Opinions on Anytime dining

[nbsjcruiser]

Hello all,

 

I'm curious to get people's opinions on Anytime Dining on Princess. Reason I ask is because I'm not a big fan of My Time Dining on RCI. My opinion with RCI is that they don't adequately man their dining rooms in the My Time area and it results in confusion, poor service and a hectic and frantic wait staff. I've seen more than one server in a lather of sweat because they can't keep up. I've been saying for a few years now that RCI needs to poop or get off the pot. Either go all in with My Time (like NCL) or go back to traditional only because this half pregnant thing ain't working.

 

So anyway, I'd like to know what you seasoned Princess cruisers think of Anytime Dining. Does Princess do a good job here? Also, with RCI (one of the few things they do well with My Time) you can request a particular time each night which allows you to tailor your dinner times to the port schedule. Typically you can get the same waiter each night when you do this. Is this possible with Princess?

 

Thanks in advance.

[paul929207]

We have probably 150 or 200 nights with AD. We go to dinner usually between 7 & 8pm.We have only waited more than 5 minutes once. That was about a 40minute wait. I should add that we normally say we will share at a table of up to 6 people.

 

Most times we walk up and there are 2 to 4 couples ahead of us and we are going to our seats in 2 or 3 minutes.

[Pam in CA]

Unlike Paul, I've tried Anytime a number of times and whether we went there early or late, there were almost always long lines and waits, often up to an hour, even when sharing. One cruise, we had a reservation for 8pm every night at the same table and still had waits from 15-60 minutes almost every night.

 

IMHO, Princess does not manage Anytime well in comparison to other lines when I've dined in the equivalent to Anytime. Princess allows reservations which can leave a table empty for a while (if the people show up) and they allow Traditional diners to walk up and be seated in Anytime. Long waits are not unusual and have been the case since I first tried Anytime in 2001.

[floridalover5623]

Anytime works for us because we always eat before 6 PM at a table for 2. The crowds usually build up at about that time & unless you don't mind eating at a large table you'll have to wait with a pager. Eating later after 8 will also work if you don't mind.

[Nanaoften]

We do AD and get in line when the doors open... I have noticed that more and more people are choosing AD and that there are longer lines... Maybe the solution is to add more space for AD...

[floridalover5623]

We do AD and get in line when the doors open... I have noticed that more and more people are choosing AD and that there are longer lines... Maybe the solution is to add more space for AD...

 

I don't know where they could put it.

[RetiredNTraveling]

We too like PCL's Anytime Dining. Our first cruise we selected Traditional and after one night we found that we had made a mistake. 6 more night at that table would have been a disaster. The next evening we switched to AD and have stayed there ever since. On our last cruise we were seated on the second night with another couple for the second time and two other couples. It was so much fun with that group, that by arriving at 5:30 the next night we managed to set at the same table with two great waiters. So much fun, that on the fifth night of the cruise that the Captain, Matre d' and the CD came by to see what all the talk was about. This AD with our group even spilled over to another table of 8 so we really had a great time.

 

Miss Betty and Just Mike

Edited March 26, 2016 by RetiredNTraveling

[LeeW]

Works fine for us.

[Treven]

I only do Anytime Dining. I'm in line before the doors open and get a two-top without any trouble. As a diabetic, I'll head up to the buffet about 8 or so for an additional "light" dinner to tide me over till breakfast.

[Musky Ike]

We started with traditional but now do anytime. We eat early and share. We never had much of a wait. It seemed we had more waiting at the table with traditional, as the staff and we waited 10-15 min. for late or no-show tablemates. Plus it is fun to meet new people.

[shredie]

I only do Anytime Dining. I'm in line before the doors open and get a two-top without any trouble. As a diabetic, I'll head up to the buffet about 8 or so for an additional "light" dinner to tide me over till breakfast.

 

That sounds like a good idea. I had anytime only once, when I was sailing solo, and the long lines outside the DR convinced me to go to the buffet instead. (Or once to Sabatini's.) It may be just be that I always pass by an ATD room at the wrong time, but I always see lines. (So that's one reason we do TD.)

[paul929207]

I don't know where they could put it.

Presumably by shrinking TD.

