Not ANY Time Dining???

We just got off Carnival's Sunshine. We always eat 2nd seating at 8:15.

But on this ship everyone who had signed up for Any Time Dining had to sign in ahead of time each night for the time they wanted to go to the dining room. It started at 5:30 around the corner from our cabin. One night I lost count after 50 people in line to do this. To me this is not really ANY time because you had to let them know what time you planned to get to the dining room. Any time means you can go at ANY time, whenever you feel like it. Met a passenger who didn't know this and said just going to the dining room threw them off, they didn't know what to do with her.

Any other ships doing this? Glad we hate any time dining!

We just got off Carnival's Sunshine. We always eat 2nd seating at 8:15.

But on this ship everyone who had signed up for Any Time Dining had to sign in ahead of time each night for the time they wanted to go to the dining room. It started at 5:30 around the corner from our cabin. One night I lost count after 50 people in line to do this. To me this is not really ANY time because you had to let them know what time you planned to get to the dining room. Any time means you can go at ANY time, whenever you feel like it. Met a passenger who didn't know this and said just going to the dining room threw them off, they didn't know what to do with her.

Any other ships doing this? Glad we hate any time dining!

Try NCL for Anytime dining. It really is anytime that the MDR's are open. There are lines only around 7-7:30 or after the first show is out. You can just show up or can make reservations easily if you wish.

Anytime om HAL is also anytime. One floor of MDR is assigned dining and other floor is anytime. Just show up when you wish, or make reservations. We just showed up for most nights of our 14 night cruise and never had much of a wait. We went about 15-20 minutes after MDR opened for service.

Carnival's method sounds really strange.

We just got off Carnival's Sunshine. We always eat 2nd seating at 8:15.

But on this ship everyone who had signed up for Any Time Dining had to sign in ahead of time each night for the time they wanted to go to the dining room. It started at 5:30 around the corner from our cabin. One night I lost count after 50 people in line to do this. To me this is not really ANY time because you had to let them know what time you planned to get to the dining room. Any time means you can go at ANY time, whenever you feel like it. Met a passenger who didn't know this and said just going to the dining room threw them off, they didn't know what to do with her.

Any other ships doing this? Glad we hate any time dining!

I was on the Valor in March and June and they DID NOT do it this way. ATD there worked the way you think it should work - just go down when you're ready to eat. No need to sign in for anything.

This sounds like an experiment which I hope is contained to the Sunshine.

Making a reservation for "anytime" dining is a contradiction in terms. As soon as you have to wait for a table, or to reserve a specific time in advance, do you really think it is "anytime"?

We were on the Carnival Freedom in late June and had Any Time Dining. We just arrived at the dining room when we were ready to have dinner and were seated immediately. We even requested the same wait staff every evening. I wonder why it was done the way you describe on the Sunshine? I agree, that is really not any time dining.

They weren't doing this when we were on the Sunshine in early May or on Carnival's Fantasy in June.

The mail reason we don't like NCL is because of their Freestyle Dining. When we were on NCL's Sun in March, we asked to share a table every night and 4 times and we ended up sharing it with each other, no one else. This was around 7:30-8 o'clock. Once we had 4 from England who only talked about places in England. Twice we had a couple from Scotland and we couldn't understand a word he said. Then we had two couples from Canada who could only talk about where they lived in Canada and only to each other. One night we had a couple form the US we enjoyed talking to. We decided to try NCL again and found we still don't like it!

They weren't doing this when we were on the Sunshine in early May or on Carnival's Fantasy in June.

The mail reason we don't like NCL is because of their Freestyle Dining. When we were on NCL's Sun in March, we asked to share a table every night and 4 times and we ended up sharing it with each other, no one else. This was around 7:30-8 o'clock. Once we had 4 from England who only talked about places in England. Twice we had a couple from Scotland and we couldn't understand a word he said. Then we had two couples from Canada who could only talk about where they lived in Canada and only to each other. One night we had a couple form the US we enjoyed talking to. We decided to try NCL again and found we still don't like it!

Just think - you could have been on a ship with assigned dining AND ended up with those people the entire cruise!!!!!!! ;)

When I did an NCL cruise, one night I decided to experiment and asked for a shared table. I ended up with a great group of friends and they invited me to join them for the evening's fun. As much fun as it was, I figured I hit the "good table" lottery that night and didn't want to chance it again.

