Anytime Dining vs. Traditional Dining?

[Snowchik013]

Hello! I'm cruising on the Star Princess to Alaska on July 5th. Can't wait! I chose the Anytime dining option, but am on the "Waiting List" (whatever that means) for the early seating. I cruised twice on Carnival and had the late traditional seating. I thought that overall the dinners were good, but some nights I didn't want to eat that late, especially when we were ready for a night out at the bars.

 

I want to make sure that if I take the Anytime dining, that I won't miss any of the good or I guess you can say "fancy" dinners (for lack of better words) in the dining room, like the captain's or formal night, etc. I don't want to miss the crab legs, mediocre lobster (from what I've heard) and seafood options. I am a pescitarian (eat veggies, seafood, and no other meat.) The late dining option was still open the last I checked and I don't know if I should try to change my plans if I am still able to before we leave.

 

Can someone who cruised on Princess please tell me about what to expect on the Anytime dining option vs. the Traditional dining? Are you able to select the traditional dining room as an Anytimer? Or do they keep you separate from the traditional dining room people?

 

There are a ton of knowledgeable cruisers on this site! This board is awesome for people with questions!

[rcacace]

Since there's no difference in the food or service between the two options I think you'll be happy. The only somewhat bad experience you might have is if you eat at the very popular times between 6:30- 8:00 or so when the crowd peaks & the wait times get long. (30 minutes or more).

[cynbar]

There are 2 dining rooms for anytime on the Star, and one for traditional. You get the same menus in both so you won't miss anything except the Baked Alaska parade. Some people have a preference for one kind of dining, some for the other -- there really is no right or wrong answer. With anytime, you can just show up when you're ready (you may get a beeper if there is a wait but most cruisers report short waits if any), or you can call earlier in the day for a reservation. My family prefers anytime because of the flexibility, we can eat when we're ready and it often differs from night to night. We also don't get stuck with a bad waiter or table or tablemates for the entire cruise, which has happened to us in traditional. However, some cruisers miss the more personal service in traditional where your waiter gets to know your likes and dislikes. Traditional diners aren't supposed to go to anytime unless they want to switch permanently -- however, sometimes it does seem to be allowed. Good luck with your decision. Have a great cruise !

[paul929207]

The menus are the same for TD & AD. So is the dress code. The food is prepared in te same galley by the same cooks.

 

About the only thing you miss with AD is the Baked Alaska Parade. You still get Baked Alaska, just no parade.

[MSN-Travelers]

Hello! I'm cruising on the Star Princess to Alaska on July 5th. Can't wait! I chose the Anytime dining option, but am on the "Waiting List" (whatever that means) for the early seating. ...

 

I want to make sure that if I take the Anytime dining, that I won't miss any of the good or I guess you can say "fancy" dinners (for lack of better words) in the dining room, like the captain's or formal night, etc. I don't want to miss the crab legs, mediocre lobster (from what I've heard) and seafood options.

 

Can someone who cruised on Princess please tell me about what to expect on the Anytime dining option vs. the Traditional dining? Are you able to select the traditional dining room as an Anytimer? Or do they keep you separate from the traditional dining room people?

 

Booking agents "assume" that most cruiser want the traditional, fixed, dining option and often sign you up for one or the other. This happened to us on our first Princess cruise. I suspect you indicated that you didn't like the late seating option on your last cruise and they automatically signed you up for early (and it was already full and you are on the waiting list).

 

The non-fixed (anytime) dining option is either chosen by the passenger (why we cruise on Princess) or forced on the passenger as the default if the fixed dining room is fully booked. As others have indicated, the menu is the same in both the fixed (traditional) and non-fixed (anytime) dining rooms.

