Length of anytime dining

[JB OceanFun]

Is it possible to be seated at the start of anytime dining and finish before the evening entertainment starts? Last year we noticed a very long wait time between courses and had difficulty making shows. We were a party of 6. I would love to hear if this is the new normal or (hopefully) not.

 

Thanks!

[skynight]

Is it possible to be seated at the start of anytime dining and finish before the evening entertainment starts? Last year we noticed a very long wait time between courses and had difficulty making shows. We were a party of 6. I would love to hear if this is the new normal or (hopefully) not.

 

Thanks!

 

Some general information as it is different on each ship, itinerary, passenger demographic and nationality of the passengers.

*Table for 6 every night might be difficult to get in ATD without a reservation. Reservations are accepted by calling the DINE line. If all six are dining together each night traditional may be the way to go.

*Once seated in takes about 2 hours to dine just like traditional dining.

*Assuming you are on one of the Grand Class ships or the Royal or Regal, and not the Coral, Island, Sun, Dawn, or Sea there will be three MDR's. The deck 6 aft DR will be for Traditional early & late seatings. One DR normally the mid-ship deck 5 DR will open at 5pm for ATD. The Deck 6 DR is usually used for early 5:30 fixed seating and opens for ATD at 7:30.

*On U.S. based cruises and longer cruises early dining times are more difficult to get than the later times.

* Production shows as well as other entertainers in the Princess Theater are usually in the 8 to 8:30 time slot and then repeated in the 10 to 10:30 slot. Sometimes a 7pm pre-dinner show replaces the later time. Some ships have a Vista Lounge and there will be shows there also. There could be as many as 4 shows in an evening. You certainly can make at least one of them.

*The 8-8:30 time slot is the most popular show time and you have to arrive at least 30 mins early to find a seat. To get 6 in a row might be difficult. Later shows are not as crowded. There is less seating in the Vista Lounge and those shows fill up quickly.

*In addition to shows there are activities and game shows such as the marriage game, yes/no game, theme nights, theme parties, pub night. Many of these start around 9 to 9:30. Those that dine later can not make these activities.

[Potstech]

Would be better if you specified which evening entertainment you are talking about. There is much going on in the evenings and start tmes vary for many reasons. Also if you talk to your wait staff they can often help you out. By just ordering an entree and maybe a dessert that might cut you time down some.

[chipmaster]

Is it possible to be seated at the start of anytime dining and finish before the evening entertainment starts? Last year we noticed a very long wait time between courses and had difficulty making shows. We were a party of 6. I would love to hear if this is the new normal or (hopefully) not.

 

Thanks!

 

We never had problem be it just wife and I for 2 when kids didn't want to join us, to a larger group of even 10 to get in at anytime at the beginning and finish well before show and starts and good seats.

 

Just be clear to your waiters and they will hurry things along. I've seen waiters that take their time, but if you tell them you want to order quickly etc. etc. generally seen good pace pickup.

 

You can skip a course like appetizers or desert also helps..

[Colo Cruiser]

Is it possible to be seated at the start of anytime dining and finish before the evening entertainment starts? Last year we noticed a very long wait time between courses and had difficulty making shows. We were a party of 6. I would love to hear if this is the new normal or (hopefully) not.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Just tell your server your plans and they will get you in and out.

The key is to let them know.......

We have done quick dinners for this very reason, no problem. ;)

[IECalCruiser]

On most nights, the first entertainment doesn't start until 8:00/8:15. With a party of four we have been able to be done by 7:15/7:30 and make the first show. We let our waitstaff know when we want to leave. If someone at your table wants to order an appetizer, soup, salad, entree and dessert with coffee then it will take at least two hours or more to be served all five courses. When we dine by ourselves we will often only have two courses and sometimes we skip dessert and have a late night treat instead. If ATD starts at 5:30 we have been done in an hour without feeling rushed.

[san diego sue]

If we go into anytime dining at 5:30, out by 7:00PM>

On some ships , the first show is at 7:00PM (for late diners).

