Anytime Dining

[Sandytoes]

From Princess Website:

 

Anytime DiningSM/Traditional Dining

 

Anytime Dining offers a more flexible dining experience. Just like at a restaurant, arrive anytime between 5:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. to enjoy dinner alone or with friends.*On select ships, you may also make reservations while onboard if you would like to dine at a particular time. If you opt for Traditional Dining, your seating is shown on your cruise documents. The Maître d'hôtel will have a list of those passengers who are waitlisted for each dining seating. Should seats become available, he will contact waitlisted passengers onboard as appropriate.

 

So the rule is: That on "some" ships reservations may not be allowed.

*Not available on Regal Princess, Pacific Princess, or Tahitian Princess.

 

 

Reservations can be made on

Dawn, Pacific, Sun, Grand, Sea, Golden, Island, and Star Princess

Coral, Crown, CB, Emerald, Ruby, Diamond, Sapphire and Ocean

 

Anytime Dining -- Just like a restaurant at home, Anytime Dining enables passengers the freedom to dine when and with whom they wish, at any time between 5:30 and 10 pm. Reservations are available through an onboard dining hotline or Princess Concierge Service, but are not required, and diners may choose to eat only with their own group, or be seated with other passengers. Anytime Dining is available on all Princess ships with more than one main dining room.

[jpg1747]

We booked our 7/26/09 cruise this past September and we are wait listed for Traditional dining table for two.............go figure!!!!!!!!!! Almost 1 year in advance!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very disappointed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I was waitlisted for Late TD on my last cruise but got a table assignment shortly before sailing. Don't worry about it.

[awhcruiser]

Since when??????

 

Sorry dear, you are mistaken.

Doesn't matter what is written on your card in the Anytime dining, only for Traditional - early or late seating.

"ALL" passengers can use AD. With or without reservations.

[awhcruiser]

We decided to try AD for our upcoming cruise on the Emerald....Now I am beginning to wonder if we will regret our decision...

[bigguy6]

This is in response to BruinSteve from yesterday. The new Grand class ships have about 3000 passengers. One dining room is designated for traditioanal dining and has 584 seats. The other two dining rooms have 514 seats each for a total of 1028 and are for anytime dining. Therefore while it is true the rooms can only seat about 1/2 of the passengers at any one time, more can be seated in anytime dining. Assuming about 1100 passengers eat in traditional two seatings, that means that anytime dining has to accomodate about 1900 passengers in 1000 seats over a 4+ hours time frame. Not a difficult task I would think. P.S. this is not taking into account those that eat at the buffet each night.

[Bruin Steve]

This is in response to BruinSteve from yesterday. The new Grand class ships have about 3000 passengers. One dining room is designated for traditioanal dining and has 584 seats. The other two dining rooms have 514 seats each for a total of 1028 and are for anytime dining. Therefore while it is true the rooms can only seat about 1/2 of the passengers at any one time, more can be seated in anytime dining. Assuming about 1100 passengers eat in traditional two seatings, that means that anytime dining has to accomodate about 1900 passengers in 1000 seats over a 4+ hours time frame. Not a difficult task I would think. P.S. this is not taking into account those that eat at the buffet each night.

 

Well, you have some exact numbers and I was just "guesstimating"...But the concept still holds true...Except:

 

You likely have MORE than 1900 passengers assigned to "Anytime" given your seating numbers. Why? I'm assuming when you talk of the newer ships, you are talking of ships like the new 113,000 gross ton Emerald Princess...The "Double Occupancy" passenger capacity is listed at 3,070 passengers...HOWEVER...the actually FULL CAPACITY of the ship (with all 3rd and 4th berths filled) is 3,782...

 

I'll assume that for most sold-out sailings, the ACTUAL number of passengers is somewhere in between 3,070 and 3,782...But, for a "worst-case scenario"--what you really have to plan for, let's say the ship is completely full at 3,782...that it's a popular cruise during school vacation time...

 

Using your figures, the MAXIMUM number of passengers that can be accommodated in traditional dining is 1,168--and that assumes EVERY seat is filled at both seatings (even though we know that due to numbers in parties often a table for eight may only have 7 assigned to it or the like)...

