New Traditional Dining Time coming out

[CruisinEars]

Princess has announced a new Traditional Dining time, it will be at 5:30 for the big ships, 5:15 for the Coral and Island, not offered on the small ships and the Aus. ships. It is being tried out on the Golden right now and they decided to roll it out fleetwide. So now they have Early, Traditional 1st and 2nd and Anytime. They realized that many people wanted the earlier times in the traditional setting. Check with your TA if this is of interest to you or if you booked directly, call Princess.

[Pam in CA]

Originally Posted by CruisinEars

Princess has announced a new Traditional Dining time, it will be at 5:30 for the big ships, 5:15 for the Coral and Island, not offered on the small ships and the Aus. ships. It is being tried out on the Golden right now and they decided to roll it out fleetwide. So now they have Early, Traditional 1st and 2nd and Anytime. They realized that many people wanted the earlier times in the traditional setting. Check with your TA if this is of interest to you or if you booked directly, call Princess.

I'm a little confused. You're saying there are THREE Traditional seatings, i.e., "Early, Traditional 1st and 2nd"? As for the dining time, that's not much of a difference for the Coral/Island. It was 5:30pm for Early (1st) and 7:30pm (2nd) for Late on my January cruise. For my Crown cruise this summer, late dining is listed in my cruise personalizer as at 8:15pm.

FYI, I can't see a 5:15pm Early seating on many itineraries, in particular the Med. Most ports, the ship doesn't sail until 6pm and passengers aren't due onboard until 5:30pm. I suspect the adjusted times are not going to be fleetwide but rather depend on the ship and itinerary, which has always been the case.

[Coral]

Thanks for the info!

I am glad to hear this. While I probably won't take early dining, it will help relieve the first traditional dining wait list.

It shows Princess is listening to those of us who want Traditional dining.

[pms4104]

Currently Princess lists that early time on the website for some ships, with a footnote that reads: "Additional Traditional seatings on select voyages".

Shown for Coral, Diamond, Golden, Grand, Island, Sea, Star.

Not a lot of difference between 5:30 and 6:00 ... I wonder if this will pose a logistics issue with guests funneling into the dining room at two overlapping times. At the very least, it could be disruptive to the service and normal atmosphere of the venue.

Wonder how Princess would determine how much of the dining room would be dedicated to that earlier time. Also, it isn't as tho all the tables would be turned at the same time as would be the case with one early and one late seating.

[Coral]

Originally Posted by Pam in CA

FYI, I can't see a 5:15pm Early seating on many itineraries, in particular the Med. Most ports, the ship doesn't sail until 6pm and passengers aren't due onboard until 5:30pm. I suspect the adjusted times are not going to be fleetwide but rather depend on the ship and itinerary, which has always been the case.

I agree in some ports/itineraries it won't work but in others it will.

[Toto2Kansas]

Three dining times? Won't that make dinner a bit rushed for those that like the two hour plus dinners in Traditional?

[pms4104]

Originally Posted by Coral

Thanks for the info!

I am glad to hear this. While I probably won't take early dining, it will help relieve the first traditional dining wait list.

It shows Princess is listening to those of us who want Traditional dining.

How so? While it's an earlier seating, it would overlap the traditional early seating by only a half hour. So, I don't see how this could increase dining capacity and availability.

[Coral]

Originally Posted by camp637

How so? While it's an earlier seating, it would overlap the traditional early seating by only a half hour. So, I don't see how this could increase dining capacity and availability.

I think it depends. This could easily be done on the Sapphire and Diamond where there are 4 dining rooms for Traditional. Right now, they use one of the anytime dining rooms for early/first Traditional and then it converts to anytime dining.

I can actually see one of the anytime dining room on the other ships do "Early" as many of these are empty at this time (and sometimes not open yet). And then after Early dining is over, it will become Anytime. This would be in addition to the Traditional dining room. I am purely guessing here but it would make sense to me.

[Pam in CA]

Originally Posted by Toto2Kansas

Three dining times? Won't that make dinner a bit rushed for those that like the two hour plus dinners in Traditional?

Particularly on formal nights. Those nights, dining times always take a lot longer.

[Colo Cruiser]

Where is it announced?

Sounds like another rumor.

[Coral]

Originally Posted by Colo Cruiser

Where is it announced?

Sounds like another rumor.

The OP works somewhere where she would know. I just emailed my agent and she already knew about it (her comments were "I saw this on some reservations today").

[pms4104]

Originally Posted by Coral

I think it depends. This could easily be done on the Sapphire and Diamond where there are 4 dining rooms for Traditional. Right now, they use one of the anytime dining rooms for early/first Traditional and then it converts to anytime dining.

I can actually see one of the anytime dining do "Early" as many of these are empty at this time (and sometimes not open yet). And then after Early dining is over, it will become Anytime. This would be in addition to the Traditional dining room. I am purely guessing here but it would make sense to me.

Thanks for your insight. I wasn't thinking of it in terms of the dining arrangements as you described them. I generally sail HAL, and they have only one main dining room for traditional (upper level) and anytime (lower level). So I wasn't seeing this additional dining seating as, perhaps, being in a separate venue.

[Coral]

Originally Posted by Toto2Kansas

Three dining times? Won't that make dinner a bit rushed for those that like the two hour plus dinners in Traditional?

I wonder if they are going to use an anytime dining room for early as those dining rooms are empty early on. Also, it seems like the trend now is not the long drawn out dinners. It seems common when I read reviews from new cruisers how they complain about 2 hour dinners.

[pms4104]

Originally Posted by Colo Cruiser

Where is it announced?

Sounds like another rumor.

If you go to the Princess website and look at the Dining Options under Onboard Experience, you will see this third seating listed for some ships. Gotta select each ship to see which will offer it "on select sailings".

[Coral]

Originally Posted by camp637

Thanks for your insight. I wasn't thinking of it in terms of the dining arrangements as you described them. I generally sail HAL, and they have only one main dining room for traditional (upper level) and anytime (lower level). So I wasn't seeing this additional dining seating as, perhaps, being in a separate venue.

I am purely speculating but it sort of makes sense. I know on some ships I have been on, one of the anytime dining rooms opens later than the other one does.

[Colo Cruiser]

Originally Posted by Coral

I think it depends. This could easily be done on the Sapphire and Diamond where there are 4 dining rooms for Traditional. Right now, they use one of the anytime dining rooms for early/first Traditional and then it converts to anytime dining.

The Sapphire/Diamond have a terrible setup with those 4 DR's.
Not a fan of them at all.

[Colo Cruiser]

We always have late seating anyway.

Who the heck wants to eat at 5:15?

[Colo Cruiser]

Originally Posted by CruisinEars

Princess has announced a new Traditional Dining time, it will be at 5:30 for the big ships, 5:15 for the Coral and Island, not offered on the small ships and the Aus. ships. It is being tried out on the Golden right now and they decided to roll it out fleetwide. So now they have Early, Traditional 1st and 2nd and Anytime. They realized that many people wanted the earlier times in the traditional setting. Check with your TA if this is of interest to you or if you booked directly, call Princess.

Where do you get this info?

What do you do for Princess?

[Colo Cruiser]

Originally Posted by camp637

If you go to the Princess website and look at the Dining Options under Onboard Experience, you will see this third seating listed for some ships. Gotta select each ship to see which will offer it "on select sailings".

I will do that, thanks.

[Saruman]

This offer was sent to passengers of Golden's 5/22 sailing to Alaska. Offered "due to popular demand". Didn't explain which dining room or how it was going to work, just gave us the opportunity to switch from Anytime to this early 5:30 traditional seating.