Your Time Dining....?

[pearose]

Our next cruise we have chosen YTD for the first time, and I have since read a few things and wanted to ask a few questions about exactly how this works.

 

Do you go to any dining room or is YTD delegated to just one specific dining room? I originally thought you just go to the dining room and wait for an available table and you get a different table, different wait staff each time.

 

I have since read a review where they talked about getting a "pink slip" and requesting a table on a specific level with a specific waiter, even requested one by the window. And when you come at the time you requested, you can walk right in past those waiting that did not get a "pink slip" ahead of time.

 

Is any of this right or can anyone else shed light on exactly how all this works?

 

Thanks in advance!

[figdu]

You can ask for a table by the window and can also have the same waitstaff each night. You will wait in line to check in with the hostess as there are no "reservations". YTD is only in one dining room and is generally the forward one.

 

 

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[vwrestler171]

Generally one dining room is reserved for ATD, and you just show up and wait for a table. You can request the same wait staff each night if you want.

[Boozebabe]

YTD takes place in only one designated dining room. Show up any time you wish within their open hours. We've done it the last 4 cruises and we have never had to wait more than a minute or two for a table but we also avoid the DR during busy time.

 

If you find a wait team that you really like you can request them. I find that we are usually seated in the same wait station every night anyway. I'm not particular about the waiters. I get along with all of them just fine. The pink slip thing must be new since February. At that time people just asked for the waiter they wanted. There is usually a wait time if you request someone specific.

 

They used to hand out beepers like the land based restaurants use if there is a long line waiting. We have never gotten a beeper.

 

All that said, we love YTD. Theres no rush to get to dinner on time. No frustration over "late" table mates. If theres a line we just go have a drink and wait til there is no line.

[maldenmusic]

We are trying YTD for the first time in December. Looking forward to it.

[fshstck]

We always get Your Time Dining, we alwaysask for a table for two. On some cruises we got the same wait staff every night, ion the latest we got different ones every night. Some staffs are better than others, but we weren't too concerned about it, we always got the food. The longest we ha to wait was between 10- 15 minutes, we just went into the art gallery and checked out the paintinga for sale.

[GradUT]

I really did not like ATD on my recent cruise on the Imagination (and I let Carnival know it in the follow-up email they sent me.) The whole idea of ATD is supposed to be that you can eat "anytime", but we found that some nights there were waits of 30- 45 minutes. That meant I was having to eat a whole lot later than I wanted to. I shouldn't have to go to the dining room at 5:30 pm to avoid a lengthy wait.

 

So, I'm glad that we are booked for late dining on our next Carnival cruise.

[coevan]

ever been to a busy restaurant at home?

[JohnSpo]

I really did not like ATD on my recent cruise on the Imagination (and I let Carnival know it in the follow-up email they sent me.) The whole idea of ATD is supposed to be that you can eat "anytime", but we found that some nights there were waits of 30- 45 minutes. That meant I was having to eat a whole lot later than I wanted to. I shouldn't have to go to the dining room at 5:30 pm to avoid a lengthy wait.

 

So, I'm glad that we are booked for late dining on our next Carnival cruise.

 

I have found if you go during peak times you may have to wait but that is the same at any restaurant. I usually enjoy the Taste Bar early in the evening, then see the early show. After the show I go to dinner and there is no more than a 5 minute wait. You are on a ship with a few thousand people. If you don't like to wait then try to go earlier or later. I try to avoid lines so that is what i do.:cool:

[Florings]

We chose YTD on our last 2 cruises. I have to say that I much prefer the early set dining time - mainly because of the relationship you develop with the wait staff. Yes, I know you can ask for the same staff each night in YTD, but the wait always seemed to be longer.

 

So this year (28 days!! hurray!!) we have gone back to Early Dining. If we have a late port stop or other activity that precludes us from making it on time, we will eat at the Lido or Steakhouse or have room service.

[OCruisers]

We love the flexibility of YTD and would never want to go back to the traditional set dining! :)

[telebax51]

YTD is my preference i'm on vacation and like to eat when i'm hungry not when i have to for fear of upsetting others at my table waiting for us. Where to will be on your sail and sign card.

[bakersdozen12]

We tried YTD on our last cruise, and loved the flexibility.

 

The pink slip thing is only on the Vista. It's done differently on that ship because they are trying out something, to give Platinums and Diamonds priority seating.

 

 

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[kctwinmommy]

We chose YTD on our last 2 cruises. I have to say that I much prefer the early set dining time - mainly because of the relationship you develop with the wait staff. Yes, I know you can ask for the same staff each night in YTD, but the wait always seemed to be longer

 

I agree. I wasn't impressed with being on YTD for our last cruise. The waitstaff we had the first night was very inattentive, not friendly at all. I feel that when we have the set dining, and the staff knows you're going to be their table for the whole cruise, they put forth a better effort. We had some better staff on other nights, but still didn't feel it was the same level on interaction.

[NHL Philly Fan]

I could not imagine being on a any vacation let alone a cruise and being forced to eat dinner at a set time every single night, add to the the fact that you have to eat with the same strangers every night. Hell I am on vacation. I want to eat when I want where I want. VERY sad to hear that there is only one choice for dining for ATD passengers. I'll go on my cruise and have a great time, but if this is really the way it is, chances are this will be my only CCL cruise. The extremely limited dining choice for ATD should be clearly disclosed and perhaps is is but I never saw it anywhere. :(

[mitsugirly]

I could not imagine being on a any vacation let alone a cruise and being forced to eat dinner at a set time every single night, add to the the fact that you have to eat with the same strangers every night. Hell I am on vacation. I want to eat when I want where I want. VERY sad to hear that there is only one choice for dining for ATD passengers. I'll go on my cruise and have a great time, but if this is really the way it is, chances are this will be my only CCL cruise. The extremely limited dining choice for ATD should be clearly disclosed and perhaps is is but I never saw it anywhere. :(

 

Why does it matter which dining room you have to eat in? It's the exact same thing serving the exact same menu each night. There's just one dining room for those that have assigned seats and times and one dining room for any time dining. Why would that make a difference and this would be your last cruise if that's true? I'm not understanding. :confused: Can you imagine the chaos if they mixed the anytime people with those that are assigned in the same place each night? It would be a nightmare.

