Anytime dining on the Coral Princess!!!

[Momma Mojito]

Just returned on the 13th from a fantastic 15 day Panama Canal cruise on the Coral Princess. We were not at all happy with how anytime dining was presented to us. We wanted to be able to have a table for two but was told that unless you called at 8am and made reservations each day you would not be able to get a table for two. So this is was we did, after we tried for two nights to just arrive at the dining room and having no luck of getting a table for two. It's not that we don't enjoy meeting new people on our cruises, we feel that there is too much wasted time when you are seated at large tables.

At the end of the night the Maitre D came around and told us that if we wanted a table for two we could have the one we were at but would have to be here every night at 5:15. We said that if this were the only way to have a table for two we would accept his offer. I do not consider this to be anytime dining!!!!

The table we were seated at was right next to another table for two, so in reality it was like we had a table for four, because the waiter took our and their orders together as he also did with the other tables he had...... two more side by side tables of two, plus a large table of 8 who did not arrive each night until at least a half hour after we were all seated, then he would have to stop and take their orders while we sat and waited.

There were some nights that it was very hard to be there at 5:15 so we ate in the Horizon Court Buffet. Then one night we want to have dinner with some friends we had met, so I called early in the morning to let them know we would need our 5:15 reservation but needed one for 7:00. Another rule.....They don't take reservations from 6:00 to 7:45, so I had to make them for 8:00.

Bottom line.......ANYTIME DINING DOES NOT MEAN.......ANYTIME DINING!!!!

[swedish weave]

It is easier to just go get in line when you want to eat. You may have to wait a few minutes, but it worked very well for us.

[waltd]

I agree with the OP. Our last 4 day cruise we did Anytime. Always went early and still had to wait at least 30 minutes to an hour for a table for two. On longer cruises we stick with Traditional and a table for two.

[bigenna]

Same on the Golden and the grand - no reservations between 6 and 7:45. Very long lines on our recent cruises for dinner anywhere around 5:30 - 6:30. We are going to go back to early TD from now on.

 

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[IECalCruiser]

They need to allow at least two hours for dinner. The problem with trying to get a reservation at 7:00 is that they would need to keep the table open from the time the DR opened until then. That is why they don't take reservations until somewhere between 7:30 and 7:45. Tables for two often turn much quicker than that, but not necessarily larger tables.

 

 

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[dorisis]

We, too, have had too many problems with anytime dining lately. It was the worst on Royal. On Sapphire, where they had 4 ATD rooms it was a snap. If one was full we just went to one of the others. NO WAIT. It will be Traditional on our next cruise.

[pablo222]

Same on the Golden and the grand - no reservations between 6 and 7:45. Very long lines on our recent cruises for dinner anywhere around 5:30 - 6:30.

 

That is what the 'anytime' means -- you can wait in line at anytime.

[thinfool]

Thanks for your report. It reinforces our reason for traditional dining.

 

We walk in at our scheduled time to our assigned table, whether a 10 top or a 2 top, depending on what we have requested and are seated immediately.

 

Service starts quickly, we are served progressively and we finish in an hour, more or less.

 

We leave and walk past the line for ATD and see folks who have been waiting for a table for sometimes 30-40 minutes...and then they start the dining process.

[Seafoam Green]

I believe a key factor necessary for successful anytime dining is FLEXIBILITY.

 

DH and I don't always ask for a table for 2. We don't insist on a reservation for the same time every evening. If a host suggests that there is lighter traffic in another dining room, we appreciate the suggestion and try that venue.

 

The Coral is a smaller ship in the line, and the fact that they even offer anytime dining is a bonus. The smallest ships, Pacific and Ocean, can only offer traditional seating.

[Momma Mojito]

We took the 5:15 permanent table for two offer from the Maitre'd only because we thought it might be faster and on some nights it was, but like I said earlier having to be there at 5:15 every night sometimes was a hassle. We wanted to be able to come to the dining room for Anytime Dining and be seated at a table for two without a reservation.. After talking with our cruisers who also wanted a table for two, but settled for a larger table we all agreed that Princess needs to have more tables for two available for seating anytime of the night.

[swedish weave]

I think the cruise lines that offer anytime dining are making a big mistake by accepting reservations for that venue. It defeats the idea of anytime dining.

