Loads of newbie questions #2 - all about dining. (Alaska Northbound)

[PongosMum]

Island Princess

 

I know these questions have been asked numerous times before, but I’ve been reading through a lot of the threads & some of them go back to 2007, I’m sure things must have changed over the years (even from last year) so I’d be really grateful if all those in the know could give me some up to date info. Thanks very much

 

 

Fixed Dining – I read that someone (who’s sailed recently) changed his Fixed Dining to Anytime Dining on the day the ship was in Glacier Bay so he didn’t miss anything exciting. I thought your dining preference was more or less set in stone & that, after jumping thru hoops, you could only change it within 24hrs of boarding - but this sounds like you can change it on a whim!!??

 

We’ve opted for set dining (late sitting) but if we miss it (for whatever reason) can we just go to the anytime dining room? or is it pizza/burgers @ Horizon Court?

 

Anytime Dining – I thought this was a “turn up & get a table when one is free” type of thing but it would seem from some posts I’ve gone through that you can actually reserve a table for the same time each evening (see http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1657282). What’s the point of Anytime Dining then???

 

Breakfast – We intend to get the Champagne Breakfast on at least 1 occasion but also quite like the idea of having a full breakfast in our room on sea days – could we go to the buffet & get a couple of plates full of goodies & take them back to our room?. Would trays to carry it all & covers to keep the food warm be available?

 

Food not on menu!!!

I don’t know what it’s called – but I’ve seen a few threads (& now can't find them) where people talk about food that’s not on the set menu that you can order for the next evening. Is this true? what’s it called & what sort of food is available to pre-order?

 

Formal Night – as it’s our first cruise, we intend to go to both formal nights (although we’re only getting totally dressed up for one of them, the other we’ll go very smart but not really dressy), I’m totally looking forward to them but have to ask, what’s the difference - apart from dress - between these and ‘non-formal’ nights? Is there different food, more courses, more expensive wine list etc etc?

 

Sorry if these are daft questions but thanks again for any advice :)

[Swissie]

Anytime Dining – I have just come back from the Island Princess which was fully booked. We had Anytime Dining and had no problem getting a table for two each night - although we went mostly before 6pm. A tip, if you want to dine at a later time without having to wait for a table, just call the dining line in the morning (from memory between 8am and 10am) and you can book a table for that night for a specific time slot. We did this a number of times and it worked beautifully.

\

Food not on menu!!! Our waiter offered us food which was not on the menu on a number of occasions. I suggest you ask.

Formal Night – Each night has a differently themed menu. It's no different on the formal nights. As far being dressed on the formal night, as long as you look very smart and your husband wears a jacket, it's fine. I have also seen a number of men who just wore a long sleeve shirt with a tie.

[PongosMum]

Anytime Dining – I have just come back from the Island Princess which was fully booked. We had Anytime Dining and had no problem getting a table for two each night - although we went mostly before 6pm. A tip, if you want to dine at a later time without having to wait for a table, just call the dining line in the morning (from memory between 8am and 10am) and you can book a table for that night for a specific time slot. We did this a number of times and it worked beautifully.

 

\

Food not on menu!!! Our waiter offered us food which was not on the menu on a number of occasions. I suggest you ask.

 

Formal Night – Each night has a differently themed menu. It's no different on the formal nights. As far being dressed on the formal night, as long as you look very smart and your husband wears a jacket, it's fine. I have also seen a number of men who just wore a long sleeve shirt with a tie.

 

thanks for that - think I might change to anytime dining. When on holiday we don't normally eat til bout 9ish & we're always in casual clothes (as we'll be for the rest of our holiday which follows the cruise) so if nothing else, getting dressed up for this cruise week is going to be a novelty :)

[paul929207]

If there is something you like that you don't see on the menu, ask your head waiter. If possible they will prepare it for you.

 

Many people feel that the best menus are the ones for formal nights, but that is just personal preference.

[Matcodixon]

On every cruise we have been on, we fill out our breakfast order on the card and hang it on the door the night before. There is a place to fill out the time, and the offerings are quite good, however I have heard that one can write in some items that are not on that card and get them as well. I personally have not tried that, but plan on it for our upcoming Mediterranean cruise.

