Anytime dining questions.

[marmac761]

I chose anytime dining for the first time on my upcoming Panorama cruise.  How do I make my reservations?  About how long ahead for time can I make the reservation?  If I just walk up without reservation,  do they text you or do have to stay nearby to hear your name.  Don’t know if it matters but we are both platinum.

[jbethel11]

11 minutes ago, marmac761 said:

I chose anytime dining for the first time on my upcoming Panorama cruise.  How do I make my reservations?  About how long ahead for time can I make the reservation?  If I just walk up without reservation,  do they text you or do have to stay nearby to hear your name.  Don’t know if it matters but we are both platinum.

On the Panorama, you can reserve seats ahead by using the Fun Hub App. Then, you arrive at the time you say you want to be there. If you are not there within 5-10 minutes, your reserved table will be given away. Then, you would have to either reserve another one or just go to a specific booth on Deck 4 to check in to get a table at the dining room. 

[Butterbean1000]

4 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

On the Panorama, you can reserve seats ahead by using the Fun Hub App. Then, you arrive at the time you say you want to be there. If you are not there within 5-10 minutes, your reserved table will be given away. Then, you would have to either reserve another one or just go to a specific booth on Deck 4 to check in to get a table at the dining room. 

Is this true for the older ships like the Breeze?  We used the HUB app for the first time on our Magic cruise last year and did not know about this.

[smurfm69]

 On our recent Horizon cruise, we used the hub app.  When we left our room on lido deck, I would put in the request for a table for 4 people and by the time we walked to the dining room, our table was ready.  

[jbethel11]

1 minute ago, Butterbean1000 said:

Is this true for the older ships like the Breeze?  We used the HUB app for the first time on our Magic cruise last year and did not know about this.

No, I believe it only works for the Carnival Vista, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Panorama. 

[Butterbean1000]

1 minute ago, jbethel11 said:

No, I believe it only works for the Carnival Vista, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Panorama. 

OK, thanks.  Hopefully that will change before our Oct cruise.  But truthfully, we don't mind waiting.  We usually go to the atrium bar, get a drink and people watch until we're called.  In any case, I don't think we have had to wait more than 10 or 15 minutes tops.

[marmac761]

Thanks for all your help!  I think I understand.

[Organized Chaos]

23 minutes ago, Butterbean1000 said:

Is this true for the older ships like the Breeze?  We used the HUB app for the first time on our Magic cruise last year and did not know about this.

 

The FAQ's say, "On select ships," but it doesn't list the ships. Typically, if something is only available on Vista & Horizon, they'll name them specifically. It started on the Vista class, but if I remember correctly, someone said they were able to do it on another ship. Can't remember which one, though.

 

11 minutes ago, marmac761 said:

Thanks for all your help!  I think I understand.

 

Once you check in from the app, it will alert you when your table is ready. Or, on the Horizon, Your Time Diners can go to the desk on deck 5 (I think near the coffee stand) to check in. It's probably the same spot on all Vista class ships.

[jbethel11]

3 minutes ago, Organized Chaos said:

Typically, if something is only available on Vista & Horizon, they'll name them specifically. It started on the Vista class, but if I remember correctly, someone said they were able to do it on another ship. Can't remember which one, though.

Not necessarily, however, the other ship was possibly the Sunshine as that is the newest ship (refurbished) since the Breeze!

[Organized Chaos]

6 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

Not necessarily, however, the other ship was possibly the Sunshine as that is the newest ship (refurbished) since the Breeze!

 

I thought of that, but I think you mean the Sunrise. It was recently added to the list of ships that is officially Netflix enabled (along with Vista & Horizon). That means it has upgraded wifi service, so I thought that probably meant it also has the YTD Hub check-in feature. But I feel like someone mentioned another ship, maybe a Dream class. Or I could be thinking of something else.

[jbethel11]

Just now, Organized Chaos said:

 

I thought of that, but I think you mean the Sunrise. It was recently added to the list of ships that is officially Netflix enabled (along with Vista & Horizon). That means it has upgraded wifi service, so I thought that probably meant it also has the YTD Hub check-in feature. But I feel like someone mentioned another ship, maybe a Dream class. Or I could be thinking of something else.

Well, I did mean Sunshine, but then thought of the Sunrise too. But, that makes a lot more sense, but I figured since the Sunrise is so new it wouldn't have it working yet.

[coevan]

on the Magic, Dream and Conquest you just showed up whenever you were hungry.  If you just show up to eat on the Vista will they turn you away?

[teknoge3k]

On the Magic, you can check-in with The Hub app. You can check in about 15 minutes prior to opening time, then it gives you a table number. You just go to the hostess stand and tell them your table number, and get sat immediately. You can also request a certain wait staff if you wish. 

[jbethel11]

4 minutes ago, coevan said:

on the Magic, Dream and Conquest you just showed up whenever you were hungry.  If you just show up to eat on the Vista will they turn you away?

No, however, they will give you a pager just like the rest. The app feature is available, but not necessary. As @ABQrobinin her review, 

On 5/14/2019 at 8:13 AM, ABQrobin said:

For YTD... you have to check in  on Deck 4 at station next to the Pixels gallery OR you can do it on the Hub App.  If you do it on app, you have 10 minutes to get there before your reserved table is canceled.  So you need to be dressed and ready, and start walking that direction.  Your table may be on Deck 3 or 4, no way to know until you get the notice, it is random.  

