petedacrazycruiser Posted January 28, 2016 #26 Share Posted January 28, 2016 It will never change for several reasons. First, as someone else pointed out, last minute change. Second, you have a lot of foreigners onboard as well that are first time cruisers and just don't know. Thirdly, have you ever tried calling the dining room right before dinner?? No one ever picks up the phone! If you have a good TA, they should be advising this, if your booking online or with the line, chances are your not getting much of any good info. Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmoger Posted January 28, 2016 #27 Share Posted January 28, 2016 It will never change for several reasons. First, as someone else pointed out, last minute change. Second, you have a lot of foreigners onboard as well that are first time cruisers and just don't know. Thirdly, have you ever tried calling the dining room right before dinner?? No one ever picks up the phone! If you have a good TA, they should be advising this, if your booking online or with the line, chances are your not getting much of any good info. Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app I'm curious what you mean by this. If I'm not mistaken, if reservations are accepted for the ATD it is done by calling the DINE line earlier in the day. You don't call the MDR directly and certainly not immediately before you intend to go eat. We never make reservations (kind of defeats the flexibility of ATD for us), so if I have this wrong I assume someone will provide clarification. Are you confusing Princess with another cruise line? I didn't notice a Princess cruise in your signature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petedacrazycruiser Posted January 28, 2016 #28 Share Posted January 28, 2016 I haven't updated my signature in almost 3 years.... Since I created the signature, I've cruised on Princess, Carnival, Celebrity, and Oceania. Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr green Posted January 28, 2016 #29 Share Posted January 28, 2016 I wish that Princess would bring back an ACBL Bridge Directer on all cruises with more than 4 Sea Days. john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted January 28, 2016 #30 Share Posted January 28, 2016 I wish that Princess would bring back an ACBL Bridge Directer on all cruises with more than 4 Sea Days. john We would love that too. We had 18 sea days on the Crown to the south pacific. Fortunatel one passenger organized a duplicate game and another scored it over night Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northender Posted January 28, 2016 #31 Share Posted January 28, 2016 There are other venues they can use for those occasions. Very true.:):) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukesubsailor Posted January 28, 2016 #32 Share Posted January 28, 2016 Twice I have fallen on stopped escalators and suffered cuts when hitting the metal. I have never fallen on normal stairs. Escalator steps are higher than normal stairs. I think when they are stopped then no one allowed to use them especially when people are somewhat panicked. The ATD sounds like a problem. We never do TD as the times are too early or too late. So if ATD lines could get sorted that would be nice. What seems to be the worst time? Sorry to hear of your injuries on escalators. My wife suffered a broken toe when some heavy gent stepped back because of too many people trying to cram on an elevator. I have been struck twice by a scooter charging into the elevator when there wasn't room for it. Maybe the best wish would be for more elevators. They keep making ships that carry more and more passengers but keep the same number of elevators and even eliminate passenger stairways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LACruiser88 Posted January 28, 2016 #33 Share Posted January 28, 2016 Bring back the in-house Art Program! Not a fan of Park West. Wishful thinking as this will never happen! Also while I'm making a "wish list," start roundtrip Alaska cruises from Los Angeles. They would have to be in the 14 day range, but there are many So. Calif. cruisers that would fill the ship! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XBGuy Posted January 28, 2016 #34 Share Posted January 28, 2016 Twice I have fallen on stopped escalators and suffered cuts when hitting the metal. I have never fallen on normal stairs. Escalator steps are higher than normal stairs. I think when they are stopped then no one allowed to use them especially when people are somewhat panicked. The ATD sounds like a problem. We never do TD as the times are too early or too late. So if ATD lines could get sorted that would be nice. What seems to be the worst time? There is another issue with escalators that I can see causing issues, especially, with elderly people--like those who go on cruises. More than once I have seen people take one step off an escalatore and, then, stop while they decided which direction they want to go. Of course the escalator does not stop. Within seconds following people are trying to step off the escalator while also trying to dodge an ad hoc caucus trying to remember which side of the ship they want to be on. Now, if any person falls--either from the dodgers or the caucusers--the escalator still does not stop. I agree that the seriousness of this is minimized when there are not too many people on the escalator. However, think of the mob heading to the dining room at 5:30 for early seating, or coming out of the main theater from a show, or heading to/leaving from the muster drill on embarkation day (exacerbated by the facts that most people are not, yet, familiar with the ship's layout and that everybody is taking up more space because they are carrying a life vest). We pick ATD every cruise. It works great for us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XBGuy Posted January 28, 2016 #35 Share Posted January 28, 2016 Bring back the in-house Art Program! Not a fan of Park West. Wishful thinking as this will never happen! Also while I'm making a "wish list," start roundtrip Alaska cruises from Los Angeles. They would have to be in the 14 day range, but there are many So. Calif. cruisers that would fill the ship! Yes. My coffee shop buddy and I are with you on that one LACruiser. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windsor26 Posted January 28, 2016 Author #36 Share Posted January 28, 2016 That is not going to happen because people change there minds at the last minute. THAT is my point Even at the last minute it is polite to visit the Traditional Dining room and advise the Head waiter or your actual table mates Just good manners really Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrswallace2012 Posted January 28, 2016 #37 Share Posted January 28, 2016 Anytime Dining is great but I admit that the lineups can be irritating. We took a transatlantic and there were a lot of early diners. We came up with what was, for us, an unbeatable plan. We would show up at the dining room, give our name, get a buzzer and go have a pre-dinner drink. If you work that into your schedule, you could have dinner around the time you wanted. Worked for us!! :D:D:D We're doing ATD for our cruise in less than 2 weeks and a pre dinner drink is ALWAYS a good idea in my book :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quartzsite Cruiser Posted January 28, 2016 #38 Share Posted January 28, 2016 I agree that something needs to be done about the long lines at ATD. That is why we switched back to TD on Princess. Perhaps, they should do what another cruise line does. When passengers with TD go to ATD once, they are no longer allowed in TD. Their dining reservation is permanently chnaged to ATD. It is the passengers that switch back and forth that cause a lot of the long lines, since the dining room managers have no idea how many people will want ATD on a given night. And has been stated, there are other venues available. On our last Princess cruise, we chose them when we did not want to or returned too late to make our dining time. We have been on ships that had an escalator. It was rarely running, especially on sea days. Just think what could happen to people, especially those who are older or unsteady on their feet anyway, on an escalator in very rough seas. They could be a safety hazard. The escalators were eventually removed from the ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiahFly Posted January 29, 2016 #39 Share Posted January 29, 2016 I wish Princess would replace the stairs on one side with escalators. That way there would be fewer people trying to use the elevators. In the event of a power failure, the escalators would still function as stairs. I totally agree! They need to do something anyway to fix the long elevator wait times. Perhaps the long wait is their way of getting folks to stay in shape by taking the stairs? :D I personally wish that Princess would ask real Jewish people to type up their Hebrew packets for Jewish events! Hebrew is read from right to left, and they put it backwards. The print was also really faint. I used to teach Hebrew school and I could barely read the darn thing!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted January 29, 2016 #40 Share Posted January 29, 2016 I agree that something needs to be done about the long lines at ATD. That is why we switched back to TD on Princess. Perhaps, they should do what another cruise line does. When passengers with TD go to ATD once, they are no longer allowed in TD. Their dining reservation is permanently chnaged to ATD. It is the passengers that switch back and forth that cause a lot of the long lines, since the dining room managers have no idea how many people will want ATD on a given night. And has been stated, there are other venues available. On our last Princess cruise, we chose them when we did not want to or returned too late to make our dining time. We have been on ships that had an escalator. It was rarely running, especially on sea days. Just think what could happen to people, especially those who are older or unsteady on their feet anyway, on an escalator in very rough seas. They could be a safety hazard. The escalators were eventually removed from the ships. We have 150 or 200 nights with AD. We go to dinner about 7:15 to 7:30pm. We ask to share at a table for 8 or fewer. We prefer 6. We have never been given a beeper. occasionally, we have waited 3 or 4 minutes to be seated. Most of the time, we just have to wait while the 4 or 6 people ahead of us are seated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMan Posted January 29, 2016 #41 Share Posted January 29, 2016 (edited) With the popularity of additional Specialty Restaurants, ships at Ports in the evening and dining ashore, and a younger demographic that wants the flexibility to dine when they want and with a variety of people, I predict TD will be dead within 5 years. I know I spend less time in the MD and TD in the last few years. Edited January 29, 2016 by MrMan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windsor26 Posted January 29, 2016 Author #42 Share Posted January 29, 2016 In regards to dining' date=' it could be that some new to cruising don't understand the concept of traditional dining and flexible dining. Remember that some book through an online method and never speak to a TA. And maybe some who book their first cruise with a TA might have one who doesn't address this subject. Add to that, the Patter doesn't explain this on the first day, even though some may not always read it anyway. .[/quote'] This is why my suggestion/wish was for Princess to advise people with their pre-cruise literature about the manners expected for Traditional dining arrangements THEN they would know even if they were first time cruisers:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windsor26 Posted January 30, 2016 Author #43 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Have more early shows for the late Traditional diners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUT2407 Posted January 30, 2016 #44 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Have more early shows for the late Traditional diners We're not big show goers, but they used to have a show for early and one for late diners, has this changed, I must say i hadn't noticed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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