This is the best alarm clock I have found.. :)

A nice tap on the door with a tray full of fresh breakfast items along with coffee and tea. Consumed sitting out on the Balcony..:D

 

One other note about fixed dining vs anytime.. We have always had fixed dining with the exception of our Alaska cruise. I personally prefer fixed and am signed up for late fixed dining on our Med cruise. there are many reasons I prefer this, but everyone has their own preference.. That is why there are choices.

[caribill]

Island Princess

 

 

 

Fixed Dining – I read that someone (who’s sailed recently) changed his Fixed Dining to Anytime Dining on the day the ship was in Glacier Bay so he didn’t miss anything exciting. I thought your dining preference was more or less set in stone & that, after jumping thru hoops, you could only change it within 24hrs of boarding - but this sounds like you can change it on a whim!!?? Those who are assigned to Traditional (fixed) Dining are not supposed to go to Anytime Dining whenever it is not practical to eat at their assigned time. This is unfair to those assigned to AT who may then have to wait longer while the TD persons' seats are unused. This is not to say that this does not happen, but people should do what they are supposed to do, not what they can get away with. Often the AT room will check your cruise card to make sure you are assigned to AT, but this does not always happen.

 

We’ve opted for set dining (late sitting) but if we miss it (for whatever reason) can we just go to the anytime dining room? or is it pizza/burgers @ Horizon Court? See above

 

Anytime Dining – I thought this was a “turn up & get a table when one is free” type of thing but it would seem from some posts I’ve gone through that you can actually reserve a table for the same time each evening (see http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1657282). What’s the point of Anytime Dining then??? It is much like a restaurant on land. You can decide when you want to eat and some restaurants will take reservations. Without a reservation you show up and hope a table is available. Sometimes it is, sometimes you need to wait.

 

Breakfast – We intend to get the Champagne Breakfast on at least 1 occasion but also quite like the idea of having a full breakfast in our room on sea days – could we go to the buffet & get a couple of plates full of goodies & take them back to our room?. Would trays to carry it all & covers to keep the food warm be available? Yes, you can go to the buiffet and bring back food to eat in your cabin. There are no trays on the buffet, but you have large platters to put your food on. You can take a second platter to cover it.

 

Food not on menu!!!

I don’t know what it’s called – but I’ve seen a few threads (& now can't find them) where people talk about food that’s not on the set menu that you can order for the next evening. Is this true? what’s it called & what sort of food is available to pre-order?

 

Formal Night – as it’s our first cruise, we intend to go to both formal nights (although we’re only getting totally dressed up for one of them, the other we’ll go very smart but not really dressy), I’m totally looking forward to them but have to ask, what’s the difference - apart from dress - between these and ‘non-formal’ nights? Is there different food, more courses, more expensive wine list etc etc? More fancy foods, same number of courses (but you can always order as many as you want), same wine list, buty you can always order a more expensive bottle.

 

Sorry if these are daft questions but thanks again for any advice :)

 

 

see above in red

[Pam in CA]

Fixed Dining – I read that someone (who’s sailed recently) changed his Fixed Dining to Anytime Dining on the day the ship was in Glacier Bay so he didn’t miss anything exciting. I thought your dining preference was more or less set in stone & that, after jumping thru hoops, you could only change it within 24hrs of boarding - but this sounds like you can change it on a whim!!??

 

We’ve opted for set dining (late sitting) but if we miss it (for whatever reason) can we just go to the anytime dining room? or is it pizza/burgers @ Horizon Court?

 

Anytime Dining – I thought this was a “turn up & get a table when one is free” type of thing but it would seem from some posts I’ve gone through that you can actually reserve a table for the same time each evening (see http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1657282). What’s the point of Anytime Dining then???

 

Breakfast – We intend to get the Champagne Breakfast on at least 1 occasion but also quite like the idea of having a full breakfast in our room on sea days – could we go to the buffet & get a couple of plates full of goodies & take them back to our room?. Would trays to carry it all & covers to keep the food warm be available?

 

Food not on menu!!!

I don’t know what it’s called – but I’ve seen a few threads (& now can't find them) where people talk about food that’s not on the set menu that you can order for the next evening. Is this true? what’s it called & what sort of food is available to pre-order?

