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

[Steelers36]

8 hours ago, Twolittleboys said:

I just booked a transatlantic cruise on Sky Princess, leaving in about 3 weeks (basic fare/no Plus or anything/interior cabin). This will be my first cruise on Princess (plenty on other lines though) and I am a bit confused about the dining process.

I have looked at the Medallion app (lots of slots are booked up) and am still unsure how to proceed.

I did look through this thread and have a basic understanding but want to make sure I am not way off, especially as there have been a number of changes lately.

I would ideally have liked the "old" traditional seating (same shared table every day) but don't think that is still available. I will be traveling solo and I am fine with either sitting on my own or at a shared table. 

 

I would kind of like to make reservations but the activities don't seem to have loaded yet and if it is a different table every time anyway I guess I would rather stay flexible.

So if I just show up for dinner at one of the main dining rooms whenever I feel like it they should seat me, correct? Any disadvantage to this?

You will have the shortest wait as a walk-up if you elect to share a table with other guests.  If you tend to eat dinner later which is more of a thing in Europe than N.A., you should have much less wait if you want a private 2-top to dine alone.  If I were you, I would ask the DR Host or Mgr where you go the first night which DR they recommend for walk-up with the shortest wait. 

 

6 hours ago, Twolittleboys said:

 

Hm, so what does that mean exactly? Does it mean I may have to wait 10 or 20 minutes for a table or will I have to eat at the buffet if I have no reservation?

No, you do not have to eat at the buffet with no reservation.  If you are flexible and okay to share, the wait should be not so bad.  You can also see if your fellow diners want to stick together and then the DR Mgr can likely keep you together at a set time each night and it will be so much easier as well.  There is a post above as to how five women got together that way.

 

[Nebr.cruiser]

6 hours ago, Twolittleboys said:

 

Hm, so what does that mean exactly? Does it mean I may have to wait 10 or 20 minutes for a table or will I have to eat at the buffet if I have no reservation?

It means you will get a table, but may have a wait.  Since we usually eat about 8, our wait is from none to maybe 10 minutes.  Earlier times may have much longer waits.  If wait times are long, they may give you a buzzer.  We like a table for 2, or 4 if my sisters are along.

Edited October 16, 2023 by Nebr.cruiser

[julie3fan]

8 hours ago, BamaVol said:

Has that been true at all of the MDRs?  

 

All our reservations have been in Concerto, so I can't speak to this.

[Twolittleboys]

Thanks everybody. I am a bit surprised by this as on most other cruises I have been on you either had set dining or could just go whenever. I don't think I have ever had to wait more than 5 minutes.

Anyway, I think I will just try my luck without reservations. The "prime times" are mostly gone already as I have booked so late and as I am okay with sharing it sounds like it should be okay.

[teenieleek]

I’m just home from 24 nights on Sky, double TA from Southampton.  There was a queue every night at the Estrella dining room.  It must have been slow-moving because a row of chairs was set out for those waiting.  I can’t tell how long people were waiting because we were in Reserve dining but no matter when we turned up (at various times between 6.30 to 8 pm) there was usually a queue.  I know some had reservations because one woman tried to go in the Reserve side saying “I’ve reserved”.  The manager said Princess should never have changed the name from club class to reserve as it caused confusion and annoyance.

 

While at Guest services one day I heard a woman at the next assistant complaining that she could only reserve 5 pm or nearer 9 pm.  My assistant told me that every day they have people with the same complaint.  
 

The ship was overcrowded, the buffet was a zoo.  There was no where to sit on decks 5/6/7 during the day.  People set up camp at crack of dawn with books, puzzles, cards, knitting and didn’t move. The Soleil dining room was opened as a “quiet space” aka overflow seating but who wants to sit on a dining chair to read? International café had nice food but nowhere to eat it.  We managed a table for four for an after dinner drink occasionally but it had to be during the show otherwise there was no chance.

We were very glad we’d paid the big bucks and could use the concierge lounge and reserve dining otherwise it would have been such a struggle each day.

[Ugarte]

On 10/19/2023 at 12:09 PM, teenieleek said:

I’m just home from 24 nights on Sky, double TA from Southampton.  There was a queue every night at the Estrella dining room.  It must have been slow-moving because a row of chairs was set out for those waiting.  I can’t tell how long people were waiting because we were in Reserve dining but no matter when we turned up (at various times between 6.30 to 8 pm) there was usually a queue.  I know some had reservations because one woman tried to go in the Reserve side saying “I’ve reserved”.  The manager said Princess should never have changed the name from club class to reserve as it caused confusion and annoyance.

