question about dineing?

[cptncrunch]

Hey

Was just wondering what the differnce between anytime dineing and traditional dineing is, and if I wanted to switch to either or what the process would be. Noticed I was set up for anytime dineing under my cruise personalizer.

[Talisker92]

Traditional dining means you will be at one of two seatings-early(around 6) or late (around 8:30). You will have the same table and servers for the cruise.

Anytime means you can go to the other restaurants (2 or 4) depending on the ship. You do not have a definite time set.

[paul929207]

Just to add to the above. Traditional is usually waitlisted, so it is difficult to switch to it. You can usually switch fom TD to AD by asking the maitre 'd

[WeBeGone]

You can switch before the cruise by calling whomever you booked your cruise with. Once on board the ship, you may change by speaking to the maitre de but that is really a diservice to the planning so try to make up your mind before the cruise. You cannot go back and forth. You have to stick with one selection the whole cruise. If you want the same table at the same time each evening, choose traditional. If you want to go whenever you want and don't mind having different tablemates each evening, choose personal choice.

[cptncrunch]

Interesting...and theres actually a waiting listen for TA, thats nuts. Ill gladly stick to AD

[caribill]

If you want to go whenever you want and don't mind having different tablemates each evening, choose personal choice.

 

You mean choose anytime. Personal choice is what Princess calls the total choice available from all dining venues, from buffet to traditional dinner dining.

[caribill]

The menus and suggested dress codes are the same for both traditional and anytime dining.

[Pam in CA]

Anytime means you can go to the other restaurants (2 or 4) depending on the ship. You do not have a definite time set.

Slight correction. Anytime means you can go to the Anytime dining room(s). True, you can also go to one of the restaurants but that generally refers to one of the specialty, extra cost, restaurants, which any passenger can go to.

 

Traditional dining fills very quickly so unless you book a cruise early and choose it, you'll go on a waiting list.

 

With Anytime dining, just like any popular restaurant at home, if you go very early, you'll be seated right away. If you like to eat a bit later, you may have a wait; sometimes a long wait. With Traditional, you know exactly what time your table will be ready so you can just walk right in and be seated. Choices.

[Sheffie]

I have a question regarding Anytime Dining. On RCI, you pay the gratuities up front when you book. Do we do that on Princess?

[MSN-Travelers]

I have a question regarding Anytime Dining. On RCI, you pay the gratuities up front when you book. Do we do that on Princess?

 

Princess has an auto-tipping program. Each passenger is charged $10.50 per day ($11 per day for mini-suites and higher). It will appear on your final bill. This "fee" is spread out according to a formula to your room steward and all food service staff (excluding room service) that serve you directly or indirectly.

 

If you have been impressed by a given individual, you are free to offer an additional gratuity.

 

Please note - Some people hate this system. You can go to the purser's office and turn off the auto-tipping charge. If you do this (turn off auto-tipping), and choose to tip directly, the individual is not allowed to keep the tip. He/She must turn the tip into the auto-tip pool. If auto-tipping is active, the individual gets to keep the additional gratuity.

 

Like it or not, that's the Princess system and came about due to the personal choice/anytime dining program.

 

Also - Princess has a "you made a difference" comment card system too. Taking a few minutes to fill one of these out and leaving it at the Purser's drop box will get the employee far greater rewards over time than any additional tip that you might offer.

 

Enjoy!

[Potstech]

Another thing with the anytime dining is that you can ask for the type of table you want. If you want just a small table for two they will accomodate you. If you like to sit with a group they will put you at a larger table. You can decide at the dining room. I really like the flexibility of this type of dining. I have meet many great people this way and have learned alot about them and where they live. One memorable table we sat with two travel agents, a newlywed couple that ran a bar in England and it was their first cruise ever and the owner of a large ranch in Texas along with a much older couple that had been on over 40 cruises. The menus are the same in all the dining rooms so you would not be missing a thing with the Anytime dining. Another time we sat with a family or 5 who had children from age 9 down. Best behaved kids to have at a diner table, well mannered, polite and where able to order what they wanted but they ate all they ordered with no squabbles at all. To me it added greatly to the cruise experience. For my wife and I it is one of the reasons we only cruise Princess.

