Missing dinner time with traditional dining

[Colo Cruiser]

35 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

Is this announced in Patters ? We are Anytime, but this could give us more flexibility on those days.

They usually have some type of announcement maybe in the Patter, and through the DR wait staff etc. 

[Tedferg]

2 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

They usually have some type of announcement maybe in the Patter, and through the DR wait staff etc. 

Good thanks, we have a couple of late departures on 2019 Alaska cruise.

[PoohUnderstands]

1 hour ago, Tedferg said:

Is this announced in Patters ? We are Anytime, but this could give us more flexibility on those days.

Don't remember if it is in the Patter, but the times that we were in port late (10PM), and we were in TD, our waiter, the night before, made sure to tell us a couple times that dining would be Anytime Dining the next night due to the late departure time.

 

Pooh

[Steelers36]

My 2 cents on TD folks showing up for ATD on a regular evening is this.  If I was running the DR line, I would say that I will be happy to seat you tonight in AT on a space-available basis and AFTER I have seated all of the pax in line who chose and are assigned AT on their Cruise Cards.  The problem with TD'ers showing up at the AT DR is that they displace and delay those who chose AT specifically.  

 

[Shmoo here]

17 minutes ago, paul929207 said:

The problem is that there is no rule that I have seen saying a TD person can't go to AD  anytime they want to .

From the Princess website:

*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.

Should you need to change this request, call your travel consultant no later than three weeks before you sail. Requests for preferences and changes are considered on a first-come, first-served basis. It is not always possible to alter dining preferences or seating arrangements once they are reserved.

Once onboard and subject to availability, you may attempt to switch preferences with 24 hours notice to the Maitre D’. We will do our best to accommodate your preference.

 

With our Traditional Dining option, you get the classic cruise experience, having dinner the same time each night, at an early, first or second seating, in our upscale main dining rooms. You’ll enjoy the same table with the same company and wait staff throughout your voyage.

Should you need to change this request, call your travel agent no later than three weeks before you sail. Requests for preferences and changes are considered on a first-come, first-served basis. It is not always possible to alter dining preferences or seating arrangements once they are reserved.

Once onboard and subject to availability, you may attempt to switch preferences with 24 hours notice to the Maitre D’. We will do our best to accommodate your preference.

 

Doesn't that mean that, once you've changed your preference (actually changed it, not just shown up at the "other" option), then you're on that dining option?

 

 

[Seadog & Sea Hag]

1 hour ago, paul929207 said:

The problem is that there is no rule that I have seen saying a TD person can't go to AD  anytime they want to .

Exactly my point 

[mexicobob]

On ‎11‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 7:12 PM, neverbeenhere said:

Might I suggest:

 

The Skagway fish company 

 

and in Juneau

 

Hanger on the Wharf 

 

both may not look like much, but their food is quite good. 

Will politely  disagree.  Depending on when you go and what you order...this will be the best seafood you will ever eat.  The salmon you have for lunch that was caught that morning will be an incredible dining experience.  Have good craft beer to boot.  

[Kingofcool1947]

On 11/18/2018 at 5:12 PM, neverbeenhere said:

Might I suggest:

 

The Skagway fish company 

 

and in Juneau

 

Hanger on the Wharf 

 

both may not look like much, but their food is quite good. 

 

32 minutes ago, mexicobob said:

Will politely  disagree.  Depending on when you go and what you order...this will be the best seafood you will ever eat.  The salmon you have for lunch that was caught that morning will be an incredible dining experience.  Have good craft beer to boot.  

 

Mexicobob,

I don’t understand your comment.  

Why do you politely disagree with the poster?

Both restaurants serve very good locally caught fish.

King

Edited November 24, 2018 by Kingofcool1947

[geoherb]

On ‎11‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 11:06 PM, Shmoo here said:

I'm thinking they may have to make some sort of allowances with the change in dining times.  We're leaving on a cruise soon.  Had "early" dining at 6:00, but received an email this week that early dining is now 5:00.  That's going to be tricky with one port's time of 1:00-7:00 pm. 

