Princess moving to anytime dining only?

[soupbones wife]

We were on an Alaskan cruise July 2008 and I do think it was fairly new with them. I really do prefer traditional, but not as an only table in a freestyle dining situation.

[Pia1913]

Hi Pia,

They have had it for a while.

Upstairs is traditional, and downstairs is

"As you wish Dining",

however we found it more as they wish

as if you tried to book, were offerred first or second sitting times :eek:

 

We stopped cruising HAL some years ago when everyone was 100 years old and we kept tripping over wheelchairs, walkers and oxygen tanks. I remember was upstairs was smoking and downstairs was not. Times do change. ;)

[roe2ship]

Let's face it' date=' if you reserve a specific table for a specific time every day....isn't that traditional dining?[/quote']

No, because you eat at your time, could be 7:00, 7:30 not the scheduled two options as traditional.:)

[Coral]

We stopped cruising HAL some years ago when everyone was 100 years old and we kept tripping over wheelchairs, walkers and oxygen tanks. I remember was upstairs was smoking and downstairs was not. Times do change. ;)

 

Probably over 1.5 years ago because I was one month off of having it on the Oosterdam when I sailed in Dec 2007. They implemented ship by ship.

 

I personally didn't find the demographics on my Oosterdam cruise that different from previous Princess sailings at that same time (early December).

[Pam in CA]

When did Holland America switch to an anytime choice?

 

They have had it for a while. Upstairs is traditional, and downstairs is "As you wish Dining",

however we found it more as they wish as if you tried to book, were offerred first or second sitting times :eek:

HAL has had "As You Wish Dining" for about a year and a half. IMHO, it's MUCH better than Anytime because they check everyone's card and if you are not AYWD, you don't get seated. I've done AYWD a couple of times on HAL (once for 28 days, another for 20 days) and it worked like a charm. Our longest wait was 5 minutes and we either had a table for four or if we wanted, were seated with others. We'd show up every night between 7:30 - 8pm and were seated immediately almost every time.

 

I've found the passenger mix on my HAL cruises is pretty similar to Princess but because my cruises have been longer and during school time, far fewer children and young adults. I haven't seen any more walkers, wheelchairs or scooters on HAL than I have on Princess.

[Coral]

 

I've found the passenger mix on my HAL cruises is pretty similar to Princess but because my cruises have been longer and during school time, far fewer children and young adults. I haven't seen any more walkers, wheelchairs or scooters on HAL than I have on Princess.

 

That was my impression also but I was on a 7 night Mexican cruise. It seemed to be pretty close to 7 night Mexican Princess cruises (we had young people, we had families, there were kids and the same amount of wheelchairs as I see on Princess).

[donna5]

Actually, with a waiting list that long, it looks as if two dining rooms should be used for traditional, at least for the first seating.

 

Either the Diamond or the Sapphire did that on one cruise we were on. One of the anytime diningrooms were set up for 1st seating only and after that open for anytime.

[SeaMatesNYC]

We stopped cruising HAL some years ago when everyone was 100 years old and we kept tripping over wheelchairs, walkers and oxygen tanks. I remember was upstairs was smoking and downstairs was not. Times do change. ;)

 

I got a kick out of this, because if you ask HAL pax what they think of Princess, many will say pretty much a "carnival" atmosphere, but with a little less chrome and bright colors. And don't even ask what Cunard pax say about both!:eek: (tongue firmly in cheek...)

 

It's great to have variety!!

 

(P.S., don't get between the scooters and the Chocolate Extravaganza, though, you'll have to run for your life!)

 

[MGAfhc]

Actually, with a waiting list that long, it looks as if two dining rooms should be used for traditional, at least for the first seating.

 

Why do people think that those who were late signing up for TD should have preference over those who signed up for AD? Aren't AD pax cruise dollars worth as much to Princess, or are they somehow second class?

 

TD is very inefficient allowing 2 1/4 hours for dining and only two turnovers of the seating. Most AD diners will only be about an hour allowing 3 or 4 turnovers of the seating. I agree with the few posters that think Princess should go completely AD. There have been times that I have had to wait well over an hour to get seating in AD while watching a steady stream of people with cruise long reservations be admitted between 6:30 and 8:00. How they got these reservations I don't know, but I suspect they were TD people who mssed getting on the TD list.

[billet]

Either the Diamond or the Sapphire did that on one cruise we were on. One of the anytime diningrooms were set up for 1st seating only and after that open for anytime.

 

The Sapphire uses the Vivaldi dining room for Traditional Dining from 5:30 to 8 and then swaps to Anytime Dining. I like the fact that Princess continues to offer TD as well as AD even though I always use AD. I think it provides a nice choice for passengers and they should continue to provide both. One day I might even swap to TD since it worked well on Cunard for me.

[kooljamming]

Just booked the CB for 01/31/2010 and my TA said that they were 99% certain that Princess was only going to be offering anytime dining in the Caribbean starting Jan 2010. I reluctantly chose this option but I prefer the early seating for the same reasons most people that prefer early do.

