Is This True?

[Azure Moon]

If you have to wait for anytime seating, how will you know

the 'demographics' of the people already seated?

 

It is talked about all the time on cruise critic, but who can

know if it is really a problem?

 

People like to talk :D.

 

I might hear people talking with the door attendant about the want or need to change from traditional dining to anytime for this meal. Or maybe hear them talk about it while waiting to be seated in anytime. Or, if we are seated near each other, hear them discuss the differences between traditional and anytime, or the dining room differences, etc. Or I may hear other anytime diners discuss seeing or hearing traditional diners being seated in the anytime dining area.

[pablo222]

People like to talk :D.

 

I might hear people talking with the door attendant about the want or need to change from traditional dining to anytime for this meal. Or maybe hear them talk about it while waiting to be seated in anytime. Or, if we are seated near each other, hear them discuss the differences between traditional and anytime, or the dining room differences, etc. Or I may hear other anytime diners discuss seeing or hearing traditional diners being seated in the anytime dining area.

 

Sounds very scientific.

 

Can you advise when -- say -- 40 people are in line at the door,

how many could be seated if traditional diners had not

been allowed?

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

OK. It's a little hard to expect that no additional people be seated in your section during you meal.

 

No, it is a reasonable expectation that can easily be achieved by not allowing TA diners to go to AT at will and not allowing AT diners to make reservations that bog down the system.

 

What I meant to imply is that It's a little hard to expect that no additional people from the AT dining room be seated in your section of the traditional dining room during your meal. If it speeds the AT dining line up, no matter what the reason, it justifies doing so.

You seem to be saying that just because you've got you seat for the whole cruise the unused seats for a particular night in my section should not be used for any reason because it slows down my meal.

That's just a selfish as diners from TD going to an AT dining room, which BTW is discouraged by checking cruise cards each evening on most ships.

[smtcan]

I agree Traditional Diners should not be allowed in the Anytime Dining Rooms. I also believe there should be no reservations allowed for the Anytime Dining which results in two lines and take up time at the entrance as the wait staff has to deal with two groups of people. It is another reason lines back up.

 

We were a group of ten on the Royal Princess cruise that ended yesterday. We booked Any Time Dining. The first night the Maitre d' suggested that we make a reservation for all future nights because there were a limited number of tables for ten. He offered us 6:15 or 8:30, because he said he had to use the table twice in the evening. We took 6:15 with the understanding that the table would be held for 15 minutes, and that we would let him know if we were not coming any night. This worked well for us and I don't think it caused problems for anyone else. Each of the three couples chose one night to dine alone, and informed the Maitre d' who left the other eight, which included four children, at our usual table.

 

Sheila

[sue2go]

We are going on our first Princess cruise and chose anytime dining. Our cruise isn't till 2016... hope they have all the kinks out of it by then!

[Cruisin' Chick]

What would the alternative be --- seat some people at a large

table, but don't let them order until the table is full?

 

...sort of like a bus to the airport at the end of the cruise.

 

How about waiting a few minutes before sitting passengers until there's enough to fill a table? If there's quite a line, that shouldn't take more than seconds.

 

And if there isn't a line, odds are there are at least a couple of tables that are open. Then there shouldn't be a reason to place a couple of couples at a table and for the waiter to take their order...and then another couple is seated there. Odds are the latest to sit will need a few minutes to peruse the menu and decide. The waiter puts in the order and the appetizers for the first set of diners are ready. Or else, the waiter will wait for all of the first course to be ready.

 

 

 

The point is that the room should be managed such that tables are filled one at a time and quickly enough that everyone at the table can order at the same time.

 

This makes more sense.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

We are going on our first Princess cruise and chose anytime dining. Our cruise isn't till 2016... hope they have all the kinks out of it by then!

 

Very doubtful.....these problems have been going on for years now.

There is one solution....eat as early as possible or as late as possible & you have a choice of table size with no waiting at all. It doesn't work for everyone but if you can shift you dining time slightly it's great. The major delays come at peak dining times from 6:30 - 8 PM.