 

3,782 minus 1,168 leaves 2,614 passengers assigned to anytime dining...

Again, using your numbers, we have 1028 Anytime seats, meaning that in your 4 hour dining window, you have to plan for approximately 2.543 seatings...94 minutes each...But, of course, no dining room is that efficient...You need some time to move people out, get the servers to the table with supplies, clear the tables, change the tablecloths and settings and get the people to their seats...So, let's subtract about 19 minutes to be realistic and call it a 75 minute dining window...

 

THAT also assumes that the diners are all equally spread out into the 4 hours...40% of them MUST be there when the dining room opens and 40% must delay their meals until the last hour to hour and a quarter before closing...which is simply not realistic...

 

So, you WILL have times, especially toward the middle of the window and at more popular dining hours, when you cannot adequately accomodate the crowds...

 

Yes, folks opting for the buffet helps alleviate the situation just a little bit...Except that the number of those people opting for the buffet coming from Traditional dining does not help at all--since those seats cannot be reallocated for the most part...And it is more likely that the traditional diners are the ones using the buffet--when their normal assigned time cannot be met...

 

So, though the traditional diners are allowed a full two hour window, the anytime diners are allotted, for all intent and purpose, a maximum 75 minute window...and that assumes they've arrived EARLY or LATE or at some time when they've just gotten lucky...

 

Anytime diners are already at a striking disadvantage even if everyone plays by the rules...

 

Now, let's assume that around one-third of those Traditional diners miss or don't want to deal with their assigned table...and don't really want to settle for buffet food...and show up at Anytime Dining and are allowed to do so...

 

that would push "Anytime" dining up to 3,000 people--to be accommodated in those same 1028 seats in the same 4 hour window...Not really fair at all to the 2,614 who were assigned there and have no option, is it?

 

I am glad you posted the ACTUAL seating numbers in each dining room...It is WORSE than I originally thought!!!

[blindrid]

They have no right to even wait to be seated--just not the way it is--if the ship would take a look at the room cards to check for dining, we wouldn't have this problem at all

 

Nancy:D

 

I guess I get nervous when a post like this gets into what's "fair". Hell, I'm on vacation and don't get real worried about it one way or another. If I wait there is normally a bar close....... That's why NCL has the right idea where there is no traditional dining times. At least in doing that, it will make others complain about something else that is pretty inconsequential. When more lines switch to total freestyle, that will make my choice of lines a lot easier. ;)

[bajathree]

If you are assigned to Traditional dining then you are NOT SUPPOSED to go to the Anytime dining room. Period. If you miss your assigned time you are supposed to eat in the buffet.

 

I know some people on here will tell you different, but that is NOT how it is supposed to work. Do people do it, sure but it puts an extra load on Anytime to make room for you.

 

Please be considerate of those assigned to Anytime dining and eat in the buffet if you can't make your Traditional time.

This was a direct quote from Princess reservations when I booked my cruise....."book the traditional early dining and if you miss it you can always just go into the anytime dining room to eat"....so yes it appears that Princess itself is encouraging this.

[Sandytoes]

This was a direct quote from Princess reservations when I booked my cruise....."book the traditional early dining and if you miss it you can always just go into the anytime dining room to eat"....so yes it appears that Princess itself is encouraging this.

In addition to the Traditional Dining, Princess has cooked up a revolution in cruising called Anytime Dining. This means that you no longer have to appear at a fixed time in the dining room. Instead, the choice of when and where you wish to enjoy our award-winning cuisine is up to you.

http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/dining/dining_options/grand.html

 

Guests who choose the traditional dining room will have also have the option of ordering items from the themed restaurants' specialty menus. Passengers can make reservations for any of the ship's main dining rooms and alternative venue Sabatini's through the new Princess Concierge Service, which offers a special telephone number for planning dining options.