 

My question is has anyone else heard of this? Should I call my TA and ask for the early seating?

 

That was my feeling (just a feeling) after booking my first cruise with Princess and speaking with a few customer service reps. I booked 7 months out but did not clear the list for TD. On my past cruise I booked 6 months out but had to change my date and rearrange my summer schedule just to get confirmed seating for TD. If this kind of wait list continues, it won't matter what they offer or don't for people who can't commit to vacation plans a year in advance. I couldn't even accept a free for a cruise a year from now:eek:. Offering something but have a wait list up to 600 is not screaming priority to me. As of now I don't see TD as a real option for me on Princess. I am limited to how far in advance I can book. If you want early seating, don't wait.

 

Why offer something as wonderful as afternoon tea at 3:30-4:30 and early dining at 5:45 pm.

[Pam in CA]

TD is very inefficient allowing 2 1/4 hours for dining and only two turnovers of the seating. Most AD diners will only be about an hour allowing 3 or 4 turnovers of the seating. I agree with the few posters that think Princess should go completely AD. There have been times that I have had to wait well over an hour to get seating in AD while watching a steady stream of people with cruise long reservations be admitted between 6:30 and 8:00. How they got these reservations I don't know, but I suspect they were TD people who mssed getting on the TD list.

See, this is what I don't understand. Why on earth would you want to stuff five courses into your mouth in an hour and run? What happened to enjoying and savoring your meal? And, why on earth would you want to subject yourself to a 30 - 45 minute wait every night for dinner? IMHO, that's not "any time." I've done Anytime twice and it was awful, with long waits (even with a standing reservation for the same time every night), and I've been on cruises in Traditional dining where Anytime diners have been seated because the wait was over 45 minutes. Also, you can assume or suspect all you want but you don't know that TD are flooding the Anytime dining room. On formal nights, there are rarely any empty tables in Traditional yet those are the nights with the longest (in my experience) waits in Anytime so it doesn't compute.

[Times Prince]

a simple solution would be to have their seapass cards checked when they appear at the room and request to be seated.

We'll ALL be in trouble if we have to show our seapass cards on a Princess Cruise.

[MGAfhc]

See, this is what I don't understand. Why on earth would you want to stuff five courses into your mouth in an hour and run? What happened to enjoying and savoring your meal? And, why on earth would you want to subject yourself to a 30 - 45 minute wait every night for dinner? IMHO, that's not "any time." I've done Anytime twice and it was awful, with long waits (even with a standing reservation for the same time every night), and I've been on cruises in Traditional dining where Anytime diners have been seated because the wait was over 45 minutes. Also, you can assume or suspect all you want but you don't know that TD are flooding the Anytime dining room. On formal nights, there are rarely any empty tables in Traditional yet those are the nights with the longest (in my experience) waits in Anytime so it doesn't compute.

 

You seem to have missed the point. If the ADs were converted to TDs as some here seem to want, then there would be far fewer people served and many more would have to do the Buffet because of the slow turnover. If, on the other hand, they are all converted to ADs then more could be accomodated. You would still be free to take as long as you want for that 5 course mouth stuffing.

 

I wasn't talking about Formal Nights just regular nights. On a 10 day cruise I was able to get into a Dining Room only 3 times. After those three experiences I no longer trusted the standard "20 minute waiting time" that I was advised at the door and gave up and went to the Buffet. What was surprising on the times that I did get into the AD Dining Room was to see so many empty tables that never had anyone at them during the time I was there.

[Joy R]

See, this is what I don't understand. Why on earth would you want to stuff five courses into your mouth in an hour and run? What happened to enjoying and savoring your meal? And, why on earth would you want to subject yourself to a 30 - 45 minute wait every night for dinner? IMHO, that's not "any time."

 

Oh, how I agree. We've only been on two cruises with Princess. The first time we chose Anytime, thinking that this would be like eating in a restaurant at home, when you can choose what time you want to eat. In the end, having made friends with our fellow-diners on the first or second night, we ended up booking the same table, with the same waiters (if we could) every night. But we often had to wait for our table. On our second cruise, as it was the Royal Princess, we didn't have a choice, it was only Traditional, and being British we like to eat later rather than earlier, and booked second seating. It was great. No making reservations in the morning. We could linger over our meal - we like eating in restaurants, savouring the food. Why rush? Dinner is part of the cruise experience.

 

For our forthcoming cruise, without any hesitation, we are booked in Traditional, late seating, and are looking forward to it! We will have the day to enjoy, go on excursions, get ready for our dinner without rushing and know that our table and fellow-diners will be there for us.

[Colo Cruiser]

We'll ALL be in trouble if we have to show our seapass cards on a Princess Cruise.

