Fix Anytime Dining

[Potstech]

How could they possibly know in advance which tables are going to be empty in the TD rooms ??

 

After the first night I am sure they know where the empty seats are at.

[cruzsnooze]

I just don't understand why people get themselves all upset over such trivial things. You are on vacation!! Relax!! Consider yourself lucky to be fortunate to afford a cruise. I guess I'm just one of those who smile and always look on the bright side of things. Make a new friend while waiting on line. Have another drink while waiting. There are other choices. Next time do traditional and you will have no wait. At home if I want to go to a popular restaurant sometimes I have to wait or I make a choice to go somewhere else.

 

Chill out, be happy, relax. It's better for your health. And again count your blessings. Lots of people would love to be able to afford a cruise and change places with you on that line!!

 

Can't be happy when your blood sugar is hyper or hypoglycemic. Princess makes a pitch to you which is false advertising when they tell you that you can eat when it's convenient for you. If traditional was at 6 PM I would love it but they LIE and assign it at 6PM but when you board it's 5 :30. Count what blessings? If someone knows how to manage their money and pay for a cruise they earned it, IT wasn't handed to them as a blessing. I want what was promised to me in a written contract, nothing more and nothing less. That's how to run a business, deliver what you promise.

You're statement is off when you say "At home if I want to go to a popular restaurant sometimes I have to wait or I make a choice to go somewhere else." I can't go elsewhere, I'm in the middle of the ocean ! I paid for a service in advance.

[Cruise Junky]

Can't be happy when your blood sugar is hyper or hypoglycemic. Princess makes a pitch to you which is false advertising when they tell you that you can eat when it's convenient for you. If traditional was at 6 PM I would love it but they LIE and assign it at 6PM but when you board it's 5 :30. Count what blessings? If someone knows how to manage their money and pay for a cruise they earned it, IT wasn't handed to them as a blessing. I want what was promised to me in a written contract, nothing more and nothing less. That's how to run a business, deliver what you promise.

You're statement is off when you say "At home if I want to go to a popular restaurant sometimes I have to wait or I make a choice to go somewhere else." I can't go elsewhere, I'm in the middle of the ocean ! I paid for a service in advance.

 

Completely agree - the fact that I've worked all my life, decided not to have kids, have a mortgage way below my means has nothing to do with luck. They are a service provider that I pay dearly for. If they can't deliver I'll spend my money elsewhere.

[JimmyVWine]

Can't be happy when your blood sugar is hyper or hypoglycemic. Princess makes a pitch to you which is false advertising when they tell you that you can eat when it's convenient for you. If traditional was at 6 PM I would love it but they LIE and assign it at 6PM but when you board it's 5 :30. Count what blessings? If someone knows how to manage their money and pay for a cruise they earned it, IT wasn't handed to them as a blessing. I want what was promised to me in a written contract, nothing more and nothing less. That's how to run a business, deliver what you promise.

You're statement is off when you say "At home if I want to go to a popular restaurant sometimes I have to wait or I make a choice to go somewhere else." I can't go elsewhere, I'm in the middle of the ocean ! I paid for a service in advance.

 

But is Princess failing you or is it your fellow passengers who are collectively storming the ATD podium in uneven numbers at 5:30? There is only one way for Princess to be able to accommodate every ATD diner at their whim and that is for Princess to build an ATD MDR that is so big that it can simultaneously seat each and every ATD diner. Because it is theoretically possible for every ATD diner to want to dine at the same time. Anything less than a gigantic MDR leaves open the possibility that the "promise" or "guarantee" will be broken. Now ask yourself--do you really want Princess to wipe out other public spaces on board to build a huge MDR just so that its "promise" to you will be fulfilled? Or would you prefer ships built the way they are that result in 30 minute waits?

 

Or perhaps you would be satisfied if Princess added an asterisk each and every time it used the term Anytime Dining and the asterisk noted that passengers are welcome to arrive at the dining room any time they choose, but if too many people arrive at the same time, waits are to be expected. Would that be sufficient? Would that cure the sin of broken promises? Most people can figure this out on their own, but I guess others need to be spoonfed.

