for YTD and, at least on our ship, there was no offer to seat small groups together to allow you to be seated sooner.)

 

This has not been the norm for us. We have taken 20+ cruises and the last 5 or so on Carnival have been with YTD. If you go at the start (5:45), the only real wait is waiting for the doors to open (sometimes they open early). There maybe be a line of 15 or 20 people, but it moves quickly with no waiting for a table. If you go later... after 8:00... usually not a wait either. IF you go between 6:30 and 7:30, there may be a wait but most of the time we were given a pager. Since layout is different on most ships, not all "tables for 2" are on an isle. We have had many by the window. BTW, we have done YTD on the Magic, Conquest, Elation, Sunshine, and Valor.

[Gamecock_Cruiser]

We are currently on the Ecstacy with YTD

 

Pros: you can eat dinner whenever you want.

 

Cons: first night we went at 8:15 and had to wait 30 minutes for a table for 4. 2nd night (formal night) we got our pager for 3 at 7 and went back to the room. Nothing as of 8:30. I went and asked and they said they pages ha about 45 minutes before. Evidently we had a broken pager.

 

We ate the lido last night.

[IMKTDQT810]

Thank you all for your honest opinions and experiences. I might bring all these thing up to DH and see what he thinks. We are normally early diners (5-5:30 dinner at home) so being ready to eat by 5:45 for YTD is right up our alley. I also like the no pressure if we decide not to show and do the Lido one night.

 

We will be travelling with our son so we won't be looking for a table for 2 anyways. But again, I thank you all for the info!