[NHL Philly Fan]

Why does it matter which dining room you have to eat in? It's the exact same thing serving the exact same menu each night. There's just one dining room for those that have assigned seats and times and one dining room for any time dining. Why would that make a difference and this would be your last cruise if that's true? I'm not understanding. :confused: Can you imagine the chaos if they mixed the anytime people with those that are assigned in the same place each night? It would be a nightmare.

 

 

I don't see it as a nightmare at all. Anyway I was misunderstanding the other post to mean that the ATD people had only one choice of where to eat. I went back to the CCL site and there seems to be a pretty good selection of free and upcharge dining. Still though there would be no problem what so ever opening all dining facilities to all passengers. I still fail to see how having a set time/place/ and group of strangers to eat with every night is anything that would be enjoyable on a cruise.

[crzndeb]

I could not imagine being on a any vacation let alone a cruise and being forced to eat dinner at a set time every single night, add to the the fact that you have to eat with the same strangers every night. Hell I am on vacation. I want to eat when I want where I want. VERY sad to hear that there is only one choice for dining for ATD passengers. I'll go on my cruise and have a great time, but if this is really the way it is, chances are this will be my only CCL cruise. The extremely limited dining choice for ATD should be clearly disclosed and perhaps is is but I never saw it anywhere. :(

 

I'm confused..if you were on a set time dining, you would also only have one dining room. You have several choices where you can choose to eat, depending on your ship. The buffet, the speciality dining, pizza, etc. if you don't want to go to the same dining room every night, then you can eat elsewhere. I think most ships are set up this way, except Disney, where you rotate between 3 dining venues and NCL, which is freestyle.

 

And you don't have to eat with strangers on set dining. You can ask for a table number of your choice.

 

Edit: just saw your previous response. Many people like meeting new people, and even with YTD, they will choose to eat with others. it's not something I like, but many do. Heck, I don't even like going to the dining room anymore. Too slow and to noisy...LOL

Edited September 24, 2016 by crzndeb

[Buckimion]

Why does it matter which dining room you have to eat in?

 

Without the level of dramatics, I admit I may have made a mistake when I switched from early dining to YTD nearly a year ago when planning our first cruise, as my introverted wife had expressed a preference for a table for 2 and the flexibility to eat when we were ready.

 

I use a mobility scooter/wheelchair to get around any distance, and it appears that the majority of the fully accessible OV rooms are in the stern on Main-Upper-Riviera in the Fantasy class without balconies. (Ours is U243) ATD means I have to maneuver though multiple hallways and/or elevators, dodging meal trays and what not, to get around to where we need to be for entry. Things would be much simpler if ATD would have been in the closest (rear) dining room.

 

To late to worry about it now...:cool:

[UtterCaro]

I still fail to see how having a set time/place/ and group of strangers to eat with every night is anything that would be enjoyable on a cruise.

 

Those are also called "traditional dining" and "making new friends." They may not suit you personally, but many people find them enjoyable.

 

Caro

[KCpumkin]

We always had great success ATD! Only once did we have someone that just couldn't handle his station. The next night we requested someone else; they were happy to change our area and was perfect from then on... :D

[glrounds]

I don't see it as a nightmare at all. Anyway I was misunderstanding the other post to mean that the ATD people had only one choice of where to eat. I went back to the CCL site and there seems to be a pretty good selection of free and upcharge dining. Still though there would be no problem what so ever opening all dining facilities to all passengers. I still fail to see how having a set time/place/ and group of strangers to eat with every night is anything that would be enjoyable on a cruise.

 

LOL . . . many of us have previously done this for decades and it has been the standard on most cruise ships for decades also, which is why some of us like the ANYTIME dining concept which most ships now have.

 

Incidentally, in "days of yore" those strangers at your dining table usually didn't remain strangers very long. Lifetime friendships started right at those dining tables quite often.:)

Edited September 24, 2016 by glrounds

[NHL Philly Fan]

LOL . . . many of us have previously done this for decades and it has been the standard on most cruise ships for decades also, which is why some of us like the ANYTIME dining concept which most ships now have.

 

Incidentally, in "days of yore" those strangers at your dining table usually didn't remain strangers very long. Lifetime friendships started right at those dining tables quite often.:)

 

I'll pass thanks anyway

[coevan]

as a restaurant owner this : " Still though there would be no problem what so ever opening all dining facilities to all passengers." would be a logistical nightmare. Fixed dining and YTD could never have a service with any efficiency, unless you split the DR into YTD and fixed. Can you imagine a server where all his guests come in at 5:45 and some one straggles in at 7:00, it just would not work.

[NHL Philly Fan]

as a restaurant owner this : " Still though there would be no problem what so ever opening all dining facilities to all passengers." would be a logistical nightmare. Fixed dining and YTD could never have a service with any efficiency, unless you split the DR into YTD and fixed. Can you imagine a server where all his guests come in at 5:45 and some one straggles in at 7:00, it just would not work.

 

 

At most dining facilities guests come in at any time in any number and it works just fine. Having been a server at one point in my life it is FAR easier to do the job when customers come in at various times. Any good server is used to waiting on people at various stages of dining.