Late seating versus Personal choice dining

[Sea Babe]

Can somebody please explain me the difference between these two types of dining and what are the pros and cons for each...

Thanks a million,

SB

[cjh]

Late seating you will eat at the same table with the same people and the same wait staff every night of your cruise.

 

PC can go to the PC dining rooms anytime they are open and request a table for only your family or opt to sit with other cruisers. Your wait staff will be different every night.

 

Both have the same dress code and serve the same food.

[scaaty]

Late seating usually is at 8:15pm and you have the same table, table mates (depending upon size of table) and waiter for the full week. Anytime dining you get to decide what time you want dinner each night and whether you want to go to one of the personal choice dining rooms or the buffet. With either, you can opt to make reservations for one of the specialty restaurants which have an additional fee.

 

We just had anytime dining for the first time on our recent cruise and loved it! We had reservations at different times each night based upon our plans for the day and never waited for a table. It was just the two of us, so that may have made it easier. I've seen posted on the boards that when you have a larger group, you may want to either opt for traditional dining or make your reservations a day or two in advance.

 

Hope this helps.

[ralphandalisa]

We had the late seating last August on the Caribbean Princess and found it to bit a bit on the "too" late side! We ended up feeling a bit on the "full" side for the rest of the evening and found that getting to any shows was a bit of a rush! We are cruising the same ship again in another week and plan on doing anytime dining so we can plan around our schedule a little (and maybe not gain soo much weight again).

[katisdale]

We had our first experience with anytime dining in May, 2005. There were 6 of us. We never made reservations, never had to wait, had very good waiters (different each night), and are now fans of this when we cruise with a group. If it was just the two of us we would probably choose traditional as we have enjoyed getting to know our tablemates in the past.

[daWoods]

We're fans of personal choice because of the options it presents. You can eat at 5 if you want to, or anytime after that. We have a tendency to eat late, so if we find a table and waiter we like, we'll reserve it for the rest of the cruise. We prefer to eat as a twosome, and find we get better, more personal service that way.

[travelnnana]

We are a twosome and love personal choice because we like to meet many people - this is after sharing a table with tablemates with whom we had nothing in common.

[lucy2222]

We like the idea of Personal Choice, and at this point that's what we are booked for. We have experienced the Freestyle dining on NCL and Late Seating Dining on Carnival. I liked the fact with Carnival that my Head Waiter really got to know me. Like when we showed up for dinner, he would have a coke in hand, cause he knew I always had a coke with dinner. He knew our first names, and he knew what we liked. But on the other hand we liked the fact that on NCL we could go for dinner when we wanted to, but it really lacked in customer "attention".

 

Is there anyone that has experienced the Personal Choice but requested to sit in the same waiter's section every night?

[Stevesan]

Can somebody please explain me the difference between these two types of dining and what are the pros and cons for each...

Thanks a million,

SB

 

Reading the replies, there seems to be some confusion about terminology. Personal Choice is Princess's term for their offering of:

 

A. Traditional dining - you request either early or late, whichever you prefer. You will be assigned the same table for the entire cruise. If you're unhappy with your table assignment, you may approach the Maitre d', preferably on the first night, to request a change. Also, if you have been assigned late dining but requested early, again you can request a change.

 

B. Anytime dining - you may dine whenever you please in the "Anytime" dining room during the posted hours. You may also call ahead and request a reservation. The Anytime dining option is identical to a land based restaurant.

 

Each of the dining options has its own dedicated dining room.

 

Note that if you select Traditional dining, you can readily change to Anytime. This change will be permanent. However, it is nearly impossible to go the other way.

 

Passengers must show their cruise card upon entering the Anytime dining room. Those assigned to Traditional dining will usually be denied entrance.

[meemeec]

 

Is there anyone that has experienced the Personal Choice but requested to sit in the same waiter's section every night?

 

On our last 2 cruises we had PC dining and when we found a waiter and assistant that we liked we reserved a table in their section for the rest of the cruise. One cruise it took 2 nights and the second cruise we found them the first night. We even changed the number of diners once or twice but let the headwaiter know well ahead of time. Even with PC we get to know the Maitre'd and headwaiters and they always take very good care of us. For us, PC works the best and will stick with it.

