Anytime dining breakfast & dining Island Princess

[winowino]

Getting ready to go on our first-ever cruise! Island Princess, Alaska, May 2016. We signed up for anytime dining, but I'm unsure how that works for breakfast and lunch....can we eat those meals anywhere we like, free?

[Clarea]

Getting ready to go on our first-ever cruise! Island Princess, Alaska, May 2016. We signed up for anytime dining, but I'm unsure how that works for breakfast and lunch....can we eat those meals anywhere we like, free?

I would also post this question on the Princess forum, so that more people familiar with Princess will get a look at it:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=197

Edited May 9, 2016 by clarea

[cb at sea]

Breakfast and lunch...you are seated as you arrive. Just show up when you want! It's only DINNER that is the "anytime" thing. The dining room, buffet and possibly some smaller "snack" areas are included.

[zqvol]

Getting ready to go on our first-ever cruise! Island Princess, Alaska, May 2016. We signed up for anytime dining, but I'm unsure how that works for breakfast and lunch....can we eat those meals anywhere we like, free?

 

Yes you may. Anytime dining only applies to dinner. You can find the locations that are open for breakfast and lunch in you daily news latter. Typically it will be one dining room and the buffet on the Lido deck.

 

That or some slight variation of that is how all lines, even the luxury lines handle breakfast and lunch.

[Cruisin' Chick]

The Princess website has a lot of info about your ship. Here's a quick guide to dining in general on Princess:

http://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/onboard/dining_nightlife.jsp

 

This is about the dining venues on the Island:

http://www.princess.com/learn/ships/ip/amenities_publicrooms/personal_choice_dining/

 

But in a nutshell:

for breakfast: one main dining room will have open seating. You can also go to the Horizon which is the buffet.

 

for lunch, again, one MDR is open seating. You can also go to the Horizon or to the poolside pizzeria or grill.

 

for dinner, if you have traditional, just go to your assigned table and seating time. If you have anytime, check the Patter for when the anytime dining room(s) are open. No matter which of those you have, you can also go to the Horizon, specialty restaurants (cover charge), the pizzeria, the grill. There are also a few other choices that you can see from that second link...and these will also be listed in the Patter each day with hours and location.

 

Room service tends to have a limited menu unless you are in a full suite.

[GUT2407]

Getting ready to go on our first-ever cruise! Island Princess, Alaska, May 2016. We signed up for anytime dining, but I'm unsure how that works for breakfast and lunch....can we eat those meals anywhere we like, free?

 

Yep both when you like, within that restaurant's opening hours (will be in your Patter, the newsletter) and free, free.

 

One exception is that there will be a breakfast that is limited to suite guests (normally in Sabatinis).

[John Bull]

As per other replies, for breakfast & lunch in the dining room it's open seating - much the same as your anytime dinner.

A much slower, more refined & more relaxed experience than the buffet.

 

We use the buffet for breakfast on a port day, to avoid eating up shore time.

But for sea days the dining room gets us away from the bun-fight of the buffet, much more civilised.

Choose on the spur of the moment according to mood and circumstances.

 

JB :)

Edited May 10, 2016 by John Bull

[paul929207]

The MDR is open for breakfast every morning. Check the Patter for the times.

It is only open for lunch on sea days and days where you sail before lunch or arrive after lunch.