Friday, May 9th, 2008...1:53 pm
Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam….Wonderful Spam
When I was at school I loved Spam. It was offered every day and on Friday things got really exciting as it was offered……………in batter. Spam was so popular Monty Python wrote a song about it which I used to sing while standing in line to order Spam for lunch………..Spam was part of my world and I embraced it with open arms.
Now I am older, I hate Spam and if someone put it in front of me just the smell would make me feel sick…………….I would rather eat a camel snot sandwich than eat Spam.
I guess my hatred for this mystery of meats must have been shared by some boffin who when the Internet was invented decided to call all the crap and unwanted e mails that nobody wants “Spam” and when I returned home from my holidays today my inbox was full of the bloody stuff.
Now, I am supposed to have a filter thingy for my Yahoo account but it filters bugger all and today when I checked my e-mail I had 56 slices of Spam.
This morning when I logged on to my computer, my inbox was stuffed to overflowing with messages, none of which ever has anything to do with work or messages from friends or George Hamilton. Most are from companies offering me Viagra and loans to pay for it. Then there are e-mails from someone I’ve never met telling me that they had sex last night with someone called Melissa.
I also was threatened with violence today by one of those awful e-mails that states that if you don’t forward it on to at least ten people you will get the bubonic plague…………and die. Today’s such threat came in the form of a beautiful waterfall and beneath it a poem about love for your fellow mankind and how we must all embrace our fellow man ……… then in small print at the bottom were some words telling me that if I didn’t forward this e-mail than I was a complete and utter scum with no more right to live on God’s green earth than a dung beetle…………………who writes these things?
So, here we are, home again and while Heidi unpacks I thought I would drop you a line or two. The journey home was good except that the Range Rover drinks more than Paris and Britney at an open bar and with the price of petrol more expensive than diamonds it was an expensive trip. However, we are both relaxed and have a nice relaxing weekend to look forward to. On Saturday we will go to Alan’s house for a barbecue which means two things…….a photo of Alan as promised and …………food poisoning from an undercooked sausage ………bugger.
Now, as we are talking about food let’s have a serious chat.
I have seen that another cruise line has announced that they are going to start flexible or anytime dining and it was met by mixed reaction on some of the cruise Web pages. Now, as it turns out, I have just learned from PA 007 that indeed Carnival has been planning for some time to try this option on one of our ships and will commence the testing beginning next month. Thanks, PA, for sniffing out this story.
Here is what will happen. The test ship will be the Carnival Legend beginning with the June 29 departure and the most important fact here is that the flexible dining option is to complement…………..not replace …………..the assigned dining times.
So, guests will have the option of arriving at one level of the dining room within specific times ………5:30 pm – 9:30 pm….. and request a table. Meanwhile, if guests prefer the classic assigned seating and being served by the same staff each night……..well that option is still there too.
Now, to me……….this is like having your Chocolate Melting Cake and eating it too because, unlike some other lines, we are still giving you the option of either open or assigned seating.
I know that some will stick with what they know and keep the assigned dining option …………however…………….we realize that times change and we more than others are ready to change with it. Some like the flexibility of eating ……………. well…………….when they are hungry and that’s when the anytime dining comes into play. To me, it’s the best of both worlds.
Again, this will start soon on the Carnival Legend only and at the time of writing there are no other plans to include other ships just yet…………….however……………if this is popular then I hope we will make this available on other ships in the fleet.
I need your feedback and I will answer your comments and questions on this subject so please …………as many of you as you can…………….even first-time posters………………just write me a few words ………just say YES to this option or NO……..I prefer assigned seating and if you want tell us why you prefer what you do.
This blog thingy is your voice and I promise you that it is read each and every day by all the top folks at Carnival…………..some of whom will probably be quite upset that I am releasing this information early to my blogging friends………not to worry though………….. so, please…………..speak up…………..let’s hear what you have to say…………….it’s your blog, your dinner………….and your cruise line.
I read a comment from Tim Kriebel MCPO who has just retired from serving 23 years in the United States Navy and who after protecting our freedom for all those years …… well………..all he wants is……….a solid gold plastic trophy.
Well, Tim…………….when you cruise on the Carnival Valor a trophy will be waiting for you and it is awarded to you not just by me but by all the thousands of readers who applaud your service and wish you a happy retirement.
Here is the last installment for a while from Bubba and his trip to Hawaii.
Luau is Hawaiian – For YUMMY!
Well it’s not really, but that was what I was thinking the whole day thinking about going to this, and I was glad to say I was not disappointed when I got there. This was a definite highlight of my entire time out here. Luaus are held for celebrations!
The luau is done on one of the late night ports and is a MUST do for the complete Hawaiian experience. We met around 5-ish to go over to the place. Once we got over there it took a few minutes to get check in and get our seat assignments. We went with the majority of the entertainment staff and their significant others. Think there were about 25 of us or more. They had our group in two different sections. There was regular seating with tables and chairs…then there was the traditional seating where you sat at a low table with a mat on the ground. The benefit of that is you are right in the front row for the show.
The doors opened at 5:45pm, and we were greeted with a Lei & a Mai Tai. The place was absolutely beautiful. There was a stage in the middle of the place surround by tiered levels of tables and chairs. Around the area there were lots of great places for photo ops and some of the staff of the luau doing demonstrations of games, hula and arts and crafts.
A very large Polynesian man handing out the Mai Tai’s on the way in.
Julie & I getting lei’ed
Great Hawaiian Band getting you in the mood for the party.
The stage in the middle there, with all of the tables around
One of the luau staff doing some arts and crafts. They had people doing wood carvings and making lots of things out of palm tree leaves.
I wandered around checking out the locals doing their thing, while helping myself to a couple more cocktails. Did I mention it’s an open bar???? Had a thing called the LAVA FLOW. Absolutely fantastic. The cocktail menu included….
Mai Tai, Pina Colada, Chi Chi, Lava Flow, Blue Hawaii, Green Passion, Hawaiian Sunset, Margarita, Honey Girl, Little Tita, Long Island, Long Beach, Nalu Special, Mellow Dramatic and beers, wine, sodas, juices….So they make an announcement that they are about to take the pig out of the oven, so head over to the fire pit to check it out. So of course I do…cause I love BBQ. Spent some time with some Argentineans on one ship, they know how to Q, but the Hawaiians got a different way of doing things which I thought was fascinating. The cook the meat underground – in a firepit called an IMU.
So there’s a whole in the ground where they burn wood and then place a certain kind of rock found in the waters of Hawaii. They get those rocks really hot, then the place the meat over the rocks in the hole. Then they cover the whole thing with Banana leaves. Then they cover the leaves with a sheet, and then cover it with dirt. They basically steam the pig. And about 10 – 12 hours later, you got some good eatin.
So they make an announcement and these guys tell you how they do it as they start to remove the pig from the oven. Of course everyone goes and checks it out. It was amazing.
The foils around the pig are filled with a typical Hawaiian dish made from pork butt & spinach.So they bring the pig out of the pit and then it’s time to eat! Here’s a look at the menu….
Kalua Pua’s – Roasted pig
Poi
Ahi Poke – Raw Tuna & Maui onions
Mahi Mahi
Lomi Lomi Salad – salmon & tomatoes
Taro Salad
Pohole Salad – made from fern shoots.
Crab Salad – AWESOME
Island Chicken
Pulehu Steak
Fried Rice & Veggies
And more!!!
Sunset as dinner was being served.
Luke – one of the social hosts with his mouth full of deliciousness. The drink in front of him is a Lava Flow.So after a fantastic meal, the sunsets, and it’s show time. The was about an hour filled with Hawaiian & Polynesian Music. There were two Emcees who explained the different numbers that we saw. As I watched the show, all I kept hearing in my head was KC in the Sunshine Band’s “Shake Your Booty” because there was a lot of booty shakin’ in this show. But the costumes were great, the dancers were wonderful and the show was very entertaining.
The night was fantastic. It was tough to go back to the tender and get back to work. Today as I write this it is our last day in Hawaii. Tomorrow we will head across the pacific to Vancouver. But I think Hawaii wants us to remember we were here. Look at this beautiful view of the island from the ship….
I am excited to get over to Vancouver and start the Alaska season. However I must say again how much I enjoyed these islands. I will look forward to our return in the fall.
See you around the Pacific. Chris
Later tonight I will be sending some photos taken of the great English countryside which were highlights of our holiday.
I hope you will excuse me but I need to go and take care of some things including deleting all Spam from my in box most of which is from people I have never heard of.
Then, when you do recognize someone’s name on an e mail you open it to see the dreaded words “attachment” and “this is very funny,” which means they have sent you a joke…………………and so you sit there waiting 20 minutes while your computer downloads something that you hope will be very funny and cheer you up after trawling through all the Spam………… Only to find that yet again……..it’s a picture of a carrot ……………………. that looks like a willy.
I will write later tonight and please………………………….send me your thoughts short or long on the anytime dining scenario.
Cheers
Your Friends
John and Heidi
143 Comments
May 9th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
One more day and the Sheriff takes over the Glory!!
May 9th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
SPAM – the junk mail and the mystery meat – YUCK!!! As far as dining options go….my only experience is with the classical, assigned seating. This works well for us and we vote YES, keep it!
