As You Wish Dining on the Prinsendam

I'm booked for the 28-day Amazon in November and chose late dining. But I'm having second thoughts. How does As You Wish work on the Prinsendam in particular, since there's just one dining room? We tend to eat later, around 7:30, and often prefer a two-top. If I can still switch, should I? Is it like Princess, where I can easily switch from traditional to Anytime at any point I'm the cruise by speaking to the maitre d'? And what's two-top availability like?

I'm booked for the 28-day Amazon in November and chose late dining. But I'm having second thoughts. How does As You Wish work on the Prinsendam in particular, since there's just one dining room? We tend to eat later, around 7:30, and often prefer a two-top. If I can still switch, should I? Is it like Princess, where I can easily switch from traditional to Anytime at any point I'm the cruise by speaking to the maitre d'? And what's two-top availability like?

Open dining is in the aft portion of the dining room (main area). The dining room has two parts - a smaller forward section and the aft circular dining room.

There are some two tops in open dining and many of them have window views.

Did you/your TA request a two top for your dining? If they did, you will most likely have a two top for you main (late dining). That, being the case, I would be tempted to stay with your fixed dining booking and, if you decide you prefer open/any time dining, yes, you can speak to the maitre d' and easily change to that.

Only one change is normally permitted though which is why I would stick with the fixed dining until you see what you think of it. Easier to get open/any time dining than fixed normally on this ship.

Hope this helps.

6:30 some times is a little busy. By 7:30 there's no line

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

We found the MDR really noisy, just deafening at times. We only ate there once on this latest cruise, but remembered it that way from previous cruises. With fixed seating, you will probably be seated in the smaller, forwarder(?) dining area, and it is much quieter. And more two-tops, too, I think. We requested a table for two, and gave HAL our three best choices of table, ahead of time, (they gave us our first choice!) and were very happy with the main seating at 8. Our stewards usually didn't mind at all if we were 15 minutes or so early. And we had Kazu and her DH at a table beside us, so that made it even nicer!:D

Check HAL plus facts and you will find a map of the dining rooms to peruse...

Thanks, all...sounds like we should stick with what we have.

Thanks, all...sounds like we should stick with what we have.

I would and, if you prefer easy to change on board.

Have a great cruise :)

Fixed dining does not guarantee the midships dining room - on our last two Prinsendam cruises (May, 2017 and 2017 holiday cruise) we were in the very noisy aft dining room. If you wish the smaller dining room request it now.

We were just on the Prinsendam last month and some of the two-tops in the forward dining room were so close together that you might as well be dining with the couple at the next table. As soon as I saw that we'd been assigned one of those so close together, I visited the podium to see if there were any two-tops that were more private and they found a nice window table (#127) for us in the rear dining room. We still had fixed late seating. You can make requests in advance via Ship Services and you could also request one of the more private two-tops in the forward dining room by a window but there are only a few of them. In our case, those were already taken by passengers who had been on the ship for several weeks before we boarded the Prinsendam. By the way, the dining room diagram for the Prinsendam that you can find on the web site with "halfacts" in the name, isn't totally accurate since they do move some tables around. That diagram does not show Table 127 in the same location as where it was when we were seated there last month.

We were just on the Prinsendam last month and some of the two-tops in the forward dining room were so close together that you might as well be dining with the couple at the next table. As soon as I saw that we'd been assigned one of those so close together, I visited the podium to see if there were any two-tops that were more private and they found a nice window table (#127) for us in the rear dining room. We still had fixed late seating. You can make requests in advance via Ship Services and you could also request one of the more private two-tops in the forward dining room by a window but there are only a few of them. In our case, those were already taken by passengers who had been on the ship for several weeks before we boarded the Prinsendam. By the way, the dining room diagram for the Prinsendam that you can find on the web site with "halfacts" in the name, isn't totally accurate since they do move some tables around. That diagram does not show Table 127 in the same location as where it was when we were seated there last month.

That's a good point on the dining room diagrams changing. They do on all the ships depending on demand.

the Prinsendam is especially conscious of the requests for 2 tops and if they can, will create them.

I know your location well. We had that two top on one cruise when we requested to move (due to a table at a 6 top that was harrassing the staff).

I have no issues with the two tops in the forward dining room. It's the best of both worlds. If you wish, you can connect with those "next door" and if they are missing, you don't need to wait wondering if they are coming.

I do find the aft dining room noisier and busier but others like it. It's good that we are all different and enjoy different experiences :)

We found the MDR really noisy, just deafening at times.:D

Check HAL plus facts and you will find a map of the dining rooms to peruse...

:cool: what is a two top? is that a two seat? never heard the term before

:cool: what is a two top? is that a two seat? never heard the term before

Table for two.

We just booked for our first cruise on Prinsendam, and I have been reading this thread to see if we should go with the open/anytime dining option or put ourselves on the waitlist for the first seating. Most people I have talked to at HAL advise the freedom of the open dining, but I have been unclear how it works, how much flexibility there is, what the trade-offs are, etc. The TA mentioned making a dinner reservation once we figure out our schedule for the day. Does that mean that if we "just show up" for dinner, we'd have to wait or end up with some seating problem?

We just show up and are seated right away. Sometimes you will have to wait a few minutes but not for long. Also requesting a table for two sometimes calls for a short wait. Otherwise, we ask to be seated with others, and are placed at a table with no waiting.

Marianne