Early Traditional Dinning Time ???

[FritzG]

Others who have sailed recently can correct me, but from what I can tell, it's 5:30 or 8:00; there really is no 6, and there are only two times. So I don't think 5:30 is changing to earlier, but that 5:30 and 6:00 are all really 5:30. Not happy!

 

I think we had an actual 6pm dining time a few years ago, but most of the time we get our cruise cards, and the time is either 5:30 or 5:45. I've complained about it on our end of cruise survey, to the maitre d', to Passenger Services and to the Captain's Circle host/ess. Every time I've been told that the decision is made by "corporate", and they have no control over it.

 

On our British Isles/TA last fall on the Royal, first seating was at 6pm on the British Isles portion, but it was 5:45 on the TA. A good number of us who were sailing b2b didn't even realize the time had changed because our cruise cards were for the full 27 days.

 

This issue has been an issue for a couple of years now, and Princess doesn't seem to care. I wonder if they're trying to do away with TD. On our upcoming Alaska cruise if the dining time is 5:30 we're going to try Anytime Dining for the first time--it's not what we want, but 5:30 is just too early for dinner.

[Gopher1934]

Thank you all for the feedback

I quess we will find out the time when we go to dinner

[peety3]

Me either. Mobility issues so we book the aft cabin to be below Horizon Court and above dining room. Will be peeved if we are in another dining room. And I don't want to stand in line after boarding to get it changed!

Not sure what to say to this. It's a several thousand dollar vacation, so I'm astonished to think a small logistics matter (i.e. "stand in line") wouldn't become such a big deal.

[riclop]

On our cruise 3 weeks ago it was 545.

[caribill]

Well this will be interesting. On all of my past cruises, I have always selected Anytime dining. But for my next cruise, just to shake things up and try something new, I chose Traditional dining at 1730hrs. If people who chose 1800hrs are actually getting assigned a 1730hrs dining time, I sure hope I don't have to end up going to dinner even earlier! :)

 

 

If there is enough demand (and there usually is), Princess will have two early traditional times in two different dining rooms on the Grand class and the Royal Class. On the Personalizer, the 17:30 time will be in one of the dining rooms near the atrium and the 18:00 time will be in the aft dining room on deck 6. If the 18:00 time actually turns out to be earlier, it will still be in the aft dining room on deck 6.

 

When you check-in, your cruise card will give the name of the dining room you are assigned to and at what time.

 

Note that the first evening is always slow to start as everyone must be led to their assigned tables. If you wait that first evening until 15 minutes after the time on the cruise card. You will not be late and will have avoided most of the crowd eager to get seated.

[FritzG]

If there is enough demand (and there usually is), Princess will have two early traditional times in two different dining rooms on the Grand class and the Royal Class. On the Personalizer, the 17:30 time will be in one of the dining rooms near the atrium and the 18:00 time will be in the aft dining room on deck 6. If the 18:00 time actually turns out to be earlier, it will still be in the aft dining room on deck 6.

 

When you check-in, your cruise card will give the name of the dining room you are assigned to and at what time.

 

Note that the first evening is always slow to start as everyone must be led to their assigned tables. If you wait that first evening until 15 minutes after the time on the cruise card. You will not be late and will have avoided most of the crowd eager to get seated.

 

That used to be true, but now it appears that most of the time what was on your CP as 6pm first seating is an earlier time when you board. It's ridiculous to have one of the Anytime Dining rooms used for a 5:30 early first seating when the main td dining room is serving dinner at 5:30 or 5:45 for passengers who think they're confirmed for 6pm. The fact that they need two dining rooms for those who request td should show them that td is still popular. As I posted earlier only once in the 6 or 7 cruises have we had an actual 6pm dining time, and that was on the last August Royal British Isles before the ta. On the ta leg dinner was moved up to 5:45.

[cruzsnooze]

We had this happen last month. We showed up at 6 PM and after the second day our tablemates came at 6 PM also. 5:30 doesn't work. It prevents us from going to Skywalkers for the elite happy hour. It comes to soon after a 1 PM lunch.

We brought a copy of our confirmed 6 PM dining and asked the Matre D what part of confirmed didn't Princess understand.

[amyotravel]

We had this happen last month. We showed up at 6 PM and after the second day our tablemates came at 6 PM also. 5:30 doesn't work. It prevents us from going to Skywalkers for the elite happy hour. It comes to soon after a 1 PM lunch.

