"Your Time Dining" tell me more, tell me more....

[groundloop]

QUESTION:

 

If you're signed up for early dining will you be allowed to be seated at your-time dining?  (For instance if you have a late shore excursion and can't get to the dining room in time.) 

 

I'm mostly just curious, but it would be nice to know if this is a viable option or not.  

[jsglow]

17 minutes ago, groundloop said:

QUESTION:

 

If you're signed up for early dining will you be allowed to be seated at your-time dining?  (For instance if you have a late shore excursion and can't get to the dining room in time.) 

 

I'm mostly just curious, but it would be nice to know if this is a viable option or not.  

Generally speaking, no.  Might they make a special one time accommodation? Perhaps, but you shouldn't count on it. 

[ledges1]

17 hours ago, jsglow said:

Generally speaking, no.  Might they make a special one time accommodation? Perhaps, but you shouldn't count on it. 

Agree, usually will have to go to the Lido Deck for dinner.

[sanmarcosman]

18 hours ago, groundloop said:

QUESTION:

 

If you're signed up for early dining will you be allowed to be seated at your-time dining?  (For instance if you have a late shore excursion and can't get to the dining room in time.) 

 

I'm mostly just curious, but it would be nice to know if this is a viable option or not.  

No, it defeats the purpose and causes havoc for the staff. Many who have described your scenario opt to go to a specialty dining venue that evening or to the buffet. Consider taking the plunge by signing up for YTD instead of early. Once we did we never looked back.

Edited June 22, 2021 by sanmarcosman

[IMKTDQT810]

I know I'm the one that started this thread and THANK YOU for all the comments....I'm loving them, but now I have another question. We are starting to look at and plan a 2023 "Graduation Cruise" since my son and our neighbor both grad HS together. The other family has never cruised before and I was thinking we might book one of the early/late seating in the main dining room since I think they would get a kick out of the waiters knowing their names, sitting at the same place every night, knowing they will see the singing/dancing/dining room fun....but gosh, what if YTD IS really the way to go? 

If you were to be a "first time cruiser" what do you think you would prefer doing, knowing what both options have to offer. In total there will be 7 of us! As always, thanks!

[Jamesatgsu]

I've had YTD for one night on a cruise and absolutely hated it. We had to wait an hour to sit. I love having the same wait staff throughout my cruise. I like just going in and sitting down. We always do late dining. 

 

It didn't bother us the same way on NCL, but that was a cruise with friends and we liked the flexibility of eating together or apart if we wanted to.

[jsglow]

29 minutes ago, IMKTDQT810 said:

I know I'm the one that started this thread and THANK YOU for all the comments....I'm loving them, but now I have another question. We are starting to look at and plan a 2023 "Graduation Cruise" since my son and our neighbor both grad HS together. The other family has never cruised before and I was thinking we might book one of the early/late seating in the main dining room since I think they would get a kick out of the waiters knowing their names, sitting at the same place every night, knowing they will see the singing/dancing/dining room fun....but gosh, what if YTD IS really the way to go? 

If you were to be a "first time cruiser" what do you think you would prefer doing, knowing what both options have to offer. In total there will be 7 of us! As always, thanks!

We still remember the names of our waiters, Linton and Moulton from our very first Carnival cruise almost 15 years ago.  A great crew for the entire week can be very special and offers many advantages, especially for anything more than a husband/wife party of 2.  Link your reservations and get that table for 6, 8, 10.  It's especially good in the situation you are describing because there's no 'rounding up the folks'. Absolutely the way I would go with any extended group.

 

So to break it down, when my wife and I cruise alone, we ALWAYS go Anytime Dining.  If I were to be organizing an extended multi-family type cruise, I would STRONGLY encourage a Fixed Time slot.

Edited June 22, 2021 by jsglow

[kwokpot]

28 minutes ago, IMKTDQT810 said:

If you were to be a "first time cruiser" what do you think you would prefer doing, knowing what both options have to offer. In total there will be 7 of us! As always, thanks!

I think the main reason NOT to choose Set Dining is if neither early or late seating times work for you and your family members. For me, 6:00pm is too early to eat dinner, especially if I'm on a cruiseship and want to do things. 8:30 is a bit late, but before NCL introduced the anytime dining concept we would choose late seating. Now with anytime dining concept we eat at our preferred time-7-7:30pm.

But If either of the seat Dining times are good for you, I would go ahead and choose it. 

