Anytime dining on Conquest is a major epic FAILURE

[NavyCruiser]

We also had the same experience.

 

We loved Anytime Dining on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, & decided to try it out on Carnival. Bad move. We also had long waits on Carnival. Seems like Carnival failed at Math & can't do Anytime Dining right. So we switched back to our beloved assigned dining time.

 

So we learned: Never go to Costco (nor DMV) to expect a short check out line!!!

[luddite]

We also had the same experience.

 

We loved Anytime Dining on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, & decided to try it out on Carnival. Bad move. We also had long waits on Carnival. Seems like Carnival failed at Math & can't do Anytime Dining right. So we switched back to our beloved assigned dining time.

 

So we learned: Never go to Costco (nor DMV) to expect a short check out line!!!

 

NCL doesn't do anytime dining. They have one system which doesn't include any fixed dining time options. The galleys and the dining rooms are set up for their system-Freestyle- which means they aren't trying accomodate two sytems and thus bolluxing both systems simultaneously.

[twindaddy]

i love how people try to defend any time dining delays with a specific time, like "don't go during that "high" period".

 

huh?

 

Agreed, just seems odd. Its anytime, just not this time or that time. I have always done early on Disney, will be trying late on Carnival, who knows maybe next time I will try ATD.

 

There is just something cool and nice about showing up and having my table waiting for me, makes me feel like I am on vacation, not in the real world of waits, beepers, and not showing up during a certain time or I will wait forever. Save that for Chilis, Spaghetti Factory ECT when I am at home.

 

At by the way, I never wait in line for assigned dining. Get there about 3 minutes after your time and you will walk right to your table. We just make sure we are walking out of our cabin five minutes before our assigned dining time, and voila no line when you get to the dining room.

[RuthlessBoss]

NCL doesn't do anytime dining. They have one system which doesn't include any fixed dining time options. The galleys and the dining rooms are set up for their system-Freestyle- which means they aren't trying accomodate two sytems and thus bolluxing both systems simultaneously.

We had no problems on NCL for the reasons above. Strictly anytime but within a longer parameter and if I recall, 2 dining rooms doing it.

[CenTexFam]

I don't think anyone is defending delays - just saying that a RISK of YTD is that if everyone shows up at the same time, there will be a wait. That is not a fault in the system, it is the essence of the system. People get to choose when they go, and there may be a delay, or there may be no line at all.

 

We did YTD on Magic last week. The very first night we went at 7:20 and waited about 25 minutes. After that we went either around 6:15 or 8:15 and never waited more than five minutes. We went as late a 8:45 and breezed right through. Never had to share a table.

 

On the downside, we never had the same server twice, and I don't think you get the same attention/hustle that you would get with a dedicated server. Still the food was great, we were in an out always in less than 90 minutes, usually 75 including coffee and dessert.

[H82seaUgo]

they should just have a dedicated 3rd seating of 7pm and be done with it. Ii would LOVE that option.

[happy cruzer]

Alot of ships that have folks fill up the dining rooms early can't take anyone else untill the early dinners leave. Happens on HAL and Princess as well.

 

So if there are lots of folks showing up right when Anytime opens, it's better to grab a snack at the buffet and plan on dining later.

[Anthomaniac]

We had ATD on the Destiny in may, showed up between 6 and 7 every night but the last night (showed up around 7:15) and never waited more than 2 or 3 minutes!

 

--and had the same table all but the last night (we were one table over the last night) - and had the same great service team each night, and mostly the same nearby table mates. We loved it!

[cmecruise1962]

We actually switched after the second night from YTD to Late Dining. We got the same server two nights in a row and he was bad and cranky! On our way out we told the hostess that we would rather have late dining and "poof" we were at late dining the next night. It also seemed to inconvenience our steward, not knowing when we would be out of the room so he could get in and freshen our room.

[lillian marie]

We were on the Conquest in March and anytime dining was great. We never had to wait and we were a party of 7. We did go early. The line was really long on the formal nights later in the evening.

[spleenstomper]

I wanted to mention that I am newly gluten free and Julia in the dining room was exceptionally helpful in showing me the menu the night before and having me pick out what I wanted.

 

They can do anything gluten free that is on the menu, but I once ordered off the menu for lunch.. Pepper steak, which looked GF. I forget about soy sauce-- gets me every time.

 

Julia decided on her own to go in the kitchen to check on what I ordered and she intercepted the order and had them make mine without soy sauce.

 

I shouldn't forget to mention Julia-- she was great!

 

So basically for GF, you order breakfast, lunch and dinner the day before. I had GF chocolate melting cake one night... The can do all desserts GF too.