Fix Anytime Dining

[Coral]

So, yes, the problem is two-fold...

Princess really needs to enforce its assignments...AND...

Princess needs more capacity in its dining rooms.

 

Too many people (whatever the source) and not enough seats is a recipe for crowds, waits, rushed dinners and unhappy cruisers...

 

I would probably take a traditional assignment except I don't want to eat at 5:30 (too dangled early) or wait until 8:30 (too dangled late). I'll take the risk of waiting a little if other anytime diners showing up at the same time I do, but, other than that, the system, the enforcement and the capacity need to be fair...

 

The Grand Princess was built with Traditional dining (before Anytime dining). So it was with the understanding that everyone ate at one dining room either at 6 or 8:30 (or whatever time).

 

When the Golden Princess debuted, so did Anytime dining with no changes in dining room size. This makes it really hard when people want to make reservations and eat at 7 pm as they won't let someone sit there from 5:30 to 7, because the table is reserved at 7. This can create backups and problems as 7 is a popular dining time. That table doesn't free up until 9 pm which is late for many people.

 

Now, with the Caribbean Class and Crown Class, the dining room size did not change but they added 500 more people. They did scrunch more tables closer together but still....... They planned on people eating at Cafe Caribe more often and did theme nights (first night of seafood night was really popular when they offered it). Though - like the Theatre, they did not make the dining room larger for the additional 500 people.

 

I think they created their own problem and even after it became more apparent, they did nothing to really resolve it (except for stop taking reservations for 7 pm unless you are in a suite or lucky).

 

Bruin Steve - you did the math better for the dining rooms.

Edited September 26, 2016 by Coral

[BritinSoCal]

Nothing wrong with ATD - in fact we love ATD... We go and eat in the HC - anytime, IC - anytime, Alfredos - Anytime.... :D

[cruzsnooze]

 

On these 1-2-3-4 niters I think that Princess should abandon TD and just stick with ATD. This would free up all the dining rooms to seat people starting at 5 pm and line-ups shouldn't occur.

 

.

 

Very logical so I don't think Princess will use that idea even though it might work.

[GUT2407]

I was on that 3-niter and it was a nitemare! First off, there were no excursions as it went from Vancouver to Los Angeles. And we always shared a table with others. After 1.5 hours of dining one evening I had to leave at 9 to make an event, even before the dessert menus came out. We had 2 tablemates (who completely ignored the rest of the table) who were trying every item on the menu and the waiter was insistent that the rest of us who had finished our mains were not allowed to see a dessert menu until they finished which I am sure was at least another half hour. The next night one person was eating their dessert while the rest of us were having our main so there is no set rules.

 

On these 1-2-3-4 niters I think that Princess should abandon TD and just stick with ATD. This would free up all the dining rooms to seat people starting at 5 pm and line-ups shouldn't occur.

 

I don't like ATD and prefer TD but with ships insisting on 530 starts and 830 late seatings it doesn't work when most evening events are 9ish onwards. If anything, it would be great if they maybe staggered the times to 530/630/830 so those getting back from shore excursions have time to "clean up" before dinner and not be so rushed.

 

And what about all those people who prefer Trad.

 

As for 5:30, 6:30 and 8:30

 

How are the staff going to turn around a seating in an hour?

[Potstech]

I confess I'm ignorant and with that I will enjoy my ignorant bliss.

 

You seem like you would be upset by one TD person eating at ADT. They serve thousands, do you honestly think the impact of a handful of diners (which is what I believe is happening - OK a hundred per night) pushes back the schedule 20 minutes for everyone?

 

As you pointed out in my quoted post I was wrong, you should leave your cabin 30 minutes early not 15.

 

Just curious, did you choose ATD on your last cruise or were you forced into it?

 

I choose ATD dining evry cruise I go on. No I am upset when I go to dinner, wait for 30 minutes to get seated and I get as dinners chompanions people who say they are TD people but decided for whatever reason not to go at their selected time. But you wouldn't have experienced any of that do to your own admission of being ignorant to it.

