Fixed seating: how does it work?

I'm not a total n00b to the cruising scene, having three under my belt and two more upcoming. But each time I've had Carnival's Your Time Dining and have never experienced the traditional fixed seating. And while the books and blogs and posts I've read talk about many aspects of it, there are some that I'm in the dark about.

So you fixed seating vets, please humor me and answer my silly questions for the cruise line(s) you know best:

For all of these questions, let's assume a 6 PM or whatever the early option is, unless I say otherwise.

1) How many entrances are there into each dining room?

2) Will I be escorted to my table, even if I've dined there six days in a row and can find it blindfolded?

3) Am I assigned a seat at my assigned table? If not, will the person that's escorting me (sorry I don't know the word for him/her; please enlighten me) suggest a chair for me, or is it first come first serve?

4) What time does the dining room open?

5) What time should I show up if I want to avoid the worst of the lines (I really don't like lines)? 5:30? 5:45? 5:50? 5:55? 6:00? 6:05?

Thank you kindly for your informed answers to my uninformed questions.

1. The answer may vary by ship, but I have only seen pne entrance.

2. The first night you will be escorted usually by a waiter or assistant waiter. Second and subsequent nights, escort only if you request one.

3. Seeing is first come first serve.

4. 6:00pm

5. 6:05

My suggestion is when you get on the ship and start exploring, stop by the MDR and check out where your table is located.

As also noted, arrive 5 minutes after opening, and just walk in to your table.

The first night, they will escort you to your table. There will be a big crowd waiting to get in, and to be escorted. After the first night, although lines will form outside the door, they will move fast once the doors open, as folks know where their table is. You can sit anywhere at the table. Some people like to get there to claim the sme seats every night. Others sit wherever they want. We have been at large tables where couples separated so as to get to know others better. EM

Only the spirt class ships have one entrance to the dining room

And the others will depend on what dining room you have as most have two dining rooms.

the midship dining room has two entrances.. One in the front (using the forward elevators and one in the back using the midship elevators.

the aft dining room has one entrance using the aft elevators

the dining rooms all have two floors.

The doors to the dining room do not open until exactly 6pm. I could never figure out why those people feel its necessary to start standing in line at 5:45. (your seat is yours for the entire week and they are not going to run out of food.

We leave our room at 6pm and make our way down to the dining room. The first night is hectic as majority of the people are waiting on line to be excorted to their seats. Each night after the people know where the tables are so they go alone.

You want to be at your table before 6:15 and not be too much later as it throws off the wait team with the ordering.

1) How many entrances are there into each dining room?

2) Will I be escorted to my table, even if I've dined there six days in a row and can find it blindfolded?

3) Am I assigned a seat at my assigned table? If not, will the person that's escorting me (sorry I don't know the word for him/her; please enlighten me) suggest a chair for me, or is it first come first serve?

4) What time does the dining room open?

5) What time should I show up if I want to avoid the worst of the lines (I really don't like lines)? 5:30? 5:45? 5:50? 5:55? 6:00? 6:05?

 

Thank you kindly for your informed answers to my uninformed questions.

1) Typically there are two to four enterances. This depends on the ship and the location of the resturant (aft or midship).

2) Only the first night - if you want it.

3) No, you are not assigned a seat. It is first come first choice of seats.

4) Usually the dining room will open at the assigned time. If the dinner time is 6:00pm then expect the doors to open at 6:00pm.

5) If you want to avoid the lines, then show up about two to three minutes after the assigned time. If dinner time is 6:00pm, then show up at 6:02 to 6:03pm.

Only the spirt class ships have one entrance to the dining room

And the others will depend on what dining room you have as most have two dining rooms.

 

the midship dining room has two entrances.. One in the front (using the forward elevators and one in the back using the midship elevators.

 

the aft dining room has one entrance using the aft elevators

the dining rooms all have two floors.

 

The doors to the dining room do not open until exactly 6pm. I could never figure out why those people feel its necessary to start standing in line at 5:45. (your seat is yours for the entire week and they are not going to run out of food.

