New Princess Traditional Dining Times

[ActiveTraveler]

Why can't there be anytime dining on Sea Princess when she is in Australia? :confused:

[Chesie]

I would have like to seen a 7 pm vs 5:30 added. 6 is usually to early for us coming back from excursions and 8:15 just to late as we are very early risers. Well, that's what makes the world go round! I'm just lucky I can cruise!

[boating girl]

I have selected anytime for my upcoming cruises in Sept. and Dec.

I am a little concerned about whether the additional TD sitting will

make anytime more crowded. I am cruising with my elderly mother on these two cruises; even with hearing aids, she doesn't hear well so prefers to have a table for two instead of larger tables. This has been

so easy to do at 5:30 or 6 with anytime. I thought about changing to

the new TD but thought we probably wouldn't be able to get a table for two. Do you think we will still be able to get a table for two early in anytime?

[spny84]

Can someone please clarify. I saw the list and CB will have the 3 TD times 5:30, 6:00 and 8:something. Our last trip on the CB there were 3 dining rooms. Two were Anytime and 1 was Traditional. We like to eat as a couple so we found the Anytime dining room that had the most 2 person tables and ate there most nights between 6-7 pm (arrival) and never had a wait. I have to assume that they are going to take away one of our Anytime Dining Rooms to have the extra Traditional. Anytime Dining is one of the reasons I chose Princess so I'm very concerned now that I may have long waits because I lost one of our Dining Rooms and I like to eat during that early sitting.

 

Sharon

[Pam in CA]

No. They are not going to take away one of the Anytime dining rooms. Particularly since several Princess ships have only one or two dining rooms total. What will likely be done is a section of the Anytime dining room set up for very early Traditional. Eating at 5:15 or 5:30, they'll be done by 7:00 or 7:15 in time for the Anytime diners who want to eat then.

 

IMHO, it doesn't make much difference if these people are going to the AT dining room at 5:15/5:30pm to eat or are seated in the Traditional section. Those who want to eat early but not duper early will have first seating in the Traditional dining.

[Whoo]

Can someone please clarify. I saw the list and CB will have the 3 TD times 5:30, 6:00 and 8:something. Our last trip on the CB there were 3 dining rooms. Two were Anytime and 1 was Traditional. We like to eat as a couple so we found the Anytime dining room that had the most 2 person tables and ate there most nights between 6-7 pm (arrival) and never had a wait. I have to assume that they are going to take away one of our Anytime Dining Rooms to have the extra Traditional. Anytime Dining is one of the reasons I chose Princess so I'm very concerned now that I may have long waits because I lost one of our Dining Rooms and I like to eat during that early sitting.

 

Sharon

 

If you are on a smaller ship, like the Sea Princess, you will have long waits for Anytime Dining unless you like to eat dinner after 8:00 pm. There are only 2 dining rooms - one for TD, and one for AD. They are seating the early 5:30 TD people in the AD - so it naturally takes away tables from the AD passengers. On the Sea Princess, if you wanted to eat dinner between 6-7, you would have to stand in line for 30 minutes to get a pager, then wait at least 30 minutes more for a table (I gave up at that point, and turned my pager in when I didn't see anyone ahead of me in line being paged). Near the end of the cruise, there were not so many lines as a lot of the AD passengers gave up and went to the buffet.

[ldubs]

It seems then, from your statement that you would be in favor of denying those of us that choose Anytime Dining the opportunity to partake of Formal nights.

 

Bah Humbug :rolleyes:

 

 

Hmm... Yeah, I think I would be in favor of that (only kidding).

 

Our May Emerald Princess (Alaska) cruise had this added 5:30 dining time. We used anytime dining and didn't notice any long waits. I didn't think to ask where the early seating was, but it didn't seem to cause any problems that we noticed.

[Pam in CA]

If you are on a smaller ship, like the Sea Princess, you will have long waits for Anytime Dining unless you like to eat dinner after 8:00 pm. There are only 2 dining rooms - one for TD, and one for AD.

This issue isn't confined to the Sea Princess. I've experienced the same thing on the Grand and Caribbean Princess. VERY long waits, sometimes 45+ minutes, no matter what time we got there.

 

The problem is the Maitre d's don't enforce Traditional diners, who already have a table and seats waiting for them, going to Anytime Dining. That's not fair to those who either choose Anytime or weren't able to get Traditional. It reminds me of one time on the Regal, where I was on the aft area of deck 10 which had loungers both in the sun and the shade. Quite a few people had staked out loungers in both places, just feet apart from each other. When they wanted to get out of the sun, they went to their "other" lounger. It astonishes me that people in Traditional would even consider going to Anytime and bumping those who have that dining from being seated. Can you say, "Hog"?

 

On our Coral Princess cruise last January, there was a table for six next to us that was full the first night and empty for the next two weeks. I asked our waiter why they didn't seat other people there and he said they couldn't until those people called the Maitre d' and gave up their seats/table. Not only that but any comments they made on their comment card would be attributed to him as he was their waiter of record.

 

My experience with HAL's Open seating is that you cannot go into their Open seating unless you request it ahead of them and are approved. And, you lose your Traditional seating for the rest of the voyage. I've done HAL's Open seating for 50+ sailing days and never had a wait. IMHO, it works much better and is a better experience.

[caribill]

Can someone please clarify. I saw the list and CB will have the 3 TD times 5:30, 6:00 and 8:something. Our last trip on the CB there were 3 dining rooms. Two were Anytime and 1 was Traditional. We like to eat as a couple so we found the Anytime dining room that had the most 2 person tables and ate there most nights between 6-7 pm (arrival) and never had a wait. I have to assume that they are going to take away one of our Anytime Dining Rooms to have the extra Traditional. Anytime Dining is one of the reasons I chose Princess so I'm very concerned now that I may have long waits because I lost one of our Dining Rooms and I like to eat during that early sitting.