 

Think of the non-fixed seating (anytime) dining rooms as any fine restaurant you have in your home town. You arrive when they are open and you are seated at the first available table. You will be asked if you would be willing (or want) to be seated with others or want a table sized for your party. If it happens to be a busy time, you might be given a vibrating "beeper", like any restaurant, and will be told what the average wait time is. Go sit in the bar, have a seat in the lounge or whatever until your table is ready. One thing to check is "the other anytime dining room" to see if they have a shorter or no wait at all. [Like most restaurants, you can make a reservation for a specific time, table or waitstaff team. There are rules that govern these options but they can be confusing to most first-time Princess passengers and/or lead to longer wait times. ie: I want the first available table for two with Carlos Ramirez as the waiter.]

 

Traditional diners can opt out (switch) to anytime dining at any time during the cruise but this is supposed to be a permanent change. Somebody on the waitlist will be offered their place. People that have selected the traditional dining option are not supposed to use the anytime dining rooms whenever the spirit moves them.

 

If you think the anytime option is really what you want, please contact your booking agent and get taken off the waiting list for early traditional. This will allow people higher on the waiting list greater opportunity to get the fixed seating that they want.

 

Enjoy!

[NC-17]

Check your itineraries at each port, Are those your day activities going to effect your Anytiime Dinning? Then you can go from there.

[robb01]

Check your itineraries at each port, Are those your day activities going to effect your Anytiime Dinning? Then you can go from there.

 

good tip there, we prefer anytime, as things come up and its not always good to have a set time

[NC-17]

Check your itineraries at each port, Are those your day activities going to effect your Anytime Dinning? Then you can go from there.

 

 

Correction : Traditional Dinning

[AAAAmerican]

The main Difference is:

 

TRADITIONAL : Waiting list ( Self Explained ):D

 

 

AnyTime : Never a Waiting List ..Just a Long Wait and most times.:eek:

 

 

 

The ole Supply and Demand factoring...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello! I'm cruising on the Star Princess to Alaska on July 5th. Can't wait! I chose the Anytime dining option, but am on the "Waiting List" (whatever that means) for the early seating. I cruised twice on Carnival and had the late traditional seating. I thought that overall the dinners were good, but some nights I didn't want to eat that late, especially when we were ready for a night out at the bars.

 

I want to make sure that if I take the Anytime dining, that I won't miss any of the good or I guess you can say "fancy" dinners (for lack of better words) in the dining room, like the captain's or formal night, etc. I don't want to miss the crab legs, mediocre lobster (from what I've heard) and seafood options. I am a pescitarian (eat veggies, seafood, and no other meat.) The late dining option was still open the last I checked and I don't know if I should try to change my plans if I am still able to before we leave.

 

Can someone who cruised on Princess please tell me about what to expect on the Anytime dining option vs. the Traditional dining? Are you able to select the traditional dining room as an Anytimer? Or do they keep you separate from the traditional dining room people?

 

There are a ton of knowledgeable cruisers on this site! This board is awesome for people with questions!

[cruisemom42]

I have never experienced a wait of more than a couple of minutes with Anytime Dining IF I am willing to share a table (I always am). Sometimes if you want a smaller table (especially for 2) you'll encounter a wait.

[georoc01]

Hello! I'm cruising on the Star Princess to Alaska on July 5th. Can't wait! I chose the Anytime dining option, but am on the "Waiting List" (whatever that means) for the early seating. I cruised twice on Carnival and had the late traditional seating. I thought that overall the dinners were good, but some nights I didn't want to eat that late, especially when we were ready for a night out at the bars.

 

I want to make sure that if I take the Anytime dining, that I won't miss any of the good or I guess you can say "fancy" dinners (for lack of better words) in the dining room, like the captain's or formal night, etc. I don't want to miss the crab legs, mediocre lobster (from what I've heard) and seafood options. I am a pescitarian (eat veggies, seafood, and no other meat.) The late dining option was still open the last I checked and I don't know if I should try to change my plans if I am still able to before we leave.

 

Can someone who cruised on Princess please tell me about what to expect on the Anytime dining option vs. the Traditional dining? Are you able to select the traditional dining room as an Anytimer? Or do they keep you separate from the traditional dining room people?

