Dining question

[StoopidHead]

This is my first cruise and have a kind of dumb question.

 

I'm reading the do's and don'ts of cruising, and one of the big no no's was to arrive late to dinner in the MDR because it causes ayour table mates to have to wait for you.

 

What if you are going to one of the up charge restaurants and aren't going to the MDR that evening.

 

Won't that cause a delay in dining for my table mates in the main dining room because I don't show up?

[e150club]

Tell your table mates and the head waiter the night before that you will be at another dinning venue.

[Hoosierpop]

If you mean strangers, no, because they are going to start serving them on time whether you show up late or not at all. I have never had to wait because someone else was late.

 

 

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[StoopidHead]

If you mean strangers, no, because they are going to start serving them on time whether you show up late or not at all. I have never had to wait because someone else was late.

 

 

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Great. Thank You.

[lcpagejr]

As mentioned above...it's common courtesy (if you know in advance) to tell your waiter staff you will not be in dining room the following evening.

[Drazil65]

Request your own table in the MDR ahead of cruise and then you do not worry about others waiting or you having to wait on tablemates as well.

[dmdiver]

Tell your waiter. We have had to wait 10-15 minutes for tablemates (strangers) that didn't show up for dinner. It's annoying when you are wanting to catch a show after dinner. Now we mostly do anytime dining.

[ProgRockCruiser]

We never waited for our table-mates, and they never waited for us. Arriving 20 min apart is really easy.

 

:shrug:

 

Seems like a weird thing, I don't want to live by their to-the-minute schedule, and vice versa, just because Carnival puts folks together. To me a 6pm seating means show up somewhere between 5:45 and 6:15.

[Bookworm1985]

We never waited for our table-mates, and they never waited for us. Arriving 20 min apart is really easy.

 

:shrug:

 

Seems like a weird thing, I don't want to live by their to-the-minute schedule, and vice versa, just because Carnival puts folks together. To me a 6pm seating means show up somewhere between 5:45 and 6:15.

A 6pm seating means you show up by 6. if they wanted you there by 615 then that is when they would start dinner. if you want flexibility, choose YTD.

[summersigh]

To me a 6pm seating means show up somewhere between 5:45 and 6:15.

And that's why they have Your time Dining ;p

[Cruiseaholichal]

Sometimes crap happens. Arriving at 6:15 for a 6:00 seating should not be a problem. Relax, you're on vacation

[asalligo]

Exactly YTD is the wave of the future. We have sat and waited to be served because other people had not shown up yet and eventually had to ask the wait staff to proceed. I understand why they do this, it is much easier for them to serve the whole table at once, but there are too many venues on board these days to assume they are coming.

[ProgRockCruiser]

A 6pm seating means you show up by 6. if they wanted you there by 615 then that is when they would start dinner. if you want flexibility, choose YTD.

I'm not looking for total flexibility, but I'm also not looking for Teutonic precision in arriving for dinner either. "Wiggle room", as it were.

 

How many times have you shown up on time for a reservation at a restaurant and been told you have to wait (for any one of a myriad of reasons)?

 

I would estimate about half of the people with the 6pm seating were being more "flexible" than us, at least in my immediate dining room area. We arrived at about 5:55pm the first night, I believe, and our table mates didn't show up for at least another 20 min, IIRC. I think the next night we arrived at 6:10-ish, shortly after our table mates had arrived, and on the last night we got there about 6:05-ish and they arrived maybe 15 min later.

 

And the tables around us, all with the 6pm seating as evidenced by their continued presence over the three nights, were arriving all through the period between 5:50pm and 6:30pm, including partial parties slowly filling in (families where a few folks arrive, then 10 min later another couple of them, then a few more stragglers 10 min later again).

 

I dunno, seems like a weird thing to stress about. If we all sat down at exactly the same time, our servers would be dashing about trying to get everyone in their section water / bread / drinks all at the same time, and inevitably someone would have to wait.

[cruisinmems]

I don't know maybe it's just me, but if I pick early dining and it is at 6 that is when I am expected to be there and I will. If I do not think I can make it at 6 for a week then I will choose YTD. That is why they offer 3 different timed dining options. For Johnny on the Spot folks and Happy go Lucky folks. Me personally, I think it is totally rude to show up 10-20 minutes late.

[serene56]

I have had dinner at 6pm with arrivals coming in at 6:30 (complaining because they felt rushed) but because of the wait staff trying to get them caught up- our service was a tad off.

 

if wanting to eat at 6:30 then anything dining is for you

[NavarreCruiser]

I'm not looking for total flexibility, but I'm also not looking for Teutonic precision in arriving for dinner either. "Wiggle room", as it were.

 

How many times have you shown up on time for a reservation at a restaurant and been told you have to wait (for any one of a myriad of reasons)?

