Dine My Way & all new Dining questions since cruising restart!!

[foodsvcmgr]

Steelers36 - please explain the process of attempting to replicate TD.

From what I gather one should prebook a consistent late time slot (8 or 8:30?)

via the app then request DR mgmt. to try to keep the same table?

I have avoided Princess since TD was eliminated but see a trans-canal itinerary of interest.

 

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, foodsvcmgr said:

Steelers36 - please explain the process of attempting to replicate TD.

From what I gather one should pre-book a consistent late time slot (8 or 8:30?)

via the app then request DR mgmt. to try to keep the same table?

I have avoided Princess since TD was eliminated but see a trans-canal itinerary of interest.

 

Yes, that is a good general approach.  You should also have great success if dining at or after 8pm in being accommodated to same table.

[PacnGoNow]

10 hours ago, foodsvcmgr said:

Steelers36 - please explain the process of attempting to replicate TD.

From what I gather one should prebook a consistent late time slot (8 or 8:30?)

via the app then request DR mgmt. to try to keep the same table?

I have avoided Princess since TD was eliminated but see a trans-canal itinerary of interest.

 

We’ve been on 12 cruises since the restart and DMW.  We dine early and have not had a problem replicating TD, but we do get a private table either for 2 or with others in our family.

 

Book same time, same DR every night on the App.  If you like the table given first night, stop on the way out and tell the hosts or the Dir of Restaurant OPs/Maitre’d you’d like that table every night.  They will enter it in the system. 
Just check the next night to be sure you have it confirmed, checkin and go to your table every night.

Worked for us, every time.

 

BTW, if you’re a food svc mgr, they may pick up some pointers from you. 😉

 

Edited May 9, 2023 by PacnGoNow

[Yehootu]

Friends were on a sailing just prior to our 28day cruise on the Crown, and set us up. I  met the young lady who assigned tables in the Michelangelo dining room right after getting on the ship. She told us to come in at 6:40. We were seated at a nice round table for 2 at a window for all 28days. The most fantastic waite staff we've ever had. The 6:40 time gave the 5:00 folks time to eat and then reset the table. Dining room was fairly empty during the time we showed. There were a lot of large group tables finishing up but not too many small tables still eating, they were gone.

[Yehootu]

On 5/4/2023 at 3:53 PM, Leelooczj said:

Thank you for your responses. Now that cruising is well and truly afloat again, perhaps we will see a return to old favourites? But speaking of missing dining options, I notice that the Royal Princess cruise to Japan in April 2024 from Sydney does not offer the Symphony Dining Room on Deck 5 as an option at all, just Allegro and Concerto on Deck 6. Have they lost a whole dining room?🤔

I was able to get reservations in the Symphony dining room on the Regal.  I switched to Concerto where there are more choices of tables without the carve out for Club class.

[RBAlbany]

Rather than start a new thread I figured I'd ask my question here first.  We are sailing the Enchanted Princess in the Mediterranean this summer.  My question is when is the best dinner time that works with the shows?  Or when are the shows so we can schedule a set dinner time around them?  Thanks.

Ken

[Steelers36]

13 hours ago, RBAlbany said:

Rather than start a new thread I figured I'd ask my question here first.  We are sailing the Enchanted Princess in the Mediterranean this summer.  My question is when is the best dinner time that works with the shows?  Or when are the shows so we can schedule a set dinner time around them?  Thanks.

Ken

Predicting show times is not an exact thing.  Popular times are often 7:30pm and 9:30pm.  Can be that or anything up to typically 8pm and 10pm.  It can vary during the voyage as well for various reasons.

 

We were on a different ship last Fall in the Med and I think they were mostly 7:30pm and 9:30pm.

 

[suzyed]

On 5/9/2023 at 8:59 AM, Yehootu said:

I was able to get reservations in the Symphony dining room on the Regal.  I switched to Concerto where there are more choices of tables without the carve out for Club class.

How did you do that?  It wasn't offered when I booking our dining.

[Yehootu]

5 hours ago, suzyed said:

How did you do that?  It wasn't offered when I booking our dining.

🤷‍♂️ I did it very early, maybe before it got blocked out

[Steelers36]

Actually, following in from the above two posts, I am curious to know if folks with active future reservations are seeing all three DR's in the DMW system for your ship, or if only two are offered.  I had been getting impression, they were keeping one out on purpose prior to voyage start.

[theloo]

4 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Actually, following in from the above two posts, I am curious to know if folks with active future reservations are seeing all three DR's in the DMW system for your ship, or if only two are offered.  I had been getting impression, they were keeping one out on purpose prior to voyage start.

When I first made dinner reservations a couple of weeks ago, I only saw 2 of the MDRs.  I just checked and now all 3 are available.  Sailing in about 6 weeks.  

This has been asked before, but hoping to get more answers: on the Crown class ships, is any dining room easier/faster?  On the Ruby a few years ago, we always ate in the DaVinci because we were assigned there. 

[Steelers36]

48 minutes ago, theloo said:

When I first made dinner reservations a couple of weeks ago, I only saw 2 of the MDRs.  I just checked and now all 3 are available.  Sailing in about 6 weeks.  

This has been asked before, but hoping to get more answers: on the Crown class ships, is any dining room easier/faster?  On the Ruby a few years ago, we always ate in the DaVinci because we were assigned there. 

