Just Noticed Dining Time is Wrong!

[zqvol]

I was printing out our cruise information and noticed our dining says Unassigned (on Request). I specifically asked for late dining. Can I call Carnival before our cruise and have this changed or just wait until I see the Maitre D on the ship? I am afraid the late seating will be gone if we wait. Is the Unassigned anytime dining? We sail in less than 2 weeks.

 

Carnival's new policy is that dining time is confirmed when reservations are made, so that you know ahead of time when you will be dining. However, they only confirm 80% of seating to accommodate VIP requests, etc. All your reservation means is that you will be told your dining time when you board the ship. Until then there is not anything you can do. If you are not happy with your assigned time get it changed on the ship.

[zqvol]

Dining Room seating is not revealed until you board the ship. The time will be on your S&S card along with which Dining Room. If you requested late, you should be fine and if you need to change, just see the Maitre'D, usually starting at 1:30pm. More people will want early dining as is almost always the case. I am not 100% sure, but I believe Platinum level are the only ones guaranteed a dining time.

 

This is incorrect information. carnival now confirms dining times when your reservation is made subject to a few exceptions.

[sa7776]

If you booked late there is a good chance that they will not assign you until the last minute. Many of my "late" bookers show a requested time or even TBA because Carnival is not able to confirm the assignment at that time. Perhaps they are holding a few spots just in case a Platinum cruiser wants that dining time and you are basically on a waiting list. I have even had late bookers linked to "confirmed dining time" bookings show no assigned time with the group because there were not enough seats at the same time as the group.

[katiel53]

Carnival is confirming dining assignments in clusters before the cruise; unassigned means they have not confirmed your dining time, but your request is noted and waitlisted. Suites and Platinum guests are guaranteed dining requests. If you have anytime dining, it shows as 'Open seating'....:)

 

Sorry, but I disagree with you. We requested anytime dining for our cruise on Dream and we are Platinum. Our reservation shows unassigned and confirmed. There is nothing on Carnival that shows open seating. I double checked this with our PVP and he agrees that we are confirmed for anytime dining. He said he has never seen it say open seating.

[Mrs. Squirrel]

I was printing out our cruise information and noticed our dining says Unassigned (on Request). I specifically asked for late dining. Can I call Carnival before our cruise and have this changed or just wait until I see the Maitre D on the ship? I am afraid the late seating will be gone if we wait. Is the Unassigned anytime dining? We sail in less than 2 weeks.

 

We are sailing on the Valor 1/31/2010. I booked on 8/29. Our PVP offered the choice of early, late, or open dining. We thought open sounded good, so requested that. When we got our confirm e-mail and also online our dining says: Unassigned On Request, same as OP. I just assumed this was how Carnival described their open dining option until I ran across the issue on this and other threads.

 

Called PVP today who was out for the holiday, but talked to her backup. Error was Carnival's. Valor will not have open dining by the time of our sailing. Unassigned ment just what it said, that a choice was not logged in for us. The backup PVP said that if I had not called in, I would have been assigned early or late at random. We are not early diners so would have been a huge hassle! I had her change our unassigned to late dining. I have had to do the M'd dance once and don't like having to start off our vacation hurrying to get in line.

 

BTW, while asking a general question about how tables are assigned to passengers (because no matter where I book our cabins, Int, OV, Bal low, Bal high or when, early, middle, last minute, we always get a table by the kitchen exit or server station!), the backup PVP said that tables are still assigned by the M'd after final payment, closer to sail date. She reiterated that requesting early or late is not confirmed no matter what your docs say until the M'd actually assigns the tables. She did however add that if the reservation system allows the PVP to input a particular seating and it does not come up waitlisted, that you have a very high (not guaranteed) chance of actually getting that seating time.

 

Sorry so long, but hope this helps someone else.

-Jayne

[mrpayroll]

First Carnival cruise coming up in Jan. on Dream. Don't quite understand all the talk about "Confirmed" NOT meaning guaranteed. Our docs. say early dining confirmed. People are saying confirmed means requested. I REQUESTED early. They CONFIRMED early. I better be eating early. That's how all three previous lines worked.:rolleyes:

[TakeMeAway1001]

MIAMI, April 1

 

"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.

[chachi]

I was on Spirit in July. I was confirmed for months in advance for early dining, but when I got on the ship, I was anytime dining. I have realized that the confirmation means nothing. The anytime dining was new on Spirit, and they didn't have enough people who chose it. When I booked my cruise, it wasn't even an option.

[rkbeaux08]

My PVP told me all dinning times are now confirmed. That is because some of Carnival ship have anytime dinning (I think thats what the call it). We are also confirmed on early sitting.