[Tuscan]

We always do anytime dining and we have been asked for our card probably on half of our cruises. We consistently eat late so we usually don't experience any long lines. I do however think that Princess needs to set clear regulations for anytime dining on all of its ships. Either you can switch from TD to AD or you can't. Also it appears that making reservations for AD may create wait time so maybe that practice needs to be rethought. I really like AD but Princess might need to tweak a few things.

 

I agree.

 

DH and I were on the Royal in 09/13. We had a 7:00pm reservation for the ATD MDR midship (the name escapes me). We arrived 5 minutes early and were kept waiting for over a 1/2 hour past our reservation time. Then, we were summoned to the Maitre D, who then had us, and two other "table for two" couples, escorted to the aft MDR, which I believe was for TD. (All of the other tables were full and all were well into their meals) We never understood why this happened until we read this thread.

 

As such, I really don't think that people pre-registered for ATD, and especially with a reservation in the ADT Dining Room, should be moved to accommodate TD diners that decide to change from their assigned dining for the evening.

 

Had I known of this practice at the time, I would have politely said something to the Maitre' D. ADT in general & reservations really need to be tweaked.

[travling1]

I think it is fairly simple. If you book "anytime" dining, you must expect to wait. Maybe you won't wait,...but sometimes you will. And we know that in advance.

 

With "traditional" dining, you only wait if you arrive too early, before the dining room opens its doors. Generally, you are free to choose either option, unless you make a last minute booking.

[Tuscan]

I think it is fairly simple. If you book "anytime" dining, you must expect to wait. Maybe you won't wait,...but sometimes you will. And we know that in advance.

 

With "traditional" dining, you only wait if you arrive too early, before the dining room opens its doors. Generally, you are free to choose either option, unless you make a last minute booking.

 

It's not the waiting that bothered us. As you said, it's to be periodically expected in ATD and we have never had a problem with that. (We've been doing ATD since it was offered)

 

Our concern was with what amounted to a compromised / lost ATD reservation due to TD "party crashers".

 

But, in the grand scheme of things, it's up to Princess to institute a fleetwide policy to address these issues.

[IECalCruiser]

I agree.

 

 

 

DH and I were on the Royal in 09/13. We had a 7:00pm reservation for the ATD MDR midship (the name escapes me). We arrived 5 minutes early and were kept waiting for over a 1/2 hour past our reservation time. Then, we were summoned to the Maitre D, who then had us, and two other "table for two" couples, escorted to the aft MDR, which I believe was for TD. (All of the other tables were full and all were well into their meals) We never understood why this happened until we read this thread.

 

 

 

As such, I really don't think that people pre-registered for ATD, and especially with a reservation in the ADT Dining Room, should be moved to accommodate TD diners that decide to change from their assigned dining for the evening.

 

 

 

Had I known of this practice at the time, I would have politely said something to the Maitre' D. ADT in general & reservations really need to be tweaked.

I don't know what happened in your case, but I am surprised you could get a 7:00pm reservation for AT dining. We haven't been able to make a reservation between 6:30pm and 7:30pm in AT dining even on two cruises when were sailing in full suites.

 

 

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[Lovetocruiseprincess]

I agree.

 

DH and I were on the Royal in 09/13. We had a 7:00pm reservation for the ATD MDR midship (the name escapes me). We arrived 5 minutes early and were kept waiting for over a 1/2 hour past our reservation time. Then, we were summoned to the Maitre D, who then had us, and two other "table for two" couples, escorted to the aft MDR, which I believe was for TD. (All of the other tables were full and all were well into their meals) We never understood why this happened until we read this thread.

 

As such, I really don't think that people pre-registered for ATD, and especially with a reservation in the ADT Dining Room, should be moved to accommodate TD diners that decide to change from their assigned dining for the evening.

 

Had I known of this practice at the time, I would have politely said something to the Maitre' D. ADT in general & reservations really need to be tweaked.

 

Well you obviously know from past Princess cruises that reservation at 7:00 PM are a major cause of the delays in the AT dining room. I'm surprised that they made them as late as that.

Your wait must have been caused by an earlier couple to finish their dinner and if they had a reservation they may have been late to arrive or just slow eaters. Either way I'm convinced that reservations in the AT dining room slow down the whole process in general and that people should just wait in line for the next available table.

