Anytime dining is anything but ... "Anytime"

[spongerob]

Woven throughout this thread is the rationale for traditional that goes "the waiter knows my preferences". Could someone please explain to me what preferences these posters are referring to? Maybe I have simple tastes when it comes to what I expect of a waiter, but if he/she brings and refills my choice of beverage, sets the proper flatware, brings my food choices in the proper order, clears my dishes when they're empty, and offers the dessert menu, I'm a happy camper. Are there some "preferences" that I'm missing??

It's little things. My wife likes to have hot tea with her meal. The waiters will have it ready for her, rather than having to wait for it to (maybe) be delivered some time during the meal. If we have a partial bottle of wine left over, it's also there and waiting for us. There are some other intangibles that are difficult to describe..

 

Perhaps the solution with Princess is to have several traditional dining times staggerd over several hours. I think that's the solution.

That still puts people on a schedule. The attraction to Anytime is that you can eat early one night, and late the next if you wish.

 

One thing that would REALLY help would be to schedule shows so that late-seating diners actually have a chance to go without having to scarf down their meals in a hurry to get a seat. The late show is always too early to allow those who want to attend after late seating to enjoy their meal at a leisurely pace. That's probably the biggest reason we rarely go to shows.

[Pam in CA]

One thing that would REALLY help would be to schedule shows so that late-seating diners actually have a chance to go without having to scarf down their meals in a hurry to get a seat. The late show is always too early to allow those who want to attend after late seating to enjoy their meal at a leisurely pace. That's probably the biggest reason we rarely go to shows.

I think the scheduling is the CD's responsibility. We had no problems on our Golden cruise: dinner was at 8:15PM and the shows were between 10:15 - 10:30, with a couple at 10PM (out of 12 nights). That was more than enough time to have a leisurely dinner.

[PTC]

That still puts people on a schedule. The attraction to Anytime is that you can eat early one night, and late the next if you wish.

 

One thing that would REALLY help would be to schedule shows so that late-seating diners actually have a chance to go without having to scarf down their meals in a hurry to get a seat. The late show is always too early to allow those who want to attend after late seating to enjoy their meal at a leisurely pace. That's probably the biggest reason we rarely go to shows.

 

Look at it from this point. For those who want a standing reservation in Anytime they don't need to do that. They can now go to Traditional for a set time without having just two times to select from. Many people don't show up for early traditional because it is too early and those who have late traditional end up not showing because they end up too late. Traditional set times are good but need to offer more set dining times. If they staggered the set times, they would definitely be able to eliminate the long lines at anytime. They should be offering a minimum of 4 set traditional dining times. It's not the shows, it's how early or late the 2 set dining times are.

 

PTC

[FLACRUISER99]

1. This Thread is about Anytime Dining on the Diamond Princess.

2. It is not about if you like Anytime dining or not this is a personal Choice and no one is going to change anyones mind.

3.It is about Anytime Dining on the Diamond/Sapphire ships that have a unique Dining room configuration among Grand Class Ships.

4. Please do not post unless you have experienced or are planning to experience P.C Dining on these ships.

5. I hope I have not offended anyone but this thread was getting off-topic.:eek:

[Jacqueline]

I guess the good news is that it is an issue on just two of the ships...

I am wondering if I have always been seated promptly on my cruises because I ask for a large table ? I like having tablemates.

I will also report back on whether I have more issues this year with anytime as I am traveling with 4 people rather than three.

I am of the opinion that if tradional is important to you, and you cannot get it confirmed upon booking that you will have a happier vacation experience on HAL, Celebrity, RCL or Carnival, depending on your preferences in other areas.

[Trigger69]

1. This Thread is about Anytime Dining on the Diamond Princess.

2. It is not about if you like Anytime dining or not this is a personal Choice and no one is going to change anyones mind.

3.It is about Anytime Dining on the Diamond/Sapphire ships that have a unique Dining room configuration among Grand Class Ships.

4. Please do not post unless you have experienced or are planning to experience P.C Dining on these ships.

5. I hope I have not offended anyone but this thread was getting off-topic.:eek:

 

 

You need to recheck the title of the thread. It is about anytime dining in general. It is not specifically about Diamond/Sapphire ships, that just happened to be the class of ship the Op was on. As with most threads on these boards, discussion normally takes place when a subject of contention is brought up. I also am not trying to offend, but maybe you should think twice before appointing yourself to the "message board police".

[wrongwaywatson]

Ditto Trigger 69!