 

While at Guest services one day I heard a woman at the next assistant complaining that she could only reserve 5 pm or nearer 9 pm.  My assistant told me that every day they have people with the same complaint.  
 

The ship was overcrowded, the buffet was a zoo.  There was no where to sit on decks 5/6/7 during the day.  People set up camp at crack of dawn with books, puzzles, cards, knitting and didn’t move. The Soleil dining room was opened as a “quiet space” aka overflow seating but who wants to sit on a dining chair to read? International café had nice food but nowhere to eat it.  We managed a table for four for an after dinner drink occasionally but it had to be during the show otherwise there was no chance.

We were very glad we’d paid the big bucks and could use the concierge lounge and reserve dining otherwise it would have been such a struggle each day.

Thanks very much for the warning. I'm on the TA leaving Southampton on 10 November and have struggled to place a private table reservation on the Sky in any MDR at a reasonable time. The earliest same time every day private table reservation in any Main Dining Room was 8:30pm. The earliest individual reservation in any Main Dining Room for a private table is 5:30pm (2 nights), 7:10pm (1 night), 7:30pm (4 nights), 7:50pm (5 nights), 8:10pm (2 nights), 8:30pm (1 night), and I just now read that I should be prepared to wait even with a confirmed reservation! I chose this particular ship and itinerary because as I had always wanted to cross an ocean on a ship and had read that repositioning cruises were in many ways undesirable and therefore generally uncrowded. It looks as though Princess has found a way to force me to sail whilst hungry, angry, and standing up.

[teenieleek]

3 minutes ago, Ugarte said:

Thanks very much for the warning. I'm on the TA leaving Southampton on 10 November and have struggled to place a private table reservation on the Sky in any MDR at a reasonable time. The earliest same time every day private table reservation in any Main Dining Room was 8:30pm. The earliest individual reservation in any Main Dining Room for a private table is 5:30pm (2 nights), 7:10pm (1 night), 7:30pm (4 nights), 7:50pm (5 nights), 8:10pm (2 nights), 8:30pm (1 night), and I just now read that I should be prepared to wait even with a confirmed reservation! I chose this particular ship and itinerary because as I had always wanted to cross an ocean on a ship and had read that repositioning cruises were in many ways undesirable and therefore generally uncrowded. It looks as though Princess has found a way to force me to sail whilst hungry, angry, and standing up.

I would grab any of these reservations that appeal to you now.  You don’t need to eat at exactly the same time each night but it would be better to have some sorted in advance.  Good luck.

[JCP3]

I just took my first Princess Cruise on the Diamond Princess.   Dine My Way is a joke.   It should be Dine when convenient for Princess.   I was unable to book any reservations prior as none were available.   Going by one of the dining rooms I noticed a line for guests without reservation's and thought that was my answer.   First night I tried 3 different dinning rooms.   At each I was rudely told that you had to have reservations. I went to guest relations and was told I needed to use the app to book reservations.   I explained that no reservations were available for any of the 8 nights left.  They checked and confirmed what I saw.   The next day I was notified that I had a reservation for that night at a time I liked and they would keep working on it.   They eventually got most nights covered but even with reservations I had to wait up to 30 minutes and was shuttled to different rooms on 2 occasions.

[leck57]

On 10/17/2023 at 7:20 PM, Twolittleboys said:

Thanks everybody. I am a bit surprised by this as on most other cruises I have been on you either had set dining or could just go whenever. I don't think I have ever had to wait more than 5 minutes.

 

 

.....and that's the way it used to be on Princess until they changed things and screwed up.

[HotRoot]

Dine my way worked perfect for us on the Caribbean Princess.  We were able to book a table for two every night before we boarded.  Once on board, we changed three nights to an earlier time so we could see the production shows.  We did not know which nights were shows so changed them after we saw the Patters late the previous night.  The first two were at a shared table.  We skipped dessert the first time and our entree the second time because service was so slow.  We were able to get a table for two the third time and finished our meal with time to spare.  

[Steelers36]

7 hours ago, JCP3 said:

I just took my first Princess Cruise on the Diamond Princess.   Dine My Way is a joke.   It should be Dine when convenient for Princess.   I was unable to book any reservations prior as none were available.   Going by one of the dining rooms I noticed a line for guests without reservation's and thought that was my answer.   First night I tried 3 different dinning rooms.   At each I was rudely told that you had to have reservations. I went to guest relations and was told I needed to use the app to book reservations.   I explained that no reservations were available for any of the 8 nights left.  They checked and confirmed what I saw.   The next day I was notified that I had a reservation for that night at a time I liked and they would keep working on it.   They eventually got most nights covered but even with reservations I had to wait up to 30 minutes and was shuttled to different rooms on 2 occasions.