I don't expect any one DR is faster service than the other, unless for some reason one was short-staffed compared to others.  Folks in aft section cabins may prefer the aft DR for convenience.  We elect one of the mid-ship DR's if at all possible, also for convenience.  I am happy with a nice table and good wait team.

[metairiegal]

We are sailing on the Caribbean Princess in a couple of weeks.  We made 5:40pm dining reservations every night in the Island Dining Room at a private table for the 2 of us.  Couple of questions:

Is it possible to request a real table for 2 - not a table for 2 squeezed into a line of other tables for 2?

Where is the maitre'd located when we board, so we can check? 

[PacnGoNow]

6 minutes ago, metairiegal said:

We are sailing on the Caribbean Princess in a couple of weeks.  We made 5:40pm dining reservations every night in the Island Dining Room at a private table for the 2 of us.  Couple of questions:

Is it possible to request a real table for 2 - not a table for 2 squeezed into a line of other tables for 2?

Where is the maitre'd located when we board, so we can check? 

The Dir of Restaurant Op (DORO) or Maitre’d may be at the embarkation lunch in the MDR, usually Midship 6.  However, many times he is not there on that day.  So, you can eat lunch there and check. They told us, just come back at dinner and ask the host team or the DORO.

 

So, we ate at the Coral DR for dinner, asked for a private table for 2, away from others.  We had a 2 top towards the back of the DR and it was about 3 ft from other tables. We checked on the way out to see if we could have that table the whole time (41 nights).  They put it in the system.
 

It was a great table and waiters!  

[metairiegal]

Thanks for the quick reply and info!

[Steelers36]

18 hours ago, metairiegal said:

We are sailing on the Caribbean Princess in a couple of weeks.  We made 5:40pm dining reservations every night in the Island Dining Room at a private table for the 2 of us.  Couple of questions:

Is it possible to request a real table for 2 - not a table for 2 squeezed into a line of other tables for 2?

Where is the maitre'd located when we board, so we can check? 

No more MD (now DRO) appointment hours on embarkation afternoon.  That said, if you are on ship early enough for lunch that day, speak to DR Mgr or a Host and see where you are blocked in.  Ask for what you want then or pop in ahead of 5pm and ask them as soon as they open up.  Quite likely, you can be accommodated and have the same table every night - especially with your fairly early start.  The DRO moves around all three DR's, but the individual DR Mgr's and Hosts can assist.  I mention the Hosts as my observation is the Mgr may not be the one working the magic in the App, but he certainly has authority to make it happen.

[metairiegal]

Thanks, Steelers36!  Appreciate the info.  ☺️

[europe14]

My sister and adult niece and I will be going on Caribbean Princess in September. We like to do anytime dining with a table just for the three of us. We like to dine at whatever time we feel like on any given day. Do we absolutely need to make reservation times or can we just show up at any dining room when we are ready to eat?

[memoak]

4 minutes ago, europe14 said:

My sister and adult niece and I will be going on Caribbean Princess in September. We like to do anytime dining with a table just for the three of us. We like to dine at whatever time we feel like on any given day. Do we absolutely need to make reservation times or can we just show up at any dining room when we are ready to eat?

You can always show up when you want without reservations. If it is at a popular time you may have a wait. If you eat later say 7:30 - 8:00 there should not be an issue as early diners will be gone

[europe14]

OK. Thank you so much!

[CanadianCruiser21]

The premier package includes 2 speciality dining meals. I only plan to go once and I would like to invite a passenger from a different cabin (who does not have the package). Can I use my 2nd specialty dining credit for them? 
All I could find in the Princess FAQ was that it could be shared with the 3rd or 4th passenger in the same cabin. 

[Steelers36]

24 minutes ago, CanadianCruiser21 said:

The premier package includes 2 specialty dining meals. I only plan to go once and I would like to invite a passenger from a different cabin (who does not have the package). Can I use my 2nd specialty dining credit for them? 
All I could find in the Princess FAQ was that it could be shared with the 3rd or 4th passenger in the same cabin. 

Don't see why not if you are "paying".  Only possible exception would be that you are using 2 supposedly separate credits at one time.  The FAQ might imply you cannot use it this way.  I do know that if you received SD credits as part of a cruise booking promotion that you can use them up by "paying" for whoever you dine with.  It would be easy for the restaurant to "consume" your SD credits, so will be curious to see if this works for you.

[CanadianCruiser21]

I don’t want to order the Princess Premier package until I can confirm I can use both credits the same night. I’ve also seen a screenshot from someone else where it shows as 2 x $50 dining credits. Since the crown grill is $39pp, I wonder if I can use the remaining amount on extra entrees. 

[Steelers36]

7 minutes ago, CanadianCruiser21 said:

I don’t want to order the Princess Premier package until I can confirm I can use both credits the same night. I’ve also seen a screenshot from someone else where it shows as 2 x $50 dining credits. Since the crown grill is $39pp, I wonder if I can use the remaining amount on extra entrees. 

Perhaps you are seeing the higher amount as it is in CAD which you likely booked your cruise in?  On board costs are always USD, unless an Australia-based voyage.

 

That said, if a guest uses their dining credit to go to Sabatini's, there is no remaining balance to use elsewhere (Sabi's costs less than CG, for example).

[cruise_critical]

Just got an email from Princess with this blurb about the Dine My Way. So it's no trick, but an officially supported method it seems. Oh, it's also on the page: https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/food-and-dining/dine-my-way/