Does Princess no longer have fixed dining times?

[edp-70]

We've just booked two Princess cruises. Sun Princess in the Caribbean in October 2024, and Sky Princess to Norway, Denmark and Sweden sailing on May 31, 2025. Both of our reservations on their website instruct us to go onto their app and book our dining times. I know that this is often the practice for anytime or mytime dining, but we want fixed early dining with the same table and wait-staff. Any idea? Thanks!

[Essiesmom]

All is explained over on the Princess board here.  EM

[KreinKrunker]

22 minutes ago, edp-70 said:

 I know that this is often the practice for anytime or mytime dining, but we want fixed early dining with the same table and wait-staff. Any idea? Thanks!

Princess now has Dine MY Way, or DMW to many.  You can still get that Traditional Dining experience, but it requires some effort on your part.  First, book your dining time, and location using the APP.  Then, once you board go to the dining room of your choice and time.  Once seated ask to talk to the Head Waiter, and tell him of your wishes.  This has worked well for us on 10 of 11 cruises we've taken since the start-up.  The other time the Head Waiter was somewhat less cooperative.  We did have the same table five of the seven nights.

[capriccio]

54 minutes ago, edp-70 said:

We've just booked two Princess cruises. Sun Princess in the Caribbean in October 2024, and Sky Princess to Norway, Denmark and Sweden sailing on May 31, 2025. Both of our reservations on their website instruct us to go onto their app and book our dining times. I know that this is often the practice for anytime or mytime dining, but we want fixed early dining with the same table and wait-staff. Any idea? Thanks!

This is discussed repeatedly on the Princess forum, so you might want to also post there or the admin may move it.

 

As a frequent Princess cruisers I can confirm that there is no longer 'traditional' (choice between 2 dining times - early and late - and the same waitstaff).  Now you make a reservation on the app picking the MDR and the time.  We have had success requesting the same MDR and same time each night and then, if we like the wait staff, asking for them on the rest of the cruise.  That's worked more or less on 4 cruises in the past 2 years with two adjustments.  On one cruise even before embarkation Princess changed the 6 pm daily reservation to 5:40 for our group of 6 and when we got there the Host wanted to change it to 5:20.  We compromised at 5:30 and had great staff for our 28 day cruise.  On another cruise with a party of 8 the first evening we had no issues with the wait staff but the table was right up against the waiters' station.  We asked for another with more space around it and were happy with the new table for the rest of our 7 day cruise.

Edited February 20 by capriccio

[Hlitner]

The concept of Fixed Dining for all, has almost disappeared in the cruise industry.  Why?  A majority of folks simply do not want it!  On Princess, when we first started cruising (back in the 70s) everyone has to choose between early and late dining.  Now, if folks want Fixed Dining they can reserve the same time and same dining room every night and have Fixed Dining.  They can even speak to the Maitre'd about possibly having the same table/waiter on a consistant basis (this is not guaranteed).  But for the few cruisers that want the traditional dining, while they can still have it for themselves, there is no need for others to suffer the same fate :).

 

I might add that in the ole days of cruising there was very little 2-top dining  The norm was that nearly everyone was at larger tables, often with strangers, made new friends, socialized at dinner, etc.  That was a big part of cruising.  In fact, DW and I are still good friends with some folks we met at large MDR tables back in the 70s and 80s.  Having taken well over 100 cruises (some of them months in lenght) our most memorable voyages were the ones where we made some very good friends.  These days, many folks (especially younger generations) simply do not have the social skills that enhance table sharing.  2 tops have become quite common, many folks try to get in-out of the MDR as quickly as possible, the concept of "dining" has been lost (or never known) to many folks, and times have changed.

 

Hank

[edp-70]

Thank you so much for these detailed and clear explanations. Greatly appreciated. Quick follow up question… Are there still typically two shows? A nice thing about fixed dining is you knew that your meal was not going to overlap with the show. If so, any idea what times they are typically scheduled for? Thanks.

