The end of Set (Traditional Dining) on Princess?

[Cruise Raider]

Personally, I prefer the way it is currently set up with DMW and everything being similar to Anytime Dining but now, with the ability to go at your desired time and the ability to choose a private or shared table.   When changing the TD times to eat either too early or too late for us, the anytime dining turned into such chaos.  Even when we could make a reservation, we could only choose only the TD dining times.  

I know some are married to cruising as it used to be but I really believe this is a positive change .... at least for us, it is! 

[caribill]

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

Personally, I prefer the way it is currently set up with DMW and everything being similar to Anytime Dining but now, with the ability to go at your desired time and the ability to choose a private or shared table.   When changing the TD times to eat either too early or too late for us, the anytime dining turned into such chaos.  Even when we could make a reservation, we could only choose only the TD dining times.  

I know some are married to cruising as it used to be but I really believe this is a positive change .... at least for us, it is! 

 

For those that prefer anytime, yes, DMW is fantastic, a great improvement from the past..

 

But without removing any of the DMW benefits for those who prefer anytime, there should be a way to still have the traditional experience for those who prefer a fixed time at the same table with the same wait staff with the same dining companions you never knew before the cruise every evening at a time known to be compatible with shows in the Princess Theater.

[Torfamm]

17 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

Personally, I prefer the way it is currently set up with DMW and everything being similar to Anytime Dining but now, with the ability to go at your desired time and the ability to choose a private or shared table.   When changing the TD times to eat either too early or too late for us, the anytime dining turned into such chaos.  Even when we could make a reservation, we could only choose only the TD dining times.  

I know some are married to cruising as it used to be but I really believe this is a positive change .... at least for us, it is! 

We also think DMW will be a change for the better for us. I appreciate being able to reserve for the time I want each day before we even board.  In the past I hated having to call every morning to book a table for Anytime Dining. 

[geoherb]

I'm currently on the Caribbean Princess. Unlike @rdsqrl, I prefer anytime dining when sailing solo. I've had bad experiences with traditional dining when solo. When DH comes along again, we'd prefer to have real traditional dining. But I guess we can make do with anytime dining. The one time we could eat in Club Class, we did not like that they did not have shared tables unless you arranged with others to meet for dinner. We did that a couple of times with a family and had a good time. The problem with that, though, was there was only one table large enough for our group of six in Club Class and we had to wait one night.

 

This is the fourth day of my cruise, so I've had three dinners in the dining room. So far, I've shared a table at dinner twice and eaten by myself once. I came to the dining room late that night instead of my standing 8:00 reservation. No one else arriving at 8:25 was requesting to sit with others. I'm fine with eating alone. 

 

I do wonder how it will work when the ships are back at full capacity. The CB currently has 1,420 passengers. They're not using the aft dining room. When I was on the Majestic in August, we had around 70% capacity. 

Edited December 8, 2021 by geoherb

[Hlitner]

We had a chat with one of the Senior staff and the thinking is that DMV is more efficient for both staff and the passengers.  Fixed dining was also becoming much less popular.  Time will tell if DMW is a good idea.  I do think the new system is awful for folks who do not have a Smartphone or are not willing to work with the Medallion App.  
 

DMW does work well with alternative dining.  When you reserve a table in a place like the Crown Grill it automatically cancels your reservation in the MDR.  With the old Fixed Dining your regular seats would remain empty which was an inefficient use of space and staff.

 

Hank

[MissP22]

I haven't had the time to read about this new DMW setup but on our next cruise we're setup to eat at the same table every night, same time. If we decided to go to the buffet one evening I would think we should let them know we would be missing from our regular table for that one night. 🤔

[john watson]

1 hour ago, MissP22 said:

I haven't had the time to read about this new DMW setup but on our next cruise we're setup to eat at the same table every night, same time. If we decided to go to the buffet one evening I would think we should let them know we would be missing from our regular table for that one night. 🤔

 

Yes, if you set up a specific dining room same time each night, that is fine, they come in 20 minutes intervals from when the restaurant opens.  You may also chose, speed of service proximity to a window etc.  In respect of not attending for one of the nights all you need do is cancel the reservation on the app for that night.

 

Regards John

[Torfamm]

On 12/5/2021 at 2:45 PM, Smokeyham said:

Hello,

 

I've been watching some Gary Bembridge videos and also reading on CruiseCritic about the Dining My Way program.   

