Anytime Dining?

[Lisa G.]

Does anyone have more info on this? When does it start, is it fleet wide, thoughts and recommendations?

[cuyahoga11]

Does anyone have more info on this? When does it start, is it fleet wide, thoughts and recommendations?

 

It has already started on some ships, it is being fazed in

[punkinheads]

I am pretty sure it is fleetwide. I know for sure that my cruise on the Conquest on 4/26 is the first cruise with this option. There will be an option for eating. You can choose anytime dining or keep your reserved time. If you want to change one day to anytime, you would call or go to dining room in morning and make arrangements. That may be a good option on port days. Hope this helps.

[Flip2cruise]

http://www.carnival.com/CMS/Articles/yourchoice_dining.aspx

 

 

MIAMI (April 1, 2009) – Carnival Cruise Lines has launched “Your Choice Dining” which provides a selection of three different dinner seating options for guests aboard the line’s 22-ship fleet. In addition to Early or Late assigned seating, the cruise line is rolling out “Your Time” open seating to accommodate individual guest preferences. Also, under the new Your Choice Dining program, dining assignments will be confirmed at the time of booking.

 

“We have been experimenting with an open seating dinner option on a few ships since the latter part of 2008,” said Roberta Jacoby, Carnival’s senior vice president of hotel operations. “Exceptional guest feedback to the pilot program and an indication from the vast majority of those participating that they would choose that option again has prompted the decision to extend open seating fleetwide. At the same time, we felt it was important to also enhance the dining program overall by confirming dining assignments at the time of booking. We believe that our new Your Choice Dining Program will prove to be an extremely popular enhancement to the Carnival vacation experience,” Jacoby added.

 

Your Time open seating, currently available on five ships, will be implemented one vessel at a time over the next several months as modifications in dining room table configurations are completed on each ship.

 

“In making the decision to introduce Your Time dining, we felt it was imperative that we be able to offer guests the option to sit only with those individuals they prefer and that requires reconfiguring a section of the dining rooms on each ship to incorporate smaller table arrangements,” said Jacoby. “This is an important distinction as some lines still group people together under their open seating programs.”

 

An additional eight ships are scheduled to be converted by the end of year and the balance of the fleet by summer 2010. Confirmed dining assignments are now being offered fleetwide.

At the time of booking, guests will be asked to choose from among Early dining at 6pm, Late dining at 8:15 pm or Your Time dining which allows guests to dine at any time between 5:45pm and 9:30pm (if applicable depending on ship and sailing date). Dining assignments will be accommodated on a first-come, first-serve basis according to when guests made their reservation.

If the preferred dining choice is not available, guests may confirm an alternate choice and be placed on a waitlist for their first preference. Waitlists will be cleared prior to sailing and guests will be notified via email of their confirmed seating assignment.

 

As Your Time dining is implemented on each ship, guests already booked will be contacted via email or through their travel agent and provided the opportunity to switch to Your Time dining or retain their original choice.

 

Your Time guests are able to request any table size or waiter and are typically seated immediately when arriving at the dining room. However, if a modest wait time is required, guests are given a pager so they are free to relax elsewhere on the ship until their table is ready.

 

Additional options available under Your Choice Dining include extensive poolside eateries offering a wide variety of cuisine choices in a casual environment and, on a number of ships, elegant, reservations-only restaurants serving fine quality dry-aged U.S.D.A. prime steaks and other dishes in an intimate, upscale atmosphere.

Below is a timetable for the introduction of Your Time open seating throughout the Carnival fleet:

* Already implemented: Carnival Legend, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Sensation, Carnival Paradise, Carnival Miracle

* End of April: Carnival Conquest, Carnival Elation, Carnival Pride

* Mid-June: Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Spirit

* Late September: Carnival Dream

* Mid-October: Carnival Ecstasy

* Mid-December: Carnival Glory

* February 2010: Carnival Fascination

* By summer 2010: Carnival Imagination, Carnival Inspiration, Carnival Destiny, Carnival Triumph, Carnival Valor, Carnival Splendor, Carnival Freedom and Carnival Victory

[UltimateDevotion]

I think I am just going to miss the switch on Elation. I leave Apr. 23, and would LOVE anytime dining. Too bad I didn't go a week later...

 

http://www.carnival.com/CMS/Articles/yourchoice_dining.aspx

 

Below is a timetable for the introduction of Your Time open seating throughout the Carnival fleet:

* Already implemented: Carnival Legend, Carnival Liberty, Carnival Sensation, Carnival Paradise, Carnival Miracle

* End of April: Carnival Conquest, Carnival Elation, Carnival Pride

* Mid-June: Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Spirit

* Late September: Carnival Dream

* Mid-October: Carnival Ecstasy

* Mid-December: Carnival Glory

* February 2010: Carnival Fascination

* By summer 2010: Carnival Imagination, Carnival Inspiration, Carnival Destiny, Carnival Triumph, Carnival Valor, Carnival Splendor, Carnival Freedom and Carnival Victory

[cardinalfan]

I read on a post that there are very long lines for the dine any time option. While it sounds good, I don't want to wait in line.

[cuyahoga11]

I am pretty sure it is fleetwide. I know for sure that my cruise on the Conquest on 4/26 is the first cruise with this option. There will be an option for eating. You can choose anytime dining or keep your reserved time. If you want to change one day to anytime, you would call or go to dining room in morning and make arrangements. That may be a good option on port days. Hope this helps.

 

I do not believe you can jump back and forth between traditional and anytime. You must chose one or the other

[lyttleone1977]

I dont want to wait either. i personally love the current way it is done. You get an opprotunity to get to know your wait staff, and you know exactly what time you eat! I'm curious how its going to effect cruises that are already booked since you choose when you book.

[poobears]

We switched to anytime just to see how we like it. Figured if we didn't try it, we'd never know. We may love it or we may hate it. LOL

[copvet]

I don't where you heard about the long wait time but when we cruised the 7-day Liberty this past January there was no wait at all. One evening it took them about 5-min. to get us a table, but thats it.:)

[zqvol]

Does anyone have more info on this? When does it start, is it fleet wide, thoughts and recommendations?

 

Anytime dining started last summer on the Legend and one other ship on a trial basis. Carnival has announced that within 18 months it will be fleet wide.

 

The Legend has one dining room, so a portion of the upper level is devoted to anytime dining. You are free to go to the dining room anytime between 5:45 and 9:30. You also have the option of making a reservation. You can alos request a particular wait team if you desire. Tables range n size from 2 up. Larger parties should probably make a reservation. We usually went a 7 or so and never had a wait.

 

The menu is the same as the rest of the dining room.

 

IMO it is the way to go, you eat when it works for you, no rush back from shore, and no eating so late that you are unable to sleep.

 

Go for it!

 

I am pretty sure it is fleetwide. I know for sure that my cruise on the Conquest on 4/26 is the first cruise with this option. There will be an option for eating. You can choose anytime dining or keep your reserved time. If you want to change one day to anytime, you would call or go to dining room in morning and make arrangements. That may be a good option on port days. Hope this helps.

 

You cannot switch between regular dining and anytime on a day to day basis. You have to make a decision at booking time and stick with it.