Jump to content

Personal Choice Dining ?


jsd0330

Recommended Posts

I have a question about Captains night. We are going on CB during spring break in March and have signed up for personal dining. This is our 1st cruise and we're bringing our teenage daughters (crazy right):eek: . I heard that there is a captains night. Is this a formal night? And since we have personal choice dining do they let us in the traditional dining room. If so when do I sign up for this?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Captain's Welcome aboard dinner is generally the first formal night on the cruise. Formal means that gents as asked to wear a suit or tux and the ladies something appropriate to go with the gent's attire. That dress code is in effect in all dining rooms, traditional and personal choice.

 

If you have elected to eat personal choice, you cannot and will not be allowed to dine in the traditional dining room as all those tables have assigned seating. You can however, move from the traditional dining to a personal choice option any evening. And you can elect to go to one of the alternative dining rooms, such as the steak house or Sabatini's (names change or different ships).

 

There will also be a second formal night on a 7-night cruise that will be the farewell dinner. Depending on ports of call, that could be the last night or next-to-last evening. Same dress code is in effect.

 

One other thing, just because your local school system is having spring break, does not mean that all schools will be doing so. The teens will find lots to do without you and they will enjoy themselves. Dinners together should be the time to exchange thoughts about the day, otherwise be prepared to not see you kids that often.

 

Jim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the info,

 

Will the captain speak during the dinner if so will he speak at the personal choice dinner area also. And yes, my kids are looking forward to losing us for a large portion of everyday. They don't know yet but we are surprising them with their own inside room and my wife and I will have a balcony across from them. Should be a great surprise!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the info,

 

Will the captain speak during the dinner if so will he speak at the personal choice dinner area also. And yes, my kids are looking forward to losing us for a large portion of everyday. They don't know yet but we are surprising them with their own inside room and my wife and I will have a balcony across from them. Should be a great surprise!

 

 

Actually, they serve free drinks (limited menu) in the atrium twice during the evening. The Captain will speak sometime during these sessions. It is done twice so that both sets of traditional dining can attend one or the other. So you won't see the Captain during dinner, just before or after.

 

Food is the same in all dining rooms - the advantage of PC dining is that you can show up when you are hungry and eat. If you really like the wait staff you can also request them on future nights. Large tables can be fun, but it can take 3 hours to eat if you are at a table for 12. If you want a table for 4, just ask.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...If you have elected to eat personal choice, you cannot and will not be allowed to dine in the traditional dining room as all those tables have assigned seating. You can however, move from the traditional dining to a personal choice option any evening....
This is incorrect!! If you have opted for traditional fixed seating dining, you should not eat in the anytime dining room. This increases the wait time for those who choose anytime dining in the first place! On many cruises they check cruise cards at the dining room entrance, and turn away traditional diners (hopefully this will be more consistant in the future). If you choose not to eat in the dining room, your options are the buffet, the premium restaurants, or room service.

 

What if everyone from anytime dining decided to just "show up" in the fixed seating dining room??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's already a lot of confusion in this thread. Personal Choice dining means that you have the choice to book fixed-time and seating dining (traditional) or walk-up style dining. There are two or three dining rooms on most Princess ships, one will be for fixed seating and the other(s) will be for Anytime dining. The menus and dress codes are the same regardless of your choice. The only difference is that with Anytime you can go at whatever time you choose and are not seated at the same table.

 

The Captain's Welcome is usually done on the first formal night, in the atrium. It is timed to take place before each of the two fixed-seating dining times.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey thanks for the replies. I'm still a little confused. If you have anytime dining you are not allowed in the traditional dining areas? Your only options are the personal choice dining areas.:confused:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey thanks for the replies. I'm still a little confused. If you have anytime dining you are not allowed in the traditional dining areas? Your only options are the personal choice dining areas.:confused:

 

You seem to be confused as to what the personal choice dining rooms as opposed to the traditional dining rooms are. they are all the same as far as the formality and styling of the dining rooms the same food is served in both, the only difference is in the traditional DR they have to be there at the set time and sit at the set table with the same people.

YOU having chosen Personal choice can show up when you like get what size table you like and eat with whom you like, you and husband alone for instance or all of you together etc. You are also free to eat in any of the other venues, [other than the traditional room] any time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are three main dining rooms. One is for "Traditional Dining" with two fixed-time, assigned-table seatings. Two dining rooms are designated for "Anytime Dining." This is what you have, and it is what we really liked about the Caribbean Princess. We could eat whenever we wanted to, either alone or with others at a larger table. The food and service in all three dining rooms is the same.

