New to Princess Anytime Dining Summary

I have also noticed Anytime Dining works fine without reservations after 7:30 pm or if you arrive when the restaurant opens at 5:30 pm. Once the restaurant is full, there is nothing Princess can do until people finish their dinner.

 

I believe the change adding the second Early Seating was a very good decision on Princess's part. Before that change, there were always a lot of people who requested Early Seating who could not get it. Anytime Dining wasn't any easier, because you had all of those people who couldn't get Early Seating showing up at when the restaurant opens. In my opinion, Princess is handling it the best way they can.

 

I understand why they don't make general reservations between 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm. If they make a 6:30 pm reservation, then they have to leave that table empty from 5:30 pm when they open until 6:30 pm. However, they do make some reservations during that time. If you are in a full suite, then you can make reservations for anytime the dining room is open, including between 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm.

 

If someone wants to eat early every evening, then I would recommend Traditional Early Dining. With the second Early Dining room available, they can now handle most of the requests for that time.

WE were on the Ruby Princess in Alaska last week and the Anytime Dining was a disaster. If we did not make reservations every day, we waited for at least 45 minutes. We have used AD on other ships in the last few years and it was great. So, not sure what the major change was on the Ruby.

 

Each set of passengers will have their own preference as to what time they want their anytime to be.

 

On your Ruby cruise, it appears that a large number of others wanted their anytime to be the same as yours.

 

Same as at a restaurant on land. Sometimes you go there and can be immediately seated. Sometimes you have to wait.

My husband and I love anytime dinning. We never know from one day to the the next what time we'll feel like eating. Do not like to be held down to a certain time that we have to eat. We're on vacation! Lot's of restaurants to eat at. And if we have to have a beeper, well we'll sit in the lounge. Anytime works great for us.

As I understand it, some ships won't even make reservations for Anytime Dining. First come, first served. That's just one more reason we always do Traditional.

 

And I don't want to spend any time on my vacation waiting on the phone to make a reservation. Another reason we always do traditional.:)

And I don't want to spend any time on my vacation waiting on the phone to make a reservation. Another reason we always do traditional.:)

 

 

Yep. It's so much easier not having to worry about where and when we'll eat. I feel sorry for those people I see standing in a long line at the AT dining room as I'm making my way to the traditional one.

We are happy with traditional dining, table for two. At breakfast and lunch we like to eat in the MDR and share a table with others. It works for us.

 

We did try anytime dining ONCE. On formal night we had to wait to be seated with a beeper. Never again.

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Edited September 1, 2015 by Iamcruzin

Yep. It's so much easier not having to worry about where and when we'll eat. I feel sorry for those people I see standing in a long line at the AT dining room as I'm making my way to the traditional one.

 

But don't the people who have traditional dining all stand in line too, waiting for the doors to open or waiting for their assigned later seating time? A lot of times the lines are necessary because it takes time for each party to be escorted to their table. This applies for both traditional and anytime dining. Even when you have a reservation at a restaurant "on land" you have to wait a bit if you arrive early or your table is being cleared.

 

We always do Anytime Dining, do not make reservations, and have never had to wait more than 10 minutes. And that's usually because the maitre 'd has to check his table chart, and wait until the next waiter comes to escort each group to the next available table.

But don't the people who have traditional dining all stand in line too, waiting for the doors to open or waiting for their assigned later seating time? A lot of times the lines are necessary because it takes time for each party to be escorted to their table. This applies for both traditional and anytime dining. Even when you have a reservation at a restaurant "on land" you have to wait a bit if you arrive early or your table is being cleared.

 

We always do Anytime Dining, do not make reservations, and have never had to wait more than 10 minutes. And that's usually because the maitre 'd has to check his table chart, and wait until the next waiter comes to escort each group to the next available table.

 

 

Traditional......They are escorted to their table the first night. After that its a free for all as the herd pushes their way through the doors.

Traditional......They are escorted to their table the first night. After that its a free for all as the herd pushes their way through the doors.

 

Yes. One line the first night as tables are assigned, and then after that you just walk into the DR to your regular table. Arriving a couple of minutes later ensures there will be no line waiting for the doors to open. I find it so much easier than the alternatives.

Yes. One line the first night as tables are assigned, and then after that you just walk into the DR to your regular table. Arriving a couple of minutes later ensures there will be no line waiting for the doors to open. I find it so much easier than the alternatives.

 

Thanks, I didn't realize that. Okay, so TD makes sense for folks who like to be assured dining at the assigned time.

If you have 6pm dining for the cruise, and one night you want to eat later, can you go to anytime dining for that day?

If you have 6pm dining for the cruise, and one night you want to eat later, can you go to anytime dining for that day?

 

If you have traditional you can't go to anytime. You will hear from the people who have anytime and are forced to stand in long lines because someone from traditional showed up where they weren't supposed to be. If you don't want to go at your assigned time, well, that's what the buffet is for.

If you have 6pm dining for the cruise, and one night you want to eat later, can you go to anytime dining for that day?

 

Best to pick one or the other.

If you think you will need flexible times to eat then sign up for anytime.

I agree with the comment made by AKman2495. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with Anytime. But if you are on a ship where the majority of Anytime folks are "Early Bird Special" folks who line up at 4:45 outside of the Deck 5 MDR, there simply won't be enough seats to go around. So those late to the starting line get shut out. And it takes everyone 90 minutes or more to dine. So that dining room becomes a de facto "set" dining room with a 5:15 "seating" with no room for anyone else until 7:00. Anyone who enjoys dining at 6:00 or 6:30 is simply shut out. But what can the ship do? If there are 1,000 people who want to be seated at 5:15, they get the tables. Our workaround is to go to the Anytime Dining Room that is used for Early Traditional. We know that the room will clear out by 7:30. We show up at 7:15 and by then, many tables have already been flipped for later diners. At worst, we wait 10 minutes but honestly that has been 5% of the time. We just look as Anytime dining as meaning "anytime other than 6:00-7:00.