[cruis247g]

If we choose Traditional Dining, are we still free to make reservations at the specialty/extra charge restaurants? Typically, we prefer TD, but are concerned about not getting back on time from one of our excursions, so we're not sure whether to book TD or AD. If we miss our time slot for TD one day, would we be allowed in any other non-additional charge venue? Thank you!

[tctravelgirl]

On our last 3 cruises on Princess we have chosen anytime dining, and I would not ever go back to traditional. We have never had to wait for a table, but we like sharing at a large table. We usually go between 6 - 7:30. You can specify any size table. Table for 10, 8, 6, 4 or 2. When you get to the door of the restaurant, you will be asked, "Do you want to share?" I always tell them that I want a large table. We love having different table mates every night, and so interesting to meet so many different people. That is one of the highlights of the cruise for us. We have met people from all over the world. Sometimes I noticed that people have waited if they want a table for 2. If you want anytime dining, but want to eat at the same table and same time every night, you can go to the dining room on the first day and make a reservation. We have never done this but have met people who have.

[oceanxbreeze89]

I have a quick question...my friend and I are sailing on the CB Princess in January and one of the stops that we have is Bonaire. We are there from 12pm-7pm. We are on a snorkeling excursion from 12:30-6:00. We have traditional dining at 6pm. Can we go to the dining room late and be like the "anytime diners" for that day? We will be about an hour or so late. We would prefer not to eat the buffet. All advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

Helen

[MSN-Travelers]

I have a quick question...my friend and I are sailing on the CB Princess in January and one of the stops that we have is Bonaire. We are there from 12pm-7pm. We are on a snorkeling excursion from 12:30-6:00. We have traditional dining at 6pm. Can we go to the dining room late and be like the "anytime diners" for that day? We will be about an hour or so late. We would prefer not to eat the buffet. All advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

Helen

 

Hard core will tell you no, you can't show up late at your TD dining room and you should make a reservation for one of the specialty venues & eat there that night. Always tell your tablemates if you are going to miss a meal in the TD dining room so the waiter doesn't delay serving the rest of the people at your table while waiting for you.

 

You may be able to crash one of the AD dining rooms and plead your case at the door. They may let you in, especially if you show up after 8 PM. (As somebody who always books AD dining, it bothers me when TD passengers crash the AD dining rooms and clog up the system just because they can't make their scheduled seating.)

[klinesy]

I have a quick question...my friend and I are sailing on the CB Princess in January and one of the stops that we have is Bonaire. We are there from 12pm-7pm. We are on a snorkeling excursion from 12:30-6:00. We have traditional dining at 6pm. Can we go to the dining room late and be like the "anytime diners" for that day? We will be about an hour or so late. We would prefer not to eat the buffet. All advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

Helen

 

On the Royal in August, when we were in port that late, the dining room was open seating. I'm not sure if this is done on the small ships because they offer only Traditional Dining, or if it is handled the same way on the larger ships like the CB.

[CanuckCurlers]

I have a quick question...my friend and I are sailing on the CB Princess in January and one of the stops that we have is Bonaire. We are there from 12pm-7pm. We are on a snorkeling excursion from 12:30-6:00. We have traditional dining at 6pm. Can we go to the dining room late and be like the "anytime diners" for that day? We will be about an hour or so late. We would prefer not to eat the buffet. All advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

Helen

 

This is a hotly debated issue. Being an hour late for the TD dining room would not allow time for you to be served and the table made ready for the late seating. Some feel that TD diners that use the AD restaurants due to unexpected circumstances are stealing their seats and causing them long wait times. They feel you either eat at your time in the TD dining room or use cabin service, the buffet or a specialty restaurant. Staff however will tell you that you are free to use the AD dining room and there is no check at the door as to your cabin number or your dining assignment. The interpretation of the 'rules' is at your discretion.

[paul929207]

This is an area where Princess is not clear on the rules. The interpretation varies from ship to ship depending on the maitre 'd.

[Pam in CA]

If we choose Traditional Dining, are we still free to make reservations at the specialty/extra charge restaurants? Typically, we prefer TD, but are concerned about not getting back on time from one of our excursions, so we're not sure whether to book TD or AD. If we miss our time slot for TD one day, would we be allowed in any other non-additional charge venue? Thank you!

