Fixed dining time

[Tomcruise92]

Hi all,

 

After watching some vlogs on the new Sun Princess, it seems Princess has reintroduced fixed set dining times in the MDR on one level.

How is this working? Can you chose a table size and time prior to boarding?

This is such an exciting development as we absolutely love having the same waiter for the duration of the cruise. I know you can request this on other ships but after spending the last 2 weeks on Caribbean Princess, this was not possible.

 

[Esprit]

We too plan to dine in the deck 6 MDR this August on Sun Princess. Hopefully there will be a second sitting at 8 pm and we can choose a table of 8.

[Retired-N-Happy]

You technically have two different choices when it comes to fixed time dining on the Sun.  You can choose deck six dining, which I believe is currently 500 or 730 or you could choose deck 7 dining with the same time each evening.  Of course you would have the same table and servers on deck six each night, but probably not guaranteed on deck seven.

Once she relocates to the Caribbean in October, possibly the times could shift to 530 & 800.

 

Edited April 4 by Retired-N-Happy

[Tomcruise92]

This is interesting. I wonder if Princess will look for this to return to other ships? Unlikely but who knows?!

How do you choose the set dining time? On board?

[disgirl]

Oh PLEASE return to all of the ships!  We prefer the traditional fixed dining (I know, probably a unpopular preference lol).  Every cruise I have been on since they changed to mytime I have put this on the comment cards.

[Retired-N-Happy]

10 minutes ago, Tomcruise92 said:

This is interesting. I wonder if Princess will look for this to return to other ships? Unlikely but who knows?!

How do you choose the set dining time? On board?

You choose your dining time on the app before you get on board.  In general once you have paid off your cruise you should be able to do it.  We just paid off our 14 day Enchanted cruise in August and have 540 pm lined up for all 14 nights.

[Tomcruise92]

Yes usually on Dine My Way, but if they are doing set tables on the lower level with  fixed dining on Sun, I wondered if it is operating differently? 

[Tomcruise92]

13 minutes ago, disgirl said:

Oh PLEASE return to all of the ships!  We prefer the traditional fixed dining (I know, probably a unpopular preference lol).  Every cruise I have been on since they changed to mytime I have put this on the comment cards.

I agree! Maybe just one dining room at the aft of all ships could be fixed. 

[Arizona Wildcat]

20 minutes ago, Tomcruise92 said:

I agree! Maybe just one dining room at the aft of all ships could be fixed. 

On two cruises we were are to set up the same time each evening once we were on board.  Same table and servers.  Unable to schedule before boarding. 

[Tomcruise92]

2 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

On two cruises we were are to set up the same time each evening once we were on board.  Same table and servers.  Unable to schedule before boarding. 

Yes same on some cruises. 

However the fundamental difference on Sun is that the dining room on one level does not have Dine My Way. It is totally different and a fixed time dining venue only. 

Edited April 4 by Tomcruise92

[555]

There's nothing wrong with dine my way. You still have the option to select a fixed dining time each evening. I can't understand people who can't accept the change. It's the best of both ways. 

[Cruisen Elf]

1 hour ago, 555 said:

There's nothing wrong with dine my way. You still have the option to select a fixed dining time each evening. I can't understand people who can't accept the change. It's the best of both ways. 

 

Well, in my experience you can select a fixed dining time, but that is not how it actually happens.  We signed up for the same time every evening and had to wait at least 1/2 hour each & every time.  We had different sections and different waiters each night.  We missed all the shows because they didn't honor the "Dine My Way" reservations.  So we definitely did NOT get to "Dine My Way!"

[Tomcruise92]

8 hours ago, 555 said:

There's nothing wrong with dine my way. You still have the option to select a fixed dining time each evening. I can't understand people who can't accept the change. It's the best of both ways. 

It is not a case of not accepting it... I am merely curious how it is working on board the Sun... It is an interesting move returning part of the MDR to a fully fixed area.

 

Dine My Way is generally good too. I did find it more of a struggle on Caribbean Princess than recent Regal and Sky cruises though.

[mevs904]

We were on the Caribbean Princess two weeks ago and had reserved a table for 2 for each night.  We never had to wait and always had the same table and same servers.  This may have been because we chose a later dining time.  We do have to say that we missed traditional dining.  We always enjoyed the people who were seated with us.

[555]

13 hours ago, Cruisen Elf said:

 

Well, in my experience you can select a fixed dining time, but that is not how it actually happens.  We signed up for the same time every evening and had to wait at least 1/2 hour each & every time.  We had different sections and different waiters each night.  We missed all the shows because they didn't honor the "Dine My Way" reservations.  So we definitely did NOT get to "Dine My Way!"