Sounds like they need to send someone from Carnival on a NCL cruise to see how Anytime dining works.:D

They weren't doing this when we were on the Sunshine in early May or on Carnival's Fantasy in June.

The mail reason we don't like NCL is because of their Freestyle Dining. When we were on NCL's Sun in March, we asked to share a table every night and 4 times and we ended up sharing it with each other, no one else. This was around 7:30-8 o'clock. Once we had 4 from England who only talked about places in England. Twice we had a couple from Scotland and we couldn't understand a word he said. Then we had two couples from Canada who could only talk about where they lived in Canada and only to each other. One night we had a couple form the US we enjoyed talking to. We decided to try NCL again and found we still don't like it!

That's too bad about your shared dining experience. We had that problem on the Jewel because the host never asked if people wanted to share, and many people who would have shared didn't think to ask.

On our 33 day cruise on the Sun as well as our 26 day day cruise on the Star we were always able to get a shared table. I think this was because the host asked every couple if they wanted to share. Also we always dined before the dining room was completely filled, so there was a better chance for sharing. We met some great people this way.

Don't like the sounds of carnivals method at all

I would end up just at the buffet with that system as don't like ques

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You experienced an abberration.

We've been doing ATD on Carnival since it started in 2010 (at least 10 cruises using ATD), it is rare that we have had to wait in either a line or get a beeper. Usually 7pm is 'rush hour' for ATD.

Only had two issues: one- the computer system broke down and the hostess was extremely flustered, 2 hour waits, line then beeper, were not umcommon on that cruise; on the second we always seem to get there when there was a crowd. Had to wait (20 minutes) in line for a table but was always seated immediately.

There is a new review on the Carnival board about the July 5th cruise. No problems with ATD. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2074832

We just got off Carnival's Sunshine. We always eat 2nd seating at 8:15.

But on this ship everyone who had signed up for Any Time Dining had to sign in ahead of time each night for the time they wanted to go to the dining room. It started at 5:30 around the corner from our cabin. One night I lost count after 50 people in line to do this. To me this is not really ANY time because you had to let them know what time you planned to get to the dining room. Any time means you can go at ANY time, whenever you feel like it. Met a passenger who didn't know this and said just going to the dining room threw them off, they didn't know what to do with her.

Any other ships doing this? Glad we hate any time dining!

Some people believe that NCL's Free Style Cruising means that you can cruise for free.

Other people believe that Any Time Dining means you can dine any time.

Both groups are equally confused.

Free Style cruising means only that the style is more free - or open - than other cruises.

Any Time Dining means you can dine Any Time a table is available, rather than being assigned a fixed time to dine.

Due to popular demand, nearly every cruise ship on earth offers some form of Any Time Dining.

Industry-wide, two thirds of all cruisers tell us they prefer Any Time Dining.

Since you do not like it, your chances of getting a fixed dining reservation are much better.

And some of us prefer traditional dining. We had anytime a couple of cruises ago and it just didn't feel the same. My hubby said it felt disorganized to him (we were sat down at a table a few times with passengers who had already ordered). Sometimes he felt the waitstaff was rushing us out the door. And this was a cruise that had about a tenth of the passengers missing due to a flight problem. So it seems that there should be fewer people at each type of dining (which meant we should have asked if we can get into late traditional, which we were waitlisted for).

A few weeks after the cruise we were talking about our trip and my hubby said anytime dining just didn't feel special at all, to which I heartily agreed.

...............

(we were sat down at a table a few times with passengers who had already ordered)...........

We experienced this on Princess also. Each line does thing differently.

Carnival won't usually sit others after orders have been taken. But that means that the first at a shared ATD table might have to wait a bit.

And some of us prefer traditional dining. We had anytime a couple of cruises ago and it just didn't feel the same. My hubby said it felt disorganized to him (we were sat down at a table a few times with passengers who had already ordered). Sometimes he felt the waitstaff was rushing us out the door. And this was a cruise that had about a tenth of the passengers missing due to a flight problem. So it seems that there should be fewer people at each type of dining (which meant we should have asked if we can get into late traditional' date=' which we were waitlisted for).

 

[b']A few weeks after the cruise we were talking about our trip and my hubby said anytime dining just didn't feel special at all, to which I heartily agreed.[/b]

My wife and I agree with the two of you. We like the feeling that we are attending an special event when we do traditional dining. We look forward to it, and as the time approaches we have a heightened level of excitement. It is not dissimilar to looking forward to attending a special banquet to celebrate an award, or a special event, or even a personal celebration such as a wedding or anniversary. Everyone seems to be happy and friendly, all enjoying a single event together.

