Slow.... Anytime dining...????

[Momma Mojito]

Last year was the first time we used anytime dining and really liked it, so this year we also went for it on the Diamond in May. For some reason this year we found the service to be slower that last year... The very first night we were the first ones seated at a table for six, it was over ten minutes before they seated the next couple...the waiter had yet to take our orders.. he did take all four of our orders.... then within the next five or so minutes the last couple were seated, they were given the menu and they placed their order with the waiter. All of our food was brought out together,,so us being the first to be seated waited the longest for are dinner. In fact that night being that we didn't sail until 8:30pm muster was held at 7:45 or so...which we missed because of the slow service . And believe me I wa a nervous wreck.... We had allowed ourselves plenty of time getting to the dining room around 6:00.... in order to make the muster had we not had such slow service. I can add the the other evenings weren't that bad, but I felt we still had slow service. Has anyone else noticed this??

[Cruzman]

Anytime dining on the Sea Princess 6/1/10 sailing was so slow that many simply opted to dine in the Horizon Court most evenings. 45 minute waits to get into the anytime dining room were common.

[Momma Mojito]

Anytime dining on the Sea Princess 6/1/10 sailing was so slow that many simply opted to dine in the Horizon Court most evenings. 45 minute waits to get into the anytime dining room were common.

 

We didn't have a problem with getting seated at a table.... large or small... it was just that it seemed to take forever between courses. On the last night to save time we did eat in the Horizon court and I the food was fantastic

[lehb]

We always do anytime dining, as we can vary when we want to eat. We generally sit at a table for 2. At the smaller table we never really had problems with extra slow service. But I do know that if you are seated at a larger table, they will wait to serve everyone at once for each course. If you are the first ones seated, you will have to wait for the table to be filled and the other orders to be taken before they will bring your food. Our slowest meals have been those when we sat at the larger tables. One slow person at your table will slow everyone down. I guess the best solution for speedier service is to ask for a table for 2, even if you have to wait to be seated. This way, you will control the pace of the meal.

[Seal]

when you're asked if you care to join a table--say YES--one that's ready to go--you don't want to be the first seated at a table for 8.

 

Try this it works--I'm an anytime diner whenever possible--even if led to a table that is empty let them know that you would like oine that is ready to order.

 

Nancy:D

[ActiveTraveler]

We always do anytime dining, as we can vary when we want to eat. We generally sit at a table for 2. At the smaller table we never really had problems with extra slow service. But I do know that if you are seated at a larger table, they will wait to serve everyone at once for each course. If you are the first ones seated, you will have to wait for the table to be filled and the other orders to be taken before they will bring your food. Our slowest meals have been those when we sat at the larger tables. One slow person at your table will slow everyone down. I guess the best solution for speedier service is to ask for a table for 2, even if you have to wait to be seated. This way, you will control the pace of the meal.

 

I have been advised to sit at a table for eight because I will travel solo. I like talking with people I don't know yet. Sitting at a table for two would serve no purpose unless I prefer to eat alone one night (and I can order room service for that). So maybe I should select a four-person table.

[caribill]

Even sitting at a table for 2 may not help. In many cases, several tables for two which are very near each other will be treated as one large table by the waitstaff. Orders will be taken and food served to the tables all at the same time and progress will be at the speed of the slowest eater of the several tables.

 

It is not just at dinner. On our last cruise at breakfast, some people at our table ordered several items with a main dish being one of them. People who ordered just a main dish were not served until the others had worked their way to that point of the meal. Happens at lunch also.

[Whoo]

I was on the same cruise with Cruzman. There were long waits for tables (pagers being handed out after long waits in line) - unless you were willing to wait until after 8:00 pm to go to the dining room. Service was also very slow for breakfast, lunch or dinner - but at least we never had to wait in line for breakfast or lunch. One morning at breakfast, our table of 8 had 2 men who ordered cereal only - and they were served promptly. The rest of us sat there for over an hour, and were on the verge of leaving and going to the buffet when the server finally brought our food. The men who had cereal had left long before then. We couldn't figure out what the problem was - there were plenty of staff members in the dining room, so they weren't short-handed. When I got home, I called Princess and changed our dining arrangements from Anytime to Traditional for our next cruise.