[Tuscan]

I don't know what happened in your case, but I am surprised you could get a 7:00pm reservation for AT dining. We haven't been able to make a reservation between 6:30pm and 7:30pm in AT dining even on two cruises when were sailing in full suites.

 

 

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I guess it just depends upon what time you call the Dining Line. Most times, I try to call the Dining Line as soon as it opens, or shortly thereafter, but I don't want to be sitting by the phone EVERY morning. That’s stress to me. I'm on vacation.

[kruisey]

If my on shore ends late past my 6.00 PM time I go to HC.

Only experienced AT dining twice.Actually went with my late friend Could not get Traditional..We booked a table for two for the whole trip in AT but some nights we had to wait and always had a different waiter each night.The meal was often rushed and sometimes took a long time between courses.We never got to know the waiters it seemed impersonal. When we did ask to have a waiter we liked we never did. Where as in Traditional Dining I am not rushed, the waiter gets to know you.My honest opinion is that the service is much better in Traditional than in Anytime dining.:)

[pablo222]

How about waiting a few minutes before sitting passengers until there's enough to fill a table?

 

I guess that I don't presume that the headwaiter at the door

is an idiot (with one exception).

 

I would think he's trying his best to fill tables completely,

but may not be able to depending on the size and timing

of parties arriving.

 

Additionally, during peak times, he really needs to use every seat.

 

...as opposed to breakfast, where there are plenty of empty seats,

and it's easy to have a waiter handle another table in a nearby

unused station.

[satxdiver]

We started doing ATD when it was first announced. Both types of dining have their plus and minus so it is a personal decision. Sometimes I have to wait for a table but always agree to sit at a 4 or 6 top. I really don't see anything wrong with a TD pax coming to ATD because they missed their dining time.

 

Back when TD was the only choice every cruise I was on except one time the table was not full. In one case I and my partner sat at a 6 top by ourselves. They offered several times to move us to a fuller table, but we declined. I remember seeing many tables empty every night - I did late dining so early dining time may be different.

[IECalCruiser]

I guess it just depends upon what time you call the Dining Line. Most times, I try to call the Dining Line as soon as it opens, or shortly thereafter, but I don't want to be sitting by the phone EVERY morning. That’s stress to me. I'm on vacation.

It wouldn't have made any difference when we called in the morning. Even though we were in a suite and should receive "preferred anytime dining reservations" the Maître d' told us he would not accept reservations from anyone between 6:30pm and 7:30pm. This has been true on several other ships.

 

 

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[karena1]

Yes this is true and always has been. Each MD on each ship handles things his own way. I believe that this has contributed to longer waits in anytime although I don't think its totally to blame.

Is it fair? No. If you choose trad you should do trad. You have lots of other options to eat if you want to skip a night in trad. JMHO. :cool:

 

You can always give up your trad spot and go anytime but don't expect to jump back and forth.

 

I so agree with you. But I DO think that is why Anytime Dining is such a mess. On Royal, if you have traditional dining you cannot go to MTD.

That is how it should be on Princess. On Ruby in Jan the ATD was so horrid we ended up eating in the buffet 3 out of 5 nights because the lines were crazy. We never make reservations and on Royal never wait more than 10 minutes. On Ruby in Jan it was the talk of the ship. Everyone we talked too said the same thing about how awful the lines were. They were down the hallway no matter what time you went to eat. If you have TD then you should not be allowed to eat in ATD. Period.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

I so agree with you. But I DO think that is why Anytime Dining is such a mess. On Royal, if you have traditional dining you cannot go to MTD.

That is how it should be on Princess. On Ruby in Jan the ATD was so horrid we ended up eating in the buffet 3 out of 5 nights because the lines were crazy. We never make reservations and on Royal never wait more than 10 minutes. On Ruby in Jan it was the talk of the ship. Everyone we talked too said the same thing about how awful the lines were. They were down the hallway no matter what time you went to eat. If you have TD then you should not be allowed to eat in ATD. Period.

 

You're not saying what time you arrived at the DR in the evening. It makes a big difference as well as the table size. Were you looking for a table for 2 or 8? Again, big difference.

[karena1]

Here's Princess' stated official policy.

