Dine-My-Way Will Make You Crazy!!!

[mike&elena]

We've had nothing but problems with DMW on our last 6 cruises.  The latest twist is that the App has switched us from a private table to a shared table for all 13 nights of our upcoming B2B Alaska cruise.  Two months ago, we made a 6:20 p.m. reservation for each night of the cruise, and the App showed us confirmed for a private table.  Now, the App shows a shared table and it won't let us restore the original bookings unless we accept an 8:40 p.m. seating.  We may have no choice but to raise cain with the Director of Restaurant Operations and Food & Beverage Manager (as we've had to do on each of our past voyages), because our dining experience has been hijacked by the flawed DMW system and its clunky technology.  If anyone has a suggestion, please let us know.  We're at wits end!

Mike & Elena 🌴👨👩🌴

[Sea Hag]

3 minutes ago, mike&elena said:

We've had nothing but problems with DMW on our last 6 cruises.  The latest twist is that the App has switched us from a private table to a shared table for all 13 nights of our upcoming B2B Alaska cruise.  Two months ago, we made a 6:20 p.m. reservation for each night of the cruise, and the App showed us confirmed for a private table.  Now, the App shows a shared table and it won't let us restore the original bookings unless we accept an 8:40 p.m. seating.  We may have no choice but to raise cain with the Director of Restaurant Operations and Food & Beverage Manager (as we've had to do on each of our past voyages), because our dining experience has been hijacked by the flawed DMW system and its clunky technology.  If anyone has a suggestion, please let us know.  We're at wits end!

Mike & Elena 🌴👨👩🌴

That's really annoying! I don't have any suggestions other than your plan of raising cain. Cain ought to be raised until they manage to sort this out and stop doing this to people.

[cjpj]

Making reservations in the app is useless. Just go to the dining room ofnyour choice and make reservations or call the DINE number.

[A Lifes Journeys]

I've had three cruises where I tried to book the same time each day with a private table.  I was able to book it, but then when I viewed the reservations they showed as shared tables.  On one cruise, I successfully did a series of individual daily bookings.  On the others, I called the Medallion line prior to sailing and they were able to secure the bookings.  All efforts to do it via the app were futile.

[CruiseCrabs]

Your post prompted me to look and the same thing happened to us. We opted out of club class this time but it sounds like we will miss club class after al! We never had that problem there.

[neverbeenhere]

You know the app is scrap when one of the top choices on the phone line is push# to make dining reservations. 
 

I’m not even getting into the fact that the phone folks tell you never to try a login and password as they are “glitchy”. Only use your booking number. 
 

Rant Over! 

[Rudy888]

I booked shared table 6:40 for the 20 days of our cruise. Twice they changed us to a different time and different MDR. Not a big deal but when I asked I was told did you book with the Maitre d   no we didn't. I guess the only guarantee is the Maitre d.

 

[Rick&Jeannie]

5 minutes ago, neverbeenhere said:

You know the app is scrap when one of the top choices on the phone line is push# to make dining reservations. 
 

I’m not even getting into the fact that the phone folks tell you never to try a login and password as they are “glitchy”. Only use your booking number. 
 

Rant Over! 

I guess it just goes to show that the "weirdness" is different for everybody!  I ALWAYS (and always have) logged in using username & password and have never had issues.

[DallasGuy75219]

5 minutes ago, neverbeenhere said:

I’m not even getting into the fact that the phone folks tell you never to try a login and password as they are “glitchy”. Only use your booking number. 

The employees at OceanFront will tell you the same thing when the app isn't working correctly onboard. 

[DavidsNana]

Had the same thing happen to me on our upcoming Caribbean Princess cruise.  Booked private table for every night and everything was fine for months.  Then one day checked as I always do every couple of days and everything was changed to shared table.  Luckily, I was able to reinstate all our reservations for the same time except one night and had to make it earlier than originally did.

[Ombud]

2 hours ago, cjpj said:

Making reservations in the app is useless. Just go to the dining room ofnyour choice and make reservations or call the DINE number.

