Personal Choice Dining

[Jeka]

Just curious, how has Personal Choice worked out? We're thinking of booking a Princess cruise and have read mixed reviews about this.

 

Thanks for your input!!

[Pia1913]

Just curious, how has Personal Choice worked out? We're thinking of booking a Princess cruise and have read mixed reviews about this.

 

Thanks for your input!!

 

As far as we're concerned.......only way to go! Just like at home; you dine when you feel like dining. Some nights at 6, some at 7, etc. If you are people who don't like regimentation, this is good for you.

 

Pia

[Beryl]

We love Anytime dining and choose it every time! We have found that it does work better for smaller parties than larger ones! Six or more are likely to have a longer wait unless they make reservations!

[LonghornKJK]

We mostly prefer to eat by ourselves but have occasionally joined others at a larger table (it's your choice) and enjoyed that, too. We like not having to tell anyone if we choose to eat in our room or the buffet or on shore (as we did in Juneau and Victoria.) We like not having to be ready to eat at a set time.

 

We found the food and service to be great and we don't have a long list of likes and dislikes that a server would need to memorize. Whenever we didn't finish a bottle of wine at one meal, they quickly sent it up for the next meal when we requested it. We met a server we especially liked at the wine-tasting and asked to be seated in his section for dinner -- no wait, no problem! While we enjoy meeting new people, it isn't our goal on a cruise to make lifelong friends of either fellow passengers or the wait staff.

 

Only one time have we had to wait to be seated and that was on formal night at a peak time -- we were given a pager and meandered through a shop or two for about 15 minutes. The pager didn't go off so we went back to the dining room and were seated immediately. I don't know why the pager didn't go off but it was no big deal. I suspect if we had stayed at the door, we would have been seated sooner.

 

So in my view, Personal Choice is working out great! :)

[gooch47]

Only way to go. You dine when you choose and if you choose. We spent a lot of nights at the buffet last cruise because we were so hot and tired after our tours in Italy and Greece.

[cynbar]

We love the flexibility of anytime dining and usually choose it, but there are some drawbacks. I have to say I miss getting to know my waiter and tablemates, and knowing that my table is waiting for me at the appointed time. We have had some great servers and some servers who were mediocre at best, but at least we weren;t stuck with the bad ones for a whole cruise! We have had to wait for a table a few times, but seldom for more than a few minutes, and we had a beeper so we weren't left just standing outside the DR.Sometimes we have made a standing reservation if we find a waiter we especially like, but that sort of defeats the goal of flexibility, so we don;t do that all the time. Some people love anytime and others just hate it -- you'll have to give it a try and see what your reaction is since you'll get a lot of conflicting advice here on these boards.

[Red Rox]

Flexibility is the key word here. We never felt pressured to get to the dining room at the same time as the night before. On some nights we dined with our cruise mates and on others with them and some new found friends, and at least once, we went as a couple and asked to be seated with others, and met 3 new couples in the process. All were enjoyable evenings, and only once did we have to wait, and that was only for about 10 minutes and it was well worth the wait. It was formal night and we were seated at a window table in the corner of the dining room. Service was always excellent, and we will do it again.

[Coolmama_1]

People either love it or they hate it. Hence the mixed reviews. Personally, it is the best option for us!

[Pia1913]

 

While we enjoy meeting new people, it isn't our goal on a cruise to make lifelong friends of either fellow passengers or the wait staff.

:)

 

I couldn't have phrased it better. My sentiments exactly. Now we should cruise together; we'd get along famously. :D

 

Pia

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

Love it. Some nights after a day in port, I just don't feel like changing clothes and being with others....then it's the buffet or room service. No other way to go, IMO.

[quincytoo]

We loved having this option on our cruise and will always try to have it on future cruises :) We did find a server and her incredible assistant early in the cruise and managed to be able to be seated in their section three times.

 

We had to wait on night we waited for about half a glass of wine then we were seated......

 

I'd like to try traditionalonce but for us anytime just works so well :)

[cntrydncr1]

Having only cruised Princess once, we chose Anytime dining and loved it. We are early diners and never had to wait once. i did have a bottle of wine that followed me for 3 nights to different restaraunts and they managed to find it but it did take awhile.

[DeepWaterMariner]

Personal Choice dinning works for us. It's our preference when we cruise with Princess.

