Dine My Way & all new Dining questions since cruising restart!!

[julia]

57 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Perhaps it is just me, but on a cruise costing $5,000 or so, why is there so much angst,  worry and consternation over a $60 dinner  for  two. 

How many man hours have been spent on this thread on this subject ?

Sometimes a sense of priority is needed. 

Sense of priority?? Cost of the cruise??  What an unhelpful reply.

If a specialty dinner is included in the fare (it's NOT free), then making a preferred reservation should be simple. Many may be celebrating an event, and want a specific date. On shorter cruises, the specialty dining can book up quickly.  If the app worked halfway decently, this entire thread wouldn't exist, and you'd have no need to comment on legitimate questions!

[julia]

20 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

It'd flaky - sometimes it will recognize your credit and sometimes not.  Either wait until on-board or request an adjustment on board.

 

Thx for the reply.  I'll keep trying.

[13cheermom]

So all of my previous dining reservations seem to disappear, so I went in and re-added them back into system.  All seemed fine for the last few days.  Today, 2 days from sailing and I have double reservations for same time in each of the dining rooms everyday.  I tried to alternate dining rooms to try each out and know I didn't book both of these.  I am just going to leave it and hopefully one of them will be available. 😂

[Nanatravel]

On 3/1/2022 at 2:05 PM, AstoriaPreppy said:

I'm not sure if I've overlooked this, but is there any way to pre-book specialty dining via the medallion app without pre-paying? 

 

We received a complimentary dinner as part of a package, but it seems we're unable to make reservations for that dinner without paying out of pocket in advance. 

Contact the Princess Chat line.  They will make the reservation and debit your on board account; however, you still must give a Credit Card number for incidental charges.  Card will not be charged but your OBC for Specialty Dining will be charged.  When you get your confirmation card (even if it is wrong dining room) bring it with you and give to your waiter.  We had to do this on Enchanted for Valentine's Day.

 

[WAvoyager]

13 hours ago, 13cheermom said:

So all of my previous dining reservations seem to disappear, so I went in and re-added them back into system.  All seemed fine for the last few days.  Today, 2 days from sailing and I have double reservations for same time in each of the dining rooms everyday.  I tried to alternate dining rooms to try each out and know I didn't book both of these.  I am just going to leave it and hopefully one of them will be available. 😂

I think you actually did book both of them.  When your reservations “disappeared” they were still in the database, but you couldn’t see them in the app.  Then when you re-added them, you were actually adding a second reservation.  Now the app is seeing the original bookings, plus the ones you re-added.

 

I’m guessing they have multiple data servers, which are not synching properly.  When your original reservations disappeared they weren’t gone, your app just didn’t have access to them.

 

Ive been in start ups which had these same exact problems.  Those start ups didn’t survive….  🙄

[Steelers36]

14 hours ago, 13cheermom said:

So all of my previous dining reservations seem to disappear, so I went in and re-added them back into system.  All seemed fine for the last few days.  Today, 2 days from sailing and I have double reservations for same time in each of the dining rooms everyday.  I tried to alternate dining rooms to try each out and know I didn't book both of these.  I am just going to leave it and hopefully one of them will be available. 😂

It would be nice to your fellow cruisers to cancel the ones you don't need.  Space is limited on many voyages as they have not loaded up all DR space.  In some cases, it is a mystery to me why space is taken.

[capriccio]

“Traditional dining no longer exists.”

 

This was the comment made by MDR staff yesterday evening on our current cruise as a party of 6 on the Enchanted Princess.
 

We had a reservations every night in the MDR at 6:20 pm.  I admit to being totally skeptical as to how this would work.  After our dinner last night our server said “see you tomorrow” and we concurred.  Last night when we arrived the table was taken and it took some time and internal discussions to find us another.  The hostess said the server or one of us should have asked them last night to reserve last night’s table for the duration of the cruise.

 

After dinner I stopped at the hostess stand and asked if we could reserve tonight’s table.  After consulting the computer they said no it was already assigned to others.  The explanation was that “the computer assigns the tables varying the table numbers night by night and the only way to get the same table after the first night was with a 5 pm or 7 pm request and then the staff can override the computer.”  

 

My advice:  if you like your servers the first night do not leave the MDR without asking staff at the hostess stand to override your assigned tables for the rest of the cruise.  
 

