Vista - Anytime dinning or early dinning?

ksmcdonald · April 13, 2017

My husband and I are booked on the Vista this June. I already have early seating reserved but now am second guessing my choice. We would like to eat at a table for two and I'm not sure if this is possible at early seating. Would I have better luck getting a table for two if we changed our reservations to Anytime Dining? Can I even change to Anytime Dining at this late notice? My other question is if I keep my set dining, can we at any point, decide to eat later and go to Anytime Dining? Will they turn me away after scanning my card due to us having early seating? We just got off NCL where they have free style and I have never done Anytime Dining on Carnival before. Usually we cruise with a big crowd and get the set dining so we can all eat together. Now it is just the two of us. Thanks in advance for any input on this.

SadieN · April 13, 2017

Need to choose a dining time. Cannot go between Assigned Dining and ATD. Carnival is very strict about who dines where. At the hostess stand you will be asked for your Folio or Cabin number.

Better chance to get a two top in ATD but you might encounter a wait. Need to decide what is more important- dining at a specific time, possibly with others or getting a two top and possibly having to wait.

FWIW MDR breakfast/brunch/lunch is always open seating and rarely has a wait. Easy to get a two top then.

telebax51 · April 13, 2017

I always choose YTD and never had a problem asking and got a table for two and never a long wait

hftmrock · April 13, 2017

if you don't mind a possible wait, it should like ATD is for you.

Early dining - if you are late (more than 20 minutes I think), you have to eat at the buffet or specialty if you can get a seat

Anytime Dining - you can come anytime you want but there might be a wait for peak times

Early Dining - usually you are seated with others but you can request a 2 top . sometimes you can get it

Anytime dining - you will always be able to get a table for 2

Im not sure if you can change it now. maybe give carnival a call and ask.

tandemcruzr · April 13, 2017

When you board the ship, check the Fun Times for the time the maitre'd will be available for requests. Usually around 1 - 1:30 at one of the MDRs. We've had success at getting a table for 2 this way a couple of times. :)

maryred · April 14, 2017

Just to let you know on the Vista YTD is run a little different than on other Carnival ships. First you report to deck 5, to the request desk between the Dream studio gallery and the specialty coffee bar. The line starts as building early as 5:15, for the tables that open at 5:45, often being as far back as the Alchemy Bar area till later (after 8). If a table to your specifications is available you will receive piece of paper to bring to the hostess desk on either deck 3 or 4 aft. If no table that suits you is available you are given a beeper, and told you can wait in any public area on decks 3,4, or 5, except for the comedy club, main show lounge, Havana pool/outside deck section (the Havana bar is OK), casino, and atrium/shopping area. Once you receive your party's seat assignment slip they direct you to use the aft stairs or elevator, as the forward and mid-ship elevators do not allow access to the aft dinning room on deck 3 (if told your table is on deck 4 you can connect from those elevator banks, but they still direct you to use the aft elevators). Once down at the proper deck for your table there is another line, in the small elevator bank passageway for the hostess escort to the table. The only exception to this multi-deck walk around (at least on my sailing of the Vista) was parties with a Diamond and Platinum passengers could report directly deck 3 aft hostess desk.

Set time dining on the Vista is held in the deck 3 mid-ship dining room just behind the atrium bar. This is accessible using the forward elevator bank (though sometimes the "back" doors are open and the mid-ship elevators allow entry). Since this dining area is less than half of the YTD, being on only 1 deck, it is more desirable to be confirmed to set time dining and hope for a table type of your choice. There are 2 and 4 top tables available, so do go during the open Q&A with the hostess staff on embarkation day to see what type of table you are assigned to. If not to your liking ask if you can be switched to one more to your liking or if switching to YTD is possible. It might take a day to confirm the new dining arrangement.

cdnmr · April 14, 2017

Just to let you know on the Vista YTD is run a little different than on other Carnival ships. First you report to deck 5, to the request desk between the Dream studio gallery and the specialty coffee bar. The line starts as building early as 5:15, for the tables that open at 5:45, often being as far back as the Alchemy Bar area till later (after 8). If a table to your specifications is available you will receive piece of paper to bring to the hostess desk on either deck 3 or 4 aft. If no table that suits you is available you are given a beeper, and told you can wait in any public area on decks 3,4, or 5, except for the comedy club, main show lounge, Havana pool/outside deck section (the Havana bar is OK), casino, and atrium/shopping area. Once you receive your party's seat assignment slip they direct you to use the aft stairs or elevator, as the forward and mid-ship elevators do not allow access to the aft dinning room on deck 3 (if told your table is on deck 4 you can connect from those elevator banks, but they still direct you to use the aft elevators). Once down at the proper deck for your table there is another line, in the small elevator bank passageway for the hostess escort to the table. The only exception to this multi-deck walk around (at least on my sailing of the Vista) was parties with a Diamond and Platinum passengers could report directly deck 3 aft hostess desk.