Lori and Tom Caskey
May 9th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Hi John & Heidi,
Welcome home.
Your spam sounds a lot like my spam, especially when I’ve been away from the office for a while. We also have a filter on the system, but for some reason, filters out friends of mine, and not the Viagra (I get them too!) and “We’d like to be your bank” ads.
Can’t wait to see the pictures of the English countryside, and, pictures of Alan and his family. Have a great time with them.
Bubba’s luau looked very appetizing – so did the Lava Flow. What exactly is it?
Before I forget, I vote for the flexible dining. But truthfully, that’s very close to what we have now. Assigned dining room table & choice of going to Lido Deck Buffet or Supper Club. There are times when waiting until 8:30 is not such a good idea, but after a long day on a shore excursion a nap before late dinner is a very good thing.
Ok, I’ve had my input.
John & Heidi, wish both your Moms a Happy Mother’s Day, and have a good weekend,
Hugs,
Carol
May 9th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
NO……..I prefer assigned seating, we like to be with the same waiters and fellow passengers at our table each night. We did it on another cruise line and did not like it.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
open dining sounds great especially with the standard seating also offered, good job
May 9th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
We tried the flexible dining option on a recent “Something of the Seas” cruise and were very pleased with the results. It sounds like your test is similar to their test. We would certainly do it again and would love to see Carnival offer it.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Love the “anytime” dining! Makes sense to eat when you’re hungry, not when someone else thinks you’re supposed to be hungry.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
It is great that Carnival has come up with a dining option that allows people to make a choice as to when they want to eat. I for one would choose the anytime dining for the flexibility, while others may not enjoy that much flexibility and need to follow a set schedule. That is the joy of being on a vacation, whatever makes you happy, do it!!
May 9th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Since the majority of our cruising has been done with Carnival, we have become accustomed to assigned seating. The only time this is a problem
is coming back late from excursions.
See ya’ll in 65 days!
May 9th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
I personally am VERY glad I took my Legend trip before this got implemented (loved it by the way). I enjoy meeting up with table mates and making new friends that way. I would have been bummed not to get to know my new table mates better and having to arrange when to eat and such was just a problem. I also have minor allergies which were addressed better by having the same waitperson who knew about the allergy and could make recommendations as to how to avoid it.
I’m sure many will love it, I personally say, “NAY!”.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I’m all for anytime dining as long as the people who want traditional can still have their style.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Hi John,
I’ve been reading faithfully , but haven’t written in ages. But I’m smacking my lips on the dinner choices. That’s a great idea. I do enjoy the assigned seating, as I’ve met many great people that way, but when you’re on 2-week cruise in particular, there are just some nights that you want to relax and eat dinner when you’re ready without having to resort to the buffet because you weren’t ready or hungry. Fine dining is one of the main attractions of cruising, after all. I give it 5-stars. Keep up the British end! You’re the best!
May 9th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Thoughts on the new dining plan… I’ll take the traditional dining… period. I like getting to know my table mates and the folks who do me the great service of taking food and drink orders. Even on a short cruise I tend to feel like these folks are part of my extended family.
Interesting that you have spam (the meat… kinda) and Hawaii in the same blog as the Hawaiians LOVE Spam!!! It’s often called ‘Hawaiian steak’. I’m with you, John. If it’s not recognizable as meat it’s not going in my mouth.
What a thrill to hear that we will finally get to see your mate, and our friend, Alan!! Will he be able to join us on the Blogger’s Cruise? I hope he will.
Pass along my thanks to all the good folks who work so hard on your Thingy while I sit and wait for the onslaught of photos that you’ve promised!!
Thanks so much!
GregB
May 9th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Hi Chris akaBubba!
And now you are off for your 5 days at sea…….my most favorite part of that cruise (3 times on Spirit). It is a beautiful blue sky warm day here in Juneau and it is only 1 week until the Spirit visits us. That will be me on the dock welcoming my favorite cruise ship.
While docked at Nawilliwilli have you ever made it to Bubba’s Burgers in Kaha? The teriyaki burger is out of this world………okay not as good as Waffle house but delicious just the same.
Kersplott
May 9th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I prefer traditional dining – getting to know a table of new faces and making friends is another aspect that makes cruising an adventure as opposed to just a holiday.
Glad you enjoyed your holiday – isn’t the weather blinding? I’m as red as a lobster and was able to swim off Bournemouth without losing essential parts of my anatomy!
Gav and Em
May 9th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Good morning John!
Weather channel this morning said that London was 78 today………guess summer is lasting a few more days.
Spam………….mmmmmmm one of my favorite things but way too much salt so it is on my no no list same as sugar is on yours.
64 days until I join you and Heidi on the Splendor and I am really getting excited…….can I start packing now? So many things to do and see thank goodness the days will be nice and long just like here in Juneau so we can cram in more things.
Why are vacations always too short? Thank you for always including us in yours.
I am not in favor of anytime dining!! Most of the time I am a single female traveling on my own and look forward to that assigned dinner time with a set group of people each evening. It has been hard for me to learn how to meet new people and make conversation and it is very stressful for me if you have to do it every time you want to dine in the main dining room. There that is my 2cents worth!
Kersplott
May 9th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
hello john
we sailed on Ncl,,free style…and a big NO..they treat you like cattle,,,,,your in then out..and service sucks,,,we love assigned seating,the staff treats you much better,,,and we get to know them by name,,
and they call us by name,,,,hope Carnival dont lower there service with Freestyle,
Carnival is by far the best cruise line afloat…
the crew are so freindly ,
so that our vote,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,dump
FREESTYLE,,,let NCL keep it
CARNIVAL CONCIERGE MEMBERS
tom & jane
May 9th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Hi John,
When we on the Freedom we loved having the same team each night. We really got to know them and the experience made the cruise in the Med more enjoyable.
Well, about your aversion to the magic meat. Hawaii is built on pillars of the taste delight
:)
To get rid of the nasty nasty get a copy of Bit Defender. Take all that other garbage protection off your box and put this on. I have used it for years on my boxes some of which carry gobs of financials and I have not had very much trouble with the magic meat.
Try it, you’ll like it!!!!!!
Take care
Herb
May 9th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
John,
Thanks for the blog. I look forward to reading it every day.
I think having the option to choose you dining style is a good idea. The last couple of cruises I’ve taken, the most recent being on Carnival Freedom, I’ve been with family so assigned seating made sure we all reconnected at some point during the day. If I was traveling as one half of a couple, I would like the anytime option as that would make it easier to plan activities around dinner.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Hey John, glad you had a good time on your vacation. We had anytime dining on Oceania and we kind of liked it. First time for us as we have always chosen traditional dining. We didn’t like having to introduce ourselves & answer basic questions every night, we like getting to know set tablemates & we have been very lucky in having some really fun tables. I think it is a good idea to offer choices.
Jan
Jan
May 9th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
John, down here in Mississippi we have a saying for Spam, Stuff Posing As Meat. I can’t stand that stuff. Just thought that I would voice my opion on the “anytime dining” I think the way yall are trying with one level of the restaurant for the anytimers and one for the traditionalist is the best way to go. I mean it works for both kind of folks. Glad you had a great time on vacation, ours is coming up in 15 days on the Liberty with Steve as CD. Keep up the good work!
May 9th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Hi John, Thanks for asking my opinion. I like having dinner at 6:15pm at the same table with the same people. That’s our normal eating time at home and my body likes it. We have made friends over the years that we still keep in touch with. There have been times we got to our table on a cruise and I knew instantly it wasn’t going to work. I change tables the next day.
That being said I do think it would be nice to have a anytime dinner area that I could go to when we come back late from a tour. The buffets are nice but sometimes I’d like to have a regular dinner a little later especially when I have had a late lunch and I am not hungry.
I am glad you and Heidi had a nice time in the country. Can’t wait to see the photos and the photos of Alan.
Jo
May 9th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Hi John/Heidi:
Welcome back from vacation and glad you had a fun time.
I think the freestyle dining (in addition to the regular schedule) is a nice addition. It lends to flexibility so that you’re not held to the exact time to eat. I think CCL should pursue this and see how it works out.
Great blog and photos from Bubba. He did a great job of recapping the luau experience. Thanks!
Hope everything else is well and have a nice weekend.
Take care,
David
May 9th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Love anytime dinning!
May 9th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
I enjoyed the assigned dining. However, I like the idea of having two different dining rooms – one assigned and one open seating.
Have a great weekend!
May 9th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
dude! hello…
being old and set in my ways so to speak i do prefer the set dining time. i can eat on the lido at other times if i want to. and this was on cruise critic last week, so someone is spilling the beans over there! just sayin’…
smiles, bonnie and prince charlie
ps: hello heidi! hello steph!
May 9th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Large group, assigned dining. Small group, flexible dining. Have done both and those are the easier ways to accomodate the number of people in the group.
I love Spam, the ones in the cans. Simple but delicious!
May 9th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
At last a picture of Alan!! YAY!!
