Daily Dining Reservation

[dmcfad2]

13 minutes ago, john watson said:

In my opinion the best way to deal with dining is to look at the deck plan and work out the most conveniently located MDR then book the same very popular time every night. I'm sure I did this by default on the internet pre-sailing. This then becomes your fall back option.  If you wish to change on the day then log in and book a different MDR and/or time for that evening.  What can go wrong is the wifi/internet gores down and you cannot get a reservation via the App, but you have your fall back option. A lot of people get a bit stuck at this point!  Similarly if you can log on in the day is when you choose your time/MDR combination you find this is not available so you end up dining very late.  It is also possible to turn up on spec and be successful. This will vary according to how popular a time you have chosen. They do identify you when you turn up and find your reservation. Typically they also know if you want to share or dine as a private party. You can chop and change sharing daily. It is amazing how much they know about you on board with the electronic detectors all about the ship. The waiters already know your drink preferences on day two!

 

Regards John

Very helpful. Thank you!

[caribill]

3 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

There is some varying decor from reports, but the DR menu is all the same.  You should be able to get the TD experience.  DMW cannot do it, but you can get closest by booking same time for full voyage.  Soon after getting on board, or at start of first night's dinner, seek out DR Mgmt and explain that you want same table and waiters for entire voyage and they ought to be able to help you out.  Princess still promises TD experience, but guests must self-advocate for it and hope DR Mgmt is cooperative.  Sad, but this is the way it is.  Just keep in mind there is no way that DMW can deliver TD on its own.

 

TD also had one additional component that doies not appear to be available even when doing what you suggest.

 

That is having the same dining companions you meet for the first time on the first evening every evening of the cruise.

 

I see no way that DMW will allow that and thus, unless you are alone at a table, you will likely have different strangers with you each evening. Not at all the same experience as TD.

[john watson]

1 hour ago, caribill said:

 

 

 

That is having the same dining companions you meet for the first time on the first evening every evening of the cruise.

 

 

 

It is possible to dine with the same dining companions who you have met on board and befriended.  You can add them as shipmates on your App. A mutual addition is required. This means you know where you/they are at any time.  You can meet up any time of day whilst on board but obviously muster prior to dinner outside the MDR. Therefore you can do this in a TD way but vary times and MDR as well if you all want to. You can also phone them up on the "landline" to the cabin using "Deck number plus cabin digits". You know they are in the cabin as this gets displayed on your App, shipmate locator section! Alternatively lrave a voicemail.  Obviously you need to be careful who you add to your App as shipmates!  You can even enlarge the group by adding more people until you reach maximum table size. The facility mainly helps big groups of travellers making their cruise run more smoothly.

 

Regards John

Edited August 28, 2022 by john watson

[Steelers36]

6 hours ago, caribill said:

 

TD also had one additional component that does not appear to be available even when doing what you suggest.

 

That is having the same dining companions you meet for the first time on the first evening every evening of the cruise.

 

I see no way that DMW will allow that and thus, unless you are alone at a table, you will likely have different strangers with you each evening. Not at all the same experience as TD.

Correct.  It's all random, so unless you get lucky and all at that first night table are looking for the same thing, you will find it's random.  If the group wants to stick together, try asking the DRO or Sr HW if they can block you in.  IDK if that works as it is not something I have ever pursued.  Since DMW, some folks have expressed desire to mix it up, but certainly those who like to see the same group each night. 

[NownZen]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

Correct.  It's all random, so unless you get lucky and all at that first night table are looking for the same thing, you will find it's random.  If the group wants to stick together, try asking the DRO or Sr HW if they can block you in.  IDK if that works as it is not something I have ever pursued.  Since DMW, some folks have expressed desire to mix it up, but certainly those who like to see the same group each night. 

Ask the waiter and he will take care of it. Worked for us.

[Torfamm]

19 hours ago, latebloomer56 said:

That would be great I tried to get the International as it is straight down from our cabin but did it wrong on the web. When I realized it the private tables were gone except on three nights which I grabbed. Do you know anything about the Savoy on the Sapphire? First time on this ship.