[wrongwaywatson]

For the most part, I like traditional because: a) you can just walk in; b) after the first night, my waitstaff knows to have iced tea ready and waiting; c) they get to know my tastes and suggest things on the menu or even specially-prepared dishes that we might like; d) they bring little special extras to the table, such as on our recent Golden cruise, our waiter had a mini-antipasto waiting for us when we were seated; e) we asked for crepes Suzette for one evening and the waitstaff arranged for crepes for everyone in his area; f) our waiters knew we liked to be done in time for the evening's entertainment so he made sure we were done in plenty of time, adjusting according to the time of the entertainment which varied every night by up to half an hour. It's things like the above that will keep me coming to traditional dining. You might get one or two in Anytime but not all of those.

 

We got exceptinal service in Anytime. The second night that we were there, I Rey brought out a Diet Coke for me and a Sprite for Stephanie. Our friend Debbie had wine left over from the night before and they brought that out immediately and poured it for her. The third night Rey brought out 2 plates of beer battered shrimp for all of us, in addition to the appetizers that we had ordered. I had mentioned the night before that I really like fried shrimp and he arranged that with the chef. After the first night, he knew that me, Stephanie and Debbie all wanted coffee after our meal and before our dessert.

 

He was awesome! I can't imagine getting any better service than we got.

[Smartcookie]

I JUST booked an hour ago for the 4/29 sailing of the Caribbean Princess and was told the "set dining time was booked" so I had no choice of dining times.

 

Does this mean that all traditional dining tables were taken and we must use Anytime dining? It's just 2 of us, my sister and me, can anyone explain how this works, I know I should've investigated before booking but it was a last minute deal and a good one, thanks!

[Smartcookie]

Is it possible to make reservations with Anytime dining?

[fti]

I guess if you don't like anytime, don't sign up for it. I don't take anytime to mean that you can just walk right in any time that you want to eat. It means that you have a choice and can be flexible.

 

We were on the Diamond last summer in AK. Anytime dining works great in AK when the port times are sometimes late into the day and you don't want to be tied to a certain dining time.

 

However, we soon realized that what Princess meant by "anytime dining" and what we thought it meant were two different things. So we made reservations for each night a day or so in advance, depending on what our schedule for that day would be. Princess needs to be more communicative about this but they aren't. Fortunately CC'ers are more well-informed about it and should take this to heart - MAKE RESERVATIONS even for Anytime Dining.

[ldoc31]

Is it possible to make reservations with Anytime dining?

 

You can make a reservation or just walk in. If you want a large table the walking in option will work well.

[chasetf]

Is it possible to make reservations with Anytime dining?

I have heard folks relate yes and no.

 

On the Grand in the Med, as Traditional Late diners, we were waitlisted and ended up with Anytime. Our first night we dined at 8pm in Anytime, liked our table and staff, so on the way out after dinner we made a standing 8pm reservation for the rest of the trip.

 

But I have heard other folks state they were not able to on other Princess ships. Best to give it a try if you want it. All they can do is say no.

[fti]

1. This Thread is about Anytime Dining on the Diamond Princess.

2. It is not about if you like Anytime dining or not this is a personal Choice and no one is going to change anyones mind.

3.It is about Anytime Dining on the Diamond/Sapphire ships that have a unique Dining room configuration among Grand Class Ships.

4. Please do not post unless you have experienced or are planning to experience P.C Dining on these ships.

5. I hope I have not offended anyone but this thread was getting off-topic.:eek:

 

I agree with Trigger69.

 

Other posters, it is always good to note when a person joined and how many posts they have - kind of a ratio.

[ldoc31]

1. This Thread is about Anytime Dining on the Diamond Princess.

2. It is not about if you like Anytime dining or not this is a personal Choice and no one is going to change anyones mind.

3.It is about Anytime Dining on the Diamond/Sapphire ships that have a unique Dining room configuration among Grand Class Ships.

4. Please do not post unless you have experienced or are planning to experience P.C Dining on these ships.

5. I hope I have not offended anyone but this thread was getting off-topic.:eek:

 

You need to go back and read the original post. It is not specific to Diamond Princess. I found most of the information interesting and not that far off topic.

[Opinions]

Other posters, it is always good to note when a person joined and how many posts they have - kind of a ratio.

 

Tell us why it's good...Do I have a bad ratio?..If so I'll try to make it better.

[PTC]

1. This Thread is about Anytime Dining on the Diamond Princess.

2. It is not about if you like Anytime dining or not this is a personal Choice and no one is going to change anyones mind.

3.It is about Anytime Dining on the Diamond/Sapphire ships that have a unique Dining room configuration among Grand Class Ships.

4. Please do not post unless you have experienced or are planning to experience P.C Dining on these ships.

5. I hope I have not offended anyone but this thread was getting off-topic.:eek:

 

Your post was offensive and rude. Many people have given their opinions and experiences on the various ships which adds to the discussion of the OP's original title message "Anytime dining is anything but...."Anytime".

 

PTC