Dinner seatings

Hi
Six of us are going on the Carnival Freedom on Sept 10/07, Grand
Mediteranean. I don't think our travel agent is doing a very good job this
time around as I had to call Carnival myself to cross reference our friends
who booked out of the group.

Now back in end of Oct/06 I put in a request to change the dinner seating
from 8 pm to 6 pm.I recently faxed a doctor's note to my TA as I cannot eat
after 8 pm (she originally told me it wasn't necessary).

Now,I was told by someone at Carnival that the seatings are not set in stone
and it isn't until we board the ship that they're are firmed up.

What can I do to ensure that I get an early seating? I have GERD (reflux
disorder) and cannot eat after 8 pm. Our past cruises have always been 6 pm
dinners but it was hubby's idea to go with a late seating thinking that 6 pm
is too early on a Mediteranean cruise. His idea was to have me eat earlier
at the buffet or room service then join him & our friends at the 8 pm dinner
table but not eat anything. ( Harebrained idea=grounds for divorce)

Roseanne
The Seven Dwarves of Menopause are living at my house: Itchy,Bitchy,
Sweaty,Sleepy,Bloated,Forgetful & Psycho

Hi Roseanne,

Simply make your very first stop after you board the ship the dinning room
and talk with the maitre d'. It's his job to see that your pleased with your
arrangements. He will do all he can to accomodate your needs.

Regards,

Dan

"foggydoggy" wrote in message
...
Hi
Six of us are going on the Carnival Freedom on Sept 10/07, Grand
Mediteranean. I don't think our travel agent is doing a very good job this
time around as I had to call Carnival myself to cross reference our
friends who booked out of the group.

Now back in end of Oct/06 I put in a request to change the dinner seating
from 8 pm to 6 pm.I recently faxed a doctor's note to my TA as I cannot
eat after 8 pm (she originally told me it wasn't necessary).

Now,I was told by someone at Carnival that the seatings are not set in
stone and it isn't until we board the ship that they're are firmed up.

What can I do to ensure that I get an early seating? I have GERD (reflux
disorder) and cannot eat after 8 pm. Our past cruises have always been 6
pm dinners but it was hubby's idea to go with a late seating thinking that
6 pm is too early on a Mediteranean cruise. His idea was to have me eat
earlier at the buffet or room service then join him & our friends at the 8
pm dinner table but not eat anything. ( Harebrained idea=grounds for
divorce)

Roseanne
The Seven Dwarves of Menopause are living at my house: Itchy,Bitchy,
Sweaty,Sleepy,Bloated,Forgetful & Psycho

Carnival is one of the few cruise lines that will not guarantee a dining
time. And although the maitre d' will make every attempt to satisfy you, if
there's no space, there's no space.

It's a major decision, but you still have a little time to cancel without
cruise line penalties. You can then rebook on a cruise that will confirm
early dining.

Good luck
--
Alan Rosenbaum
Independent Cruise Specialist
CruiseOne
www.CruisePleasures.com

"Daniel Bonham" wrote in message
...
Hi Roseanne,

Simply make your very first stop after you board the ship the dinning room
and talk with the maitre d'. It's his job to see that your pleased with
your arrangements. He will do all he can to accomodate your needs.

Regards,

Dan

"foggydoggy" wrote in message
...
Hi
Six of us are going on the Carnival Freedom on Sept 10/07, Grand
Mediteranean. I don't think our travel agent is doing a very good job
this time around as I had to call Carnival myself to cross reference our
friends who booked out of the group.

Now back in end of Oct/06 I put in a request to change the dinner seating
from 8 pm to 6 pm.I recently faxed a doctor's note to my TA as I cannot
eat after 8 pm (she originally told me it wasn't necessary).

Now,I was told by someone at Carnival that the seatings are not set in
stone and it isn't until we board the ship that they're are firmed up.