Edited February 20 by edp-70

[karatemom2]

31 minutes ago, edp-70 said:

Thank you so much for these detailed and clear explanations. Greatly appreciated. Quick follow up question… Are there still typically two shows? A nice thing about fixed dining is you knew that your meal was not going to overlap with the show. If so, any idea what times they are typically scheduled for? Thanks.

Yes, there are still generally two shows in the theatre - either production shows or some other featured entertainer. We have found lately they are usually scheduled for 7:30 and 9:30 or 8:00 and 10:00 and last about 45 minutes. 

Edited February 20 by karatemom2

[RNRcruisers]

30 minutes ago, edp-70 said:

Thank you so much for these detailed and clear explanations. Greatly appreciated. Quick follow up question… Are there still typically two shows? A nice thing about fixed dining is you knew that your meal was not going to overlap with the show. If so, any idea what times they are typically scheduled for? Thanks.

 

Last week on Regal they were 7:30 and 9:30, except for one night at 7 and 9.

 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

57 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

many folks try to get in-out of the MDR as quickly as possible, the concept of "dining" has been lost (or never known) to many folks, and times have changed.

 

I find this a fascinating phenomenon, especially on Sea Days. I suppose some are rushing to get to a show, but a lot of people are not; it is just the pattern of their life, they rush through everything and have zero patience.

 

The "old way" had some advantages, like meeting new people, but if you cruised enough, you always eventually got stuck at the table with the boorish man who tried to dominate the conversation and have a story to top every story someone else told.

[DallasGuy75219]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I might add that in the ole days of cruising there was very little 2-top dining  The norm was that nearly everyone was at larger tables, often with strangers, made new friends, socialized at dinner, etc.  That was a big part of cruising.  In fact, DW and I are still good friends with some folks we met at large MDR tables back in the 70s and 80s. 

 

1 hour ago, scottca075 said:

The "old way" had some advantages, like meeting new people, but if you cruised enough, you always eventually got stuck at the table with the boorish man who tried to dominate the conversation and have a story to top every story someone else told.

^^^This^^^

 

Hated being forced to eat and make small talk with strangers 1) with whom I had nothing in common, 2) with children they couldn't control, and/or 3) who eat at a snail's pace with no considerstion that they're holding up the rest of the table.  

 

Not my idea of an enjoyable vacation.

 

 

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, scottca075 said:

 

I find this a fascinating phenomenon, especially on Sea Days. I suppose some are rushing to get to a show, but a lot of people are not; it is just the pattern of their life, they rush through everything and have zero patience.

 

The "old way" had some advantages, like meeting new people, but if you cruised enough, you always eventually got stuck at the table with the boorish man who tried to dominate the conversation and have a story to top every story someone else told.

Many mores have changed since we started cruising in the 70s.  In those old days, there were generally 2 Fixed Seatings (with no other options other then the Lido buffet) and those seatings were often at 6 and 8:30.  The late sitting was, by far, the most popular and the early sittings were primarily very old folks and those traveling with children.   In those days, folks loved to truly "dine" (we still do) and 1 1/2 - 2 hours was considered normal dining time.  Show times were often something like 8 and 10 and late night entertainment (even at midnight) was not uncommon.  Several mass market lines would routinely have late night (11:30 or midnight) adults-only comedy shows which were commonly packed.  DW and I seldom went to bed before 1am.

 

These days it's a different world.  On the mass market ships folks think 6pm is too late to dine.  Many are off to bed before 10.  Socialization, with strangers, at large tables is no longer the norm.  I am amazed at how many folks here on CC and in person have asked questions like "what do you talk about with strangers,"  or "what should we not discuss with strangers?"  In our generation just about everyone knew how to intermingle with new-found table mates.  

 

I do find the trend, mostly in North America, towards early dining somewhat of a mystery.  Europeans, to a much greater degree, still dine much later (in Spain it is not uncommon to have dinner after 9pm).  I used to joke that the "Early Birds" in Florida are what changed dining habits, but now I am not so sure it is a joke.  