[IECalCruiser]

I really don't believe the problem is with TD diners eating in ATD. It is 2/3rd's to 3/4th's of the American passengers on Caribbean and West Coast cruises who want to eat around 6:00. Princess ships have DR's with staff that can accommodate about half of the passengers at one time and when more people want to eat early some will need to wait. It doesn't make financial sense to have more facilities and staff to accommodate more than half of the passengers at one time. On the Regal in the Mediterranean you could walk right into the ATD at 6:00 to 6:30. Even on Formal night the ATD DR wasn't 60 percent full at that time.

 

 

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[Robinsoncruiseso]

First, let me say we do not request a table for two. Sharing a table is fine with us. On two occasions when we had ATD we showed up at the same time as a Traditional dining time and there was a wait. We had them call to the Traditional dining room to check for available seats and sent us there...no wait. Just ask them to check the other dining room.

[UK Cruiser2]

WHAT??? Princess actually Enforcing their own rules? I'll be a happy dog when that starts to happen.

 

Yeah,like policing the sunbed hoggers. Now that's another can of worms.

[caribill]

One way Princess differs from some other cruise lines (such as CCL and RCCL) is that Princess has a limit of how many people can sign up for traditional dining at each seating and if that limit is reached, others will be "forced" into anytime even if they do not want it.

 

The other cruise lines mentioned have a limit on how many people are assigned to anytime and, if that limit is reached, others will be "forced" into traditional.

 

On one CCL cruise this year there were a number of very unhappy passengers who wanted anytime but were assigned to late traditional.

[caribill]

ignore this

Edited September 26, 2016 by caribill

[Lucky TGO]

First, let me say we do not request a table for two. Sharing a table is fine with us. On two occasions when we had ATD we showed up at the same time as a Traditional dining time and there was a wait. We had them call to the Traditional dining room to check for available seats and sent us there...no wait. Just ask them to check the other dining room.

I did not know you could do this but I am willing to try it. Good to know :)

Thank You,

Tony

[Times Prince]

And what about all those people who prefer Trad.

 

As for 5:30, 6:30 and 8:30

 

How are the staff going to turn around a seating in an hour?

On the ships I have sailed on , the 6:00 or "6:30" (usually rescheduled to 5:45) and the 8:00 or 8:30 Traditional dining are held in a single dining room, usually by the aft elevators.

 

The 5:30 Traditional dining is held using a dining room midships which reverts to Anytime Dining at 7:30, and tables become available to Anytime when Traditional diners are done. Prior to the implementation of the ultra early TD dining seating this dining room was Anytime only.

 

This is one of the reasons I dislike the policy of reservations, taking even more tables away from true Anytime "at your convenience" dining. Already we have 2/3 of the dining rooms Traditional up until 7:30.

 

In both cases it is 2 hours between seatings.

[GRAYTech]

I choose ATD dining evry cruise I go on. No I am upset when I go to dinner, wait for 30 minutes to get seated and I get as dinners chompanions people who say they are TD people but decided for whatever reason not to go at their selected time. But you wouldn't have experienced any of that do to your own admission of being ignorant to it.

 

I say this without any sarcasm - I truly hope you can find a way to not get upset when you go to dinner.

 

Knowing Princess (admittedly not as much as you in spite of being one cruise away from Elite) I doubt they are going to enforce the dinner assignments but of course I could be wrong. That leaves you with the suggestions I and others have made, a different cruise line where it isn't a problem or going through an ATD dinner upset about the wait.

[Potstech]

I will stay with Princess for the time being. Unlike you I know how things work and can take the good with the bad. Just because I get upset, like many others who are incnvienced with this, I can live with it. Also as enough complain to Princess then things could change for the better as has happened in the past. But at least I have an idea from experience of what is being talked about.

[jdeanski]

I tried ATD and won't do it again.

Tony

 

We've tried ATD twice. The first was a 10 day Panama Canal on the Island last January. Only once was there a line so we went to a bar for a couple of cocktails and then walked right in. Three of those nights we ended up being seated with the same couple! In fairness we went to the HC 3 nights. The second was a 7 day Caribbean on the Regal. We were traveling with another couple so we would look over the day's activities to decide when we wanted to eat and called to make reservations. Even with reservations several times we had to wait.