Anytime dinning I had experience freestyle and Princess personal choice. It all depends. For me I prefer the right to choose. Why? Not all the time I want to be seated with strangers. I remember when we went on the Inspiration Cristian was 3 and Vivi was 7 they seated us in a table for 10 with couples in their 60’s.Didnt go to the dinning room all week. One time we were seated with people that spoke only french, That was it for us. We like to be seated alone or with family. Eugenio loves to see all the sailings without rush to get dressed for dinner. We want the freedom of not going one night.For me Princess was perfect with the personal choice. Freestyle is good in some ships. But I got to be honest if I could have a table full of family on the second sitting with a waiter as good as Tina everytime I go guarantee. I would choose fix over choice anytime but that is not possible so for me I like the option.
Muchos huggos
Nanni
May 9th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
I love the traditional dinning. I like being able to get the training of the waitstaff and the meeting of table guest done all in the first evening. The second night may manhatten that I said I would have everyday arrives without being ordered. The lemon is already on the table for the ice tea Pat said she will have everyday. My coffee is poured just before the main course not with dessert. Then the rest of the cruise you can enjoy talking about what everybody did the day. OH YA! I forgot my armless chair is right there at the table every night.
Now what about tipping??? I think the service will suffer with anytime dinning. The waitstaff will get the attitude why bust my butt I will get the same share of tips no matter what now. If you have a bad server one night how do you adjust your tips for that one night and just the opposite if you have a good server that would get tipped extra. Do we have to start carrying money to give that extra tip everyday. I’ve never had a server that I would have cut his tips but I always find myself handing the server something extra on the last night.
For those that say they like anytime dinning because they like to rest after a day in a port doing excursions then rest a bit then eat later. Remember on those days everybody will want to eat late so be prepared to stand in line for a table for 2 or a table for your party of 8 or 10.
BIG ED
May 9th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Hi John…We personally prefer a set dinner time but for those who want anytime seating bring it on. As long as the waiters and kitchen staff can handle it, then why not have both. As they say times are changing.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Not just NO, but H3LL NO!!!
It’s just like everything else in this world… “We’ll start it as a test, a try out, then phase it in little by little and soon ‘they’ won’t even know what happened and we’ll have it all changed.” Well darn it… NO!!! STOP IT!!!
Carnival ALREADY offers anytime dining and free style dining, and wear whatever you want, or go naked, dining… You offer buffets, poolside dining and room service. Don’t take away the charm and beauty of cruising!! PLEASE!! Pretty please???
LEAVE MY DINING SERVICE ALONE!!!
I like to get to know my servers… I like to get to know my tablemates… I like the formality that you’ve already begun to phase out and get rid of… I can handle the breakfast and luncheon open service… but please leave something that resembles the art of cruising…
Next, are you going to get rid of the Farcus Funnel???
Sorry, but you asked… and this is how I feel!!!
Lambie doesn’t like it!! I vote NO!!
Love you / hate free-style dining option…
May 9th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
YES to this option
May 9th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
I have enjoyed hearing about Hawaii and Alaska. They are both so beautiful. Thinking about going back (to Alaska). On the dinning it depends with us, we travel alone, we will go any time. With someone we will go for the traditional setting.
Glad you and Heidi are rested. Will see you in 114 days.
Carol
May 9th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Hi John,
I like the idea of flexible dining. More choices for everyone.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
As long as the flexible dining is in addition to the assigned dining, I think you are giving everyone what they want. We personally prefer the flexible dining, but we know that many others love the assigned dining. It seems Carnival is embracing both, as Princess does so well.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Glad you two made the return road trip with no problems. Sorry about all the SPAM I just didn’t know who else to forward them to.
I think Carnival will find, as Princess did, that having both options available is the way to go. That way those of us who perfer Traditional Dining continue to get it and those that want “Personal Choice” can have it their own way. Everybodys happy that way – with the exception of the folks waitlisted for Traditional. But, Princess even handles that – all it takes is a visit to the maître d’ and he will permanently assign a table and time in one of the personal choice dining room. I’d assume (oh god) that Carnival as the parent of Princess can implement Personal Choice without any wrinkles since Princess already smoothed them out.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
I would like the open dining concept. One thing I might mention would be if you could have (on new ships probably) a couple of different places to dine (e.g. Mexican, Italian, etc.) that you could choose but would be included in your food budget — in other words not a restaurant area that would cost you more…just a suggestion.
One more thing, John, a week or two ago you mentioned Chunky Monkey ice cream and said that you had found something new to replace it so you could eat it. My friend is a diabetic who craves ice cream. Can you tell me what kind you were talking about? Thanks and keep up these great blogs. They make my day …. every day. Just waiting to go on the Splendor on January 17. Are you going to be cruise director on the Splendor then? (hope, hope, hope)
May 9th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Hi John & Heidi, glad you had a nice 4 days relaxing. I know what you mean about spam mail. When I get back from a cruise I have over 200 emails, and 90% of them are spam, as most of the people I am in contact with know I am away. In fact I have 2 email addresses now, a hotmail account, which gets most of the spam, and my yahoo account, for friends, family etc. I use my hotmail account when placing orders, for confirmation etc. Like for Ebay etc.
I like anytime dining, being diabetic I prefer to eat early, and 5:30 is a good time for me. Also, when we are out on an excursion we may not get lunch till 2pm, then I would rather not eat till after 7pm. I hope Carnival considers doing this on all their ships. How do I get a ship on a stick? My grandsons would love them, wish they could be purchased! Well I am gonna become a grandmother again in December, probably about 2 weeks after we get back from our Thanksgiving cruise on the Splendor. Hope it is a girl this time, as we already have 4 grandsons! So, any word on the Godmother for the Splendor yet? Time is getting close! Angelina Jolie is out, since she is pregnant. Make sure to take pictures of Alan and his family and post them on the blog. Have a nice weekend, and Happy Mother’s day to both yours and Heidi’s mom. Hope you will start answering bloggers emails now that you are home! Linda & Mike
May 9th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Love the idea! We always eat in the formal dining room, but having the option to go a little earlier or a little later is wonderful! Hope this works…we cruise on October and would love to see it on the Glory!
May 9th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Yes, I like the idea of flexible dining. With two young children, that would be perfect for us!
May 9th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Since we eat at the same time most every night anyway, flexible dining has never held any attraction to me. We enjoy having the same waiter(s) every evening as we get a chance to know them and find the service is much more personal. Do not change from the traditional assigned seatings.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
John, here is my 2 cents I have tried both, and here are my views for both. I just feel that you bond with your servers more with the assigned seating as you see them every day. For anytime, its nice to know if you are having a nice time at 1 of your later ports, you do not have to rush back to go to dinner, anytime may cut down on the Tank tops or other Very casual attire as people can go back to their cabin and get ready……
Take care
May 9th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
We’ve tried both and we prefer the traditional seating for dinner for several reasons. The waiter knows your preferences, you don’t have to wait forever for the assistant waiter to fetch your iced tea or that you want decaf after dinner, they know your name and they make you feel at comfortable. Plus the set time tells Mike (hubby) that he has to be back from diving – I’m paranoid the ships gonna sail without him.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
I have experienced anytime dining and assigned dining on many cruise lines. I have to say that Carnival’s waiters and waitresses are the best! They are very entertaining, friendly and just overall great. They really make the dining experience something special. So I love the assigned dining times with the same servers. Carnival is famous for their dinner time entertainment so please keep the assigned dining times!
May 9th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Hi John and Heidi, Welcome home. Glad you had a good time while on vacation.
I was always told don’t fix what ain’t broke! You’ve got a good thing the way it is with assigned seating. NOPE I definitely don’t agree to changing the assigned seating. I have dietary problems and have always had great waiters and hostesses who take very good care of me. If I had to adjust night after night I’d just eat on the Lido deck, which is, in my opinion is anytime dining .
Now speaking of dining could you arrange a seat for me at Bubba’s luau, oh and I’ll have a virgin pina colada….. no alcohol please…….
And please when you can will you let us know if you will be on the 11/29th sailing of the Splendor ?
Welcome home
Carolyn
May 9th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
John and Heidi…
Susan and I leave for Rome 1-week from tomorrow and will board the Freedom on the 22nd. Wish you were going to be there but, we’ll make the best of it! As far as the dining options, we have tried the “freestyle” and came back to Carnival. We prefer the assigned seating for a couple of reasons. #1 We enjoy getting to know our wait staff. Learning their names & hearing their stories is part of the fun! They also get to know our preferences. #2 We get to know the other folks at our table. We have met some wonderful people and it is nice to compare the days activities. Finally, it allows us to plan each day! If we don’t feel like going to the dining room how many other options are available. In Texas their is an old saying…”Dance with the one that brought ya”!!! There is nothing wrong with tradition!
Of course opinions are like…..well you know…..everyone has one!
John & Susan
May 9th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Please, please, keep some assigned dining. It is such a pleasure to dine with the same people very night and make new friends and chat about what everyone has done during the day and where they are going afterwards. I think the wait staff also enjoy the banter from regulars too. Going on the Splendor in August, never been with Carnival before until this year as its the first time they are going from the UK. So excited!!! Please John write a book about your cruising experiences – reading your blog every day is like having Bill Bryson on line.