 

There are a ton of knowledgeable cruisers on this site! This board is awesome for people with questions!

 

My sister prefers Traditional Dining. Likes eating at the same time with the same waiter that learns her dining preferences and caters to her.

 

I prefer anytime dining with the flexibility. I like eating with different people every day and its fun meeting people at dinner and hear about their days.

[jkmcmom]

We just cruised on Star - 10 May, Alaska. We had anytime. It was great as we didn't have to worry about returning from port in time for early seating or waiting for late. If we were hungry, we went to one of the dining rooms. And into the cruise, we had a waiter that we really liked so after that, we requested Phontep for our waiter. One night we had to wait a bit, but not long. We just strolled thru the shops. We were even told that we could make a reservation for a specific time with our favorite waiter.

Another benefit to anytime for us was that due to the time change from GA to WA/AK, we were hungry for dinner way before it would have been time for late seating!

Anytime dining was part of the reason that we choose Princess for our cruises & that will be a major reason why we will continue to cruise Princess.

My dh was quite happy with his lobster & prawns & the night for crablegs, I appreciated the already cracked crab.

We also celebrated an anniversary while on board. Princess is ready for celebrations even in anytime. There was a note delivered to our room asking us to give it to the maitre'd when we went to dinner so that they could honor our event. We had a special cake, cookies & of course, a serenade!

Hope this helps you in your decision!

[MGnut]

Hello! I'm cruising on the Star Princess to Alaska on July 5th. Can't wait! I chose the Anytime dining option, but am on the "Waiting List" (whatever that means) for the early seating. I cruised twice on Carnival and had the late traditional seating. I thought that overall the dinners were good, but some nights I didn't want to eat that late, especially when we were ready for a night out at the bars.

 

I want to make sure that if I take the Anytime dining, that I won't miss any of the good or I guess you can say "fancy" dinners (for lack of better words) in the dining room, like the captain's or formal night, etc. I don't want to miss the crab legs, mediocre lobster (from what I've heard) and seafood options. I am a pescitarian (eat veggies, seafood, and no other meat.) The late dining option was still open the last I checked and I don't know if I should try to change my plans if I am still able to before we leave.

 

Can someone who cruised on Princess please tell me about what to expect on the Anytime dining option vs. the Traditional dining? Are you able to select the traditional dining room as an Anytimer? Or do they keep you separate from the traditional dining room people?

 

There are a ton of knowledgeable cruisers on this site! This board is awesome for people with questions!

 

You've already gotten lots of good advice/answers, but I'd like to mention that since you would like a specialized diet, please talk to the Maitre D' and explain your desires. They will make sure you have choices appropriate to your needs. Often they will bring you the menu for the next night's dinner and let you make choices ahead of time, or suggest other choices for you. And they seem to love to do it, too, so don't be afraid to ask.

[Elwinnie]

Wow, that was most informative! Husband & I are cruising on Coral Princess doing anytime dinning. Regarding just the 2 of us when we ask to be seated with others can we specify no children.

We are in our 60's but like meeting young and old. We have a mini suite and didn't know if there is any perks as far as getting a table.

thanks for the help

[paul929207]

You can certainly ask to be seated at a table without children. I would think they would accommodate you.

[JimnKaren]

Another thing to consider...

 

Are you aware that summer in Alaska mean looong days? You could be dining late traditional or late anytime and still have lots of light outside (the better to see so many things). That might help to make a decision on when you want to dine and what you want to do before and after your evening meal.

 

Jim

[cynbar]

I should also mention that --- at least in my opinion--- Princess specializes in seafood and does a better job with it than the other mainstream lines. Every night, you'll get a really nice seafood selection in the MDR ---- halibut, barramundi, turbot, shrimp twice at least, lobster/shrimp combo and of course the crab legs--- and the always available salmon is a good choice as well. Many nights have a seafood appetizer too. And the menu in Sabatini's is a seafood feast. Actually, we see complaints here from non seafood lovers that there is too much of a focus!