 

We leave our room at 6pm and make our way down to the dining room. The first night is hectic as majority of the people are waiting on line to be excorted to their seats. Each night after the people know where the tables are so they go alone.

 

You want to be at your table before 6:15 and not be too much later as it throws off the wait team with the ordering.

As you point out, all the dining rooms have two floors. There is an entrance on each floor. So all the dining rooms have two or four entrances.

I'm not a total n00b to the cruising scene, having three under my belt and two more upcoming. But each time I've had Carnival's Your Time Dining and have never experienced the traditional fixed seating. And while the books and blogs and posts I've read talk about many aspects of it, there are some that I'm in the dark about.

 

So you fixed seating vets, please humor me and answer my silly questions for the cruise line(s) you know best:

 

For all of these questions, let's assume a 6 PM or whatever the early option is, unless I say otherwise.

 

1) How many entrances are there into each dining room?

2) Will I be escorted to my table, even if I've dined there six days in a row and can find it blindfolded?

3) Am I assigned a seat at my assigned table? If not, will the person that's escorting me (sorry I don't know the word for him/her; please enlighten me) suggest a chair for me, or is it first come first serve?

4) What time does the dining room open?

5) What time should I show up if I want to avoid the worst of the lines (I really don't like lines)? 5:30? 5:45? 5:50? 5:55? 6:00? 6:05?

 

Thank you kindly for your informed answers to my uninformed questions.

1: there will be, generally speaking..TWO entrances on each floor of the dining room( Port and Starboard). one floor is for set dining people, the other for whatever version of eat when you want is there. whether all entrances will be in use.. depends. I know on a few ships I have had one side before those with pre scheduled reservations and the other for walk ups on the floor that hosted eat when ya want. on the other floor, it was there to make it easier to seat guests on both side of the room together. it is always a smart idea to scope out your seat ahead of time so you know which side tho go to.

2: yes. and who cares? don't you get escorted to most tables in land based restaurants no matter how many times you have eaten there and know the layout better than the staff?

3: no although most people tend to automatically sit in the same spot every night. this does actually help the staff remember your preference for that plate of lemon wedges next to your water and the fact that Junior must have carrot sticks to munch on immediately.

4: promptly at the scheduled time. there can be a longline as people from up but it moves extremely quickly as there is a butt ton of people there waiting to escort you.

5: at the scheduled time keeping in mind that more than 10 minutes late is unacceptable and considered rude and you cane denied entrance altogether.

I'm not a total n00b to the cruising scene, having three under my belt and two more upcoming. But each time I've had Carnival's Your Time Dining and have never experienced the traditional fixed seating. And while the books and blogs and posts I've read talk about many aspects of it, there are some that I'm in the dark about.

 

So you fixed seating vets, please humor me and answer my silly questions for the cruise line(s) you know best:

 

For all of these questions, let's assume a 6 PM or whatever the early option is, unless I say otherwise.

 

1) How many entrances are there into each dining room? One

2) Will I be escorted to my table, even if I've dined there six days in a row and can find it blindfolded? If you want to be, but it's easy to decline and say, "no thanks, I know my way".

3) Am I assigned a seat at my assigned table? If not, will the person that's escorting me (sorry I don't know the word for him/her; please enlighten me) suggest a chair for me, or is it first come first serve? No reserved seats, you can choose one to your liking and even change it around and choose different seats on different nights.

4) What time does the dining room open? At the time the dinner is called for - i.e. if first seating is at 6:15, that's when the dining room opens.

5) What time should I show up if I want to avoid the worst of the lines (I really don't like lines)? 5:30? 5:45? 5:50? 5:55? 6:00? 6:05? What lines? I've never seen more than a 2-3 minute line.

 

Thank you kindly for your informed answers to my uninformed questions.

See my answers in purple, above.

We really love fixed dining. Had many great experiences meeting the same people every night and comparing notes about our days and experiences. But fixed means you are assigned to the Table, not to the seats. Unfortunately, humans fall into habits, so they may fall into the same seats every night. You can change this up by deliberately arriving early and getting a different seat - that'll shake things up!