Edited October 3, 2016 by JimmyVWine

[shredie]

Completely agree - the fact that I've worked all my life, decided not to have kids, have a mortgage way below my means has nothing to do with luck. They are a service provider that I pay dearly for. If they can't deliver I'll spend my money elsewhere.

 

Maybe that's the answer. Those unhappy with Princess and the dining arrangements could go elsewhere.

[Cruise Junky]

Maybe that's the answer. Those unhappy with Princess and the dining arrangements could go elsewhere.

 

Done! There are so many lines that do it better.

[GUT2407]

Can't be happy when your blood sugar is hyper or hypoglycemic. Princess makes a pitch to you which is false advertising when they tell you that you can eat when it's convenient for you. If traditional was at 6 PM I would love it but they LIE and assign it at 6PM but when you board it's 5 :30. Count what blessings? If someone knows how to manage their money and pay for a cruise they earned it, IT wasn't handed to them as a blessing. I want what was promised to me in a written contract, nothing more and nothing less. That's how to run a business, deliver what you promise.

You're statement is off when you say "At home if I want to go to a popular restaurant sometimes I have to wait or I make a choice to go somewhere else." I can't go elsewhere, I'm in the middle of the ocean ! I paid for a service in advance.

 

If your BGL is out of whack nip upto the horizontal court or IC or grill and grab something to tide you over.

 

As for your last sentence, plenty of other places to go.

[Loonbeam]

Sigh - time for a reality check..

 

1> Yes, TD diners do skip their assigned times and show up for AD. I've personally been told by individuals they have done it, and there are more than enough other claims and statements to move it beyond the realm of anecdotal only...

 

2> Ah, but the big question? How many? Guess what, we'll never know, because Princess is the only one who would and they don't check, plus I suspect it varies greatly by itinerary and port/sea day..

 

3> But if they check cards, all the problems would go away! No, no they wouldn't. But that doesn't mean it wouldn't help. If only 100 TD diners were turned away during peak time, that's 100 AD diners who will get in faster, reducing average wait time for AD folks who are playing by the rules. There's a difference between reducing wait time to zero and just reducing wait time..

 

4> They should be able to sit me immediately. They should, when the room opens. However, once that room is full, no more tables will appear until people start to get up. So, once the room is full, there is going to be at least 45 mins before more people can get in, regardless of the TD/AD situation (but again, the TD situation will make this worse because more people are waiting for limited spots). So, if you arrive at that time period, you have to have reasonable expectations.

 

5> RCCL/Celebrity/Brand X does it better. On this one I will agree, but not just because of TD enforcement. RCCL/Celebrity have invested a not inconsiderable sum of IT resources into their dining systems. These not only help with load balancing, but also speed up service times. In addition, many of the RCCL dining venues are multi-tiered or multi-venued and they can change the allocation of space for a given cruise. Also, RCCLs system, especially on newer ships, is oriented towards AD like dining as the standard and TD as the lesser used option.

 

6> Reservations screw up the system! They do, but not as bad as people tend to think, because at least its the same pool of people. When it becomes a problem is when the MD, instead of using a call-ahead seating model, permits mock TD in the AD rooms, which means tables are being used less efficiently because they may have to remain empty for a period (call-ahead seating means you don't get an assigned table, you get the first available one at or after your booked time)

 

7> Staffing! It's no secret Princess has cut back on MDR staffing (as have many lines). When you reduce staffing, you increase service time, which decreases table availability, which increases wait times!

 

So... there's no one way to 'fix' the issues with AD. But there are certainly ways to mitigate them, such as...

 

1> increase staffing in the MDRs.

2> make space more flexible in future designs

3> enforce the rules (and if you wish to accommodate make a simple rule change. TD diners will only be accommodated in the AD rooms when no AD diners are waiting for a table, and any walkup ADs will be given preference)

 

or you could get really creative and..

