Turning up late to Traditional dining

[Seadog & Sea Hag]

So now that Traditional dining time has been changed from 5.30pm to 5 pm without even telling me. Guess who will be turning up 30 minutes late at the dining table every night.

[GUT2407]

Not so long ago they’d shut the doors about 10 or 15 minutes after meal time.

[OzKiwiJJ]

49 minutes ago, Seadog & Sea Hag said:

So now that Traditional dining time has been changed from 5.30pm to 5 pm without even telling me. Guess who will be turning up 30 minutes late at the dining table every night.

 

You may find you have very rushed meals if you do that, as they have to clear the dining room by a certain time so they are ready for the later sitting.

 

Also I hope you are not at a shared table otherwise your late arrival would be very inconsiderate to your tablemates.

 

 But, seriously, what on earth are Princess thinking?!?

[NSWP]

They often change the 1st sitting - 6pm, back to 5.45pm or even 5.30pm, they did it on Sapphire Princess and Royal Princess in May/June, when we were on it in Europe.  I did not appreciate it, but went along with it.  If they knock it back to 5pm it may as well be arvo tea.  But I agree to come into the MDR 30 minutes late is not polite.   Princess will crack down on this and shut the MDR door 10 or 15 minutes past 5pm.  Fair enough I suppose.  They want the 1st sitting fed and out to make way for 2nd sitting, then feed them so the waiters and cooks can wind down a bit early.  My theory anyway.

Edited October 31, 2018 by NSWP

[The_Big_M]

26 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

 

You may find you have very rushed meals if you do that, as they have to clear the dining room by a certain time so they are ready for the later sitting.

 

Also I hope you are not at a shared table otherwise your late arrival would be very inconsiderate to your tablemates.

 

 But, seriously, what on earth are Princess thinking?!?

 

If it was Celebrity, it may help to have rushed meals, compared to some of their usual service times!

 

But Princess is usually more timely in their service. Would hope it's a variation rather than a new standard.

[cheznandy]

I had been checking  our reservation for the Ruby Princess when I had read about the TD changes, they have just changed it on my booking.

We usually do AT as we like to eat 7 - 7.30pm, so just changed to TD, 7.15pm table for two, thanks Princess, suits us fine!!

OZKiwiJJ, are you still on that one? Have you checked your booking?

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, cheznandy said:

I had been checking  our reservation for the Ruby Princess when I had read about the TD changes, they have just changed it on my booking.

We usually do AT as we like to eat 7 - 7.30pm, so just changed to TD, 7.15pm table for two, thanks Princess, suits us fine!!

OZKiwiJJ, are you still on that one? Have you checked your booking?

 

The one in March 2020? We chose Anytime Dining on that cruise. Just as well as 7:15pm is borderline too early for us. But we may end up cancelling that cruise as we have just booked a Western Europe cruise on Crystal Symphony at the end of May 2020 and two cruises so close together will probably be a bit too much of a strain on our budget (unless we win lotto).

[cheznandy]

32 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

 

The one in March 2020? We chose Anytime Dining on that cruise. Just as well as 7:15pm is borderline too early for us. But we may end up cancelling that cruise as we have just booked a Western Europe cruise on Crystal Symphony at the end of May 2020 and two cruises so close together will probably be a bit too much of a strain on our budget (unless we win lotto).

Yes, thats the one, Crystal Symphony sounds much better!

We may change plans as well, just waiting to see what ships 2020 brings, I feel a few changes coming😉

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

4 minutes ago, cheznandy said:

Yes, thats the one, Crystal Symphony sounds much better!

We may change plans as well, just waiting to see what ships 2020 brings, I feel a few changes coming😉

 

 

Crystal Symphony is fantastic - we just did a Panama Canal cruise on her. If Crystal wasn't so expensive I'd do more cruises on them although they don't have many itineraries in this region and most of those involve at least one flight which adds to the cost.

Edited October 31, 2018 by OzKiwiJJ

[Toryhere]

4 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

 

The one in March 2020? We chose Anytime Dining on that cruise. Just as well as 7:15pm is borderline too early for us. But we may end up cancelling that cruise as we have just booked a Western Europe cruise on Crystal Symphony at the end of May 2020 and two cruises so close together will probably be a bit too much of a strain on our budget (unless we win lotto).