After the first meal in the MDR you will know where your table is - no need to stand on ceremony and wait for an escort. I'm normally compulsive about being on time, but not about fixed-seat dining on a ship. I try to arrive fashionably late (because I hate the feeling of lining up for a lovely dinner). Since I've decided to be a little late, however, I try to make my choices from the menu quickly. You can dither if you've been early. If you've been late, I think good manners demand you pick something quickly. Otherwise you risk exposing yourself as a prima dona.

Others have given the good answers to your questions. Not specific to any line:

I usually go on a reconnoiter mission soon after arrival to check out the location of the table. If I'm familiar with the ship I'll note the entrance most convenient to the table - which might not otherwise be obvious. Then I don't need to wait for someone to show me to the table.

On a table for six or more we usually discuss on the first night whether the others want to keep their seats through the cruise or rotate/shuffle each night. With a larger table this helps everyone get to know everyone.

It's polite to show up within 15 minutes of the posted seating time so your tablemates don't have to wait. Usually last orders are taken a half hour after opening and dinner service flows the best when everyone orders and is served at the same time. If you know you won't be at dinner one evening it's also polite to let your tablemates and your waiters know.

 

On a table for six or more we usually discuss on the first night whether the others want to keep their seats through the cruise or rotate/shuffle each night. With a larger table this helps everyone get to know everyone.

I've never had this experience - people discussing whether to keep their same seats at the table. Usually, it's not discussed, and people just gravitate to their same seats as the night before. That's all fine until somebody gets stuck sitting beside a difficult dinner companion night after night. (I've been that "somebody.")

Then I think you can show up early, pick a decidedly different place at the table, and let the chips fall where they may. And if someone gives you side-eye and remarks on where you've sat, you can say, "Yes, it's so nice for everyone to get a chance to get to know each other better, don't you think?"

I know that many people like to sit at the same seat every night, but on one cruise, our table was at the window. So we changed seats each night and everyone had a chance to sit at the window. This was a cruise to Alaska, and one evening, we saw a whale near the ship!

I've never had to "stand in line" for fixed dining, though just like for a theatre sometimes it's a slow shuffle.

You shouldn't need to be escorted after the first night, but there are plenty of staff if you do.

The big differences are that you have the same table, same time, same waiters, same table-mates if you're on a shared table.

Same table-mates is perhaps the biggest difference to anytime dining.

You don't have the same dreary round of introductions each evening (and constantly having to try to remember names), same-old conversations about "where are you from?", "have you cruised before", etc.

If you gel, it can mean that you build lasting relationships - if you wish, you may end up going on to a bar or the theatre together, or going ashore together.

If, at the other end of the scale, you're on a table with folk you're not going to get along with - just as a for instance, you're quiet & introverted and they're young & bubbly, or they only want to talk about religion or politics (both of those are no-no's) or football or their family or anything else that's going to bore you silly - don't feel that you have to put up with that cruise-long. At the end of the first evening (or a later evening if you've persevered), quietly ask the Maitre D' (a waiter will point him out to you) if he will please assign you to another table. That's a big part of his job, most are very good at matching people, and he'll be used to a little round of table-switching.

No seats are assigned. Different folk handle this different ways, a gregarious table may agree to switching seats each evening. I've been on tables where one partner moves two places to the right each evening so that everyone gets to talk to everyone. But if folk are more reserved they'll stick to the same seats each evening, and others will respect the needs of the more-conservative.

Since you have the same table & same table-mates, everyone will wait until everyone has arrived before ordering.

If you decide you don't want to dine there one evening - you might want to try a speciality restaurant or the buffet, or skip dinner entirely - it's only good manners and no great problem to let your table-mates know.

Some will go to the half-way house of saying "if we're not there ten minutes after we should be, we wont be coming and please start without us". Doubtless others on this forum will disagree, but I regard that as ill-mannered. Get word to them or to your waiter, even if that's by putting your head in the dining room at 6pm & telling them then.