By the way, the staff were no happier with this new system than we are.  I know they are vested in providing a high level of service to their passengers and that’s easier when you have a chance to learn their likes and dislikes, not to mention their names.  Also, I know when we have the same servers we reward continued good service with a gratuity at the end of the cruise.  That won’t happen if we only have them at one dinner.

[Tracyken]

We’re on a British Isles Cruise on 25th August.  I didn’t realise you could book dining so early and now I’ve realised the only table for two available is at 8.40 every night.  Can this be right five months in advance?  We’ve got another cruise in September and I’ve beeen able to book tables for two at 6pm with no issues.  I’d be grateful for any advice.

[13cheermom]

9 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

It would be nice to your fellow cruisers to cancel the ones you don't need.  Space is limited on many voyages as they have not loaded up all DR space.  In some cases, it is a mystery to me why space is taken.

I did because I wanted to make sure I got the correct reservations for each night.  However I didn't make a couple of them because I had already written down all days and times originally.  The system added something and also a specialty dining reservation that I never made, lol.

[ihopfar]

7 hours ago, Tracyken said:

We’re on a British Isles Cruise on 25th August.  I didn’t realise you could book dining so early and now I’ve realised the only table for two available is at 8.40 every night.  Can this be right five months in advance?  We’ve got another cruise in September and I’ve beeen able to book tables for two at 6pm with no issues.  I’d be grateful for any advice.

No, I do not think it is correct.   We are on the same cruise.   Only one dining room is showing any availability, but there are 3.   For a time, there was a second one available to book and that is the one we have reserved.  (Our reservations have not shown on the app for a long time, but I did see them when i was able to check on the web.)   I think as we get closer (or on board) they will open up more space in the other dining rooms to book.

[JF - retired RRT]

I'm confused: if I choose "same table, same time" (or whatever the wording is) for the first day of the cruise...do I have to do that for each day?

Need to know if it's necessary for each day (PITA) or if it will carry for the whole cruise. I'm booked on a B2B 15 days each. If I have to do it for every single day, that's 30X.

 

Also, how do I see what I've completed in DMW? Or is that possible?

[MsSoCalCruiser]

32 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

I'm confused: if I choose "same table, same time" (or whatever the wording is) for the first day of the cruise...do I have to do that for each day?

Need to know if it's necessary for each day (PITA) or if it will carry for the whole cruise. I'm booked on a B2B 15 days each. If I have to do it for every single day, that's 30X.

 

Also, how do I see what I've completed in DMW? Or is that possible?

We had to do it for each day (same table, same time, same MDR).

[JF - retired RRT]

42 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

We had to do it for each day (same table, same time, same MDR).

Thanks!!

That is a really, really BIG PITA!!

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

I'm confused: if I choose "same table, same time" (or whatever the wording is) for the first day of the cruise...do I have to do that for each day?

Need to know if it's necessary for each day (PITA) or if it will carry for the whole cruise. I'm booked on a B2B 15 days each. If I have to do it for every single day, that's 30X.

 

Also, how do I see what I've completed in DMW? Or is that possible?

 

1 hour ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

We had to do it for each day (same table, same time, same MDR).

No, you do not HAVE to make a res for each day individually  In fact, whatever small chance you have to get same table throughout the voyage is not there when booking each night individually. 

 

Book the entire voyage.  Then, use the individual night option to review what you have.  Just scroll thru the days at the top of the screen and tap on any one to confirm what is booked.  You can do an override on individual nights afterwards for SD reservations or perhaps you know you are doing a buffet night.  It frees up your table for someone else for that day.

[Tracyken]

Thank you.  That’s what I’m hoping.

[In Toronto]

Hello Everyone.

I know that this answer is somewhere in the 29 pages.  I looked through several and could not find.  Would you please help your parent/grandparent (Ha Ha) with a question?

We sail end of May.  I think that I have made reservations for every dinner in one of the main dining rooms.  It was so simple and quick on the Medallion App on my iPhone that I am thinking it was too easy.  

Each evening was confirmed.  

Where do I go to check on these reservations?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Doug R.]

34 minutes ago, In Toronto said:

Hello Everyone.

I know that this answer is somewhere in the 29 pages.  I looked through several and could not find.  Would you please help your parent/grandparent (Ha Ha) with a question?

We sail end of May.  I think that I have made reservations for every dinner in one of the main dining rooms.  It was so simple and quick on the Medallion App on my iPhone that I am thinking it was too easy.  

Each evening was confirmed.  