 

Am I understanding correctly that, apart from Suite or Club Class guests, there will no longer be set/traditional dining where you can choose the time (early or late seating) and always be at the same assigned table with the same wait staff?  I did look at the Princess website (https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/food-and-dining/dine-my-way/) which does mention that you can have the same waitstaff and that "Previous dining selections (including traditional dining) will be honored."  

I understand that that traditional dining has become less popular over the years as most prefer the flexibility to choose their dining times and venues.   I do wonder how this will impact solo cruisers who may enjoy the opportunity to meet, and get to know, other cruisers through a shared series of dinners.

 

Thanks for any thoughts, especially if you have recently experienced the Dine My Way program.
 

You can still sit at the same table with the same waitstaff each night and it is possible to request a larger table. They just can't arrange to have the same people at your table with you unless it is someone you book with ahead of time. 

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, john watson said:

 

Yes, if you set up a specific dining room same time each night, that is fine, they come in 20 minutes intervals from when the restaurant opens.  You may also chose, speed of service proximity to a window etc.  In respect of not attending for one of the nights all you need do is cancel the reservation on the app for that night.

 

Regards John

Didn't think about that..... we used to just call to let them know. 

[john watson]

38 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

Didn't think about that..... we used to just call to let them know. 

 

The app is a game changer.  In a very busy bar you just order drinks on the app. The roving drinks waiter just turns up with a loaded tray and a smart phone with a company app on it and approaches customers.  When he/she is in close proximity to anyone of the people who has a drinks order on the tray it alerts them.  You can show them your order on your phone and this can be checked on their unit.  They serve the drinks to your location.  They never seem to ask your cabin number as it is known and you have already paid or are on the drinks package. It is more like being at a party.

 

It is all radically different.

 

Regards John

[MissP22]

19 minutes ago, john watson said:

 

The app is a game changer.  In a very busy bar you just order drinks on the app. The roving drinks waiter just turns up with a loaded tray and a smart phone with a company app on it and approaches customers.  When he/she is in close proximity to anyone of the people who has a drinks order on the tray it alerts them.  You can show them your order on your phone and this can be checked on their unit.  They serve the drinks to your location.  They never seem to ask your cabin number as it is known and you have already paid or are on the drinks package. It is more like being at a party.

 

It is all radically different.

 

Regards John

Until our next cruise we've never used the medallion other than opening our door & occasional purchase. It should prove interesting to see if it works as well as they say it does to order drinks & make reservations.

[Cuedon]

54 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

Until our next cruise we've never used the medallion other than opening our door & occasional purchase. It should prove interesting to see if it works as well as they say it does to order drinks & make reservations.

 

If you're the type that wants to see the menu before you book the MDR (normally visible on the system day-of) and don't like a shared table, then be prepared to eat late... haven't seen any slots available before 7:40PM yet.

 

Drinks have been mostly hit, with a few misses; out of maybe 20 orders, three times, they've missed one drink on the order, once they made two of the same drink, instead of similar ones (this one could've potentially been a big deal-- the second drink was supposed to be nonalcoholic), and once they evidently just missed the order since it took about 50 minutes to arrive in a mostly-empty venue on a port day.

[MissP22]

14 minutes ago, Cuedon said:

If you're the type that wants to see the menu before you book the MDR (normally visible on the system day-of) and don't like a shared table, then be prepared to eat late... haven't seen any slots available before 7:40PM yet.

Are you sayin that they don't post the menu outside the DR doors any longer? 🤔

I can't see why that would have changed.

[Marelaine]

On 12/7/2021 at 11:24 AM, Cruise Raider said:

Personally, I prefer the way it is currently set up with DMW and everything being similar to Anytime Dining but now, with the ability to go at your desired time and the ability to choose a private or shared table.   When changing the TD times to eat either too early or too late for us, the anytime dining turned into such chaos.  Even when we could make a reservation, we could only choose only the TD dining times.  

I know some are married to cruising as it used to be but I really believe this is a positive change .... at least for us, it is! 

I agree. We prefer to eat fairly early, around 6:30. Sometimes, we're tired and want just the main course and dessert. If we're at a large table we feel obligated to match courses with our table mates. We don't get to spend a lot of time alone in real life so we love a table for two. We can talk as much or little as we like. We can opt not to show up and not feel like we need to explain our absence to anyone. We can change servers or even dining rooms, without offending anyone.

