Emerald Princess dining shambles

[Iamcruzin]

can never understand why people without children go away in school holidays then complain about to many kids, have they not thought about going in term time or even better adults only holidays, us families have no choice 😤 roll on the 20th!!

 

I have two adult children but when they were young we would book a cruise in May. It was after spring break and just before end of school year. It was the best time as far as passenger load. Princess no longer does Caribbean cruises that time of year so I no longer book with them. If you want to sail in Europe with Princess you are going to have to go during the summer months when the ships are there. Personally I would choose to sail in the beginning of season before school is out or at the end of the season just before the ships reposition back. I don't vacation anywhere when school is not in session. I don't hate kids I hate crowds. Teachers are the only one's who don't have a choice when they can vacation but they get 13 weeks vacation time a year so cry me a river.

[caribill]

I believe the OP is saying 500 over what is normal/average, not 500 over maximum number of passengers allowed..

 

 

The ship had in excess of 3600 guests according to the cruise director, which is around 500 more than the normal capacity declared by Princess.

 

To me the OP is saying the Lower Berth Count as that is what is listed by Princess in, for example, the Cruise Atlas deck plans.

[caribill]

Had similar shambolic service on an earlier Scandinavian voyage.

The erk in charge of the table bookings wouldn't even let us queue for a pager before 7.30, and, when we went to guest services to book a table for the Crab shack, allegedly on the last formal night, we turned up to find they had switched it to the previous night without any notification - and all of this had nothing to do with school holidays. It was just incompetence.

 

Are you saying that on the day it was actually held that the Patter for that day did not mention it at all?

[caribill]

We also gave up a couple of nights and went to the buffet and other evenings we dined at 6pm so that we didn't have a silly wait. The first three sea days were especially busy.

 

 

Anytime is just like a land restaurant where people show up when they want to. If it is full when they get there, they need to wait.

 

So if there was no problem doing Anytime at 6PM but there was when the OP wanted to dine, it means that hundreds of the OP's new best friends had decided their anytime was the same time the OP wanted to dine.

 

The ideal situation is where those who select Anytime are spread out evenly throughout the evening. That happens very rarely,

[SoCal Cruiser78]

To the OP: I'm wondering if room service might have been the best option at dinner, given the situation? Do you know if they were as overtaxed as the dining venues that cruise? Even if you had a long wait, at least it would be in the comfort of your cabin.

[Boycey]

We seem to have two positions: unanimity of opinion from those who were on this particular cruise that it was overcrowded and in parts non-functional, and a stern lecture from some of those who were not telling us we couldn't be right because they'd had a nice time on another Princess cruise sometime previously. I like Princess too - we are Elite level repeat customers - but dumb cheerleading helps no-one.

 

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? As for whether the ATD system would be more or less efficient if no tables could be booked, who knows? Withdrawing the feature on an ad-hoc basis is the issue. Other cruise lines manage to seat people at the customer's convenience. Princess usually do, and do it well. This time they didn't, and I think the reason is clear.

 

Finally it's also worth considering the literal meaning of the word capacity. It's not an elastic figure. Princess's own documents refer to a capacity of 3082. It doesn't say 3082 plus another 700 for school holidays. The additional upper berths are meant to add flexibility for family groups (some normal cabins will be single occupied as a counterweight). The difference between 3082 passengers and 3700 passengers is the difference between a functioning and a non-functioning ship. I know this because I experienced it, even as a fan of Princess.

Edited August 9, 2016 by Boycey

[davenew]

I was on the same trip and concur with Boycey's views on the dining, and the Patter still stating you can book an anytime dining slot etc.. but then being told you can't.

 

That's exactly the argument I had with the restaurant Podium Booking "Clerk".

She told me that my information was incorrect, so I told her to go study the company website and become educated.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...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?...

 

This is nothing new for Princess, unfortunately, at least on the West Coast cruises.

 

For several years now, we have been told on various 4-14 day cruises that ATD will have no reservations whatsoever on some cruises, and not at peak hours on others. The DINE line has often gone unanswered, and when I've gone in person to check I have been told more than once that they were "too busy" to answer it :(.

Edited August 9, 2016 by SoCal Cruiser78

[floridalover5623]

 

I agree that the Club Class will result in this overcrowding situation to become more routine and that TD (particularly early where they already have 2 of the 3 dining rooms for it) will become even more popular.