May 9th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
ANYTIME DINING PLEASE!!!
May 9th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Goodness, John. Y0u certainly know how to ruffle a few feathers! When I lived in the South, when someone would open a can of worms we’d all shout, “Let’s go fishin’, y’all!”
Thus far, it appears that some like flexible dining, some absolutely hate it, but most are noncommittal and simply like the possibility of having that option depending on their mood at the time. Frankly, I don’t really care about getting to know people at a large table–not that I’m a snob, it’s just that I can’t hear anyone at those large tables, and my lip reading skills have gotten me in some trouble with beautiful women (which they all are) from time-to-time. To someone who can’t hear in crowds, the words “Crazy as a loon” sure sound alot like “back to my room…” to me.
I do love getting to know the wait staff and my room steward, but when I eat at restaurants onshore, I appreciate good service just as well, but never expect to have the same server every time.
So, whichever way Carnival goes, I’ll still cruise with you guys ‘n gals. I’m there for an adventure, and sometimes, change is just a part of the excitement.
Rus Franklin
May 9th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Hi John,
I think PA007 is slacking or both of you were on vacation. This Legend trial has been known for a while. I found out last week when my TA told me and this trial run definitely has an affect on me.
I just booked the Legend for September 28th last week and I’m sailing solo.
I had to really think about what I wanted to do. With Anytime Dining, if I meet someone I’d like to have dinner with, Anytime Dining makes it easier to do.
On the other hand what if I don’t have a dining companion for the evening? How do they seat singles? Will I end up by myself? At least with Traditional I can be pretty sure that I will have other people at my table, people that I can get to know over the cruise and perhaps even hang out with. On the Blogger’s Cruise I ended up climbing Dunns River Falls with a couple of my tablemates.
So what’s a solo girl to do? In the end I requested Traditional Dining because there are less variables. However, I think if I was cruising with my boyfriend we’d probably like to try the Anytime Dining.
By the way, I convinced/bullied my reluctant boyfriend into trying a cruise. We are testing the waters on the July 3rd 4-day to Canada on the Victory. My first balcony! And my first time out of New York, even though I only live right across the river. I’m hoping he likes it. He doesn’t have to love it like I do, I just want him to experience it.
And I booked the September 28th Legend solo, because I booked it because of the Piano Bar Entertainer, Bryan Roper. I’ve been wanting to catch his act since we started chatting! And the boyfriend hates piano bars! LOL!
So I seem to have ended up with two cruises to tide me over until the Bloggers Cruise v.2.0!
Glad you had a nice vacation. Now back to work! You’ve got a lot of planning to do for the Splendor and the Bloggers Cruise!
All the best to Heidi, Alan and Stephanie!
Cheerios,
Laura (aka divetrash, aka Princess Laura, the sweet and hmmm…. of Big Ed’s Evil Krewe)
May 9th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
YES to anytime dining. Sometimes I would have liked an extra hour or two in port, but rushed back to the ship to make my assigned dining time. I know buffet is always an option, but it is nice to have a choice.
May 9th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Hey John,
I need to get in on this. We prefer assigned dining. We always love the interaction with the staff. We get to know them, and they get to know us and what we want. And the kids love the servers as well. We eat in the dining room for breakfast and lunch as well, and we do not get the same level of service. It is not bad, but it does not offer the personal touch that we get at dinner. This is one of the things that we go on vacation for. I can say without a doubt, that I like things just as they are now. I do not see the reason to change something that works. For those who do not want assigned seating and times, there is the Lido Deck. That is mhy opinion, and I am sticking with it.
Till next time
Kevin
May 9th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Hi John,
We have only cruised on Carnival and we enjoy the set dining time. We always request the early time and have received it every time but one. No problem. We went to the dining room after boarding and requested a change and it was granted. We normally eat around 6 or 6:30 at home and when we go out to eat we go early to avoid having to wait on a table. A lot of the comments on the message boards indicate you sometimes have to wait for a table if you do open seating for dinner. If we get back late from a shore excursion, we eat on lido. We usually tell the wait staff the day before if we know we will not be there. Last year on the Fantasy it was really nice to have our drinks on the table waiting for us instead of sitting down and having to wait on the drinks to be ordered. One of the nice things about cruising is getting to know the people who are taking care of you. I like to assigned dining time.
Looking forward to seeing your pictures. I have also enjoyed the blogs by Chris.
Have a good weekend.
May 9th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
I vote yes to Carnival’s version of anytime dining. I agree with you John, it would be the best of both worlds. Can’t wait to try it!
May 9th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Hello John.
I have only been on 1 cruise and enjoyed the assigned seating. However I think I would be willing to try flex time!
May 9th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
I have tried both and I enjoy the assigned dining.
Free Style or No Serivce Dining ends up like your at the airport going through the screening lines with the same type of service and attitude by the staff. It also makes all of the food taste like Spam!
May 9th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Hi John,
Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes to anytime dinning! Chris and I have experienced anytime dinning on our Princess cruises during the past several years. We like being able to choose what time we eat (without having to choose the buffet or room service). We don’t necessarily always want to sit a table with other people, so we prefer anytime dinning for that reason as well.
When we find a waitstaff team that we love, we request to sit in their section, so we do get to know them and they do get to know us.
Glad to hear that you and Heidi enjoyed the Resort. Bubba’s Hawaii blog has been a joy to read.
Cheers from not so sunny Southern California.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
John, I’m a bit late reading the blog today, but have to chim in on the anytime dining question.
I vote to keep traditional set seating. For the reasons mentioned by Big Ed and Lambie, I like getting to know the people I’m eating with. If I wanted to go to a restaurant at “any time”, stand around and wait until they have a table ready, and deal with a new server each night, I could just stay home.
I understand some people like the anytime option, but please don’t let them take over the whole ship – they already have the Lido restaurant, buffet and room service.
I have the spam problem also, email – how did we ever get along before we had it??
Cheers to you and Heidi! Warm hello’s to Alan and family.
Many thanks for the hard-working Stephanie,
Diane from Texas
May 9th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
After reading the release from Carnival, you have to choose “anytime” or “traditional” diningroom reservations at the time of booking. There are some evenings such as late port evenings that open seating in one dining room would be appreciated. However, I would hate to see Carnival continue to try to keep up with NCL and the somethings of the Seas when they are already leading the pack… The “Cruise Casual” dress code and now this!
May 9th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Hi John,
I haven’t posted in many months, but I’ve been faithfully following your journeys and drooling and laughing every step, flight, hotel room and adventure along the way.
I feel the need to chime in on dining options, I have always been a strict supporter of set dining. Eating in the dining room at a specific time with the same waiters and table mates is the best part of any cruise. I was on the Golden Princess last August to Alasksa and because I booked late, got stuck with anytime dining – it almost made me postpone the trip until I could get set dining. But my TA found a way to turn this around – when I boarded, I was able to book a reservation in the anytime dining room at the same table, same time each night of the cruise. So, I was able to set up my own set dining in the anytime dining room. It turned out to be fantastic……only because I didn’t have to go anytime and have any waiter, I guess I’ll always love a set schedule with the same routine. If flexible dining becomes more popular, I hope I can always make a reservation for the same time and same table……..
Can’t wait to see the pictures from your vacation!!!
May 9th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
We love the traditional cruise ship dining, it’s part of the total cruise experience. Any time dining is like eating in any restaurant on any street corner, the servers don’t know you or your tastes. You feel so pampered when your servers get to know how you like things.
John, keep writing, we love reading your blog.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Dear John
On the anytime dining I think it’s a great option, as long as you can keep the assigned seating time. This makes for new friends and you’re able to get to know them alittle. One couple from one of my cruises lives a short distance from me and came to my wedding. We had only met at dinner, so this was a nice surprise. We stay in touch now..
May 9th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
We are usually a group of 6 to 8 couples when we cruise and we enjoy the set dining as the wait staff gets to know what every one likes and we don’t have to repeat our choices every night to different waiters. We have cruised on NCL with freestyle dining and we found that it was stressful some nights when there are no tables to accomodate a big group and we end up waiting a long time. So, our preference is for set dining. If we are late from shore excursions then we can always go to Lido or the specialty restaurants. Thanks for asking.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Now John, I think you should send a message to my Crazies Sissy Lambie and ask her to tell you how she really feels :>)……and she will tell you ditto from me too….Love you Lambie!!!
I do not often eat in the dining room for breakfast or lunch simply because I prefer either the assigned seating, or the total freedom we already have…of a wonderful Lido buffet.
I can see a fair share of other cruisers here who do prefer the anytime idea…..and I hope Carnival can work it out for them without at all affecting the current most special environment offered, do you think that will be possible?? It will be interesting to see how it can be managed from week to week. Here are some questions/concerns that come to mind…
OK one upper level on way and one lower level one way sounds workable and one group will have no effect on the other’s environment….so far so good. But I understand that passengers will choose one or the other up front, no switching in between or from night to night is this correct? Then what happens if, say, one week the requests for assigned are too many for the “assigned area” or vice versa? If you encroach on the assigned area with “free” seaters…we will have people traipsing through to their anytime dinner through our already seated group?? Not a pretty picture, and it would indeed be a negative impact on the environment we traditional diners enjoy now.