Our one experience with non-traditional dining felt no different than going out to a restaurant at home. There was little to no anticipation of the meal. It was just "we have to eat so here we are". People were not as friendly, as if they couldn't be bothered to even smile at you as you passed by. There wasn't the feeling of anything special about it at all. Rather mundane and boring, actually.

We take cruises because of all the special experiences they provide, from being on the open seas on a beautifully decorated ship, to visiting far away and sometimes exotic ports, to being treated and pampered by the always excellent staff. Looking forward to an evening of dining with friends, new or old, is a big part of that specialness that attracted us to cruising in the first place, and we aren't ready to give that experience up.

To me, people who avoid traditional dining are missing out on one of the most enjoyable aspects of the cruise, and have turned it into nothing different than just another day at home.

We have had good experiences with anytime dinning in the past. Just prefer a set time.

My travel buddy and I didn't think the Sunshine MDR food tasted as well as the other Carnival ships

We tried "anytime" dining on our last cruise and HATED it.

Had to wait about 45 minutes once to get seated.

Never again, also won't sail NCL for this reason.

We just got off Carnival's Sunshine. We always eat 2nd seating at 8:15.

But on this ship everyone who had signed up for Any Time Dining had to sign in ahead of time each night for the time they wanted to go to the dining room. It started at 5:30 around the corner from our cabin. One night I lost count after 50 people in line to do this. To me this is not really ANY time because you had to let them know what time you planned to get to the dining room. Any time means you can go at ANY time, whenever you feel like it. Met a passenger who didn't know this and said just going to the dining room threw them off, they didn't know what to do with her.

Any other ships doing this? Glad we hate any time dining!

I LOVE anytime dining!! First, I don't want to be told when to eat- I am not a 5th grader anymore..I can't eat late, because I have GERD ( acid reflux) and eating early is better..2nd, we hate eating at 6, too early, so we eat at 6:45 or 6:30, which is perfect for us..3rd- we reserve a table for 2 always ( unless we cruise with others), tough to do on some ships who don't have enough tables for 2..4th- Anytime does NOT mean you can go anytime..it means

you can RESERVE your table anytime and dine different times throughout the cruise..IF you don't do this ( because you didn't know OR you didn't do your research..) , then, yes, you may now have to wait...we have Anytime or My Time dining on our last 5 cruises and love it..BTW, we have never waited more than 2-3 minutes for a table..the key is going early- between 5:30 and 7 (6:45 better)..after 7, you probably will have a longer wait...BTW, this new way of dining is now preferred by 72% of the cruisers..there is always traditional dining for the rest.....just MHO..

Big Al

We tried "anytime" dining on our last cruise and HATED it.

Had to wait about 45 minutes once to get seated.

Never again, also won't sail NCL for this reason.

What time did you go? If you went AFTER 6:45, you will wait...we go at 6:30- 6:45..we hate eating at 6 and worse at 8 or 8:30....we have cruised NCL 5 times and NEVER waited..also, did you do the specialty restaurants? NCL is famous for 2 things: specialty venues & entertainment...Teppanyaki ( Japanese) was terrific, as was Le Bistro & Cagney's and there is NEVER a wait in those..what ship were you on? Did you reserve a table at a specific time? Anytime after 7 will get you waiting more..just an FYI...

Big Al

Once we had 4 from England who only talked about places in England. Twice we had a couple from Scotland and we couldn't understand a word he said. Then we had two couples from Canada who could only talk about where they lived in Canada and only to each other. One night we had a couple form the US we enjoyed talking to. We decided to try NCL again and found we still don't like it!

Perhaps you didn't mean this the way it came across, but really? You are seated with a couple from another country and you weren't willing to talk about their country with them? You couldn't understand someone from Scotland? (Sure, I could buy missing a few words here and there, but....?)

Generally I find Europeans are much better at conversing with others around a table than Americans. Often they take it in turns. Once one has conversed about England for a while, they will adroitly turn the conversation to something the US guests can contribute to more readily.

We take cruises because of all the special experiences they provide, from being on the open seas on a beautifully decorated ship, to visiting far away and sometimes exotic ports, to being treated and pampered by the always excellent staff. Looking forward to an evening of dining with friends, new or old, is a big part of that specialness that attracted us to cruising in the first place, and we aren't ready to give that experience up.