 

Formal Night – as it’s our first cruise, we intend to go to both formal nights (although we’re only getting totally dressed up for one of them, the other we’ll go very smart but not really dressy), I’m totally looking forward to them but have to ask, what’s the difference - apart from dress - between these and ‘non-formal’ nights? Is there different food, more courses, more expensive wine list etc etc?

 

Sorry if these are daft questions but thanks again for any advice :)

These are excellent questions. Not daft at all because it's very confusing. Added to the confusion is that there isn't consistency. You can always switch your dining preference from Traditional (fixed seating) to Anytime. The Maitre d' or one of his staff will be available on embarkation day to take dining change requests. They will even take change requests day 2 of the cruise.

 

On some ships, the Maitre d' will allow reservations for the same time for the entire cruise. Some will only allow reservations made each morning. If you have Traditional, you don't have to worry about reservations. The ship arrives in Glacier Bay in the morning so that shouldn't affect your dining time. On my cruise next year, it arrives at 9:15am. :)

 

At dinner, you can always request modifications to the menu. If you'd like a baked potato instead of au gratin, want Bernaise sauce with your tenderloin, want Fettucini Alfredo as a side dish, etc., just ask your waiter. If it's a completely different dish, you need to request it the night before. Just tell your waitstaff and they will have the Table Captain stop by to take your order. We've ordered short ribs this way. On a longer cruise, I often ask for a Chef's salad instead of an entree. The key is that if it takes special preparation, order it ahead of time. If its a substitution or modification, just ask when ordering dinner. You can even do this at breakfast and ask for eggs Benedict as they're not on the breakfast menu every day.

 

In the buffet, you can always ask for eggs prepared any way you want, from scrambled to an omelet, etc. It's not always obvious. Sometimes, there's just a small sign.

[highheel girl]

Escargot is not on the menu and can be ordered 24 hours in advance. ;)

[PongosMum]

On every cruise we have been on, we fill out our breakfast order on the card and hang it on the door the night before. There is a place to fill out the time, and the offerings are quite good, however I have heard that one can write in some items that are not on that card and get them as well. I personally have not tried that, but plan on it for our upcoming Mediterranean cruise.

This is the best alarm clock I have found.. :)

A nice tap on the door with a tray full of fresh breakfast items along with coffee and tea. Consumed sitting out on the Balcony..:D

 

One other note about fixed dining vs anytime.. We have always had fixed dining with the exception of our Alaska cruise. I personally prefer fixed and am signed up for late fixed dining on our Med cruise. there are many reasons I prefer this, but everyone has their own preference.. That is why there are choices.

 

Oh yum, I could almost hear the tap on the door & smell that coffee :)

[PongosMum]

These are excellent questions. Not daft at all because it's very confusing. Added to the confusion is that there isn't consistency. You can always switch your dining preference from Traditional (fixed seating) to Anytime. The Maitre d' or one of his staff will be available on embarkation day to take dining change requests. They will even take change requests day 2 of the cruise.

 

On some ships, the Maitre d' will allow reservations for the same time for the entire cruise. Some will only allow reservations made each morning. If you have Traditional, you don't have to worry about reservations. The ship arrives in Glacier Bay in the morning so that shouldn't affect your dining time. On my cruise next year, it arrives at 9:15am. :)

 

At dinner, you can always request modifications to the menu. If you'd like a baked potato instead of au gratin, want Bernaise sauce with your tenderloin, want Fettucini Alfredo as a side dish, etc., just ask your waiter. If it's a completely different dish, you need to request it the night before. Just tell your waitstaff and they will have the Table Captain stop by to take your order. We've ordered short ribs this way. On a longer cruise, I often ask for a Chef's salad instead of an entree. The key is that if it takes special preparation, order it ahead of time. If its a substitution or modification, just ask when ordering dinner. You can even do this at breakfast and ask for eggs Benedict as they're not on the breakfast menu every day.

 

In the buffet, you can always ask for eggs prepared any way you want, from scrambled to an omelet, etc. It's not always obvious. Sometimes, there's just a small sign.

 

Thanks for not thinking I'm daft - there just seems to be so many rules or shortcuts & I want to get the most out of this cruise with as little fuss as possible & without stepping on anyone's toes!! Really informative once again :)

[PongosMum]

There really are some great people out there, all prepared to help others get the most out of their holiday/vacation. You've all been so kind in taking the time to answer my questions. Thanks very much :D

[Magellan321]

Just a suggestion....