 

I know that on late port days, I've seen all dining rooms go to anytime dining, I'm hoping that any port stop that now runs into the early seating time will mean anytime dining now.

 

In our experience, it's generally been when the ship has stayed in port later than 8 that they've changed all the dining rooms to anytime for that night. If they moved the time up to change to ports leaving after 5, they might as well do away with traditional dining. On our British Isles cruise last year, that would have affected six ports out of 12 nights.

[Haboob]

On 11/18/2018 at 5:18 PM, Kingofcool1947 said:

‘

Just curious why you don’t like Princess allowing TA diners to go to Anytime Dining?

King

 

Ships are built with just enough dining seats, and if a TD diner goes to Anytime that leaves their TD seat

wasted even though there aren't any seats to spare at peak times.

 

[Cruise Raider]

23 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

From the Princess website:

*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.

Should you need to change this request, call your travel consultant no later than three weeks before you sail. Requests for preferences and changes are considered on a first-come, first-served basis. It is not always possible to alter dining preferences or seating arrangements once they are reserved.

Once onboard and subject to availability, you may attempt to switch preferences with 24 hours notice to the Maitre D’. We will do our best to accommodate your preference.

 

With our Traditional Dining option, you get the classic cruise experience, having dinner the same time each night, at an early, first or second seating, in our upscale main dining rooms. You’ll enjoy the same table with the same company and wait staff throughout your voyage.

Should you need to change this request, call your travel agent no later than three weeks before you sail. Requests for preferences and changes are considered on a first-come, first-served basis. It is not always possible to alter dining preferences or seating arrangements once they are reserved.

Once onboard and subject to availability, you may attempt to switch preferences with 24 hours notice to the Maitre D’. We will do our best to accommodate your preference.

 

Doesn't that mean that, once you've changed your preference (actually changed it, not just shown up at the "other" option), then you're on that dining option?

 

 

 

I called Princess to get a definitive answer on this as on my last cruise, they were allowing passengers with Traditional Dining Assignments to use the Anytime Dining, thus creating long lines and the inability for those that chose Anytime Dining to eat dinner in their assigned dining room.  

This is what I was told (and keep in mind, this could all change or be interpreted differently by anyone that works down at Princess).  

If you choose Traditional Dining, that is YOUR dining assignment throughout the cruise, UNLESS you go after 7:30 PM, where Anytime Dining is open to all passengers.  Traditional Diners are not supposed to get into the Anytime Dining line prior to 7:30 PM and you may be turned away if you attempt to do so.  If the lines at 7:30 PM are still filled with Anytime Diners, passengers with Traditional Dining assignments will be asked to wait until after the Anytime Diners are seated.  

So yes, when you choose your dining assignment, you shouldn't be able to switch at will unless it is after 7:30 PM AND anytime diners have more or less all been given seating priority in the Anytime Dining room(s).  

So, that is the current policy per Princess ... they may or may not adhere to this and they may change it again before we sail ... you just never know.  They are trying some changes and getting a lot of push back so it may change again ... maybe even several more times.  

 

[Shmoo here]

10 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

So, that is the current policy per Princess ... they may or may not adhere to this and they may change it again

And therein lies the problem.

[Cruise Raider]

3 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

And therein lies the problem.

Shmooo ... My thoughts, exactly!!  For my next cruise, they've changed the traditional dining times and probably won't even adhere to any of the options available to me online .... 

They really need to just pick some times and some policies and stick to it so people know how to plan their course of action.  I feel like we are in limbo! 

[Shmoo here]

2 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

Shmooo ... My thoughts, exactly!!  For my next cruise, they've changed the traditional dining times and probably won't even adhere to any of the options available to me online .... 

They really need to just pick some times and some policies and stick to it so people know how to plan their course of action.  I feel like we are in limbo! 

Yeah, we're caught in the "new dining times" situation now.  As it now stands (since we were switched from 6:00 early seating to 5:00 early seating) we're going to be a hour and a half late to dinner in the port where our excursion runs until 6:30......

