What about Traditional Dining?

[caneable]

Lots of ??? about Anytime Dining, but we have ??? the other way:confused:. Just booked onto a French Polynesia cruise in October with Princess and find are locked into Traditional Dining:eek:. As recentees to cruising we've only experienced Anytime. To be honest the introduction of Anytime was what convinced us of giving cruising a try, and we're hooked. But this is the first small ship we've used so we're wondering what is the drill. To begin with the choices of 5:30 and 8:30 seem absurd, so we've plumped for 5:30 as we don't want our shirts eaten by our tummies:D. But do we have flexibility? We would NEVER eat that early at home, but never as late as 8:30. Is there an alternative to eating so early? Can we turn up at 6 and expect to get a full meal? Hey can we do split shifts and eat appetisers at 5:30 and mains at 8:30, that'd work... no just kidding America:p. So put us in the picture guys. In all honesty, it isn't going to wreck our trip!

[Colo Cruiser]

Lots of ??? about Anytime Dining, but we have ??? the other way:confused:. Just booked onto a French Polynesia cruise in October with Princess and find are locked into Traditional Dining:eek:. As recentees to cruising we've only experienced Anytime. To be honest the introduction of Anytime was what convinced us of giving cruising a try, and we're hooked. But this is the first small ship we've used so we're wondering what is the drill. To begin with the choices of 5:30 and 8:30 seem absurd, so we've plumped for 5:30 as we don't want our shirts eaten by our tummies:D. But do we have flexibility? We would NEVER eat that early at home, but never as late as 8:30. Is there an alternative to eating so early? Can we turn up at 6 and expect to get a full meal? Hey can we do split shifts and eat appetisers at 5:30 and mains at 8:30, that'd work... no just kidding America:p. So put us in the picture guys. In all honesty, it isn't going to wreck our trip!

 

Well you always have the buffet as an option and a specialty restaurant.

[caneable]

Thanks Colo Cruiser. I'm not wishing to be awkward, but if you've had a long day ashore and fell pushed to get into TD time, what are your chances of walking up to Specialty restaurant and getting in? Oh and a second thought, are we talking Sabbatini's here, cos we couldn't do that every night. Wonder if anyone ever has?

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks Colo Cruiser. I'm not wishing to be awkward, but if you've had a long day ashore and fell pushed to get into TD time, what are your chances of walking up to Specialty restaurant and getting in? Oh and a second thought, are we talking Sabbatini's here, cos we couldn't do that every night. Wonder if anyone ever has?

 

5:30 is pretty early!

 

We have gone back to trad now and always do late seating which is around 8pm.

 

It wouldn't hurt to try and walk up.

[wdrl]

Thanks Colo Cruiser. I'm not wishing to be awkward, but if you've had a long day ashore and fell pushed to get into TD time, what are your chances of walking up to Specialty restaurant and getting in? Oh and a second thought, are we talking Sabbatini's here, cos we couldn't do that every night. Wonder if anyone ever has?

 

Slim to none I'd say or at the very least a really long wait. So like many others, you end up doing the buffet. They usually serve the same appetizers and entrees as in the dining room, just without the table service.

[caneable]

Thanks wdrl! I thought that might be the case. Probably means I'll just have to skip the seconds at lunch and maybe pig out on cookies at bed time!!!!

[Toto2Kansas]

The smaller ships of the fleet have a totally different dining concept. Traditioanl dining only, or a small buffet in the evening or the alternate restaurants which also alternate which nights they are open. (the first time we sailed on the Tahitian Princess (now ocean princess), they didn't even offer a buffet in the evening, so it is a welcomed addition).

Sabatinis is open for two or three nights, then sterlings steakhouse, then sabatinis. They are never open on the same nights.

 

Usually, you have to plan ahead for the alternate restaurants unless you like to eat very early, around 6:00. We were able to walk up and get immediate reservations the first few nights of the cruise at the Steakhouse, but later on, they were booked solid. The same with Sabatinis. The steakhouse is usually open for the first few nights and then sabatinis opens a few days afterwards. By that time, the reservations are usually booked up.

 

We spent 21 days sailing on the Pacific from Hawaii to Tahiti and then around Tahiti this past fall, and we often just dined at the buffet for dinner. After long days on shore, the early seating was just too early for us, but we also didn't want to have dinner that late.

 

But the buffet was adaquate, although quite small, and we always seemed to find something for dinner. The buffet also closes at around 9:00 (I think I have the time right there) and one small section turns in to a bistro for sit down dining after they close.

[cruiserus]

We have always chosen late seating when we do traditional dining. We don't want to hurry back from shore, cutting short our fun, rush to shower and change, and get there on time. We like to come back from shore at our leisure, relax with a cold drink on our balcony, maybe snack on something light and healthy from Horizon Court, and then leisurely get ready for dinner. Sometimes in certain ports locals do a performance on the dock as you sail away, and with early seating, you are either already at dinner or getting ready for dinner, so you miss it. We tried to do the early seating once, and we always felt rushed, with no time to relax before the scurry to get ready for dinner. It is a personal preference thing.

[Langley Cruisers]

Is there an alternative to eating so early? Can we turn up at 6 and expect to get a full meal?

 

Hi there,

 

As others have mentioned there are alternative venues for dinner. But about your coming in at 6 pm, no you can't do that. Or should I say, please don't. :p It's actually considered rude to come that late for dinner, and it throws the entire wait team off. You see, when everyone sits down together at the same time, the waiter can give his recommendations and then take your orders. S/he will have other tables too, and they send the orders in to the kitchen at the same time. When someone shows up late for dinner, it throws the timing off and makes it difficult for the wait team, and to be honest, it would be awkward for your tablemates because they will most likely already be on their main course by then (or close to it).