I cannot imagine not getting to know my wait staff (we would have never known Freddy and Rommy, John!!!), and my tablemates are now friends to stay in touch with….
It ain’t broke John, please don’t let them go tooooo far to “fix” it. I hope those that want it can have it in a way that does not erase the wonderful experience we now have….
Hugs to you, Heidi, and Steph!!!
Eva
PS….you have given me visions of my father cooking spam over a campfire in the Catskills, circa 1965 yikes!! Could not abide it today for sure, you will eat anything as a kid!!
May 9th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
John:
I read you blog daily and really enjoy your writing. I love cruising and have cruised with Carnaval and
RC for the most part. this past Jan we went on an 11 day trip out of NY with NCL and as you know thay have freestyle dining. What I liked about it was that I could change the type of food I was to have…Italian, Japonese, Steakhouse, French etc. I didn’t like, however having to make reservations, which kept us on a schedule anyway. My only objection to assigned seating is that I’m not always up to socializing with people while I eat. I like to share a meal with my husband alone and we can never get a table for two even though we request it all the time. So for me keep the schedule but allow passengers to get the seating they ask for.
Regards,
May 9th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
NADA, NEIN, NON, NOPE…..
Just returned a few weeks ago from onboard the Freedom & traditional dining is the only way for us. Mind you…. like a few posters mentioned, when returning from late shore thingys, “When your hungry… dammit eat…” is ok.
We happened to have a great table with loads of fun stories & laughter….. apart from having the best table service on the seas. our Maitre ‘D Dino was charming.
I had the pleasure at the Captains dinner to give Noortje a hug & a kiss…. then i got high heeled in the tibia by Mrs Moneypenny….
Allthe best mate to you & yours….Cheers
Regards……… Richard
May 9th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Hello John
We want to keep the traditional seating,we like having the same wait staff, if we want to eat before
dinner we have some sushi or a snack.
Enjoying Bubba’s reports keep them coming.
Best to Heidi
Papanh
May 9th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
John -
I have to vote NO on the flexible dining for one particular reason – you have that option available to you at both breakfast and lunch. Those meals give you the chance to sit with other guests and have other servers.
I agree with Big Ed – it is nice to be able to establish your preferences early on the cruise, so that you do not have to constantly make the same request over and over. In addition, I love the ability to make friends of the serving team, and have even seen them again on other cruises.
On the TA, we met Vilson, who had been a waiter on the Liberty. He showed us the wine bottle trick he does.
One day on the TA, we went to lunch and Vilson jumped to the front of the line to “escort” my wife to the table, so I interrupted Beatrice to escort me to the table. Can’t have favorites being shown, now can we.
So, I vote NO -
Jon
May 9th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Hi John and Heidi,
I, personally, think you already have choices! You can eat buffet, sushi, grill, pizza, room service, anytime you want. I enjoy the assigned seating, myself, because you get to know your waiters better and the people at your table or around your table! On the days that I get back late from an excursion, I can opt for the other options! I don’t know what all the fuss is about! You have the best of both worlds already!
Love all the pics and info ! Keep up the good work!
Have a great weekend!!!
Linda
May 9th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Spam – the other white meat – is very popular in Hawaii.
YES YES YES to anytime dining option.
I love it on
Princess and, dare I say, the NCL version as well. No doubt some will think Carnival’s version is the same as NCL no matter how you explain it to them.
YES YES YES to anytime dining!!!
Will it be possible to have this on Splendor? Especially with a variety of port times it makes more sense than ever.
I forget – did I vote, yet?
Yes Yes Yes to anytime dining!!! {in an election year, we must get used to voting early and often}
May 9th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Hi John and Heidi!
I still love the blog thingy and look forward to reading every day. Thanks!
We prefer the assigned dinning. Have had wonderful dining staff in all of our cruises. One of the things we enjoy is getting to know them thru the week. Also we usually bring a group with us when we cruise. It is so nice to have the same dining time together. We can all go our separate ways during the day and all get together for dinner and hear how much fun each had. With the anytime dining I imagine it would be a long wait for a group of 20 to 40 to sit near one another. In the past Carnival has been great to seat my groups together it is one of the things we look forward to.
Will be interesting to see how it works on the Legend. We will be sailing on her in Sept for our daughters wedding.
Mary
May 9th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Hi John & Heidi.
I truly hope that Carnival keeps the traditional dining. I do understand that variety is the spice of life so to speak but traditional dining is a part of cruising history. It was where everyone gathered at the end of the day to converse, have a wonderful meal and be treated like Royalty. Cruising is changing so rapidly now days and it just feels like it is not “special” anymore. Traditional dining is a part of the rich past history of cruising and it would be a shame to lose it.
Can you imagine the Queens with “Anytime Dining”?
I do hope that Carnival will keep both.
Sallie
May 9th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
We usually cruise on Princess and love anytime dining. Hope it is on Splendor when we sail in September!
May 9th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Hello, John! I’m a daily reader, but rarely post because I know you have SO many comments to go through. On this issue, however, I feel the need to voice my opinion.
I vote NO to anytime dining. Call me old fashioned, but I value the dignity and respect of showing up to a fine dinner appropriately dressed and at a time when your arrival doesn’t disrupt the experience of other diners. Having people constantly walking through the dining room to be seated will interrupt those who are already enjoying a meal, and will undoubtedly detract from the brilliant service we’ve so enjoyed on Carnival, since wait staff will be stretched between several tables in different stages of the meal.
Also, anytime dining makes the meal feel more casual, as though one is not expected to pay respect to the chef for preparing a fine meal. Dress codes will undoubtedly be cast even further off than they are today and soon we’ll all be staring across the table at large individuals in small swimsuits while we try to enjoy a five-star meal.
If you want to dine anytime, you have the option of doing so on Lido deck or by calling room service, or you can make a reservation in one of the supper clubs at the time of your choosing. Please save the dignity or the formal dinner! Our society needs the occassional reminder of how to behave respectfully and responsibly instead of constantly doing only what is most convenient for each individual!
Thanks for listening to my rant, and please don’t hold it against me. You are still the best cruise director ever and I can’t wait to cruise with you again. Heck, I’d cruise with you even if you were on a ship with anytime dining.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Assigned table dining promotes relationships with your table mates. We’ve always had enjoyable ones, so I guess that makes a difference.
Open seating could mean the same conversation for every meal: Hello, I’m —-. We’re from —– Yes, we’ve been on other cruises. Yes, we love Carnival.
My sister and I are going on the 49 day, “around the horn” cruise in January. Can you imagine 49 nights of this same conversation???!!! Funny thing, we received documents this week stating that we were “Open Seating” for dinner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 9th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
John,
I have to vote no on this issue. I like many other enjoy a set dining time, and the enjoyment of the others at the table with me. And i like that the server knows me and what I like and how I like it after the first night. And I enjoy talking with the same server during the cruise i get my best port tips from them. So I vote no.
Kevin
May 9th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
John – As long as the ship can accommodate both those who want traditional and those who want “anytime,” that’s great. I’ve read too many stories of Princess cruisers who would prefer traditional but end up with anytime because there aren’t enough spaces for everyone who wants traditional. As for me, I’ll be asking for traditional. We generally try to eat at the same time every night whether we’re at home or away – I don’t sleep well if I have a big dinner too late in the evening – and I really enjoy having the same wait staff every night. We had an absolutely terrific head waiter named Achmad on Legend two years ago; he knew our names, our kids’ names, the kids’ drink preferences – he also worked at the Lido grill middays, and our sons always made sure to stop by and say hi to him there. They even decided to forgo dinner with Camp Carnival so they could have dinner with Achmad in the dining room. With servers like him, I wouldn’t easily give up traditional. Thanks for asking!
May 9th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
John – We really like flexible dining or personal choice dining as Princess calls it. We first experienced it on the Grand Princess years ago and have taken Personal Choice Dining each time we have cruised Princess. The great thing about personal choice dining is the flexibility. And you are not stuck with lousy table mates for a whole cruise or are not stuck with a lousy waiter for a whole cruise. If we meet people on a cruise we want to eat with we just all agree on a time and make a Personal Choice reservation. You also have the choice of eating with other people or not each night. I think it would be great for CCL to have personal choice dining – especially since you already have it on Princess and on HAL.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
I like the combination of any time dining and assigned seating: we cruised as a large family and it was great to see the same wonderful, funny waiters who tried to keep our likes and dislikes in mind. It was a great chance to catch upon the rest of the family’s adventures, and I’m all for assigned seating and anytime seating together if the waiters can handle it! Chris
May 9th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
I love the traditional seating. If you want anytime, just go to the supper club. thanks for the blog Chris, the pictures were fantastic. I just wish that Carnival had a round trip to and from Hawaii.
Only 10 days until my cruise on the Inspiration. I can hardly wait!!!
Grandma
May 9th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Hi John,
We prefer the traditional dining. I see that RCCL is going to have both, but when I read the description on Cruise Critic, I was so confused….! Of course, I am sure Carnival would be much clearer.
