Dining times

[KandMB]

Hi, we will be cruising Princess for the first time in July, have just noticed that our allotted dining time is 5.30 which seems very early, the other option available is 8.15, now we are unsure of whether to change or not? Can anyone advise how the entertainment is scheduled through the evening, we want to do some ballroom dancing if possible.

[Loonbeam]

They typically due multiple sessions of the show. 5:30 will probably be better for ballroom dancing (if offered it's more likely to be relatively early). It's CD's discretion as to timing though.

 

Or you could switch to AD or ask the MD once on board if you can be accommodated in 6:30.

 

Hi, we will be cruising Princess for the first time in July, have just noticed that our allotted dining time is 5.30 which seems very early, the other option available is 8.15, now we are unsure of whether to change or not? Can anyone advise how the entertainment is scheduled through the evening, we want to do some ballroom dancing if possible.

[BrandiGreg]

After 22 Princess cruises, I dont think I have ever seen early seating that early. Usually it is 6 or 6:15. We always have late seating, because we don't like to have to rush to get ready for dinner, especially if in port. There is usually a show at 10pm or 10:15, though sometimes we go to a 7pm show before dinner. The only things we miss are the 9:15 or 9:30 events, usually in Explorers, that are game-based events. Another advantage of late seating is that the wait staff has less pressure to finish quickly and get you booted out to make way for the next seating. Also (for us) usually less kids at late seating, which may be a problem if they are noisy or fussy (yes, adults can be noisy as well). Finally, if you like a pre-dinner drink in the Platinum/Elite lounge, which opens at 5pm, there would be no rush to get out of there to get to your 5:30 dinner. Lots of choices for different preferences. Enjoy!:D

[rjack22]

On our Panama cruise the first seating was at 5:30. It is early, but the alternative at 8:15 was too late. So we did the 5:30.

 

This coming cruise our early dining is at 6:00 which is a little better. If I had my druthers....I'd do 6:30 but that isn't an option with traditional dining. And I do prefer traditional.

[OCruisers]

Sometimes the dining times vary even while on the ship by 30 minutes or so.

On the Crown in January the TD normally was 5:45 early ... 8:00 late.

One AT dining room opened at 5:30, the other at 7:30.

Princess Theatre has two show times so early or late seating can make one or the other if they wish. Also, there's other entertainment going on. :)

LuLu

[FritzG]

For a while now there has been an "early" first seating at 5:30. It's usually in one of the anytime dining rooms, not in the traditional dining room. There is still first seating in the MDR at 6:00.

[skynight]

Hi, we will be cruising Princess for the first time in July, have just noticed that our allotted dining time is 5.30 which seems very early, the other option available is 8.15, now we are unsure of whether to change or not? Can anyone advise how the entertainment is scheduled through the evening, we want to do some ballroom dancing if possible.

It depends on the ship, and how many passengers requested early traditional seating. Ships normally have two early seatings, one around 5:30 and one maybe around 6 or 6:15. I would suggest you contact your TA to move your seating to the later early seating, assuming that is what you wish.

Regarding shows and entertainment, again it depends on the ship. Production shows may have three performances, one early at around 7, one in the 8:15/8:30 time slot and then a 10/10:30 time slot. In their other entertainment venues such as Explorers Lounge on some ships and the Vista Lounge on others, they will have a few performances some evenings by other entertainers. I have always found that it isn't easy to see every performance. Princess also mixes in other game shows, deck parties, evening trivia, karaoke, theme nights, etc. Some of these activities are held at the same time as dining, no matter if you are eating early or late. There will be a good number of passengers that don't go to the DR and eat at other locations, thus fitting their eating around their activity schedule rather than visa versa. We look at the Princess Patter and make a plan, and have been using Anytime Dining for at least 9 or 10 years.

[mariakitty]

On our recent Grand cruise the traditional dining times were 5:30 and 8:00. We had the early seating, which we will never do again. We felt like we had to cut our afternoon activities short to get ready for dinner. I also like afternoon tea, but with early seating I'm just not hungry for dinner if I go to tea. Early seating seemed to have more children but also an older crowd.

[tinykygal]

What is served at tea?

Thank you.

[Pia1913]

Friends just off the Island. Early seating started at 5:15.

[Stevesan]

My most recent cruise there were three fixed dining times:

 

5:30 - seating in one of the two "Any Time" dining rooms, both centrally located.

5:45 - seating in the "Fixed time" dining room (it's usually in the aft area of the ship)

8:00 - seating same as 5:45

 

These are rather "standard" times.

[Eagle_and_hawk]

We were on the Coral in February, and we booked Traditional dining at 5:15pm for a two top. There was also the option of traditional at 5:30pm and 7:45pm. Anytime dining started at 5:30pm.

 

What we did not know, was the 5:15pm traditional dining was in the Anytime dining room, the Bordeaux. If we had know that, we would have booked the 5:30pm.