 

On our last trip in March I tried something new. I ordered almost all of our breakfast thru roomservice. I ordered our coffee, juice, fruit, pastries, cereal, butter, jams etc. The only thing I had left to retrieve from the buffet was our eggs and meat. This worked out very well and left me only having to carry one covered platter for the two us.

[Underwatr]

This is unfair to those assigned to AT who may then have to wait longer while the TD persons' seats are unused.

Is there more than one AT restaurant? Just curious.

[Stevesan]

Is there more than one AT restaurant? Just curious.

 

 

Both youre ships have two. They are midship on Fiesta and Plaza decks.

The deck Plan for Caribbean Princess:

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/ships/cb/deck_plans/index.html

 

There is one TD Dining Room. It's on Fiesta deck aft.

 

P.S. The line is nearly always shorter at the Plaza deck DR.

[geoherb]

Escargot is not on the menu and can be ordered 24 hours in advance. ;)

Recent reports say that due to the shortage of snails that escargot is not currently available. People have reported similar on the boards for other cruise lines.

 

We missed the creme brulee in the dining room the night we did the Chef's Table. I asked our head waiter, and he had it prepared for the following night for our whole table. It is one of the few desserts that I order during a cruise. Most nights I stick to the fruit plate.

[caribill]

Is there more than one AT restaurant? Just curious.

 

Both youre ships have two. They are midship on Fiesta and Plaza decks.

The deck Plan for Caribbean Princess:

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/ships/cb/deck_plans/index.html

 

There is one TD Dining Room. It's on Fiesta deck aft.

 

 

If there is a big demand for early Traditional, then one of the Anytime rooms will hold an overflow early Traditional time and then become Anytime once those people finish their meals.

[crosj]

Recent reports say that due to the shortage of snails that escargot is not currently available. People have reported similar on the boards for other cruise lines.

 

On our recent SeaPrincess cruise escargot was available with 24 hour notice.

 

Also in the MDR for breakfast one morning I asked about french toast and was told that they would make it for us the next day. Sure enough we got it.

 

The service on this cruise was the best I have ever had.

[Beachdude]

On every cruise we have been on, we fill out our breakfast order on the card and hang it on the door the night before. There is a place to fill out the time, and the offerings are quite good, however I have heard that one can write in some items that are not on that card and get them as well. I personally have not tried that, but plan on it for our upcoming Mediterranean cruise.

This is the best alarm clock I have found.. :)

A nice tap on the door with a tray full of fresh breakfast items along with coffee and tea. Consumed sitting out on the Balcony..:D

.

 

Yep, and you can also bring food down from the buffet if you like. I like to order coffee early from room service to enjoy it on the balcony before my wife gets up, and also because it taste much better than buffet coffee.

 

Burt

[ChiefBoats]

Anytime dinning is just that. Some of us will make a reservation if we find a waiter/jr waiter we like. That way we can get him each night. Some times we just ask for his table and if there are open spots we will be seated there. If you are with a large group and want to sit together then you will more than likely need to make reservation. From what I have seen the largest table is for either 10 or 12 people.

 

If you wait until you get on board you will have to get with the Head Maitre'D to see if they can can change you. I have seen people that have done this but it is not a sure thing.

[Ankie3467]

Just a suggestion....

 

On our last trip in March I tried something new. I ordered almost all of our breakfast thru roomservice. I ordered our coffee, juice, fruit, pastries, cereal, butter, jams etc. The only thing I had left to retrieve from the buffet was our eggs and meat. This worked out very well and left me only having to carry one covered platter for the two us.

 

And room service is free correct??

[Magellan321]

And room service is free correct??

 

Yes room service is free. The only exception is a $3 fee for a whole pizza.

[caribill]

Yes room service is free. The only exception is a $3 fee for a whole pizza.