 

Yes because I have never had a Sea Pass card on Princess. :eek:

[Pia1913]

Yes because I have never had a Sea Pass card on Princess. :eek:

 

Ah....knock it off. You know the OP meant RCI. ;)

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Mabe it is time to change TA

[bonniejk]

We were on the Ruby Med cruise leaving Venice on July 3. We were lucky enough to enjoy Chef's Table on the cruise, and Master Chef Alfredo Marzi (head of the entire Cruise Line) just happended to be on the ship that week. What a thrill! Anyway, after the meal he sat at the table and answered questions while he signed our cookbooks. A question came up about Traditional versus Anytime dining, and he said that there are just so many people who will always prefer Traditional dining that he doesn't see it ever going away. To many, it is part of the cruise experience to dress for dinner and go to "their" table with "their" waiter. I would think his opinion would be a pretty good indication that Tradional Dining will be around for awhile!

[Pam in CA]

You seem to have missed the point. If the ADs were converted to TDs as some here seem to want, then there would be far fewer people served and many more would have to do the Buffet because of the slow turnover. If, on the other hand, they are all converted to ADs then more could be accomodated. You would still be free to take as long as you want for that 5 course mouth stuffing.

 

I wasn't talking about Formal Nights just regular nights. On a 10 day cruise I was able to get into a Dining Room only 3 times. After those three experiences I no longer trusted the standard "20 minute waiting time" that I was advised at the door and gave up and went to the Buffet. What was surprising on the times that I did get into the AD Dining Room was to see so many empty tables that never had anyone at them during the time I was there.

Really, I haven't missed the point. If the TD was turned into an AD (which I'm assume is what you meant), then you'd still have people lining up at popular times with long waits. And formal nights should be treated the same way as smart casual nights. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with Anytime Dining but that's my point. MANY people have had poor experiences with AD and want the fixed seating.

 

FYI, even people like myself who enjoy all five courses lose weight on every single cruise. In my case, it's between 2 - 10 lb, depending on the length of the cruise. And I'm not alone.

 

And finally, if Princess did away with Traditional dining, they would lose many of their long-time cruisers. There are many of us who don't want an NCL dining experience. It's all about choices and thank god, we have choices.

[MGAfhc]

Really, I haven't missed the point. If the TD was turned into an AD (which I'm assume is what you meant), then you'd still have people lining up at popular times with long waits. And formal nights should be treated the same way as smart casual nights. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with Anytime Dining but that's my point. MANY people have had poor experiences with AD and want the fixed seating.

 

FYI, even people like myself who enjoy all five courses lose weight on every single cruise. In my case, it's between 2 - 10 lb, depending on the length of the cruise. And I'm not alone.

 

And finally, if Princess did away with Traditional dining, they would lose many of their long-time cruisers. There are many of us who don't want an NCL dining experience. It's all about choices and thank god, we have choices.

 

I really don't understand what your good fortune in weight control has to do with this discussion. If you are offended by the words "5 course mouth stuffing" perhaps you should re-read your posts, they were your words and I maintain an equal right to be offended by your assumption of my dining.

If you must know, I have no weight problem and am completely satisfied with 2 or 3 courses, taking about an hour. I do think that when I am finished with my dinner seating that space should be available to others to use.

[m steve]

It is just less work for them. I want the same staff servicing us every night who remembers our preferences. I request a table for 2 and pre select cabin position. Let them earn their commission.

[cacy6893076]

It is just less work for them.

 

I don't know about "less work", my suspiscion is that traditional was waitlisted and the ta did not want to appear as if they could not get the OP what they wanted so this was their way of saying "the only thing i can get you is personal choice dining" thus making it seem as though this was the "only option" that was to be available....... a little over the top to say that princess was going to only personal choice dining in the future.....that must be a powerful crystal ball the ta has. ;)

[Debathome]

I certainly hope this is not the case. I much prefer the late TD dining option over the anytime. Although the concept is great, my one cruise experience with anytime wasn't. People choose it for 'any time' and then everyone shows up around six to be seated. We like to eat a little later but even then there were mix ups and line ups. We began reserving, which defeats the purpose of being able to enjoy this option.

I agree that quite a few people will be disappointed in Princess if this is indeed the way they are going to go. There is always a waitlist for traditional, I can't see why they would consider it, at least not for all ships across the board.

[ANYPORT]

We had late TD on the Ruby in July. In our 'section' of 6 tables (2 x 10's & 4 x 4's) 3 of the tables for 4 were filled most evenings. The 2 tables for 10 & 1 for 4 were filled on formal nights only. On chatting to waiter he explained that these tables had to be 'set' and cleared each evening just in case the diners showed! Now I know people sometimes want to dine elsewhere, but every night.... & not informing the wait staff....... bad manners IMHO. Have to say when these tables did show on formal nights they were most demanding of wait staff!

Maybe Princess should adopt a 3 strikes & your 'out' policy for the no-shows unless theres a valid reason:p. Then those who want to do TD could be given those tables & free up some space in anytime.