[cruiseracer]

2 hours ago, IMKTDQT810 said:

I know I'm the one that started this thread and THANK YOU for all the comments....I'm loving them, but now I have another question. We are starting to look at and plan a 2023 "Graduation Cruise" since my son and our neighbor both grad HS together. The other family has never cruised before and I was thinking we might book one of the early/late seating in the main dining room since I think they would get a kick out of the waiters knowing their names, sitting at the same place every night, knowing they will see the singing/dancing/dining room fun....but gosh, what if YTD IS really the way to go? 

If you were to be a "first time cruiser" what do you think you would prefer doing, knowing what both options have to offer. In total there will be 7 of us! As always, thanks!

Having been through this phase of life while cruising (kids from middle school to HS graduation), we always chose early or late seating. It was the ONLY time all of us were together each day for a couple of hours and it was the best decision. Everyone talked about their day and shared anticipation for tomorrow. The wait staff and etc were a nice perk, but scheduled time together was the best. Highly recommended... 

[wemjam]

We Always do YTD - that is one the BEST changes Carnival ever made (used to be stuck before the implemented this option).  You can dine when you want (which is great if you get a late lunch or something after coming back off shore), or early dinner if you are starving because you didn't eat lunch.

 

You can request a table for just your party (which I don't mind socializing a bit, but don't want to feel obligated into a conversation with those at the table when sat with others).  I usually politely acknowledge the people who might be near me, when I am sat - and also those that might sit on the other side of me after I am already seated.  Even though it is a table just for you, you likely may be only inches away from those next to you.  I can gauge how engaging they might want to be and if I feel like small talk I may initiate it, if not, my husband and I just talk.  Most time we still meet very nice people and have lovely conversation.  

 

We too have been able to request specific wait staff we have liked and been able to be sat in their section most times again.  

 

If you arrive right when they open you will wait... this is for any of the dining rooms and times though as people line up.  Usually it is only a few minutes, later with YTD this is not so bad. One or two formal nights on larger ships is the only night we have been given a beeper and went and had a drink at the bar before being sat.

 

The flexibility is what makes YTD the best, there are many reasons you might want to eat at a different time.

[Wanna_Cruize]

On 6/20/2021 at 7:10 PM, kwokpot said:

While they may try to accommodate this, it's not always possible. Reason being since it's not set dining times, the previous occupants of the table you want may not be finished dining the same time every evening. Sometimes if a particular table isn't available you can request a different table with the same servers.

 

We often would request the same wait staff with YTD, and sometimes might have a wait. However, my DH is a tipper and gives the wait staff something every night. Sometimes we really clicked with a crew and they would hold a table for 2 for us each night when they could, especially since we tend to eat earlier rather than later. Of course this was mostly on smaller ships (Imagination/Inspiration out of CA. YMMV 

[Wanna_Cruize]

17 hours ago, IMKTDQT810 said:

I know I'm the one that started this thread and THANK YOU for all the comments....I'm loving them, but now I have another question. We are starting to look at and plan a 2023 "Graduation Cruise" since my son and our neighbor both grad HS together. The other family has never cruised before and I was thinking we might book one of the early/late seating in the main dining room since I think they would get a kick out of the waiters knowing their names, sitting at the same place every night, knowing they will see the singing/dancing/dining room fun....but gosh, what if YTD IS really the way to go? 

If you were to be a "first time cruiser" what do you think you would prefer doing, knowing what both options have to offer. In total there will be 7 of us! As always, thanks!

 

I organized a 90th birthday cruise for my mother that turned into a family reunion for around 22-24 people. We definitely chose a set dining time (early) and had three big tables together along the edge with the same wait staff. It was wonderful. We took turns swapping spots over the 4 nights so everyone had a chance to sit at Nana's table, and it was a great way to meet up, chat about what each group did that day. For a large group, it is the only way to go. 

[pinklucky61]

In my opinion, when traveling with others, it's easier to have set dining time.  No calls back and forth about "you guys ready to go to dinner?"   Especially with our next cruise, 4 cabins, only 2 next to each other.  Also, courteous to let your waitstaff or maybe Maitre D know if you won't be at dinner on certain nights.

[Cruise Related]

Personally I love YTD, it’s easy, convenient, and flexible. Normally if we get a waiter(s) we really enjoy, we will request that section or table for the duration of the cruise. That way they get to know us and our preferences and we get to know them and have a much more enjoyable dinner. 

[Ohio Bucki]

How late can you be seated with YTD?

[aquasea]

We always do! Love eating when I want to. We also love eating at our own separate table.

[Love being Mimi]

I guess some people love it, some hate it.  For me,  we love it.  Good luck

[Pearlie09180401]

We love YTD and will only use that when it's my small 4 person family. We may go with Early/Late for our next cruise only because we'll have 10 in our party and I think the wait for YTD may be too long for that many.

