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So did we just "luck out" with anytime dining??

MaiTaiMary

By MaiTaiMary,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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MaiTaiMary

MaiTaiMary

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Last cruise was just DH and I. We chose "anytime dining" and loved it.

 

~We were almost always seated immediately. We never waited more than 10 minutes for our table.

 

~We had a private table for 2 each time.

 

~We had the exact same table each time.

 

~We had the same wait staff each time.

 

 

Is this the norm??

 

 

Our next cruise will be with the kids. We will be a group of five, instead of two. Do you think we can still get the kind of service we had previously? Or should we reconsider the set dining time (??) I don't want to have to wait long for our table (well, who does?? LOL) and I also like having the same wait staff every night. On the other hand... we really enjoyed not having to be at the MDR at a specific time.

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champagne123

champagne123

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This will be my first cruise using ATD. It's my friends first cruise and I told her about the entertainment in the MDR. Is there entertainment from the waiters in the MDR that has ATD? If so, what time?

 

The MDR and ATD are right on top of each other on the Splendor....yes, they BOTH have the dancing and singing wait staff simultaneously. It is usually right around "dessert" time. :o Have fun on the Splendor. Great ship.

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mzlinda

mzlinda

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Posted (edited)

On the breeze in January, as a party of 3, we waited about 10 minutes one night. We only saw the dancing one night. We sat at 3 different tables and had 2 different sets of wait staff. The service was always very good but it was a little harder to develop a rapport with the waitstaff. We couldn't even say "see you tomorrow" because we might not. I have early dining for my cruise next month.

 

 

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Edited by mzlinda
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thistoo

thistoo

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I always travel in a group of three or four, and have had the same experience with the same waitstaff (if we wanted) and the same table (with the exception of one weird night on our Ecstasy cruise). We always go early because I travel with my parents and my dad has to eat early or he can't sleep.

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katiel53

katiel53

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We were on Liberty 9/13-9/21 and we had ATD. The only night we had a wait was the first elegant night. We asked for the same wait staff the second and third nights, but it meant we would have to wait, so we chose to have anyone serve us..

 

We ended up having the same waiter the last four nights without asking. He was a bit absent minded and we got to joking as to which of the sides I wasn't going to get. Every night I ordered mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli and some nights I got the potatoes, other nights the broccoli, but never the two.

 

I know I could have told him that he forgot something, but it wasn't worth it to me. We did sit alone and met some nice people sitting next to us a couple of the nights. We also had a snobby couple next to us one night and the Mr. had comments about any/everyone that walked into the MDR. We kind of tuned him out after the first couple of sighs, hisses etc.

 

We went at different times such as 7PM the first elegant night and 6:30 or 8, whenever we felt like going to dinner. I would do ATD again when we sail on Liberty, but the other couple with us wants to go to Early dining, which is not my fav.

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TruckinMama

TruckinMama

Posted
Posted (edited)
On the breeze in January, as a party of 3, we waited about 10 minutes one night. We only saw the dancing one night. We sat at 3 different tables and had 2 different sets of wait staff. The service was always very good but it was a little harder to develop a rapport with the waitstaff. We couldn't even say "see you tomorrow" because we might not. I have early dining for my cruise next month.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

All you had to do was request the same server each night. We had a server we didn't care for on night one, on night 2 we got one we LOVED and requested him for the remaining nights. We also requested our own table, and we only waited 5 minutes on elegant night, otherwise we were seated immediately. We will ALWAYS do anytime dining, I want to schedule my meal around my other activities, not schedule everything else around my meal.

Edited by TruckinMama
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mjjden

mjjden

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We were a family of 4 on the Magic. The first night we enjoyed our wait staff so much we asked to be in his section each night after that. If we went later than 6:00 then we had to wait a couple of minutes to 10, but earlier than that no problem. It also helped that his section was on the right when you came into the dining room and they usually started filling tables to the left.

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Gypsywych

Gypsywych

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We just got off of the Fascination. We were a group of 6 who dined at about 6:15/6:30 every evening and we asked for the same wait team every night. We never had to wait, not even 5 minutes. We were always immediately escorted to a table in that area. It was not always the same table.

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just4steven

just4steven

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Posted
Last cruise was just DH and I. We chose "anytime dining" and loved it.

 

~We were almost always seated immediately. We never waited more than 10 minutes for our table.

 

~We had a private table for 2 each time.

 

~We had the exact same table each time.

 

~We had the same wait staff each time.

 

 

Is this the norm??

 

 

Our next cruise will be with the kids. We will be a group of five, instead of two. Do you think we can still get the kind of service we had previously? Or should we reconsider the set dining time (??) I don't want to have to wait long for our table (well, who does?? LOL) and I also like having the same wait staff every night. On the other hand... we really enjoyed not having to be at the MDR at a specific time.

 

No experience with a larger group, but wanted to give another thumbs up on service for 2. Always went around 7 or 7:30, never a wait, same table, and I don't really pay attention to wait staff and was pretty trashed every night so I can't remember if we had the same people every night, but the main thing I remember is we never had a wait. This was on the Legend by the way.

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winddawn

winddawn

Posted
Posted
Last cruise was just DH and I. We chose "anytime dining" and loved it.

 

~We were almost always seated immediately. We never waited more than 10 minutes for our table.

 

~We had a private table for 2 each time.

 

~We had the exact same table each time.

 

~We had the same wait staff each time.

 

 

Is this the norm??

 

 

Our next cruise will be with the kids. We will be a group of five, instead of two. Do you think we can still get the kind of service we had previously? Or should we reconsider the set dining time (??) I don't want to have to wait long for our table (well, who does?? LOL) and I also like having the same wait staff every night. On the other hand... we really enjoyed not having to be at the MDR at a specific time.

I'm platinum and I've been choosing ATD in the past, but lately the wait to get food has been so long that I'm going back to early dining on my next cruise. I have not had a problem getting seated with ATD, it is just that the time to order and actually receive food is ridiculous.

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Domino D

Domino D

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I'm platinum and I've been choosing ATD in the past, but lately the wait to get food has been so long that I'm going back to early dining on my next cruise. I have not had a problem getting seated with ATD, it is just that the time to order and actually receive food is ridiculous.

 

This has been our experience as well. At first we were having to wait for a table, but figured out quickly, if we went before 6:30 we avoided waiting.

 

On Breeze, we ended up going each night at the same time and asking for the same waiters. They were awesome and took great care of us. We wanted to stay with them so we just went at the same time.

 

On the Conquest we got to the dining room between 6 and 7 and had little or no wait for a table, but we waited unusually long to get our food. Wasn't anything to complain about, just was. This time around I figure we might as well just go back to early seating.

 

I think more than the size of your party (don't think 5 will be large enough to make a difference), it is what are the expectations. I prefer having to get to the dining room at 6 to not knowing how long I will have to wait. But that is my preference certainly not everyone else's. We also really enjoy the service you get from the same wait team every night, and getting know them.

 

Would your kids be impatient or "starving" if you show up and have to wait for a table, and then wait to order, and then wait for their food?

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Not_Done_Living

Not_Done_Living

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Id be curious to hear what time the larger groups went to dine with no wait and seated at the same table

 

our family of 5 was seated promptly (immediately 4 of 5 nights, 5 minute wait the one odd time) with the same excellent wait staff. they gave us lots of attention and the kids were so happy. they even did magic tricks for them.

never had a wait for food either -- we arrived between 6:30 and 7:30 pm for dinner.

 

 

we always do ATD and will continue doing ATD.

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