Carnival implementing anytime dinning.

[Peddler]

I see where Carnival is going to implement anytime dinning fleet wide.

This is from...Carnival News. Com

Carnival Cruise Lines will begin testing a new flexible dining option with the Carnival Legend’s June 29, 2008, departure that will enable guests to choose an open seating option for dinner. Guests who opt for flexible dining can dine at whatever time they wish between 5:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. nightly in the ship’s main restaurant.

The new flexible dining pilot program aboard Carnival Legend will in no way replace Carnival’s popular classic dining system which provides a choice of either main or late seating. Under classic dining, guests dine at the same table with service from the same wait staff throughout the full voyage.

Guests will be asked to designate either flexible/open seating or classic, assigned seating prior to departure and their choice will be in effect for the full cruise.

The new open seating dining initiative is the latest addition to Carnival’s Total Choice Dining and designed to provide guests with additional flexibility in their dinnertime options.

Carnival will begin contacting guests sailing on the Carnival Legend’s June 29 departure and beyond to advise of the new dining initiative beginning later this month.

Carnival Legend sails year-round seven-day western Caribbean cruises from Tampa.

[JoeyandDavid]

If i was a Carnival fan i guess i would be more upset..but it appears that this is the new way to cruise..

[rogue]

The way I feel about it is that I'll stick with Traditional Dining, but, to each his own.

[55ChevyLady]

thanks, but no thanks...

[Dan40]

In the past there was the choice of early or late dining. Now there is the choice of early, late, or anytime. Small difference, just an extra option. NOTHING being taken away. You make your choice and that is your dining arrangement for the length of the cruise, no switching from one to the other. The traditional and anytime diners are NOT mixed. In ships with one dining room, one is on the first floor, one on the second. 2 DR's and one is traditional, the other anytime. I do traditional as I enjoy the difference from dining out at home or any land restaurant. That's all anytime is, just like dining out at home. You show up when the restaurant is open, ask to be seated. Wait if there are others ahead of you. Or you make a reservation. ABSOLUTELY no difference from a land restaurant.

It is not like or planned to be like NCL. They have no traditional dining. They have numerous dining venues, ALL anytime dining. Most are extra charge.

[JoeyandDavid]

In the past there was the choice of early or late dining. Now there is the choice of early, late, or anytime. Small difference, just an extra option. NOTHING being taken away.

If we were talking just a bought a meal. i would agree small differences.. but Dan what about the little things that you do in-fact lose get when traditional dining will no longer become an option.. like the traditional Baked Alaska parade!

[Dan40]

In the past there was the choice of early or late dining. Now there is the choice of early, late, or anytime. Small difference, just an extra option. NOTHING being taken away.

If we were talking just a bought a meal. i would agree small differences.. but Dan what about the little things that you do in-fact lose get when traditional dining will no longer become an option.. like the traditional Baked Alaska parade!

The baked Alaska parade has been a dead horse for years now. I don't know if risk management people or SOLAS put a stop to it. But its been gone for a long time. The present day with the little cups of canned heat are a joke. The old days of real FLAMING baked Alaskas were great. But they are gone. And amateurish singing and uncoordinated dancing by waiters can go today as far as I'm concerned.

TRADITIONAL DINING is NOT being replaced. It WILL be kept. 'Your time' dining is ONLY an additional choice. Doing away with traditional would be following NCL. And Carnival is not going to follow a company that is barely surviving. NCL came up with Freestyle to look "different" from the other lines. They SHOULD have made it another option like the other lines have done. But they didn't. Now NCL really has nothing to say. All they have is "Freestyle" while everybody else has 'freestyle' AND traditional.

[JoeyandDavid]

In the past there was the choice of early or late dining. Now there is the choice of early, late, or anytime. Small difference, just an extra option. NOTHING being taken away.

If we were talking just a bought a meal. i would agree small differences.. but Dan what about the little things that you do in-fact lose get when traditional dining will no longer become an option.. like the traditional Baked Alaska parade!

The baked Alaska parade has been a dead horse for years now. But its been gone for a long time.

Dan it's been on EVERY cruise I have taken.. we love the tackiness..I will say if it's dead "the zombie dances at dinner"

[zebra]

In the past there was the choice of early or late dining. Now there is the choice of early, late, or anytime. Small difference, just an extra option. NOTHING being taken away.

If we were talking just a bought a meal. i would agree small differences.. but Dan what about the little things that you do in-fact lose get when traditional dining will no longer become an option.. like the traditional Baked Alaska parade!

And amateurish singing and uncoordinated dancing by waiters can go today as far as I'm concerned.

TRADITIONAL DINING is NOT being replaced. It WILL be kept. 'Your time' dining is ONLY an additional choice.

Well said.... that singing/dancing drives me nuts - it's place is NOT in an upscale dining room, I know, I know - this is just MY opinion. Bring on the Orchestras if one wants a "fine dining" experience.

I also enjoy anytime dining on CERTAIN itineraries. Sometimes early is too early like when you have been out walking all day in Europe and you get back exhausted..... actually late seating is then too late as well because of how tired you are, you would like to have a meal at your own chosen time and then hit the sack. We did Europe on Celebrity and missed anytime dining BIG TIME!!!! We had come to enjoy anytime dining on Princess and we has the same table mates that we had become friends with and the same waiter as we asked for him..... so we had the best of both worlds.

Traditional or anytime..... we like them both - just get me onto a ship, pleeeez!

[Dan40]

In the past there was the choice of early or late dining. Now there is the choice of early, late, or anytime. Small difference, just an extra option. NOTHING being taken away.

If we were talking just a bought a meal. i would agree small differences.. but Dan what about the little things that you do in-fact lose get when traditional dining will no longer become an option.. like the traditional Baked Alaska parade!

The baked Alaska parade has been a dead horse for years now. But its been gone for a long time.

Dan it's been on EVERY cruise I have taken.. we love the tackiness..I will say if it's dead "the zombie dances at dinner"

The baked Alaska parade on todays cruises is just a steel cup pushed down into the cake and filled with canned heat. In the old days the entire cake was covered in booze and set afire. They really flamed and that heat IS a part of the Baked Alaska process. That heat warms the icing and cake thru but they protect the ice cream from melting.

The parade now is just a sham show.

They also used to make Cherries Jubilee and Bananas Foster by the table in the main dining rooms. They are also gone, probably due to 'fire safety' as well.

But then I have a half century of cruises and a long memory. Short memory not so good!