[palolake]

We just got back from our cruise on the Star. In 10 Princess cruises, we've only tried Anytime Dining once and HATED it. On this cruise, we LOVED it. We had to do anytime because we booked so late. It worked out great! It would have been really hard to make it to eat at the same time every night in Alaska. You will be so busy. It really just works out better. We asked for a table for 2 at 5:30 to 6:30 most nights and never had to wait. We ate in the Capri dining room which is the one on 5. We did notice that the dining room on 6 had lines sometimes. Just try the other room if you are asked to wait.

 

I think there are two reasons why we hated our first anytime dining experience. The first was that it was new and the second is that it was on a ship with only 2 dining rooms. (I think the Coral only has two) I don't think I'd try it again on a ship with only two.

[moosenaroundtheship]

We had anytime dinning for the first tiime when we went to Alaska and it worked out great. Loved it so much we choose anythime dinning again last Dec when we cruised on the CB out of San Juan. This time is was horrible. On one occation the waiter actually took my husbans salad away as he was eating it. We had lunch earlier one day and I loved the snapper. I asked if I could maybe get that for dinner. I was told "lady you get what is on the menu, nothing else" not a big deal, didn't really think I could get it, but I thought the comment was rather rude. A simple sorry, but no would have been fine. I felt like we were rushed and the food never came hot. Another couple we had dinner with said they sat for 45 minutes before getting their salad and when they asked why it took so long the reply was "then go somewhere else to eat." This time we are doing the traditonal diinning again when we go to Alaska in Aug.

[Snowchik013]

Everyone on here is so helpful! I am not worried any longer about my Anytime dining choice. Thanks so much for the info! Can't wait to go... I'm counting down the days...

[Sue's Mom]

The last cruise my DH and I took was with HAL and we had anytime dining. Our personal problem was that every night we sat with different people and, whilst our table companions were very pleasant and convivial, at the start of the evening it was hard work getting to know everyone.

 

The other problem was that we were usually seated on a table for 10 and the service was so slow that one evening one of our table companions actually complained to the head waiter. We had waited nearly an hour for our main course!

 

For these two reasons we are not fans of anytime dining.

[auntypaty]

love the flexibiltiy of anytime dining. food is great, you can eat with your partner or meet new friends. Great option for Princess travelers.

[rcacace]

The last cruise my DH and I took was with HAL and we had anytime dining. Our personal problem was that every night we sat with different people and' date=' whilst our table companions were very pleasant and convivial, at the start of the evening it was hard work getting to know everyone.

 

The other problem was that we were usually seated on a table for 10 and the service was so slow that one evening one of our table companions actually complained to the head waiter. We had waited nearly an hour for our main course!

 

For these two reasons we are not fans of anytime dining.

 

A large table is a slow process if seated with new people every evening. It's much to slow for my liking so we usually get a table for 2 & finish dinner in a little over an hour or so. With a large group that's almost impossible.

[Sue's Mom]

A large table is a slow process if seated with new people every evening. It's much to slow for my liking so we usually get a table for 2 & finish dinner in a little over an hour or so. With a large group that's almost impossible.

 

Hal did not have very many tables for 2. :( We were VERY lucky if we finished dinner in less than 2 hours.

[Sandytoes]

This is the first year that I am thinking about Traditional Dining.

Yep! You heard right.

 

The reason being.

My DH & I always reserved a table for two at a specific time for the entire week.

We never experienced a problem. ALWAYS worked out for us.

 

Now that the CB CHANGED dining rooms and know the layout,

I am skeptical of using ANYTIME in fear of not getting a table for two.

The Coral and Island have less tables of two.

Palm has more, which is now Traditional. :cool:

I am not happy!:(

 

Not sure if I should switch to Anytime and take a chance

or just stick with Traditional (early seating) and see what happens.

I know I can change anytime I please.