 

And there is a charge for party platters, sodas, alcoholic beverages, juice other than at breakfast time, canapes.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Island Princess

 

I know these questions have been asked numerous times before, but I’ve been reading through a lot of the threads & some of them go back to 2007, I’m sure things must have changed over the years (even from last year) so I’d be really grateful if all those in the know could give me some up to date info. Thanks very much

 

 

Fixed Dining – I read that someone (who’s sailed recently) changed his Fixed Dining to Anytime Dining on the day the ship was in Glacier Bay so he didn’t miss anything exciting. I thought your dining preference was more or less set in stone & that, after jumping thru hoops, you could only change it within 24hrs of boarding - but this sounds like you can change it on a whim!!??

 

We’ve opted for set dining (late sitting) but if we miss it (for whatever reason) can we just go to the anytime dining room? or is it pizza/burgers @ Horizon Court?

 

Just to clarify, the Horizon Court will have regular entrees and veggies. It's not the burger place on board -- the grill by the outdoors pool is where to go to get burgers, hot dogs, and grilled chicken sandwiches (what we get there) and there's a pizzeria next to it (on most ships) where you get your pizza.

 

When we somehow miss our traditional seating, we'll just head to the Horizon Court. Happened once a couple of cruises ago: one night's dinner in the Horizon, 14 nights in the t.d. dining room. But the last cruise, we were stuck with anytime (never cleared the waitlist for t.d.) and ended up eating half of our 14 dinners in the a.d.r. and the rest in the Horizon. AD is just not our preference, as it turns out.

 

Anytime Dining – I thought this was a “turn up & get a table when one is free” type of thing but it would seem from some posts I’ve gone through that you can actually reserve a table for the same time each evening (see http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1657282). What’s the point of Anytime Dining then???

 

Breakfast – We intend to get the Champagne Breakfast on at least 1 occasion but also quite like the idea of having a full breakfast in our room on sea days – could we go to the buffet & get a couple of plates full of goodies & take them back to our room?. Would trays to carry it all & covers to keep the food warm be available?

 

On sea days, hubby will get up earlier than "his girls" and go to the Horizon. He'll get his made to order omelet and then make up a tray (he uses the one that had held the can of soft drinks in the cabin -- and hides it until the end of the cruise). He doesn't worry about keeping the food hot -- the girl doesn't mind cool Belgian waffles. My only peeve (which I wisely keep to myself as he's trying) is that he uses one of the tiny juice glasses for my OJ. That's my only breakfast beverage so I have to make it to the buffet before it closes to get more.

 

Food not on menu!!!

I don’t know what it’s called – but I’ve seen a few threads (& now can't find them) where people talk about food that’s not on the set menu that you can order for the next evening. Is this true? what’s it called & what sort of food is available to pre-order?

 

"Always Available." Unless that name was dropped since our last cruise. There are items that are on the right side of the menu that you can order and get right away.

 

Formal Night – as it’s our first cruise, we intend to go to both formal nights (although we’re only getting totally dressed up for one of them, the other we’ll go very smart but not really dressy), I’m totally looking forward to them but have to ask, what’s the difference - apart from dress - between these and ‘non-formal’ nights? Is there different food, more courses, more expensive wine list etc etc?

 

Just think in terms of fancy wedding dress for formal nights, nice restaurant for non-formal nights. Same dress code whether t.d. or a.d. If you're in a shorts mood, that's fine for the Horizon (I've even seen passengers in tuxedos in there). Usually fancier fare for formal nights (pheasant, lobster, etc). The same menus whether t.d. or a.d. Some of the items will also be served in the buffet. Not a drinker, so I don't know about the wine list.

 

Sorry if these are daft questions but thanks again for any advice :)

:):):)

[Love.II.Cruise]

Just a suggestion....

 

On our last trip in March I tried something new. I ordered almost all of our breakfast thru roomservice. I ordered our coffee, juice, fruit, pastries, cereal, butter, jams etc. The only thing I had left to retrieve from the buffet was our eggs and meat. This worked out very well and left me only having to carry one covered platter for the two us.

 

We've never thought to do that. We just do all or nothing... meaning if we can't get it on the card, we go to Horizon Court. Or we just do something really simple in our room. I'm not sure we would try this on this trip since it will be cold, but we may do this in the future on warmer cruises. Thanks for the tip!

[highheel girl]

Recent reports say that due to the shortage of snails that escargot is not currently available. People have reported similar on the boards for other cruise lines.

 

DH just had it on the Star at the beginning of June. :D