 

What it really sounds like a way to allow those people, who want to pay the extra charge, to dine whenever they feel like it with a table waiting for them with no waiting and a special menu. Add to that the others who call for reservations & the AT dining room will now become a real nightmare. (as if it wasn't at times before)

 

And book early to be sure you get it.. If I don't get it, I don't go..The dining room does not have enough tables for 3600 people.

Myself & the wife included. Instead of fixing an ongoing problem that has plagued the AT dining rooms for years by discontinuing reservations altogether they're going to make the problem worse than ever. :mad:

I believe this move will drive everyone to TD dining...if you can get it.

[Macme69]

We are booked on the cruise on20th August with anytime dining. Is it too late to switch to traditional dining and does anyone know if the service was better on traditional dining on the last mediterranean cruise? we have only cruised once before with Disney and their set time dining worked well but i have never experienced anytime dining before.

[TracieABD]

Teachers are the only one's who don't have a choice when they can vacation but they get 13 weeks vacation time a year so cry me a river.

 

Wow. Harsh much?

 

Your information is only correct if you live and work in one of the Union states. It does not apply if you work in higher education, are a school administrator, teach for a private school, or live in the South. We are lucky if our teachers get 8 weeks a year. This, by the way, is unpaid time. We are also moving more toward year-round schools.

 

Making sweeping judgements is not what this forum is about.

[spyro1952]

We are booked on the cruise on20th August with anytime dining. Is it too late to switch to traditional dining and does anyone know if the service was better on traditional dining on the last mediterranean cruise? we have only cruised once before with Disney and their set time dining worked well but i have never experienced anytime dining before.

 

You can try - call your travel agent or just go to your cruise personalizer if you booked directly with Princess and change it. There is probably a waitlist for early traditional dining as it fills up fast.

 

The other thing you can do is meet with the Maitre D the afternoon of boarding. His hours and where he will meet with passengers is posted in the Patter newsletter that will be in your cabin when you arrive. He may have openings in late traditional dining that doesn't fill up like early traditional dining does. The dining time is usually 8:15 pm. I don't know if that's too late for you.

[Macme69]

Thanks for the info Spyro1952.

We had the late sitting on Disney and that worked out fine

[JimmyVWine]

As for whether the ATD system would be more or less efficient if no tables could be booked, who knows?

Any efficiency expert or anyone who has run a restaurant. Reservations are a great feature to attract people who do not like to wait in the foyer or at the bar for a table to open up. But they are horribly inefficient when it comes to processing hordes of people into and out of the restaurant. It's not rocket science. I have no doubt that the restaurant manager took note of the number of people on board and went into Def-Con-4. It's not a coincidence that this feature that you contend is always an option became a non-option on your cruise with 3,600 passengers.

 

As far as "not paying attention" to the fact that this feature is omnipresent, I am batting about 33% on being allowed to make reservations in the ATD MDRs. You see, I am one of those folks who does not like to wait in foyers or bars for a table, so I try to make reservations every time I dine, cruise ship or not. So I have called on every cruise to see if it can be done and the answer is sometimes "yes", but most times "no". And sometimes it varies even whilst on a particular cruise where reservations were not taken on some days, but were taken on others. (As for the answer to the inevitable question: "Why don't you just do Traditional Dining"...two reasons. first, we find Early to be too early and Late to be too late; and second, we tend to go to Specialty Restaurants about a third of the time and we don't want to bind up a TD table that we aren't going to use a third of the time when so many other passengers struggle to get into the Traditional MDR.)

Edited August 9, 2016 by JimmyVWine

[shredie]

Some of us work for various educational systems as professors, teachers, administrators, etc... And don't have the luxury of traveling in the shoulder or off season.

 

 

So true. One more reason I'm glad I retired. [emoji4]

 

 

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[TNTLAMB]

Any efficiency expert or anyone who has run a restaurant. Reservations are a great feature to attract people who do not like to wait in the foyer or at the bar for a table to open up. But they are horribly inefficient when it comes to processing hordes of people into and out of the restaurant. It's not rocket science. I have no doubt that the restaurant manager took note of the number of people on board and went into Def-Con-4. It's not a coincidence that this feature that you contend is always an option became a non-option on your cruise with 3,600 passengers.