[btrojanoski]

Relax, you are on a cruise, not at McDonald's...

 

Barry

[Momma Mojito]

Relax, you are on a cruise, not at McDonald's...

 

Barry

 

Yes, you are right. I do know I am not at McDonalds but there is so much to do in the evenings that spending exta long time waiting to be served does not allow you to enjoy it all

[1 HappyCruiser]

Relax, you are on a cruise, not at McDonald's...

 

Barry

 

You are correct but I actually fall asleep some times waiting for the next course. Once after eating my appetizer I went back to my cabin to change my shirt & when I got back to the table the next course still hadn't arrived. :eek: It pays to always eat at the anytime DR as early as possible to avoid the longer waits.

This is main reason we don't waste time eating breakfast & lunch in the DR as we usually have other things we want to do besides spending an hour per meal waiting to be served.

[BobT172]

We have found unreasonable waits when sitting at a larger table...I remember one time where dinner took just under two hours. It has not been due to the waitrers but rather the people at the table.

 

At a large table, all are served together... you are then at the mercy of the slowest eater...and there are always some who would rather"chew the fat" rather than chew the food.

 

We always ask now for a table for two...

[1 HappyCruiser]

We have found unreasonable waits when sitting at a larger table...I remember one time where dinner took just under two hours. It has not been due to the waitrers but rather the people at the table.

 

At a large table, all are served together... you are then at the mercy of the slowest eater...and there are always some who would rather"chew the fat" rather than chew the food.

 

We always ask now for a table for two...

 

We've been at tables like that and have even walked out before dessert just to get a seat for the show. I don't try to be rude but I just don't care what people did during their day off the ship.

They'll learn after a few cruises. ;)

[Whoo]

Relax, you are on a cruise, not at McDonald's...

 

Barry

 

No, we're not at McDonald's. I expect to feel like I am in a nice restaurant - not like cattle, and to have attentive servers. Passengers should not have to ask for refills of water or coffee, wait 20 minutes for dishes from the previous course to be cleared, never have a waiter come back to ask how the food is, etc. Maybe my expectations are too high?:rolleyes:

[Loonbeam]

On our Alaska cruise, we made reservations every day, never waited more than 10 minutes to sit (it may take a few phone calls that day).

 

Anecdotally, I've been hearing that Princess may have cut down the number of dining room staff to reduce costs. If that's true (cannot confirm) then servers are more likely handling more tables (and have less assistants) which would cause the delays noted above.

 

Hopefully they'll staff up again by 2011 when we cruise next.

[BobT172]

I've been hearing that Princess may have cut down the number of dining room staff to reduce costs. If that's true (cannot confirm) then servers are more likely handling more tables (and have less assistants) which would cause the delays noted above.

 

 

I think that is totally true. There used to be two assistant waiters helping the lead waiter. I would say it was early 2009 that I really noticed that there is only one assistant per lead waiter. The wait staff works very hard and yes, alot of the personal attention and service we used to get is gone ..they are really tight on time.

[onthelake]

What everyone has said about large tables is true but one must also take into account the kitchen getting the food plated for the wait staff. The front line always takes the hit for the back line. Sounds like there may be more problems there - maybe a change in chef that disrupted the flow.

[caribill]

This is main reason we don't waste time eating breakfast & lunch in the DR as we usually have other things we want to do besides spending an hour per meal waiting to be served.

 

Which is why we do not eat lunch there at when it opens at noon unless we have no activity we want to do at 1 PM or 1:30 PM. Just can never make it.