What can I do to ensure that I get an early seating? I have GERD (reflux
disorder) and cannot eat after 8 pm. Our past cruises have always been 6
pm dinners but it was hubby's idea to go with a late seating thinking
that 6 pm is too early on a Mediteranean cruise. His idea was to have me
eat earlier at the buffet or room service then join him & our friends at
the 8 pm dinner table but not eat anything. ( Harebrained idea=grounds
for divorce)

Roseanne
The Seven Dwarves of Menopause are living at my house: Itchy,Bitchy,
Sweaty,Sleepy,Bloated,Forgetful & Psycho

On Jun 20, 12:29 am, "foggydoggy" wrote:

What can I do to ensure that I get an early seating? I have GERD (reflux
disorder) and cannot eat after 8 pm.

I'm curious to know why 8 pm is the magic cut-off time. Was that
established to coincide with your regular routine at home? Is it more
like a set number of hours before you lay down for sleep that the food
intake has to be cut off? I ask, because, if you're like me, you'll be
staying up a lot later on a ship than you ordinarily would at home -
more hours standing or sitting, before heading to the cabin for sleep.
If you're planning to maintain the same schedule on the cruise that
you do at home, then disregard my comments. But, if you're thinking
that you'll be staying up a little later, hitting the late shows,
casino, disco, etc., why not ask your doctor if there's any
flexibility with that 8 pm time. I'd hate to see you cut short your
days in port, just to get back in time for dinner...if there's a way
around it.

His idea was to have me eat earlier
at the buffet or room service then join him & our friends at the 8 pm dinner
table but not eat anything. ( Harebrained idea=grounds for divorce)

Agreed. That's a horrible idea. (what was he thinking??????)

Lee




Roseanne
The Seven Dwarves of Menopause are living at my house: Itchy,Bitchy,
Sweaty,Sleepy,Bloated,Forgetful & Psycho

"Alan Rosenbaum" wrote:

It's a major decision, but you still have a little time to cancel without
cruise line penalties. You can then rebook on a cruise that will confirm
early dining.

Good luck
--
Alan Rosenbaum
Independent Cruise Specialist
CruiseOne
www.CruisePleasures.com


Respectfully, I think this is ill-conceived advice. Roseanne's party of six
is traveling to Europe within 90 days for a Med cruise during peak early
September of a travel year that's seen Med cruises reach all-time
popularity??? Although I'm not a travel agent, I have planned similar trips
for parties of 4-7. What are the odds that she can find 3 comparable cabins
(category and location) on a comparable ship (AFAIK, there's nothing
comparable to the brand new Freedom in Europe right now, so the next best
match) for a comparable price at this late date? More, the ship needs to be
sailing from the same departure and disembarkation ports on the same dates
as the Freedom, or changes to the air will have to be made, which is almost
certain to involve added expense at this late date. Perhaps they had
independent port tours--many of us exercise that option, especially when
traveling in a group. Those will likely need to be rearranged to fit new
dates, subject to availability and the operator's willingness to transfer
the booking without penalty. Whew! The logistics of acting on your
recommendation are daunting...and all in the chase for "confirmed early
dining," which is a capacity-controlled feature that might not even be
available at this late date.

Roseanne, my two cents are the same as Dan's: When you board, get your hands
on the embarkation day newsletter and find the blurb that sets the time and
location for meeting with the head maitre d' & attend. When you politely
present your request, I'm sure they will work with you to find a suitable
arrangement. (I do suggest you try to go early so you will be in the front
of the line. It's always a madhouse, and you can count on a few bozos who
are obnoxiously demanding--not a pleasant scenario.) Our family of four
prefers early dining, and we've rarely received the desired assignment on
booking. No worries--we've always managed to reach a suitable early dining
arrangement upon boarding.

Did you happen to see number6 post the three links to his Carnival Freedom
Med cruise in May? Look down at the thread entitled, "Wireless Internet
Access on board ships," and find a post by number6 dated June 19.

Have a great trip with your friends, Roseanne!

Diana Ball
Austin, TX

with GERD you shouldn't eat for several hours before bed. wtih 8pm seating
you won't be done till around 10. so bedtime would have to be around
1-2a.m. with the port intensive pace and touring, that may not be doable.