[calikak]

I hate making decisions when I'm on vacation, so I like having an assigned dining time, so I don't have to decide when I want to have dinner. I also like getting to know the waiters, and never feeling rushed, which are both positive aspects of 2nd seating traditional dining. I think it's great that Princess offers both options!

[JulieU89]

I hate making decisions when I'm on vacation, so I like having an assigned dining time, so I don't have to decide when I want to have dinner. I also like getting to know the waiters, and never feeling rushed, which are both positive aspects of 2nd seating traditional dining.

 

I agree completely. I have to decide where and when we're going to eat at home. I don't want to do it on vacation. 2nd seating is what we do.

[crishsapig]

Passengers must show their cruise card upon entering the Anytime dining room. Those assigned to Traditional dining will usually be denied entrance.

 

I was wondering about that. I was hoping on nights we wanted to do traditional late dining we could and nights we wanted to eat early or even later we could use the anytime dining. The best of both worlds but selfish I guess :-) I am assuming we could still use the buffet anytime when we didn't want to go to the traditional late seating. ~Christine

[cynbar]

Some people have posted that they were able to try anytime dining if they had traditional, but it seems that Princess has cracked down on this. When you think of it, it's only fair , because that practice takes seats away from passengers who signed up for anytime dining and lengthens their wait. However, you're right, you can go to the buffet any night with no loss of your traditional dining space, same thing with the specialty restaurants.

[il professore]

We like the idea of Personal Choice, and at this point that's what we are booked for. We have experienced the Freestyle dining on NCL and Late Seating Dining on Carnival. I liked the fact with Carnival that my Head Waiter really got to know me. Like when we showed up for dinner, he would have a coke in hand, cause he knew I always had a coke with dinner. He knew our first names, and he knew what we liked. But on the other hand we liked the fact that on NCL we could go for dinner when we wanted to, but it really lacked in customer "attention".

 

Is there anyone that has experienced the Personal Choice but requested to sit in the same waiter's section every night?

xxxx

[bdjam]

I would choose Traditional Late Seating. It’s late enough so that if you’re busy in port, you don’t have to rush to get back to the ship for dinner. You have the advantage of the same people at your table (a disadvantage if they’re not to your liking, but I’ve never had that happen to me) and the advantage of the same wait staff that gets to know your likes and dislikes. You don’t have to worry about waiting for a table. And on some ships, table side preparation of desserts and pastas are only accomplished in the Traditional Dining room. Then there’s the Baked Alaska parade which is another story! :rolleyes:

[il professore]

We like the idea of Personal Choice, and at this point that's what we are booked for. We have experienced the Freestyle dining on NCL and Late Seating Dining on Carnival. I liked the fact with Carnival that my Head Waiter really got to know me. Like when we showed up for dinner, he would have a coke in hand, cause he knew I always had a coke with dinner. He knew our first names, and he knew what we liked. But on the other hand we liked the fact that on NCL we could go for dinner when we wanted to, but it really lacked in customer "attention".

 

Is there anyone that has experienced the Personal Choice but requested to sit in the same waiter's section every night?

 

We always do PC dining and have not been disappointed. My wife and I always want a table for two, though often those tables are close enough to another two-top that you can converse with the other couple if you and they want to. Or you can ignore them. Not like at traditional where you're stuck.

 

As at any popular restaurant, you may have to wait for a table at prime times, but that's what cocktails are for. As soon as we get a waitstaff we like, we reserve that specific table for the rest of the cruise. From then on, we can walk into the dining room straight to our table anytime after 8:00 PM. Last week we were eating at times from 8:15 up to about 9:30.

 

Our waitstaff knew my wife had some foods she couldn't eat, and every night Ramona, our waitress, would tell her what to avoid on the menu without asking. Often she had checked things out with the kitchen BEFORE we arrived. She would even suggest what sides would work if my wife could eat the entree but not a side. She'd bring her a "personalized" plate.

 

Daniel, the junior waiter, knew we had wine every night so he had our order filled out before we arrived, name, cabin, everything. He was good with his suggestions to and didn't always recommend the higher priced bottles. All he added to the order was the bin number. No fumbling with the cruise card. He was very witty, and as they got to know us they would joke around, bring pictures of the kids or relatives, etc. Very personalized service. Like the PGA, these people are good! And well worth an extra tip over and above the paltry amount Princess assesses each passenger for food service.