PG Restaurant - "Choose to dine anytime?"

I see on the Cunard web side that "The grade of stateroom you have booked will determine the restaurant you dine in. When travelling in a Princess Grill suite or Queens Grill suite you will dine in the intimate Princess Grill restaurant and Queens Grill restaurant respectively. You can choose to dine anytime between 6.30pm and 9pm." What does "You can choose to dine anytime" actually mean? When and how do I choose? Do I need to decide before getting onboard? Can we choose a different time each night, or do we need to choose one time slot that is then the same for all nights we dine in the PG? Can we choose to dine at at two-top or at a group table? Apologies in advance if these questions have been asked and answered many times. I did a query on CC but came up with posts from many years back and I didn't want to rely on older info.

You will be allocated a table and you can use it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For dinner you can arrive at any time between 6.30 and 9.00 pm. No need for bookings, you can eat at the same time every night or not.

Table size will depend on what you requested when booking.

You can turn up between 1830-2100 regardless of table size.

You will be allocated a table for the duration of your cruise once on board,this will be the same table for breakfast lunch and diner...they will try and accommodate your table size preference but not always guaranteed tables for two are popular.

I see on the Cunard web side that "The grade of stateroom you have booked will determine the restaurant you dine in. When travelling in a Princess Grill suite or Queens Grill suite you will dine in the intimate Princess Grill restaurant and Queens Grill restaurant respectively. You can choose to dine anytime between 6.30pm and 9pm." What does "You can choose to dine anytime" actually mean? When and how do I choose? Do I need to decide before getting onboard? Can we choose a different time each night, or do we need to choose one time slot that is then the same for all nights we dine in the PG? Can we choose to dine at at two-top or at a group table? Apologies in advance if these questions have been asked and answered many times. I did a query on CC but came up with posts from many years back and I didn't want to rely on older info.

It means that you can go to dinner at anytime between the listed hours. If you wish to have dinner at 7pm you can. Or you might choose to dine at 8.30pm.

You just show up and your regular table will be available to you. No need to plan ahead, although should you be dining with others, you might like to negotiate a mutual time (makes it easier for everyone to be eating at the same time).

Or as Host Hattie has said [emoji7]

Aha Austcruiser84 that's where we differ...lol

Or as Host Hattie has said [emoji7]

:D looks as if we were all typing at the same time ! At least we all gave the same answer :D

Just to elaborate a little. Your table is reserved for you throughout your cruise - same table, same waiters, same table mates if you opt for a large table. Where you actually sit around the table is up to you - usually first come - first chooses. We often mix up the table so we have different neighbours and often split up the two of us (if I am not travelling solo) - in this way we find it a much more entertaining experience. You can arrive at a time to suit yourself within the restaurant opening hours for any of the three meals per day. You also have the lounge for pre or post dinner drinks and as a venue for afternoon tea if you do not opt for the queens room.

Hope this helps.

Wow, thanks all for the quick and helpful replies. I do have a couple of follow up questions. But first, as background, this will be our first time on the QM2, first time with Cunard, our first crossing. We have cruised only twice before, so this is all still very new to us. We are booked in a PG suite and we did request a table for two at booking. Now, the follow up questions...

When do we find out if we did indeed get a table for two?

Am I reading your responses correctly to mean that we will have the same SPECIFIC table every time we go to the PG restaurant as opposed to the same SIZE table?

Thanks again for all of your help!

Wow, thanks all for the quick and helpful replies. I do have a couple of follow up questions. But first, as background, this will be our first time on the QM2, first time with Cunard, our first crossing. We have cruised only twice before, so this is all still very new to us. We are booked in a PG suite and we did request a table for two at booking. Now, the follow up questions...

 

When do we find out if we did indeed get a table for two?

 

Am I reading your responses correctly to mean that we will have the same SPECIFIC table every time we go to the PG restaurant as opposed to the same SIZE table?

 

Thanks again for all of your help!

You can find out whether you got what you asked for when you arrive on board. Just head on over to the PG restaurant and ask. It will be open for lunch on embarkation day if you want to eat then.

Your table will be the same size/location throughout the entire voyage. Again, it is good to enquire upon embarkation as to the location of the table. If it isn't in a space to your liking, you could probably ask for a different location within the restaurant. The sooner you do that the better.

