A Good Reason to Choose the Late Seating

[tonit964]

We like late seating for a few reasons. One is getting back from port, no rush to get ready for dinner. We can shower, grab a drink and just hang out on the balcony for a while. The sunsets are another good reason, and sail away from the port, I love watching that, even if I've been there several times.

 

If we are enjoying music, trivia or whatever on the ship, we don't have to stop and go to the room to get ready to go to dinner. Early dining is early for us on a ship with too many other things going on.

So many times I remember being on the promenade deck, sitting in a chair, watching the sunset or sail away, thinking I'm so glad I don't have to miss this to go to dinner.

If we get a little hungry, we'll grab some meat and cheeses from the Lido deck to hold us over until dinner.

That's just us.

[teknoge3k]

We love YTD because we're not rushed back from ports just for dinner. Plus at home we eat at different times. Sometimes 6pm, sometimes 9pm, it all depends on what we have going on. We like the flexibility of it. Plus we can still have the same wait staff each night if we like them and want them. If we don't like the wait staff for whatever reason, we're not stuck with them the entire cruise.

[ray98]

It has more vacancies because the majority find it to be the worst dining option.

[KarimaJ]

We love YTD because we're not rushed back from ports just for dinner. Plus at home we eat at different times. Sometimes 6pm, sometimes 9pm, it all depends on what we have going on. We like the flexibility of it. Plus we can still have the same wait staff each night if we like them and want them. If we don't like the wait staff for whatever reason, we're not stuck with them the entire cruise.

 

 

 

Me too. I have not done it on Carnival yet (Feb) but love it on NCL. I hope it’s a similar experience where you don’t have to wait long for a table. I do miss the same waiter greeting us if they are good but still prefer anytime.

 

 

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[jimbo5544]

Do you actually foresee a point where assigned dining might disappear?

 

 

 

That would be a pretty drastic change.

 

 

 

Probably not, but when it is estimated 2/3 of the people would rather not have it (not us btw), who knows. Cruising continues to evolve, we recently did an Azamara cruise where open dining was the only dining they have (only 600 passengers on the ship).

 

If it were to happen, I would think Carnival would test it on a smaller older ship, maybe just on shorter cruises. If that happens, it would be the beginning of the end for assigned dining.

 

 

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[bury me at sea]

Probably not, but when it is estimated 2/3 of the people would rather not have it (not us btw), who knows. Cruising continues to evolve, we recently did an Azamara cruise where open dining was the only dining they have (only 600 passengers on the ship).

 

If it were to happen, I would think Carnival would test it on a smaller older ship, maybe just on shorter cruises. If that happens, it would be the beginning of the end for assigned dining.

 

 

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Thanks for your thoughts. That would make me very sad.

[jimbo5544]

Thanks for your thoughts. That would make me very sad.

 

 

 

Me as well.

 

 

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[riffatsea]

The only time I can eat dinner at 8PM is when I am traveling in Europe because of the time difference when my body doesn't get hungry until that late!

We will only do YTD and wouldn't cruise on a ship that didn't have it!

We go early and usually stick with the same wait staff for the whole cruise so that they get to know us just as if we'd have had early assigned dining.

We like having a table for 2 at meals unless we meet folks on board with whom we'd like to share. We don't like eating with strangers. We tried that waaaay back on our first cruise and it didn't work out well at all!!

[elcuchio24]

Do you actually foresee a point where assigned dining might disappear?

 

That would be a pretty drastic change.

 

We always do YTD. We stopped cruising with CCL when they didnt have it and went with NCL. Everyone we sail with does YTD. I would not be surprised at all if set time disappears in a decade.

[elcuchio24]

Thanks for your thoughts. That would make me very sad.

 

Can I ask why? I mean, you could still go at 8pm if you wanted to....just curious.

[Joebucks]

I would never do anything other than early dining for my main choice. Eating at 8:30-9 is far too late for me. It's also nice to have the same wait staff who know what you like. The whole "rushing" thing is overplayed. How often are we back on the boat later than 4:30? If by chance there's a late port, then I can select YTD or a different option. It's not some mega stressful decision.

 

There's a reason why there are so many empty seats in late dining. Not as many people want to miss out on the activities going on because of a fake rushing worry.

[summersigh]

Do you actually foresee a point where assigned dining might disappear?

I personally don't see fixed seating disappearing all together. Over on JH's FB when he runs polls it's normally around 50-50

 

We always choose late dining at a large table. We don't see dinner as a hindrance but instead as a fun part of our evening. We eat alone most nights at home so we enjoy the company during dinner while cruising.

 

As to perhaps missing the shows - we've found the shows on cruise ships to be very much like high school musicals and we don't feel too badly if we miss them.

If you do have late seating you can speed dinner up by ordering desert when you order your entrees. That way when you finish the entrees your desert is waiting saving the time involved in ordering and having it picked up.

