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

[bstel]

come on people, 3 pages.  tell me more, tell me more....

 

 

[PaperSniper4]

4 hours ago, Joe817 said:

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. 

I'll welcome the YTD as long as I can set it up in advance and get a table for two at an early time. I'd also be happy with fixed dining, early with a table for two. The Hub App I think will allow me to get it, but I have Carnival, Princess and Celebrity cruises booked, and all my research is running together in my my old mind!🤔

[PaperSniper4]

3 hours ago, kwokpot said:

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. 

Ouch. Let me revise my opinion of YTD; I do not like it.😟 So basically it works like this: you decide you are ready for dinner that evening, so you use the app to get assigned something coming up; you cannot specify a time? So we could not plan, even on that day, of getting a table for 2, for say 6PM? Rats. Sounds like the same thing as the old process where you go to a restaurant and if there are no tables, you get one of those flasher/buzzer things and stand around until a table is available. We always avoid those restaurants. Only change with the Hub app and YTD is you wait in your cabin (that's good) if you want. (Wonder why it's called "your time dining" when you can't chose your time; or have I misunderstood - it can happen........)

 

Next question: I believe Carnival still offers early/late (aka Traditional Dining) seating,  but how does one request it? I have not seen that at Carnival.com. Perhaps I need to make that request of our (non-Carnival) TA?

 

Next question: Of those of you who have similar wants as us (table for 2, dining around 6-630PM), what has been your experience using the Hub app as Kwokpot kindly described above.

 

Thanks!

 Doug

[cruisehappyinJune]

What is the gratuity expectation with YTD? 

[PaperSniper4]

2 hours ago, cruisehappyinJune said:

What is the gratuity expectation with YTD? 

You will be billed for ALL gratuities, together, each day on your shipboard account. IOW, you won't tip after each meal. Or have I misunderstood your question?

 

Doug

[kwokpot]

3 hours ago, cruisehappyinJune said:

What is the gratuity expectation with YTD? 

The gratuity is the same. Why would it be any different? 

[kwokpot]

3 hours ago, PaperSniper4 said:

Next question: I believe Carnival still offers early/late (aka Traditional Dining) seating,  but how does one request it? I have not seen that at Carnival.com. Perhaps I need to make that request of our (non-Carnival) TA?

It's under booking Order details. You'll see a section that says EDIT DINING. Click on it and you can choose early, late, or your time dining.

[ABCGreys]

We love it. It's usually just my husband and I when we do Anytime Dining. We tend to eat early and go down about 15-20 minutes after the dining room opens and have always gotten seated quickly except for once on the Conquest on Elegant night. Be forewarned, the tables for 2 are really close together. We normally just say a quick hello and if our neighbors want to chat, great, if not we don't mind. 

Edited July 14, 2021 by ABCGreys
typos!

[jsglow]

5 hours ago, PaperSniper4 said:

I'll welcome the YTD as long as I can set it up in advance and get a table for two at an early time. I'd also be happy with fixed dining, early with a table for two. The Hub App I think will allow me to get it, but I have Carnival, Princess and Celebrity cruises booked, and all my research is running together in my my old mind!🤔

Honest question.  How often have you cruised before?  With YTD on any cruiseline I've been on, one requests a table for a party of whatever size AND say whether you're willing or not to be seated with others pursuant to that request immediately before your requested seating.  Nowadays, that's increasingly an electronic request and response.  I've never had a wait more than 15 minutes; time for a nice drink at the bar.  More often than not, seating will literally be 'immediate' in the table size of your choice.  It's truly not a problem, like almost ever.

 

One can also have fixed time dining but there is no guarantee as to the size of table you'll be assigned to.  Practically speaking, a party of 4 is likely to get a table/booth for 4 but no couple, even a Diamond cruiser, can guarantee a fixed dining time table for 2.  Can it be arranged by the Maitre d?  Sure, sometimes.  They have been known to honor personal requests when possible, typically onboard on the first day.

 

As I said earlier in the thread, when my wife and I cruise alone we always elect YTD because we like to have 'dinner for 2'.  If I was hosting a large family gathering, I'd go the fixed route so there would be less corralling of a group and we'd all know our table/time.  Be there or do something else.

Edited July 14, 2021 by jsglow

[PaperSniper4]

12 hours ago, kwokpot said:

It's under booking Order details. You'll see a section that says EDIT DINING. Click on it and you can choose early, late, or your time dining.

Thanks kwokpot, appreciate the help. I went to Carnival.com, logged in. I searched for "order" but nothing found. Then clicked on my cruise on the upper left where it says "Carnival Valor....". Did a search for "Order"; again nothing. Went back a page and clicked on "Your Planner"; nothing there either.