 

As far as "not paying attention" to the fact that this feature is omnipresent, I am batting about 33% on being allowed to make reservations in the ATD MDRs. You see, I am one of those folks who does not like to wait in foyers or bars for a table, so I try to make reservations every time I dine, cruise ship or not. So I have called on every cruise to see if it can be done and the answer is sometimes "yes", but most times "no". And sometimes it varies even whilst on a particular cruise where reservations were not taken on some days, but were taken on others. (As for the answer to the inevitable question: "Why don't you just do Traditional Dining"...two reasons. first, we find Early to be too early and Late to be too late; and second, we tend to go to Specialty Restaurants about a third of the time and we don't want to bind up a TD table that we aren't going to use a third of the time when so many other passengers struggle to get into the Traditional MDR.)

 

I think you have summed it very well. I suspect whats really going to happen is that as PC (and others) do a better job filling their ships by direct marketing and fare adjustments, they by necessity have to offer more to higher fare customers. One of those areas is dining. ATD has likely out lived its usefulness and slowly will go away. Eventually what we considered the MDR will be seperated into Traditional dining venues and and an "onboard restaurant" I would expect to even see "specialty dishes" (upcharged in other words) on the menus.

 

Its either that or raise fares across the board to todays prices. Its ridiculous to believe that the same cruise today costs less than 10 -20 years ago and everybody gets the "same"

[SWORRUB1]

 

Instead of fixing an ongoing problem that has plagued the AT dining rooms for years by discontinuing reservations altogether they're going to make the problem worse than ever. :mad:

I believe this move will drive everyone to TD dining...if you can get it.

 

There is only one sensible solution, Anytime Dining needs to be turn up and get in if you can or be given a pager. Reservations in ATD will not work as others have pointed out, as capacity is taken up by empty places.

 

I know that in the current case it looks as though the offer was withdrawn, and feel sorry for those affected but in my opinion the only choices that should be available are TD 2 fixed seating options or Anytime on a first come first served basis. We like 1900H but if we have to wait until 1930H who really cares? It wont ruin our holiday!

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...ATD has likely out lived its usefulness and slowly will go away. Eventually what we considered the MDR will be seperated into Traditional dining venues and and an "onboard restaurant" I would expect to even see "specialty dishes" (upcharged in other words) on the menus...

 

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.

[Astro Flyer]

As for the answer to the inevitable question: "Why don't you just do Traditional Dining"...two reasons. first, we find Early to be too early and Late to be too late

I think that many passengers would prefer to eat between 6:00-7:00 and feel like you & thus select ATD and attempt to make reservations during that time frame.

 

Another factor for me is that it's become routine on my cruises to make early TD times earlier than what's shown as available on their website...6:00 has become 5:30 and 5:30 has become 5:00-5:15. By routinely moving up the dining times, I am more often selecting ATD and going to dinner after 7:00 & that's still better for us than late TD. Maybe if the maître d' and executive chef didn't make early TD dining times so early then fewer passengers would request ATD & attempt to make a reservation. I don't want to have dinner as early as 5:00 nor after 8:00 & thus I'm more likely to request ATD.

 

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. However to post that we're not paying attention & that ATD is trumpeted in brochures...where? Making ATD reservations is not described as an option in their dining FAQ section: "Anytime Dining offers a flexible dining experience – just like a restaurant would – and gives you the freedom to dine with whomever you wish, at your convenience between 5:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. in elegant, upscale venues".

 

The maître d' probably considers how full the ship is before deciding whether to allow daily reservations, cruise long reservations or no reservations at all such as on the OPs crowded cruise. The procedure may have to be adjusted depending upon how many reservation requests are received & thus no more reservations are made. There isn't any ship that offers ATD that can always quickly seat everyone when too many passengers want to dine at the same time.

Edited August 9, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[Pierlesscruisers]

500 extra pax I have the same question were did they all sleep. :eek: :eek:

Tony

 

The 3092 is the number of lower berths, the rest sleep in upper berths.

 

Tom

[shredie]

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.

 

 

That's a depressing thought However with the improved buffets on the Royal class this already happening to a degree.

 

 

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[OzKiwiJJ]

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.

 

The day they start that is the day I stop cruising with Princess. :mad:

[TracieABD]

So true. One more reason I'm glad I retired. [emoji4]

 

 

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You are my hero!

[mrs and mrs]

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.

 

Bingo,unfotunately :(:(

[Colo Cruiser]

You are my hero!

 

 

Hey how many hero's are there? :p