First seating questions

[LunaL]

I have a few questions regarding the Princess cruise traditional dining option:

 

If I choose traditional dining at 6 pm:

 

-Can we switch a dining room on certain days? There are many dining rooms on the cruise. I want to try all dining rooms.

-What is our chance in getting our own table without sharing (table size: 4 persons)? We are a family of 3.

-Do we have to be there at 6 pm exactly? Can we arrive at 6:15 pm or so if we don't have to share the table.

 

Thank you.

[mrpayroll]

You cannot switch dining rooms. Good chance you will be seated by yourselves, and you should be at table as close to six as possible.

[Shmoo here]

I have a few questions regarding the Princess cruise traditional dining option:

 

If I choose traditional dining at 6 pm:

 

-Can we switch a dining room on certain days? There are many dining rooms on the cruise. I want to try all dining rooms.

-What is our chance in getting our own table without sharing (table size: 4 persons)? We are a family of 3.

-Do we have to be there at 6 pm exactly? Can we arrive at 6:15 pm or so if we don't have to share the table.

 

Thank you.

-if you are on traditional dining, no, you cannot "switch for a day" to another dining room. There are times when all dining rooms are available for open seating (usually on late port days).

-it's a good idea to be fairly prompt. Arriving late may mean a hitch in the servers routine for your table (and the others they serve). There's only XX amount of time to get you served before they need to reset the table for the late dining.

[moki'smommy]

You will be assigned to a time, dining room, and table. No, you can't just go to another dining room of your choice, although if you show up at "any time" dining, they will let you in. You can request a table for 3 and will be seated at a 4 top. It is worth checking on the first afternoon to be sure that you got the assignment you want.

 

While you can show up a few minutes late, that makes things more difficult for your serving team as well as the kitchen. Everything is geared to a specific start time. While 10 or 15 minutes is not going to make a huge difference, if you start pushing it to 30 minutes, you will throw off the timing. They'll never say anything to you.

 

There is no reason to visit each of the dining rooms. They are all the same. There are minor variations in decor, but the food is the same. They are actually much the same from one ship to another (or maybe just the ships we've been on). If you want to sit in a different room, you can do that at breakfast or sea day lunch.

[cr8tiv1]

Do not count on a 6 PM dining time. Most of my traditional dining room assigned times have ranged from 15-30 minutes EARLIER. Say I wanted 5:30. My card would say 5:15. I was told that if I did not show up within 15 minutes, they would give away my table.

[MCC retired]

I have a few questions regarding the Princess cruise traditional dining option:

 

If I choose traditional dining at 6 pm:

 

-Can we switch a dining room on certain days? There are many dining rooms on the cruise. I want to try all dining rooms.

-What is our chance in getting our own table without sharing (table size: 4 persons)? We are a family of 3.

-Do we have to be there at 6 pm exactly? Can we arrive at 6:15 pm or so if we don't have to share the table.

 

Thank you.

 

 

 

You chose Traditional Dining .

Same dining room , same time , same table .

That is Traditional Dining .

What you are asking for is really Anytime Dining .

 

 

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[pms4104]

There is no point in trying out all the traditional dining rooms, as the menus are identical.

 

As for timeliness ... we long ago got tired of waiting for the tardy, and we let our waitstaff know we're not waiting for latecomers ... 30 minutes or more, really?

 

Most importantly, tardiness messes up the waitstaff.

 

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[Cyn874]

Yeah, it sounds like the best bet for getting a table for just your party would be to request anytime dining. As I understand it, you can just tell them you don't want to be seated with anyone else. Traditional dining typically seats you with strangers, I think.

[shippmates]

One of our cruises we had table mates that were 15 to 20 minutes late every night for dinner. The first night the waiters waited until they showed up and after that they started taking our orders when everyone but the late comers were there. The one night they were 20 minutes late, they could only order an entree .

[moki'smommy]

. Traditional dining typically seats you with strangers, I think.

Have you ever done traditional dining? If not, why give wrong information? When you book traditional, you are asked for your seating preference. We have always put in a request for a table for 2 and have always received it. If I remember correctly, the request was on the cruise personalizer; it was definitely done in advance of cruising. If you don't put in a request, you'll be seated at whatever table size they have in excess!