Those who love TD can still choose a dining time, share a table, have the same servers every night. If they enjoy the company of their table mates, they can arrange to dine with them again, same place, same time.  

I don't see any downside to Dine My Way.

[Cuedon]

26 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

Are you sayin that they don't post the menu outside the DR doors any longer? 🤔

I can't see why that would have changed.

They're still posted outside the MDR, but they usually aren't posted there until day-of... and after pretty much all the private tables are booked out.

[Marelaine]

2 hours ago, john watson said:

 

The app is a game changer.  In a very busy bar you just order drinks on the app. The roving drinks waiter just turns up with a loaded tray and a smart phone with a company app on it and approaches customers.  When he/she is in close proximity to anyone of the people who has a drinks order on the tray it alerts them.  You can show them your order on your phone and this can be checked on their unit.  They serve the drinks to your location.  They never seem to ask your cabin number as it is known and you have already paid or are on the drinks package. It is more like being at a party.

 

It is all radically different.

 

Regards John

Drink service, with the Medallion,  was impressive. If you order a drink, the servers will find you, even if you move to another area. And it's wonderful that you can use the beverage package in your cabin. During the cruise, the Medallion was amazingly efficient. 

[Steelers36]

5 hours ago, john watson said:

 

Yes, if you set up a specific dining room same time each night, that is fine, they come in 20 minutes intervals from when the restaurant opens.  You may also chose, speed of service proximity to a window etc.  In respect of not attending for one of the nights all you need do is cancel the reservation on the app for that night.

 

Regards John

DO we all really think they are checking that MC App option before beginning table service or before seating people?

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Until our next cruise we've never used the medallion other than opening our door & occasional purchase. It should prove interesting to see if it works as well as they say it does to order drinks & make reservations.

The Medallion opens your door, but you need the App to order drinks.  The Medallion id's you to pay for the drinks.

[RSS from SF]

25 minutes ago, Marelaine said:

I don't see any downside to Dine My Way.

 

---

We have experienced downsides for us. 
(We prefer Traditional Dining on almost every cruise if we can get it.)

 

FYI, from our experiences last month on Grand, Majestic, and Ruby dining at 7:00pm:

 

Grand:  We were able to get the true TD experience (same time/waiter/table possible our entire 13-night B2B2B, albeit only 500+ pax on 2 legs, 1300+ on 1 leg).

 

Majestic:  We could get the same time, and maybe the same waiter if we were lucky, but absolutely NOT the same table every night.

 

Ruby:  This was only a 5-night Thanksgiving cruise so we elected to not eat at the MDR  -- the first time on 45+ cruises on 2 lines.  The main reason we did not try the MDR at all was because we did NOT enjoy fighting for the same table every night on Majestic the week before.

 

---

[Steelers36]

52 minutes ago, Marelaine said:

Those who love TD can still choose a dining time, share a table, have the same servers every night. If they enjoy the company of their table mates, they can arrange to dine with them again, same place, same time.  

I don't see any downside to Dine My Way.

Not quite.  It seems to be the case that if you have a shared table of 6 or 8 to start, the next night, it may not be the same tablemates assigned where you are.  So, it may not be that easy to take the same group of 6 or 8 and put them together at the same table, etc, without moving others around to clear that table for rest of the voyage.  This is where DMW falls down.  It is NOT replicating TD experience for those expecting a shared table scenario with the same group each night.

 

And if the strangers sharing this table, shared booking codes and one couple setup the others as Travel Companions and then went into App to book the group as a Dining Party in DMW, I can almost guarantee they won't find an available table at the prime time range they started out with. 

 

It only works if a human being intervenes in the DMW requests and sets up the tables with the same group for the full voyage.  I am quite convinced of this.

 

As for DMW booking TD for a couple who want Private table, yes, I believe that can work given the available inventory, but there were indications at least early on, that DMW was not actually placing people at the same table each night even though that is what was booked.  Therefore, wait staff changes. 

 

Until someone can prove otherwise, TD requires human intervention.  Now, Princess can either ignore that and let TD die on the vine or they can address it.

[Steelers36]

8 minutes ago, RSS from SF said:

We were able to get the true TD experience (same time/waiter/table possible our entire 13-night B2B2B, albeit only 500+ pax on 2 legs, 1300+ on 1 leg).

Did this happen magically with DMW pre-cruise, or did you make the request on board?

 

Your other experience seems more consistent with other reports and my understanding of system limitations.  I do not think the designers/developers understood nor got the full information about what TD is (was?).

