Faster To The Fun - Dinner

[datagirl]

We just got FTTF.  One of the main reasons was in the hopes that it helps move our dining time from late seating to early seating.  Any information about how FTTF helps with dinning time is appreciated.  Is there a benefit for main dining room if it does not help me change my dining time from late to early?

[sanmarcosman]

No, sorry.

[cruisecraze96]

You need to waitlist to Early if possible, I honestly have never seen FTTF do anything for dining but supposedly it can help once they go through the waitlist.  The one time I needed it to kick in, it didn't and then I spent an hour to move one room of our group from Late to Anytime so we could all be together.  S

[Nic6318]

21 minutes ago, datagirl said:

We just got FTTF.  One of the main reasons was in the hopes that it helps move our dining time from late seating to early seating.  Any information about how FTTF helps with dinning time is appreciated.  Is there a benefit for main dining room if it does not help me change my dining time from late to early?

 

Hi

 

Online get on the "waitlist" for the early dining. If your dining time is not changed before you board, go to the MDR and speak with the maître d'. If you can, go as soon as they open, the time will be listed in the FunTimes. There will be a lineup of others trying to do the same. They almost always are able to accommodate requests to change. 

 

Dining Reservations
Priority Dinner Time Assignment: FTTF guests will be cleared after VIFP Platinum guests. This benefit does not include specific time reservations for 'Your Time Dining'.

 

This is the way it is stated online. It doesn't make a guarantee, but you very likely will get your dining time changed.

 

hope this helps

have a great cruise

[Schoifmom]

You will need to get on the waitlist.  Then, they clear the waitlists in this order:

1. Diamonds (guaranteed their choice of dining time)
2. Platinum
3. FTTF

If you are not granted your choice, then FTTF will not help you in the MDR.

[PhillyFan33579]

If you bought FTTF for dining preferences, you probably wasted your money.  Early dining is the most popular dining time on Carnival.  If early dining is already filled,  odds are good you won’t get changed prior to the cruise date since they will keep some seats open for Diamonds who might book a cruise on short notice.  Your best bet is to speak to the matre’d on embarkation day (the time and location is usually listed in Fun Times). By that time they have already addressed priority passengers, which provides you with the best chance to get early dining. However, keep in mind there is no guarantee they will be able to move you to early dining.  

[CoolOne56]

Contact your travel agent or Carnival and see if they can change it.  If they can't, then try what the other posters suggest.

[coevan]

early or YTD would work 

[Schoifmom]

15 hours ago, coevan said:

early or YTD would work 

For what?  How does that even begin to address OP's question????

[asalligo]

On 2/26/2019 at 8:10 AM, PhillyFan33579 said:

If you bought FTTF for dining preferences, you probably wasted your money.  

 

This. The employee taking requests for dining moves on embarkation day told me he did not factor FTTF into any of his requests and did not know that dining was even mentioned in FTTF perks. 

[lele100]

I was on a wait list for early dining for about 2 months before the cruise,  (I am platinum cruiser), and never received the early dining, so when I went on board,  I did like the earlier poster said, got in line the first day to see if I could get it changed.  I was surprised  to see that the Maitre'D was changing the times for people in front of me in line to early dining (red, blue cards).  When it was my turn I asked him and told him that I was on the waitlist for 2 months for this and never got changed and now he is changing the times, which means to me that early dining was available prior to the cruise day ,  so to answer your question I don't know how good the FTTF is going to be worth to you  for dining purposes, since we were platinum on a wait list and never got changed even though time slots were available.

 

PS The maitre' D did say when I asked him the question, that it all depends on the ship and sometimes they are to busy to update availability before hand, which got me a bit upset,

[CA_Cruzing]

1 hour ago, Schoifmom said:

For what?  How does that even begin to address OP's question????

He just likes to type answers, regardless of how helpless or helpful they are. And then he’ll argue with you for calling him out. 

 

Methinks no one at home talks to him so he elects to blurt out answers, often incorrect, just to raise his posts count. 

[Crazy4Camping]

For this reason, folks waiting on early dining, I think that if someone doesn't come to the table for the first couple of nights, their seats should be given to someone else.  On our cruise, there were 2 empty spots at our table every night.  I felt bad thinking that there was someone else on the ship that would prob appreciate those spots.

[elcuchio24]

1 hour ago, Schoifmom said:

For what?  How does that even begin to address OP's question????

 

Because Early gets them what they want, and YTD you can go anytime you want...including the same time as Early.

[asalligo]

35 minutes ago, Crazy4Camping said:

For this reason, folks waiting on early dining, I think that if someone doesn't come to the table for the first couple of nights, their seats should be given to someone else.  On our cruise, there were 2 empty spots at our table every night.  I felt bad thinking that there was someone else on the ship that would prob appreciate those spots.

 

Too many specialty dining venues on the ship now for that. A person may be in the steak house for three nights of the cruise, but still want their table when they do show up in the MDR. 

