Breakfast and Lunch open seating?

[tripman]

I read something confusing in the carnival brochure. It seems to suggest that breakfast and lunch in the dining rooms are at specific seatings. I believe it said something like "early seating is 7:45am and late seating is 9am...or something like that"

 

That sounds strange to me, i've never been on carnival (first time in a few days), but i've never seen that on any of the other lines i've been on.

 

Am i misinterpreting it?

[KatSt]

Breakfast and lunch in the dining room are open seating. You can come anytime during the times the dining room is open and be seated regardless of what your dinner time is.

 

The dining room is usually only open for lunch on sea days. Some OP have said that they've seen it open on port days, but I never have.

[poobears]

They try to keep it divided into 2 groups so people are constantly filing thru the room going to tables and they have to clear and reset the tables. I don't know how long after they open the seating they allow you to come in but it seemed like no one came in after 8:30 on the first seating.

 

Some may allow a steady stream and not enforce the 2 different seating times. I don't know. When you walk in you tell them how many people are in your party and they take you to a table.

[genngee]

once upon a time (like 1994) I remember having an assigned breakfast time but in recent years we have just gone when we felt like it, never seen any set time

Maybe they never updated the brochure

[ala-kat]

I read something confusing in the carnival brochure. It seems to suggest that breakfast and lunch in the dining rooms are at specific seatings. I believe it said something like "early seating is 7:45am and late seating is 9am...or something like that"

 

That sounds strange to me, i've never been on carnival (first time in a few days), but i've never seen that on any of the other lines i've been on.

 

Am i misinterpreting it?

 

 

No, you are not misinterpreting it. That is what they say, just not what they do. Go anytime at breakfast or lunch and they will seat you. I don't remember but they may post the dining room hours with the menus (they post the days menu outside of the dining room daily so you can check it out).

[Cotton]

Look in your daily "Capers". It will say what time the dining room is open for b'fast and lunch, and what time it closes.

 

You can arrive at any time during those hours and be seated. Dinner is the only assigned seating time.:)

[DavidandPaula]

On Freedom for open Breakfast and Lunch it was just a case of turn up between the hours listed and they conducted you to the next table they were filling.

 

It is a great system as you get to meet a lot of new faces over the cruise that you will not meet at the regular Dinner table. I guess we were very lucky as we always found the company at any meal great but having the same faces at dinner meant you had a chance to catch up and share in what they did in the port.

 

Cannot comment on the port days open dining lunch as we never stayed on the ship. In many of the ports they seemed to do some special event with local kids coming onto the ship so I seriously doubt that open dining is available. We only ate breakfast at the Lido buffet once in the 12 days due to sleeping in.

 

One downside of the open dining is that they are not your regular serving staff and the only 2 times on the cruise that I saw poor service was at open dining ( a breakfast and a lunch). The other downside was that open dining was always in the same dining room as our regular dinner so we did not get to experience the other dining room. This was made up for by having open lunch at a table at the stern one day with a magnificient view of the ships wake stretched out behind us. On the evaluation form at the end they seem to put the evaluation of the dining staff in one question, no separation between regular and casual staff.

 

David

[mcfam5]

. . . where it notes the earlier breakfast hours for port days and the later hours for sea days. Is it possible that is what you were reading? :confused:

[Wennfred]

I have seen it in the past where they would post 2 different time frames like 6:30am for earily and 8:30am for late seaters for an Open Dining room seating for breakfast or Lunch but beleive me it doesn't ever fill up. You can go anytime it opens and they will take you.

[SunshneNC]

On Freedom for open Breakfast and Lunch it was just a case of turn up between the hours listed and they conducted you to the next table they were filling.

 

It is a great system as you get to meet a lot of new faces over the cruise that you will not meet at the regular Dinner table. I guess we were very lucky as we always found the company at any meal great but having the same faces at dinner meant you had a chance to catch up and share in what they did in the port.

 

Cannot comment on the port days open dining lunch as we never stayed on the ship. In many of the ports they seemed to do some special event with local kids coming onto the ship so I seriously doubt that open dining is available. We only ate breakfast at the Lido buffet once in the 12 days due to sleeping in.

 

One downside of the open dining is that they are not your regular serving staff and the only 2 times on the cruise that I saw poor service was at open dining ( a breakfast and a lunch). The other downside was that open dining was always in the same dining room as our regular dinner so we did not get to experience the other dining room. This was made up for by having open lunch at a table at the stern one day with a magnificient view of the ships wake stretched out behind us. On the evaluation form at the end they seem to put the evaluation of the dining staff in one question, no separation between regular and casual staff.

 

David

I don't know if there is a difference on other cruise lines. When we were on the RCL SOS in May, we had our same waiter for lunch that waited on us at dinner each night. I know this is probably concidental but it was very nice.

[illin]

You can go to the other dining room for breakfast or lunch right? I would hate to eat EVERY meal in the same dining room.

[petro772]

We usually go at the late seating time. We have coffee and croissants from room service first thing, though. Always room in the dining room. ;)

[Wennfred]

You can go to the other dining room for breakfast or lunch right? I would hate to eat EVERY meal in the same dining room.

 

Breakfast and Lunch is only served in the same Dining room.

 

 

Fred