 

Eliminate TD and AD dining rooms. Instead, spread traditional dining throughout all venues on the ship at assigned tables. With a little software help, this would give the MDs and Headwaiters maximum flexibility (for example, if someone doesn't show up after 15 mins for a TD assignment, AD diners can be seated there, no wasted space. And you could offer more TD times...

 

Nothing will solve all the problems but to discourage any solution because it might help only a little is just wrongheaded..

Edited October 3, 2016 by Loonbeam

[Potstech]

Maybe that's the answer. Those unhappy with Princess and the dining arrangements could go elsewhere.

 

Some people's solution to every problem "Go elsewhere". In other words if you do not like their desires just leave so you do not bother them.

[JimmyVWine]

Some people's solution to every problem "Go elsewhere". In other words if you do not like their desires just leave so you do not bother them.

I think that the sentiment being relayed is, when it comes to Princes, it is what it is. As long as Princess does not build double-decker, massive MDRs, and as long as the cruise line continues to attract an older clientele that favors dining before 6:30, the Anytime Dining situation isn't going to change. There simply are no solutions that will allow 1,000 Anytime diners who want to dine in the one and only Anytime Dining room at 5:30 to be accommodated. 1,000 people cannot simultaneously occupy 400 seats. As Vladimir and Estragon so succinctly put it: "Nothing to be done." So if this situation really does impede one's enjoyment of a cruise, then yes, selecting another cruise line with double-decker dining rooms that seat twice as many people, or one that has no Traditional Dining, but only "freestyle" dining, or one that takes reservations online during the booking process might be a better option. (Although there is a dripping irony that many blame reservations as being a cause of the problem and many of these same people praise other cruise lines that allow passengers to reserve every single meal before they step on the ship. But that is another discussion.)

Edited October 3, 2016 by JimmyVWine

[paul929207]

Done! There are so many lines that do it better.

Just curious, why so many Princess cruises if so many other lines are better?

[Cruise Junky]

Just curious, why so many Princess cruises if so many other lines are better?

 

you'll notice there has not been one since 2011 when we discovered Celebrity S class

[GRAYTech]

.... 1,000 people cannot simultaneously occupy 400 seats....

 

How come, why can't the cruise fix it??? Oh! Because it's simply NOT possible, TD diners crashing or not.

 

 

...or one that has no Traditional Dining, but only "freestyle" dining, or one that takes reservations online during the booking process might be a better option.

 

I wonder if no traditional options wouldn't create even more of a slowdown forcing the kitchen to operate more like a land based restaurant firing each ticket instead of cooking off 300 entree's "wedding style" like they do now for TD dinning.

[JimmyVWine]

I wonder if no traditional options wouldn't create even more of a slowdown forcing the kitchen to operate more like a land based restaurant firing each ticket instead of cooking off 300 entree's "wedding style" like they do now for TD dinning.

There are certain cruises where on certain nights, TD is abandoned and it is "Anytime For Everyone". I can't say as I recall every experiencing this, but perhaps those who have can chime in as to whether it is a panacea or a nightmare.

[cruzsnooze]

But is Princess failing you or is it your fellow passengers who are collectively storming the ATD podium in uneven numbers at 5:30? There is only one way for Princess to be able to accommodate every ATD diner at their whim and that is for Princess to build an ATD MDR that is so big that it can simultaneously seat each and every ATD diner. Because it is theoretically possible for every ATD diner to want to dine at the same time. Anything less than a gigantic MDR leaves open the possibility that the "promise" or "guarantee" will be broken. Now ask yourself--do you really want Princess to wipe out other public spaces on board to build a huge MDR just so that its "promise" to you will be fulfilled? Or would you prefer ships built the way they are that result in 30 minute waits?

 

Or perhaps you would be satisfied if Princess added an asterisk each and every time it used the term Anytime Dining and the asterisk noted that passengers are welcome to arrive at the dining room any time they choose, but if too many people arrive at the same time, waits are to be expected. Would that be sufficient? Would that cure the sin of broken promises? Most people can figure this out on their own, but I guess others need to be spoonfed.

 

They could alleviate some of the wait time by enforcing their own policy of choosing a dining time and if you pick traditional you can't go to anytime.

