Photo
courtesy of Cruise Master Jeff Greer|
Photo
courtesy of Cruise Master Jeff Greer |
Carnival Pride |
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08/21/02 |
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Ship Profile & Stats
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Carnival Pride page at the Carnival Corporate Site (Use your "back" button to return here) Dining Policies Dining preferences (time, companions) may be requested at the time of your reservation. By popular request, all of Carnival's Dining Rooms are Smoke-Free. Smoking is permitted in designated areas and in your stateroom. No requests with Carnival are ever guaranteed. Your table assignment will be confirmed at embarkation. Dining times are subject to change. A new feature of Total Choice Dining is staggered dinner seatings, which is offered in the formal restaurants (except Carnival Spirit). Guests have the convenience of selecting 5:45 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 8:00 p.m. or 8:45 p.m. You can also enjoy a continental breakfast in your stateroom (until 10:00 am) or a limited menu breakfast on deck. Lunch and dinner are also available bistro-style on the Lido Deck, inside the restaurant or alfresco (Seaview Bistro is not available on the last night of the cruise). Which is better, Early or Late Dining? As a rule of thumb, Early Dining means you'll have dinner between 5:45 pm and 6:30 pm. Late Dining means you'll have dinner between 8:15 and 8:45 pm. There are many reasons why one dining may be better for you than an other. You may want Early Dining if: You are traveling with small children who need to stick to a set meal and bedtime schedule. You don't enjoy that bloated full feeling before bedtime You generally go to bed between 10 pm and Midnight You are taking a very "At Sea" intensive itinerary. You are an early riser You may want Late Dining if: You are a night owl, who catches your second wind later in the evening You don't want to feel rushed for dinner after a day in port It takes you or your spouse a long time to get ready for dinner. You don't mind finishing your meal around 10:15 or 10:30 pm There are some trends that we have noticed with regards to itineraries and the popularity of a particular dinner seating. Eastern Caribbean cruisers like Early Dining because of all the days at sea Western and Southern Caribbean Cruiser like Late because of all the ports 3 and 4 night cruisers like Late because they party into the night Family Reunion Groups like Early because of the variety of age groups traveling European and Exotic Cruisers like Early because the older passengers who sail prefer to eat earlier Many of today's cruise lines, including Carnival, are now offering alternatives to having dinner in the dining room or room service. For example, Carnival is now using their upper deck breakfast and lunch facilities to offer a buffet version of their dinner menus. These restaurants are more casual allowing you to be more flexible with your meal time and dress. Since the Caribbean is the most popular destination, Late Dining always books first and is often on a wait-list 6 months prior to sailing. Carnival does not confirm dining at booking. Your assignment will be made once you board the ship. If you want to confirm a particular seating, book early, book early, book early. Is Cruise ship dining as good as I've been told? Everything you've heard about cruise ship dining is true. You'll find a varied selection of entrees (appetizers, salads, soups, vegetables, and desserts, too) every time you sit down. And there's virtually no limit on what or how much you can order. Just because your cruise ship offers plenty of delicious food doesn't mean you'll come home out of shape. You can choose low-cal, spa, or fitness menu selections that are just as tempting as the regular menu. You can also jog, do aerobics, work out in the gym, swim, golf, play tennis, and much more. Burning calories was never so much fun! Best of all, the one thing you'll never see on a cruise ship menu is a price! Can I get a special diet? Most ships can accommodate salt-free, low-carbohydrate, Kosher, or other diet preferences. However, this request must be made in advance, so be sure to advise your agent of this requirement when you book your cruise. What if I don't like my tablemates? Rarely is this a problem. However, if you wish to move to another table, speak with the Maitre'd. He'll make every effort to seat you with more compatible dining companions...discretely and politely. Can we get a table for two? On the more upscale lines like Crystal, Radisson Seven Seas, Seabourn and such a table for two is usually no problem. It's on the mass market lines where this request is a little more difficult to confirm. The newer ships (circa 1995 and later) are being built with more tables for two. A table for two can never be confirmed, it can only be requested. Table and Dining Assignments are made by the ship's Dining Coordinator who works in the cruise line's corporate office. This person makes the assignments 2 weeks prior to sailing and submits the list to the Maitre'd the week before sailing. If you get on board and you didn't get what you requested, see the Maitre'd. Maybe he can do something for you if it's available. I am not a morning person, will I miss breakfast? This may not be a bad idea after a couple of days on the ship, but the answer is - NO. (Unless you sleep right into lunch). Breakfast and lunch are always available in the buffet on the Lido deck. Breakfast is usually served until 10 a.m., sometimes later. Breakfast and lunch used to be served at two sittings, but many ships now have an "open" dining room - which means you can come at any time when they are open (i.e. 12 - 2 for lunch). This not to be confused with "open seating" which means that you'll sit at whatever table is open (sometimes at their direction). Can I eat any time I want? What about room service? Carnival ships have complimentary room service available 24 hours a day. You can eat all day if you want. Let's look at a day on the Carnival Pride: Room Service at 6:00 am Breakfast in the Dining Room at 8:00 Still serving Breakfast on the Buffet till 10:30 am Lunch Buffet is open at 11:00, I think I'll just have a salad. I'm cutting down Lunch in the Dining Room at 12:00 pm 2:00 pm, I think I'll have Chinese at the Chinese Grill 4:00 pm by the pool, I could use a pizza from the 24 hour pizzeria 6:30 pm, time for dinner 10:30, let's have a sandwich at the Pizzeria 12:00, Midnight Buffet 1:30 am, Scrambled Eggs and Bacon on the Late Night Mini-Buffet 3:30 am, I'm through dancing, let's have another pizza. 4:00 am, Honey, how about a Turkey Sandwich from room service. "Shut up and go to bed we've got room service coming for breakfast in 2 hours." The answer is yes, you can eat anytime you want. Are there non-smoking area's on the ship? Today, all Carnival ships have non-smoking dining rooms, reflecting passenger requests. Normally, outside on the open decks, one side of the ship will be designated as smoking and the other side will be designated as non-smoking. Can we celebrate a special day? Absolutely! Carnival cruise lines will even treat you to a complimentary cake and a chorus of Happy Whatever to honor the occasion. Your birthday or anniversary can be more festive with champagne, flowers, canapés, wine or cheese. You can even arrange for a special private party. All you have to do is advise your travel agent in advance. What about tipping? Tipping is a matter of individual preference. A general rule of thumb is to plan for about $3.50 per person per day for your room steward and dining room waiter, and about $2.00 for your busboy. The Head Waiter and Maitre d' should be tipped at your discretion. Other ship board personnel can be tipped for special services at your discretion. Carnival will allow you to pre-pay your tips before you go. This is a great way to take care of the tips, so you're not caught short later. You should speak with the Travel Agent about adding this option to your fare. Daily tipping guidelines apply regardless of dining option selected. Carnival automatically adds 15% gratuity to your bar bill. What can I wear to dinner? Dinner falls into 3 categories: Formal, Informal (also called semi-formal) and casual. Since there are many types of outfits women can wear, I won't comment on this - just dress to compliment the guys.
On a seven night cruise there will normally be two formal nights in the dining room.
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This site was last updated 04/12/02