Dining Poll - Do you like anytime dining?

[vickie_bernie]

I think we tried anytime dining the year it came out and we both just fell in love with it and that is one of the big reasons we continue to sail on Princess.

 

Plus we found because we ate dinner around the same time every night we got to dine with the same people a few times, and said hi as we walked in to so many others that we had dined with previously. You certainly get to meet a lot of people this way.

 

But the key is to choose what you like!

[Rudy888]

My wife and I both like traditional. It is great to have table mates for the entire cruise. In over 12 cruises we have never had bad table mates. I would not go on a ship that did not have traditional dining.

[CMorgan]

Anytime dining is the way to go for us. :)

[tickles]

Do you get the same kind of food at each one or does it vary? Do you get better food during the traditional seating?

[DrivesLikeMario]

I tend to agree with Pam on this, but I'm on the fence about it.

 

Pros:

 

1. I can watch sunsets instead of missing them by being at Early traditional dining.

2. If I'm running a little late one night, there isn't the stress of making it to dinner on time.

3. It's a good option if you're traveling with a total of 6-8 people.

 

Cons:

 

1. Service seems to be lacking.

2. You don't get to know your waiter and asst. waiter.

3. You're just 'one of the crowd' to your wait staff.

[sewingmolly]

My DH went on a cruise in the mid 80s and disliked the rigidity of traditional dining. Now that we've discovered anytime, we taken three cruises. We vary what time we eat based on the day's activities. I would hate to schedule my excursions around dinner. We've experienced only a few short waits for a table. On our most recent cruise, most of the tables were reserved and we seemed to be expected to reserve a table. I'm not in favor of this because to me one of upsides to anytime dining is not having to be somewhere at a certain time. Also we don't have any consistent preferences, so getting to know your waiter doesn't strike me as much of advantage for us. We're completely sold on anytime and you won't find us on any cruises that just have traditional.

[JackWP]

We did not like anytime on the Star last fall. Poor service and too much lip from the gatekeepers sent us to the buffet for most evening meals where we could find a quite corner for a much nicer evening.

[pinksuit]

In all my Princess cruises I haven't used Anytime Dining and, I was just wondering how many of you have made the switch from traditional to anytime - and if you'd recommend it

 

Shoot, forgot to add the poll and don't know how to get back to add it:mad:

 

It is a wonderful option if you desire flexibility. However, I like having the same server nightly because they become very familiar with your likes/dislikes and you develop a more personal relationship. Also, keep in mind, if you choose the traditional dining, you still have the option of going to another dining room @ another time if for some reason you desire/need to change. It just depends upon your shore excursions and etc. Just give your server(s) advance notice so they will be informed.

PinkSuit

[Kruznut]

We definately prefer TRADITIONAL dining. We love getting to know our waiters and being a bit more organized with our time. But, to each his or her own. Happy cruising !

[ncsongbird]

We like the flexibility of anytime dining. On our recent 12 day med. cruise on the Grand, we ate anytime from 7:00 to 8:30 depending on what show we wanted to go to. We never waited for a table although if you wanted a table for 2 right after the show was over, there was a small line and they gave out pagers.

 

The maitre d' always asked if we would like to share a table. Some nights we did and some nights we didn't. There was never a problem, and the maitre d' really didn't seem to care what we decided but it's his job to ask, so don't feel like you need to share if you want to dine alone.

 

When we chose to share a table we were seated at a table for 8 or 10 and always had a wonderful time meeting new people. It was fun to see these people around the ship and at dinner another night. We found that dinner with a large table took about 2 hours so if we were trying to eat early and go to the later show, we just sat at a table for 2. It was always our option to dine alone or to share.

[Alaska05]

For us, it's the only way to go. One of the primary reasons we started cruising Princess in 2005.

 

I've been tempted to try HAL, but don't want traditional dining. It looks like they are experimenting with a variation of Anytime Dining, so we'll wait and see.

[Vanilla]

I like traditional dining. Same waiters, same tablemates (we have always had great tablemates), never rushed, they remember what I like and don't like, call me by name and are joking with me mid week. When we see them in other jobs they have on the ship they talk with us - not just look at us like >>hmmm I think I waited on them....

[kobecat]

We love it. Did 29 nights on the Sapphire Sydney to LA in April/May and the flexibility was fantastic. Sorry but I don't want to dine with the same people for 29 nights (unless it is my lovely Bob)!!

[loge23]

Anytime dining is the now the primary reason we choose Princess. The secondary reason is the rewards program - (why choose another line when it'll "cost" us a step closer to Elite?).

We feel, at this price level, pretty much every cruise line is equal - with the only distinct difference being personal preference for a particular brand.

"At this price level" is the chief qualifier here.

[Catnip]

I love Traditional dinning. It is so nice to get to know people. Plus the waiters and asst quickly learn your likes and dislikes!

 

Traditional dining for me, too!

[judyjbest]

We love Anytime Dining. Planning our meals around our evening activities is so much more enjoyable than planning our evening activities around a structured meal. We aren't anti-Traditional dining, just really like this option.

[negc]

We love Anytime Dining. Planning our meals around our evening activities is so much more enjoyable than planning our evening activities around a structured meal. We aren't anti-Traditional dining, just really like this option.

 

I think I know what you are saying, but since most of the evening's activities are scheduled around the traditional dining times, is there really that much of a difference? Unless you really want to eat very early or quite late, don't you find that you usually end up with a dining schedule that approximates the times in the traditional dining room?:confused:

[paulette602]

Hi, My DH and I opt for anytime dining...Sept 07 will be our 1st time with princess but had anything dining with NCL and loved it...

 

Paulette

[judyjbest]

Hi, Bill: Great to see you again since the Liberty!

 

Yes, we actually do end up eating different times each night based on what we're planning to do. Port night are different than sea day nights. Princess has so many evening activities, we ate some early meals and some late meals.

 

Judy

[OhGosh]

but the Horizon court is DH's favorite..... anytime

[Idratherbeatsea]

We love traditional dining. The cruise experience is increased by getting to know your table mates and having the wait staff get to know you and your likes and dislikes. We have never had bad table mates.

[UT-Volsfan]

We've had anytime dining on our last three Princess cruises and have enjoyed it. We like eating around 6 so we have time to get to the first seating at the theater shows. On the Diamond three years ago we tried several of the different restaurants they had with the anytime dining.

 

Our last cruise on the Crown, we found a very enjoyable wait staff the first night and made a reservation at their table for the rest of the cruise. As one person said, it was Traditional dining except at the time of our choosing.

[steveweese]

I have really enjoyed anytime.

[Vacationschedule]

Having the flexability is nice. Also like Freestyle on NCL.

[penguinlover]

I prefer traditional dining, late seating. I love being with the same people all cruise and getting to know them. It's especially good for me since I often travel alone. On my last cruise I really hit it off with my tablemates and we would sit and talk after the meal ended, and usually went to the shows together. I like that the waiters get to know you. I like that I never had to wait in line or wonder where I was going to sit. I liked being able to request something from an earlier night's menu and still get it.

 

And if you think about it, traditional dining is really more flexible because you don't HAVE to come every night. You can eat somewhere else if you want to. But anytime diners can NEVER eat in the traditional dining room. It is an option that is not available to them, whereas traditional diners have ALL options available to them.

 

And plus, if you're making reservations for the same table at the same time every night, what's the difference? (I guess it's at your preferred time and you don't have to dress up as much.)

 

I would not cruise on a ship that did not offer traditional dining.