Can you have a large group eat together using YTD?

[dvdkndy]

We have a group of 10 confirmed and possibly up to 14 people going on a cruise on the Paradise on April 5th. Just curious if anyone has ever tried having a large group eat dinner together using YTD? Did not know if this was possible or if people have done this before. Thanks in advance for your time!

[marshhawk]

This was asked several days ago, and I will say the same thing, it would be more courtious to the staff and less hassle on you if you did early or late dining.

[vwrestler171]

Be prepared to wait. YTD isn't really set up for large groups. Especially on smaller ships like the Paradise, where they have ATD and regular seating in the same dining room.

[sharecruises]

LOL>>> we did have this very same question the other day

 

If you pick and choose you will find some people who apparently were able to pull it off (you may note they were most likely a family or had 7 people not 14 haha)

 

but....I would honestly say NO = not worth the hassle

 

I cruise with groups - always fixed

loved NCL - but too much hassle with a group

 

the idea of "we'll figure it out'>>> often won't work - not unless you are all on the same shore excursions, or joined at the hip

 

Getting 12 people to a sit down breakfast is hard...more than that?? IMPOSSIBLE haha

you have to all be together - that means the early ones want to eat NOW.."maybe they aren't coming...let's get seated">> "I'm hungry, didn't eat on the island">>"I am diabetic..come on...we gotta get seated NOW">>

the stragglers who get left out are angry "my room steward was in the room"..."I fell asleep"...oh what a cluster

 

been there...done that....meet ahead? Good luck...

 

Truth is - fixed dining has it's advantages....you can get large tables that fit the group....if you want you can 'mix and mingle" around those tables - you don't have to sit in same seat...you can visit with other friends....they bring your wine bottle to you

 

For a group - it is the time to get together....touch base, talk about what you did, what you plan to do..make plans for the evening, plans for the next island etc. It also seems to be easier on the wait staff - yes some people on anytime dining request same server/table BUT good luck with 14 people

 

Not to mention- finding anyone on a ship is a cluster in itself - calling cabins, posting notes, running front to back LOL>> no thanks

fixed dining

early or late - it's all good

(PS = having sailed with people with various real or imagined food allergies, needs or wants, I would also suggest that anyone with such do themselves and the wait staff a favor and do fixed seating. JMO)

[jlindemer]

It wast long ago that someone posted about their group of 10. Saying how inconvenient it was for everyone involved. It shouldn't be too many pages back.

[falkcor]

it IS possible to do ytd with a group of 10 or 12...

 

but having just been off the splendor, i wouldn't do it again.

 

we'd have 10 or 11. and another night even just 8...

 

we waited almost an hour (or more) every time, and got the 'we're sorry' sweets from the hostess every night.

 

i've never had problems with ytd with a group of 2-6 in the past, but i'd never do it again with a large group of 10-12 given this experience. there are only about 2 tables on splendor at least, in the black pearl dining room, that accommodate a group of 10-12.

 

eventually, we gave up and went to the buffet (when all together). so i'd recommend fixed time dining (as much as that is against my ethos), or try for 2 tables for 6.

Edited January 16, 2014 by falkcor

[LBroxon]

I did on the Liberty with a group of 10. We waited 30 minutes with a pager a couple of nights, but I've had that kind of wait for a table for 2, so it was no big deal. Also, one of the nights we were split between to large round tables that were next to each other. The majority of the seating for YTD is 2 and 4 top tables, perhaps an 8 top here and there. Just know that if you decide to do this with 10+ people there is going to be a wait every night, even if its just to push the tables together to accommodate such a large group.

[Choose Hope]

We weren't able to get Early Dining (waitlisted) for our party of 12 on our recent cruise. We felt like Late Dining was too late for some of our kiddos and the suggestion was made to talk to the maitre d' when we boarded. He suggested we arrive at 5:45 for Anytime/Your Time Dining so we could be seated together and so we could avoid a lengthy wait. It worked out perfectly every night. We had the same table every night and the same excellent wait staff. Of course, it kind of defeats the purpose of Your Time Dining if you are looking for flexibility, but it was ideal for us.

[Lerin]

You're going to coordinate different daily dining times for 14 people! :eek:

 

That seems like a huge hassle, just do assigned dining.

[falkcor]

You're going to coordinate different daily dining times for 14 people! :eek:

 

That seems like a huge hassle, just do assigned dining.

 

it's not a hassle if all are in agreement and set 'our ytd time'...

 

my feedback though, is that the carnival ytd is not set up for THAT.

 

expect an hour or so wait for large groups, they don't set up the dining rooms for large groups with ytd. they could, as in they could push together a few 2 tops, 2 six tops, etc., but they don't in my experience.

 

i started getting tired of getting the sweets from the dining hostess, and wishing they would just seat us properly without an hour wait.

[CdrescherRBL152]

The simple answer is yes you can. However keep in mind that YTD is like going to a sit down resturant on land with no resveration. A group that size will have to wait for the staff to have tables free in an area where they can push them togther. And you need to keep in mind, as some who have posted on here about the wait for table for 10 forgott, you won't be the only ones with YTD.