There are pros & cons with fixed dining, some folk prefer the one or the other & others take it as it comes.

But it's no big deal either way ;), & only after you've experienced both will you know which you prefer.

JB :)

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Then I think you can show up early, pick a decidedly different place at the table, and let the chips fall where they may. And if someone gives you side-eye and remarks on where you've sat, you can say, "Yes, it's so nice for everyone to get a chance to get to know each other better, don't you think?"

even with family members we rotate around the table giving us the chance to chat up everyone.

One important thing: If you plan to eat somewhere else and you know beforehand, let your table mates and your maître d' know. They won't wait for you then. On HAL ships, they sometimes give your seats to somebody else for that night.

let your table mates and your maître d' know.

We are the punctual types, so we tell our table mates the first night that if we are not there five minutes after dinner starts, we are not coming.

The person up front who assigns the tables for 'any time' diners needs to know - at least on HAL ships where they reassign those empty seats. We have often dined "upstairs" in those seats.

On a ship or dining room with traditional dining only, the maitre d' doesn't need to know. The seats remain empty.

I'm not a total n00b to the cruising scene, having three under my belt and two more upcoming. But each time I've had Carnival's Your Time Dining and have never experienced the traditional fixed seating. And while the books and blogs and posts I've read talk about many aspects of it, there are some that I'm in the dark about.

 

So you fixed seating vets, please humor me and answer my silly questions for the cruise line(s) you know best:

 

For all of these questions, let's assume a 6 PM or whatever the early option is, unless I say otherwise.

 

1) How many entrances are there into each dining room? some dining rooms might have only one entrance...not a big deal. I've rarely seen people rushing in, unless they have plans for the night (then you can just let your tablemates and waitstaff know that you want to leave by a certain time)

2) Will I be escorted to my table, even if I've dined there six days in a row and can find it blindfolded? We've always been escorted on the first day, but never after that. Just in anytime dining (which we didn't care for so we were happy to get traditional again on our next cruise).

3) Am I assigned a seat at my assigned table? If not, will the person that's escorting me (sorry I don't know the word for him/her; please enlighten me) suggest a chair for me, or is it first come first serve? On Carnival and Princess, it's always just sit down at an available table. Some people will always want to sit in the same spot, others not. I've been with others who will joke about everyone trying to sit in different chairs from night to night. Not a big deal for us, either way.

4) What time does the dining room open? At the time listed.

5) What time should I show up if I want to avoid the worst of the lines (I really don't like lines)? 5:30? 5:45? 5:50? 5:55? 6:00? 6:05? The only time there will be a line will be on the first night as the staff wants to escort each party (I'm guessing they just don't want passengers to be stumbling around looking for their table number). So on the first night, we'll go five minutes after the start time and see if the line has died down.

After that, we go on time -- there's no lines. I would definitely try to be within five minutes of the start time. The waitstaff will often wait for everyone at the table to be there before taking orders, so getting there 10 or more minutes late may cause a delay for your tablemates.

When you get to your table, the waiter, if there, will pull out your chair for you. Then he'll (or she'll) place your napkin on your lap and hand you a menu. Before the waiter shows up to take your order, select your various courses, aside from dessert (you give that order after the main dinner part). If your tablemates want to chat, you may want to say, "oh, what looks good here," to send a message that you're still trying to decide (and give your tablemates the same consideration). It's okay to have questions to ask the waitstaff, but don't hold up the ordering otherwise.

Then, you all can get to know each other, as John Bull mentioned above. The assistant waiter will bring out the bread and whoever is closest can select one and pass along the bowl (please no touchies unless you take the roll).

 

 

Thank you kindly for your informed answers to my uninformed questions.

Just in case someone has the same questions and might not be on your ship or cruiseline, I'm going to give general answers. My first six cruises were on Carnival, but before flexible dining was introduced and it seems from some of the posters, Carnival has some differences since 2002.

Thanks everyone!