 

But if we have no activity at 1 PM or 1:30 PM, then a nice, leisurely lunch in the dining room is one of many cruise pleasures.

[Gryffin]

The only time that my party and I needed to wait to be seated was on the formal nights. We were the group that usually completed a table for 8 and didn't need to wait long to be served. We only had breakfast in the main dining room once. We normally ate breakfast and lunch at the buffet or on our balcony after a visit to the International Cafe.

[lehb]

We have found unreasonable waits when sitting at a larger table...I remember one time where dinner took just under two hours. It has not been due to the waitrers but rather the people at the table.

 

At a large table, all are served together... you are then at the mercy of the slowest eater...and there are always some who would rather"chew the fat" rather than chew the food.

 

We always ask now for a table for two...

 

That's also why we ask for a table for two. It's not that we are anti-social, but we prefer to eat at our own speed. We don't want to rush either, but sometimes there is something you want to do after dinner, or we don't want to spend all night in the restaurant. And I don't like to be rude and leave before everyone is done, if possible.

 

For Activetraveler: We have been at tables for 4 and that usually goes faster. Definately the larger the table, the slower the meal. Of course, that's not necessarily a problem, unless you have something else you want to do soon. So, if you want to hurry dinner a little more, the table for 4 could be a solution for you. You'd still have dinner companions, but you might not have to wait for as many people to be seated, have their orders taken, have orders delivered, finish their orders, etc.

 

For caribill: We've never encountered a problem with a table for two, even the side by side ones. Maybe we have just been lucky, but they have treated each table as separate entities. Sometimes if you are seated at about the same time, the waiter will take the orders at the same time, and courses may come out together. But never had a problem with that.

[captainron]

I think that is totally true. There used to be two assistant waiters helping the lead waiter. I would say it was early 2009 that I really noticed that there is only one assistant per lead waiter. The wait staff works very hard and yes, alot of the personal attention and service we used to get is gone ..they are really tight on time.

 

Have been cruising with Princess since 2006 and have never seen 2 assistant waiters per table.

 

Your table team consists of a lead waiter and an assistant. If you were fortunate enough at one point to have two assistants at your table then it is most likely (as has happened on previous cruises) that an assistant from a neighbouring (not so busy) table helped out your table team.

 

Ciao for now!!!

[caribill]

Have been cruising with Princess since 2006 and have never seen 2 assistant waiters per table.

 

 

 

It was two assistant waiters per waiter, not per table. One assistant would work for half the waiter's tables and the other assistant would work the other half.

[vcw2121]

I'm taking my first Princess cruise in Oct---Panama Canal. Never been on a ship that had anytime dining. Is the slow service specific to a certain ship? If not, I may be better off going with late dining.

 

Thx a million in advance! :)

[ONT-CA]

Relax, you are on a cruise, not at McDonald's... Barry

 

At least not as yet...

 

Those of us who have been sailing for many years know from experience that cut backs are taking place all the time. It's not just table service that is slower for we have had our waiter remain at his station telling us he is waiting for the kitchen to "catch up". A well-composed table should be able to handle this with convivial conversation for, why worry about the start of the show. If you have seen one, you've seen them all.

[onthelake]

I'm taking my first Princess cruise in Oct---Panama Canal. Never been on a ship that had anytime dining. Is the slow service specific to a certain ship? If not, I may be better off going with late dining.

 

Thx a million in advance! :)

 

Everyone has a different take on this point. We like anytime dining because we can adjust our dining time according how our day went - ports, etc. and so that our teenage son will eat with us and not miss out on his activities. Other folks like the set time/wait staff arrangement. It really is personal taste and even on the same sailing, you will see reviews that contradict each other with quality of food, service, etc. Choose what you think will best meet your needs and know that Princess wants you to enjoy your experience. Remember, it is much easier to go from tradition dining to anytime than the other way so if you choose anytime, it is unlikely that you will be able to move to traditional once on the ship.