Edited September 4, 2015 by JimmyVWine

I am Platinum on Princess and Elite Plus on Celebrity. I have always had ATD on Princess and it has been a very long wait. Next Princess in November I will try TD. I have never waited on Celebrity ATD, they seem to have it down pat.

[quote name='Jules59']My husband and I love anytime dinning. We never know from one day to the the next what time we'll feel like eating. Do not like to be held down to a certain time that we have to eat. We're on vacation! Lot's of restaurants to eat at. And if we have to have a beeper, well we'll sit in the lounge. Anytime works great for us.[/quote]

I agree. So many things can happen in any one given day to make it difficult keeping to a dining schedule. If there so happens to be a long line and we are not interested in waiting, we'll just go up to the buffet. We cannot be prisoners to a dining schedule. I know this may not work for people who are in a large party or family members needing to dine together. Just being a couple makes being flexible so much easier.

[quote=Cruisin' Chick;47615322]And I don't want to spend any time on my vacation waiting on the phone to make a reservation. Another reason we always do traditional.:)[/quote]

We always do Anytime Dining and have NEVER picked up a phone to make a reservation. I wouldn't want to do that, either. They take forever to pick up the phone. I believe waiting in a AD line to get a seat would take less time than trying to make a reservation. :D

[quote name='artvlay']If you have 6pm dining for the cruise, and one night you want to eat later, can you go to anytime dining for that day?[/QUOTE]

And this is one of the issues that causes long lines in the AT dining room at peak hours. Princess needs to send these people to the buffet or have them come back at 8:30 when there isn't a wait.

[quote name='SadieN']This is the biggest complaint about Princess ATD. Letting assigned time diners into the ATD MDRs.[/QUOTE]

This is my complaint as well. They added a additional early seating to accommodate those who want early traditional and then these same people decided that the time is too early and they want to eat at peak AT hours. Then add the late traditional diners who don't want to eat that late also arriving at the AT dining room at peak times.

I recently had my first cruise on the Island Princess, a Grand Med cruise. We chose anytime dining because I never know what time I'll be hungry, and as someone else said - it's a vacation, I don't want to be told when to eat!

Anytime Dining worked just fine for us, but we didn't want to eat early. We ate any time from 7.30 to 9.30 and only had to wait once. That was on a formal night when everyone was there. We were given a buzzer and had to wait about 15 minutes. Every other night we got it straight away, no wait, even on nights when people in front of us were given a buzzer and told the wait would be 1 hour. The difference was that they wanted a table for 2, and we were happy to share with anyone.

[quote name='Iamcruzin']And this is one of the issues that causes long lines in the AT dining room at peak hours. Princess needs to send these people to the buffet or have them come back at 8:30 when there isn't a wait.[/QUOTE]

I agree. By trying to please everyone with their liberal seating in anytime dining, it can mess up the whole system. And certainly irritate lots of people. Their choice I guess.:rolleyes:
X sticks to the booked dining choice. Exceptions will be made IF cruisers show up at nonpeak hours. And IF it doesnt happen regularly by the same passengers. Appears to run much smoother. And less complaining as it is much closer to how the system is supposed to work.

[quote name='kc20202']

Anytime Dining worked just fine for us, but we didn't want to eat early. We ate any time from 7.30 to 9.30 and only had to wait once. That was on a formal night when everyone was there. We were given a buzzer and had to wait about 15 minutes. Every other night we got it straight away, no wait, even on nights when people in front of us were given a buzzer and told the wait would be 1 hour. The difference was that they wanted a table for 2, and we were happy to share with anyone.[/QUOTE]

Being open to eat at larger tables with different people will always make the waits shorter. As will eating later than 8. Glad it worked out for you. ;)

Sometimes I think Princess should have a special guide for the first time cruiser (or first time on Princess cruiser). Have the specifics spelled out as to what to expect on board, dining (that's where they can be very specific about how there's different dining options, and even say something like "when booking your Princess cruise, you will be making a choice between traditional and anytime dining...") so that there's a bit less confusion. It could be that many just assume they can go to anytime dining, even when booked in traditional, and perhaps even the TAs might be telling newbies that.

I know it's all in the dining guide on the Princess website, but I'm guessing even many "vets" don't know about that.

Well, then the staff onboard would need to be told not to offer the anytime dining to their traditional diners. ;)
Our section manager, as well as our waiter, both mentioned anytime dining to us when we arrived at our table a little rushed a couple of our 12 nights. They pleasantly reminded us if running behind, don't worry..."If you are going to be more than 15 min. late, just go over to the anytime dining room."

It isn't a big problem to the staff I guess.

[quote=Cruisin' Chick;47725716]Sometimes I think [COLOR=Red]Princess should have a special guide for the first time cruiser (or first time on Princess cruiser)[/COLOR]. Have the specifics spelled out as to what to expect on board, dining (that's where they can be very specific about how there's different dining options, and even say something like "when booking your Princess cruise, you will be making a choice between traditional and anytime dining...") so that there's a bit less confusion. It could be that many just assume they can go to anytime dining, even when booked in traditional, and perhaps even the TAs might be telling newbies that.

I know it's all in the dining guide on the Princess website, but I'm guessing even many "vets" don't know about that.[/quote]

It's called the "Cruise Answer Book" and can be downloaded from the Princess web site.

They used to have a paper version that was mailed to you for every cruise. It would be nice to still have a paper version that could be requested.