 

Sometimes, the doors to the dining room are closed 15 minutes after opening, so you may not be able to get in anyway.

 

If you don't want to rush back from port one day, or find you want to try an alternative venue one evening, it's considered courteous to advise your wait team and your tablemates that you will not be at dinner the following night. That way, the wait team can carry on, on schedule, and know you are being taken care of elsewhere.

 

Who knows - 5:30 does seem early, but it may work out for you. If not, you'll always be able to pick up something later, maybe dessert and coffee in the buffet later in the evening. We do that sometimes and it's nice.

 

Have a fun cruise. :)

[redlac]

...To begin with the choices of 5:30 and 8:30 seem absurd, so we've plumped for 5:30 as we don't want our shirts eaten by our tummies...

 

Hello Caneable!

We're a couple in our 50's who travel with friends and have been on a number of Princess cruises, and always used the Traditional Dining's later time slot. We eat dinner at home at 5:30 each night, but when cruising, we found the later timing excellent!

 

* we never had to worry about hurrying back to the ship

* we always enjoyed afternoon tea at 4:00

* afternoon nap at 3:00pm becomes a wonderful indulgence

* we always relaxed with a bottle of wine for "before-dinner-drinks" in our room

* hungry husbands could grab a slice of pizza around 4pm to tide them over

* late dinner, followed by the evening "show", filled our evening nicely.

 

Eating dinner at 8:30 here at home would be goofy. Eating dinner that late on a cruise... seems to make perfect sense.

[Cruisin' Chick]

We have always chosen late seating when we do traditional dining. We don't want to hurry back from shore, cutting short our fun, rush to shower and change, and get there on time. We like to come back from shore at our leisure, relax with a cold drink on our balcony, maybe snack on something light and healthy from Horizon Court, and then leisurely get ready for dinner. Sometimes in certain ports locals do a performance on the dock as you sail away, and with early seating, you are either already at dinner or getting ready for dinner, so you miss it. We tried to do the early seating once, and we always felt rushed, with no time to relax before the scurry to get ready for dinner. It is a personal preference thing.

 

We have always have had late traditional dining and we like it that way. On our last cruise, we ate in the dining room for dinner 14 out of the 15 nights and the one exception was when we had dinner in the Horizon Court as our little one was feeling a bit iffy (not sick, just tired). We do have a mid-afternoon nosh with no problems in the buffet.

 

Somehow we have never had the problems with getting to the dining room on a port day or getting to a show we want to see. I like having the same waitstaff who gets to know my preferences and having that relationship with our tablemates in which we get to vicariously enjoy each other's cruise on a daily basis. Plus I don't want to be thinking about where and when I'm going to have dinner on vacation.

[long cruiser]

Late sitting for us has been around 8:15 to 8:30pm not 8:00pm.

We really don"t like it because it"s too late.Anytime dining is always much better.

long cruiser

 

princess elite member

[gooch47]

I suffer from heartburn if I eat too late in the evening. The late sitting that BEGINS at at that time would be too late.

 

But the early sitting means that sometimes you won't be back from a tour in time, or even might be too tired to deal with a full, formal dinner. So we always tell our waiter and tablemates that if we aren't there by 5:30 to please go ahead without us. We make it a standing rule.

[GeneK]

The upside of traditional dinning is you have the same table mates the entire cruise. Hopefully they will become new friends for you, sometimes even life time friends.:) The downside is if you find you don't like your table mates for some reason, you are stuck with them the entire cruise unless you chose to ask for a different table.

[Babs02]

When you get on board at the beginning of a cruise can you pick your table in the dining room prior to eating - ie speaking to the maitre'd or is it prepicked and your stuck with it?

 

We're doing TD for first time this year but usually reserve a table of choice with AD due to my daughters disability. I don't really want to be stuck at a table that isn't suitably situated, as we won't be able to eat in the Main Dining room.

 

Info would be appreciated.:)

 

Babs

 

Crown Princess June 2007

Navigator of the Seas February 2008

Emerald Princess August 2008

Grand Princess May 2009

 

upcoming Pacific Princess July 2010

[Pam in CA]

When you get on board at the beginning of a cruise can you pick your table in the dining room prior to eating - ie speaking to the maitre'd or is it prepicked and your stuck with it?

 

We're doing TD for first time this year but usually reserve a table of choice with AD due to my daughters disability. I don't really want to be stuck at a table that isn't suitably situated, as we won't be able to eat in the Main Dining room.

 

Info would be appreciated.:)

When you board, you are assigned a table which is listed on your cruise card. After boarding, go to the Maitre D', ask where your table is, explain your circumstances, and ask to be placed at a table closer to the door or wherever you prefer if your table is not where you need to be. He will try to accommodate you.

[caneable]

Oh my! One day away from the keyboard and I'm overwhelmed with good advice. Thanks to you all. We're grateful to Toto2Kansas for explaining the likely restaurant pattern. Langleycruisers, thank you for explaining TD etiquette without making us feel silly, and while I'm there, thanks gooch47 for that excellent rule of thumb... consider it sold! Redlac and cruiserus pretty much cover our approach and have got us thinking about switching early to late. Is that something you can do on board or best done ahead of time through Pruncess as we haven't used a TA?

Thanks again, I thought this thread was done after 3rd response!

[Babs02]

When you board, you are assigned a table which is listed on your cruise card. After boarding, go to the Maitre D', ask where your table is, explain your circumstances, and ask to be placed at a table closer to the door or wherever you prefer if your table is not where you need to be. He will try to accommodate you.

 

Thanks Pam for the advice I thought that I had read something like that previously But appreciate the confirmation.:)

 

Babs

 

 

Crown Princess June 2007

Navigator of the Seas February 2008

Emerald Princess August 2008

Grand Princess May \2009

 

upcoming Pacific Princess July 2010