A word of advice: while tables by the window sound lovely, on QM2 windows overlook the general promenade deck. Unlike the unimpeded ocean views afforded to Grills guests in the restaurants on QE and QV, QM2 Grills diners are presented with the excitement of people watching: chain smokers, joggers, and the Britannia passengers curious about the Grills who occasionally put their faces up to the windows to peer inside (the glass isn't mirrored). The smudge marks left behind are delightful :)

 

When do we find out if we did indeed get a table for two?

 

Am I reading your responses correctly to mean that we will have the same SPECIFIC table every time we go to the PG restaurant as opposed to the same SIZE table?

 

Thanks again for all of your help!

Yes it's the same table. You will have a card in your suite when you first embark with the table number.

We have never asked to change table but once we were moved after our first lunch when someone wanted our table !

It wasn't a problem, we ended up with a window (on QV).

Have a great first Cunard experience

Excellent information, Austcruiser84 and Host Hattie. Just what I was looking for and more (especially about checking out the location of our table and the caution about sitting near the windows.) I am now curious about one thing. For the sake of argument, what if my husband and I lose our minds and decided we prefer buffet style and eat in King's Court (aka King's Chaos-I have been doing my homework) every night. Would our lovely table in the PG grill sit there vacant all night, every night?

I guess it would.

One additional bit of information. While the grills are mention, on QE and QM2 there is also a Britannia Club with a similar setup and a menu somewhat more extensive than regular Britannia but less so than the grills. It's a walled off section of the Britannia Dining Room on QM2 but a separate room on QE (same location as Chart Room on QV). One other little difference is that in Princess Grill and Queens Grill the dining rooms are open for embarkation lunch but not normally so in Britannia Club.

Roy

Excellent information, Austcruiser84 and Host Hattie. Just what I was looking for and more (especially about checking out the location of our table and the caution about sitting near the windows.) I am now curious about one thing. For the sake of argument, what if my husband and I lose our minds and decided we prefer buffet style and eat in King's Court (aka King's Chaos-I have been doing my homework) every night. Would our lovely table in the PG grill sit there vacant all night, every night?

Yes, it would sit vacant. Though I've no idea why you'd eschew the food in PG for KC!

... For the sake of argument, what if my husband and I lose our minds and decided we prefer buffet style and eat in King's Court (aka King's Chaos-I have been doing my homework) every night. Would our lovely table in the PG grill sit there vacant all night, every night?

Strange things can and do happen. Two years ago I saw a couple at a lovely table for two in PG only at embarkation day lunch. Never saw them in the restaurant again. I later heard that they didn't care for the menu and preferred to eat in Kings Court.:eek: Stuff like this cannot be made up.

Why? I really don't want to know. I do know that I have nothing in common with anybody who would make such a choice.:confused:

Strange things can and do happen. Two years ago I saw a couple at a lovely table for two in PG only at embarkation day lunch. Never saw them in the restaurant again. I later heard that they didn't care for the menu and preferred to eat in Kings Court.:eek: Stuff like this cannot be made up.

 

Why? I really don't want to know. I do know that I have nothing in common with anybody who would make such a choice.:confused:

Yes, we had two table mates in PG who came to the first evenings dinner and subsequently opted for Kings Court - it baffles me why you would book the Grills and opt out of the dining, but we are all different!

Strange things can and do happen. Two years ago I saw a couple at a lovely table for two in PG only at embarkation day lunch. Never saw them in the restaurant again. I later heard that they didn't care for the menu and preferred to eat in Kings Court.:eek: Stuff like this cannot be made up.

 

Why? I really don't want to know. I do know that I have nothing in common with anybody who would make such a choice.:confused:

If you have a set eating time say early like in Britannia, and your Cunard shore excursion comes back to the ship 2+ hours late, thats one reason.

If you have a set eating time say early like in Britannia, and your Cunard shore excursion comes back to the ship 2+ hours late, thats one reason.

That might hold for a day or two on a port intensive cruise in Britannia but PG and QG are dine anytime between x and y so that reason fails by the obvious. However, some people are put off by too much linen and flatware and fine service and food better than the local diner. So it was their cruise and their choice. They probably would not book that type of accommodation again if they did not care for the offerings.

Another reason for choosing to dine in the buffet is that you may have been placed on a table with insufferable snobs, know it all's and bores. Despite asking to be moved you are unable to change your dining time or venue.

This has happened to us on one cruise and after three nights of enduring their company we could not take it any more and made reservations at the pay restaurants or went to the buffet.