 

We are in our 70s, but still dine at home around 7:30.  We have very good friends (our age) who do not ever like to dine after 7:30 and my buddy will say "it is because I have a condition!"  That is kind of a joke because of all the folks who want to attribute early dining to health issues;  The reality is that our North American society has generally changed to a less social early to bed early to rise mentality.  There are certainly exceptions such as in NYC where plenty of folks will still go out to dinner well after 8pm, but that is the exception..no longer the rule.

 

In the cruise industry, the luxury lines (who tend to attract a more international clientele) still adhere to a later dining scheme.  But, one can look at the Oceania blogs (many consider that a Premium Line) where it is said there are few awake after 10:30.  Sigh!

 

Hank

[lennythenose]

For your Sun Princess cruise a traditional dining option still exists. When you go into the app to reserve your dining time you will see in the description of each MDR floor which has traditional. I think you will also be able to select if you want a private or shared table as well. 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

28 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

In those days, folks loved to truly "dine" (we still do) and 1 1/2 - 2 hours was considered normal dining time.  Show times were often something like 8 and 10 and late night entertainment (even at midnight) was not uncommon.

 

I was "young" back then (70's-80's), late teens to early 20's, but the thing I remember most was the spectacular Midnight Buffet. I also remember being mostly bored at the traditional dining when adults talked about boring things 🙂

 

We were mostly on Princess and Cunard back then and Renaissance a bit later. Cruising has completely changed since the 70's & 80's, but then again the 70's & 80's were completely different from my experiences on Matson and APL from '59-'65 when we lived in Hawaii and traveled back to CA via ocean liner vs flying.

 

Makes me wonder what it will be like 20 years from now, should I live so long and be able to cruise still.

[Hlitner]

37 minutes ago, scottca075 said:

 

I was "young" back then (70's-80's), late teens to early 20's, but the thing I remember most was the spectacular Midnight Buffet. I also remember being mostly bored at the traditional dining when adults talked about boring things 🙂

 

We were mostly on Princess and Cunard back then and Renaissance a bit later. Cruising has completely changed since the 70's & 80's, but then again the 70's & 80's were completely different from my experiences on Matson and APL from '59-'65 when we lived in Hawaii and traveled back to CA via ocean liner vs flying.

 

Makes me wonder what it will be like 20 years from now, should I live so long and be able to cruise still.

In 20 years there will be no more socialization.  Even partners will communicate with text messages because they will not know how to have a face-to-face conversation.  There will be no more need for stages because folks will just go into theaters and gaze at their phones!  Dinner will be served by robots and folks will eat tasteless, but healthy food, and finish dinner in less then 10 minutes!

 

I know it is all far-fetched, but is it?  Related story about "healthy food" is our 4 year old Grandson had only eaten whole grain or multi-grain bread for the first few years of his life.  A few months ago, DD sent him to school with his packed lunch, but when she realized she had no whole wheat bread she packed a sandwich made with white bread.  When the little guy came home, he excitedly asked his mommy why his sandwich no longer tasted like dirt!  (true story).  And now we have all the various reports about nanoplastics in bottled water.  So all those water-crazed folks who have been carrying and gulping their plastic bottles of water (for many years) may well have been poisoning themselves with nanoplastics while the healthy water, from their tap, remained untapped!  Go figure.

 

By the way, food is a great topic at the dinner table :).  You can even talk about food with strangers.

 

Hank

[BlerkOne]

No more traditional dining. Princess had shifted the times earlier and earlier until late was too early.

 

Those who don't want to share a table can now basically sit in a stranger's lap at the two top six inches away.

[karatemom2]

Just now, BlerkOne said:

No more traditional dining. Princess had shifted the times earlier and earlier until late was too early.

 

Those who don't want to share a table can now basically sit in a stranger's lap at the two top six inches away.