 

http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na680&submit=pk

 

Personal Choice Dining?, a unique program which features two options for main dining room seating -- the restaurant-style Anytime Dining and Traditional Fixed-Seating. Passengers have raved about this unusual versatility, which is the only such option in the cruise industry.

http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na633&submit=pk

[Sandytoes]

Staffed by dedicated onboard concierge representatives using a new computerized reservation system, this new level of service will enable passengers to easily plan their dining choices through a special telephone number or in person at each dining venue. "Princess Concierge Service will make it easier than ever for passengers who wish to plan when and where to dine --

whether for one night or the full cruise,"

http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na635&submit=pk

[chasetf]

The part all you mathematicians forget as you count up seats and allocate "time to dine" is...... what do the passengers choose.

 

If on a particular cruise 20% pick Traditional and 80% pick Anytime the Matre'd has a problem starting right off. :eek: The Traditional dining rooms will have empty seats and Anytime will be expected to be overflowing. This is probably when they start checking cards as some folks have mentioned.

 

If they have an "overage" of Traditional diners they will get assigned to Anytime (happened to us once). In that case they have a desired distribution between Anytime and Traditional and probably not check cards and will accept reservations. ;)

 

Just my thoughts. :D

[Bruin Steve]

The part all you mathematicians forget as you count up seats and allocate "time to dine" is...... what do the passengers choose.

 

If on a particular cruise 20% pick Traditional and 80% pick Anytime the Matre'd has a problem starting right off...

 

Huh????

If by any chance only 20% request traditional dining, they'd do the same thing they have been doing in reverse--they'd assign some of those requesting Anytime to traditional...and put them on a wait list for anytime...

[The Big Booper]

Huh????

If by any chance only 20% request traditional dining, they'd do the same thing they have been doing in reverse--they'd assign some of those requesting Anytime to traditional...and put them on a wait list for anytime...

 

Have you ever seen a comment on this board about wait-listing for Anytime? I never have. Traditional is always wait-listed.

[Bruin Steve]

Have you ever seen a comment on this board about wait-listing for Anytime? I never have. Traditional is always wait-listed.

 

chasetf posed the HYPOTHETICAL of "what if 80% of the passengers on a particular cruise requested Anytime?"

 

In THAT event, they'd have to waitlist anytime...not that it actually happens...

 

His presumption was empty seats in traditional...I don't believe it would be so...I think some people requesting anytime wouldn't get their choice

[The Big Booper]

chasetf posed the HYPOTHETICAL of "what if 80% of the passengers on a particular cruise requested Anytime?"

 

In THAT event, they'd have to waitlist anytime...not that it actually happens...

 

His presumption was empty seats in traditional...I don't believe it would be so...I think some people requesting anytime wouldn't get their choice

 

By no means am I a defender of Anytime, as implemented by Princess. I think it is poorly thought out and executed, as shown by the numerous threads here on this section of CC

 

Many pax seem to elect Traditional as a safe haven and only use it when they aren't sneaking into Anytime with new friends. This defeats the whole purpose of it.

 

There was also a huge thread on reservations being allowed in Anytime. Once again, this defeats the purpose of Anytime.

 

This is enough to keep us off Princess until they implement it properly. Also, since Princess chooses to downplay the East Coast and Caribbean for most of the year, we have gotten out of the habit of even thinking about Princess. And the one ship available for most of the year has many engine problems, air conditioning problems, etc. .......

[chasetf]

chasetf posed the HYPOTHETICAL of "what if 80% of the passengers on a particular cruise requested Anytime?"

 

In THAT event, they'd have to wait-list anytime...not that it actually happens...

We are (and always have been) a Late Traditional diner. Every cruise except one, we have gotten it. But... I have never heard on this board or on the ship of anyone being Wait-listed for Anytime. I believe if you request it you get it... so my hypothetical 80% can happen.

His presumption was empty seats in traditional...I don't believe it would be so...I think some people requesting anytime wouldn't get their choice

.... and that is future evidenced by the fact we have sailed almost every time with empty seats and tables in Late Traditional.... which is easily the least popular option.