[paul929207]

We do AD and get in line when the doors open... I have noticed that more and more people are choosing AD and that there are longer lines... Maybe the solution is to add more space for AD...

More space for AD

Strictly enforce on TD diners in AD

No reservations. If they accept reservations, only for a time or a table, not both.

[Anubi]

We prefer AD. If there is a lineup, and sometimes there can be, we get a buzzer and go for a pre-dinner drink.

[OCruisers]

Never had a wait longer than 5 minutes in AnyTime!

We go between 7:30 & 8:30, will share a table, and will eat at any waiter's station.

Have noticed some lines for earlier AT diners.

Wish Princess would NOT allow those in TD to eat in AT and also wish no reservations were allowed in AT.

LuLu

[PrincessLuver]

Never had a wait longer than 5 minutes in AnyTime!

We go between 7:30 & 8:30, will share a table, and will eat at any waiter's station.

Have noticed some lines for earlier AT diners.

Wish Princess would NOT allow those in TD to eat in AT and also wish no reservations were allowed in AT.

LuLu

 

Second everything you stated!!

[Linerguy]

While we never waited more than a few minutes for anytime dining (maybe 10), I also believe that Princess should revamp the system. How is it fair that people who've picked traditional dining can, on a whim, head to the anytime dining room? If I'm on anytime dining, I wouldn't show up at the early or late sitting of traditional dining and expected to be seated and served.

 

I'm also not in favor of being able to make reservations. Anytime dining should be just that: I walk up anytime I want and get a table. It's a bunch of malarkey that there are empty tables and people have to wait in line. It should be first come, first served. How hard can this be?

[Kinkacruiser]

It's all in the timing - go early or late if you don't wish to wait. I wish Princess would ask to see cruise cards on entering and quit accepting reservations for Anytime Dining.

 

Definitely some adjustments need to be made to keep all passengers happy.

[newcruzer2]

Strictly enforce on TD diners in AD

YES I for one would be , More than happy to show my card EVERYnight, to insure ONLY AD where in line

[skynight]

ATD most times works well for us, but the crowds and the peak times change depending on the voyage and the ship. For, example we have had two voyages on the Royal a b2b Baltic/Transatlantic and b2b's Caribbean. In both cases we never really had any wait times or difficulty with service. The Royal seems to have more tables and staff in the ATD areas. Contrast that to our experience on the Star to Hawaii. So many passengers wanted to dine early that if you didn't get to the DR by 5:30 it was full. However, after 7:30 when a 2nd DR opens there was plenty of seating.

We were in the Caribbean on the Royal for 34 days this past Feb/Mar. We started in Trad. Dining, but after the first voyages we asked to head waiter to change us to ATD. Many times in Trad. we sat alone and our table mates were no shows. This is probably common in Caribbean Cruises as many tables not just ours in the Allergo DR were totally or partially empty.

[The Wilkies]

Love anytime dining. Usually go down between 7.30 and 8.00. Rarely have to wait long. Always share a table, preferably table for 6, 8 at a push. Meet some very interesting people from all over the world.

 

The most memorable was a couple from Australia who were in Europe looking up their family history. Shared interest we talked that much we were almost thrown out of the dining room we had been there so long!

[Genessa]

I've had mostly good experiences in Anytime Dining. Went with my granddaughter to Alaska and as others stated, got to the dining room shortly after it opened and never had to wait for a table for two.

 

Had anytime dining on Baltic Cruise and we never had to wait no matter what time we showed up.

 

Recently did anytime with a friend in Caribbean. We did have to wait 10-15 minutes a couple of nights. We went at different times and always asked to share a table.

 

I still prefer Traditional though ;)

[dickinson]

We usually go between 6-6:30 pm and have rarely had to wait. We ask to share a table. A couple of times we had to wait maybe 5 minutes. On one particular cruise several times they took us and a few other couples upstairs to the traditional dining room and placed all of us at an empty table.

[Treven]

YES I for one would be , More than happy to show my card EVERYnight, to insure ONLY AD where in line

Me three!

[dickinson]

In Jan-Feb we cruised Carnival for the first time in years. We did their version of Anytime dining. Every night they asked for your cruise card and then typed something into their computer.