Nicki828 Posted December 19, 2018 #1 Share Posted December 19, 2018 We ended up booking a last minute Christmas cruise (beginning of November) to join friends. They are on anytime dining, while we were only able to get late dining. We would really like to be able to eat together - at least a couple of times. How easy is it to switch once on board? This is our first time cruising over Christmas - so we know it is much busier, just wondering if there is any likelihood that we will be able to switch once on board. Has anyone else had success switching on a full cruise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic6318 Posted December 19, 2018 #2 Share Posted December 19, 2018 13 minutes ago, Nicki828 said: We ended up booking a last minute Christmas cruise (beginning of November) to join friends. They are on anytime dining, while we were only able to get late dining. We would really like to be able to eat together - at least a couple of times. How easy is it to switch once on board? This is our first time cruising over Christmas - so we know it is much busier, just wondering if there is any likelihood that we will be able to switch once on board. Has anyone else had success switching on a full cruise? Hi Jut to add that most cruises sail full. You really shouldn't notice "more" of a crowd. Also, without changing dining times, you would always be able to dine together, for breakfasts or brunches in the main dining room, as well as you could all take a break and get together for dinner on the Lido deck, or even make reservations for a special steak house night. I would imagine since it is the holidays if you chose to do that, you would might want to pick a day as soon as possible. That being said, if you do want to change to dining times, the process would be no different than any other cruise date. First you would have to decide which family was going to change, and someone from that group would need to see the maître d' as soon as you board. If you go to the dining room, there will be a line of others wanting to do the same thing. If at all possible, they will make it happen. hope this helps have a great cruise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serene56 Posted December 19, 2018 #3 Share Posted December 19, 2018 The Maitre de starts meeting about 1pm in the dining room on embarkation day. Get there as early as possible to make your switch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicki828 Posted December 19, 2018 Author #4 Share Posted December 19, 2018 1 hour ago, Nic6318 said: Hi Jut to add that most cruises sail full. You really shouldn't notice "more" of a crowd. Also, without changing dining times, you would always be able to dine together, for breakfasts or brunches in the main dining room, as well as you could all take a break and get together for dinner on the Lido deck, or even make reservations for a special steak house night. I would imagine since it is the holidays if you chose to do that, you would might want to pick a day as soon as possible. That being said, if you do want to change to dining times, the process would be no different than any other cruise date. First you would have to decide which family was going to change, and someone from that group would need to see the maître d' as soon as you board. If you go to the dining room, there will be a line of others wanting to do the same thing. If at all possible, they will make it happen. hope this helps have a great cruise Thanks for your reply. I've been on many cruises - but this is the first time I have had to change dining times. Dinner is the one time during the day when we all like to gather together - so I'm hoping I will be able to switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicki828 Posted December 19, 2018 Author #5 Share Posted December 19, 2018 19 minutes ago, serene56 said: The Maitre de starts meeting about 1pm in the dining room on embarkation day. Get there as early as possible to make your switch Thanks for the tip! I will head over asap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmdiver Posted December 19, 2018 #6 Share Posted December 19, 2018 We've only changed once. We had booked a last minute trip so we were waitlisted for anytime dining. When we boarded, they had put us in late seating, which is a no go for us. The maitre d' was able to get us into early seating as long as we were willing to share a booth. It worked out well, since we met a nice couple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nwo4life Posted December 19, 2018 #7 Share Posted December 19, 2018 6 hours ago, Nicki828 said: We ended up booking a last minute Christmas cruise (beginning of November) to join friends. They are on anytime dining, while we were only able to get late dining. We would really like to be able to eat together - at least a couple of times. How easy is it to switch once on board? This is our first time cruising over Christmas - so we know it is much busier, just wondering if there is any likelihood that we will be able to switch once on board. Has anyone else had success switching on a full cruise? Carnival's Brand Ambassador John Heald will assist you. Contact him 4 days before you sail via his Facebook page. He will need last names and cabin numbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GradUT Posted December 20, 2018 #8 Share Posted December 20, 2018 Your chances of dining together are likely to be much better if your friends will move over to the late seating to be with you. On a recent cruise we took on the Pride, the Maitre D’ told us that late dining is usually about 1/2 full and, thus, the waitstaff can give their tables much more attentive service. The service we had during our late dining was superb! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now