Sheree

"LeeNY" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Jun 20, 12:29 am, "foggydoggy" wrote:

What can I do to ensure that I get an early seating? I have GERD (reflux
disorder) and cannot eat after 8 pm.

I'm curious to know why 8 pm is the magic cut-off time. Was that
established to coincide with your regular routine at home? Is it more
like a set number of hours before you lay down for sleep that the food
intake has to be cut off? I ask, because, if you're like me, you'll be
staying up a lot later on a ship than you ordinarily would at home -
more hours standing or sitting, before heading to the cabin for sleep.
If you're planning to maintain the same schedule on the cruise that
you do at home, then disregard my comments. But, if you're thinking
that you'll be staying up a little later, hitting the late shows,
casino, disco, etc., why not ask your doctor if there's any
flexibility with that 8 pm time. I'd hate to see you cut short your
days in port, just to get back in time for dinner...if there's a way
around it.

His idea was to have me eat earlier
at the buffet or room service then join him & our friends at the 8 pm
dinner
table but not eat anything. ( Harebrained idea=grounds for divorce)

Agreed. That's a horrible idea. (what was he thinking??????)

Lee




Roseanne
The Seven Dwarves of Menopause are living at my house: Itchy,Bitchy,
Sweaty,Sleepy,Bloated,Forgetful & Psycho

Diana Ball wrote:

Roseanne, my two cents are the same as Dan's: When you board, get your hands
on the embarkation day newsletter and find the blurb that sets the time and
location for meeting with the head maitre d' & attend. When you politely
present your request, I'm sure they will work with you to find a suitable
arrangement. (I do suggest you try to go early so you will be in the front
of the line

Good advice as usual!! One thing I would add is to take a copy of your
doctors note with you. Most likely you won't need it, but it might help
if seating is tight.

sue

On Jun 20, 9:55 am, "sheree" wrote:
with GERD you shouldn't eat for several hours before bed. wtih 8pm seating
you won't be done till around 10. so bedtime would have to be around
1-2a.m. with the port intensive pace and touring, that may not be doable.

Right. That's why I asked the question. At home, if Roseanne usually
finishes eating by 8:00 and heads to bed at 10:00, that's two hours.
On a cruise, if she finishes eating at 10:00 and heads to bed at
midnight, it's still two hours. I was just wondering if it's actually
a prescribed set time between last bite of food and laying down in the
bed, or something else. At home, if Roseanne finishes eating at 8:00
and heads to bed at 2:00 am, then, obviously, late seating is
eliminated as an option.

Just trying to get a complete picture.

Lee



Sheree

"LeeNY" wrote in message

oups.com...

On Jun 20, 12:29 am, "foggydoggy" wrote:

What can I do to ensure that I get an early seating? I have GERD (reflux
disorder) and cannot eat after 8 pm.

I'm curious to know why 8 pm is the magic cut-off time. Was that
established to coincide with your regular routine at home? Is it more
like a set number of hours before you lay down for sleep that the food
intake has to be cut off? I ask, because, if you're like me, you'll be
staying up a lot later on a ship than you ordinarily would at home -
more hours standing or sitting, before heading to the cabin for sleep.
If you're planning to maintain the same schedule on the cruise that
you do at home, then disregard my comments. But, if you're thinking
that you'll be staying up a little later, hitting the late shows,
casino, disco, etc., why not ask your doctor if there's any
flexibility with that 8 pm time. I'd hate to see you cut short your
days in port, just to get back in time for dinner...if there's a way
around it.

His idea was to have me eat earlier
at the buffet or room service then join him & our friends at the 8 pm
dinner
table but not eat anything. ( Harebrained idea=grounds for divorce)

Agreed. That's a horrible idea. (what was he thinking??????)

Lee

Roseanne
The Seven Dwarves of Menopause are living at my house: Itchy,Bitchy,
Sweaty,Sleepy,Bloated,Forgetful & Psycho

it seems to me.in your position. you shoulda choose eating at 6pm
reguardless....
since there is a question anyways.
you are too dumb to be sailing.is my view.

no eating after 8pm?
its before 8pm somewhere..so eat all you want.lol