 

"Based on availability and with 24-hour notice, traditional diners are allowed into Anytime Dining Rooms after 8:30 PM."

 

Not ambiguous at all. But how it's enforced is usually up to the maitre'd.

 

Except it is NOT after 8:30, it is all the time!:mad: Princess really needs to get this fixed. I am not even bothering taking formal clothes on Ruby in December if the ATD is as bad as it was in Jan. No reason to take formals and tux if we are going to end up in the buffet almost every night because of the disaster in ATD

Edited August 23, 2014 by karena1

[karena1]

Okay, here's where I really get upset with Princess:

I also cruise regularly with Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. Both of those lines have a similar setup--Both options of Traditional or Anytime. On those lines, when you arrive at the podium outside the designated Anytime entrance to the dining room, they ask for your cabin number, bring it up on their computer, check you in and bring you to a table. If someone shows up without the appropriate Anytime designation, THEY TURN THEM AWAY! They don't seem to have many complaints about this. People learn fast. As a result, I have NEVER waited more than about 5 minutes to be seated on a Royal Caribbean or Celebrity ship...even though we typically arrive at dinner between 7:00 and 7:30...

 

IT CAN BE DONE...

 

In fact, it MUST be done...Are you listening, Princess?

You either have to go to ALL Anytime, return to ALL Traditional...OR you must police your system properly. The numbers just do not work where you let all of your Traditional diners use their seating assignment as an "option"...

 

Totally agree. We have never, no matter what time we go to eat which is usually between 7:30 and 8:15, have we waited more than 10 minutes for a table. And the ALWAYS ask for our cabin number to ensure you are part of MTD. Princess needs to figure out how to make this work the way it is supposed to.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

Except it is NOT after 8:30, it is all the time!:mad: Princess really needs to get this fixed. I am not even bothering taking formal clothes on Ruby in December if the ATD is as bad as it was in Jan. No reason to take formals and tux if we are going to end up in the buffet almost every night because of the disaster in ATD

 

How do you actually know the back up in the AT dining room was caused by traditional people switching over? Did you question the people standing in line?

We've been on some cruises where the AT dining room always seemed to be overcrowded while other trips it went much more smoothly. A lot depends on the age group & when they want to eat.

[caribill]

We never make reservations and on Royal never wait more than 10 minutes. On Ruby in Jan it was the talk of the ship. Everyone we talked too said the same thing about how awful the lines were.

 

On Royal, they limit the number of passengers assigned to My Time Dining. As it is capacity controlled, there is less of a wait.

 

On Princess the number of passengers assigned to Anytime is unlimited. So if 75% of the passengers choose to be assigned to Anytime, there will be lines.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

On Royal, they limit the number of passengers assigned to My Time Dining. As it is capacity controlled, there is less of a wait.

 

On Princess the number of passengers assigned to Anytime is unlimited. So if 75% of the passengers choose to be assigned to Anytime, there will be lines.

 

We haven't been on RCCL since they've started the My Time Dining but how do they limit the number of people assigned? :confused: Where do they go?

You're not saying that they can't go to the DR to eat & have to go to the buffet are you?

[Bruin Steve]

We haven't been on RCCL since they've started the My Time Dining but how do they limit the number of people assigned? :confused: Where do they go?

You're not saying that they can't go to the DR to eat & have to go to the buffet are you?

 

RCCL and Celebrity have one large multi-level main dining room on each ship...Normally, what they do is to make the upper level anytime dining, the lower level traditional...They know exactly how many seats they have in the traditional area, times two seatings...The anytime area can easily handle the number of people in anytime...

 

When you book the cruise, you can choose traditional early, traditional late or anytime...intil they reach the limit for any of those, at which point you can be "waitlisted"...Book late and you may not have a choice...

 

So, if you have anytime dining, you report to the correct deck and there's a podium there with a computer terminal where they check your eligibility...

 

Only people assigned the anytime option will be allowed in on that deck and ushered to available tables...People with assigned traditional tables only have the choice of going to their assigned table at the designated time...or eating in a specialty restaurant...or eating in the buffet...

 

Believe it or not, they get very few people trying to crash the system...

It runs far more smoothly than Princess...