How long for anytime dining? can they speed up at request?

[LMaxwell]

Why is tipping the first night before they perform their service be a good idea? Tips are for good service, and not bribes.

 

I took the emoticon to mean that they were just being facetious and not really a serious suggestion anyways.

[KPfromCT]

Why is tipping the first night before they perform their service be a good idea? Tips are for good service, and not bribes.

 

Clearly, it's not mandatory, but it's something WE do.

We also tip the steward at the beginning of the cruise to ensure we have ice and towel animals.:D:D

 

Again, just a suggestion.

 

Money speaks.

[JohnSpo]

For YTD, you should be able to set the pace of your meal. Try to know what you want to order before you get to the dining room. You can do this by viewing the menu on the TV during the day. Don't waste time with the menu. Also know what dessert you want. The waiters will serve faster if they see you are dining fast. I eat more on the fast side so that works for me. You can also ask when the waiters do their MDR show and avoid those times. This will save a lot of time. This seems to work and my meals usually are no more than 45 minutes. I don't have kids so that helps in getting out faster too. Some of these tips should help.:cool:

[LMaxwell]

[emoji106] [emoji106] [emoji568]

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

I don't know how anyone eats an appetizer, salad, entree and dessert in less than an hour....never happens at a land based restaurant that is something more than a modified "fast food" eatery. It does take time to take an order, bring beverages, plate food, order a hot entry, clear between courses, check to make sure there is room for dessert, bring an after dinner cup of coffee.

 

We rarely finish dinner at home in less than 45 minutes unless its pizza out of a box.

 

I, personally, think it is rude to go to a sit down served dinner and then act like you are in a fast food place even accompanied by a child. If you want a nice dinner pay to have your child baby sat. If you want your child with you and they can't sit still for an hour best bet is to go to the buffet where you can accommodate their schedule.

 

A wait staff has more than a single table to negotiate and every person in the dining room probably has an agenda....should their service suffer because someone else wants a wait staff to "jump to it" just because they want a quick dinner? Sorry about being blunt...but "your time dining" doesn't translate into "record breaking dining".

[drolltroll]

I don't know how anyone eats an appetizer, salad, entree and dessert in less than an hour....never happens at a land based restaurant that is something more than a modified "fast food" eatery. It does take time to take an order, bring beverages, plate food, order a hot entry, clear between courses, check to make sure there is room for dessert, bring an after dinner cup of coffee.

 

We rarely finish dinner at home in less than 45 minutes unless its pizza out of a box.

 

I, personally, think it is rude to go to a sit down served dinner and then act like you are in a fast food place even accompanied by a child. If you want a nice dinner pay to have your child baby sat. If you want your child with you and they can't sit still for an hour best bet is to go to the buffet where you can accommodate their schedule.

 

A wait staff has more than a single table to negotiate and every person in the dining room probably has an agenda....should their service suffer because someone else wants a wait staff to "jump to it" just because they want a quick dinner? Sorry about being blunt...but "your time dining" doesn't translate into "record breaking dining".

 

If everyone took 1.5 hrs to eat like you a 3rd of the ship wouldn't get seated until 10:30.... No bigger than some of those portions are I do not see how someone could not eat in an hour.

I am not a fast eater necessarily but sometimes that dining room is too drawn out.... Why should the OP or me for that matter have to skip the dining room because we don't want to take an hour and a half to eat?

Asking to not languish to the point the child is irritable is hardly rude. We think someone tieing up a table for 1.5 hours is rude, how about that?

[Anthomaniac]

The same way while one diner can linger and take an hour to finish their entrée, another can arrive, order, eat, and depart in the same hour. It's not rocket science. And I don't have time for an hour and half dinner at home either, I have other things to do. Like making dinner, and cleaning up after.

 

Sent from my XT1030 using Tapatalk

[LMaxwell]

I don't know how anyone eats an appetizer, salad, entree and dessert in less than an hour....never happens at a land based restaurant that is something more than a modified "fast food" eatery. It does take time to take an order, bring beverages, plate food, order a hot entry, clear between courses, check to make sure there is room for dessert, bring an after dinner cup of coffee.

Maybe people inform the wait staff they want things expedited. And all MDR food is pre-plated before dinner service on cruises. If you have the opportunity to do a kitchen tour I suggest taking it to learn about the operations.

 

We rarely finish dinner at home in less than 45 minutes unless its pizza out of a box.

 

Wonderful! Terrible! I don't know! Relevance? :confused:

 

 

I, personally, think it is rude to go to a sit down served dinner and then act like you are in a fast food place even accompanied by a child. If you want a nice dinner pay to have your child baby sat. If you want your child with you and they can't sit still for an hour best bet is to go to the buffet where you can accommodate their schedule.

 

A wait staff has more than a single table to negotiate and every person in the dining room probably has an agenda....should their service suffer because someone else wants a wait staff to "jump to it" just because they want a quick dinner? Sorry about being blunt...but "your time dining" doesn't translate into "record breaking dining".