 

To me, people who avoid traditional dining are missing out on one of the most enjoyable aspects of the cruise, and have turned it into nothing different than just another day at home.

The first half of my cruising history was using traditional dining. (There was no other option.) I enjoyed it -- but traditional dining in those days meant EVERYONE was dressed up and table service was very special. There were more courses, more tableside preparation, silver service, etc.

Now I have used some version of anytime dining for many years, and I enjoy it. I always ask to share a table. And I bolded part of your statement above because you can ALSO dine with friends new or old with anytime dining; that's not limited to traditional seating.

Since the MDR experience became -- for me -- a bit disappointing at times, I cruise more for the ports of call than for the dining experiences.

There's no right or wrong. Let's just be happy that most lines provide options to fit most of us, whatever we like.

My wife and I agree with the two of you. We like the feeling that we are attending an special event when we do traditional dining. We look forward to it, and as the time approaches we have a heightened level of excitement. It is not dissimilar to looking forward to attending a special banquet to celebrate an award, or a special event, or even a personal celebration such as a wedding or anniversary. Everyone seems to be happy and friendly, all enjoying a single event together.

 

Our one experience with non-traditional dining felt no different than going out to a restaurant at home. There was little to no anticipation of the meal. It was just "we have to eat so here we are". People were not as friendly, as if they couldn't be bothered to even smile at you as you passed by. There wasn't the feeling of anything special about it at all. Rather mundane and boring, actually.

 

We take cruises because of all the special experiences they provide, from being on the open seas on a beautifully decorated ship, to visiting far away and sometimes exotic ports, to being treated and pampered by the always excellent staff. Looking forward to an evening of dining with friends, new or old, is a big part of that specialness that attracted us to cruising in the first place, and we aren't ready to give that experience up.

 

To me, people who avoid traditional dining are missing out on one of the most enjoyable aspects of the cruise, and have turned it into nothing different than just another day at home.

I disagree...what makes you think I want to eat at 6 or 8:30??? Why should I have to eat at 6 or 8:30? What if I choose 6, and we get back late from an excursion at a port, and now we have to rush to shower, dress & eat? On our 29 cruises, this has happened a few times... I also don't see any difference in the service in Anytime/my time dining...I don't cruise to meet waiters in any case..what if I'm not hungry at the designated time and would like to dine later? I like options ( in everything), and nothing bores me more on a cruise than going to dinner at the same time, at the same venue,etc..yes, it's nice to have the same staff ( IF they are good & friendly) , but as I said, we don't cruise for the food, or to meet waiters..we dine 1x or 2x in the specialty venues since the food, service & ambiance ( most important) is much better than the MDR IMO...BTW, can't eat later, as I have GERD ( acid reflux) and if I eat late, I'm in pretty bad discomfort...that's why ships have both traditional dining and anytime dining...also, if you like your staff & where your table is, most ships will allow you to dine there every night- you just have to tell them you want table XX at XX time every night..at least RCI did it that way...as I mentioned in an earlier post, recent surveys show cruisers prefer anytime dining by 72% vs. 28% for traditional or don't care...and I think the reason is people like options...

Big Al

Perhaps you didn't mean this the way it came across, but really? You are seated with a couple from another country and you weren't willing to talk about their country with them? You couldn't understand someone from Scotland? (Sure, I could buy missing a few words here and there, but....?)

 

Generally I find Europeans are much better at conversing with others around a table than Americans. Often they take it in turns. Once one has conversed about England for a while, they will adroitly turn the conversation to something the US guests can contribute to more readily.

 

 

 

The first half of my cruising history was using traditional dining. (There was no other option.) I enjoyed it -- but traditional dining in those days meant EVERYONE was dressed up and table service was very special. There were more courses, more tableside preparation, silver service, etc.

 

Now I have used some version of anytime dining for many years, and I enjoy it. I always ask to share a table. And I bolded part of your statement above because you can ALSO dine with friends new or old with anytime dining; that's not limited to traditional seating.

 

Since the MDR experience became -- for me -- a bit disappointing at times, I cruise more for the ports of call than for the dining experiences.

 

There's no right or wrong. Let's just be happy that most lines provide options to fit most of us, whatever we like.