We brought a copy of our confirmed 6 PM dining and asked the Matre D what part of confirmed didn't Princess understand.

 

This is what I want to do! But can you please confirm/tell me that the Maitre 'd still allowed you to come every day at 6 after they changed you to 5:30? We are at a table for 2 (which I know isn't really private enough to be considered a table for 2), so we won't be in long conversations at a large table and don't usually dawdle over coffee/dessert/after dinner drinks, so we will not cause them any hardship of staying late.

[cruzsnooze]

This is what I want to do! But can you please confirm/tell me that the Maitre 'd still allowed you to come every day at 6 after they changed you to 5:30? We are at a table for 2 (which I know isn't really private enough to be considered a table for 2), so we won't be in long conversations at a large table and don't usually dawdle over coffee/dessert/after dinner drinks, so we will not cause them any hardship of staying late.

 

Understand that they might not like you're arriving at 6 PM but it's your vacation that you took the time to confirm your dining time. Princess does not close the doors for late diners. Your waiter will get in step with your 6 Pm arrival time which will be easy for him since you aren't holding up anyone from ordering since you're at a two top.

I observed about 10% of the dining room arrived late on my sailing last month. If that percent keeps increasing Princess will have to keep their confirmed dining time at 6 PM but people are afraid to rock the boat and arrive at 6 PM.

[amyotravel]

Understand that they might not like you're arriving at 6 PM but it's your vacation that you took the time to confirm your dining time. Princess does not close the doors for late diners. Your waiter will get in step with your 6 Pm arrival time which will be easy for him since you aren't holding up anyone from ordering since you're at a two top.

I observed about 10% of the dining room arrived late on my sailing last month. If that percent keeps increasing Princess will have to keep their confirmed dining time at 6 PM but people are afraid to rock the boat and arrive at 6 PM.

 

I hate to be "late" and so I generally am not. I don't want to be a jerk about it, but I did book and get a confirmation for 6 PM so I feel it is the cruise line who are actually being jerks about it. In fact, I told my DBF this morning it is akin to false advertising, really. It is my first experience with Princess and my first with a cruise line that doesn't let you traditional dine at 6PM (even though they lead to you believe that you are, and that is what you booked) when 6PM is a very standard traditional dining time. We are really not asking for anything special or out of the ordinary. We just feel that it is ridiculous to expect anyone to go at 5:30 who does not want to. You have a good point about the Elite passengers (obviously not us since it's our first) who want to take advantage of their perk in Skywalkers - Princess is not sending a positive message to long time repeat customers - or anyone who wants to stop for a pre-dinner drink (hello, more revenue, Princess!). Especially since my sailing is fairly port intensive. One port we are even there until 6PM!

[susancruzs]

These comments amaze me! Fifteen minutes or a half hour matter so much? I can't see it as I'm on vacation. I would never think my confirmation of dining time is written in stone. The happy hour, which I rarely attend, is not a deal breaker in my book.

 

Big picture, not all about me but Princess and the other 3,000+ passengers on my 25 day April Regal cruise. I have early traditional and I might have to eat at 5:30, no big deal.

[amyotravel]

These comments amaze me! Fifteen minutes or a half hour matter so much? I can't see it as I'm on vacation. I would never think my confirmation of dining time is written in stone. The happy hour, which I rarely attend, is not a deal breaker in my book.

 

Big picture, not all about me but Princess and the other 3,000+ passengers on my 25 day April Regal cruise. I have early traditional and I might have to eat at 5:30, no big deal.

 

It is a big deal when you are rushing back from ports. And, I can tell many others are bothered by it so it is not "all about me." It is about booking something and having it not be what you thought. It is very inconvenient for some/many of us. And it has not happened to me on other cruise lines. Something to think about. It is often difficult to even get there by 6, but that is what I book so intend to be there at the time I stated.

Edited March 31, 2016 by amyotravel

[susancruzs]

Well, I look at it differently. I refuse to rush, stress over dinner at any time, if I get back right at dining time, I find something else to eat. I don't have to eat in the dining room. I can't be regimented worrying about dining time.

 

I've sailed with 6 cruise lines, over 30+ years, always had early traditional dining and it doesn't matter to me. In the big scheme of things, not important, not at all.

[peety3]

These comments amaze me! Fifteen minutes or a half hour matter so much? I can't see it as I'm on vacation. I would never think my confirmation of dining time is written in stone. The happy hour, which I rarely attend, is not a deal breaker in my book.

 

Big picture, not all about me but Princess and the other 3,000+ passengers on my 25 day April Regal cruise. I have early traditional and I might have to eat at 5:30, no big deal.

Bingo! If someone wants truly personal service, book a cruise for 2. Yes, you know what I mean...a private cruise.

[travel_nuts]

It's your cruise. So go at 6:30 if you want to. Also show up in cutoffs, cropped shirt and flipflops. And if you find something else you want to do after the scheduled sail time, just ask the captain to hold the ship for you. After all... it IS your vacation.

[amyotravel]

It's your cruise. So go at 6:30 if you want to. Also show up in cutoffs, cropped shirt and flipflops. And if you find something else you want to do after the scheduled sail time, just ask the captain to hold the ship for you. After all... it IS your vacation.

 

Thanks for taking this to the ridiculous. Remember what the OP said - they hoped they didn't have to go at 5:30.

 

Many have the same feelings. If you don't, that's your business. You could start your own thread about that.

[shredie]

As I see it, the issue is not so much that dinner is too early (which for some it clearly is) but that Princess is misleading people. When they say 6:00, they could mean anything but. They need to make it clear that the time is an approximation when confirming a time such as 6:00 or 8:00. This is a problem fleet wide.

[MrMan]

Reminds me of my circle's saying, "Dinner at 6, what are we 70, Dinner at 10, what are we 20:D

[susancruzs]

Why not any time dining? Why go with traditional? Misrepresentation and misleading?? Surely not a legal issue.

 

A little misleading perhaps, but getting everyone in and out from the first seating for the second, has to be a consideration. If they started out saying dinner is at 5:30, would people be saying and complaining to Princess, why is your early dining so early?

Edited March 31, 2016 by susancruzs

[sellwingri]

We're on Coral in May and our TA signed us up for early seating which turned out to be 5:15 which is way too early. We're now wait listed for 5:45 but we're told to go to anytime dining if list isnt cleared.

 

This is a very short cruise but whoever heard of 5:15on a cruise??? I'd prefer 6 but all cruise lines appear to have changed it to 5:45.

[cruzsnooze]

It's your cruise. So go at 6:30 if you want to. Also show up in cutoffs, cropped shirt and flipflops. And if you find something else you want to do after the scheduled sail time, just ask the captain to hold the ship for you. After all... it IS your vacation.

 

You are so off base it's humorous. Princess assigned and confirmed a dining time so how does that correlate to dress code or anything else. Just ridiculous answer that is not helpful to the OP or anyone else.

So how about the Cruise asks you for an extra $1000 after you board? Is that okay too? Oh wait that wasn't in the confirmed booking!

[A.stew12305]

Our time on our card is always 15 minutes earlier than the confirmed, that's the seating time, not dining time. You should arrive 15 minutes before dinner.

 

That being said, even when we try our hardest, we are perpetually 5-10 minutes late, and it's never been an issue.

[seafish]

Recent Early Traditional Dining on B2B Royal & Emerald with assigned/confirmed 530P dining time had lines forming at 500/515PM - MDR entry before 530PM on both ships.

[FritzG]

These comments amaze me! Fifteen minutes or a half hour matter so much? I can't see it as I'm on vacation. I would never think my confirmation of dining time is written in stone. The happy hour, which I rarely attend, is not a deal breaker in my book.

 

Big picture, not all about me but Princess and the other 3,000+ passengers on my 25 day April Regal cruise. I have early traditional and I might have to eat at 5:30, no big deal.

 

You wouldn't think it was a big deal until you get back late from a port, you eat a later lunch, you want to have tea at least once during your cruise, you want to go to the Platinum/Elite lounge before dinner, etc. 6pm is early enough for dinner, and if they're not going to offer it they shouldn't advertise or confirm it.

[shredie]

Why not any time dining? Why go with traditional? Misrepresentation and misleading?? Surely not a legal issue.

 

A little misleading perhaps, but getting everyone in and out from the first seating for the second, has to be a consideration. If they started out saying dinner is at 5:30, would people be saying and complaining to Princess, why is your early dining so early?

 

Anytime is an option, yes, but many people like traditional for a variety of reasons and just want to know when dinner is (not just an approximation.) I don't think anyone is suggesting legal action is the solution.

 

The red portion above confuses me. Isn't this what everyone is talking about?