[Cruise Raider]

8 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Until someone can prove otherwise, TD requires human intervention.  Now, Princess can either ignore that and let TD die on the vine or they can address it.

 

TD was already kind of dying on the vine long before CoVid and not only on Princess but on other lines as well.  I'm with Marelaine, we see no downside to the DMW...this is exactly how we wished it would have been the entire time.  It probably time to implement this change right after the long pause when they first started seating people separately.  Then they probably had some requests and realized some like to share tables with people they don't know and lightened up on the distancing requirements of those outside your immediate group once pre-cruise testing was required.  I know on that first sailing out on the Majestic, all three dining rooms were open and we were seated with only those in our group unless someone requested otherwise.  By the time we got out on the Grand, it was pretty much the same but with only two dining rooms in play.  On one occasion, we were asked if we were willing to share.  Well, we decided maybe once ... that was enough for us, even though we had decent table mates and servers.  They actually seated people as they came in the door and started them off before waiting for any others to arrive.  So, we had three separate courses being served all at the same table.  We went directly back to our private table for two.  I want to go out and see the shows and performances after dinner, not spend 2.5 hrs at the dinner table.  

Again, I also see no downside for us.  I think the DMW has addressed all the issues we experienced in the past.  I can now go at what time I want for dinner, dine with who I choose to dine with and get out in a decent time frame to see the shows.  I know that some may not like it but on the other hand, they'd probably have never changed it if enough people hadn't complained about it in the past.  If you think Anytime dining was the answer, then you probably haven't tried it in the past.  There were times when we were told they wouldn't have a seat for dinner for us unless we showed up by 5:15 PM or after 7:45 PM.  Much of this came about because the TD times were changed once they were onboard and these same folks went to anytime dining and took up those tables.  Ridiculous!!  

So, some will not be happy but there are probably just as many, if not more, that are overjoyed with the new system.  

My advice for those that are not happy is to meet up with a group on a roll call or onboard and go as a group and then talk to the head waiter about getting the same table and wait team every night.  Bring a little gift for them.  They really do try so hard to make everyone happy.  

[Cruise Raider]

9 hours ago, geoherb said:

I'm currently on the Caribbean Princess. Unlike @rdsqrl, I prefer anytime dining when sailing solo. I've had bad experiences with traditional dining when solo. When DH comes along again, we'd prefer to have real traditional dining. But I guess we can make do with anytime dining. The one time we could eat in Club Class, we did not like that they did not have shared tables unless you arranged with others to meet for dinner. We did that a couple of times with a family and had a good time. The problem with that, though, was there was only one table large enough for our group of six in Club Class and we had to wait one night.

 

This is the fourth day of my cruise, so I've had three dinners in the dining room. So far, I've shared a table at dinner twice and eaten by myself once. I came to the dining room late that night instead of my standing 8:00 reservation. No one else arriving at 8:25 was requesting to sit with others. I'm fine with eating alone. 

 

I do wonder how it will work when the ships are back at full capacity. The CB currently has 1,420 passengers. They're not using the aft dining room. When I was on the Majestic in August, we had around 70% capacity. 

 

The one time we were asked to share a table was actually in Club Class.  

[RSS from SF]

48 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Did this happen magically with DMW pre-cruise, or did you make the request on board?

---

We made the request on board.

 

Shortly before our cruise, somehow our single DMW request on the MedallionClass app for 7:00pm, private table, same dining room disappeared by the time we sailed. 😒

 

On Day 1 in the afternoon we stopped by our desired dining room, and a supervisor-type MDR person with "seating chart powers" manually made us a standing 7:00 PM reservation for the entire B2B2B at the same private window table and same waiter.  The supervisor-type person* also told us we could change tables each leg if we wanted to. The two of us were seated at a 4-top.  Our tables and waiters were excellent.  We switched tables (and waiters) at the start of our 2nd leg only because we wanted to move from a starboard-side to port-side window table.

 

*Sorry I didn't actually learn her title.  She appeared to report directly to the Maître d'.  When the Maître d' received special seating requests he would work with her first before approving the request.

 

Note:  Please remember this was on Grand Princess, which in our experience excels in personalized requests.

---

 

Edited December 8, 2021 by RSS from SF

[RSS from SF]

15 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

My advice for those that are not happy is to meet up with a group on a roll call or onboard and go as a group and then talk to the head waiter about getting the same table and wait team every night.

Agreed!