 

I would estimate about half of the people with the 6pm seating were being more "flexible" than us, at least in my immediate dining room area. We arrived at about 5:55pm the first night, I believe, and our table mates didn't show up for at least another 20 min, IIRC. I think the next night we arrived at 6:10-ish, shortly after our table mates had arrived, and on the last night we got there about 6:05-ish and they arrived maybe 15 min later.

 

And the tables around us, all with the 6pm seating as evidenced by their continued presence over the three nights, were arriving all through the period between 5:50pm and 6:30pm, including partial parties slowly filling in (families where a few folks arrive, then 10 min later another couple of them, then a few more stragglers 10 min later again).

 

I dunno, seems like a weird thing to stress about. If we all sat down at exactly the same time, our servers would be dashing about trying to get everyone in their section water / bread / drinks all at the same time, and inevitably someone would have to wait.

 

I disagree with your assessment that the wait staff would prefer staggered arrival times. It is 6:00 p.m. dining and the process is based on PAX arriving at that time. There have been many discussions on here and Facebook as to whether PAX arriving 15 -30 minutes late should be turned away. General consense is that they should be. I do YTD for this reason. On one cruise just after I became a widower and cruised solo I picked early dining. On the night that the Diamond event was dinner with the Captain, I made sure that my wait staff and tablemates knew I would not be there. It is just being courteous.

[cb at sea]

If you have "assigned" seating/time, then you should show up at your time. If you have ATD, then you can do as you wish...but if you miss your "reserved" time, be prepared to wait a bit!

[G&TQ]

The last time we had assigned time it was early seating. At 15 after the wait staff went ahead took our order because we had plans. Table was for 8. We were the only two. Shortly after another couple showed and the waiter took thier order. Apps arrived with 3rd couple. Who ordered and received thier apps and main at the same time and the last couple showed up. Almost an hour in. No apologies from any of them. The staff ends up making separate trips. Kitchen is finishing mains and ready to start on dessert and then has to fire apps and mains. And yes they rush you because they have to turn over the dinning room. They have had two seattings for years for a reason.

Be on time or request YTD.

 

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[ProgRockCruiser]

Well, I never suggested an hour or even half an hour late was acceptable, so I hope no-one thinks I am defending that. I had suggested arrive between 5:45 and 6:15 for a "6pm" seating. Some folks get there a bit early, sometimes you get stuck in an elevator queue and you are 10 min late.

 

But one thing:

 

Kitchen is finishing mains and ready to start on dessert and then has to fire apps and mains.

 

If the kitchen is also servicing the YTD crowd, then this point is irrelevant - they are already doing mains and desserts out of sequence for the YTDers. Not that I am suggesting everyone should take advantage of it!

 

But I guess I'll just slink away and try to arrive between 5:55pm and 6pm like a good citizen.

[sanger727]

Didn’t carnival decide awhile back that at a certain time the doors for traditional would be closed by XX time to latecomers? While I agree it’s rude to be late for a set meal time, if it’s allowed, people will be. To me it’s proper to show up at 5:45-5:50 for a 6:00 dinner time. It’s not like you can get stuck in traffic.

 

 

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[momonthego17]

We always have late dining and I’ve noticed that every night there is a huge line up to get in the MDR and the doors don’t open up till the designated time. More often than not, we have a cocktail at the Alchemy Bar then head into the MDR a few minutes after the doors open, allowing the crowd to dissipate. I don’t think 5 minutes delay is going to hurt the rhythm of the servers but any more than that would make dinner run later than most people like.

 

 

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[ProgRockCruiser]

It’s not like you can get stuck in traffic.

Au contraire, mon capitan!

 

• Elevators.
  
• The masses clogging up the atrium-like area in front of the MDR doors, possibly YTDers trying to get an early seating. As momonthego17 mentioned.
  
• Restrooms / washrooms / toilets (hey, who hasn't had a companion need to make a last minute pit stop?)
  

 

Still, I fully concur that it would be nice to seat myself as close to 6pm as possible. It allows a relaxing dinner while opening up the rest of the evening for scotches or martinis or whatever.

 

So I will gently agree that one should strive to arrive by 6pm, but also ask that anyone arriving by 6:15pm (hey, I'll even suggest 6:10pm!) would not be given the glares-of-death.

[riclop]

This is my first cruise and have a kind of dumb question.

 

I'm reading the do's and don'ts of cruising, and one of the big no no's was to arrive late to dinner in the MDR because it causes ayour table mates to have to wait for you.

 

What if you are going to one of the up charge restaurants and aren't going to the MDR that evening.

 

Won't that cause a delay in dining for my table mates in the main dining room because I don't show up?

If you arrive past 15 min you will be eating in the buffet.

[Computer Nerd]

If you arrive past 15 min you will be eating in the buffet.

 

Unfortunately, this is no longer true. A while back, they did close the doors 15 minutes after seating started and one would be turned away if they did not show up in time but that ended years ago. Had a cruise about 4 years ago when our table mates showed up 30-45 minutes late every night. Ticked off the server but since they won't close the doors anymore all he could do was deal with the rude passengers.