Dine anytime?

[hova]

My last few cruises were with NC and HAL, however this year it looks like we are returning to Carnival after a 28 year abscence (Carnival Festivale). Anyways... I was wondering if the Carnival Elation has anything like NCL's Freestyle dining or dine anytime? The days we are in port, I don't want to rush back to the ship to eat, and I would prefer not to eat at the buffet.

What are my options?

thanks hova

[okgirl]

My last few cruises were with NC and HAL, however this year it looks like we are returning to Carnival after a 28 year abscence (Carnival Festivale). Anyways... I was wondering if the Carnival Elation has anything like NCL's Freestyle dining or dine anytime? The days we are in port, I don't want to rush back to the ship to eat, and I would prefer not to eat at the buffet.

What are my options?

thanks hova

 

Carnival has Your Time Dining as one of the 3 MDR options that you choose when booking your cruise.

 

You cannot mix YTD and Traditional Fixed time dining. So if you choose early fixed time dining and then don't want to rush back from a port your only option is the buffet or alternate dining venue like pizza, deli or room service.

[hova]

If I choose dine anytime, do I eat in the main dining rooms with the "reserved times" crowd? Also, is there a long lineup and wait that goes along with the dine anytime option? hova

[klfrodo]

If I choose dine anytime, do I eat in the main dining rooms with the "reserved times" crowd? Also, is there a long lineup and wait that goes along with the dine anytime option? hova

 

Yes, you eat with/near the "reserved time" crowd.

Lines? Yes, there could be wait times anywhere from 1 minute to 30 minutes depending on what time you decide you want to eat. If everybody with YTD shows up at 6:30 to eat,,,,,, probably going to be a long wait.

[dumbwaiterboy]

If I choose dine anytime, do I eat in the main dining rooms with the "reserved times" crowd? Also, is there a long lineup and wait that goes along with the dine anytime option? hova

 

We've done Anytime Dning the past 4 cruises and love it.

Most of the ships they reserve a floor of one of the dining rooms as Anytime Dining. On the liberty it was the lower floor of the midship dining room. On the Pride I was told it will be the top floor of the dining room (only one dining room on that class).

 

We have always been a party of two and have never waited to be sat. Sometimes we go at 6, sometimes 7, sometimes 8....all depends on the day in port and evening activities. If you make special requests (certain section, table, window, etc.) you may have to wait a bit.

 

Usually the line is never more than 10-15 couples, but they get sat very quickly.

 

As some people say, you don't get to know the staff, but in my opinion you just meet more of them :)

 

Have an amazing cruise! :D

[okgirl]

My sister and I have chosen YTD since it became available and as another poster said you will be seated in either the main floor of the midship dining room or the upper level if there is only one dining room.

 

The times are 5:45 to 9:30. We usually go around 7ish and rarely have stood in line for more than 5 minutes. On only 2 occasions we were given a buzzer and simply went to the lobby bar for a drink until we were buzzed.

 

We generally try to be seated in the same section of the dining room so that we have the same servers. We like to sit at a 2 top with 2 chairs, the other 2 tops that are a booth seat on one side are only about 8" apart and very difficult to get out of the booth side when people are seated next to you.