[KandMB]

Oh dear, it's not looking good! 5.30 is way too early and if it's in the Anytime area we may as we'll change to Anytime dining. Thanks for all the replies.

[Colo Cruiser]

Oh dear, it's not looking good! 5.30 is way too early and if it's in the Anytime area we may as we'll change to Anytime dining. Thanks for all the replies.

 

 

Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where they all head to dinner at the local buffet in Del Boca Vista by 4pm so that they could use the coupon. :eek:

Edited May 6, 2014 by Colo Cruiser

[KandMB]

Ha, haven't seen that episode but we are definitely not going to do that! Anyway, the plot thickens as we are travelling with friends, we requested a table together and after checking their cruise personaliser they are booked in at 6! Telephone call to Princess tomorrow!

[sherryf]

What we did not know, was the 5:15pm traditional dining was in the Anytime dining room, the Bordeaux. If we had know that, we would have booked the 5:30pm.

 

Why should that matter? When they use one of the Anytime rooms for Traditional, it is exclusively Traditional during that time. It's exactly like the Traditional in the Traditional room, just in a different room. You don't get mixed in with all of the inferior people who choose Anytime. :rolleyes:

[Eagle_and_hawk]

Why should that matter? When they use one of the Anytime rooms for Traditional, it is exclusively Traditional during that time. It's exactly like the Traditional in the Traditional room, just in a different room. You don't get mixed in with all of the inferior people who choose Anytime. :rolleyes:

 

No, it was not all traditional in the Bordeaux. You could book traditional at 5:15pm, and only those who booked at 5:15pm were in there. At 5:30pm, the anytime dining started and everyone else started coming in. The Provence Dining room was traditional only for early and late seating. If we had picked 5:30PM, we probably would have been in there, however the cruise personalizer showed traditional at 5:15, 5:30, and 7:45.

 

First cruise I have been on to where they did it this way and the head waiter confirmed this when we ask, why we were in there.

 

David

[karena1]

We always book the Anytime dining. Love the flexibility to eat when we want to. Usually eat around show times or other stuff we want to do. Hopefully Ruby fixed their issues with Anytime from Jan when we were on her. We have never on any line waited as long to get a table as we did on Ruby. Love have the flexible dining, but they were having some huge issues on that ship in Jan. When we first did Anytime on Princess it was really smooth, so hopefully when we go in Dec it will be the same

[BrandiGreg]

We always book the Anytime dining. Love the flexibility to eat when we want to. Usually eat around show times or other stuff we want to do. Hopefully Ruby fixed their issues with Anytime from Jan when we were on her. We have never on any line waited as long to get a table as we did on Ruby. Love have the flexible dining, but they were having some huge issues on that ship in Jan. When we first did Anytime on Princess it was really smooth, so hopefully when we go in Dec it will be the same

If you have to wait for a table, you are not really eating when you want to. That is why we don't like anytime dining. It is more like "start waiting anytime" (no, really the main reason we like traditional is the consistent wait staff and table mates). But whatever works I suppose!:cool:

[Times Prince]

My most recent cruise there were three fixed dining times:

 

5:30 - seating in one of the two "Any Time" dining rooms, both centrally located.

5:45 - seating in the "Fixed time" dining room (it's usually in the aft area of the ship)

8:00 - seating same as 5:45

 

These are rather "standard" times.

We've been confirmed on what was advertised on the Cruise Personalizer to be a 6:00 PM seating only to find, once onboard, that the traditional dining time was changed to 5:30. There was also an earlier time (5:00 PM) for traditional dining in a dining room that changed to Anytime at 7:30 PM.

 

On another recent cruise that 6:00 PM dining time changed to 5:45PM once onboard.

 

We really enjoy ballroom dancing and have found that most of the ballroom directed events are in the early evening. Even with the earlier dining times we often had to leave before dessert to go dancing with the live show band. Anytime dining works better for us as we can often catch some dancing, then eat around 7:30, then catch a show or dancing to a duo or trio in a lounge later in the evening. Then again we often eat at one of the buffets to enable this schedule.

[KandMB]

I think as we like dancing we will change to a later time or Anytime if the dancing is early. Also, on the itinerary the ship leaves port most days at 5 so would like to be on deck for that. Thanks for all the replies everyone , didn't realise that dining would be so complicated on a cruis and everyone has their own favourite time.

[FritzG]

We've been confirmed on what was advertised on the Cruise Personalizer to be a 6:00 PM seating only to find, once onboard, that the traditional dining time was changed to 5:30. There was also an earlier time (5:00 PM) for traditional dining in a dining room that changed to Anytime at 7:30 PM.

 

On another recent cruise that 6:00 PM dining time changed to 5:45PM once onboard.

.

 

We've had that happen, too, especially on ta's for some reason. You wouldn't think 15 minutes earlier wouldn't make a big difference, but it does. Why can't they just leave first seating at 6pm?