Loved the Hawaii blog and pictures.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
We have never seen anyone not appropriately dressed in freestyle/anytime/personal choice dining. On the contrary, we have encountered well dressed guests who were already drunk even before dinner and order more drinks at dinner and shoot spits when they talk and the more they drink, the more they talk. These are the kind of people we would like to avoid at dinner for the whole duration of the cruise. At least with the freestyle/anytime/personal choice dining we have the flexibility of who we dine with. We don’t get stucked with stuck-up passengers. And for the waitstaff, all of them are stunningly excellent or they would not be working there. If we like the table we are at the first evening or so, we ask the maitre’d to seat us at the same table for the duration of the cruise. That is why we always bring things (gifts) with us for people to remember us by, besides the extra tip for the wait staff at the end of the voyage. This is just our opinion and this is what we do when we cruise.
Enjoy your holidays and we will see you on the Splendor’s TA voyage.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Hello! Glad you had a relaxing vacation. We vote traditional. Please send our regards to Heidi.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Good evening my friend Mr. Heald. I say the same thing that Big Ed said on his comment on the dinner arrangements,NO,NO,NO,NO,NO,NO,NO.I really enjoy the normal seating arrangement for dinner. My wife and I always chose the late seating and we will always do so. I’m so happy that you and Heidi are back home saafe and sound and most important relaxed. Thank you once again, for the small note that you sent to me. I want to show it to my son and daughter – in – law when they arrive back home Sunday. I really enjoyed Bubba’s blog about Hawaii. I do hope to take that cruise some day. Ciao my friend.
Paul F. Pietrangelo
May 9th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I absolutely love traditional assigned dining rather than flexible dining. Assigned dinner times allow for cruisers to really get to know other people at the table as well as the waitstaff. To me, this is a very important part of the whole cruising experience. I have met and kept in touch with many wonderful people from past cruises, most of whom were at my dinner table. It would be a shame to lose this aspect of cruising.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Hi John & Heidi:
I prefer the assigned seating, so that is where my vote goes. If I want to eat at another time, I will go to the Lido Deck or the Supper Club.
I’m so happy you had such a good time on your vacation. It always goes so fast.
Thanks again for Chris’ reports. I’m looking forward to meeting him on the Spirit in July.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
NO!!!! PLEASE NO! I have previously cruised, over 30 times, with one of the other lines whose name starts with an N. When they went to freestyle dining is when I stopped cruising with them. As I said here once before, we would sometimes have to wait over an hour for a table as it seemed that alot of people got hungry at the same time. We have also left the dining room after just appetizers and no dinner as the food was so slow coming out of the kitchen and we didn’t want to miss a show. So please, reconsider! One of the best things about Carnival is that you can still have the same wait staff and get to know them and they you, by dining in the same dining room at the same time and table every night! Well, I have tooted my horn enough, but you certainly opened up a can of worms with this question John!
Glad you and Heidi rested up and are home safe. Can’t wait to see a picture of Alan and his family–and don’t you dare have him dress in some ugly costume!
Sheryl
May 9th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
We were assigned late seating on last summer’s Carnival Freedom Med cruise. We were usually served the main entree by 10:00 p.m. This was too late to eat a heavy meal and dessert. The first night we couldn’t sleep! So, we changed to the earlier seating. We never made it to the dining room since we would return from excursions around that time. We ended up eating in the serve yourself, casual area most evenings. I definately would of appreciated anytime seating. Also, a lot of us “baby boomers” are watching our weight and don’t like going to sleep on a full stomach.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
MAYBE…. I really liked my waiter on the last cruise. However, if we got a waiter that wasn’t good (Do bad waiters even exist at Carnival?), or bad tablemates, then it might be worth it to switch out to a different table.
I’d probably try it a night or two, depending on what was going on.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Hi, glad you and Heidi had a nice vacation. Loved the pictures.
I vote for same time seating. We have met some very dear friends at our dinner table. In fact there are three couples, us included, that have been on two other cruises and will be on the Splandor in Aug. It is so nice you can go on tour and then come to dinner and compare notes.
Danny and Jennifer
May 9th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
I think it is a good idea to offer the option of dining whenever or your assigned table. We enjoy having the same table and staff, but I can understand some people prefering flexability. I’ll be interested in hearing on the feedback from the Legend.
Mike and Michelle
May 9th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
I like the assigned dining. It is fun to sit with the same people that you meet and discuss your day together.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
Hi John & Heidi: First of all, welcome back. Glad you had a wonderful vacation. About this dining question, I definitely vote NO. I enjoy the traditional dining. We look forward to eating with the same people and have the same wait staff. They know exactly what you like and there is no need to request certain things over and over. My husband, Bill, enjoys having coffee with his meal and they know this after the first day.
Can’t wait til you will be answering our questions again. Have a number of them for our Splendor cruise in January.
Have a great time this weekend at Alan’s.
Regards,
Terry
May 10th, 2008 at 12:08 am
John,
I vote NO NO NO NO! Like many others! Please dont change it! Love the traditional dining! And as I commented a few posts ago, just came back from a cruise on one of those Freestyle dining ships, and absolutely hated their dining choices. And we will never ever book a cruise with them again. It was horrible, mass confusion. Please dont turn Carnival into that mess too!!!
Thats my opinion, remember, you asked for it!
Elaina
May 10th, 2008 at 12:51 am
I say keep the classic assigned sitting I enjoy meeting new people.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:20 am
First time commenting. I absolutly love the blog. In regards to the dining option, I would say NO!!!. I prefer the assigned times, and my concern is that it could change to open dining all of the time.
As for the downloads, if you E-Mail me back, I can tell you how to configure Outlook so that it will only download E-Mail’s up to a certain size by default, and then you can select the ones you want to download should you want to. On our cruises (all 13 with Carnival), I set this up since some people can’t understand the time and cost of connecting on the ship.
May 10th, 2008 at 1:56 am
John,
I know I’m late adding my 2 cents worth, but I have to agree with Big Ed….NO, NO, NO, NO!!!
We always cruise with my mom and dad and a booth for the four of us is just perfect. It’s memories I will never forget. I like getting to know my wait staff, and them getting to know what we like and have it waiting for us. Like southerdreams said…if it ain’t broke, why fix it!
Princess Susan
May 10th, 2008 at 2:09 am
We enjoyed anytime dining experience on the Caribbean Princess…and I know you experienced it on your recent sailing on Princess John…I do agree with Big Ed’s points about service attitudes and I love having my dining staff,bar staff and everyone knowing every day; my name and what we want after the first night.Thanks for the TEST Carnival !!
Also a question John….Have you heard if the Piano Player that was on Blogger’s cruise Talent show ever got employed???That kid sure was good and we spoke to him as we left immigration…and boy was his head in the clouds after that week !!
Just curious and wishing him good luck !!
Mark,Amanda and Catie Bug
May 10th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Hi John & Heidi,
My vote is for assigned seating. I love sitting with the same people and having the same wait staff. I have met a lot of interesting people. There has been discussion on CC about people arriving late for dinner. Maybe we can go back to when the doors to the dining would be closed 10-15 minutes after the assigned time and instead of having these late arrivals disrupt the service they could be sent upstairs. On the Freedom in March there were people coming into the dining room when we were ordering dessert!
Pam
May 10th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Anytime dining is a good choice. I will tell you, though, that my sister and I don’t eat in the dining room very often, we stay on the Lido and eat. It’s not that we don’t like to meet people – just the opposite. But it’s interesting how many people eat regularly on the Lido and we have met some great people. In fact, we many times eat with those other folks. Part of the this is that we don’t like to dress up much on vacation – especially when on the Med. cruise, I don’t think we ate in the dining room the entire 12 days!! We met people on the shore excursion and would see them on the Lido and eat with them. We had a great time on the cruise and met a lot of wonderful folks!!
May 10th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Love the new flexible dining idea. With all the things to do on the ships it makes it much easier to plan your day if you are not set to a fixed dining schedule.
Again Carnival is the Leader in understanding the changing needs and desires of their guests.
WTG keep up the great work ….
May 10th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
As long as you still have traditional dining, it’s the best of both worlds. I thought Princess’s arrangement worked.
I personally like traditional. I like getting to know my table mates (never had terrible ones). I am shy so it takes me a while to feel comfortable. My husband prefers not to talk so at least I have someone to talk to.
May 10th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Keep the traditional dining! I can compromise if some want anytime dining, but do not pull a Princess where 2 dining rooms are anytime and 1 is traditional. Then when people book the cruise they all say traditional and no one ever shows up to that dining room! They all go for anytime even though they requested traditional! There should be a way to make sure guests do not interchange between the two.
May 10th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Hi John,
We’ve traveled on most of the cruise lines and prefer Carnival(of course) and I have always found that I can’t really enjoy all the food that is offered because I have to eat when I am scheduled and I am not always hungry then. Therefore, I miss having a trip to the Deli or to the Asian Buffet so I can save my appetite for my dinner time. I also never get to have some of that great looking dessert at the coffee bars aboard the ship.
Also we always seem to be seated with newlyweds who never show up after the first night and so we eat alone at a huge table. It’s our 45th anniversary for us this next cruise(to Mexican Riviera) on the Pride. So newlyweds are not very interesting to us.