Well said...if you don't want to converse with people from another country, you should ask for a table for two, as I do..my wife is from Peru and her English is so-so..we have had nightmare tablemates who whined, complained & never stopped talking..one wife kept saying to her husband, "act like a human being, act like a human being" ,throughout the whole dinner...dining with strangers is not my idea of a vacation..if we want that, we cruise with friends or family...I agree the MDR has become mediocre food wise, so we dine sometimes in the specialty venues- much better food, service, a table for 2 by a window over-looking the sea, soft music, no 200+ waiters running around, no dining with 1000-1500 people, and boring menus...MDR's are like wedding food or catered food IMO, UNLESS you cruise on high end ships like Crystal, Seabourne, or Oceania.....and those are very $$....

Big Al

My wife and I agree with the two of you. We like the feeling that we are attending an special event when we do traditional dining. We look forward to it, and as the time approaches we have a heightened level of excitement. It is not dissimilar to looking forward to attending a special banquet to celebrate an award, or a special event, or even a personal celebration such as a wedding or anniversary. Everyone seems to be happy and friendly, all enjoying a single event together.

 

Our one experience with non-traditional dining felt no different than going out to a restaurant at home. There was little to no anticipation of the meal. It was just "we have to eat so here we are". People were not as friendly, as if they couldn't be bothered to even smile at you as you passed by. There wasn't the feeling of anything special about it at all. Rather mundane and boring, actually.

 

We take cruises because of all the special experiences they provide, from being on the open seas on a beautifully decorated ship, to visiting far away and sometimes exotic ports, to being treated and pampered by the always excellent staff. Looking forward to an evening of dining with friends, new or old, is a big part of that specialness that attracted us to cruising in the first place, and we aren't ready to give that experience up.

 

To me, people who avoid traditional dining are missing out on one of the most enjoyable aspects of the cruise, and have turned it into nothing different than just another day at home.

Just because you do ATD does not mean that you can not enjoy a meal with "friends, new or old". It just means that you can choose the time that you would like to dine together.

My wife and I agree with the two of you. We like the feeling that we are attending an special event when we do traditional dining. We look forward to it, and as the time approaches we have a heightened level of excitement. It is not dissimilar to looking forward to attending a special banquet to celebrate an award, or a special event, or even a personal celebration such as a wedding or anniversary. Everyone seems to be happy and friendly, all enjoying a single event together.

 

Our one experience with non-traditional dining felt no different than going out to a restaurant at home. There was little to no anticipation of the meal. It was just "we have to eat so here we are". People were not as friendly, as if they couldn't be bothered to even smile at you as you passed by. There wasn't the feeling of anything special about it at all. Rather mundane and boring, actually.

 

We take cruises because of all the special experiences they provide, from being on the open seas on a beautifully decorated ship, to visiting far away and sometimes exotic ports, to being treated and pampered by the always excellent staff. Looking forward to an evening of dining with friends, new or old, is a big part of that specialness that attracted us to cruising in the first place, and we aren't ready to give that experience up.

 

To me, people who avoid traditional dining are missing out on one of the most enjoyable aspects of the cruise, and have turned it into nothing different than just another day at home.

This is where you are wrong. We did traditional dining before anytime came about. It was NOT enjoyable for US. We did not enjoy trying to make small talk with complete strangers. That is out of our comfort zone. Who wants to be uncomfortable on their vacation? I don't.

Everyone also has a different home life. Dining on a ship with just our family is not "just another day at home". We rarely get a chance to sit together at home. Between sports and work we all have different schedules. Being together for dinner on a cruise and being waited on like they do IS a special occasion for us. It is something we look forward to on a cruise...just like you look forward to your traditional dining. Just because it doesn't feel special to you, doesn't mean it isn't special for someone else. That is why it is nice to have choices.

We love anytime and freestyle. We have only had to wait for a max of 15 minutes 2x. We love the flexibility of eating with when, where, and with whom we want. The only time I did not like it was on Ruby Princess. They still had the flexibility but they are not set up for couples who wish to dine alone. Most of their tables for 2 are along a long bench with less than a foot seperating them. It was like we were sitting at table for 16 and not 2. Very awkward and no privacy. They tried pushing you towards sitting with others when you came in....even when you requested a table for 2 and then acted like it was a great hassle when you insisted on a table for 2. After our 2nd try we stopped going to the MDR.

We've done almost all of it:

Freestyle on NCL (did not like the ship nor the drunken fellow passengers), traditional dining with a fixed time (did not like the fact that table mates only showed up occasionally, never told us when) and any time on HAL where they have a mixed system. that was ok. We prefer ships like Oceania's where all dining rooms are any time and the food is very good.