 

I have a quick question...my friend and I are sailing on the CB Princess in January and one of the stops that we have is Bonaire. We are there from 12pm-7pm. We are on a snorkeling excursion from 12:30-6:00. We have traditional dining at 6pm. Can we go to the dining room late and be like the "anytime diners" for that day? We will be about an hour or so late. We would prefer not to eat the buffet. All advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

If the ship is in port later and you miss your early traditional dining time, you may go to the Anytime dining room and they will accommodate you. Normally, you can't go back and forth but in cases such as this, you can. You may have a bit of a wait because you will be "accommodated" after those with Anytime dining. Since many of the passengers will be coming back later, there could be a long wait. :(

 

On some cruises, they adjust the early and late traditional dining times so if they do, then you should go to your regular table. I've also seen them turn the Traditional dining room into "open" seating around the times of the regularly-scheduled dining time. It all depends.

[cruis247g]

Thank you so much for your help:). I truly appreciate it.

[Pam in CA]

Thank you so much for your help:). I truly appreciate it.

A suggestion is to let your waitstaff (and tablemates, if any) know you'll be late to dinner. Then, you can go as soon as you get back on the ship as long as you aren't in shorts. Being 30-45 minutes late doesn't mean you can't go to your assigned table. Your waitstaff will appreciate the heads-up. That way, you can take your tour and enjoy your dinner without waiting for a table in Anytime. To me, this is the better solution. :)

[skoi13]

Not the OP, but wanted to add my thanks for the information. My husband and I will be on our first Princess cruise this May and are trying to decide whether to stick with the traditional or not. We've cruised Disney, RCI and Carnival, and never really had to make this decision.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Interesting...and theres actually a waiting listen for TA, thats nuts. Ill gladly stick to AD

 

Not nuts. Many of us prefer traditional dining. I love that the waitstaff gets to know our preferences (like mine for lemon salads instead of salad dressing). One waiter we had actually remembered something about my hubby's beverage preference a year and a half after she was our assistant waiter on a previous cruise. I'm not too happy that we're currently on a waitlist for td since we've booked late. I hope that we can clear the waitlist before the cruise.

 

If we choose Traditional Dining, are we still free to make reservations at the specialty/extra charge restaurants? Typically, we prefer TD, but are concerned about not getting back on time from one of our excursions, so we're not sure whether to book TD or AD. If we miss our time slot for TD one day, would we be allowed in any other non-additional charge venue? Thank you!

 

You can go to Sabinitinis or other specialty restaurant if there's availabilities. There hasn't been too many times that my family has been in port at dinner time, but if we want to eat onboard and miss our seating, it wouldn't be a problem for us to eat in the buffet. Much of the same food is offered there.

I have a quick question...my friend and I are sailing on the CB Princess in January and one of the stops that we have is Bonaire. We are there from 12pm-7pm. We are on a snorkeling excursion from 12:30-6:00. We have traditional dining at 6pm. Can we go to the dining room late and be like the "anytime diners" for that day? We will be about an hour or so late. We would prefer not to eat the buffet. All advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

Helen

 

Personally I couldn't imagine crashing the AT dining room if I'm assigned to TD. It's not fair. But you can always talk to the waiter and see what they recommend. Again, the buffet for us is not a problem.

[caribill]

Princess has an auto-tipping program. Each passenger is charged $10.50 per day ($11 per day for mini-suites and higher). It will appear on your final bill. This "fee" is spread out according to a formula to your room steward and all food service staff (excluding room service) that serve you directly or indirectly.

 

 

Actually, the auto-tip is also shared by room service personnel.

 

This is per the Purser's desk where I asked about this on several cruises.

 

By the way, any beverages purchased at a bar will have a 15% tip automatically added as bar personnel are not included in the auto-tip.

[cruz guy]

Actually, the auto-tip is also shared by room service personnel.

 

This is per the Purser's desk where I asked about this on several cruises.

 

By the way, any beverages purchased at a bar will have a 15% tip automatically added as bar personnel are not included in the auto-tip.

 

So if the service tip is shared with the room service personnel...do you leave an additional tip when ordering breakfast? We always have because I always felt room delivery was a nice extra, but wondered about this after reading your statement about the auto tip.