So I am all for the new dining plan.
Thanks for letting me put my 2 cents in.
May 10th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Hi John & Heidi
Our cruising group enjoy assigned seating time.
We love the interaction with our waiting staff. By the end of the cruise we feel we have new friends in the dinning room. We usually travel with 8 to 12 people so it’s easier to have a table always reading for us in the dinning room. However, I think it will be interesting to see what your other guests say about the alternative dining plan. Thanks for the update and wonderful events of your vacation.
Mary
May 10th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
John,
As my sister said, we usually don’t go to the dining room especially after a long day of tours and we want to eat and relax. Therefore, I think having the option of both is a wonderful idea.
May 10th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
john please stay with traditional seating you get to know you’re servers better and they are all wonderful i’m sure, but do they not make less tips by this style of dining because you won’t really get to know them as much , also they give you better service when they know what you prefference is and know by staying with you every night, anyway stay with traditional can’t wait till 7/18/08 Freedom it’s getting close
May 10th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
I have been on 4 Carnival cruises and I prefer the assigned seating for dinner. Like everyone else has said, you have flexible seating at breakfast and lunch in the diningroom or you can go to the Lido deck. If you don’t want to eat early then opt for the later seating. Please don’t change what works, Carnival!!!
Cheers,
Cindy
May 10th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
John,
My family prefers traditional dining and I probably wouldn’t take a cruise that only offers freestyle dining. Traditional dining is much better for kids who like the routine of knowing their table and their waiters. We also find that traditional dining is more of an event whereas people rushed in and out of freestyle. And, of course, the service was far better in traditional.
We did try freestyle once on Princess. The first few nights anytime dining became no time dining because all of the anytime dining rooms were full with 45 minute waits. We learned to either make a reservation or go very early so we could get dinner without waiting on line. I was also disappointed with the themed dining rooms. For example, I expected the Mexican themed dining room to have Mexican food. It actually served one Mexican entree and then the rest of the menu was the same as the regular dining room. This makes sense for the kitchen staff but it was odd to be in a Mexican restaurant that mainly served American food.
I don’t really mind if a cruise line such as Princess offers both options because I choose traditional. But, I think it would be better to either offer themed dining rooms with different menus or serve the same food and don’t decorate the restaurant with a theme.
Also, if Carnival adopts a freestyle option, it should consider a gracious way to handle guests when the freestyle dining rooms are full. Until I got the handle of going to dinner at 5:30 to avoid the line, I felt like a second class citizen because we hadn’t made reservations and were always pushed to the side to seat others.
Hope this information helps and thanks for obtaining our feedback!
Audrey
May 11th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Good Morning John,
Sorry I haven’t posted recently but have been very busy.
As for the announcement of open dining Jack and I will still opt for assigned seating. We like to have the same table and dining staff for the entire cruise. You get to know them and we feel it adds a intimate touch to the cruise.
I’m sure the “Yes and No’s” will be pretty even and open dining is a great option. Should be interesting to see how it shapes up.
You take care
Joan
May 11th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Yes for the flex!
May 11th, 2008 at 11:43 am
John, I vote YES for the modified dining style. My wife and I have used it both on Holland America during its test period and on two Princess cruises. Unlike some other posters, our experience has been positive. We never have had to wait more than 5 minutes, even for a table for two during prime dining time.
May 11th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Clarify:
At the time of booking you have to choose one or the other and can’t intermingle??? This would be totally unacceptable.
Factoids:
Freestyle on the other ship, N, was horrible. If you wanted to eat an Italian, Chinese, American meal….you had to book reservations early in the day or take pot luck later on. There main menu in the big dining room was sparse and the wait staff treated you like they were doing you a big favor. Most of the cruise time was taken up by trying to book reservations. We were only 2 of us at the time, but others went with a group…it was awful.
There are so many things to do onboard that anytime dining just adds up to one more thing. When you have to get seated with a group, it can be complicated. Vacations are supposed to be relaxing with as few choices as possible. Relaxing it was not.
Pros of free style:
That you can eat whenever you want. Most of the time when you have a late excersion you run into congestion on the lido deck and very few people eat in the main dining area. This will happen with dining any time? It might lesson some of the congestion on lido????
As long as you keep the same menus in both areas i guess it would work. Do not limit either menu. What i’d like to see if this is done is that you actually let people choose dining anytime. Which would mean that only those that want a set time book it. Others who are undecided should be able to do there own thing. If they find they hate it, can they then choose a time mid way thru the cruise???
Don’t touch the great menus…the great meals….the great deserts…
The biggest problem with free style was everyone agreeing with one type of meal…the way you do it..we always have a choice..
fish, meat, pasta, light, vegetarian……
If its not broke don’t fix it….but hey…i guess trying it on only one ship is a good test market strategy….keep us posted…
May 11th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
John,
Just a quick note on the change in dining plans.
We actually prefer the set time, and love having the same wonderful wait staff serve us each night. My kids still look at those pictures and wonder “I wonder how Carlos is doing, or Remember him he was soooo nice, he never forgot my favorite desserts!”
We tried Flex dining on NCL and it just not appeal to us. Actually we call that our cruise to Hawaii Hell. We do realize though there are those that do, so as long as Carnival allows us a choice we are happy! As I told my DH last night and watched him cringe, before I added they are allowing you to choose which option…. to which he added ‘Now THAT is what makes Carnival smart!
We look forward to seeing the Legend and the new plan in action July 13! But for us… it is traditional all the way!
Love your blogs!
NB
May 11th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Hi John & Heidi
No, Nyet, Nein, Nada, Nichtx, To Anytime Dining.
We had it on another cruise(Princess) and did not like it. We like having that special attention from “our people” knowing our every whim” and that special attention that deserves our special gratuty. I agree with Jon we get the anytime seating with others at lunch and breakfast on Carnival and we find ourselves meeting new people and the conversations are always the same “where are you from , what do you do? and we repeat the war stories over and over and over. We like having the same table mates in the evening and the same waitstaff at night. It actually is sometimes with anticiaptin & we cant’t wait to tell each other what we did that day. Please let them leave it alone. OR IF YOU HAVE to change it, make it a small area of the ships to accomodate these people and leave the rest of us alone.
Now for the rest of the blog
Glad you enjoyed your vacation.
I hate Spam the mail, yes we get it too
Hawaii loves their spam(canned) they even have SPAM Sushi, tried that in Hawai that was interesting…. and if you really want a good receipe for Spam let me know I have one called “Mexican Jack “& it has Baked beans in it….
Still loved Bubba’s blog from Hawaii the pix were great brought back memories want to go back one of these days maybe cruise the islands next time, we shall see..
Take Care
The Tuckers
Elizabeth & Arnold
May 11th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
I’m in the middle of trying to decide what I like in terms of dining! We’re sailing on Princess through the Panama Canal in December and they have the choice. I like the idea of the flexibility, but I love having the same waiter ever night who gets to know us (especially our son) and takes such nice care of us. So tally one for undecided… helpful, huh?
May 11th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
To all the moms out there….Happy Mother’s Day!
I like having options…. I really enjoy having the same wait staff each night ….it is part of the cruise experience that many people enjoy …..the rapport you build with them.
However Anytime Dining/Flexible Dining does have its advantages as well. The timing thing ….being forced to dine a set time can be somewhat of a pain to some folks with groups or tours . I’ve overheard people complain that they requested early seating and got late or vice versa….Also if you don’t get along with your table mates…the next night you will get different ones.
I like having both options available.
May 11th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
John–Both styles of dining have their benefit. On assigned seating you are tied down to having to be in a certain place at a certain time, but you have the benefit of making friends with your tablemates and knowing your waiters. That being said, anytime seating allows you to go where you want when you want, and not miss something on the Capers that is the same time as what your assigned seating is. That being said, I prefer the anytime seating…although I don’t get a chance to meet people I have already done so on Cruise Critic and have the options of dining with them should I want company.
May 11th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Hope I’m not too late to add my opinion on the dining options. Personally, we prefer having assigned seating. We usually travel with a large group of family and friends. Dinnertime is the one time that we all get together in one place and share our experiences and make plans for the next day. Also, we love getting to know our waitstaff who become like family. I think this would be very difficult if you were seated in different places each day.
However, I see nothing wrong with Carnival trying it out. I just hope they leave both options and don’t replace assigned seating with freestyle.
Thanks for listening to our comments John.
The Kilmartins
May 11th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
I have a feeling that this is one of those deals that SOUNDS like a good idea yet in practice will be a bad idea. I’m sure the service will never be as good as the service you get from your regular wait staff. I’ve always noticed that the lunch service is never quite up to par as the dinner service…why? Because you are seated in random order and served by a staff who is not depending on you for that little extra tip.
May 11th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
John,
I would say that everyone should have a set dining time AND the option for anytime dining as well. Personally, I love the assigned dining and having the same waitor. But sometimes, I would like to be outside to watch a perfect sunset during my dinner time and in that case I can just go to the anytime dining area without missing it because of dinner…… along with the shore excursion scenario that a lot of people have mentioned. But I would mostly stick with assigned seatings and would only use the anytime dining for the times I get back to the ship after my dinner time.