Exactly and I have no problem walking out of the dining room if the table is unacceptable.  I've done that. They were shocked but I calmly & quietly stated that I would return 1 hr before closing. I can eat late and never go hungry on a cruise. I cannot eat in a loud area ... either by others at the table or area. In fact I dine alone or with a friend unless it's at the solo luncheon table

 

Once I explain this I get the same table / same staff every night. It helps that I don't mind eating at 6 / 8 / or even 8:30

 

 

Edited March 20, 2023 by Ombud

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, mike&elena said:

We've had nothing but problems with DMW on our last 6 cruises.  The latest twist is that the App has switched us from a private table to a shared table for all 13 nights of our upcoming B2B Alaska cruise.  Two months ago, we made a 6:20 p.m. reservation for each night of the cruise, and the App showed us confirmed for a private table.  Now, the App shows a shared table and it won't let us restore the original bookings unless we accept an 8:40 p.m. seating.  We may have no choice but to raise cain with the Director of Restaurant Operations and Food & Beverage Manager (as we've had to do on each of our past voyages), because our dining experience has been hijacked by the flawed DMW system and its clunky technology.  If anyone has a suggestion, please let us know.  We're at wits end!

Mike & Elena 🌴👨👩🌴

 

2 hours ago, A Lifes Journeys said:

I've had three cruises where I tried to book the same time each day with a private table.  I was able to book it, but then when I viewed the reservations they showed as shared tables.  On one cruise, I successfully did a series of individual daily bookings.  On the others, I called the Medallion line prior to sailing and they were able to secure the bookings.  All efforts to do it via the app were futile.

 

2 hours ago, CruiseCrabs said:

Your post prompted me to look and the same thing happened to us. We opted out of club class this time but it sounds like we will miss club class after al! We never had that problem there.

 

1 hour ago, DavidsNana said:

Had the same thing happen to me on our upcoming Caribbean Princess cruise.  Booked private table for every night and everything was fine for months.  Then one day checked as I always do every couple of days and everything was changed to shared table.  Luckily, I was able to reinstate all our reservations for the same time except one night and had to make it earlier than originally did.

This seems to be a relatively new phenomenon - this "dynamic" switching of a booked res to shared tables.  I do wonder WTH that is all about.  I wonder if might have to do with taking one of the three DR's out of DMW, or eliminating some time slots and then moving people. WHO KNOWS - since Princess never says diddly-squat about what is going on.  But it is a nasty surprise and I think the best thing is to speak with DR Mgr or DR Host on board Day 1 and try and get a table blocked.  Instead of chasing your tail trying to get someone in remote overseas report to book you a reservation.

[DallasGuy75219]

For once I made DMW reservations early enough to get a private table reservation at my preferred time every night on my next cruise.  Now I know to screenshot that reservation in case it mysteriously gets changed. 

[portiemom]

3 hours ago, mike&elena said:

We've had nothing but problems with DMW on our last 6 cruises.  The latest twist is that the App has switched us from a private table to a shared table for all 13 nights of our upcoming B2B Alaska cruise.  Two months ago, we made a 6:20 p.m. reservation for each night of the cruise, and the App showed us confirmed for a private table.  Now, the App shows a shared table and it won't let us restore the original bookings unless we accept an 8:40 p.m. seating.  We may have no choice but to raise cain with the Director of Restaurant Operations and Food & Beverage Manager (as we've had to do on each of our past voyages), because our dining experience has been hijacked by the flawed DMW system and its clunky technology.  If anyone has a suggestion, please let us know.  We're at wits end!

Mike & Elena 🌴👨👩🌴

This has happened to us on 2 cruises now. I made screenshots, but I wound up not needing them. The MDR was very accommodating. I explained on first night and it was no problem at all. They simply took us to a private table. We did not get the same table every night, but usually were in the same section with the same waitstaff. Host remembered us and addressed us by name every night when we arrived, thereafter. My guess is they are seeing this a lot. I hope all goes just as smoothly for you.

[Torfamm]

5 hours ago, mike&elena said:

We've had nothing but problems with DMW on our last 6 cruises.  The latest twist is that the App has switched us from a private table to a shared table for all 13 nights of our upcoming B2B Alaska cruise.  Two months ago, we made a 6:20 p.m. reservation for each night of the cruise, and the App showed us confirmed for a private table.  Now, the App shows a shared table and it won't let us restore the original bookings unless we accept an 8:40 p.m. seating.  We may have no choice but to raise cain with the Director of Restaurant Operations and Food & Beverage Manager (as we've had to do on each of our past voyages), because our dining experience has been hijacked by the flawed DMW system and its clunky technology.  If anyone has a suggestion, please let us know.  We're at wits end!

Mike & Elena 🌴👨👩🌴

No need to “raise Cain” with the Director of Restaurant Operations or the Food & Beverage Manager. If you aren’t able to edit the booking to a private table by then, just ask the hostess or Headwaiter for a private table. There may be a bit of a wait the first night, but they will likely be able to accommodate you without a fuss. So sorry you’ve had such bad luck.

[caribill]

8 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

 

This seems to be a relatively new phenomenon - this "dynamic" switching of a booked res to shared tables.  I do wonder WTH that is all about.

