The following pilot program begins with the June 29 voyage of the CARNIVAL LEGEND:


We will add a new dining option to enhance our already popular Total Choice Dining. On the Carnival Legend we currently offer our Classic Reserved Dining program: the Main Sitting (1), Second Sitting (3), our Casual Bistro Dining in the Lido restaurant, and the Supper Club.

We will add an Open Sitting dinner option (U) in the main restaurant. Guests selecting the Open Sitting dinner option will have the opportunity to dine in the main restaurant anytime between 5:30PM and 9:30PM. They will be able to pre-reserve their dining time by contacting a special number from their suite or stateroom. Alternatively, they will also be able to walk up to the dining room during those times and request to be seated.

Guests who pre-reserve our Classic Reserved Dining (CRD) options (Main & Second sitting) will not be able to reserve Open Seating times.

quote:

Guests who pre-reserve our Classic Reserved Dining (CRD) options (Main & Second sitting) will not be able to reserve Open Seating times.

I guess they don't want people doing what happens on Princess - having assigned seating but still being able to use Personal Choice when desired. And what exactly is "pre-reserve"? Is that like a pre-meeting?

Good point, Dave; Princess has pretty much painted themselves into a corner on this one. It wasn't a problem for First Sitting Traditional as that is still very much in demand. But we noticed people going back and forth from Second Sitting Traditional to Anytime almost at will. One night a table for 8 would be full; the next, 2; then 6 on the next. I sensed it was rather demoralizing to the wait staff on Second Sitting. And yet they didn't dare turn people away from Anytime--at least not yet.

I can certainly understand restricting it. If one wants assigned seating, then fine. But if one wants to skip assigned seating one or two nights, then go to the buffet dinner. That is what we do.

I am not sure I like this idea of pre reserving floating in and out dining.
I love the dining rooms. I enjoy the people at my table, I enjoy the wait staff. I enjoy the food. I love the early seating, at my age it is bed time by the time we get finished with the late seating dining. And the dining rooms, with table mates that you get to know is one of my favorite memories on the ship.
I will stick with the regular dining room.
the floating dining time is the reason we wont consider norweign cruise line for a cruise

We sail on the Legend Sunday and personally, I am glad we are getting our sailing in before that start this "trial".

I am sure they will straighten it out eventually, but I can't imagine what this is going to do to the timing in the kitchen???

OH LHP i want to go too. we dont cruise on her until sept. I wish it were tomorrow. ask around and see what the feelings are with the other passengers about the dining and let us know.

We sail on the Legend on May 25........yippeee!

Thanks Cruise Fanatic! I didn't know they publicly announced it yesterday. I had read about it Tuesday and confirmed it to be true.

It should be an interesting experiment. For me, I like the way it is now. LHP made a good point about the kitchen timing. I guess we will see how it plays out.

Dwayne

What was wrong with dining the way it always was on a cruise? Cruise popularity has only increased over time without all these dining options and specialty restaraunts (at additional cost). This was always one of the alluring parts of crusing. For me all this dining hassle is prone to make me look elsewhere for vacation options. I'm on vacation. I want to relax. I don't want to have to fight for reservations for everything. All this flexability seems to be complicating crusing beyond what it is worth. I don't think I would cruise on any line that didn't have standard dining room seating.

I think the article is vague on how the program will work. If they follow what HAL did with "As you Wish Dining", then one level of the dining room will be open and the other level fixed. The article almost leads one to think people would just be wandering in among the fixed sitting. There certainly will be glitches, as there are in anything new, but if one level is designated for open dining the kitchen should be able to handle it without too much heartache. It actually should provide less pressure on the cooks to have meals spread out more. That was the reason Carnival went to the two early times, and two late times, on some of the ships. I prefer fixed dining myself, but the cruise lines change with what the clients demand. Hopefully it won't be too rough of a transition.

I enjoy the Personal Choice dining, you get to meet more people. It is fun to have traditional as well. I have seem to notice the dining room problems f-mattox mentioned on Princess a lot, especially on the last evening of the cruise. Hmmm...wonder why