Dinner Reservations

[lwnbwlr]

We have cruised with Princess many times but have never used the "anytime dining" option.

 

We would like to dine at six every evening and are wondering if we can make a same time reservation for the entire cruise? Can this be done this first night of the cruise in the dining room?

Thanks for your help.

 

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[chrysalis]

Depends on the ship and the Maitre 'd....some allow for week long reservations, and some require reservations to be made each day by calling the DINE line.

 

You will find out on board when you try.

[paul929207]

I assume first seating for TD is full?

[satxdiver]

We like ATD instead of TD because we can change our plans at the last minute without having our table mates waiting for our noshow. Many times we accept sitting at a larger table for ATD if offered and have met some really nice people and a few lemons.

[Saymyname]

ATD on the Sapphire..It was hard to sit with a group, every night we tried to sit with others, but always ended up sitting at a table for two...

[skynight]

All the U.S. based ships I have been on allow this. See the head waiter or maitre'd the first night. Most passengers that do this get the same table each evening with the same waiter. An extra tip is in order at the end of the voyage for the waiters and head waiter. Also, if you plan not to be there it is nice to inform them.

[JimmyVWine]

While it is true that reservations can be made for ATD on most ships, the "prime" dinner times (6:00-7:30) can be difficult to obtain. As sknight suggests above, speak to the Maitre'D upon boarding for your best odds. If you call the DINE line each morning when it opens to secure a reservation for that evening, even if you are the first person to phone, you are likely to be told: "I can seat you between 5:00 and 5:30, and then again any time after 7:30." We got this response pretty much every single day, but I was usually able to talk them into making our reservations for 7:15 when that time better suited us. Even still, they often had to put me on hold to "check and see if that was available". In theory, if you call the minute the phone lines open up, you should be able to get whatever you want. But the dining room managers have obvioulsy concluded that the ATD service works more efficiently if they do not block out tables with reservations between 6:00-7:30.

[cruzsnooze]

. An extra tip is in order at the end of the voyage for the waiters and head waiter. Also, if you plan not to be there it is nice to inform them.

Why is an extra tip in order? If you paid your auto tip I don't see any need to keep tipping for a service that was expected. maybe if someone went over the top but not for accommodating your ATD request.

[JimmyVWine]

Why is an extra tip in order? If you paid your auto tip I don't see any need to keep tipping for a service that was expected. maybe if someone went over the top but not for accommodating your ATD request.

To my way of thinking, (and maybe it's just me), the ATD rooms are not set up to accommodate "standing reservations" as this is somewhat antithetical to the whole process. So if the Head Waiter is able to figure out a way to fit you in, he is doing you a valued service. Sort of like tipping a concierge. Sure, the concierge's job is to be able to secure theater tickets or dinner reservations at local restaurants. And if they do, they are "accommodating your request". But would you ever think of not tipping a concierge who got you what you asked for?

[caribill]

But the dining room managers have obvioulsy concluded that the ATD service works more efficiently if they do not block out tables with reservations between 6:00-7:30.

 

If the dining room opens at 5:30 and you want a reservation between 6 and 7:30, that means the table must remain unoccpied until you arrive, leaving it unused from 30 minutes up to almost two hours, a poor use of dining room capacity.

 

Think of all the thread posts that would say "I came to the anytime dining room at 6:30 and had to wait over 45 minutes for a table even though many tables were unoccupied while I was waiting."

[JimmyVWine]

If the dining room opens at 5:30 and you want a reservation between 6 and 7:30, that means the table must remain unoccpied until you arrive, leaving it unused from 30 minutes up to almost two hours, a poor use of dining room capacity.

 

Think of all the thread posts that would say "I came to the anytime dining room at 6:30 and had to wait over 45 minutes for a table even though many tables were unoccupied while I was waiting."

 

My phraseology was less than precise. I didn't mean to suggest that the dining room staff was wrong or illogical. Their process is exactly right for the reasons you explain.

[DrivesLikeMario]

ATD on the Sapphire..It was hard to sit with a group, every night we tried to sit with others, but always ended up sitting at a table for two...

 

That's exactly what we found. We were happy to sit with others but because there were so many large family groups during our Christmas cruise, we always ended up at a table for the 4 of us.

 

We always showed up to ATD around 5:45 to 6:15 and the longest we waited was 5 mins. one time. The other nights, we were seated immediately. It seemed to get busiest around 7pm.

[RetiredNTraveling]

On our last cruise, on the 3rd night our group of 8 hit it off so well that the waiters requested that we ask for table 279 again. So as we left the MDR, we ask for the same table again the next night. The Maitre 'd told us No! The next night we showed up together and he immediately sat us at table 279. After that, table 279 was reserved for the 8 of us. ;)