Edited January 16, 2014 by CdrescherRBL152
posted by mistake

[irishnyc]

We weren't able to get Early Dining (waitlisted) for our party of 12 on our recent cruise. We felt like Late Dining was too late for some of our kiddos and the suggestion was made to talk to the maitre d' when we boarded. He suggested we arrive at 5:45 for Anytime/Your Time Dining so we could be seated together and so we could avoid a lengthy wait. It worked out perfectly every night. We had the same table every night and the same excellent wait staff. Of course, it kind of defeats the purpose of Your Time Dining if you are looking for flexibility, but it was ideal for us.

 

 

That just seems foolish and a bit selfish to me. Wait a few more minutes and just do assigned dining, that way you're not taking up YTD real estate from people that are actually more flexible.

[jackparts]

Apparently I am in the minority. We cruise as a family, 5 adults and 5 kids. A family. We do get to the dining room as a group, no stragglers and EVERY cruise we have gone on, we get there at the beginning of the dining time. Why should we split up and dine separately? What is the difference between 2 tables of 5 or 3 tables of 4? Every waiter and assistant has and should be able to take care of any of the setups as well as additional tables. These waiters are assigned more than a total of 20 diners per meal and have usually done a great job in the past. When my wife and I cruise by ourselves, we have had meals that have taken over 2 hours and still did not reach the dessert stage. So to all you posters that tell us that we are doing something wrong and inconsiderate, check out the tables of 2, or 4 or 6 who have their friends arrive 15 or 25 minutes late and hold up the wait staff. THAT is wrong and inconsiderate.

[mandis]

We just got off the esctasy and had 15 people. We had our bookings all linked together and had early dining. Somehow one of the couples didn't get linked with us. We went to the matri-di the 1st night and he very happily corrected it for us. He said it was good we had set dining he would not have been able to seat us all together with the anytime it is too hard to hold tables all together to put groups that large together.

 

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[MicksMom]

We had YTD & went fairly early every night. There was a family of 15-16 that sat at 2 large tables. They were there as soon as the doors opened every night.

[bigdog1958]

as others have said, yes you can, but you may want to be flexible and split up between two or three tables if asked... otherwise you may have to wait for sometime.. Or as others have said, if you go early, then it seems like you can get right in... We have a group of 8 people going in a month, and we have ATD, but we are flexible and realize 4 may want to eat at one time, and 4 others another, or we could be split when going together, and that is fine with us.. bottom line, be flexible with a large group

[dvdkndy]

Thanks everyone for the help! We have never cruised with a group before and the last thing we want to do is create a headache. Everyone is basically on their own for breakfast and lunch so we aren't trying to coordinate all meals. I really do appreciate everyone giving their input about it because I honestly didn't know the answer.

[sharecruises]

Apparently I am in the minority. We cruise as a family, 5 adults and 5 kids. A family. We do get to the dining room as a group, no stragglers and EVERY cruise we have gone on, we get there at the beginning of the dining time. Why should we split up and dine separately? What is the difference between 2 tables of 5 or 3 tables of 4? Every waiter and assistant has and should be able to take care of any of the setups as well as additional tables. These waiters are assigned more than a total of 20 diners per meal and have usually done a great job in the past. When my wife and I cruise by ourselves, we have had meals that have taken over 2 hours and still did not reach the dessert stage. So to all you posters that tell us that we are doing something wrong and inconsiderate, check out the tables of 2, or 4 or 6 who have their friends arrive 15 or 25 minutes late and hold up the wait staff. THAT is wrong and inconsiderate.

 

Keywords here highlighted in red - as a family , get there all at once and get there very early , first, just like the other family that ate at 5:45

 

I am not telling YOU what to do, you are not the one who asked if it was a good idea to have 10 -or 14 at YTD. If this works for you cool

 

BUT - for most groups, groups that want to eat at 6:30, 7 PM etc...it is going to be a cluster

 

as the dining room fills up, the logistics of getting tables for 10 ..or 14...becomes much harder. Hard to even get 2 ..or 3..tables big enough in the same area. There are few big tables, lots of 2 and 4 tops..there may be room for 6 but not room for 10, and so you wait

 

Unlike NCL, you do not get a free glass of champagne with your pager haha...in fact, the way Carnival is set up , there is nowhere to really comfortably wait...the group must stick together too cause you have ONE pager.

 

I find it hard to get large tables for breakfast/brunch....not to mention that the larger the group the more you have stragglers

 

Yes, that happens...we had one gal who rudely was late first couple nights and I told the waiters to start without her, I sure would not have waited by the hostess podium for her though haha

 

As others said...yes it is possible...but is it easy, fun, or desirable??

IMHO >>> a resounding NO

[kwbound]

We had 14 on the Ecstasy a few years ago. We did YTD and it worked beautifully. The first day i went to the MDR and let them know we had a large party and what tine we would be in. After that I would either let the hostess know the night before what time we would be in the next night, or she would contact me during the afternoon to find out. We never had to wait and had the same wonderful servers every night. The servers and hostess all got extra tips on the last night.

[Choose Hope]

That just seems foolish and a bit selfish to me. Wait a few more minutes and just do assigned dining, that way you're not taking up YTD real estate from people that are actually more flexible.

 

We would have gladly taken assigned dining if they would have accommodated us. Unfortunately, our party of 12 was waitlisted for assigned dining (we even double checked as soon as we boarded) and so the maitre d suggested we arrive at 5:45 at YTD so we could all be seated together.