[elcuchio24]

10 minutes ago, asalligo said:

 

Too many specialty dining venues on the ship now for that. A person may be in the steak house for three nights of the cruise, but still want their table when they do show up in the MDR. 

 

100% right. Give it a few years, there wont be any more set time dining and just all YTD.

[bingomamma19]

On ‎2‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 8:10 AM, PhillyFan33579 said:

If you bought FTTF for dining preferences, you probably wasted your money.  Early dining is the most popular dining time on Carnival.  If early dining is already filled,  odds are good you won’t get changed prior to the cruise date since they will keep some seats open for Diamonds who might book a cruise on short notice.  Your best bet is to speak to the matre’d on embarkation day (the time and location is usually listed in Fun Times). By that time they have already addressed priority passengers, which provides you with the best chance to get early dining. However, keep in mind there is no guarantee they will be able to move you to early dining.  

We booked our upcoming March 23rd Horizon cruise at the end of November, at that time the only dinner time available was late seating.  I waitlisted us for early dining and early January it changed to Early seating.    I was very happy.  So, it can change, but the first step is to pick the waitlist option for the early dining.

 

If it doesn't change before sailing, go to the maître d and ask for the change, no guarantees but those are your options.  

 

Personally, if I had late seating, we would not use the MDR...that is way too late for me to eat and I also have diabetes, so its not an option for my meal schedules.

[coevan]

3 hours ago, Schoifmom said:

For what?  How does that even begin to address OP's question????

 

 

If he gets YTD, he can eat early, that answers the OP's question, if he could not get early

[Schoifmom]

20 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

If he gets YTD, he can eat early, that answers the OP's question, if he could not get early

He asked how FTTF helps with dining time and if it offers any benefit if he cannot change his dining time.

[grandmarnnurse]

2 hours ago, elcuchio24 said:

 

100% right. Give it a few years, there wont be any more set time dining and just all YTD.

I agree. I have a feeling that all Dining will go the way that NCL did, with their Freestyle Cruising. With that, you can choose whenever and wherever you want to eat. There is no set time or place. I loved it. I set sail this Saturday on the Carnival Breeze and chose YTD as I believe it’s the closest I can get to what I experienced on NCL. I will miss the ability to choose from 3 MDRs that are more like individual restaurants, rather than a big banquet hall style dining room, if I choose the MDR menu, or an Irish Pub that serves a full menu in a sit down restaurant that is totally complimentary or a Chinese restaurant that is open for dinner, and totally complimentary, plus numerous specialty restaurants to choose from. Granted, Carnival now has several grab and go style complimentary food choices, which I like, and varied foods offered in their buffet, so I’m sure I will have an absolutely lovely time. I even have another Carnival cruise booked, and looking to book more in the future, because Carnival is a good vacation value. But I do see it eventually going to totally YTD someday, as it is what today’s cruisers prefer. Much more flexible.

[elcuchio24]

3 minutes ago, grandmarnnurse said:

I agree. I have a feeling that all Dining will go the way that NCL did, with their Freestyle Cruising. With that, you can choose whenever and wherever you want to eat. There is no set time or place. I loved it. I set sail this Saturday on the Carnival Breeze and chose YTD as I believe it’s the closest I can get to what I experienced on NCL. I will miss the ability to choose from 3 MDRs that are more like individual restaurants, rather than a big banquet hall style dining room, if I choose the MDR menu, or an Irish Pub that serves a full menu in a sit down restaurant that is totally complimentary or a Chinese restaurant that is open for dinner, and totally complimentary, plus numerous specialty restaurants to choose from. Granted, Carnival now has several grab and go style complimentary food choices, which I like, and varied foods offered in their buffet, so I’m sure I will have an absolutely lovely time. I even have another Carnival cruise booked, and looking to book more in the future, because Carnival is a good vacation value. But I do see it eventually going to totally YTD someday, as it is what today’s cruisers prefer. Much more flexible.

 

I would be perfectly fine with that. We actually stopped cruising with CCL many years ago now because we hated set time dining, came back when they started YTD.

 

I'm not sure where the downside is. It would be much more efficient, and the folks who love early/late seating could still do it at that same time, with the same tablemates if they chose. 

[Crazy4Camping]

2 hours ago, asalligo said:

 

Too many specialty dining venues on the ship now for that. A person may be in the steak house for three nights of the cruise, but still want their table when they do show up in the MDR. 

No specialty dining on Fascination where I was.  These 2 people choose to eat on Lido every night if they weren't in MDR.

[evandbob]

It's Faster to the Fun, not Faster to the Food.

[grandmarnnurse]

1 hour ago, elcuchio24 said:

 

I would be perfectly fine with that. We actually stopped cruising with CCL many years ago now because we hated set time dining, came back when they started YTD.

 

I'm not sure where the downside is. It would be much more efficient, and the folks who love early/late seating could still do it at that same time, with the same tablemates if they chose. 

Yes, precisely! We never waited more than a couple minutes for a table at any dining venue on NCL, and there is absolutely no set dining times.