 

The biggest pro for me is not having to share a table with strangers. We're all introverts and really don't like making small talk. I'd rather just sit at a table with my immediate family where we can have our own conversation without having to share with others or have others try to include us in their conversation. 

[Pearlie09180401]

On 6/22/2021 at 10:56 AM, IMKTDQT810 said:

I know I'm the one that started this thread and THANK YOU for all the comments....I'm loving them, but now I have another question. We are starting to look at and plan a 2023 "Graduation Cruise" since my son and our neighbor both grad HS together. The other family has never cruised before and I was thinking we might book one of the early/late seating in the main dining room since I think they would get a kick out of the waiters knowing their names, sitting at the same place every night, knowing they will see the singing/dancing/dining room fun....but gosh, what if YTD IS really the way to go? 

If you were to be a "first time cruiser" what do you think you would prefer doing, knowing what both options have to offer. In total there will be 7 of us! As always, thanks!

I'd say pick Early/Late if you're with a group. Like others have said, you'll always know what time to meet and the newbies might really like the consistency and care you get from having the same wait staff for the whole trip.

[Knights on the Beach]

This will be our first time with YTD and I'm really looking forward to it.  We had late dining for all but one of our prior cruises when our request wasn't granted and we were assigned early.  There were 11 in our group and could have moved to late dining but would have been split up into two tables.  We kept the large round table at the early time and hated it.  Some in our extended family have trouble getting anywhere on time so that was a real challenge.

[Wanna_Cruize]

6 hours ago, Ohio Bucki said:

How late can you be seated with YTD?

Looking at the Fun Times for one of the last Panorama cruises, YTD was from 5:15 to 9:00 pm, but I'd say probably want to be seated closer to 8:30 to be safe. 

[40yearcruiser]

I agree that when traveling with a group having a set dining time keeps everyone better organized. Over the years that we have cruised we've done both set and YTD. Generally, we are more likely to choose YTD when it's just the 2 of us because we like meeting a variety of people and have more flexibility of dining time. We often take long cruises and usually do YTD then. We agree to share a table and have met some really interesting people. Also, if you meet someone on the cruise that you would like to dine with you can go together to the dining room if you're both on YTD.

[PaperSniper4]

We've never tried YTD or whatever Carnival calls it. I read somewhere that we can book a dinner reservation using the Carnival Hub app once on board. We would prefer to do that early if possible. Can we book a time either with the app or with the my PC online, say two weeks in advance? We prefer a table for two, and eating dinner around 530PM - 630 PM (1730-1830) and NO NOT want to wait in a line somewhere waiting for our names to be called.

 

Thanks.😎

 

Doug

[Joe817]

8 minutes ago, PaperSniper4 said:

We've never tried YTD or whatever Carnival calls it. I read somewhere that we can book a dinner reservation using the Carnival Hub app once on board. We would prefer to do that early if possible. Can we book a time either with the app or with the my PC online, say two weeks in advance? We prefer a table for two, and eating dinner around 530PM - 630 PM (1730-1830) and NO NOT want to wait in a line somewhere waiting for our names to be called.

 

Thanks.😎

 

Doug

Our exact same sentiments Doug! We eat early at home, and get to the MDR about the same time as you all. I know a LOT of people rave and prefer the YTD seating, but for us, walking into the MDR, giving the hostess our name, and taken directly to our table/booth.  And usually out by 7:00, if not a little earlier. It gives us a chance to explore the ship, and just knock around finding something fun to do. That suits us just fine. 

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, PaperSniper4 said:

We've never tried YTD or whatever Carnival calls it. I read somewhere that we can book a dinner reservation using the Carnival Hub app once on board. We would prefer to do that early if possible. Can we book a time either with the app or with the my PC online, say two weeks in advance? We prefer a table for two, and eating dinner around 530PM - 630 PM (1730-1830) and NO NOT want to wait in a line somewhere waiting for our names to be called.

 

Thanks.😎

 

Doug

I'm sorry but you've read wrong. With YTD you cannot pre-book your dinner reservation. You can only use the app for same night reservation, and that also applies to going to the reservation desk too. Whatsmore when you request a table, it's not for a specific time, it's whenever it becomes available. So if you go on the app at 5:00pm and request a table, it will tell you approximately how long the wait is - 5-10 minutes, 15-20 minutes. Then when you submit the request, you wait until the app sends you a text message that your table is ready. It will give you the table number and location. You have to do this every night, you can't make a set reservation for the whole cruise.