[CruisinCrow]

Do you actually foresee a point where assigned dining might disappear?

 

That would be a pretty drastic change.

 

I can see it happening. Norwegian Cruise Line doesn't have any assigned dining times and it seems to do just fine.

[CruisinCrow]

I don't like late seating. We are used to eating around 6:30 at home and it's hard to go another 2 hours. I didn't find the service to be good on our last Carnival cruise. We didn't even get our appetizers until 9 o'clock and I was getting pretty hangry by then. :) The waiters weren't particularly attentive either, even though there were empty tables.

 

We've got another cruise coming up and were happy to get YTD this time.

[summersigh]

Royal Caribbean thought to eliminate all fixed seating on their newest ships. They have 4 main dining rooms - each serving a different type of cuisine and assumed passengers would go to different restaurants as they wished. RCCL found they needed to reinvent the idea of fixed seating in some fashion because without some form or it they were loosing a significant part of their base to cruise lines that still had fixed seating.

 

 

Royal came up with a method that if you so choose you were assigned to a specific table group with a specific group of dining staff. Your group and it's waiters rotated to the different dining rooms each night - maintaining the concept of sharing dinner with the same group of passengers and same staff.

 

For DH and I not having fixed seating as an option is a deal breaker.:(

[LostPuppy]

Aside from the better attention from wait staff at late dining, I feel you get a more fun/metropolitan crowd (e.g. the old people who need to go to bed early and those with young children tend to go to early dining).

 

AFA missing the shows, well they're "entertaining"in a simplistic way, but they're not for us...

 

Obviously, my opinions. To each their own....

[elcuchio24]

Royal Caribbean thought to eliminate all fixed seating on their newest ships. They have 4 main dining rooms - each serving a different type of cuisine and assumed passengers would go to different restaurants as they wished. RCCL found they needed to reinvent the idea of fixed seating in some fashion because without some form or it they were loosing a significant part of their base to cruise lines that still had fixed seating.

 

 

Royal came up with a method that if you so choose you were assigned to a specific table group with a specific group of dining staff. Your group and it's waiters rotated to the different dining rooms each night - maintaining the concept of sharing dinner with the same group of passengers and same staff.

 

For DH and I not having fixed seating as an option is a deal breaker.:(

 

Kind of like Disney...

[teknoge3k]

Me too. I have not done it on Carnival yet (Feb) but love it on NCL. I hope it’s a similar experience where you don’t have to wait long for a table. I do miss the same waiter greeting us if they are good but still prefer anytime.

 

 

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Some people have reported having to wait for 10-15 minutes. Personally we've NEVER had to wait for a table with YTD but based on other reports, if you go at peak times during elegant night, then you may have a 10-15 minute wait. I've never experienced this though. You can have the same waiter each night, don't worry about losing that aspect.

[summersigh]

I think that it makes a difference WHO you travel with.

 

 

We travel as just the 2 of us so we like the assigned seating at a large table and late works great for us.

 

 

IF we were traveling with a group of friends or family we'd likely want to sit with them exclusively and it would not make any difference if we had fixed or ytd.

[Bookworm1985]

Depends on the sailing. On the Horizon in Europe i was originally waitlisted for late seating because so many people wanted it. Luckily I did end up getting late seating. Early is too early for me and I hate YTD.

 

 

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[coevan]

Thanks for your thoughts. That would make me very sad.

 

 

How do you eat at restaurants at home, never seen assigned seating. Just go when you want and eat.

[bury me at sea]

How do you eat at restaurants at home, never seen assigned seating. Just go when you want and eat.

 

I eat just fine in restaurants, thank you for asking.

 

I am happy anytime dining is offered on Carnival and would not want to take that option away. Neither would I question why some people prefer it.

 

After trying it a couple of times we didn't like it. Assigned dining on a cruise fits us better. And yes, it would make me sad not to be offered that option.

[Joebucks]

Aside from the better attention from wait staff at late dining, I feel you get a more fun/metropolitan crowd (e.g. the old people who need to go to bed early and those with young children tend to go to early dining).

 

AFA missing the shows, well they're "entertaining"in a simplistic way, but they're not for us...

 

Obviously, my opinions. To each their own....

 

Not a fan of the shows either. However, if I'm getting out of the dining room around 9:30 that will affect comedy, dive-in movies, and anything else going on at night.

[serene56]

We are waitlisted for early dining and confirmed YTD which I do not want. I’m hoping to talk to the Maitre D and get it switched

 

 

Just go at 6pm. or even 5:45

its just like the traditional

ask to be seated in the general area of wait staff you liked

[BlerkOne]

It has more vacancies because the majority find it to be the worst dining option.

 

That would be families and fossils. Fun people know late is great!