Dinner Reservations, sigh...

[ChemistBabe]

Error on my phone and a different error on the website.  Spent a ridiculous amount of time waiting on chat...  She said she was getting errors and escalated.  Not feeling the slightest bit optimistic...

[Mark_K]

11 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

PCL cancelled meeting the MD ( now DRO) after the restart and introduction of DMW.  I predict it may return with the new 3-way dining program which formally includes TD again.  Even so, when you visited the MD, you would make a request and he would offer something.  You were looking at a DR map of tables.  Never heard of walking about.

 

Anyway, what I have been doing is arranging our own TD setup with a fixed table and wait staff and then we just walk in and go to it and no lines, etc.

 

That’s pretty much gobbledygook for a person without much history with the Princess board and its acronyms.

[Mary loves to travel]

5 hours ago, Mark_K said:

That’s pretty much gobbledygook for a person without much history with the Princess board and its acronyms.

 

PCL = Princess Cruise Line

MD = Maitre D'

DRO = Dining Room Officer

DMW = Dine My Way

TD = Traditional Dining (2 fixed times nightly)

DR = Dining Room

 

[wish_I_was_a_mermaid]

22 hours ago, cynbar said:

Are you on Sun Princess? We are on the 6/15 cruise and are also unable to make any reservations. I understand from these boards that no one sailing after May has had them open up. I agree, very frustrating. And think of the logjam if multiple cruises open up on the same day. I hope we get this straightened out before embarkation day or it will be a free for all, not a relaxing or pleasant way to start a vacation. Yes, is is frustrating, especially because the other Princess ships seem to allow dining reservations after final payment. I am Platinum with Princess and that hasn't helped at all (other ships allow Platinum and Elite to reserve dining earlier.)

I'm sailing in August on the Enchanted Princess and my dining reservations were made in March after final payment.

[whee-sailing]

12 hours ago, ChemistBabe said:

She said she was getting errors and escalated.  Not feeling the slightest bit optimistic...

 

Your lack of optimism is warranted. I get the same error message as you on the app on my phone and also get an error when trying to reserve on the web version of the app. My cruise is in 11 days. I've been contacting them every couple of weeks for the last two months and they tell me exactly what they told you every time and when I ask if they can look at the status of the previously open ticket (now tickets) they say they can't. It's never been resolved and at this point there are no reservations left for the time I want anyway. Extremely frustrating experience and has left a real negative impression for me of Princess before I've even set foot on the ship.

[Mark_K]

1 hour ago, Mary loves to travel said:

 

PCL = Princess Cruise Line

MD = Maitre D'

DRO = Dining Room Officer

DMW = Dine My Way

TD = Traditional Dining (2 fixed times nightly)

DR = Dining Room

 

Thanks.

[beg3yrs]

Just made Sun Princess MDR reservations for June 1 through 21 using the app. Now we'll see if they stick.

[dog]

I made 2 Signature & 1Butcher Block reservations for late 2024 SUN.

[voljeep]

19 hours ago, dog said:

I made 2 Signature & 1Butcher Block reservations for late 2024 SUN.

Premier package or paid by credit card?

[dog]

49 minutes ago, voljeep said:

Premier package or paid by credit card?

Credit card $90 US

[HMSDingy]

On 4/29/2024 at 7:21 PM, LACruiser88 said:

We have been cruising Princess for years, we have never seen this before!

I agree and I too found that statement rather confusing. We've always had to wait at the front desk for a table even after sitting at the same table for most of the cruise. Even land based restaurants wont allow you to walk in and choose a table if they have someone greeting you at the door..

[kywildcatfanone]

40 minutes ago, HMSDingy said:

I agree and I too found that statement rather confusing. We've always had to wait at the front desk for a table even after sitting at the same table for most of the cruise. Even land based restaurants wont allow you to walk in and choose a table if they have someone greeting you at the door..

I guess they don't do it anymore, I said it was years ago.  We would go to the DR on embarkation, walk around the DR, select our table and they had a head waiter and other staff in there. He took our names and our time we wanted and that was our table that week. There were always people in there doing the same before sail away.

[LACruiser88]

9 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

I guess they don't do it anymore, I said it was years ago.  We would go to the DR on embarkation, walk around the DR, select our table and they had a head waiter and other staff in there. He took our names and our time we wanted and that was our table that week. There were always people in there doing the same before sail away.

That must have been before we started cruising with Princess in 1992!

[kywildcatfanone]

Just now, LACruiser88 said:

That must have been before we started cruising with Princess in 1992!

We started in 2006 and I guess stopped going to DR in 2014. Did the same thing probably 12 times during that range. I'm not aware that the ability to do so was ever advertised, but there was always someone in there to talk to and arrange what you wanted. I only knew you could do it because my BIL showed me on our first cruise. 

[mustgo]

If you are assigned to a dining room on Enchanted, how do you know if it is traditional dining?

[TheMichael]

I think they stopped allowing people to walk around and choose a table when the ships started getting full and the ranks of the elites grew exponentially.

 

Allowing hundreds of people to take a stroll around the MDRs and barter over table location would be even more insane than the current process at the Sanctuary, in which you can spend hours waiting your turn for selection, followed by being informed that limited least-wanted seating is available only for certain dates and times.

 

Personally, we book random available times once we're on board, then walk up when we actually want to eat (of course avoiding the 5-to-6 hour completely). Least possible stress.

 

Edited May 2 by TheMichael

[Zeikah]

On 4/30/2024 at 7:23 AM, ChemistBabe said:

Yes, I am fully checked in, fully paid 39 days before cruising...  

 

Here is a screenshot of the error.

 

I have been getting the same error message for weeks now. I had all of my dining booked then cancelled crown grill to swap over to catch by Rudi (included with premier) then started getting this message. Also same message if I try to book main dining room.

 

I have rang 3 times each they say they are getting the same error and it will be escalated and they will book it for me and will show on the app within 24 hours. Still nothing after 6 weeks. 

I have given up and will book when getting on-board. I feel better by reading on here and knowing they keep reservations available for booking on-board. 

 

Getting excited now.  Only 3 weeks to go for my 1st alaskan cruise. (Discovery princess)

[ghgeckos]

I’m trying to book my MDR reservations for a Jan 2025 cruise and it keeps coming back as no reservations available. I’m looking at the 
Coral Princess.

[Arizona Wildcat]

15 minutes ago, ghgeckos said:

I’m trying to book my MDR reservations for a Jan 2025 cruise and it keeps coming back as no reservations available. I’m looking at the 
Coral Princess.

That would because Princess closed reservations for all cruises after mid September while they implement a new dining reservation system.  You probably missed the email.

You can book depending on status after June 17th or final payment.

[ghgeckos]

Thanks Arizona Wildcat, I just booked this cruise this week.