[Cruise2End]

Persons selecting Traditional Dining should show common courtesy not only to the Anytime Diners, but their wait staff and Tablemates.    If you are in TD, and you know you won’t be there the next evening, it is common courtesy to let your wait staff and/or the Maitre’D know.   This ensures that dinner will not be delayed for your tablemates who may be trying to attend a show after dinner.    Some persons who sign  for TD, especially those requesting a larger table for more socializing, can be very disappointed to find that often there are regularly  4 at a table for 8, because their tablemates don’t request a change but just “don’t show” on a regular basis.     If you are a TD, and you decide it’s not to your liking, please let the Maitre’D know so they can move others to those empty seats.   Otherwise, they are required to leave them vacant, should you change your mind and decide to show up.      It’s a small thing but may make a difference in others’ cruise experience.     If your ship is late in port, your waitstaff may advise that there will be Open Seating that allows you to dine anywhere you wish, but this is not always true, so do ask the wait staff the evening before.    They are very helpful.

 

 

 

[caribill]

Many cruisers, especially first timers but also those who have cruised a few times, really do not understand the dining room options they can choose from at the time of booking. Many TAs simply ask do you prefer early or late dining and do not explain the anytime concept.

 

This results in a number of passengers who are signed up for traditional dining but still never eat there. Not necessarily because they are sneaking into anytime (the first night or two they would be turned away from there if they tried), but because they end up at the buffet or other options. Thus their seats at traditional go unused.

[Cruise2End]

I agree caribell.   Sometimes the passengers just don’t realize it.   If by the 3rd evening a passenger with traditional dining has neither shown up nor contacted the maitre’d It would behoove Princess to move passengers accordingly to fill tables in the traditional MDR.    And would reduce number of tables for waitstaff as well.   

[NAGooner]

PandaBear62

 

Our experience is that on evenings when the ship is in port late, eg on our recent Carribean Princess cruise we were in Curacao until 10:00 pm, anytime dining remained anytime dining but traditional, fixed dining, became open seating dining - 5:30 pm first seating and 7:45 pm second seating became 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm open seating. You showed up anytime between these times and were seated at the next available table for your group, which may or may not have been your regular assigned table.

 

Traditional diners still went to their respective dining room (Palm Dining Room) as did anytime diners (Island and Coral Dining rooms), there was no co-mingling of diners between the various dining rooms - the changed dining room times were announced in the Princess Patter for that day, under dining guide.

 

However, just to complicate matters, we were in St. Thomas until 7:00 pm but the anytime and fixed dining times remained the same as always. This would have affected the early fixed seaing times of 5:15 pm (early fixed seating) and 5:30 pm (first seating).

 

I would check with guest services once onboard to clarifty dining times and options for those late departure ports as there is usually some flexibility built into the system.

 

NAGooner

[MissP22]

Princess has even made the problem greater since they've changed the show schedule.  Many people in TD only want the first show & will switch to AT to make the show. If they stick with they're assigned time they'll be late for some shows. 

[Pierlesscruisers]

On 11/18/2018 at 3:53 PM, PandaBear62 said:

Please excuse my ignorance. Although I have been on a number of cruises, this situation is new to me.

We have two ports (Skagway and Juneau), where the ship doesn't sail until 8:30 or 9. I doubt we will be back in time to be dressed for dinner at 5, with the change in dining times.

 

Can we then go to an "Anytime" Dining"  dining room, or will we need to eat at the buffet or make a reservation for a specialty restaurant?

 

Thank you for any input.

 

As a courtesy, if you have traditional dining, any time you are not going to be sitting at your assigned table it's nice to let the head waiter know in advance that that is the case so that it doesn't hold up the others who are seated at your table. That would be appropriate in this case.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise!

 

Tom

[8dimsum]

Just back from the Coral with AT dining:  the staff at the doorway asked for one's room # to assist with flow of diners for AT.  The M'd kept a notation of diners seperate from his seating chart of where he had you seated for service.  We are a couple who would regularly request for a non-sharing table for 2. We were not interested in early dining nor rushing to see the PM shows.  Our table could be anywhere in the dining room.