Carnival clamping down on latecomers…………………

Carnival Cruise Line have just announced their decision to begin testing out a new dining rule on two of their cruise ships.

Only guests travelling onboard Carnival Glory and Carnival Conquest who have opted for traditional (early and late seating) dining will be affected by this new policy; any passengers who arrive for dinner more than 30 minutes after their assigned time will be turned away and asked to enjoy their evening meal on the Lido deck.

The reason behind the brand’s new rule is a result of delays to guests’ meals when other passengers arrive late for their reservation. The dining room servers prefer to keep everyone on the same course, but this becomes difficult when guests arrive 45 minutes to an hour after their scheduled time.

Very often table companions are left waiting, unsure if they should order or not, also this must be very annoying for the waiters, if they have not been given prior notice.

The new policy will not affect passengers who have selected Your Time Dining, only those who have opted for set dining times. Carnival is testing this new rule out on only two of their vessels with the hope to make it fleetwide. Over the past few years, the line have been testing programmes on select ships before rolling them out to the rest of the fleet.

What is your reaction to this new policy? We asked some forum members, many said maybe allow 15 minutes maximum, others said they think 30 minutes is far too long. Have you got any feedback on this? Do you think other cruise companies should enforce this policy?

I have experienced this  on many cruises and feel this is a good idea, who wants to be mid way through their meal and have fellow diners join the table, I think it is bad manners.

Would love to hear your stories.