Traditional vs Anytime Dining

[Csmom21]

First time Princess cruiser here!

 

We are down for the 6:30pm (or maybe it's 6pm?) dining time. Apparently, we are number 176 on the waitlist for this time. I was told we would probably move up on the waitlist but obviously they couldn't give is any guarentees as to how far up we will move.

 

If it was just DH and I, it wouldn't be a big deal. We are traveling with an 11.5 month old (will be at the time of the cruise) and though he is perfectly pleasant, I can guarentee no one wants to see him after 8pm, myself included. He's usually in bed by 7:45pm.

 

So the main question is, how do the two dining options compare? If we change our table size will it change our place on the waitlist? We are down for a table for 6 (there are 4 adults and the baby in our party). We also wouldn't

mind eating at the earlier time if necessary.

[waltd]

One thing you might not like about anytime is there is always a line waiting to get into the dining room. Especially if you want to eat before 7 pm. That's the one good thing about Traditional you just walk right in. IMHO the answer is yes it might change your wait list number if you decide to change your table size. You didn't say when the cruise was.

[Csmom21]

One thing you might not like about anytime is there is always a line waiting to get into the dining room. Especially if you want to eat before 7 pm. That's the one good thing about Traditional you just walk right in. IMHO the answer is yes it might change your wait list number if you decide to change your table size. You didn't say when the cruise was.

 

Oops, January 24th on the Ruby Princess! The question is, would it change it for the better or worse (and I understand you won't be able to answer this for me).

[waltd]

You still have some time for them to get you to the time you prefer. Have you gone on line and into your Princess Cruise Personalizer? If I remember correctly you can start to change you table size and time and it will tell you what the wait list is for the different table sizes and time just DON'T update it to change it.

[Csmom21]

You still have some time for them to get you to the time you prefer. Have you gone on line and into your Princess Cruise Personalizer? If I remember correctly you can start to change you table size and time and it will tell you what the wait list is for the different table sizes and time just DON'T update it to change it.

 

Oh! I thought it would. I didn't realize that. I will double check later.

[waltd]

I'm sure you already know this but worst case the day you board the matri' d will have a table setup at around 2( check the Princess Patter for time and location) and you can talk to him and they will try to accommodate you. Usually they tell you that they will try and let you know with a note in your stateroom some time during the day.

Also you can always call Princess Customer Service and they can look it up for you to see where you are on the list.

[MauiLvrs]

One thing you might not like about anytime is there is always a line waiting to get into the dining room..

 

We usually didn't see a line after 7:45 ;)

 

Anytime with a 1yr old I would expect might be interesting...

 

You likely would get a pager and could wait around the Piazza which might not be too bad... except many times to seat early there is a wait to get a pager to wait...

We'd stick with the wait list .. and enter a special request in the personalizer, and have Princess add a note to your reservation record.

[Csmom21]

We usually didn't see a line after 7:45 ;)

 

Anytime with a 1yr old I would expect might be interesting...

 

You likely would get a pager and could wait around the Piazza which might not be too bad... except many times to seat early there is a wait to get a pager to wait...

We'd stick with the wait list .. and enter a special request in the personalizer, and have Princess add a note to your reservation record.

 

Lol. He really is very good (and used to going out to eat). I swear I'm not some crazy delusional mom that thinks her kid can do nothing wrong. We actually get comments all the time from people when we are out to eat who say they can't believe how good he is. You just have to keep offering him food, lol.

 

I think I will stick with the waitlist.

[bxqlsigelsq]

You still have some time for them to get you to the time you prefer.

[paul929207]

When you board, your cruise card will indicate your dining assignment, either AD or TD and the MDR, table and time for TD. If you do not have a table for first seating TD, go to see the MD and explain the situation to you. Like everyone else, he will not want an unhappy child in the dining room.

[Dbld777]

First time Princess cruiser here!

 

We are down for the 6:30pm (or maybe it's 6pm?) dining time. Apparently, we are number 176 on the waitlist for this time. I was told we would probably move up on the waitlist but obviously they couldn't give is any guarentees as to how far up we will move.

 

If it was just DH and I, it wouldn't be a big deal. We are traveling with an 11.5 month old (will be at the time of the cruise) and though he is perfectly pleasant, I can guarentee no one wants to see him after 8pm, myself included. He's usually in bed by 7:45pm.

 

So the main question is, how do the two dining options compare? If we change our table size will it change our place on the waitlist? We are down for a table for 6 (there are 4 adults and the baby in our party). We also wouldn't

mind eating at the earlier time if necessary.