I like Savoy best. It’s always my first choice. I especially like the location near Vines where we usually are right before dinner

[caribill]

12 hours ago, john watson said:

 

It is possible to dine with the same dining companions who you have met on board and befriended.  You can add them as shipmates on your App. A mutual addition is required. This means you know where you/they are at any time.  You can meet up any time of day whilst on board but obviously muster prior to dinner outside the MDR. Therefore you can do this in a TD way but vary times and MDR as well if you all want to. You can also phone them up on the "landline" to the cabin using "Deck number plus cabin digits". You know they are in the cabin as this gets displayed on your App, shipmate locator section! Alternatively lrave a voicemail.  Obviously you need to be careful who you add to your App as shipmates!  You can even enlarge the group by adding more people until you reach maximum table size. The facility mainly helps big groups of travellers making their cruise run more smoothly.

 

Regards John

 

So you are saying if I had pre-cruise set up for two people at a table for 6 at the same time each evening in the same dining room that the first evening I can add four people to the reservation and the App will not say that the space is not available? In other words, the DMW logic has not already preassigned four random people to my table for the remaining nights?

 

[latebloomer56]

4 hours ago, Torfamm said:

I like Savoy best. It’s always my first choice. I especially like the location near Vines where we usually are right before dinner

Thank you for the input. I feel better having to book this one.

[john watson]

12 hours ago, caribill said:

 

So you are saying if I had pre-cruise set up for two people at a table for 6 at the same time each evening in the same dining room that the first evening I can add four people to the reservation and the App will not say that the space is not available? In other words, the DMW logic has not already preassigned four random people to my table for the remaining nights?

 

 

I think the way it would work is that provided you have a two-top at 7pm and the four people have a four-top at 7pm they will amalgamate you provided you all present yourselves at the front door together.  They always have "sharing tables"  (8 sometimes 10 top) but cannot always fill them and I suspect their pragmatic approach would be to put you on one of them, possibly the six alone but they might add two random extras.  This deal gives them a very valuable two-top and a four-top which are more useful in the general way of things.  You may need to avoid absolute peak times to increase success but I think you can achieve what you want. You don't generally get a two people at a table of six booking, it's more like two of you want to share on a larger table and they put you where they can fit you in. We found they are very flexible where your requests are feasible and if you are polite when disappointed day one, the next day they feel they need to do more for you.

 

Regards John

Edited August 29, 2022 by john watson

[Steelers36]

13 hours ago, caribill said:

 

So you are saying if I had pre-cruise set up for two people at a table for 6 at the same time each evening in the same dining room that the first evening I can add four people to the reservation and the App will not say that the space is not available? In other words, the DMW logic has not already preassigned four random people to my table for the remaining nights?

 

We cannot select a desired table size in DMW.  DMW is looking to assign a table to fit the dining party size when going PRIVATE.  If going SHARING route, then the table could be any size larger than the dining party.  Again, no choice and no idea until on board.  And it may not be the same Sharing table and group each night.

 

1 hour ago, john watson said:

 

I think the way it would work is that provided you have a two-top at 7pm and the four people have a four-top at 7pm they will amalgamate you provided you all present yourselves at the front door together.  They always have "sharing tables"  (8 sometimes 10 top) but cannot always fill them and I suspect their pragmatic approach would be to put you on one of them, possibly the six alone but they might add two random extras.  This deal gives them a very valuable two-top and a four-top which are more useful in the general way of things.  You may need to avoid absolute peak times to increase success but I think you can achieve what you want. You don't generally get a two people at a table of six booking, it's more like two of you want to share on a larger table and they put you where they can fit you in. We found they are very flexible where your requests are feasible and if you are polite when disappointed day one, the next day they feel they need to do more for you.

 

Regards John

 

Yes, guests have to put their own mixed group together on board and either try and book it themselves by trading booking numbers and adding Travel Companions and then a "captain" does the booking.  Otherwise, need to all ask DR Mgmt to block you all into that same starting table each night.  No guarantee that everyone at that starting table are all after the same thing. 

 

I imagine it is quite challenging to find and assemble a group of strangers who all want to share a table at the same time nightly (most nights other than exceptions when folks want to do SD).