Some ships do better than others.

[BamaVol]

I’m puzzled by the posts of lines, waits and no available dining times.  Can anyone tell me when DMW was implemented?  And has anyone seen a table of MDR capacity by ship?

 

I can understand if ships were built or refurbished with reduced capacity after DMW implementation.  But surely a ship like CB was built prior.

 

I do understand how TD could require less capacity.  But I dislike too much structure myself, and I’m not all that keen on dining with strangers.

 

We’ve sailed Norwegian and never encountered difficulty getting a two top in an MDR and I fail to see how their method enables better utilization of 

capacity.  So, are their ships built with more or more flexible MDR seating?

I can see how Princess might want to subtly drive business to SD. But in 17 days sailing so far, on older ships, I’ve always been able to make MDR reservations and have them honored for my desired times.

 

Unless you have worked for Princess, I don’t think you know WHY this is happening.  But maybe we can figure out HOW.

 

Edited October 24, 2023 by BamaVol

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, BamaVol said:

I’m puzzled by the posts of lines, waits and no available dining times.  Can anyone tell me when DMW was implemented?  And has anyone seen a table of MDR capacity by ship?

 

I can understand if ships were built or refurbished with reduced capacity after DMW implementation.  But surely a ship like CB was built prior.

 

I do understand how TD could require less capacity.  But I dislike too much structure myself, and I’m not all that keen on dining with strangers.

 

We’ve sailed Norwegian and never encountered difficulty getting a two top in an MDR and I fail to see how their method enables better utilization of 

capacity.  So, are their ships built with more or more flexible MDR seating?

I can see how Princess might want to subtly drive business to SD. But in 17 days sailing so far, on older ships, I’ve always been able to make MDR reservations and have them honored for my desired times.

 

Unless you have worked for Princess, I don’t think you know WHY this is happening.  But maybe we can figure out HOW.

 

DMW was released in June, 2021.  However, functionality was quite flaky and they did not release all DR's for all voyages initially.  Actually, it seems they are often holding back 1/3 DR's even today.

 

I have no idea of DR capacities per ship.  I might have seen someone(s) post some numbers from a ship that perhaps came from a MD/DRO.

 

I am unaware of any reduced capacity by retro-fitting ships.  In fact, the RC ships have a number of locations where they stack a row of 2-tops with almost no room in between.  DR Staff can combine many 2-tops into a 4-top or split them.

 

From my observations of posts over the past year or so, I would say that some ships are dealing with DMW better than others.  Also, I think there are inexperienced guests who either leave things late or don't thoroughly understand the App functions and limitations. 

 

The DR Hosts have an on-board version of DMW which gives them a lot of control over bookings and such.  It has much more functionality than we guests have.  It may be a computerized version of the old DR seating charts that the MD used to use.  In my observation, it is not the DRO using the App - it is the younger set (the Hosts) or perhaps a DR Mgr. 

 

DMW has limitations that can frustrate guests.  It requires person-to-person requests if you want particular location.  Otherwise, if okay to sit anywhere, much easier to deal with.  Also, DMW can never block guests who want to share together at the same table.

 

 

 

Edited October 24, 2023 by Steelers36

[memoak]

Let’s face it. Shops can handle all passengers in the MDR’s but not if they all want to eat between 5:00 and 6:30. To this day I see long lines at 4:45 and semi employees rooms at 8:00. If you don’t mind eating after 7:30 or  8:00 there is rarely an issue

[teenieleek]

9 hours ago, memoak said:

Let’s face it. Shops can handle all passengers in the MDR’s but not if they all want to eat between 5:00 and 6:30. To this day I see long lines at 4:45 and semi employees rooms at 8:00. If you don’t mind eating after 7:30 or  8:00 there is rarely an issue

That probably varies by departure port.  The biggest log jam on Sky was 7.00 to 8.00.  We went once at 6.00 (must have been hungry!) and it was quiet.  It’s also probably different if lots want to go to the early theatre shows but since we had no wish to sit for an hour in there (necessary if you wanted a seat) waiting for the show to start, we never went and made dinner our entertainment instead!  The ship does not have enough public space.  

[HotRoot]

We had premier so only had to go to the show 15 minutes prior.  But at a shared table, the service was way too slow.  We sat while people ate appetizers, soup, salad.  Then had to leave to see the show before our entrees were served.  