Up to a half hour wouldn't ruffle as many feathers. I won't go to the buffet, I prefer a sit down table service and that's what I paid for and tipped for in my DSC. Common sense dictates they could get more passengers then seats but that shouldn't be the norm.

[cruzsnooze]

There are certain cruises where on certain nights, TD is abandoned and it is "Anytime For Everyone". I can't say as I recall every experiencing this, but perhaps those who have can chime in as to whether it is a panacea or a nightmare.

 

I sailed on Azamara and the open dining was efficient. There was never a wait on my 12 night cruise to Asia with them. They did not have traditional at all. I've sailed on smaller boutique lines that wouldn't be a fair comparison like Celebrity Xpedition which is only open seating.

[Bug2travel]

I'm one of those traditional early diners that has never used the anytime dining room on Princess. I like the predictability of staff and table. I have used 'freestyle' and anytime on other lines when I couldn't get early dining and did not find the experience much better than what you are describing,with having waits up to 30 minutes. I believe it is correct, though, that the Princess demographic leads to full early dining and they do assign last minute changes for traditional dining to the anytime dining room which increases the waits for early anytime. I also would not have a problem with checking cabins in anytime as half of the traditional dining room can be empty on any given night and that definitely leads to inefficient use of space and staff.

Edited October 3, 2016 by Bug2travel

[JimmyVWine]

They could alleviate some of the wait time by enforcing their own policy of choosing a dining time and if you pick traditional you can't go to anytime.

...to negligible effect. If you read my earlier post, you will see that there is no logical reason why anyone with early Traditional Dining would forego their assigned seat at that time (which is available to them with no wait) in exchange for joining the queue at the one and only ATD room open for early dining. Folks seem to think that people with TD who go to the ATD room have some sort of express pass and get seated immediately. They don't. If there is a 45-60 minute wait at the ATD room, then the cheating TD diners have to get in that line too. Give me one solid reason why anyone with early TD would opt to go wait in a 45-60 minute line instead of taking their own seat with no wait. And assuming that we can find a few people dense enough to do that, how many dunces can that be? 10? 20? 50? So instead of 1,000 people competing for 400 seats, you now have 1,010 (or 1,020) people competing for 400 seats. Sure, mathematically, enforcing the rules would bring the number back down to 1,000 and that would "help". But would it even be noticeable?

Edited October 3, 2016 by JimmyVWine

[Bruin Steve]

...there is no logical reason why anyone with early Traditional Dining would forego their assigned seat at that time...

 

You really don't get it, do you?

They are NOT going to anytime because they want to wait in line...

They are going because they just don't make it to their 5:30 assigned time. They've been out in port and didn't get back...OR they just didn't get dressed and ready in time...OR they were too busy having drinks in one of the bars and let the time slip away...OR they just weren't all that hungry at 5:30 and decided they would rather eat at 7:30...

 

AND, for the people in late traditional: The decide they don't want to wait until 8:30 to sit and maybe 9:00 pm to eat...or they looked at the Patter and decided the activities they wanted to take in fit in better with an earlier seating...

 

There are LOTS of reasons they do this...

AND, it's not just a handful of people...It's HUNDREDS of them. We know...we've met them. Most don't even see anything wrong with it. Princess seems to allow it, so why not?

 

And many here, apparently, don't understand it...refuse to believe there is a problem...TRUST ME, there IS a problem...and it is far worse than on competitor cruise lines who actually enforce their dining assignments.

Edited October 3, 2016 by Bruin Steve

[cruzsnooze]

You really don't get it, do you?

They are NOT going to anytime because they want to wait in line...

They are going because they just don't make it to their 5:30 assigned time. They've been out in port and didn't get back...OR they just didn't get dressed and ready in time...OR they were too busy having drinks in one of the bars and let the time slip away...OR they just weren't all that hungry at 5:30 and decided they would rather eat at 7:30...

 

AND, for the people in late traditional: The decide they don't want to wait until 8:30 to sit and maybe 9:00 pm to eat...or they looked at the Patter and decided the activities they wanted to take in fit in better with an earlier seating...