 

 

Nowhere in my question did I solicit an opinion, but thank you anyways for sharing yours. I only asked if they could accommodate a request. If a simple request / communication with the staff can avoid a lot of aggravation I certainly see no harm in taking that route. But since you took the time to state your opinion I should be so kind as to consider your points and respond.

 

Nice Dinner:

It is our first vacation as a family. I consider a dinner with my wife and child nice. My goal for our first family trip is not to dump my child off at every turn but to learn how to balance being a parent / enjoying family time. The MDR on a family cruise line 100% is family time.

 

Babysitting:

Carnival does not offer babysitting for infants during dinner hours anyways, so not a very helpful suggestion.

 

https://www.goccl.com/~/media/Files/Irman/bookccl/shipboard_knowledge/Babysitting.htm

 

Buffet:

I've paid for MDR meals for the three of us, including service, and in the MDR they will puree food for the baby. Will they puree food at the buffet? Unknown. And to my knowledge Carnival does not offer the same food in the buffet as in the dining room. At least as it appears now, to me, the buffet is a sub-optimal alternative and not a choice I'd be happy with.

 

Service suffering for others:

Please tell me how asking the wait staff to bring our apps and entree at the same time negatively impacts service to others?

 

Acting in a denigrative manner towards staff:

I'm not accustomed to using phrases like "jump to it" with people taking care of me. And it's certainly not reflected in my interactions with ship staff either, that's for sure.

 

If you insist I do not disturb the waitstaff with any personalized requests, all I can say is don't become offended or upset if you listen to a cranky baby. Hey, I tried to be considerate!

[quickrate]

We have been on the galley tour and things are preplated by course, not all courses preplated at once!:eek: Last course would be ice cold by the time you got it even if it was sitting under a heat lamp!

Pat

[jimbo5544]

I don't know how anyone eats an appetizer, salad, entree and dessert in less than an hour....never happens at a land based restaurant that is something more than a modified "fast food" eatery. It does take time to take an order, bring beverages, plate food, order a hot entry, clear between courses, check to make sure there is room for dessert, bring an after dinner cup of coffee.

 

 

 

We rarely finish dinner at home in less than 45 minutes unless its pizza out of a box.

 

 

 

I, personally, think it is rude to go to a sit down served dinner and then act like you are in a fast food place even accompanied by a child. If you want a nice dinner pay to have your child baby sat. If you want your child with you and they can't sit still for an hour best bet is to go to the buffet where you can accommodate their schedule.

 

 

 

A wait staff has more than a single table to negotiate and every person in the dining room probably has an agenda....should their service suffer because someone else wants a wait staff to "jump to it" just because they want a quick dinner? Sorry about being blunt...but "your time dining" doesn't translate into "record breaking dining".

 

 

The op asked about making the dining experience in the MDR go faster. There was nothing rude about. Far more rude, are the people who come in a 1/2 hour late and and screw up everyone else's service.

 

I would be shocked at the staff not working with a family that made this request. Big difference between that and "jump to it". Some people want to eat with their kids and not baby sat. IMHO

[okgirl]

I always preview the menus earlier in the day.

 

We go around 6:20, it's funny how most people tend to go on the 1/2 hour. By going at 6:20 we've always been seated immediately.

 

Another tip is to put the menu down as soon as you know what you are going to order then make eye contact with the waiter.

 

I also rarely order dessert and I let the waiter know that so he doesn't bother to bring a menu and I can leave as soon as I'm finished with me meal.

 

I'm usually in and out in about 45 minutes.

[skittl1321]

We rarely finish dinner at home in less than 45 minutes unless its pizza out of a box.

 

We went to Applebees yesterday. From the time we sat down, ordered drinks and an appetizer, got our drinks, ordered our main course, got our appetizer, finished it, got our main course, waited for, then paid our check, and left- it was 35 minutes. We joked when we got in the car that it took less than 40 minutes to eat. We were not rushing, nor did we feel rushed.

 

We didn't get dessert, but we don't on the ship either.

 

45 minutes is not an unreasonable dinner time. Carnival doesn't even have to bring out a check.

[Brooklyn Boy]

We have anytime dining for a cruise with a 10 month old. How long is your average dinner in the MDR? I'd guess 75-90 minutes? Will they speed things up at request? It may be better if we are in and out in 45-60 minutes with a young child.

 

I think it depends upon the ship. My wife and I have used anytime dining for years, and with one exception, it has worked out great. We tend to arrive around 6:00 PM, and are usually finished between 7:00 and 7:30. The only problem we ever had was on the Splendor. On a 7 night cruise, still showing up around 6:00 PM, it never took less than 2 hours. On the worst night it took three hours from the time we sat down just to have the entree delivered.

[JohnSpo]

The most important tip when dining YTD and you want to eat quicker is to ask for your own table and not eat at a large table. Then you can set a faster pace. Your best bet to secure your own table is to go to the MDR as soon as they open or later in the service.