[Cyn874]

Have you ever done traditional dining? If not' date=' why give wrong information? When you book traditional, you are asked for your seating preference. We have always put in a request for a table for 2 and have always received it. If I remember correctly, the request was on the cruise personalizer; it was definitely done in advance of cruising. If you don't put in a request, you'll be seated at whatever table size they have in excess![/quote']

 

I'm sorry Moki'smommy, I wasn't trying to put out misinformation. I've only cruised twice in my life- both times on Carnival, and the last time was around 2006 or 2007, I think. That's why I was careful with my phrasing to say that I think that's how it works, but that I wasn't sure.

 

Back when I did cruise on Carnival, Traditional Dining was the only option, there was no 'Anytime dining'. And for the people who did want to sit by themselves without being seated with strangers, they had to rush to the dining room immediately once they got on board and put in a request with the maitre'd. And even then, there was no guarantee.

[Astro Flyer]

One of our cruises we had table mates that were 15 to 20 minutes late every night for dinner. The first night the waiters waited until they showed up and after that they started taking our orders when everyone but the late comers were there. The one night they were 20 minutes late, they could only order an entree .

There are always some inconsiderate passengers who only care about themselves.

 

The couple at the adjacent table for 2 always arrived at least 20 minutes late & after a couple of days the waitstaff stopped waiting for them to take everyone else’s orders. They wrote a scathing report about waitstaff not serving them fast enough. I wrote a letter to give to the maitre d’ explaining the passengers were the problem & not the waitstaff. Some people are just self entitled jerks! :mad:

 

My post isn’t about the OP’s questions asking about the procedures which are understandable for a less experienced cruiser & is why CC is so useful.

[Colo Cruiser]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.......

In traditional dining you should arrive at the time assigned and not be late.

I agree it would be best to do anytime dining that way you can come and go as you please.

[Seadog & Sea Hag]

We always have traditional dining and if our table companions are 20 minutes late we will be starting without them. Inconsiderate people turning up late won’t be making me late for a show or any other plans that we may have made.

 

 

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[Cruise Raider]

The problem that we experienced on our last cruise was that the changed the traditional dining times from 6 PM to 5 PM and 5:15 PM. Way too early!

Then, another problem was that they were allowing some passengers into anytime dining which made it impossible for those that chose anytime dining to get a table around that time. They are not supposed to do this but they were on my last sailing.

They really need to offer and keep set times for the traditional dining and stop letting people into anytime dining if they signed up for traditional dining.

Princess has made the dining experience way too much work for their passengers.

 

But please, if you signed up for traditional, just show up in your assigned traditional dining room and be on time! If not, please feel free to check out the specialty restaurants or buffet.

[jefa]

We always have traditional dining and if our table companions are 20 minutes late we will be starting without them. Inconsiderate people turning up late won’t be making me late for a show or any other plans that we may have made.

 

 

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We had that same situation on the second half of our B2B in April. It drove our waiters crazy and it didn't help that the late couple were very rude to the wait staff as well. My travelling companion and I were sometimes half way through our meal when they arrived, and we left to enjoy the shows as soon as we had finished. Our table mates were very surprised when we did this and left them alone! Nowt so queer as folk!!

[ColoradoMom!!]

Luna L

Welcome!! I hope you enjoy all the great info on Cruise Critic. It was always my guilty pleasure - unwinding at the end of a long day to read and plan for my cruise here.

 

Can you tell us the ship and itinerary - that may help us narrow down the likely timing of the first seating.

What time would be your preference if you were able to chose? The reason I ask is that if you are flexible, then Anytime dining may be the way to go.

 

The other restaurants besides the MDR (main dining rooms)on the ship are the specialty dining venues, and they take reservations and are an additional cost.

 

Have you cruised before? For example, on Disney - every night was a different restaurant on a rotation - so I can see the confusion there.

 

Congrats on your upcoming cruise!!

[moki'smommy]

Luna L

Welcome!! I hope you enjoy all the great info on Cruise Critic. It was always my guilty pleasure - unwinding at the end of a long day to read and plan for my cruise here.

 

Can you tell us the ship and itinerary - that may help us narrow down the likely timing of the first seating.

What time would be your preference if you were able to chose? The reason I ask is that if you are flexible, then Anytime dining may be the way to go.

 

The other restaurants besides the MDR (main dining rooms)on the ship are the specialty dining venues, and they take reservations and are an additional cost.

 

Have you cruised before? For example, on Disney - every night was a different restaurant on a rotation - so I can see the confusion there.

 

Congrats on your upcoming cruise!!

Dining on Disney is a completely different animal than dining on Princess. And yes, there you do want to visit each restaurant, but the dining schedule is set to allow you to do that.