 

Hi Csmom21, We're on the same cruise on the 24th, you may remember me from our roll call. Anyway, I think the Cruise Personalizer is a bit confusing with regards to current dining confirmation. We booked our cruise several months ago and we are confirmed for 6:00 PM Traditional Dining time. If I go into the personalizer and select the change button, next to Dining Confirmed, it shows our current selection in the drop-down boxes, but it also says(Waitlist #179). When I first saw this, I was obviously concerned, as I was hoping that we aren't waitlisted. Our PCC told us that we were confirmed for the 6:00 PM TD timeslot. I believe that this must be an indicator that if I want to switch to 6:00 PM TD timeslot, we would be #179 on the waitlist. So, I don't believe you can tell what your current waitlist # is within the personalizer. I would presume you need to keep calling Princess CS to determine where you are on any waitlist. Maybe some other experienced Princess cruisers can confirm that this is the only way to know where you are on a dining waitlist?

 

Bruce

[lrm]

Hi Csmom21, We're on the same cruise on the 24th, you may remember me from our roll call. Anyway, I think the Cruise Personalizer is a bit confusing with regards to current dining confirmation. We booked our cruise several months ago and we are confirmed for 6:00 PM Traditional Dining time. If I go into the personalizer and select the change button, next to Dining Confirmed, it shows our current selection in the drop-down boxes, but it also says(Waitlist #179). When I first saw this, I was obviously concerned, as I was hoping that we aren't waitlisted. Our PCC told us that we were confirmed for the 6:00 PM TD timeslot. I believe that this must be an indicator that if I want to switch to 6:00 PM TD timeslot, we would be #179 on the waitlist. So, I don't believe you can tell what your current waitlist # is within the personalizer. I would presume you need to keep calling Princess CS to determine where you are on any waitlist. Maybe some other experienced Princess cruisers can confirm that this is the only way to know where you are on a dining waitlist?

 

Bruce

 

I have the same situation and I was told---"You are confirmed for 6:00 pm. The waitlist number is there in case you have friends that are not confirmed and want to join you--the waitlist number is for them"

[RDC1]

First time Princess cruiser here!

 

We are down for the 6:30pm (or maybe it's 6pm?) dining time. Apparently, we are number 176 on the waitlist for this time. I was told we would probably move up on the waitlist but obviously they couldn't give is any guarentees as to how far up we will move.

 

If it was just DH and I, it wouldn't be a big deal. We are traveling with an 11.5 month old (will be at the time of the cruise) and though he is perfectly pleasant, I can guarentee no one wants to see him after 8pm, myself included. He's usually in bed by 7:45pm.

 

So the main question is, how do the two dining options compare? If we change our table size will it change our place on the waitlist? We are down for a table for 6 (there are 4 adults and the baby in our party). We also wouldn't

mind eating at the earlier time if necessary.

 

There should be two early traditional dining times, one at 6 and one at 5:30. Have you checked the other time? You can also call customer service and they can check the other options without changing anything. They can also tell you if table size makes a difference. I don't think it does from my past experience.

[MauiLvrs]

Lol. He really is very good (and used to going out to eat). ...

I think I will stick with the waitlist.

 

We believe that he is :)

 

Sticking with the wait list we agree is a good idea

 

Below is the line at Anytime to be seated at 7.

 

If you get stuck with anytime ...

successfully managing getting to the dining room will lead to a nice dinner.

 

One option would be to arrive early to be at the front of the line

 

the other would be a tag team to secure a pager if needed and find a quiet space to kill time waiting till you table is ready.

 

Another would be to eat at anytime late, but you indicated that it wouldn't be an effective option for you.

 

Our desired option is to arrive 2-5 minutes after the doors open for traditional so we can just walk right in and take our seat.

 

Good luck on snagging a place at traditional

 

 

20131019_191900 by MauiLvrs, on Flickr

Edited November 21, 2014 by MauiLvrs

[Two4Texas]

What they don't tell you about anytime dining is that you can call in the morning and make a reservation. We always eat between 5:00 and 5:45. We never had to wait as when you show up just tell them you have a reservation and you will be seated quickly. We have 15 grandchildren and full understand your dilemma to get the little one fed before they get tired.

Edited November 22, 2014 by Two4Texas

[Csmom21]

What they don't tell you about anytime dining is that you can call in the morning and make a reservation. We always eat between 5:00 and 5:45. We never had to wait as when you show up just tell them you have a reservation and you will be seated quickly. We have 15 grandchildren and full understand your dilemma to get the little one fed before they get tired.

 

We ended up switching to 5:30pm and it seems like there is no waitlist. This time actually works even better for us (and especially the little guy!)

[MauiLvrs]

We ended up switching to 5:30pm and it seems like there is no waitlist. This time actually works even better for us (and especially the little guy!)

Awesome! Have a great cruise

[Kerry&LuAnn]

We have always chosen the Anytime Dining option. We arrive at the dining room just as the doors are opening, and we have always been seated immediately... regardless of whether we want to have a table for two or share a large table with others. Once the dining room fills, however, it will be necessary to wait with a pager for quite a while for a table to open up.

[paul929207]

We ended up switching to 5:30pm and it seems like there is no waitlist. This time actually works even better for us (and especially the little guy!)

Great. Glad you got fixed up. Thanks for letting us know