[coconut cruiser]

I never wanted to cruise because the dining times were so inflexible. Then Princess introduced AT and we loved it. We even sailed during the holidays and never had a problem. Until this year. It was a 10 DAY cruise on the Coral so the problems are not just on short cruises. We tried dining at different times and were willing to share a table. When we arrived they automatically told everyone, "Go to the buffet." When we did wait the service was awful and we were surrounded by empty tables even though there were many people waiting at the door. Something has changed in the way they handle AT. We have 3 cruises booked for this year but if the next one is like the last one we are finished with cruising.

[cclvr]

I've been to many elegant, upscale restaurants on shore where one arrives, and is encouraged to use the bar while waiting for a table. Even in Texas.

 

What I object to is making the playing field uneven for Anytime dining by allowing reservations.

 

How is allowing reservations making the playing field uneven when everyone has the option of making a reservation....just like a land based restaurant??

[JimmyVWine]

A couple of observations. First, the idea that the TD rooms can be used for ATD overflow is flawed. It would be great if it could be done, but it can't, at least not in large volume. First, let's look at timing. From what I can tell, the people who complain about having to wait for a table in an ATD MDR are trying to dine between 6:00-7:30. People who arrive at the ATD MDRs at 8:00 are simply not experiencing hour long waits. And yes, I know that this is a big Board and there are always exceptions, and some smart aleck is going to chime in and say "Yes I did". Fine. But it isn't the norm. So if a person shows up at an ATD MDR and is confronted by a 60 minute wait, can the Maitre'D simply call over to the TD MDR and ask if there is a space available? Well, let's play out that string. Let's say that there is an opening for 2 people at a table for 8 because two of the 8 were no-shows. Can the ATD people simple slide into that table? Not really. The other 6 diners are already well into their meal at a pacing that simply doesn't allow for 2 newbies to start their meal. That would be unfair to the kitchen and unfair to the servers.

 

But let's say that all of this were overlooked and the party of two started in on their salads and appetizers as the other 6 were headed for dessert. Then the other 6 would finish and leave, leaving the party of two to themselves. Maybe not the worst result, albeit awkward. But that 8-top will be needed in a short while for the second TD service. The table needs to be flipped for 8 new diners, so the party of two cannot linger. Of course, if the party of two had been seated in the MDR that changes over from TD to ATD after the first seating, things could work out, but you still have the awkwardness noted earlier. But once you eliminate the MDR that does 2 TD services, you are cutting your chances of seating the party of 2 in half.

 

So don't seat the party of 2 at a table with other people. That eliminates the awkwardness of the timing of the meal. And this is true. But that 2-top still needs to be flipped for the second service. So you can'sat seat a party there at 6:30-7:00. There won't be enough time for that party to have their meal and get the table ready for the second service. Again, this problem evaporates if the party of 2 is seated in the TD room that will convert to ATD. But you have decreased your odds of finding a spot for them in the first place.

 

Now, none of this really matters if the ATD passengers are re-directed to the TD room for the second service. (Well, the space issue doesn't matter any more. But the awkward timing of a shared table would still be an issue). Since the TD room isn't going to flip the table for a third service, it wouldn't matter if ATD passengers were seated there at 8:15. But that brings us back to the original point that at 8:15, there isn't really a scarcity of spots in the ATD MDRs. Bottom line, at 6:30, it is very difficult to re-direct ATD passengers over to empty spots in the TD rooms. It can be done, but the solution cannot handle the volume that people seem to think it can. The TD room puzzle has to fit together with a bit more precision than people think. Later in the evening the puzzle can be more easily reconfigured. But by that time, the need for overflow space has dissipated. However, earlier in the evening, the existence of 75 empty seats in the TD does not mean that 75 people can be brought over from the ATD line. Not if the staff expects the late TD service to go off without a hitch.

[JimmyVWine]

First part of this is not true. If the ship has enough seats for all of the passengers, everyone can eat whenever they wish and not wait.

Yes. That is the solution. Every ship should have a total MDR capacity of 3,800-4,200 so that if everyone decides to eat at the same time, there will be space for all. Of course, if normal eating patterns prevail and people naturally stagger out their preferred dining times, the MDRs will be 2/3rds empty. But that's OK. The cruise line shouldn't worry too much about dedicating that much open space to a non-revenue producing black hole.