 

If you don't want to eat in the dining room, there is also the Horizon Court Buffet. Sometimes if we particularly enjoyed something in the dining room at dinner, we would go to the Horizon Court later in the evening and find it there, too, so we could enjoy more of it! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

JSD. please relax, I think you are thinking that Personal Choice means "casual miss all the formal nights dining" it doesn't .

Your two formal nights are still formal in the two PC dining rooms, the food /menu is exactly the same in the PC dining rooms as the traditional.

 

You just now have the FREEDOM to eat WHEN you want, so if your teenage girl takes an hour in the shower you won't miss dinner!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey thanks for the replies. I'm still a little confused. If you have anytime dining you are not allowed in the traditional dining areas? Your only options are the personal choice dining areas.:confused:

 

JD,

You have it correct. The only time you will be allowed into that dinning

room is for breakfast and lunch if you wish. Off limits at dinner for those

signed up for personal choice.

Vince

Link to comment
Share on other sites

JD,

You have it correct. The only time you will be allowed into that dinning

room is for breakfast and lunch if you wish. Off limits at dinner for those

signed up for personal choice.

Vince

You mean off limits at dinner for those who sign up for the ANYTIME option...just as the anytime dining room is (or should be) off limits at dinner time for those who are assigned to fixed seating traditional dining. There is no difference between the two other than location and time of dining (and also thankfully the lack of a baked alaska parade in the anytime dining room).

 

By the way, breakfast and lunch on the Coral was served in the anytime and not in the fixed-seating dining room.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

jsd0330:

One quick hint to help you and your daughters on the cruise. We did this when we had our eight grandchildren of all ages on a seven day cruise. Take walkie-talkies with you, one for each person. It is easy to get confused where everybody is on the ship and with the communication devices it is easy to locate each other, to check on where people are going, plan for get togethers, etc., etc. This applies to both on the ship and when in port.

 

We had one rule for the grandkids. They ranged from 5 to 16. Of course the two little twins were generally with mom and dad or in the play area for their age group. But the others had to check in with their mom or dad at least once during the evening. The devices made it easy. It made the trip much more relaxing. Even the kids were happy to have some form of contact with their parents although you would have thought the teenagers would be mortified to have to check in. They were happy to do so because it gave them a sense of security in a strange environment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's already a lot of confusion in this thread. Personal Choice dining means that you have the choice to book fixed-time and seating dining (traditional) or walk-up style dining. There are two or three dining rooms on most Princess ships, one will be for fixed seating and the other(s) will be for Anytime dining. The menus and dress codes are the same regardless of your choice. The only difference is that with Anytime you can go at whatever time you choose and are not seated at the same table.

 

The Captain's Welcome is usually done on the first formal night, in the atrium. It is timed to take place before each of the two fixed-seating dining times.

 

I'm quoting spongebob because he explained the terminology perfectly. When you book your cruise, you'll be asked to select traditional (choice of two seatings) or anytime dining. Personal Choice is just the umbrella term that Princess uses for all the choices you have for dining. Besides the choices of the buffet, specialty restaurants, or room service, you can eat dinner in the traditional dining room (if you have t.d.) or anytime dining room (if you have a.d.). You can't eat in the anytime d.r. if you have traditional dining.

 

You won't see the Captain in the dining rooms (unless you're a VIP who gets to dine with him). The Captain's Welcome is a chance to meet the captain. We have never waited in the long line to meet him. But once you have at least one Princess cruise under your belt, you'll get invited to the Captain's Circle parties on subsequent cruises, and you'll probably get to meet the captain then. On our last cruise, we got there late, and the captain was just standing there waiting. No line for us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was wondering about the need for walkie talkies. You think they are helpful. My wife thought the kids would enjoy the freedom of not having to have access to us through out the day. I still have time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know how old your daughters are, but many people get a false sense of security because they're on a cruise ship. Consider the ship just like any other public place with a large population; think mall. Most passengers are wonderful happy people all with the same goal-to have a great vacation. But, passengers are just regular people and all one needs to become a passenger is the $$ for a ticket and a passport. No morality test indicated. Use common sense when turning daughters lose. I think teen-aged girls are particularly vulnerable. I would insist on them checking in regularly. I'm not a "doom & gloom" kind of person, but I am realistic. The odds of something happening? Probably pretty low. But sometimes things do happen, so be smart and have fun. For interesting information, check out cruisejunkie.com, "events at sea".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Save $2,000 & Sail Away to Australia’s Kimberley
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...

If you are already a Cruise Critic member, please log in with your existing account information or your email address and password.