Still confused about Eating Plans??

[cruzgal11]

I hope someone can clear this up before we cruise! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif What is the difference between PC and traditional dining? The PC dining you can eat anywhere you would like and at anytime? Traditional dining has a set time, either 1st seating or 2nd seating and you have to eat in the main dining room? Is this right or am I still confused? http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif Please help! Thanks http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Going on CP in June...can't wait!!

[sue d. miller]

Traditional dining is two seats in one dining roo. PC has two dining rooms. Open seating. You can eat anytime with no reservations and not the same waiters. If you plan to eat in PC at a prime time there may be a wait. If you want to eat at a specialty rest. with a charge, reservations must be made ahead of time, and return to Pc the next nite. In Traditional, It is kind to tell your maiter'd or waiter if you will not be eating in the dr to go to a specilty rest. If you decide to switch to pc during the week, tell youw waiter or md and it opens up your table for someone on a waiting list for traditional. Also in pc you may pick your waiter and a time to eat everynite at the same table.

Sue
7 days on Star Princess 10/24

[sue d. miller]

Yikes! Hope I didnt make it worse. Lol.

Sue
7 days on Star Princess 10/24

[cdnguy]

Sue that's what I was thinking. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

cruzgal, traditional dining has two seatings. An early one about 6pm and a second seating at about 8pm. As Sue says, as a courtesy to your table companions if you have traditional dining (early or late), it's appropriate to mention to your table mates that you plan to try PC dining or the specialty dining areas the following evening and you will not be joining them the following evening.
If you signed up for PC for the entire cruise you can eat in the PC dining anytime between 5:30 and approx 10pm.
There is usually only one dining room set aside for traditional dining and one main dining room for "Anytime Dining".

Island Princess - Hawaii, Nov.5/04
http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff0000&cdt=2004;11;5;17;0;00&timezone=GMT-0800

[This message was edited by cdnguy on 04-11-04 at 08:27 PM.]

[srphnx]

OP has it more or less right, close enough anyway. PC means choices and options but not as EZ as Princess would like you make us think. Tradiotional is EZ period.

<FONT color=red>Alaska</FONT>
Diamond Princess 05/04
Mercury 06/02
Rhapsody o.t. Seas 05/98
Legend o.t. Seas 09/95
<FONT color=red>Mexican Riviera</FONT>
Diamond Princess 04/04
Sea Princess 01/02
Vision o.t. Seas 04/02
Star Princess 12/02<FONT color=red>
West Coast-Baja Mexico</FONT>
Ecstacy 09/01
Vision o.t. Seas 10/02
<FONT color=red>Eastern Carribean</FONT>
Century 12/97
<FONT color=red>Western Carribean</FONT>
Century 9/96

[zurmolly]

You can go PC if you have traditional...but not the other way around...right? http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

[sue d. miller]

Sorry I really tried. One dr for trad, 2 dr for pc. If you go to trad and you go to pc you cant go back to trad. thats why you tell your waiter. It opens up your seats. You can go to the specialty and go back to trad.

Sue
7 days on Star Princess 10/24

[cdnguy]

Sue not all Princess ships have two PC DRs. The Sun Class (Dawn/Sun) have one of each and I'm just off the Island/Coral and they have one of each.

Island Princess - Hawaii, Nov.5/04
http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff0000&cdt=2004;11;5;17;0;00&timezone=GMT-0800

[sue d. miller]

1 trad, 2 pc.

Sue
7 days on Star Princess 10/24

[seafille]

hmmm... Diamond has 4 PC and 1 trad.. not to mention the Horizon Court

seafille

<FONT color=red>Alaska</FONT>
Diamond Princess 05/04
<FONT color=red>Mexican Riviera</FONT>
Diamond Princess 04/04

[sue d. miller]

I believe she is going on the Carribean.

Sue
7 days on Star Princess 10/24

[PINEY10]

It is really personal preference, although I have found that the times you can eat in the PC dining rooms surprisingly coincide with those of the traditional. We tried to book a 7:00 reservation in the Coral for the week, and were told we could have a 6:00 or 6:15 or 8:00 or 8:30 but none others. We were on the Diamond last week and I basically heard the same complaint. Much harder to arrange different times if you have a party over 4 I gather. We were advised that we could come at 7:00 and see what we could get, but we likely would be given a pager. I don't want to sit around waiting to be called on a cruise--I would like the certainty of what we're doing. It can be particularly difficult if you are trying to make a particular show.

[cdnguy]

PINEY
"It can be particularly difficult if you are trying to make a particular show"

Some of our recent dinners in PC have lasted almost 2 1/2 hours. We look forward to the shows and I think we've experienced our last PC dining.
Took Traditional on our next one in Nov.

Island Princess - Hawaii, Nov.5/04
http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff0000&cdt=2004;11;5;17;0;00&timezone=GMT-0800

[geoherb]

If you have traditional, you can go to one of the PC dining rooms. It's nice to let your waiters and tablemates know that you won't be there for dinner that night.

When we were on the Star Princess, our tablemates let us know the first night that they'd be trying out all the dining rooms and specialty restaurants. They were leading a tour group six weeks later and wanted to be able to answer questions from their group.

If you have traditional and decide that PC dining is better for you, let your maitre d' know so that someone on the waitlist for traditional get take your place.