Anytime Dining - Booking tables

[Aramis]

Having sailed with anytime dining on other ships I am a bit confused when I read that you can book a table or that Traditional time diners can also use this facility. We are on Emerald in August 2015 and I really would like to know, what to do (booking tables etcetera) which dining rooms and how it works on Princess.

 

Thank you

[dorisis]

Having sailed with anytime dining on other ships I am a bit confused when I read that you can book a table or that Traditional time diners can also use this facility. We are on Emerald in August 2015 and I really would like to know, what to do (booking tables etcetera) which dining rooms and how it works on Princess.

 

Thank you

 

You can call in the morning and book if you have ATD. A lot depends on the ship. On some it works very well.

[blkspy]

You have a cpl of options with ATD.

 

let's say you meet a cpl at the pool and want to have diner together. You can call a reserve a table for 4 at say .7pm.

 

or

 

you can show up and be seated with other cruisers at a large table.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

A lot of ships limit the hours that they'll take reservations. Usually not between sometime after 6 PM & not before 8 PM. It just holds up a table that could have been used for a long time prior to the reserved time.

Can you imagine them reserving a large section of the DR for 6:15 or 8 PM when a long line of people are waiting at the door for 45 minutes?

Reservations should be done away with and first come, first served. ;)

[Libertarian]

Thank you OP for asking.I have been confused on this as well. Do you need to reserve if its just two people? Will you still have to wait for a table?

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

Thank you OP for asking.I have been confused on this as well. Do you need to reserve if its just two people? Will you still have to wait for a table?

 

If you are an early eater (5:30) there's no need to reserve a table for 2. They'll seat you right away as you enter although they do reserve a certain amount of the tables for 2 until around 6:15 or so. If a lot of people want tables for 2 they'll give you a beeper & make you wait till someone vacates which can be a long wait if you show up at 7:30. We've only had a beeper one time & it took 30 minutes to be seated but that was at a peak time so it's understandable.

[Potstech]

You have a cpl of options with ATD.

 

let's say you meet a cpl at the pool and want to have diner together. You can call a reserve a table for 4 at say .7pm.

 

or

 

you can show up and be seated with other cruisers at a large table.

 

Or you can show up and ask for a table for 4. You may have to wait in that instance.

[caribill]

The Maitre d' on each ship sets the policy and you will not know what that policy is until on board.

 

It could be any of the following:

 

o Reservations only outside of popular eating times

 

o Reservations only accepted by calling in that AM

 

o Reservations only allowed for the next evening

 

o Reservations allowed for entire cruise, no need to call daily

 

o Reservations not allowed at all.

 

Most ships will check the cruise cards the first evening or two to make sure traditional diners are not going to Anytime. Enforcement may get lax later in a cruise.

 

There are two anytime dining rooms on the Emerald. One on deck 6 near the atrium and one on deck 5 near the atrium. Often the one on deck 5 is used as for early tradition dining (due to demand for that) and will convert to anytime when that seating is finished.

[Seafoam Green]

Having sailed with anytime dining on other ships I am a bit confused when I read that you can book a table or that Traditional time diners can also use this facility. We are on Emerald in August 2015 and I really would like to know, what to do (booking tables etcetera) which dining rooms and how it works on Princess.

 

Thank you

 

On the Emerald, I would recommend going to the Botticelli dining room that is Traditional seating early and then goes to Anytime. There was never a wait. There were all types of table configurations (2's,4's, etc) and reservations were never needed. DH and I had tables for 2 and shared tables in Botticelli and enjoyed every dinner in that room. The Michelangelo is the dining room that is always Anytime, and from 7-8 there always seemed to be a line and a wait.

 

:D

[skf]

We like to eat early...a hangover from the days I got up at 4:00 AM to go to work. We book early dining at 5:30 which is in the Anytime DR. This way we always get the same table & servers. While we eat dinner the staff continues to seat Anytimers.

Steve

[Colo Cruiser]

On the Emerald, I would recommend going to the Botticelli dining room that is Traditional seating early and then goes to Anytime. There was never a wait. There were all types of table configurations (2's,4's, etc) and reservations were never needed. DH and I had tables for 2 and shared tables in Botticelli and enjoyed every dinner in that room. The Michelangelo is the dining room that is always Anytime, and from 7-8 there always seemed to be a line and a wait.

 

:D

 

We have sailed the Emerald many times and have never seen anytime in Botticelli deck 6 aft. Its always traditional. :confused:

 

Davinci deck 6 and Michelangelo deck 5 were off the Piazza and anytime. One of those took overflow traditional.

[Seafoam Green]

We have sailed the Emerald many times and have never seen anytime in Botticelli deck 6 aft. Its always traditional. :confused:

 

Davinci deck 6 and Michelangelo deck 5 were off the Piazza and anytime. One of those took overflow traditional.

 

 

OOPS! You're correct - I mixed the names up! Substitute DaVinci for Botticelli in my post. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

For some reason people don't tend to go to DaVinci for Anytime after the early seating Traditional is there, but it is so easy to be seated and served in the table configuration of your choice each evening.

 

:D

[Aramis]

Thank you to everyone for answering. Appreciate the details.

 

Thanks

June