Set time dining on the Vista is held in the deck 3 mid-ship dining room just behind the atrium bar. This is accessible using the forward elevator bank (though sometimes the "back" doors are open and the mid-ship elevators allow entry). Since this dining area is less than half of the YTD, being on only 1 deck, it is more desirable to be confirmed to set time dining and hope for a table type of your choice. There are 2 and 4 top tables available, so do go during the open Q&A with the hostess staff on embarkation day to see what type of table you are assigned to. If not to your liking ask if you can be switched to one more to your liking or if switching to YTD is possible. It might take a day to confirm the new dining arrangement.

Very detailed and accurate maryred. The Vista is a different beast....they even made announcements on formal nights advising anytime diners to go get a ticket at LEAST 45 mins before you wished to eat.

Priority dining was ok but we still lined up....Vista has the worst anytime dining set up we've seen yet.

jimbo5544 · April 14, 2017

Very detailed and accurate maryred. The Vista is a different beast....they even made announcements on formal nights advising anytime diners to go get a ticket at LEAST 45 mins before you wished to eat.

Priority dining was ok but we still lined up....Vista has the worst anytime dining set up we've seen yet.

Currently in the Vista but have late dining, curious what you would have them do when a majority want ytd and they are trying to oblige them.

Sent from my iPhone

crewsweeper · April 14, 2017

Currently in the Vista but have late dining, curious what you would have them do when a majority want ytd and they are trying to oblige them.

Sent from my iPhone

Hoping to see a review from you Jimbo.

In January, our experience was with early dining. DW is Platinum and she had requested a 2 top. But they has us in the aft restaurant (Reflections?) and at a 10 top. The M'd wasn't accommodating to a change on night 1 so we went to Bonsai. But we did get a change on night two (elegant night) to Upper Horizons. It was a "2 top" but with 2 other "2 tops" in the same row so was more a 6 top. But there were some booths that had just 2 diners at them. We found that we ate at other venues every night but elegant nights and last night (Grand Mariner soufflé night). So, OP do make reservations to other venues--Bonsai, JiJis, Steak House, Cucina. And don't worry about lines or seating with larger groups.

jimbo5544 · April 14, 2017

Hoping to see a review from you Jimbo.

In January, our experience was with early dining. DW is Platinum and she had requested a 2 top. But they has us in the aft restaurant (Reflections?) and at a 10 top. The M'd wasn't accommodating to a change on night 1 so we went to Bonsai. But we did get a change on night two (elegant night) to Upper Horizons. It was a "2 top" but with 2 other "2 tops" in the same row so was more a 6 top. But there were some booths that had just 2 diners at them. We found that we ate at other venues every night but elegant nights and last night (Grand Mariner soufflé night). So, OP do make reservations to other venues--Bonsai, JiJis, Steak House, Cucina. And don't worry about lines or seating with larger groups.

I am did doing a review, in fact working on it sans pics (which I will add when I get home). I will try and address all areas (including those where I had different thoughts on from our first cruise and was somewhat surprised about in reading reviews on here from cruisers who sailed on the Vista.

Sent from my iPhone

ksmcdonald · April 14, 2017

Need to choose a dining time. Cannot go between Assigned Dining and ATD. Carnival is very strict about who dines where. At the hostess stand you will be asked for your Folio or Cabin number.

Better chance to get a two top in ATD but you might encounter a wait. Need to decide what is more important- dining at a specific time, possibly with others or getting a two top and possibly having to wait.

FWIW MDR breakfast/brunch/lunch is always open seating and rarely has a wait. Easy to get a two top then.

Thanks for clarifying that I can't go from ATD to YTD. I kind of thought that was the case.