 

Sometime I wonder if people actually read what they post.

[shredie]

Bottom line, at 6:30, it is very difficult to re-direct ATD passengers over to empty spots in the TD rooms. It can be done, but the solution cannot handle the volume that people seem to think it can. The TD room puzzle has to fit together with a bit more precision than people think. Later in the evening the puzzle can be more easily reconfigured. But by that time, the need for overflow space has dissipated. However, earlier in the evening, the existence of 75 empty seats in the TD does not mean that 75 people can be brought over from the ATD line. Not if the staff expects the late TD service to go off without a hitch.

 

This very thing has happened on two of my voyages. When we have the kids with us, we ask for early TD. (With no kids. it's always the late seating which I prefer.) On one short coastal on the Crown, we had a table for 10 with nine of us (one in a highchair.) We were in the TD dining room not the combo TD/ATD. We were in a section with several large tables. On at least two occasions, groups of people were escorted in with the HW and seated at a couple of those big tables. They were different groups each time. Our server told us they were using those tables for large ATD groups. I assume they did the same for the late seating.

 

On the Grand a couple of weeks ago, we had a smaller group of four and early TD in the TD/ATD combo room. The first day of a 10-day cruise, we got a letter telling us that if we were 15 minutes late to dinner, they would give our table away. That made sense to me. We did notice some new folks at other tables around us on a couple of evenings, and we assumed it was because the table's TD diners didn't show so they gave them away. It seemed to work fine.

[JimmyVWine]

Taking reservations defeats the purpose of ANYTIME dining. We have arrived at 6:15, only to be told there would be an hour wait.

The solution is right there in front of you. Instead of complaining about the ship taking reservations, why not just make one for 7:15 or 7:30? You can either show up at 6:15 and wait an hour while gnashing your teeth, or show up at 7:15 and be seated right away without a care in the world. Either way you get seated at 7:15.

 

I know that my personal experiences can't add up to a statistically significant sample, but every night that we dine in the MDR with ATD we call for a reservation and ask to be seated at the MDR that is used first for TD and later changes over to ATD. We ask for the earliest possible reservation time after the turnover. Most of the time we are offered a 7:30 and take it. If reservations are not allowed, we show up at that MDR 5-10 minutes before the published "changeover time". My hands have never touched a buzzer, beeper, or whatever you want to call them. My single longest wait (without a reservation) has been 7 minutes. Yes, I timed it. My longest wait with a reservation was about the same, and that was only because the Head Waiter told us that he had a table ready, but that if we were willing to wait just a few minutes, we could have the best window table in the restaurant, so we did. Granted, if we were absolutely insistent on arriving at 6:15, I am certain that my story would be different. But once people understand the math and physics of how difficult/impossible it is to be seated immediately at 6:15, they will stop trying.

[JimmyVWine]

On the Grand a couple of weeks ago, we had a smaller group of four and early TD in the TD/ATD combo room. The first day of a 10-day cruise, we got a letter telling us that if we were 15 minutes late to dinner, they would give our table away. That made sense to me. We did notice some new folks at other tables around us on a couple of evenings, and we assumed it was because the table's TD diners didn't show so they gave them away. It seemed to work fine.

It does work fine if the newcomers can be seated toward the beginning of the service. What becomes difficult and cumbersome is if they are seated in the middle of the service without enough time to complete their meal before the turnover. So yes, if the service starts at 5:30, then overflow people can probably be seated by 6:00. But after 6:00, the puzzle gets thrown off kilter. Many people here seem to be most concerned about the 6:15-6:45 dining crunch. That is too late to be seating people in the TD room.

Edited September 26, 2016 by JimmyVWine

[shredie]

 

But once people understand the math and physics of how difficult/impossible it is to be seated immediately at 6:15, they will stop trying.

 

No they won't. ;):D Some ships will not accept reservations, so it's a gamble either way to get a table at that hour.

[JimmyVWine]

No they won't. ;):D

You win that round!

[pablo222]

I really don't believe the problem is with TD diners eating in ATD.

 

I agree with you. But, apparently, there are posters here who stand

outside the anytime dining rooms and inspect the cruise cards of the

passengers entering, so that they can post here about the problem.