 

On one ship (not Princess) we were inadvertently assigned Early seating. When we went to the Matre'd to switch there were 13 couples wanting a switch from Late to Early.... and we were the only one's wanting to switch from Early to Late. Unfortunately the Matre'd would not let me "sell" our slot to the highest bidder. :o

[chasetf]

......Many pax seem to elect Traditional as a safe haven and only use it when they aren't sneaking into Anytime with new friends. This defeats the whole purpose of it. .......

That seems like quite a generalization... "Many pax" :confused: I can speak of my experiences as a Traditional diner who always reserves the largest table (we like to meet folks). All of our table mates have always honored their "commitment" to the Traditional dining hour except in one case. We had two couples, new to cruising, that were traveling together as table mates. They did not show one night. The next night they announced they had chosen to try one of the Anytime dining rooms. :eek: The rest of us at the table reminded them that was not really allowed..... which they admitted they were not aware of.

......There was also a huge thread on reservations being allowed in Anytime. Once again, this defeats the purpose of Anytime. .......

One of the problems with Anytime is people choose it because they do not desire to eat either early (6-ish) or late (8:30 on). That means the crowd is going to show up in between those hours. So the idea of accepting reservations during "non-peak" hours seems ok to me. But if the dining room is filled with 7-7:30 reservations then I agree it defeats the ability of people to walk up and get a table. Maybe one solution might be to restrict reservations to only one dining room in the case where a ship has multiple Anytime dining rooms.

[The Big Booper]

That seems like quite a generalization... "Many pax" :confused: I can speak of my experiences as a Traditional diner who always reserves the largest table (we like to meet folks). All of our table mates have always honored their "commitment" to the Traditional dining hour except in one case. We had two couples, new to cruising, that were traveling together as table mates. They did not show one night. The next night they announced they had chosen to try one of the Anytime dining rooms. :eek: The rest of us at the table reminded them that was not really allowed..... which they admitted they were not aware of.

 

One of the problems with Anytime is people choose it because they do not desire to eat either early (6-ish) or late (8:30 on). That means the crowd is going to show up in between those hours. So the idea of accepting reservations during "non-peak" hours seems ok to me. But if the dining room is filled with 7-7:30 reservations then I agree it defeats the ability of people to walk up and get a table. Maybe one solution might be to restrict reservations to only one dining room in the case where a ship has multiple Anytime dining rooms.

 

My comment is based on many threads here by Princess cruisers, as to how the Traditional room slowly empties as the cruise goes on until the end when it is more than half empty. Actually, since we prefer late Traditional we probably would have no trouble getting a LT reservation and not being shunted to Anytime. So if Princess would put a ship in NY next year that actually was sound mechanically......

[feebs2]

Originally Posted by bajathree

This was a direct quote from Princess reservations when I booked my cruise....."book the traditional early dining and if you miss it you can always just go into the anytime dining room to eat"....so yes it appears that Princess itself is encouraging this.

 

I would love to know where this in print .....

[nho9504]

Unlike in April 16 day transatlantic, on this October 18 day transatlantic we did not have a fixed table (one out of the 2 TRUE table for 2 along the wall, instead of the bench-type or the table for 4 split to 2 but really you are sitting so close to the next table, you might as well on a shared table instead). So we had different table every night for the 15 nights out of the 18 - the other 3 nights we did not go to dining room.

 

We had used both Da Vinci and Michaelangelo, but mainly Da Vinci. We dined at all hours - ranging from 7:30 to 8:30 and a few nights as late as 9:00. About 4 or 5 nights we needed to take the buzzer. Yet the buzzer buzzed within 10 to 15 minutes of wait. So it really is not a problem at all. The argument on the number of passengers using which, is really moot. It seems to be totally depending on ships themselves. And I honestly believe, a lot to do with HOW the Maitre d and the Headwaiters handling the situation.

 

One thing we saw is, more and more couples want to dine alone. So much so, at lunch time, they had to open Bottocelli to accommodate the requests. However, instead of letting passengers go directly, passengers must first go to Da vinci, and then be escorted there - a rather crumbsy arrangement.