 

When I made reservations 8 months before a cruise, all that was available was private tables.

 

Knowing that a large number of people could not have possibly made dinner reservations yet, I wondered how they could accommodate all of the private table reservations.

 

Now I know, just ignore them.

[negn]

13 hours ago, A Lifes Journeys said:

I've had three cruises where I tried to book the same time each day with a private table.  I was able to book it, but then when I viewed the reservations they showed as shared tables.  On one cruise, I successfully did a series of individual daily bookings.  On the others, I called the Medallion line prior to sailing and they were able to secure the bookings.  All efforts to do it via the app were futile.

Same with us on recent cruise.   I figured it would not be a problem, so showed up at right time and told them we had requested a private table but now showed shared. Maitre d was rude.   He did find us a table but said this could not happen every day!  I was able to change it on app (had not been able prior to cruise) though got different times and alternate DR.  

[CruisingWalter]

14 hours ago, mike&elena said:

 We may have no choice but to raise cain with the Director of Restaurant Operations and Food & Beverage Manager (as we've had to do on each of our past voyages), because our dining experience has been hijacked by the flawed DMW system and its clunky technology.  If anyone has a suggestion, please let us know.  We're at wits end!

Mike & Elena 🌴👨👩🌴

 

Have your Travel Agent call into Princess and have the time changed. 

[Lady Arwen]

I just had to edit ours.  Time was right but it showed shared table.  I quickly changed them back to private.  Such a pain.

[beach_fever_4ever]

When we booked our dining times on our upcoming cruises we picked the private table option when trying to reserve for the same time each day.  When I checked to make sure, it was showing shared. I deleted the reservations and did it again. When I checked the reservations it showed shared again.

I then made individual daily reservations and that worked. What a pain.

[555]

10 minutes ago, beach_fever_4ever said:

When we booked our dining times on our upcoming cruises we picked the private table option when trying to reserve for the same time each day.  When I checked to make sure, it was showing shared. I deleted the reservations and did it again. When I checked the reservations it showed shared again.

I then made individual daily reservations and that worked. What a pain.

We had the same problem and had to enter the dining time for each individual day. Previously it would accept the same time for the whole cruise.

Aggravating to say the least. 

[mike&elena]

Here's an update: 

We called the Princess Dining Reservations phone number.  Afrer 30 minutes, the representative said he could not restore our original reservations for a private table at 6:20 p.m. because there are no tables showing as available until after 8 p.m.  He said he would send a request to Tech Support and they will look into the issue in 4-5 days.   Our past experience says that nothing will happen.  The regular response we receive from Princess personnel (including maitre d's and restaurant managers) is, "the computer controls the reservations process and we have very little ability to make changes".  Feel the love...

[TW6cruiser]

Thank you very much for posting this.  We have a cruise booked for August.  About a month ago I went to the app and made reservations for a table for two each night. After I saw this post I checked my app and every night it was changed to "shared".  I'll keep an eye on it and also check in with the ship on the first day.  I really miss Traditional dining.   

[Cruise Raider]

14 hours ago, portiemom said:

This has happened to us on 2 cruises now. I made screenshots, but I wound up not needing them. The MDR was very accommodating. I explained on first night and it was no problem at all. They simply took us to a private table. We did not get the same table every night, but usually were in the same section with the same waitstaff. Host remembered us and addressed us by name every night when we arrived, thereafter. My guess is they are seeing this a lot. I hope all goes just as smoothly for you.

That’s the exact same experience we’ve had, too.  
 

To the OP:  
We have been on many cruises since the restart and although, have had a few changes mysteriously appear on our reservations in the app, we’ve found it was all sorted out by the maitre d’ once we were onboard and never been put at a shared table unless we requested it.  
I’ve also found that you may have better luck editing your reservations one day at a time.  And once we were happy with our table and waiters, we asked if we could get the same table every night and it was done.  They would just greet us and wave us through when they saw us.  
We absolutely love DMW .. have been very lucky with it working out very well for us.  Just be sure to let them know if you aren’t going to make it one night .. otherwise, it may not work out so well for you!  They always appreciate that.  
And, as for raising Cain, you will probably get a much more amenable response by being polite and respectful.  I know you probably just said that out of frustration … but I can almost be sure it will all work out fine without having to go to those lengths.  
 

[startedwithamouse]

You'll be able to get your own table once onboard. 

 

The app has defaulted to shared tables on ALL popular times. 

 

We are very happy with the freedom Dine my way allows, because 5pm is too early and 8pm is too late.