 

Take a step back and look at the situation before the new early fixed seating. Often many people, some have reported up to 600 on their cruises, cannot clear the waiting list for early traditional dining.

 

So guess where they will eat--- anytime dining rooms. And when are they likely to go there --- around the time of the traditional first seating.

 

So now these people are going to eat in an anytime dining room about the same time they would have gone there anyway. Except now they will have more of a traditional dining room experience (same waitstaff, same table, same dining companions). And, after the first evening, will be seated quicker (and thus finished quicker) because they know where to go and do not have to wait in a long line to first get seated.

[spny84]

No. They are not going to take away one of the Anytime dining rooms. Particularly since several Princess ships have only one or two dining rooms total. What will likely be done is a section of the Anytime dining room set up for very early Traditional. Eating at 5:15 or 5:30, they'll be done by 7:00 or 7:15 in time for the Anytime diners who want to eat then.

 

IMHO, it doesn't make much difference if these people are going to the AT dining room at 5:15/5:30pm to eat or are seated in the Traditional section. Those who want to eat early but not duper early will have first seating in the Traditional dining.

 

I'm sorry but I have to disagree, as I get it they are taking away Anytime Dining Space and since I like to eat starting between 6-7 then I have a strong chance of having to wait when I didn't do so less than 1.5 years ago. If I understand correctly people who show up at 5:30 pm aren't going to be given Traditional seating they must be "classified" as that. We personally do not like to eat at the buffet for dinner and Princess took away the ability to eat on your balcony from the dining room menu (I know they have UBD but I don't like the menu or drink champagne and it cost more). So I will go with an open mind but basically I'm being screwed especially if they don't enforce (which they never do) keeping out the Traditional Diners from the Anytime spaces.

[DonnaK]

Take a step back and look at the situation before the new early fixed seating. Often many people, some have reported up to 600 on their cruises, cannot clear the waiting list for early traditional dining.

 

So guess where they will eat--- anytime dining rooms. And when are they likely to go there --- around the time of the traditional first seating.

 

So now these people are going to eat in an anytime dining room about the same time they would have gone there anyway. Except now they will have more of a traditional dining room experience (same waitstaff, same table, same dining companions). And, after the first evening, will be seated quicker (and thus finished quicker) because they know where to go and do not have to wait in a long line to first get seated.

 

This is what happened on our CB cruise, and it was a nightmare. My family of 5 were 600+ (I don't remember the exact number) on the waiting list for early traditional. So, all these people congregated at the anytime room and early traditional time, making the waiting time about 1 hour.

 

 

I agree with another post that those assigned to traditional dining should NOT be allowed to dine anytime at their whim. Those who miss their seating time need to be directed to the buffet instead of wandering into anytime dining for that night. On some occasions, people have reported that their TA's instruct them that this is OK, or that the waiters encourage it when the diners mention that they will be missing dinner the following night. This is a separate problem that needs to be addressed next.

[Colo Cruiser]

I agree, its a loose loose situation.

[hubofhockey]

And exactly how would this work? Quite a few Princess ships have only one dining room total, or one dining room each for Anytime and Traditional.

 

I think the answer is that you do this on the larger ships and not on the smaller ships. The suggestion is a good one.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Take a step back and look at the situation before the new early fixed seating. Often many people, some have reported up to 600 on their cruises, cannot clear the waiting list for early traditional dining.

 

So guess where they will eat--- anytime dining rooms. And when are they likely to go there --- around the time of the traditional first seating.

 

So now these people are going to eat in an anytime dining room about the same time they would have gone there anyway. Except now they will have more of a traditional dining room experience (same waitstaff, same table, same dining companions). And, after the first evening, will be seated quicker (and thus finished quicker) because they know where to go and do not have to wait in a long line to first get seated.

 

Obviously if there's several passengers on the waitlist for traditional dining, then they aren't getting their "personal choice," are they?

 

So it makes sense to:

 

1) adjust the amount of tables allocated to td and ad based on passenger choice

2) enforce the checking of cabin cards to make sure that those assigned to t.d. aren't trying to utilize a.d. (and send those who missed their seating to the buffet).

3) be more clearer with travel agents that the policy will be enforced and they should instruct their clients that there's no switching back and forth. And let waiters know that they shouldn't be telling passengers otherwise.

[Colo Cruiser]

I think the answer is that you do this on the larger ships and not on the smaller ships. The suggestion is a good one.

 

The Island/Coral are larger ships. Only 2 DR's.

 

The Diamond/Sapphire have 4 small DR's that can't handle anytime very well anyway and actually use one (Vivaldi) of them for traditional overflow everynight until 8pm.

 

That does not leave too many "large" ships to experiment on.

[Woobstr112G]

It seems then, from your statement that you would be in favor of denying those of us that choose Anytime Dining the opportunity to partake of Formal nights.

 

Bah Humbug :rolleyes:

 

Yeah.....:):):)

 

Bob

[caribill]

That does not leave too many "large" ships to experiment on.

 

Grand, Golden, Star, Crown, Emerald, Ruby

[Colo Cruiser]

Grand, Golden, Star, Crown, Emerald, Ruby

 

 

Like I said not too many.

[caribill]

Like I said not too many.

 

35% of the fleet

[Woobstr112G]

1715, 1730, or whatever the new traditional time might be is way too early for my tastes.

 

Bob