How successful is Anytime Dining on P&O'S Pacific Fleet

[Wyuna1]

Cruising on Pacific Pearl March 2011. This will be our first experience of anytime dining, ant information or tips would be appreciated.

[cme2c]

Cruising on Pacific Pearl March 2011. This will be our first experience of anytime dining, ant information or tips would be appreciated.

 

We were on Pacific Jewel in January. Anytime dining works ok, but sometimes it seemed to take a long time for all your courses to turn up, so if you had all meals in the restaurant, you could be in there half the day.

 

Also, book a table (especially for dinner). If you get there just after a popular activity, there can be quite a queue

[thied]

We have experience of anytime dining a few times and have found most people just return to set dinning times and book the same time and same table for every night. as we have all ways done and having children as most people who have children will know it is way easier to do set dinning.

 

 

Love Thied.

[Sandielle]

Cruising on Pacific Pearl March 2011. This will be our first experience of anytime dining, ant information or tips would be appreciated.

 

We've found it's not really anytime dining as such - although a couple may be able to get in anytime they wish. They ask you to book a table each night (preferably a day ahead of time) and ask if you want 5.30pm, 5.45 pm, or 8 pm (last time it was 8.30pm). This is to allow them to clear all tables and reset them to get ready for later people. The two early times are most popular - they stagger these so they don't have huge queues waiting to enter the restaurant.

 

We have never had to wait very long between courses, but we find a waiter we like and book his table every night. This is on the Pacific Dawn. At breakfast and lunch times you just get put at the tables as you walk in.

[thied]

Cruising on Pacific Pearl March 2011. This will be our first experience of anytime dining, ant information or tips would be appreciated.

 

 

as I do not know what your dinning habits are wheather you like to eat early or late but most people with young families eat early. we have found that the earlier you book the young the dinning room people are, and so the later they are older and as some do not like dinning with children , in saying that it does not apply to every one ine every age group or family or member on here.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

From what I have observed ..

 

Anytime Dining means ...

 

Whenever you want to turn up at the table.

 

It does not mean

 

When your food will turn up.

 

Most galleys still work on producing the meals

 

for the 2 sitting timetable.

[sludger]

We were on the Jewel in October and it worked really well.

We were in a group of 12 which became larger as the cruise progressed and the longest we had to wait for a table was about 30 mins.

 

If we ever sail with P&O Aust again which presently is doubtful, we would choose the anytime option.

 

Paul

[Drelix]

Anytime dinning worked on our last cruise becasue we had a young kid on the cruise we could do it around the shows some nights we had late some nights we had early just deppends on if you wanted to go to the show as the young kid had to be in bed and had some one watch him as he sleepted incase he woke up and started screaming,

 

I prefer early dinner though casue you can do more with your nights.

[TJSMP]

I was on the Pacific Dawn Christmas 2009 and had no trouble booking a table for dinner. We were on the Jewel Christmas 2010 and we were never able to book a table, every time we went to book, they were saying they were full and we had to come and wait outside which would take about 1/2 an hour. It got very confusing as we didn't have any trouble the year before but beside that we had a ball and have booked again for Christmas this year :D

[Shiprobbo]

We sailed on Pacific Dawn in June last year, this was our first experience of 'Anytime Dining', and like Thied we pretty much went back to doing what we had always done with a set time and set table for the whole cruise.

 

Personally I don't think that 'Anytime Dining' works on the P&O ships. I don't think it is for lack of trying, rather that the ships were not designed to accomodate it from new, so the layout of the galley and service areas does not fit. I think also the knock on for this is the delays in service times and drop in food quality. That's just my thoughts!

[lolabunny77]

A lot better than one might think.I do wish I had anytime dining the first time I was on Pacific Sun back in 2008 for the dinner service.I got stuck with one of the most incompatible group ever for a thirty something and almost swore off cruising at that point but am pleased they have gone away from the old first/second sitting arrangement to this.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

A lot better than one might think.I do wish I had anytime dining the first time I was on Pacific Sun back in 2008 for the dinner service.I got stuck with one of the most incompatible group ever for a thirty something and almost swore off cruising at that point but am pleased they have gone away from the old first/second sitting arrangement to this.

 

Word of advice...

 

If you ever find yourself ,

at First or Second Sitting

with an incompatible table...

 

Go see the Maitre de...

and request/insist on a change.

 

He will do that.

 

Do not sit there thinking it will get better...

 

It wont.

 

Remember the Cruise Line wants you to enjoy yourself as well.