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Anytime Dining vs Late Seating


beachbby

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We're currently booked for Second seating. If for some reason we need to dine earlier is it OK to go to the Anytime Dining room?

 

No. Because on your key card/credit card it has your dining preference on it and that is what your assigned permanently for the duration of the cruise. I would definitely change it to "anytime dining" then you can go anytime you want. Especially to the theater, excursions coming in late or any other diversions.

 

Chris

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We're currently booked for Second seating. If for some reason we need to dine earlier is it OK to go to the Anytime Dining room?

 

100 percent yes. Go and speak with the maitre'd. If possible he will try and accommodate you. There is NOTHING other than opinions stating you can't do this. I was given this option after returning from an excursion. This was on Golden Princess the week of August 7th. I eventually switched to AD and NO ONE checked my seapss before entering the dining room. Keep in mind each ship and sailing might be different, so check with the people on deck not on this board.

 

Good luck!

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In many cases if you tell the maitre'd you want to use the anytime dining room, you may be permanently switched to AT dining. That's to free up space for the many who will be on a waitlist for traditional (many of us prefer having traditional dining). Whenever we don't make our regular dining time for dinner (only happened once during our last 15 day cruise, and that was because our daugher was feeling like skipping the kids' activities and didn't feel like sitting in the dining room), we just eat in the buffet (the Horizon Court on most of the Princess ships). Much of the same food is offered there.

 

Even on our Alaskan cruise, we never missed our seating (we thought we might be late coming back from Victoria, but the door was still open when we got there).

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We're currently booked for Second seating. If for some reason we need to dine earlier is it OK to go to the Anytime Dining room?

 

No your not suppose to switch up. There are so many people that get wait listed for second seating please switch and let them have the opportunity. Thats what anytime dining is for....if your prefer to eat late 830 routinely but one night want to eat at 500pm terrific ..thats what anytime dining is all about.

But please don't take the late dining option from another family who really wants it.

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Those of us stuck in anytime dining because there is no space in traditional seatings would not appreciate having someone with an assigned seating (which we would like to have) taking up space in our anytime. Please don't use anytime as an extra option; it's not fair to anytime diners.

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I agree. If you have signed up for Traditional use it or let someone else have it. My last few cruises the traditional second seating has been half empty. Going to anytime while signed up for traditional is unfair to your tablemates, waitstaff, and the other passengers who really want traditional.

 

That being said, if you miss your seating because of a tour, you will be accomodated in anytime dining. Last year our fishing tour in Juneau got back too late for our second seating traditional and we were able to go to anytime.

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Those of us stuck in anytime dining because there is no space in traditional seatings would not appreciate having someone with an assigned seating (which we would like to have) taking up space in our anytime. Please don't use anytime as an extra option; it's not fair to anytime diners.

 

I don't want to be "stuck" in assigned dining, anytime is so much better in our opinion, we would never go back to traditional I want to eat when I'm ready not when I'm told to, some days we like to eat early some days late anytime gives you that option fixed does not unless you go to the buffet which is not our favorite for dinner

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We're currently booked for Second seating. If for some reason we need to dine earlier is it OK to go to the Anytime Dining room?
According to James Deering, well-known and respected hotel manager on the Crown Princess, the answer is, "Yes. We try to accommodate them." I asked him a very specific question while on the Crown in July and that was his answer. Thus, if you are in Traditional dining, you may go to Anytime dining if you want to eat at a different time. Be sure to tell your waitstaff and/or tablemates so they don't wait for you to show up before ordering dinner.
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According to James Deering, well-known and respected hotel manager on the Crown Princess, the answer is, "Yes. We try to accommodate them." I asked him a very specific question while on the Crown in July and that was his answer. Thus, if you are in Traditional dining, you may go to Anytime dining if you want to eat at a different time. Be sure to tell your waitstaff and/or tablemates so they don't wait for you to show up before ordering dinner.

 

So.....I know it's been discussed before but, if traditional diners can use anytime, why can't anytime diners go to the traditional dining rooms and be put into empty places?

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So.....I know it's been discussed before but, if traditional diners can use anytime, why can't anytime diners go to the traditional dining rooms and be put into empty places?
They are, sometimes. I've seen it happen when the wait is 45 minutes or longer in Anytime. It depends on the Maitre D and the wait times. They still have to go to the Anytime dining room; they can't just show up in the Traditional dining room and expect to be seated.
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According to James Deering, well-known and respected hotel manager on the Crown Princess, the answer is, "Yes. We try to accommodate them." I asked him a very specific question while on the Crown in July and that was his answer. Thus, if you are in Traditional dining, you may go to Anytime dining if you want to eat at a different time. Be sure to tell your waitstaff and/or tablemates so they don't wait for you to show up before ordering dinner.

 

James is actually the Passenger Service Director unless they have changed the titles recently.

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According to James Deering, well-known and respected hotel manager on the Crown Princess, the answer is, "Yes. We try to accommodate them." I asked him a very specific question while on the Crown in July and that was his answer. Thus, if you are in Traditional dining, you may go to Anytime dining if you want to eat at a different time. Be sure to tell your waitstaff and/or tablemates so they don't wait for you to show up before ordering dinner.