Where do I go to check on these reservations?

Thanks for your help.

 

Click on the Knife and Fork with Clock Icon and select View or book individual daily reservations.

[jku2]

Just back for one day from cruise so fresh experience

I spent more than an hour at home before the trip selecting the place and time for my dinner,.

I did a mix of the 2 places and sitting alone or with others,

It was a complete waste of my time.

 

All my choices were gone when I boarded the ship.

I was placed in and given a time that was not what I had chosen.

I tried going back on line and choosing again and the only times now available were 8 pm.

We went to the matre' d and asked and he said the room was chosen by the ship because of where my room was.  He said he would place us at a table for 2 for the same time same table but it would take 2 days to get done.

BTW the dining rooms were at least half empty.  My server had 3 tables.  Two of them tables for 2.

I am sure he had more as the evening progressed but from 5:40 when we arrived to almost 7:00pm when we left these are the only ones he had.

[In Toronto]

Thank you Doug R. I checked and it looks like my reservations are all there. Strange because it was so easy when I have heard so many other people say they could not get in and could not make reservations. So, that made me think that I had done something wrong.

 

However, hopefully they will still show up when I get on the ship. If they go by the dining room closest to our cabin, as jku2 posted, we will not get this dining room and could be all messed up. 
 

Nevertheless, I have done what I can. Thank you so much for your help

[WAvoyager]

I think Princess really started to be aware of all of the issues with the app about two or three months ago, and they finally started getting the issues worked out about a month back.  (Individual bugs in the apps, individual users having problems doing things, different devices having problems, etc).

 

Then they needed to work on database / data handling optimization, and started on those changes last month. (Problems under load as booked cruises neared, mass “losses” of data,  loss of access for everyone to data, saved info being unavailable on subsequent log ins).

 

now they’ve added portal based services in, so I’m sure we’ll see some instability there (more saved data access problems, data available on one access point, but not another).  It’ll probably take another month to work out those issues.  Then hopefully we’ll see some stability.

 

we couldn’t do anything in the app for a month or so, then everything worked for a bit, then the data was gone, but everything on the app seems to be okay now.  Sounds like you had really good timing In Toronto!

Edited March 15, 2022 by WAvoyager

[amajaa]

On 3/12/2022 at 8:37 PM, ihopfar said:

No, I do not think it is correct.   We are on the same cruise.   Only one dining room is showing any availability, but there are 3.   For a time, there was a second one available to book and that is the one we have reserved.  (Our reservations have not shown on the app for a long time, but I did see them when i was able to check on the web.)   I think as we get closer (or on board) they will open up more space in the other dining rooms to book.

Yep we are on this cruise as well and booked the MDR when we booked the cruise nearly a year ago. When I went in again about 2 months ago the Private Table reservations had disappeared and they all said table may be shared with others.  Normally we like sharing with others but in these Covid times we don’t want to risk it and have to be isolated because someone else on the table has tested positive.

 

Like you I am hoping more opens up nearer the cruise 🤞🤞

 

I have tried phoning numerous times over the last few months but still haven’t got through. 

[nonno25]

My basic problem is actually getting into DMW! I have been trying for weeks and get in maybe once a week. All the other times I get the blue screen with the never ending loading circle. I have tried different devices, deleted and reloaded the app and tried to log in as my wife. Nothing works!

[amajaa]

On 3/12/2022 at 8:37 PM, ihopfar said:

No, I do not think it is correct.   We are on the same cruise.   Only one dining room is showing any availability, but there are 3.   For a time, there was a second one available to book and that is the one we have reserved.  (Our reservations have not shown on the app for a long time, but I did see them when i was able to check on the web.)   I think as we get closer (or on board) they will open up more space in the other dining rooms to book.

Can I ask please how do you check on the web as opposed to the app? 
 

[ihopfar]

2 hours ago, amajaa said:

Can I ask please how do you check on the web as opposed to the app? 
 

I looked again, and they seem to have removed that feature.   I could not find how to check on the web anymore.  I am sure someone else will chime in if it still possible.  (It was part of the web based check-in they added when folks complained about only being able to check-in via the app.)

[Thrak]

4 hours ago, amajaa said:

Can I ask please how do you check on the web as opposed to the app? 
 

 

For reference the link to the web based version of the app is here: https://oceanready-personalinfo-ui.prod.ocean.com/

 

Whether or not it has all the things listed in the app is not clear.