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What does Priority Dinner Seating mean?

purplekisses

By purplekisses,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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katiel53

katiel53

Posted
Posted

It means that if your choice of dining time is available, you will get it. If not, you are put on a wait list and priority diners get first crack at the time should/when/if becomes available.

 

No way does anyone pass up the large line for dinner time. Enjoy your cruise.

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bobsfamily

bobsfamily

Posted
Posted
It means that if your choice of dining time is available, you will get it. If not, you are put on a wait list and priority diners get first crack at the time should/when/if becomes available.

 

No way does anyone pass up the large line for dinner time. Enjoy your cruise.

Not quite... the FTTF and P/D can "pass" the line for ATD.

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Colorado Kat

Colorado Kat

Posted
Posted
Not quite... the FTTF and P/D can "pass" the line for ATD.

 

Really? Do you know where you have seen that in writing? I would think you might annoy the people in the big line. If that is true, might be nice to have as a backup/last resort type of thing. Thanks!

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purplekisses

purplekisses

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I know that with ATD on the Splendor there was one side that the regular cruiser stood in and a few people got to go in the shorter line, which I think was for Platinum guests. I could be wrong through, but not about the two lines. I was hoping since I am paying the $49.95 for FTTF and one of the perks is Priority Dining it would mean I get to get in the short line.

 

As far as annoying those in the long line, if I pay for or earn a perk then I want to be able to use that perk. If they wanted the perks that are included in the FTTF fee then they should have paid for it. I plan to use the shorter line at guest services, tendering in HMC and getting on the boat. Our flight home is a little later so not to worried about how fast we get off the boat. I have 2 cabins booked and paid almost a $100 for these benefits, since I still need 73 days to be Platinum. I get off the soap box now.

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bobsfamily

bobsfamily

Posted
Posted
Really? Do you know where you have seen that in writing? I would think you might annoy the people in the big line. If that is true, might be nice to have as a backup/last resort type of thing. Thanks!

For P/D there is this statement:

Priority seating in Main Dining Room for dinner only. CCL does not guarantee that Member will receive requested seating time.

 

For FTTF:

Priority Main Dining Room and Specialty Restaurant reservations

 

Not really what I was looking for but what I could find on short notice:D.

Now I have seen several post stating this and have seen people walk by others waiting to go in (will be P next cruise) and not come back. I guess I could just say "It's what I heard on CC"...

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mcwebber

mcwebber

Posted
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That is my understanding, actually considering changing from late seating to YTD because of it.

 

You understand wrong.

Someone asked John Heald about this and he said he would send notice to the ship's to correct this as apparently some ship's personnel misunderstood and let FTTF people bypass the line when that should not have happened. You are taking a chance if you think it will happen for you.

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DaDivaMom

DaDivaMom

Posted
Posted

As a Platinum member and having YTD before I can tell you that you DO NOT get to by pass those waiting in line. You still have to wait just like everyone else if there is a line.

 

It simply means they will honor your request above others to choice YTD or a set dining time. It does not allow you to skip the line.

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kicia

kicia

Posted
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Platinum and Diamonds definitely do not get to bypass the line at ATD. We are Diamond and had a wait every night for ATD on our recent B2B. It has been confirmed that this is not a Diamond or FTTF perk.

 

As a side note, I don't know why anyone is standing in line if they have set dining times. Just wait 5 or 10 minutes and just walk in.

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mrsd912

mrsd912

Posted
Posted
Please tell me if you have a set dining time, people don't still line up.I know on are last carnival cruise in 09 they did .errr:confused:

 

Since those of us that like to be on time arrive a few minutes early, yes people do.

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serene56

serene56

Posted
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if you have traditional dining there is always a line forming before the doors open. could nevr wrap my head around why people will head here at 545 :

if the doors do not open til 6 are they afraid they will run out of food?

i

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jnky

jnky

Posted
Posted
Platinum and Diamonds definitely do not get to bypass the line at ATD. We are Diamond and had a wait every night for ATD on our recent B2B. It has been confirmed that this is not a Diamond or FTTF perk.

 

Something must have changed then, and I missed it...because on our Sept 10 voyage on the Imagination, our FTTF indicators on our Sign and Sail cards were an automatic bump up past the looooong line and we were always immediately placed in front of the Maitre D' and seated accordingly without every any sort of wait. That was one of the best parts of the purchase I thought!

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Rosefloater

Rosefloater

Posted
Posted
if you have traditional dining there is always a line forming before the doors open. could nevr wrap my head around why people will head here at 545 :

if the doors do not open til 6 are they afraid they will run out of food?

i

 

Especially the people who wait in the stairwell for the rear MDR on the Fantasy class ships. It's like a can of sardines.:eek:

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kmc500

kmc500

Posted
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Especially the people who wait in the stairwell for the rear MDR on the Fantasy class ships. It's like a can of sardines.:eek:

 

We were in that can a number of times on Fantasy class ships, until I finally figured it out. We also like to be on time, and often would end up in the stairwell at 5:55 or so, making for a painful wait in the sardine can.

 

As impolite as it is to our servers, we now arrive for dinner as close to 6:00 or 6:01 as possible, and walk right in. Duh. "Experience is a dear teacher, but a fool learns by no other".

 

Kevin C

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mythreesonsb

mythreesonsb

Posted
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I will add my two cents here....

 

We just got back yesterday from our cruise on the Victory out of San Juan. We had the YTD (which I believe is the choose your own time). On that cruise we always ended up eating somewhere around 6:30 or 7:00. The lower level of the Atlantic was for the YTD. The upper was for assigned times. I think during the whole week, we only waited one time and that was for about 10 minutes (they gave us a beeper).

 

All the other times we (our party of 9) walked right in and was seated immediately. We had the same table and waiters every single night. There was no line jumping or anything. Everyone seemed to be seated quickly from what I could see.

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bobsfamily

bobsfamily

Posted
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Hm, well I guess the truth lies in what you see on your cruise. It seems to be so for every ship and possibly every cruise being different. Love Carnival but really could do without so many "truths".

Whenever I go to change our seating to a 2-top there seems to be a line for "everyone" and another line for P/D...

I've read numerous stories on here about P/D and sometimes FTTF getting to go "ahead" at YTD(or is is ATD?). I wonder if its a matter of some P/D not knowing it so never going up front or being on a ship that has limited the number of people doing YTD so there is never a wait... or something else entirely.

 

Thanks for all the comments about it not being possible, guess I will just find out what the next ship I am on does (and it's CLOSE!)

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