[Nanatravel]

I agree, it worked out very well for us on our last cruise which was very port intensive. We too found a waiter we enjoyed and asked for his table on numerous occasions. Other nights we were asked to join a large table with cruise critics (they had a pre-arranged table for 10) at a set time in the PC dining rooms. We always asked to join others also. Only once were we seated next to folks who did not speak a word of English but there were 6 others at the table.

 

Give it a try.

Bon Voyage

[LonghornKJK]

We loved having this option on our cruise and will always try to have it on future cruises :) We did find a server and her incredible assistant early in the cruise and managed to be able to be seated in their section three times.

 

We had to wait on night we waited for about half a glass of wine then we were seated......

 

I'd like to try traditionalonce but for us anytime just works so well :)

 

Now, THAT'S the way to tell time -- a half a glass of wine! :D

[LonghornKJK]

I agree, it worked out very well for us on our last cruise which was very port intensive. We too found a waiter we enjoyed and asked for his table on numerous occasions. Other nights we were asked to join a large table with cruise critics (they had a pre-arranged table for 10) at a set time in the PC dining rooms. We always asked to join others also. Only once were we seated next to folks who did not speak a word of English but there were 6 others at the table.

 

Give it a try.

Bon Voyage

 

You just pointed out one of the best features of Anytime Dining -- the ability to dine with newly-made friends, fellow CCers or folks you meet on an excursion or at the hot tub. :)

[LonghornKJK]

I couldn't have phrased it better. My sentiments exactly. Now we should cruise together; we'd get along famously. :D

 

Pia

 

Thanks, Pia! Having read and agreed with many of your posts, I think we would have a great time! :)

[quincytoo]

Now, THAT'S the way to tell time -- a half a glass of wine! :D

 

Truly that is how it went, my husband and I were enjoying our pre dinner conversation with NO teenager lurking about, someone the next day asked me how long we had to wait to get into to eat and I honestly answered, half a glass a wine..;)

 

it just stuck after that.....so maybe 15 mins??

 

I so can not wait to go on another cruise!!!!!

[corkpopr]

we like to eat between 9 and 10 pm so it works perfect for us!

[cynbar]

Truly that is how it went, my husband and I were enjoying our pre dinner conversation with NO teenager lurking about, someone the next day asked me how long we had to wait to get into to eat and I honestly answered, half a glass a wine..;)

 

it just stuck after that.....so maybe 15 mins??

 

I so can not wait to go on another cruise!!!!!

 

LOL --- I think it would be a lot less than 15 minutes for me!

[vmom]

So typically, for 2 or 4 people, how long did you have to wait for a table if it was before 6:30? or between 6:30 and 7:30?

 

Did you usually get seated at larger tables with others, or with a group of 4 would they seat you by yourselves?

[quincytoo]

So typically, for 2 or 4 people, how long did you have to wait for a table if it was before 6:30? or between 6:30 and 7:30?

 

Did you usually get seated at larger tables with others, or with a group of 4 would they seat you by yourselves?

 

 

I believe it was the 8 PM time where we found ourselves waiting 1/2 glass of wine

[LonghornKJK]

I don't think we ever tried to eat before 6:30 but it is possible we went closer to 7:30 or later and we always had a table for four for the four of us. The one time we had to wait would have amounted to one glass of wine. :) When it was just my husband and myself on the Dawn, we never waited and had a table for two every night except once when we asked to be seated with others and were seated with one other couple at a table for four.

[KenP]

I love Personal Choice Dining and have done it several cruises with a small party (4 or less).

 

But on an upcoming cruise we have a party of 10-12.

 

How does Personal Choice Dining work with a large party?

 

Are reservations needed for an 8 pm seating?

 

If so, when can you make reservations?

 

Would fixed dining at 8:15pm be a better option?

 

Thanks for your input.

[Dewsmom]

I want to thank everyone for their comments on Princess's Anytime dining. I have only been on two cruise lines. The first was in the mid-90's and there was only the "traditional" dining option. When I started cruising again in 2001 I tried NCL and LOVED their Freestyle. In fact, the thing I had disliked on my first cruise was the rigid dining rules, particularly since I don't like buffets. Also, I travel with my elderly mother and she is very uncomfortable with the formal night(s). We have now done most of the NCL itineraries that we are interested in, and I thought I'd check out what other lines have to offer, but I hated the thought that we would have to go back to the "assigned" dinner times and companions. Your comments encourage me to take a look at the Princess itineraries.

 

Thanks.