Obviously you must have selected a time which was the most crowded and should have expected delays. If they did have traditional seating you would have been forced to be seated at their designated time and not missed any shows. 

So what's the difference? 

Either get to the DR at a time when you want or sail on a ship with traditional seating. You can't have it both ways. 

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, 555 said:

Obviously you must have selected a time which was the most crowded and should have expected delays. If they did have traditional seating you would have been forced to be seated at their designated time and not missed any shows. 

So what's the difference? 

Either get to the DR at a time when you want or sail on a ship with traditional seating. You can't have it both ways. 

 

You CAN have it both ways. Celebrity has both fixed and anytime dining. They have a designated area for fixed dining. Princess could do the same. Allocate one dining room to fixed dining and the other(s) to anytime dining. On Celebrity, you select your dining option at the time of booking. You can choose early, late, or anytime. The times can "sell out". That way they don't end up with sailings where too many people choose one dining type over the other and cause seating issues.

[555]

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

You CAN have it both ways. Celebrity has both fixed and anytime dining. They have a designated area for fixed dining. Princess could do the same. Allocate one dining room to fixed dining and the other(s) to anytime dining. On Celebrity, you select your dining option at the time of booking. You can choose early, late, or anytime. The times can "sell out". That way they don't end up with sailings where too many people choose one dining type over the other and cause seating issues.

From what I'm reading the Sun now has that option with 2 of their DR's, but on the other ships just having reservations doesn't mean you'll be seated at that time. If you're determined to make a specific show, you just have to leave plenty of time for delays. 

[disgirl]

18 hours ago, 555 said:

There's nothing wrong with dine my way. You still have the option to select a fixed dining time each evening. I can't understand people who can't accept the change. It's the best of both ways. 

 

It isnt about accepting change.  It is about the service - all of my cruises on My Time dining feel chaotic and rushed and the waiters are running around trying to keep up.  Guests are coming and going.  We find traditional dining a bit calmer with everyone in and seated at once, not a group here and a group there.  

 

I havent been able to be accommodated with the same server/same table every night on my past cruises when I asked.  I like to get to know my dining staff and them to get to know me (I like lemon with my water, I don't eat fish - and have been saved a few times when ordering).  I dont want to have to repeat things every night.  And when we book reservations, it only allows us an option for 2, not a shared table (unless we want to eat at 5pm or 830pm)...we enjoy sitting with others.

 

Celebrity, Holland America, Oceania, Royal Caribbean can do it...Princess can go back to it too.  

[Moondogy]

32 minutes ago, 555 said:

From what I'm reading the Sun now has that option with 2 of their DR's, but on the other ships just having reservations doesn't mean you'll be seated at that time. If you're determined to make a specific show, you just have to leave plenty of time for delays. 

From what I read there are 3 dining rooms. Deck 6 is traditional, Deck 7 is DMW and it says Deck 8 is for american style casual dining.

Edited April 5 by Moondogy

[Retired-N-Happy]

6 hours ago, 555 said:

From what I'm reading the Sun now has that option with 2 of their DR's, but on the other ships just having reservations doesn't mean you'll be seated at that time. If you're determined to make a specific show, you just have to leave plenty of time for delays. 

I will infer that the problems come into play when people wish to eat between 700-730.  If you eat early, you can easily make one if not both of the shows.  If you eat late, you could go to the early show first.  The problem is that if you have a 730 reservation that is pushed back, you may not make the late show.

[Redwing55]

We were on the Emerald in Feb and booked at 5 o'clock every day.  After the second day, they just waved us in to the same table.  There was a group of 8 of us, and more than a few dinners, only 4 or 6 of us showed up.  No issues with the staff, even though they were informed earlier that some are not attending dinner.

 

And FWIW, we never saw a huge line trying to get in.  Sometimes the 7 o'clock crowd waited, but their weren't many.

Edited April 7 by Redwing55

[negn]

Prebooked 6 pm for 2 and was never able to get table for 2  without an hour wait.  Why bother with reservations.?  I guess people eating at 5 had not yet finished and only tables were for 6-8   If we wanted to eat at 6 we had to share

[Retired-N-Happy]

5 hours ago, negn said:

Prebooked 6 pm for 2 and was never able to get table for 2  without an hour wait.  Why bother with reservations.?  I guess people eating at 5 had not yet finished and only tables were for 6-8   If we wanted to eat at 6 we had to share

On our four previous cruises we booked at 540 each night for a table of two and we had the same table and waiter each night.  This happened for two weeks on the Discovery as well as two weeks on the Majestic.  Have the same reservations lined up for our 14 day Enchanted cruise in August.  Usually took about 75 minutes for dinner.