 
So true! I’d rather actually share a table than be seated at one of those “individual” tables for two stacked side by side. At least when you are really sharing a table you know that it’s ok to speak to the person next to you - as opposed to awkwardly eating in silence in what amounts to a shared space while pretending you are at a separate table! 😂

 

 

[victory2020]

7 hours ago, Hlitner said:

The concept of Fixed Dining for all, has almost disappeared in the cruise industry.  Why?  A majority of folks simply do not want it!  On Princess, when we first started cruising (back in the 70s) everyone has to choose between early and late dining.  Now, if folks want Fixed Dining they can reserve the same time and same dining room every night and have Fixed Dining.  They can even speak to the Maitre'd about possibly having the same table/waiter on a consistant basis (this is not guaranteed).  But for the few cruisers that want the traditional dining, while they can still have it for themselves, there is no need for others to suffer the same fate :).

 

I might add that in the ole days of cruising there was very little 2-top dining  The norm was that nearly everyone was at larger tables, often with strangers, made new friends, socialized at dinner, etc.  That was a big part of cruising.  In fact, DW and I are still good friends with some folks we met at large MDR tables back in the 70s and 80s.  Having taken well over 100 cruises (some of them months in lenght) our most memorable voyages were the ones where we made some very good friends.  These days, many folks (especially younger generations) simply do not have the social skills that enhance table sharing.  2 tops have become quite common, many folks try to get in-out of the MDR as quickly as possible, the concept of "dining" has been lost (or never known) to many folks, and times have changed.

 

Hank

I wouldn't go on cruiselines  that didn't have 2 tops simply because my DH & I wanted alone time and didn't want to be rushed.  We had no problem sharing tables at breakfast & lunch (and made friends while doing so).

[victory2020]

6 hours ago, scottca075 said:

 

I find this a fascinating phenomenon, especially on Sea Days. I suppose some are rushing to get to a show, but a lot of people are not; it is just the pattern of their life, they rush through everything and have zero patience.

 

The "old way" had some advantages, like meeting new people, but if you cruised enough, you always eventually got stuck at the table with the boorish man who tried to dominate the conversation and have a story to top every story someone else told.

This is because our generation did not teach children patience and manners. 

[Hlitner]

59 minutes ago, victory2020 said:

I wouldn't go on cruiselines  that didn't have 2 tops simply because my DH & I wanted alone time and didn't want to be rushed.  We had no problem sharing tables at breakfast & lunch (and made friends while doing so).

I do get the along part.  But as to being rushed, over the years we have had some amazing tables (usually for 6 or 8 and we would usually be the last to leave the MDR because we were having so much fun.  On one long (over 60 day) Prinsendam cruise we actually had others ask to join our table (which had two empty places) because they wanted to join in the laughter and fun,

 

These days we really like the open dining concepts.  On many cruises we will simply tell the host/hostess that we would be happy to share a large table.  What often happens is that after a few evenings a few of us will form our own table because we all enjoy each other's company.  On nights when DW and I want to dine alone that is also no problem.

 

On Seabourn (and some other lines) the staff puts together what they call "hosted tables."  It is fun for both singles and couples who want to dine and meet other folks.  The tables are hosted by senior officers, entertainers, and senior staff and most will use place cards to scatter folks so they are not sitting next to their partner.  These hosted tables are usually lots of fun and quite popular with a segment of cruisers.  On one particular cruise we dined with the Captain, Staff Captain, Assistance Cruise Director, several of the entertainers, and the Chief Engineer...all on different evenings.  Unlike with some lines, the hosted tables have nothing to do with status, suite category, etc.  It is simply done on a volunteer basis (one just lets the staff know of an interest).   Speaking of Seabourn, they also have a really popular social event call the "block party."  Around 5 or 6 pm, folks all come out of their suites and there is a party in all the corridors with staff serving champagne, caviar, etc.  The Captain and his senior staff make the rounds of all the corridors (these ships are relatively small) and folks get to meet their neighbors.  It is a real hoot.  