BUT - then I clicked on the "3 horizontal bars" on the upper right of the screen and now I see "Booking and Order Details". Clicked on that, and see details of my booking: "balcony, cabin <aka cabin #>, bed configuration and DINING - "Your Time 5:45-9:30". I am assuming they mean 1745-2130 / 5:45PM-9:30PM or else I have a big problem!😉

 

I don't see a way to edit anything but the Bedding. Pretty sure I need to call my TA to have dining changed if we want to do that. We still may try YTD; we'll decide  after reading all the info kindly provided on this forum. At this point just getting aboard will be wonderful!

 

 I underlined the above because I figure I must not be the only one having difficulty finding that.......🤔

 

Doug

[PaperSniper4]

11 hours ago, jsglow said:

Honest question.  How often have you cruised before?  With YTD on any cruiseline I've been on, one requests a table for a party of whatever size AND say whether you're willing or not to be seated with others pursuant to that request immediately before your requested seating.  Nowadays, that's increasingly an electronic request and response.  I've never had a wait more than 15 minutes; time for a nice drink at the bar.  More often than not, seating will literally be 'immediate' in the table size of your choice.  It's truly not a problem, like almost ever.

 

One can also have fixed time dining but there is no guarantee as to the size of table you'll be assigned to.  Practically speaking, a party of 4 is likely to get a table/booth for 4 but no couple, even a Diamond cruiser, can guarantee a fixed dining time table for 2.  Can it be arranged by the Maitre d?  Sure, sometimes.  They have been known to honor personal requests when possible, typically onboard on the first day.

 

As I said earlier in the thread, when my wife and I cruise alone we always elect YTD because we like to have 'dinner for 2'.  If I was hosting a large family gathering, I'd go the fixed route so there would be less corralling of a group and we'd all know our table/time.  Be there or do something else.

Honest answer: about 40 cruises. We most have have been with ships using assigned/traditional seating. We generally have gotten a table for two, usually in a good location after speaking with the MD on departure day. On one or two cruises we had a separate dining room based on our cabin category, and always were seated promply. We sailed on NCL a few times and their "anytime" was okay.

We very rarely would have a dink at the bar while waiting for a table. We always have our drinks on the balcony before going to the dining room. We prefer the quiet, our own company, and especially the drinks I make are much better than the bars. <g>

 

I appreciate your input. Sounds like we may be okay with YTD if the Hub app allows us to enter the info you mentioned in your first paragraph. I think you offer sage advice in your last paragraph about groups; I cannot imagine trying to get get a bunch of people to agree on a time!

 

Doug

[cruisehappyinJune]

20 hours ago, kwokpot said:

The gratuity is the same. Why would it be any different? 

I was meaning to ask if at YTD it were customary to cash tip each night, since we will have a different waiter, as opposed to early/late where many tip once at the end…. OR if most people here consider all wait staff tips (early/late and YTD) to be included in the prepaid gratuities (with extra cash often given for excellent service). 

[cruisehappyinJune]

21 hours ago, PaperSniper4 said:

You will be billed for ALL gratuities, together, each day on your shipboard account. IOW, you won't tip after each meal. Or have I misunderstood your question?

 

Doug

Yes, thank you! 

[kwokpot]

Just now, cruisehappyinJune said:

I was meaning to ask if at YTD it were customary to cash tip each night, since we will have a different waiter, as opposed to early/late where many tip once at the end…. OR if most people here consider all wait staff tips (early/late and YTD) to be included in the prepaid gratuities (with extra cash often given for excellent service). 

All dining room wait staff, whether set seating or Your Time. is included in the automatic gratuities that is charged to the cabin.

[Anung Un Rama]

I can say YTD has become A LOT more popular in the last 10 years.  We've always done it and the first 7-8 cruises had to wait longer than 20 minutes maybe once.  That has gone way up in the last few years.  A table for 2 is going to be much quicker than a table for 7 (keep that in mind for a graduation cruise).  There are not nearly as many tables set up to handle 7 people as compared to  just a couple.  

 

I still love YTD and will continue to do it.  You just need to plan ahead that there may be a wait.  You can hop up to the buffet for a snack (which I've done) for longer waits.

[kwokpot]

43 minutes ago, Anung Un Rama said:

I can say YTD has become A LOT more popular in the last 10 years.  We've always done it and the first 7-8 cruises had to wait longer than 20 minutes maybe once.  That has gone way up in the last few years.  A table for 2 is going to be much quicker than a table for 7 (keep that in mind for a graduation cruise).  There are not nearly as many tables set up to handle 7 people as compared to  just a couple.  

 

I still love YTD and will continue to do it.  You just need to plan ahead that there may be a wait.  You can hop up to the buffet for a snack (which I've done) for longer waits.

That's why I prefer Royal's and Celebrity's implementation of anytime dining, where you can make whole cruise advanced dinner reservations. Our main reason for anytime is 6pm is too early and 8:30 is too late. So we choose 7-7:15 which is just right. We have 4 reservations between Royal and Celebrity and dinner reservations are all set for all nights,all cruises at our preferred time. When NCL 1st implemented anytime dining you were allowed to make reservations but they subsequently eliminated that.

