anytime dining-picking tablemates?????

[valtandc]

My first anytime dining experience....just going on a CTN for 2 nights with a friend.....

 

Do you ever not go in line because there is a group that you don't really want to dine with?

 

Or do you wait until you see people maybe that are around your age group....or whatever?

 

Just wondering how this is done and if you can be selective on whom to eat with.

[amysb]

We did anytime dining last November (3 of us), and never got seated with another party. We always had a separate booth. BTW, we loved it! We had great waitstaff the first night and requested them every night thereafter. Enjoy!

[dswift008]

When we did the Anytime dining on Carnival Freedom they sat us at a table for 2. There were other table about 1" apart next to us though.

Sometimes the people we sat next to chatted soemtime not.

 

When 3 of us went to dining, my DS didn't always make dinner with us, we sat in a booth for 4.

 

On Carnival I don't think they had the big tables that sat 8 or 10 people in the anytime dining section.

For bigger parties they moved a bunch of smaller tables together

[AWCHIEF]

I have selected anytime dining for the last 5 cruises. As a solo passanger they always try to sit me by myself. I would rather sit with others and ask the staff to do this. On my last cruise I had some friends on board from CC that also had anytime dining, more by chance than design we usually arrived at the MDR at about the same time. We dined together 3 out of 4 nights. Worked out great. Also had the same wait staff each evening.

[okgirl]

With YTD you tell the hostess whether you want to dine alone or with a group. If you want to dine with a group and they have just seated a partial table they will go ahead and seat you. If there isn't room at a table you will be asked if you want to wait for another group to come in or just be seated by yourself.

[riffatsea]

We like to choose our tablemates. We do Anytime Dining and ask for a table for 2.

IF we meet folks we like while doing activities on the ship then we may arrange to meet for dinner together IF they also have ATD. We have also met folks while chatting and waiting in line.

NOone will automatically seat you with strangers!

[valtandc]

Darn. We really want to be seated with others. I guess I should have selected a dining time and requested a large table.

[okgirl]

Darn. We really want to be seated with others. I guess I should have selected a dining time and requested a large table.

 

You can go to the Maitre'D on embarkation day (he will be in one of the dining rooms around 1:30, it's in your Fun Times) and ask to be changed to assigned dining and a large table.

 

That's a very easy change for him to make, though you will probably end up with late seating since many people don't like that time.

 

But you might just try YTD the 1st night, ask to be seated with others at a large table and see what you get. If there isn't a group waiting to be seated they will probably give you a pager so you can go to the bar and have a cocktail waiting on a group to form.

 

You will have plenty of oportunity to dine with others though. The MDR is open for Breakfast everyday and Lunch on Sea days. It's open seating and they will ask if you want to be seated with a group.

 

I eat in the MDR every time it's open. I ask to be seated with a group for breakfast and lunch, but by the evening I'm ready to be seated with just my sister so we do YTD and ask for a table for 2.

[zqvol]

My first anytime dining experience....just going on a CTN for 2 nights with a friend.....

 

Do you ever not go in line because there is a group that you don't really want to dine with?

 

Or do you wait until you see people maybe that are around your age group....or whatever?

 

Just wondering how this is done and if you can be selective on whom to eat with.

 

 

Just like at any restaurant on shore, you are always free to pick who you dine with and when you eat.