[CZEE]

I think the cruise lines that offer anytime dining are making a big mistake by accepting reservations for that venue. It defeats the idea of anytime dining.

 

Agreed. They really need to rename it Flexible Dining or something rather than Anytime if they're going to do reservations.

 

I was on the same cruise. It did seem like the wait for tables on the Coral was larger than I'd seen on other ships. Maybe they had more doing Anytime Dining than Traditional. Or maybe it's because everyone wanted to eat at 7 pm. They were accepting reservations from people in suites at 7, which is one of the suite perks.

 

By and large, I think the Anytime Dining venue on the Coral wasn't managed very well.

[AKman2495]

We have had very little problems with anytime dining. However, we are always willing to share a table and have no problem leisurely enjoying a meal.

 

If there is a show we want to get to, we make sure to arrive at a time that will give us ample time to dine and then get to the show.

 

Our attitude is why not enjoy a meal and company-you're on vacation and there really isn;t anything you have to be doing elsewhere...

 

We tend to take longer cruises and the head waiters know us and are very willing to accommodate us because we are cooperative about sharing. That makes their lives easier and they are grateful for it.

 

FWIW

[Momma Mojito]

I think the cruise lines that offer anytime dining are making a big mistake by accepting reservations for that venue. It defeats the idea of anytime dining.

 

Thanks for your opinion. This is the point that I am trying make!!!

[Loonbeam]

On the flip side, by offering reservations at off-peak times for a given cruise, that allows them to draw traffic to those times, reducing the load at peak times.

 

Thanks for your opinion. This is the point that I am trying make!!!

[Jasperdo]

I agree with this. The Coral had the worst Anytime Dining I have experienced. And we've done it on all seven of our Princess cruises. First of all, only half the Bordeaux Dining Room is available for Anytime Dining until approx. 7:30PM due to the early Traditional Diners using it as well. Second, there are very few tables for two. And as the OP stated, most of them are tables for four separated by inches. Third, due to it's location just outside the glass elevators, it can be a crazy madhouse of people. One night the foyer outside the Bordeaux Dining Room was so packed, people couldn't get off the glass elevators.

 

One night we were given a buzzer and had to wait an hour and 15 minutes. That night, people were sitting on the Atrium stairs with buzzers. Another night we got there at 5:15PM, before it's scheduled 5:30PM open. There was already a long line, and the Maitre'd told us we were lucky. We got the last available table for two. And this was before the Dining Room was even scheduled to open.

 

That said, we still loved the Coral Princess. We wound up eating at the Horizon Court Buffet most nights, which was wonderful. This wound up being our favorite cruise. But the Anytime Dining aspect of it was a complete disaster for us.

[Momma Mojito]

I agree with this. The Coral had the worst Anytime Dining I have experienced. And we've done it on all seven of our Princess cruises. First of all, only half the Bordeaux Dining Room is available for Anytime Dining until approx. 7:30PM due to the early Traditional Diners using it as well. Second, there are very few tables for two. And as the OP stated, most of them are tables for four separated by inches. Third, due to it's location just outside the glass elevators, it can be a crazy madhouse of people. One night the foyer outside the Bordeaux Dining Room was so packed, people couldn't get off the glass elevators.

 

One night we were given a buzzer and had to wait an hour and 15 minutes. That night, people were sitting on the Atrium stairs with buzzers. Another night we got there at 5:15PM, before it's scheduled 5:30PM open. There was already a long line, and the Maitre'd told us we were lucky. We got the last available table for two. And this was before the Dining Room was even scheduled to open.

 

That said, we still loved the Coral Princess. We wound up eating at the Horizon Court Buffet most nights, which was wonderful. This wound up being our favorite cruise. But the Anytime Dining aspect of it was a complete disaster for us.

 

I'm so glad that everyone of you feel the same way I do, maybe if Princess reads this they will make some changes!!!

[sunsetbeachgal]

The only time I have classified our Anytime Dining experience as less than satisfactory was on the Coral Princess on an Alaska cruise. Here and there on other cruises we have had waiters that were slow or inattentive, but the entire experience on the Coral was less than satisfactory. I have read that on the ships with only two dining rooms, one of which is traditional, that Anytime doesn't work as well...