We have been on ships where shows in Princess theatre are 3 times.

7:00, 8:30, and 10:00PM. So depending on when you exit dining room, there can be a show for you. If you like fun and games, better eat early, you will miss out.

We have gotten into anytime dining at 5:30Pm and have been out of there before 7:00PM (table for two). Even table for 4 gets you out early if you don't want to linger over coffee and dessert. However, if you are at tables to share

and there are 6 or more, plan on a two hour time in dining room.

[AKman2495]

Yes, it is possible to eat a full dinner in ATD and still make your show-even with sharing a table.

 

Plan on 2 hours for the meal and time to get to the theater to get a good seat and you will find you all enter the dining room around 5:30. For the 8:00-8:30 show.

[eandj]

I agree that the larger group always slows things down. The server isn't going to bring new courses until everyone has finished the previous course. So if you have a slower eater, it slows everyone. Too if choosing all the courses, drinks, substitutions made to plates all will slow.

It's much easier to set the pace if at a table for two. Actually servers love us because we let them know we aren't in a hurry and they can handle the larger groups first if need be.

[Cruisin' Chick]

The one cruise we had anytime on, one of my hubby's complaints was that he felt it was rushed

 

It is possible to be able to get out of the MDR, whether with a traditional or an anytime meal, if you want to get to a show. Just tell your waitstaff your plans and tell any tablemates your plans. Sometimes you'll even get relieved tablemates as they may want to see the same show or have other plans.

 

You can always excuse yourselves, after doing the above at the start of the meal, while others are ordering their desserts. See the show and then go to the Horizon or International Cafe and get dessert there.

[JB OceanFun]

Thank you for the replies! This information helps! I was mainly interested in the wait time between courses. We have always had a great experience on Princess. It was on our last cruise that we had a long wait in between courses (30 min) when everyone at the table was finished. I did let Princess know about the experience. I was hoping it was a fluke and not the new norm. Thanks again!

[eandj]

. It was on our last cruise that we had a long wait in between courses (30 min) when everyone at the table was finished. I did let Princess know about the experience. I was hoping it was a fluke and not the new norm. Thanks again!

 

You can let the head waiter or maître d of your section know you have had too slow of service and it will immediately be corrected the next night. They usually stop by to check how things are going throughout the cruise. I wouldn't wait till the end of the cruise. That indeed is a long delay if you didn't specify you are ok with slow service.

Edited May 11, 2015 by eandj

[msmoger]

Thank you for the replies! This information helps! I was mainly interested in the wait time between courses. We have always had a great experience on Princess. It was on our last cruise that we had a long wait in between courses (30 min) when everyone at the table was finished. I did let Princess know about the experience. I was hoping it was a fluke and not the new norm. Thanks again!

 

From our experience, 30 minutes between courses is definitely a fluke.

[LeeW]

We typically take 45 minutes for our entire dinner but generally order only an appetizer OR salad, main course and dessert. And we've seen other folks eat their entire dinner in 30 minutes. The key is letting your server know what you want to do.

 

Generally the larger the table the slower - we avoid 12-tops since the last time we sat at one it took three hours to eat. Getting in early helps as well, since the waiters don't have to wait as long back in the kitchen to pick up food. If your six person party gets to the dining room a few minutes before they open, they should be able to easily get you out in an hour and a half even without reservations.

Edited May 11, 2015 by LeeW
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[caribill]

Just tell your waitstaff your plans.

 

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Just tell your server your plans and they will get you in and out.

The key is to let them know.......

We have done quick dinners for this very reason' date=' no problem. ;)[/quote']

 

Exactly.

 

On the evenings you need to finish quickly, let your waiter know when first seated what time you want to be finished. If at a table with others, let the waiter know you do not want to be served at the pace of the others.

 

We recently finished in less than an hour on a recent cruise when we let our waitstaff know we were in a hurry. We actually were finished too fast.

[Miss Pat]

We always let them know we're in a hurry & if it runs a little late we just leave & come back to the DR after the show.