 

There are LOTS of reasons they do this...

AND, it's not just a handful of people...It's HUNDREDS of them. We know...we've met them. Most don't even see anything wrong with it. Princess seems to allow it, so why not?

 

And many here, apparently, don't understand it...refuse to believe there is a problem...TRUST ME, there IS a problem...and it is far worse than on competitor cruise lines who actually enforce their dining assignments.

 

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner :D

[acp1119]

I totally understand the complaint about traditional going to an anytime dining room. I guess what I didn't get is the complaint that there is a wait. I think there is a wait no matter how many traditionals go. But that being said, I am cruising on Oct 15th on Regal and I have early traditional. If for some reason we can't make it on time, I will go to the buffet or Alfredo's that night. I do agree...if you signed up for traditional you shouldn't go to anytime. I signed up for traditional because we need the structure or we probably would miss dinner. Lol. And the other reason is that I don't want to be waiting to be seated. So I promise to respect the anytime diners. It is just courtesy.

[JimmyVWine]

OR they just weren't all that hungry at 5:30 and decided they would rather eat at 7:30...

And if they missed their early seating time for whatever reason and are showing up at 7:30, then they aren't adding to the problem that people are reporting at 5:30 to 6:30 which is by far when the wait time for ATD is at its peak. I am not doubting that people miss or skip their early TD and opt for a table in the ATD MDRs later on. But every single person who has contributed to this thread has stated, admitted, conceded and reported that once you get to 7:30 and beyond, the wait times decrease, and most report that they do so dramatically. So this offers no explanation as to why lines are longer earlier in the evening.

 

AND, for the people in late traditional: The decide they don't want to wait until 8:30 to sit and maybe 9:00 pm to eat...

And so when they book their cruise and they see that early Traditional is full, they select Anytime Dining. Why would anyone who doesn't want to eat at 8:30 or 9:00 select late Traditional as their dining option? Anytime Dining is not capacity limited, so there is no prohibition against them selecting it. And if they erred and selected late Traditional, a quick word with the Maitre'd on Day One will get them shifted over to Anytime Dining. And if we are going to limit your assertion to only those people who almost always keep their late Traditional time, but for one reason or another decide to dine earlier on one day for whatever reason, that number can't be "hundreds", and whatever the number is, you have to spread those people out among the ATD MDR, the buffet and the other alternative dining venues. Again, your assertion fails the test of logic. Assume the following scenario:

 

"Honey. I don't feel like eating at 8:30 tonight. There is some entertainment that I don't want to miss. Let's eat earlier."

 

"Sounds good. We can head up to the buffet and eat now. Or we can go grab a table at Alfredo's. Or we can head over to one of the Specialty Restaurants. Or we can go get in line and wait an hour for a table at the ATD MDR."

 

You are assuming that the vast majority of people facing this dilemma opt for the latter. It doesn't logically follow. The whole point to wanting to dine earlier is to be done earlier. Getting into a long line doesn't get them where they need to be.

 

AND, it's not just a handful of people...It's HUNDREDS of them.

These numbers are completely unsupported. Hundreds of people skipping their assigned dining equates to hundreds of absentees in the Traditional Dining Room. 300 such people total up to almost 38 empty 8-tops per night in the TD. There is no way that the early TD MDRs have the equivalent of 38 empty tables every night.

[JimmyVWine]

I think there is a wait no matter how many traditionals go.

There is your winner, winner, chicken dinner.

[Alaskanb]

Would love to see some "real" data on the issue and not just anecdotes. Personally I dislike anytime dining and choose a 6 pm traditional time if it's available. If we are late then we eat elsewhere --just not in anytime.

My bugaboo about dining room options is how the time one is confirmed for sometimes becomes something else once onboard and the requested table for two is not available at all in that dining room. Would be easy for Princess to create accurate options on their website for each ship.

[JimmyVWine]

If we are late [for our TD seating] then we eat elsewhere --just not in anytime.

And yet there are those here who think you are an anomaly. I think you are the norm.