 

What Princess needs, is to re-design the dining rooms to create more true table for 2 and 4 as it is obvious many passengers who choose Anytime Dining also tend to prefer dining by themselves instead of sharing with strangers. We dont like sharing with a big table because it wasted a lot of time as the waiter tends to wait for everybody to present each course. So if you only order a salad and main course, you still have to wait for those who order appetizer, soup, salad, and main course - very annoying.

[Sandytoes]

That seems like quite a generalization... "Many pax" :confused: I can speak of my experiences as a Traditional diner who always reserves the largest table (we like to meet folks). All of our table mates have always honored their "commitment" to the Traditional dining hour except in one case. We had two couples, new to cruising, that were traveling together as table mates. They did not show one night. The next night they announced they had chosen to try one of the Anytime dining rooms.

 

:confused: The rest of us at the table reminded them that was not really allowed.....:rolleyes:

 

 

which they admitted they were not aware of..

Are you saying if you choose Traditional Dining, you are restricted to dine there? :eek:...:rolleyes:

 

What if your tablemate wanted to dine in one of the alternative restaurants?

Specialty, buffet, or order room service?

Are telling your tablemates they can not do that? :rolleyes:

 

 

Thankfully Princess offers numerous options in addition to the traditional dining,

including Anytime, Specialty restaurants, buffet, & casual dining, and room service.

 

Giving Pax their choice of options where they want to eat on a given night.

 

Thankfully you are not obligated to dine in one particular place throughout your cruise.

[jpg1747]

We are (and always have been) a Late Traditional diner. Every cruise except one, we have gotten it. But... I have never heard on this board or on the ship of anyone being Wait-listed for Anytime. I believe if you request it you get it... so my hypothetical 80% can happen.

 

.... and that is future evidenced by the fact we have sailed almost every time with empty seats and tables in Late Traditional.... which is easily the least popular option.

 

On one ship (not Princess) we were inadvertently assigned Early seating. When we went to the Matre'd to switch there were 13 couples wanting a switch from Late to Early.... and we were the only one's wanting to switch from Early to Late. Unfortunately the Matre'd would not let me "sell" our slot to the highest bidder. :o

 

I was waitlisted for Late Traditional on my last cruise. So it does happen sometimes.

[Seal]

:D

Are you saying if you choose Traditional Dining, you are restricted to dine there? :eek:...:rolleyes:

 

What if your tablemate wanted to dine in one of the alternative restaurants?

Specialty, buffet, or order room service?

Are telling your tablemates they can not do that? :rolleyes:

 

 

Thankfully Princess offers numerous options in addition to the traditional dining,

including Anytime, Specialty restaurants, buffet, & casual dining, and room service.

 

Giving Pax their choice of options where they want to eat on a given night.

 

Thankfully you are not obligated to dine in one particular place throughout your cruise.

 

 

All the OP was saying is that the tablemates SHOULD NOT go to anytime dining rooms--anywhere else is just fine--seems pretty simple to me..

 

Nancy

[Sandytoes]

:D

 

 

All the OP was saying is that the tablemates SHOULD NOT go to anytime dining rooms--anywhere else is just fine--seems pretty simple to me..

 

Why just Anytime? :rolleyes:

 

 

Are you saying if your tablemates go to Sterling on the first night, then the next nite eat up at the buffet and then the following day they choice to dine on their balcony, then on the fourth night they choice to show up in the Traditional dining room, that's ok? :cool: But not Anytime? Don't get it!!!! :rolleyes:

[Seal]

Why just Anytime? :rolleyes:

 

 

Are you saying if your tablemates go to Sterling on the first night, then the next nite eat up at the buffet and then the following day they choice to dine on their balcony, then on the fourth night they choice to show up in the Traditional dining room, that's ok? :cool: But not Anytime? Don't get it!!!! :rolleyes:

 

Tablemates are allowed not to be thoughtful of their tablemates--the only place they are not supposed to eat is Anytime Dining--that is because they have opted for Traditional Dining. It's polite to let your tablemates know if you don't plan on being there the next night--so that the other tablemates will not be waiting to order their meals.

 

Nancy