[jsglow]

2 hours ago, cruisehappyinJune said:

I was meaning to ask if at YTD it were customary to cash tip each night, since we will have a different waiter, as opposed to early/late where many tip once at the end…. OR if most people here consider all wait staff tips (early/late and YTD) to be included in the prepaid gratuities (with extra cash often given for excellent service). 

Definitely NOT customary.  Your auto-tip gets distributed properly.  Now we have occasionally cash tipped for a unique service situation.  My favorite:  Early teen son and daughter dined alone in MDR one evening (at our Early fixed table) while my wife and I went to the steakhouse.  They felt so very grown up doing it (their first 'formal' meal w/o mom and dad) and the waitstaff fawned over them.  I had told (and tipped) my headwaiter the evening before.  Great night.

Edited July 14, 2021 by jsglow

[kelkel2]

On 6/20/2021 at 8:04 PM, IMKTDQT810 said:

I am looking for pros and cons from the last time you sailed last. We have NEVER done this before but we are going to try it for our 2022 Magic Cruise. So when you have this as your seating in the dining room what did you like, love or hate about it? Thanks! 

We really like anytime dining. Our last cruise was 2016 so it’s been a while. But we loved it. The only downfall I have is that if we got to the dining room when it first opened there was always a line of people waiting to get in. But the line moved fast.

We like anytime dining because we don’t want to be in the dining room for 2 hours. It’s too long. So we can get in and out faster then scheduled dining when they try to keep all their tables on the same meal course. 

[PaperSniper4]

10 hours ago, kelkel2 said:

.........

We like anytime dining because we don’t want to be in the dining room for 2 hours. It’s too long. So we can get in and out faster then scheduled dining when they try to keep all their tables on the same meal course. 

Good points. I'd forgotten about that benefit.

[kelkel2]

3 hours ago, PaperSniper4 said:

Good points. I'd forgotten about that benefit.

Yes, especially this cruise. We’ll have kids with us and there’s no way they’ll sit that long. 

[BenjiRodney]

I like the fact that I can go when I want to go, don't have to wait for the rest of a table to arrive and then order.  I find this time to be a quicker service, in and out. 

[CoasterGuy]

On 7/13/2021 at 3:08 PM, PaperSniper4 said:

So basically it works like this: you decide you are ready for dinner that evening, so you use the app to get assigned something coming up; you cannot specify a time? So we could not plan, even on that day, of getting a table for 2, for say 6PM? Rats. Sounds like the same thing as the old process where you go to a restaurant and if there are no tables, you get one of those flasher/buzzer things and stand around until a table is available. We always avoid those restaurant

 

You are only partially correct. With YTD:  You do simply request a table when you are ready for dinner, no advanced reservations. But, you do NOT have to physically be at the restaurant and wait there. You can just hang out in your room or at a bar or wherever you want, request your table with the hub app, and you will get a notification on your phone when your table is ready. And once your table is ready you have ten minutes to get to the restaurant to be seated. I found this to be really convenient as there was no need to head to the dining room at all until your table is ready.  

Edited July 16, 2021 by CoasterGuy

[PaperSniper4]

3 hours ago, CoasterGuy said:

 

You are only partially correct. With YTD:  You do simply request a table when you are ready for dinner, no advanced reservations. But, you do NOT have to physically be at the restaurant and wait there. You can just hang out in your room or at a bar or wherever you want, request your table with the hub app, and you will get a notification on your phone when your table is ready. And once your table is ready you have ten minutes to get to the restaurant to be seated. I found this to be really convenient as there was no need to head to the dining room at all until your table is ready.  

Thanks. So when I use the app could I only request "a table for two", and I'd get notified as soon as one was available? Might be 10 , might be 45 minutes? I'd rather request a table at my preferred time (get it? Your Time Dining<g>), and if I had to wait "too long", perhaps I'd change my request to something at a later or later time. Is that possible? I can see where it would be difficult for the MDR to work that way. But that would indeed be convenient IMO. But unless I misunderstand your post I cannot do that. Rats. I suppose we can work with YTD once I get the hang of it. Hey, it's a cruise, right?😎

 

Doug

[Wanna_Cruize]

On 7/14/2021 at 12:10 PM, cruisehappyinJune said:

I was meaning to ask if at YTD it were customary to cash tip each night, since we will have a different waiter, as opposed to early/late where many tip once at the end…. OR if most people here consider all wait staff tips (early/late and YTD) to be included in the prepaid gratuities (with extra cash often given for excellent service). 

 

My DH customarily tips each night, no matter the dining. We do the same with YTD. One benefit is if you find a wait staff you enjoy early in the cruise, you can request to be seated in their section on subsequent nights. You may have to wait a bit longer for a table to be ready, but since my husband tips each night, our fabulous staff would just 'hold open' a table for two in their section each night until we arrived.