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Carnival Cruise Lines has launched “Your Choice Dining” which provides a selection of three different dinner seating options for guests aboard the line’s 22-ship fleet. In addition to Early or Late assigned seating, the cruise line is rolling out “Your Time” open seating to accommodate individual guest preferences. Also, under the new Your Choice Dining program, dining assignments will be confirmed at the time of booking

Your Time open seating, currently available on five ships, will be implemented one vessel at a time over the next several months as modifications in dining room table configurations are completed on each ship.

An additional eight ships are scheduled to be converted by the end of year and the balance of the fleet by summer 2010.  Confirmed dining assignments are now being offered fleetwide.

At the time of booking, guests will be asked to choose from among Early dining at 6pm, Late dining at 8:15 pm or Your Time dining which allows guests to dine at any time between 5:45pm and 9:30pm (if applicable depending on ship and sailing date). Dining assignments will be accommodated on a first-come, first-serve basis according to when guests made their reservation.

If the preferred dining choice is not available, guests may confirm an alternate choice and be placed on a waitlist for their first preference.  Waitlists will be cleared prior to sailing and guests will be notified via email of their confirmed seating assignment.

As Your Time dining is implemented on each ship, guests already booked will be contacted via email or through their travel agent and provided the opportunity to switch to Your Time dining or retain their original choice.  

Your Time guests are able to request any table size or waiter and are typically seated immediately when arriving at the dining room.  However, if a modest wait time is required, guests are given a pager so they are free to relax elsewhere on the ship until their table is ready.

Additional options available under Your Choice Dining include extensive poolside eateries offering a wide variety of cuisine choices in a casual environment and, on a number of ships, elegant, reservations-only restaurants serving fine quality dry-aged U.S.D.A. prime steaks and other dishes in an intimate, upscale atmosphere. 

Source: http://carnival-news.com/2009/04/01/carnival-cruise-lines-introduces-new-your-choice-dining-program/