gkrnjlr Posted July 20, 2008 #1 Share Posted July 20, 2008 I recently found out that Carnival now offers a choice between freestyle dining or the regular assigned time/table, etc. With a 9 month old in tow.....what would you think our best bet would be? I'm leaning towards freestyle because IF for some reason she's cranky or tired at a certain time we could go when she's had a nap or is in a better mood. Hubby is thinking assigned time would be best. What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty9 Posted July 20, 2008 #2 Share Posted July 20, 2008 My problem with freestyle dining is if you go at the busiest times, you'll be standing in line waiting to be seated. With a young one, I'm not sure that's a good thing. Wait times could be 20 minutes, if it's really busy. And, I think if you establish a rapport with your wait staff by sticking with traditional seating, you will have someone who will know your preferences and can know what you want for your little one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkrnjlr Posted July 20, 2008 Author #3 Share Posted July 20, 2008 Good point. I hadn't thought of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty9 Posted July 20, 2008 #4 Share Posted July 20, 2008 You do realize that Carnival doesn't really have true "freestyle" dining. They have what they call "flex" dining, where they have staggered start times for their two seatings. This is from Carnival's website: We have implemented a system across the fleet called "Flexible Dining", which features two staggered seating times for dinner. Since this requires two main dining rooms on the ship, this option is not offered on the Spirit-class ships, which have the traditional two seating times for dinner. So it's not really freestyle where you just show up anytime you want. You're still going to have an assigned timeslot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkrnjlr Posted July 20, 2008 Author #5 Share Posted July 20, 2008 When was this last updated? I spoke with our PVP yesterday and as of June 29 they implemented freestyle where you can come to the dining room and eat whenever you choose (when they're open) but you have to choose between assigned or freestyle. You can't have both. This is what we were told. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplephenom Posted July 20, 2008 #6 Share Posted July 20, 2008 here's a link from carnival describing open seating: http://carnival-news.com/2008/05/09/new-flexible-dining-option-to-be-tested-on-carnival-legend-beginning-june-29/ and here's a review from the first week the Legend had open seating. About 10 posts down, there's a description of how it worked: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=810271&highlight=open+seating You could always sign up for open seating, then call and make a reservation, depending on how the day's going. Maybe that would cut down on the wait times, and you might be able to reserve a table with the same wait staff, so maybe that would be a good mix between open/traditional seating? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkrnjlr Posted July 20, 2008 Author #7 Share Posted July 20, 2008 Thanks! This helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcfam5 Posted July 21, 2008 #8 Share Posted July 21, 2008 You do realize that Carnival doesn't really have true "freestyle" dining. They have what they call "flex" dining, where they have staggered start times for their two seatings. This is from Carnival's website: We have implemented a system across the fleet called "Flexible Dining", which features two staggered seating times for dinner. Since this requires two main dining rooms on the ship, this option is not offered on the Spirit-class ships, which have the traditional two seating times for dinner. So it's not really freestyle where you just show up anytime you want. You're still going to have an assigned timeslot. They are trialing the freestyle dining on the Legend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry's Girls Posted July 21, 2008 #9 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I love having the set seating with kids because then the high chairs or booster are set up when you arrive and the waiters know to have milk or juice there, plus our waiters always have something my girls will like all ready to go (fruit or some other appetizer). Much easier for everyone than the time we did freestyle and had to have a different waitstaff each time. If you find that there's a night or two where you can't make the dinner, there's the buffet, but we always managed well by having a nap before dinner. Best, Mia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkrnjlr Posted July 21, 2008 Author #10 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Makes sense. With our daughter being so young we plan on taking her to dinner in her carrier. She also doesn't eat much table food yet. She's really picky! We've been trying to get her to eat things off the table but she acts like we're gagging her! (and yes it's pureed!) :rolleyes: She's our picky eater, so our best bet is to take jars of food with us. Curious though....what types of high chairs do they have? Are they the standard wooden ones you find at restaurants? Or do they have them with the high back on them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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