Can someone please explain?

[jorjen9]

I have never sailed Princess before and always had traditional seating on other lines. We are waitlisted for early dining on Caribbean Princess, but are very far down the list, so it looks like we will end up with PC.

 

PC did not initally sound so bad to me, as I thought you could pretty much eat when and where you wanted. Now I am seeing that there are long waits and you need to make reservations. Can someone please tell me exactly how many dining rooms there are for PC diners to choose from? Do all require advance reservations? Do those on traditional dining eat in a completley different restaurant?

 

Caribbean Princess- 6/5/04

[sue d. miller]

There are 2 PC dining rooms.If you want the traditional feel, when you get seated at a table, with waiters you like, you can speak with the maiterD and ask for the same table every nite at the same time.

 

Sue

7 days on Star Princess 10/24

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cleggieri]

We just returned from CP. We had early traditional dining. There are three dining rooms. The Palm Dining Room is the largest and seats traditional dining at 6:15 and 8:30. The Coral and Island Dining Rooms are slightly smaller (but combined have larger capacity)and seat the PC dining. All three dining rooms have the same menu. For PC,you can show up at any time (5:30 - 10:00) and can request a particular size table, or take first available seating (and thereby be seated with others). You do not need to make reservations, but making reservations for the time/table size helps ensure your prompt seating. I only saw long lines on the first night. I don't know what PC diners experienced the rest of the week, but suspect that if you do not have reservations, request specific table size (eg table for 2) and go at peak dining times, you will experience some waiting.

[Kallen]

We had PC dining on the Grand in February and just loved it. We decided in the afternoon which restaurant we wanted to eat in (there were 5 of us) and called in a reservation for peak dining time of 7-7:30. Never had to wait, never had a problem.

 

Southern on Dawn Princess Feb 28, 2005

Grand Princess Feb 15/04

[DUBIDUB2]

Just off the Golden and did PC dining. Your going to love it.

 

Here's what you can do (mix any way you want, whenever you want).

 

Phone ahead, tell them the time and how you want to be seated (table for 2 on your own, 4 with someone you know or 10 with someone you don't - or any combo you can think of).

 

Turn up any time. If there is a wait (rare), they give you a pager. Twice we had a pager and the shortest wait was < 5 mins and the longest was about 15 [we went to the shops just outside the Dining room).

 

Tell the Matrie'd you want the same table, same time every night. If the people before you at that table run over a little, you may have to wait.

 

We have always done traditional in the past but to be honest, PC is about as flexible as YOU want to make it.

 

God Bless. Hope this helps.

 

 

 

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Princess - Golden (April 3rd 2004)

RCCL - Navigator (June 2003)

RCCL - Explorer (April 2002)

RCCL - Voyager (June 2001)

Carnival - Paradise (Dec/Jan 1999/2000 Millenium Cruise)

Big Red Boat (1997)

[Murphey]

What you have all described sounds wonderful and what the PC dining seems to be all about. However...I have read, time after time on these boards that PC diners have to wait and wait. Someone posted that on Formal night, many ended up in the buffet because of the dining room situation??????

[zurmolly]

Well what about choosing traditional, as we did, and then if you choose to eat elsewhere one or two nights, make a reservation ahead. You can go from traditional to pc but not pc to traditional,,,So I am told.

[torbs]

It sounds like the PC dinning has been squared away on the other ships. I am not so sure about the CP yet? Dine at your own risk for now!

 

Until 4/3 Caribbean Princess

 

 

Caribbean Princess 4/3/04

Navigator of the Seas 8/03

Voyager of the Seas 6/01

[sue d. miller]

My take on this is Princess had thought of almost everything to make the flow of 500 more passengers added to this ship. I think they missed the mark with the dining rooms. Maybe 2 traditional and 2 larger pc dining rooms would have helped. Even if spaced out, 500 people going to eat at the same times between 6&10 would still be a problem. Just my opinion.

 

Sue

7 days on Star Princess 10/24

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DUBIDUB2]

All I can say is, we had a full ship and we never had to wait long. There were pagers that were used at peak times only when necessary. And you can go wander around where you like until you are paged (pre-dinner drink / shop / stroll). Like anywhere in this world, if EVERYONE turns up at the same time, there will be a wait. Chances of this are slim. What I suggest is, when you know what time you want and you REALLY want to eat at that time, get your husband dressed first and send him down to book a table (he can go on to the bar or casino - he'll love you more ). He can tell them "We'll be back at 7 and want a table for 4, room number C777". Easy Peasy.

 

When the wait was too long for some, they simply walked a flight of stairs to the 2nd PC dining room and took a table if that was free. I saw this happen a few times and did this myself on the first night.

 

Please, PC dining can be really relaxing. The people who typically moan are the ones who turn up at the busiest of times and have the "I WANT A TABLE NOW" attitude and then moan when they don't get their way.

 

There probably are times when you genuinely have to wait but quite simply, if you don't want to wait, CALL AHEAD FIRST.

 

The PC is so relaxing if you want it to be that way, I simply don't understand how people, on vacation, can't find something to do for 10-15 mins (or even longer) should that happen. It's not like you have to wait in a corridor with nothing to do.

 

 

 

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Princess - Golden (April 3rd 2004)

RCCL - Navigator (June 2003)

RCCL - Explorer (April 2002)

RCCL - Voyager (June 2001)

Carnival - Paradise (Dec/Jan 1999/2000 Millenium Cruise)

Big Red Boat (1997)