3

 

[jbethel11]

Just now, teknoge3k said:

On the Magic, you can check-in with The Hub app. You can check in about 15 minutes prior to opening time, then it gives you a table number. You just go to the hostess stand and tell them your table number, and get sat immediately. You can also request a certain wait staff if you wish. 

Great to know! Did not know that!

[mikenbon]

Thanks for the info about reserving a table on the Magic. We will be a group of 5 on her next spring, and we will ge sure to arrange the table ahead of time. 

[jbethel11]

11 minutes ago, mikenbon said:

Thanks for the info about reserving a table on the Magic. We will be a group of 5 on her next spring, and we will ge sure to arrange the table ahead of time. 

It would be so cool if you could pick like a specific table ahead of time! I would always love an aft view or even a window view table for 4 with my family!

[Organized Chaos]

1 hour ago, teknoge3k said:

On the Magic, you can check-in with The Hub app.

 

I knew I read it somewhere that it was available on other (older) ships. Thanks for clearing that up, even if it was for my own piece of mind, because it was bugging me. I wish Carnival would create a thorough list of ships for things like this. Which ships have what features, like Hub app MDR check-ins, upgraded (or at least improved) wifi, things like that. They're very common questions that could easily be answered with a simple list incorporated into their FAQ's.

[Warm Breezes]

12 hours ago, jbethel11 said:

No, I believe it only works for the Carnival Vista, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Panorama. 

It must be moving out to other ships because we used it on Magic last month.  It worked great.

[jbyrd72]

We used the Hub App on the Sunrise's 1st cruise out of Norfolk. You requested a table and how many people were joining you and with in ten minutes you got a notification that your table was ready.  Really easy to use.  I saw a bunch of guests going to the desk on Deck 5 to get a table then they had to go back to Deck 3 to the MDR to get seated.  We had no problems using the App.

[LuckyStar]

14 hours ago, marmac761 said:

I chose anytime dining for the first time on my upcoming Panorama cruise.  How do I make my reservations?  About how long ahead for time can I make the reservation?  If I just walk up without reservation,  do they text you or do have to stay nearby to hear your name.  Don’t know if it matters but we are both platinum.

OMG. I will never go back to assigned dining.  You can make your reservation on your phone using the Carnival App.  It will let you know how long the wait is and will ping you when your seating is ready.  It's just awesome.  

 

Edit:  I understand from reading that the app may only work on a few ships, one of which was ours, the Vista.  Hope this changes in the near future.  

Edited June 6, 2019 by LuckyStar

[LuckyStar]

13 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

The FAQ's say, "On select ships," but it doesn't list the ships. Typically, if something is only available on Vista & Horizon, they'll name them specifically. It started on the Vista class, but if I remember correctly, someone said they were able to do it on another ship. Can't remember which one, though.

 

 

Once you check in from the app, it will alert you when your table is ready. Or, on the Horizon, Your Time Diners can go to the desk on deck 5 (I think near the coffee stand) to check in. It's probably the same spot on all Vista class ships.

Yes, you are correct.  This coffee area is very close to the dining room for YTD.

Edited June 6, 2019 by LuckyStar

[Schoifmom]

14 hours ago, marmac761 said:

I chose anytime dining for the first time on my upcoming Panorama cruise.  How do I make my reservations?  About how long ahead for time can I make the reservation?  If I just walk up without reservation,  do they text you or do have to stay nearby to hear your name.  Don’t know if it matters but we are both platinum.

 

14 hours ago, jbethel11 said:

On the Panorama, you can reserve seats ahead by using the Fun Hub App. Then, you arrive at the time you say you want to be there. If you are not there within 5-10 minutes, your reserved table will be given away. Then, you would have to either reserve another one or just go to a specific booth on Deck 4 to check in to get a table at the dining room. 

 

11 hours ago, mikenbon said:

Thanks for the info about reserving a table on the Magic. We will be a group of 5 on her next spring, and we will ge sure to arrange the table ahead of time. 

 

3 minutes ago, LuckyStar said:

OMG. I will never go back to assigned dining.  You can make your reservation on your phone using the Carnival App.  It will let you know how long the wait is and will ping you when your seating is ready.  It's just awesome.  

 

To be clear (just for those who may think otherwise), when posters here are speaking of "reservations" they are actually referring to the practice of checking-in, much as you would at a land-based restaurant.  There is no method on Carnival of making reservations for YTD (i.e., reserving a table at a specific time).

[LuckyStar]

5 minutes ago, Schoifmom said:

 

 

 

 

To be clear (just for those who may think otherwise), when posters here are speaking of "reservations" they are actually referring to the practice of checking-in, much as you would at a land-based restaurant.  There is no method on Carnival of making reservations for YTD (i.e., reserving a table at a specific time).

You are totally correct.  In my excitement, I wasn't clear enough.  You check in but cannot request a specific time.  We always "checked in" about 15 min before we wanted to eat and never had to wait more than 20 min., I would guess.  

[mikenbon]

Thanks for the clarification. On RCL, we were able to make a reservation for YTD when we did our online check-in, and I misunderstood this to be the same. With it being a check in on the HUB app, it's still great and will save waiting in line during the busy times.