 

All the dining rooms I've seen on Princess are basically beige with pictures on the walls....some find it "classy" while others think it is "boring." They all have the same menu, regardless of dining time. The only remarkable thing is that the far aft dining room works on a "you can't get there from here" basis, meaning that you need to be aware of where you are and which floors will allow you to walk thru to that location. Poor design, IMHO.

[GUT2407]

You can “switch” if you are gon to a specialty restaurant.

 

When we started cruising (abou a billion years ago it seems) they shut the doors about 10 or 15 minutes after the set time.

[Ombud]

I have a few questions regarding the Princess cruise traditional dining option:

 

If I choose traditional dining at 6 pm:

 

-Can we switch a dining room on certain days? There are many dining rooms on the cruise. I want to try all dining rooms.

-What is our chance in getting our own table without sharing (table size: 4 persons)? We are a family of 3.

-Do we have to be there at 6 pm exactly? Can we arrive at 6:15 pm or so if we don't have to share the table.

 

Thank you.

only answering the part I bolded.

 

You most certainly can switch to those with a different menu: Alfredo & Horizon (both free), Kai Sushi / Sabatinis / Crown Grill (surcharge) but there's no point in switching to anytime dining rooms as the menu is the same. Alfredo is not just pizza, it's Sabatini 'lite' -- love their lasagne, minestrone, and tiramisu

 

I'm always ALWAYS late ... 10 minutes most nights, 15-20 minutes on Friday nights (waiter knows I'll be at 5:00 services). I'm still out by 7-7:15

Edited October 7, 2018 by Ombud

[Times Prince]

Do not count on a 6 PM dining time. Most of my traditional dining room assigned times have ranged from 15-30 minutes EARLIER. Say I wanted 5:30. My card would say 5:15..

This has been our experience for several cruises.

 

6 PM would be an acceptable time for us to eat in Traditional Dining, but Princess does not seem to schedule a seating at this time, even though it says so on the website. They usually schedule it earlier onboard ship, and make it so it is too early for us, given our desired port and onboard activities. We've switched back to Anytime and usually eat in the Horizon Court because at least one of the Anytime dining rooms is used for that early Traditional and is not available until 7:30.

[cr8tiv1]

Even with Club Class anytime dining I've noticed a problem. People were standing at the door at 4:45 and the MDR did not open until 5:15. Our head waiter did open the doors early. If you were not in line early: you didn't get a window, you may not get your favorite server, and/or you may have to wait until the first wave cleared out 45-90 minutes later. Fortunately, you are not rushed and could actually "start" your dinner at 5:30 (cocktails, appetizers, chit chat).

[caribill]

-What is our chance in getting our own table without sharing (table size: 4 persons)? We are a family of 3.

 

When you made your booking, one of the choices for traditional dining is a requested table size. I assume you said a table for 4.

 

That choice is not guaranteed and even if you do get assigned to a table for four, there could be a fourth person assigned to it joining your family of three.

 

On embarkation day, your cruise card will have the dining room assigned, the time for your sitting, and the table number. Knowing the table number, you can check out the table size. You may have to do this by going to the dining room that the Maitre d' will be at to deal with change requests. The time and location for this will be in the ship's daily newsletter which is called the Patter and will be in your cabin when you embark. If it is not a table for four, you can ask the Maitre d' to switch you to a table for four which might or might not be possible.

[skynight]

I have a few questions regarding the Princess cruise traditional dining option:

 

If I choose traditional dining at 6 pm:

 

-Can we switch a dining room on certain days? There are many dining rooms on the cruise. I want to try all dining rooms.

-What is our chance in getting our own table without sharing (table size: 4 persons)? We are a family of 3.

-Do we have to be there at 6 pm exactly? Can we arrive at 6:15 pm or so if we don't have to share the table.

 

Thank you.

All main DR's have the same menus, so no need to switch. If you want to book a specialty dining restaurant or other dining experience you can, or if you want to eat that evening at the buffet, grill, pizza or other, no problem.

[geoherb]

If you don't get the assigned type of table you'd like, it can take a while to switch. Last month on the Royal, we were assigned a table for two although we had requested a larger shared table. We were told to show up the next night and let them know we wanted to share a table since the maître d' wasn't available right then. We did and got to share a table with others. They made a note of our request and said we'd receive a notice when we got a permanent assignment. We ate at another shared table the third night. We finally got our permanent assignment for the fourth night, albeit at a new table with the people we had dined the third night. Fortunately, this was a 15-night cruise. So by the end, we felt like we got the traditional experience we wanted.