How could you bother with Princess after cruising on Crystal?

[MicCanberra]

I prefer Anytime dining (or the various other names it may be called on different lines) to traditional dining, but sometimes there is no choice (P&O UK) so we went with the late seating. If you are in port for the day, it is too much of a rush to get to a 6pm dinner let alone a 5pm one.

[OzKiwiJJ]

12 hours ago, Toryhere said:

How could you bother with Princess after cruising on Crystal?

 

If I want to cruise more than once every couple of years then I have to choose  cruise lines that are more affordable than Crystal and that have more itineraries starting and/or ending in Australia to minimise additional travel costs. Simple! 

[NSWP]

On ‎10‎/‎31‎/‎2018 at 2:18 PM, cheznandy said:

I had been checking  our reservation for the Ruby Princess when I had read about the TD changes, they have just changed it on my booking.

We usually do AT as we like to eat 7 - 7.30pm, so just changed to TD, 7.15pm table for two, thanks Princess, suits us fine!!

OZKiwiJJ, are you still on that one? Have you checked your booking?

7.15pm is a great time for TD Chez. You were lucky to get that sitting, it is normally waitlisted, the ship must be empty !!  What is this table for 2 nonsense Chez?  Get a table for 6 or 8 and get social !!!  Enjoy.

Edited November 2, 2018 by NSWP

[cheznandy]

2 hours ago, NSWP said:

  What is this table for 2 nonsense Chez?  Get a table for 6 or 8 and get social !!!  Enjoy.

Haha, no thanks Les, I can be social during the day, love my dinner with my hubby😍

That is the good thing about AT dining though is we have the choice to dine alone or join friends, but as they have changed the times thought we would give it a try, who knows what the times will be on board?? Easy enough to change back to AT if it doesnt work out. Our Princess cruise isnt until 2020.

I am over the where do you live? what do you do? what ships have you been on.......oh and the how many cruises have you done.?🙄

I am happy for all those that love to share tables as it leaves more tables for two😁

Edited November 2, 2018 by cheznandy

[MicCanberra]

That is why I like the Anytime, table for two (or more) if we have met someone on the cruise and want to dine together.

[NSWP]

Fair responses Chez and Mic. Everybody is different.  I am at a table for 2 every night at home, unless the Labrador joins us.😍

 

[MicCanberra]

When we are cruising with some friends or family, we  require the larger tables than two. For at least the majority of the nights anyway.

[GUT2407]

We ask for a table of two most nights.

 

but then no one else would want to dine with one of us.

 

leave it to readers to decide that it’s Mrs Gut.

[MicCanberra]

You judge her too harshly kind sir.

[NSWP]

1 hour ago, GUT2407 said:

We ask for a table of two most nights.

 

but then no one else would want to dine with one of us.

 

leave it to readers to decide that it’s Mrs Gut.

I thought you were a sociable person and a conversationalist Mr Gut.

[Pushka]

5pm dining time? You’d spend the whole day worrying about being back in time for dinner. I don’t cruise for food! Especially on the cruise lines not fabled for their food. 

[GUT2407]

On 11/2/2018 at 4:44 PM, NSWP said:

I thought you were a sociable person and a conversationalist Mr Gut.

Not likely.

[NSWP]

38 minutes ago, Pushka said:

5pm dining time? You’d spend the whole day worrying about being back in time for dinner. I don’t cruise for food! Especially on the cruise lines not fabled for their food. 

Agree 5pm is cocktail hour(s) for us. Princess has lost the plot knocking back 1st sitting to 5pm, I know 'Americans like to eat early' (heard that plenty of times on the ships !!) but 5pm is ridiculous.  Got 8pm table of 6 or 8 - traditional dining on Noordam next April, fine for us. 

Edited November 5, 2018 by NSWP

[NSWP]

9 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

Not likely.

Oh dear.

[GUT2407]

41 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Agree 5pm is cocktail hour(s) for us. Princess has lost the plot knocking back 1st sitting to 5pm, I know 'Americans like to eat early' (heard that plenty of times on the ships !!) but 5pm is ridiculous.  Got 8pm table of 6 or 8 - traditional dining on Noordam next April, fine for us. 

Funny we ear moderately early at home, but cruising it’s always late seating if we have Traditional.