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, HotRoot said:

We had premier so only had to go to the show 15 minutes prior.  But at a shared table, the service was way too slow.  We sat while people ate appetizers, soup, salad.  Then had to leave to see the show before our entrees were served.  

We don't do the sharing tables, but I would ask the waiter to bring our meal ahead because we aren't having four courses.

[HotRoot]

3 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

We don't do the sharing tables, but I would ask the waiter to bring our meal ahead because we aren't having four courses.

We do not like sharing tables either for this reason but those nights it was share a table in the MDR or eat in the buffet.  We like buffets less than sharing a table.

[fun_one]

My husband and I are not traveling with anyone and would like to eat in one of the main dining rooms at a shared table most nights.  Without knowing when the shows are, I am confused how to make that kind of reservation.  When I get on the medallion app, the only times available are 8:00 pm for a "private" reservation.  Can I just go at an earlier time and say I want to share a table and be seated in a reasonable time frame?  I am used to having a set time each day to eat but am flexible since we are alone.

[Steelers36]

55 minutes ago, fun_one said:

My husband and I are not traveling with anyone and would like to eat in one of the main dining rooms at a shared table most nights.  Without knowing when the shows are, I am confused how to make that kind of reservation.  When I get on the medallion app, the only times available are 8:00 pm for a "private" reservation.  Can I just go at an earlier time and say I want to share a table and be seated in a reasonable time frame?  I am used to having a set time each day to eat but am flexible since we are alone.

The shortest waits are always for sharing tables (generally, 6-tops or 8-tops).  Ask DR Mgrs or Hosts which DR may be best for what you are looking for (in terms of minimum wait).  

 

Main shows are usually 7:30/9:30 in North America and may be half-hour later in Europe.  I think a show time may be affected somewhat based on a late port departure time (but not positive). 

 

[HotRoot]

We departed at 10 pm.  Shows were still 7:30 and 9:30 (USA).  We guessed the show would be the next night which was a sea day.  We guessed wrong.  Were able to get a table for 2 at 5:30 the night before.

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, HotRoot said:

We departed at 10 pm.  Shows were still 7:30 and 9:30 (USA).  We guessed the show would be the next night which was a sea day.  We guessed wrong.  Were able to get a table for 2 at 5:30 the night before.

Right.... I didn't mean that late.  I would think a 10/11pm departure would end up with a normal evening but lower demand in the DR's for tables.  At least once on board you can tell when all the shows and games are by consulting the events schedule, despite the difficult format.

[foodsvcmgr]

Reading all this, are there truly enough people who have no issue with DMW or conversely not enough demanding a return to the TD option, or does Princess simply not care about the guest experience?

Seems unusual to see a business so wedded to a policy or procedure and not care about customer satisfaction.

[capriccio]

1 hour ago, foodsvcmgr said:

Reading all this, are there truly enough people who have no issue with DMW or conversely not enough demanding a return to the TD option, or does Princess simply not care about the guest experience?

Seems unusual to see a business so wedded to a policy or procedure and not care about customer satisfaction.

I think the roll out was very rocky - at least based on my March 2022 cruise where no one - passengers or staff - seemed to know what was going on but in my experience it has improved. 

 

We've been on 2 Princess cruises in the past 6 months - the first with a group of 6 (in April) and the second with a group of 8 (in July).  We had 6 pm DMW reservations made months in advance for the April cruise.  The timing was changed by Princess ahead of the cruise to 5:40 and on the first night of the cruise to 5:30 (the host wanted us to come by 5:20 and we didn't so we compromised).  We had an excellent window table with wonderful wait staff for 28 nights. 

 

On the July cruise we had 6 pm reservations - also made months in advance - and the only issue was the location of the table squeezed right up against one of the wait staff workstations.  After dinner I explained the issue to the host (and also emphasized that there was no issue at all with the wait staff) and the next night we had a new table for the rest of the cruise.  I also stopped by the first night's wait staff and told them exactly what I told the host; I didn't want them to think there was a problem with their service.

[BamaVol]

8 hours ago, foodsvcmgr said:

Reading all this, are there truly enough people who have no issue with DMW or conversely not enough demanding a return to the TD option, or does Princess simply not care about the guest experience?

Seems unusual to see a business so wedded to a policy or procedure and not care about customer satisfaction.

You are extrapolating from complaints on an IBB.  Who knows what feedback Princess has actually received?  My surveys reflect my satisfaction with DMW. I’m not interested in a return to TD.  Princess may monitor CC, but I’m sure they discount what they read here. And the ships are full.