 

I think the key word here is that they TRY to accomodate them. This is often at the expense of others because it creates longer lines in the anytime room. I've read reviews where on some ships, the maitre-d in the anytime room checks Sea Passes and only admits those actually assigned to anytime dining...if it was always done this way, there would be a lot less problems with the anytime system.

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You're right. I'm wrong. :(

 

At the most travelled luncheon last month,the PSD mentioned that Princess might be changing some titles so that passengers would better understand the roles people play.I thought that maybe that had already happened.

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I think the key word here is that they TRY to accomodate them. This is often at the expense of others because it creates longer lines in the anytime room. I've read reviews where on some ships, the maitre-d in the anytime room checks Sea Passes and only admits those actually assigned to anytime dining...if it was always done this way, there would be a lot less problems with the anytime system.
I agree with you 100%. James Deering went on to say, "It presents problems but there's nothing we can do." I beg to differ but I wasn't going to argue with him as that was his response. IMHO, HAL does their As You Wish Dining much better. I have done Anytime dining on Princess and would never do it again yet I do AYWD on HAL. The reason being that on HAL, they check your cruise card and if you aren't assigned to AYWD, you aren't seated, period. You must request a change in dining from the Maitre D' and until you are approved to change, you cannot go to AYWD if you are originally assigned to main (Traditional) dining. When you do change, you absolutely, positively lose your seat(s) at your table. There's no going back and forth.
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At the most travelled luncheon last month,the PSD mentioned that Princess might be changing some titles so that passengers would better understand the roles people play.I thought that maybe that had already happened.
No. I just couldn't think of his title when I posted. My bad.
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So.....I know it's been discussed before but, if traditional diners can use anytime, why can't anytime diners go to the traditional dining rooms and be put into empty places?

 

Our table sat empty in TD for most of the cruise. It was a table for 6 but 2 others never showed up either. The service in AT was a bit slow but table mates were fun. So other reasonable reasons for the back-up in AT, letting tables sit vacant after someone switched, and much slower service in AT. This is from my own experience. Thankfully, I never experience any of the problems as many posting on this thread, on either of my crusies. Maybe I should quit while I am ahead. Most of the people I met did not have the problems many on this thread experienced. Without these threads I wouldn't have know there was a real problem:p

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I think the key word here is that they TRY to accomodate them. This is often at the expense of others because it creates longer lines in the anytime room. I've read reviews where on some ships, the maitre-d in the anytime room checks Sea Passes and only admits those actually assigned to anytime dining...if it was always done this way, there would be a lot less problems with the anytime system.

 

On all the cruises I've been on they are very vigilant the first few days about checking cards.... by the middle of the cruise they just forget about it & it's open season for anyone for anytime dining.

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On all the cruises I've been on they are very vigilant the first few days about checking cards.... by the middle of the cruise they just forget about it & it's open season for anyone for anytime dining.

 

I've only been on one cruise. We couldn't get traditional as it was booked up when we booked the cruise. This did not bother us as we prefer anytime anyway - we eat when (if :D) we're hungry, not because the clock tells us to.

 

Anyway, our cruise card did not get checked a single time throughout the whole cruise to check whether or not we had Anytime. Didn't see anyone else's checked either....

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On all the cruises I've been on they are very vigilant the first few days about checking cards.... by the middle of the cruise they just forget about it & it's open season for anyone for anytime dining.

 

They should check them and be as fair as they can be to those assigned to anytime dining. It should not become open season. If passengers don't want traditional dining, then, please give it to someone on the waiting list and go to anytime.

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On all the cruises I've been on they are very vigilant the first few days about checking cards.... by the middle of the cruise they just forget about it & it's open season for anyone for anytime dining.

 

 

That's too bad.

 

I'm very passionate about this because we've been waitlisted for traditional, but got defaulted to anytime, and went on to have a lot of problems with the anytime system (such as 45 minute wait for tables on the CB last year, to name one).

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That's too bad.

 

I'm very passionate about this because we've been waitlisted for traditional, but got defaulted to anytime, and went on to have a lot of problems with the anytime system (such as 45 minute wait for tables on the CB last year, to name one).

 

I feel the same as you do; I am assigned to anytime by default. I think anytime is great for those who desire it but I still think I am "stuck" there when it's not my choice. Anyway, I don't want to turn it into a major issue of my cruise; I just hope anytime dining waits are longer due to traditional diners using our assigned dining rooms. I will trade places with traditional diners anytime.

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I'm very passionate about this because we've been waitlisted for traditional, but got defaulted to anytime, and went on to have a lot of problems with the anytime system (such as 45 minute wait for tables on the CB last year, to name one).

 

I feel the same as you do; I am assigned to anytime by default. I think anytime is great for those who desire it but I still think I am "stuck" there when it's not my choice. Anyway, I don't want to turn it into a major issue of my cruise; I just hope anytime dining waits are longer due to traditional diners using our assigned dining rooms. I will trade places with traditional diners anytime.
I'm just as adamant about late Traditional dining as you two and if I don't get it, I'll cancel the cruise. Last year, we went ahead and paid for the cruise even though we were waitlisted for Traditional. By embarkation date, we were #3 and #4 so as soon as we boarded, I went to the Maitre D' and begged (nicely); he assigned us to what we wanted. It never hurts to ask when you board and explain that this is your preference. There's lots of switching around that first day, even the 2nd day, so don't give up.
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