While consumers typically love Carnival's two-seat dining process and their personal relationship with their waiter, Carnival's president Gerry Cahill acknowledged that some consumers may prefer open seating. So Cahill said that, for the past three weeks, the contemporary line has begun trying the open seating concept on Carnival Legend, which sails from Tampa.
The upper seating area of the Carnival Legend is open seating, the lower is for traditional fixed seating. He also said the line will soon implement the program for testing on Carnival Liberty. Cahill said the biggest challenge is how to incorporate entertainment into the dining schedule. Carnival's waiters normally dance in the dining room between the end of the main course and dessert, but it's a bit tough when people enter and leave at different times.