Dining time.....

[Tigergenesis]

If we select the Early Dining, can we ever take advantage of the Your Time Dining? Or are we required to stick with our original choice the entire cruise? I just wonder in case we aren't ready to eat at that time if that is an option.

 

TIA

[1025cruise]

If you have early dining, that is your dining time. If you aren't ready to eat, the buffet or specialty restaurants are your options.

[schazzy]

If you choose Early or Late, you are with it the whole cruise. Sounds like you should choose Your Time Dining now if you don't think you'll want to go to dinner at the same time every night. Or, you could do like us and alternate between MDR and buffet.

[Tigergenesis]

I thought that might be the case. There will be a group of us for my wedding and we want to eat dinner together at least once, but other times we might all want different things (dining at a different time, buffet, etc). I was hoping we might have some flexibility, but I figured not. Thanks!

[cb at sea]

You can eat together at other venues, like the buffet, or pay for a specialty restaurant. You don't HAVE to go to the MDR if you don't want to. But....if everyone has "anytime" dining, then you can all dine together or not...your choice. In "anytime" dining, you are seated with your group, so if everyone shows up at the same time, you can be seated together.

[jmcathome]

You can eat together at anytime dining. Just go together

[Tigergenesis]

Are the waits as bad as I hear for YTD? I have heard of people waiting 20-30 minutes for a table. My concern was also that having a larger group might mean a longer wait. We always just eat in the buffet.

[skrufy]

A group going to YTD might encounter a delay in seating depending on the time you choose to eat. Our last two cruises we ran into about 15 minute waits around 7pm a couple of nights ( just two of us ). If you have to wait for a table, they issue you a pager. Also for YTD you all must show up at the same time to be seated.

[GradUT]

You would think that a party of 2 (small) dining around 8pm (late) would have little to no wait with ATD. But not so! On our 4-night cruise on the Imagination, we had a wait of 30 minutes on Elegant Night and a projected wait of 45 minutes on another night. (When the hostess told us that projected wait time, we headed for the buffet.)

 

That was the last time we did ATD on Carnival.

[jmcathome]

If you go to anytime dining at peak time you may have a wait. I have never had a wait at ATD. Actually two people showing up and wishing to sit alone could find it hard as there are a limited number of two place tables. otherwise off peak you might have to wait, i have not

[SadieN]

They allow that on Princess, not Carnival.

[Djptcp]

We only do Your Time Dining, table for two, and go at 5:45pm with no wait once the doors open. When we leave around 7pm, there is usually a crowd of people waiting for tables. Not for us as we don't like to wait for anything. If you choose YTD and have a crowd of people you want to sit together, go as early as possible and arrive together.

[MLJS]

We have had large groups with UTD on several cruises and have not had to wait. The longest we ever waited was 20 minutes for a party of 10.

 

Figure it takes 90-120 minutes for dinner, so if the first wave goes in around 6:00pm, by 7:30 Thor first tables should be opening up. A lot has to do with whether it is a sea day, port day (early departure or after dinner departure) and formal night.

[simplelife]

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! How large is your group? The larger your group, and the more tables needed, the more likely you will face long wait times if you switched to ATD. My recommendation is to stick with your fixed dining and, on the days when flexibility is needed, diners can go to the buffet or specialty restaurant or, depending on port times, eat in port,

[Tigergenesis]

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! How large is your group? The larger your group, and the more tables needed, the more likely you will face long wait times if you switched to ATD. My recommendation is to stick with your fixed dining and, on the days when flexibility is needed, diners can go to the buffet or specialty restaurant or, depending on port times, eat in port,

Thank you! So far there are 10 of us, but the number will increase. Any idea what the largest table size is? I think I will do like you said and stick with our fixed time. [emoji846]

 

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[CRocks]

I really don't get all the discussion about choosing a dining time. With ATD you go when you feel like it. Eat with others anytime you choose. Dine yourself any time you choose. If the ships in port late, eat late. If it leaves early, eat early. Go the same time with the same party each nite, you'll even get the same table + wait staff. You can't do that with early or late seating. What's the dilema?

[Tigergenesis]

I really don't get all the discussion about choosing a dining time. With ATD you go when you feel like it. Eat with others anytime you choose. Dine yourself any time you choose. If the ships in port late, eat late. If it leaves early, eat early. Go the same time with the same party each nite, you'll even get the same table + wait staff. You can't do that with early or late seating. What's the dilema?

 

With ATD you can't always just walk right up and sit right down. There may be a wait which can be longer with a bigger group

[CRocks]

I have never waited using atd and i've used kit since it's inception. And, as I said, if you show up thr same time esch nite with the same size party, your dame dable and wsit staff will be ready.

[candctroll]

I have never waited using atd and i've used kit since it's inception. And, as I said, if you show up thr same time esch nite with the same size party, your dame dable and wsit staff will be ready.

 

Not necessarily the case. On our 7 night in July there were 4 of us. We showed up the same time every night. We never had the same table. One night we had a 10 minute wait, one night it was going to be closer to 40 minutes and since we were getting off the boat at a port after we ate we elected to go to the buffet.

[InitialD]

If you get Early or Late and want to switch you can talk to the Matre'd. Usually you'll have to stick with that original dining time the first night but they can often change it for subsequent nights to YTD.

 

This has happened to us because we booked a cruise so close to sailing that the only option was Late and that is too late for us. We switched to YTD and would go as soon as it opened and the line when it opens is no more than 10 minutes long usually.

[dmdiver]

The longest we ever waited with YTD was 20 minutes on formal night with a party of 6. On most cruises, we have requested the same awesome staff each night. On the few occasions that staff just didn't seem to click with us, we got seated in a different section. We tend to eat early, so that may be why we didn't encounter long waits. We were typically at the dining room between 5:45 & 6. Upcoming cruise we will have 9-10 of us, so I'm sure waits will be longer. However, between the port days & just the fact that we may not all get hungry at the same time, we may not even eat together every night.

[jwjax]

We tried YTD(MTD etc) for the first time on this last cruise. (9/29 -10/4). Unless we went early or late there was always a wait, for 2, 4 or more. Waits times varied, but if you I guess it is like a restaurant on land, sign in and wait your turn. All this being said.... We'll just go back to Late Dining, and if we want to eat early, there are a lot of other venues usually available.

[serene56]

Thank you! So far there are 10 of us, but the number will increase. Any idea what the largest table size is? I think I will do like you said and stick with our fixed time. [emoji846]

 

 

depends on the ship VERY few tables for 10 MANY for tables for 8 and 6

 

you could be be put at two tables for 6

[pshhi2016]

If we select the Early Dining, can we ever take advantage of the Your Time Dining? Or are we required to stick with our original choice the entire cruise? I just wonder in case we aren't ready to eat at that time if that is an option.

 

TIA

Cannot switch from set dining (early/late) to Your Time. Click this link https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3439/kw/dining%20timesor help: