Emerald Princess dining shambles

[caribill]

 

My main point was about the withdrawing of the ability to book a table for a particular time on ATD. If you haven't seen this feature advertised or referred to you haven't been paying attention. There's even a direct line on every phone on the ship - what do people imagine this is for?

 

The main feature of this dedicated button is to make reservations for the specialty restaurants.

[caribill]

I can understand the frustration of the OP & other passengers whose Patters said to call for reservations but were told that wasn't an option...such miscommunication by staff is bad.

 

 

I still have not seen a quote in this thread where the Patter said reservations were available for ATD.

 

If I missed seeing it, please list it again.

 

All I have seen is the sentence that says to call a number if you have any questions about any dining venue.

[Astro Flyer]

I still have not seen a quote in this thread where the Patter said reservations were available for ATD.

 

If I missed seeing it, please list it again.

 

All I have seen is the sentence that says to call a number if you have any questions about any dining venue.

I haven't seen any direct quotes but Boycey (55) and Davenew (56) both said the Patter said they were accepting ATD reservations yet they were unable to do it.

 

On my post (69), I noticed too late that I neglected to add "reservations" to that post "However to post that we're not paying attention & that ATD reservations are trumpeted in brochures...where?".

[SoCal Cruiser78]

I haven't seen any direct quotes but Boycey (55) and Davenew (56) both said the Patter said they were accepting ATD reservations yet they were unable to do it.

 

On my post (69), I noticed too late that I neglected to add "reservations" to that post "However to post that we're not paying attention & that ATD reservations are trumpeted in brochures...where?".

 

I just checked Princess' website, and I couldn't find anything about reservations for ATD, just the somewhat misleading statement that you can dine "when and with whom you wish anytime between 5:30 and 10:00 PM".

[JimmyVWine]

Something that I fully expect at some point is for all lower-fare passengers to have to dine in the HC, with the MDR and specialty restaurants reserved for higher-fare passengers (ie: Club Class/Suites) or as an upcharge.

A better solution, (but I am not holding my breath), is to upgrade the HC experience on all ships to make them viable options on any given night, thus decreasing the crush in the ATD MDRs. Traditional Dining can only handle a finite number of passengers, after which the best one can do is get on the waiting list. This finite number stays the same irrespective of whether there are 3092 people on board or 3600 on board. So all of the "extra" people (if we want to call them that), become ATD people per force. The MDRs simply cannot handle that many people if they all decide to dine there instead of the buffet. But put some lobster or crab or decent steaks in the HC, and all of a sudden, the HC will start carrying its share of the overload and the MDRs will not be so stressed.

 

All that said, instead of seeing the buffet return to the days of glory, I suspect that we are far more likely to see the addition of more Specialty Restaurants that would relieve some of the pressure off of the MDRs while generating revenue at the same time. Or perhaps more "pop up" Specialty Restaurants, a la the Crab Shack. It's easy to imagine the Crab Shack concept being carried over to a different type of extra fee dining venue on most nights. Crab Shack one night. Asian another night. Mexican on another night. Keep the quality higher than the MDR and the price lower than the Crown Grill/Bayou/Sabatini's/Share and there will be money to be made and relief provided to the MDRs.

Edited August 10, 2016 by JimmyVWine

[Woobstr112G]

Either way the dining situation is unacceptable. Its only going to get worse when they institute the new mini suite club class dining sections. :(

 

Yup.....

 

Bob

[JimmyVWine]

Yup.....

 

Bob

 

And I'll bet that the bean counters are already rubbing their hands together and twirling their handlebar mustaches over the idea that people will fall all over themselves to book the overpriced Club Minis in order to buy their way out of the dining dilemma.

[TNTLAMB]

I think the simplest solution is for all the "adults" is to understand just like a four year old, you have to take turns and you are not always at the front of the line.

[floridalover5623]

A better solution, (but I am not holding my breath), is to upgrade the HC experience on all ships to make them viable options on any given night, thus decreasing the crush in the ATD MDRs. Traditional Dining can only handle a finite number of passengers, after which the best one can do is get on the waiting list. This finite number stays the same irrespective of whether there are 3092 people on board or 3600 on board. So all of the "extra" people (if we want to call them that), become ATD people per force. The MDRs simply cannot handle that many people if they all decide to dine there instead of the buffet. But put some lobster or crab or decent steaks in the HC, and all of a sudden, the HC will start carrying its share of the overload and the MDRs will not be so stressed.

 

All that said, instead of seeing the buffet return to the days of glory, I suspect that we are far more likely to see the addition of more Specialty Restaurants that would relieve some of the pressure off of the MDRs while generating revenue at the same time. Or perhaps more "pop up" Specialty Restaurants, a la the Crab Shack. It's easy to imagine the Crab Shack concept being carried over to a different type of extra fee dining venue on most nights. Crab Shack one night. Asian another night. Mexican on another night. Keep the quality higher than the MDR and the price lower than the Crown Grill/Bayou/Sabatini's/Share and there will be money to be made and relief provided to the MDRs.

 

Some of your ideas do sound logical but I seriously doubt if they'll ever take place.

I'm quickly coming to the conclusion that either we sail traditional dining exclusively OR (which I've argued against) check with the MaiterD and get designated seats in the AT dining room for a specific time.(5:30 to 6 PM) This will only increase the wait time for those who don't call for reservations but I don't really see any other way around it.

[jagoffee]

IMO Anytime dining works best when Traditional dining is not offered. The current problem is aggravated by the fact that many Traditional dining seats go unused on any given night. Even Traditional dining guests have nights were they dine elsewhere.

 

Perhaps Princess could implement a system where Traditional diners would be required to say in advance if they were not dining, so that an AT diner could use the space. Perhaps a penalty if you do not show up without letting them know?

 

Any Traditional diners should never be allowed to use AT dining unless it was not busy. That is like taking up two different spaces.

 

Tough challenge for the cruise line because some people really like Traditional fixed dining, but I believe that many others would use AT if it worked better and they did not have to wait. If the ship was 100% AT with reservations allowed perhaps coul hold a reservation for say 10 minutes and then assign it to someone else.

[Colo Cruiser]

IMO Anytime dining works best when Traditional dining is not offered. The current problem is aggravated by the fact that many Traditional dining seats go unused on any given night. Even Traditional dining guests have nights were they dine elsewhere.

 

Perhaps Princess could implement a system where Traditional diners would be required to say in advance if they were not dining, so that an AT diner could use the space. Perhaps a penalty if you do not show up without letting them know?

 

Any Traditional diners should never be allowed to use AT dining unless it was not busy. That is like taking up two different spaces.

 

Tough challenge for the cruise line because some people really like Traditional fixed dining, but I believe that many others would use AT if it worked better and they did not have to wait. If the ship was 100% AT with reservations allowed perhaps coul hold a reservation for say 10 minutes and then assign it to someone else.

 

 

And pre reserved tables in AT go unused as well when people don't show up. :rolleyes:

Edited August 10, 2016 by Colo Cruiser

[RocketMan275]

A better solution, (but I am not holding my breath), is to upgrade the HC experience on all ships to make them viable options on any given night, thus decreasing the crush in the ATD MDRs. Traditional Dining can only handle a finite number of passengers, after which the best one can do is get on the waiting list. This finite number stays the same irrespective of whether there are 3092 people on board or 3600 on board. So all of the "extra" people (if we want to call them that), become ATD people per force. The MDRs simply cannot handle that many people if they all decide to dine there instead of the buffet. But put some lobster or crab or decent steaks in the HC, and all of a sudden, the HC will start carrying its share of the overload and the MDRs will not be so stressed.

 

All that said, instead of seeing the buffet return to the days of glory, I suspect that we are far more likely to see the addition of more Specialty Restaurants that would relieve some of the pressure off of the MDRs while generating revenue at the same time. Or perhaps more "pop up" Specialty Restaurants, a la the Crab Shack. It's easy to imagine the Crab Shack concept being carried over to a different type of extra fee dining venue on most nights. Crab Shack one night. Asian another night. Mexican on another night. Keep the quality higher than the MDR and the price lower than the Crown Grill/Bayou/Sabatini's/Share and there will be money to be made and relief provided to the MDRs.

 

We avoid the MDR. We think it is too noisy to carry on a decent conversation. It's too crowded with tables too close together. We either do specialty, room service, or the buffet. Consequently, we think both of your ideas would be great.

[floridalover5623]

 

Perhaps Princess could implement a system where Traditional diners would be required to say in advance if they were not dining, so that an AT diner could use the space. Perhaps a penalty if you do not show up without letting them know?

You can't really be serious. :cool:

 

 

We avoid the MDR. We think it is too noisy to carry on a decent conversation. It's too crowded with tables too close together. We either do specialty, room service, or the buffet. Consequently, we think both of your ideas would be great.

 

It is strange that the buffet at 6 PM is so much more quiet compared to the DR. It's so peaceful to eat there serving the exact portion that you choose & not having to wait 10 to 15 minutes between courses.

[Astro Flyer]

Perhaps Princess could implement a system where Traditional diners would be required to say in advance if they were not dining, so that an AT diner could use the space. Perhaps a penalty if you do not show up without letting them know?.

On the Regal in April 2015, they used an efficient procedure that utilized unused TD seats.

 

We went to the ATD Symphony dining room at about 6:00 which was full & instead of giving us a pager they escorted a group of passengers to the TD Allegro dining room. Apparently they waited a certain period of time for the traditional seating diners to arrive & when they didn't arrive their tables/seats were reassigned. There were 4 of us and we were seated at an empty table for 4.

 

That is an effective usage of seating but I don't know if that is routinely done on all Princess ships. Maybe inform passengers that after a certain period of time their table will be reassigned. That would help eliminate passengers who decide to constantly arrive late & have read posts saying "I don't want to eat at 5:30 so I go at 6:00".

 

If sharing a TD table, I always inform my tablemates & waitstaff if we have other plans & won't be there the next night; if at a table for 2 then I tell the waitstaff so our table can be reassigned for the next evening.

 

Passengers can be part of a solution & like JimmyVWine posted, if we're going to miss too many nights in the TD room we'll instead request ATD.

 

But I don't think having a penalty is a good idea & hopefully most passengers would follow a procedure to notify staff when our TD seats will not be used & can given to ATD passengers when those restaurants are full.

Edited August 10, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[SoCal Cruiser78]

A better solution, (but I am not holding my breath), is to upgrade the HC experience on all ships to make them viable options on any given night, thus decreasing the crush in the ATD MDRs. Traditional Dining can only handle a finite number of passengers, after which the best one can do is get on the waiting list...instead of seeing the buffet return to the days of glory, I suspect that we are far more likely to see the addition of more Specialty Restaurants that would relieve some of the pressure off of the MDRs while generating revenue at the same time...

 

Bingo! I suspect this is all about revenue generation. The current crop of ships seem to have been built with intentionally undersized MDRs (and main showrooms).

 

Years ago, the buffets on some cruise lines were much nicer at dinner--on HAL sometimes it was the same menu as the MDR. The food was better, they put linen on the tables, and waiters carried your trays to your table. Dress codes were stricter then, so if you had a late shore excursion and didn't feel like "dressing" for dinner, the buffet was a pleasant option.

 

The last time I dined in the HC for dinner, I had to clear the table from the guests that were there last as there was no staff in sight :(.

[RocketMan275]

 

 

It is strange that the buffet at 6 PM is so much more quiet compared to the DR. It's so peaceful to eat there serving the exact portion that you choose & not having to wait 10 to 15 minutes between courses.

 

Wife and I are late sixties. We don't hear well as it is and a lot of background noise means we do not hear at all. We did use the MDR twice but found we preferred the buffet. We just do not understand the significance so many place upon dinner in the MDR.

 

If there is something we like on the MDR menu, we will order it as room service. Or, we will select a few items from the buffet and take them to our cabin. Sometimes we do both.

[Astro Flyer]

Wife and I are late sixties. We don't hear well as it is and a lot of background noise means we do not hear at all. We did use the MDR twice but found we preferred the buffet. We just do not understand the significance so many place upon dinner in the MDR.

 

If there is something we like on the MDR menu, we will order it as room service. Or, we will select a few items from the buffet and take them to our cabin. Sometimes we do both.

 

Since you order MDR items from room service then you're sailing in a suite because those passengers are the only ones with that option on Princess.

 

You may not "understand the significance" of eating in the MDR but those of us who rarely eat out at home enjoy the dining experience. And for those of us not in suites, our options are limited to dining rooms, buffets or ordering from the very limited room service menu & not from the MDR menu like you.

Edited August 10, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

I would agree a few years ago MDR, would be noisy, however my last few cruises, quite, to dead would be a better description,

 

yours Shogun

[Torence]

I have been following this thread with a great deal of interest since the OP's comments mirrored my last two cruises, one on NCL (Breakaway in Nov. 2015) and one on Princess (Caribbean Jan 2016). The "Anytime" or "Freestyle" dining was a mess and it was completely due to the sheer number of booked or over-booked passengers. The difference between full lower berth passengers (3080?) and full all berth passengers (3670?) can be the difference between a very enjoyable cruise and a very unpleasant one.

 

Have you noticed how the cruise ships are getting larger all the time and when they are refurbishing they are always adding more cabins? All these "passenger amenities" are usually just additional sources of revenue for the cruise line. They add extra cabins, more bars, specialty restaurants, more and larger shops, spas and casino space. Of course there is always room for bingo and art auctions.

 

While the revenue producing areas are being enlarged, other areas are being short-changed. Pool deck space and chair hogs (there have been plenty of threads and posts on this issue) seats for shows that you have to arrive 30-40 minutes before show time (the show itself is only about 45 minutes long), and chaos in the MDR, the OP's point.

 

I can understand why the cruise lines are doing this, cramming more and more passengers on each ship as it helps spread out their fixed costs (building the ship) and some of their variable costs (fuel, provisions and staffing). The problem is that just because you can, doesn't mean you should. At some point between 3080 people and 3670 people on board, passenger comfort and convenience begins to suffer. Where that point is, I don't know, but it does exist. Staff becomes over-worked and stressed out; and passengers (sometimes) start behaving badly towards the crew and at each other. Since the cruise line is largely responsible for creating these conditions, they really should try to find a way to prevent it or at least reduce the inconvenience they cause.

 

I don't have any good answers, but maybe a few suggestions...

1. Complain to the cruise line. It may not do much immediate good, but at least you can vent and maybe, just maybe if enough people do the same that these concerns will be taken into account when they are designing or remodeling these ships.

2. Try to cruise at off-peak times or at lease avoid when times when school is out of session.

3. Try to use some of the older, smaller ships on the line; I get the sense these ships may not have the same over-crowding problems of some of the newer ships.

4. Switch to a different (maybe more expensive) line and then tell Princess/NCL why you did it.

 

I realize a lot of folks may not be able to do as I suggest as they may have limited flexibility. As I said, I don't have any good answers, but sometimes you just have to choose the best of a poor lot. If anyone has got some good ideas, I'm willing to listen!

[RocketMan275]

Since you order MDR items from room service then you're sailing in a suite because those passengers are the only ones with that option on Princess.

 

You may not "understand the significance" of eating in the MDR but those of us who rarely eat out at home enjoy the dining experience. And for those of us not in suites, our options are limited to dining rooms, buffets or ordering from the very limited room service menu & not from the MDR menu like you.

 

The fact that we do not "understand the significance" of eating in the MDR has little to do with what class of cabin we book. Our first two cruises, one on RCI and one on Princess, were in balcony cabins. We still found the buffet to be preferable to the MDR. Now that we do book suites, our preference for the buffet over the MDR is undiminished.

 

We find the MDR to be loud, crowded, lacking in privacy, and pretentious. We do not enjoy all the folderol associated with the MDR. I guess we're just "Golden Corral" kind of people who happen to sail in suites.

[easyboy]

I would agree a few years ago MDR, would be noisy, however my last few cruises, quite, to dead would be a better description,

 

yours Shogun

I too noticed in our last few cruises that it was not noisy in the MDR. Of course guess were talking but not loud

[Lucky TGO]

I too noticed in our last few cruises that it was not noisy in the MDR. Of course guess were talking but not loud

 

I disagree the last two cruises on the Royal Princess it was very noisy in the MDR. Everyone has their own opinion and this is mine sorry.

Tony

[easyboy]

I disagree the last two cruises on the Royal Princess it was very noisy in the MDR. Everyone has their own opinion and this is mine sorry.

Tony

No problem. I was referring to my very own experience at the MDRs where we dined. I was there.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

I disagree the last two cruises on the Royal Princess it was very noisy in the MDR. Everyone has their own opinion and this is mine sorry.

Tony

 

My experience has been that when we sit at a table for two, in an area of other "two-tops", the MDR seems to be quieter. When seated with a larger group, in an area of larger tables, things seem to get noisier. So the noise factor may vary from one area of the MDR to another.

 

I have also noticed that when large groups are sailing, they tend to take over the MDR (and other public spaces) and things tend to get louder as they talk back-and-forth between tables, etc.

[floridalover5623]

My experience has been that when we sit at a table for two, in an area of other "two-tops", the MDR seems to be quieter. When seated with a larger group, in an area of larger tables, things seem to get noisier. So the noise factor may vary from one area of the MDR to another.

 

I have also noticed that when large groups are sailing, they tend to take over the MDR (and other public spaces) and things tend to get louder as they talk back-and-forth between tables, etc.

 

We've noticed the same thing with some groups & after a night or two in the AT dining room we ask to be seated on the opposite side.