Traditional Dining 8:15pm Seating

[Bot230]

Hi all,

I am booked for my first cruise which will be aboard the Princess Star sailing the inside passage in Alaska. I am signed up right now for the anytime dining but I am considering switching to the 8:15pm seating. I wanted to know a few things about this late seating time.

1. Will I miss the main shows at night if I have this late dining time? (What time are normal show times aboard this cruise?)

2. Is there a risk of not getting a highly desirable menu item because of the late seating?

3. Is it possible to get a table for 2 with the traditional dining option?

4. If I choose a larger table (ie 4,6,or 8) is there an effort to sit parties together that are of similar age ranges?

 

Sorry if these are repeat questions that have already been addressed on prior threads, but I did not see clear answers to these questions in my forum search.

 

Thanks!

[broberts]

1. No. Typically there are two shows one before late seating and one after the early seating. (If a show is extremely popular and you decide to line up early or to catch the off time offering, you can always choose to dine in the buffet restaurant at a more convenient time.)

 

2. No. Never heard of this happening.

 

3. Haven't sailed on Star Princess but doubles are available on other ships.

 

4. The process of making up table parties is a bit of a mystery. Rarely, but it does happen that people request a table change. Such requests are generally accommodated if at all possible.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[Pam in CA]

If you plan to switch to late Traditional seating, you should do it immediately. Traditional dining often fills quickly with long waitlists. You may already be too late. If this is what you want and you don't clear the waitlist before boarding, see the Maitre d' after boarding and make your request.

 

If you get late Traditional and after boarding feel it's not for you, you can always switch to Anytime.

[vancouvergirl2010]

I haven't been on the Star…but on the other ships we have been on…

 

1 - We always do the late seating and go to a show/comedian after dinner around 10pm. There has been the odd time that we would have to see a show before dinner.

 

2 - Never seen this happen either

 

3 - There are usually tables for 2, call Princess to request in advance.

 

4 - I have a teenager and I noticed we are usually seated with other families with kids.

[cr8tiv1]

I met and spoke to the Maitre d'Hotel on my last cruise. A couple of days before the next cruise, he was busy arranging tables. His priorities were: People with allergies, gluten free, those who need assistance with walking (no upper landings), same country/same language (although this one is tricky), and a few other factors.

 

My cruise director addressed the concerns about 30 minute shows to accommodate everyone. He said it will eventually go company wide. I, personally, loved how the 3 shows spread people out enough that there were always seats in the Princess Theater. Not quite the same for the Vista Lounge.

 

Depending on the itinerary and age group, one or the other dining times might fill up. With an older group, early dining is almost always full.

 

Renee

[Bot230]

Thanks for all the advice!

On a slightly unrelated note...

If I want to go to the specialty restaurants on the Princess Star does it make sense to do it on a non-formal night or a formal night?

Do the specialty restaurants follow the same schedule of formal and non-formal nights as the rest of the ship?

Thanks again!

[caribill]

Do the specialty restaurants follow the same schedule of formal and non-formal nights as the rest of the ship?

Thanks again!

 

Specialty restaurants are smart casual every evening.

[caribill]

Hi all,

I am booked for my first cruise which will be aboard the Princess Star sailing the inside passage in Alaska. I am signed up right now for the anytime dining but I am considering switching to the 8:15pm seating. I wanted to know a few things about this late seating time.

 

1. Will I miss the main shows at night if I have this late dining time? (What time are normal show times aboard this cruise?) The main shows are now about 30 minutes in length. There will usually be one scheduled before late seating, one during late seating and one after late seating. Some evenings there may not be one after late seating due to a one time event such as the crew show. However, be aware that some game shows (newlywed game, for example) are only scheduled one time and that time may be during late seating.

 

3. Is it possible to get a table for 2 with the traditional dining option? Yes, but there are relatively few tables for two, so it may be too late to get one if you can switch to late traditional.

 

see above in red

 

One advantage of late traditional is that a port day that extends to late afternoon or early evening will not cause you to have to rush to make it to dinner on time.

[Pam in CA]

Specialty restaurants are smart casual every evening.

I've been to a specialty restaurant on a formal night on each of my last few cruises and was surprised that everyone was dressed much better than "smart casual." The men were all in dark suits, the women in black pants and tops or similar fairly dressy clothing. I was dressed "country club" and felt underdressed by comparison. I'm bringing black pants and a top for my upcoming cruise as we're planning to go to the steakhouse at least one formal night.

[Bot230]

So I was about to choose the 8:15pm traditional dining option for a table for 2 on my upcoming Princess Star cruise and saw a disclaimer stating "We will do our best to accommodate your requested table size, though we cannot guarantee it."

Has anyone had experience requesting a table for 2 for the 8:15pm dining time and not getting it?

Also, if I don't get my request filled is it difficult to switch to the anytime dining option?

 

Thanks!

[broberts]

Not sure why one would want traditional dining at a double table. Meeting fellow passengers over dinner is one of the pleasures I derive from a cruise.

 

There is no guarantee and doubles are not plentiful. As to switching during a cruise see http://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/onboard/dining_nightlife.jsp#Anytime_Dining

It's the last paragraph before the sub-sections.

[dtb55]

I've been to a specialty restaurant on a formal night on each of my last few cruises and was surprised that everyone was dressed much better than "smart casual." The men were all in dark suits, the women in black pants and tops or similar fairly dressy clothing. I was dressed "country club" and felt underdressed by comparison. I'm bringing black pants and a top for my upcoming cruise as we're planning to go to the steakhouse at least one formal night.

 

Same on our Ruby cruise. Men had on suits and women wore cocktail dresses. We were very underdressed. Even the crew wore tuxes.

[zahav1]

We always do late traditional seating at 8:15, we love it.

 

Hi all,

I am booked for my first cruise which will be aboard the Princess Star sailing the inside passage in Alaska. I am signed up right now for the anytime dining but I am considering switching to the 8:15pm seating. I wanted to know a few things about this late seating time.

1. Will I miss the main shows at night if I have this late dining time? (What time are normal show times aboard this cruise?) - You can see a show at 10 or so, sometimes you may be able to catch a show at 7. Much depends on the cruise director and new schedules.

 

2. Is there a risk of not getting a highly desirable menu item because of the late seating? - never had that happen, always got what we asked for.

 

 

3. Is it possible to get a table for 2 with the traditional dining option? - yes, it's possible, make that reservation.

 

4. If I choose a larger table (ie 4,6,or 8) is there an effort to sit parties together that are of similar age ranges? - If you choose a bigger table you never know who will be seating with you, but it's always fun, age makes no difference to me.

 

Sorry if these are repeat questions that have already been addressed on prior threads, but I did not see clear answers to these questions in my forum search.

 

Thanks!