Louisiana Cruisers – Carnival Will Strictly Enforce This Rule

The chance to leave the cares and concerns and constraints of life's day-to-day commitments is part of the reason that so many Louisiana travelers love to climb on a cruise ship and sail away. Our state is blessed to have a major cruise terminal in the city of New Orleans. And for those who love to cruise and live in the western half of the state, you can also set sail from Galveston Texas.

One of the cruise lines that is quite popular with travelers from Louisiana is Carnival Cruise Lines. The carrier offers a wide range of itineraries that sail from both New Orleans and Galveston. Heck, Carnival even has a cruise that sails out of Mobile, Alabama if that's more to your liking.

Cruise vacations are often advertised as "leave everything to us" vacations. In other words, the cruise line and its staff will ensure that you, as a guest, have everything you need to enjoy your time on board the vessel. And while your time on board is meant to be carefree and relaxing, the folks at Carnival Cruise Lines are letting it be known that there is one rule on their ships that you must be prepared to follow.

If you've ever been on a cruise before you're probably familiar with the luxurious meals that are served in the ship's main dining room. The nightly menu on most cruises changes to match the location of the ship. The ship's culinary staff goes to great pains to acquire local favorites and the freshest ingredients to prepare for your meal.

To accommodate guests and ensure that the food quality is beyond reproach Carnival, like most cruise lines, offers two seatings for the evening meal. Guests are given a choice when they board at which seating they prefer. Of course, most ships offer a come-as-you-please buffet and many other food options that don't require arriving for dinner at a specific time.

This brings us to the one rule that Carnival Cruise Lines says it will enforce on all of their vessels. And, if we are being honest, it's one they should enforce. The rule? Be on time for dinner.

If you've ever watched the kitchen and wait staff serve a meal in a cruise ship's main dining area it is an orchestrated ballet of waiters, co-waiters, sommeliers, and hosts that serve hundreds of customized meals in less than 90 minutes. So, if you're late. You throw off the whole process.

If you are late. Here's what could happen.

Late, as defined by most cruise lines is 15 minutes. If you show up at the main dining room more than 15 minutes after your seating, you could be asked to go to the buffet for your meal or attempt to find an open space in the second seating, assuming you were booked for the early seating.

It's just like a reservation at a land-based restaurant. If you snooze you lose. Fortunately, for cruise ship guests there are plenty of other complimentary options that are available on board, and if you just want to sit and sulk you can do that in your stateroom while you enjoy room service.