 

When asked why DW and I prefer small ship cruising (we also cruise on some very large vessels) our quick answer is because on the smaller ships passengers often get to know each other and make some good friends.  A ship with 450 or 600 makes it easier to meet folks than on a vessel with 6000+.  It is also interesting that nearly all the so-called luxury lines use smaller ships.  There are no luxury mega ships.

 

Hank

 

Hank

[Over from NZ]

Sadly, traditional dining got the heave-ho. Part of the casualisation of the dining experience which includes the dress code as well. Oh well, is what it is. It's now less of an occasion.. but the food is still alright 🙂 

[Torfamm]

18 hours ago, Hlitner said:

The concept of Fixed Dining for all, has almost disappeared in the cruise industry.  Why?  A majority of folks simply do not want it!  On Princess, when we first started cruising (back in the 70s) everyone has to choose between early and late dining.  Now, if folks want Fixed Dining they can reserve the same time and same dining room every night and have Fixed Dining.  They can even speak to the Maitre'd about possibly having the same table/waiter on a consistant basis (this is not guaranteed).  But for the few cruisers that want the traditional dining, while they can still have it for themselves, there is no need for others to suffer the same fate :).

 

I might add that in the ole days of cruising there was very little 2-top dining  The norm was that nearly everyone was at larger tables, often with strangers, made new friends, socialized at dinner, etc.  That was a big part of cruising.  In fact, DW and I are still good friends with some folks we met at large MDR tables back in the 70s and 80s.  Having taken well over 100 cruises (some of them months in lenght) our most memorable voyages were the ones where we made some very good friends.  These days, many folks (especially younger generations) simply do not have the social skills that enhance table sharing.  2 tops have become quite common, many folks try to get in-out of the MDR as quickly as possible, the concept of "dining" has been lost (or never known) to many folks, and times have changed.

 

Hank

I think there is another obstacle to traditional dining, the availability of options for dinner outside the MDR. Specialty restaurants and the buffet may be more to blame than lack of social skills. 

 

When the MDR was the only game in town for an evening meal, traditional dining made sense. On today’s cruise ships, traditional dining with cruise-long assignments to large shared tables might just mean lots of empty seats in the MDR. I’d be curious to know what percentage of passengers actually eat in the MDR every night today.

Edited February 21 by Torfamm

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

I am so glad that fixed dining is gone. I have had several cruises where my assigned table had people on it that I really didn't get on with and whilst that is normally fine for one meal to have the same people at every meal was a nightmare. I could ask to move I suppose but that had its own issues and I might jump out of the frying pan and into the fire! The dining arrangements for me was a big stress point with cruising that has now complete disappeared. 

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

We always insist on a table for 2 that is not with a bench seat on one side. We like to both sides have chairs. Does that make us difficult... probably... sorry... but we really don't like the bench seating. It isn't a true table for two for us and there is still the pressure to talk to the people on the next table along... or at least to listen to their conversation... Agggh!

[leck57]

15 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

Those who don't want to share a table can now basically sit in a stranger's lap at the two top six inches away.

 

I actually quite like that. We have met a few great people right beside us and every night we basically dined together. On the other hand if they appear crashing bores you can just not make eye contact and eat away by yourselves.

[victory2020]

7 hours ago, Torfamm said:

I think there is another obstacle to traditional dining, the availability of options for dinner outside the MDR. Specialty restaurants and the buffet may be more to blame than lack of social skills. 

 

When the MDR was the only game in town for an evening meal, traditional dining made sense. On today’s cruise ships, traditional dining with cruise-long assignments to large shared tables might just mean lots of empty seats in the MDR. I’d be curious to know what percentage of passengers actually eat in the MDR every night today.

We eat in the dining room every night. We do not do specialty dining or buffet. And we dress for dinner.