All the photos of the countryside are beautiful along with the Hawaii photos from Bubba. Thanks so much for the information, Bubba!
As for Spam? I love the food, but I despise those spam e-mails. It’s ridiculous how widespread it is now and how it comes in all different forms. If you think forwarding emails are bad, I used to get forwarded text messages on my phone that said “Pass to 12 cell numbers or die the next day” Hell I be lucky if I had half of that to forward to. Or even on Facebook, people would write posts on the wall with the same spam you find in email. I have little tolerance for forwarded emails, but none for forwarded text messages! Not everyone has unlimited text messaging… or video messaging… or picture messaging…
Anyway, thanks for reading. Sorry for the rant. Hope you guys had a great weekend!
Good Night.
Alex G.
May 11th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
John, we have just returned one week ago from our first Carnival cruise on the Legend. Loved it. We have cruised before on many lines. I think the best dining option is what Princess does…you can choose anytime dining or you can choose traditional. I like traditional because I like to meet new friends at a large table. But I think the flexibility to choose is great. So I vote for both! Marilyn
May 12th, 2008 at 2:03 am
If Carnival can actually do this as a “complement” to Traditional it would be wonderful. But the other Carnival products that I have cruised Princess and HAL have done it in such a way that you have to book extremely early to get traditional dining and and even then you often have to fight really hard to get it.
We prefer the Traditional although I fully recognize that many many prefer the anytime. It just has been a difficult “choice” to get implemented for those that want Traditional.
May 12th, 2008 at 7:31 am
We use anytime on the Princess. You find in time that you end up eating with the same people. These people we met during eating and tours. By the end of the cruise we ended up eating around the same time, with the same people and at the same table. They actually saved the table for us.
May 12th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Peggy and I wish you and Heidi all the best. Please pass on our best wishes to a continued recovery to Alan when you see him.
As for “anytime dining” my wife and I are opposed. We like the assigned sittings. We prefer a table of 6 or 8 as we enjoy meeting people while dining. We took a cruise in May 2007 (for our 25th wedding anniversary) out of Tampa on the MIRACLE (with Bubba by the way) and it was simply marvelous. Even though we did not alert Carnival to our anniversary, we were seated with 2 other couples who, coincidentally, were also celebrating annivsaries — all within days of ours. We had a great time and have kept in contact with them.
If we did not have the assignment and had “anytime dining” this would never have happened.
We vote NAY for “anytime dining”.
Tom & Peggy Potter
USN (Ret) & wife
May 12th, 2008 at 9:46 am
John,
My experience with free-style cruising was not good. I usually travel with a group resulting in a long wait for a table.
BTW, waiting seems to be the norm in free-style cruising along with different dining staff every night, no personal service.
It sounds good until you experience it. Will keep me from free-style cruising anytime soon….
cheers…
May 12th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Hi John,
I think offering both dining options is a great idea.
Cathy
May 12th, 2008 at 11:27 am
We both love assigned seating. Please do not get rid of assigned seating!!!
We like to make friends with our tablemates – something you’re not able to do with anytime dining.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Yes!! I love the freestyle. As you said, it gives you the option to eat … when you’re hungry. If Carnival offered both options, it would be the best of both worlds! My only question is would everyone be assigned a dinner time and then given the option to eat at their assigned time or go to the freestyle?
May 12th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
One of the things we most enjoy about cruising is the formal dining. I would hate to see that disappear under the guise of “testing”. Seems there are plenty of other options for those who want to eat whenever – really, who ever went hungry on a cruise?
May 12th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
YUP – LOVE IT!
We have 2 young children…and love the idea that we can take them to dinner at anytime. (In our case usually around 6:30)
Early seating is too early, late seating too late.
Just like Goldlie Lox (A natural blond, Jewish girl…who knew?) – anytime is just right.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Hello,
I hope I’m not too late to add my 2 cents. My vote is: If we are part of a group – traditional dining, if it’s just the two of us, anytime is fine. One thing I want to add that no one has said yet, is that the entertainment options would have to be re-thought for anytime to work on Carnival. We’ve tried it on NCL and on Princess, and the one thing that stressed us out was – “will we get to the show on time?” On Princess there are several small venues, with shows at different times, so you can always catch somebodies show. One of the things we always enjoy about Carnival is sitting with our group at dinner and swapping stories about what we did during the day, and then walking all the way to the other end of the ship after dinner, knowing that we will have our choice of seats for the show that will start in 1/2 hour. No glancing nervously at my watch, fumbling in my bag for the capers, squinting at it in the somewhat darkened dining room, and muttering, “well, we could go to X lounge and see Mr. ABC, or we could try to get a seat in the theater to see the comedian, or…”
Are we the only ones who want to see every show? We almost never miss a show when we are on Carnival!
May 12th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Hi John and Heidi. This is a vote to keep the traditional dining. We love to get to know our waiters and call them by name. They have our wine ready and corked for the next day, know what bread we like. We have enjoyed all our dinner waiters on our cruises with Carnival.
Love to you both.
Val. Ontario, Canada.
May 12th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Yes on anytime dining. As you experienced on Princess — it works!
May 13th, 2008 at 11:10 am
John,
Sorry for the late post, things have been a bit hectic and I am just now catching up on the last few blogs.
As far as anytime dining, one word – YUCK! When trying this on another cruise line the service was very poor. It was very cold and impersonal, like dining at a restaurant.
I love having our wait staff know us and getting to know them. To this day my BF’s sister has a lifelong email friend who was her waiter on a cruise.
I hope to always have assigned seating when we sail with Carnival. Carla
May 13th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
John…
I just don’t see how you can say every one of us says we want a choice?? I don’t see that in these posts…
I do see we acknowledge there ALREADY IS A CHOICE, in fact MANY choices for those who want anytime dining… But I don’t think MORE choices need to be added…
I’m glad you asked us!!!
Lambie
May 15th, 2008 at 1:56 am
Just got back from a Princess cruise (San Francisco – Vancouver). They had one dining room for traditional and one for any-time. And two great cover-charge restaurants, so the first night we went to Sabatini’s and had those 18 dishes you wrote about a while ago.
The second (and last) night we went to the any-time restaurant and were immediately seated at a 2-top, separate from but very close to another couple at their 2-top. We had a very enjoyable conversation and were happy to meet them. The food was great.
The only other cruise we’ve done was on the QM2 in the Princess Grill, where you have your own table you can eat at whenever you want, same waiters every night, etc. The best of both worlds! So that’s the best, and we did like any-time dining on the Coral Princess. However, the restaurant was very quiet, as we’d had rough seas since sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge. I might not have found it as relaxing if the restaurant were full and noisier, plus a long wait to get a table.
Next trip: QE2, Queen’s Grill, expect we’ll like that!
May 15th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Re “anytime dining” Just got off the Carri. Princess where we did “anytime dinig for the first time. (after 18 trad. dining sails) All was well , except it seems waiters and ass’t waiters were very impersonal (probably tip related) nor did we ever see a Maitre D or Ass’t M.D.. Service therefore was rather poor and people didn’t always get the right stuff. I don’t know what we’ll do on the Legend , which will be our next ship, but you you need to do something to provide accountability for the waitstaff. The feedback form doesn’t handle anytime dining.
May 19th, 2008 at 10:49 am
While we have to have a “set time” because if DJ’s autism, I do agree that offering BOTH is an excellent idea…..AS LONG AS it does not interrupt “the flow” of the service in any way.
I realise the kitchen will be servicing both options at the same time. My hope is that the “anytime” dining does not mean longer waits between courses for us “assigned” people.
As long as assigned seating keeps the same great service…. I have no problem with “anytimers” having a separate floor.
May 19th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Regarding open dining, if Carnival can do it without creating a long “wait”, then go for it. I would like having the choice, though. I do not like the open seating style they do for breakfast/lunch where they heard you in with the person in front and behind you. I would rather have the option of sitting at a table for 2 or 4; not 12.
Perhaps an option of reservations for the day…another words at 3pm, decide you want to eat at 7:30 that night instead of 5:45 assigned seating.
Change is good!
May 19th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
One more comment on open seating:
How would the gratuities work? Some dining staff do an awesume job. Others jump over hoops and bend over backwards and deserve more of a gratuity. If you have a different server each night, how would you know if YOUR servers got YOUR tip?
May 20th, 2008 at 7:54 am
2 votes for traditional. My husband and I agree, you have anytime dining on the lido deck and various other places on the boat. Other sister cruise lines have anytime as do other cruise lines. Don’t fix what isn’t broken. I doubt seriously that carnival is going to lose passengengers just because they don’t go to anytime dining. If you have anytime you lose so much more then you gain with traditional dining. And why annoy past guests when they request traditional and then get freestyle? Check the choices, if there are more people that want traditional and you change them to freestyle, that sucks. Keep what is good good and leave freestyle to sister lines and other unnamed lines!
May 20th, 2008 at 7:56 am
Plus the convienenve of adding gratuities at the front end of our cruise would go away as I would not want to do that and have crappy service one night and good the next and have the tips split equally. I would then have to go into the dining room and bring cash all the time to tip appropriately. Again, I say NAY, NAY! don’t let it happen!
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