Early Traditional Dinning Time ???

[Gopher1934]

My question is I have signed up for 6PM early dinning . I have seen in several post's that people who signed for for 6PM dinning it had been changed to 5:30 PM.

This happened to us on our February Celebrity cruise. and hope that we will not have this happen on our Emerald Princes cruise leaving this Saturday.

 

What have you found on this issue...

[donswife]

My question is I have signed up for 6PM early dinning . I have seen in several post's that people who signed for for 6PM dinning it had been changed to 5:30 PM.

This happened to us on our February Celebrity cruise. and hope that we will not have this happen on our Emerald Princes cruise leaving this Saturday.

 

What have you found on this issue...

 

On our recent Caribbean Princess trip, our early traditional dining was changed from 6:00 to 5:45. We ended up joining our table 4 out of the 7 nights because we enjoyed their company, but it was really earlier than i prefer.

[Mud_Shark]

For us - 2 cruises - both times confirmed for 6pm traditional. Boarded, and found out both times we were actually assigned 5:30pm. I don't really think many ships operate with a 6pm traditional start.

 

We just go with it. There is lots of talk and socializing over dinner, so it always takes 1.5 hours plus for us, so we get out between 7 and 7:30pm - which works well for getting to the shows.

 

it's all good.

 

Don

[caribill]

The times listed in the personalizer are at best a guess. Chances are that the actual time for early or late traditional will be different than what you see there.

 

Several years ago we were on a B2B booked as two cruises with late traditional selected. The personalizer for each said it would be at 8 PM.

 

Reality was that for the first segment it turned out to be at 7:45 PM and for the second segment it was at 8:15 PM.

 

HQ will not know in advance (especially many months in advance) what time the management on the ship will choose to schedule the traditional dinner times. Thus, take the info there as an approximate guess.

[bigenna]

We were given the choice of 5:30 or 6 on our upcoming cruise. We chose 6. Personalizer showed 5:30 confirmed, 6 wait listed for the last month or so. Just today it shows 6 PM confirmed, so we will see what happens. We always request 6 but never happened yet.

[Bubble-Ont.]

We always do Early Traditional, confirmed for 6 pm. About 3 years ago on the Royal Princess was the first time we encountered a time change. Ever since, we have had, I believe, 5.45. We have not had a 6 pm sitting since then even though confirmed for 6 pm

[AF-1]

Doesn't Princess also have anytime dining? You show up and they seat you; or is that for one specific dining room? Thanks.

[susancruzs]

Princess does have anytime and usually 2 of the 3 are anytime, and one dining room is for traditional. Because I always do traditional, posters who do anytime can probably answer more specifics.

[amyotravel]

I am one of the people who started a thread about this. It's really irking me that this will probably happen. I have cruised 10 other times (not on Princess) and this has not ever happened to me before. I chose 6:00 for a reason and I believe many others do, too. 5:30 is too early for many people for a variety of reasons. If this does happen, I will be sure to comment on it on the survey. It is not a good first impression.

[victory2020]

I am one of the people who started a thread about this. It's really irking me that this will probably happen. I have cruised 10 other times (not on Princess) and this has not ever happened to me before. I chose 6:00 for a reason and I believe many others do, too. 5:30 is too early for many people for a variety of reasons. If this does happen, I will be sure to comment on it on the survey. It is not a good first impression.

 

Yes, 6:00 has been 5:30 for the past few cruises on the Crown. The last time I mentioned it to the maitre'd he said "we don't have a 6:00 seating". He probably has no clue that when we book the seating says 6.

[siany_la]

Doesn't Princess also have anytime dining? You show up and they seat you; or is that for one specific dining room? Thanks.

 

 

Anytime isn't yet available on all ships - the Australian based ships in particular.

[amyotravel]

Yes, many ships have Anytime. I prefer a set dining time with same wait staff. 6:00 has always been standard on other lines I cruised, and this was the option I chose on Princess, as it did appear as an available dining time when I booked. If I could choose standard dining at 6:30 or 7:00, that would be my optimum time. But, obviously, that is never the case, so I choose 6:00 as my preference. That was a clear option when I booked. 6:00 is sometimes frantic to get to, especially on a port day, so forced changing to 5:30 is very upsetting.

[donaldsc]

On our recent Caribbean Princess trip, our early traditional dining was changed from 6:00 to 5:45. We ended up joining our table 4 out of the 7 nights because we enjoyed their company, but it was really earlier than i prefer.

 

I hope that you did not eat in the Anytime dining room on the other 3 nights. That room is supposed to be for the people who are assigned to or have chosen Anytime dining.

 

DON

[Richjoxyz]

Yes, many ships have Anytime. I prefer a set dining time with same wait staff. 6:00 has always been standard on other lines I cruised, and this was the option I chose on Princess, as it did appear as an available dining time when I booked. If I could choose standard dining at 6:30 or 7:00, that would be my optimum time. But, obviously, that is never the case, so I choose 6:00 as my preference. That was a clear option when I booked. 6:00 is sometimes frantic to get to, especially on a port day, so forced changing to 5:30 is very upsetting.

 

Agreed, we selected Anytime Dining for our first Princess cruise departing in a few weeks because 5:30 is a bit too early. This cruise is just me and the wife so we can float with our timing!

[masterty]

I just got off the Grand. Our MDR time was changed from 6:00 to 5:30. Our cards read 5:30 but no one looked at them. Our group of 9 arrived at 6:00 on the first evening. 30 minutes late.

[amyotravel]

I just got off the Grand. Our MDR time was changed from 6:00 to 5:30. Our cards read 5:30 but no one looked at them. Our group of 9 arrived at 6:00 on the first evening. 30 minutes late.

 

Did you continue to go at 6, or only on the first night?

[Croptop]

Well this will be interesting. On all of my past cruises, I have always selected Anytime dining. But for my next cruise, just to shake things up and try something new, I chose Traditional dining at 1730hrs. If people who chose 1800hrs are actually getting assigned a 1730hrs dining time, I sure hope I don't have to end up going to dinner even earlier! :)

 

It's going to be interesting to experience the differences that a fixed dining time and location brings to my cruise experience.

[amyotravel]

Well this will be interesting. On all of my past cruises, I have always selected Anytime dining. But for my next cruise, just to shake things up and try something new, I chose Traditional dining at 1730hrs. If people who chose 1800hrs are actually getting assigned a 1730hrs dining time, I sure hope I don't have to end up going to dinner even earlier! :)

 

It's going to be interesting to experience the differences that a fixed dining time and location brings to my cruise experience.

 

Others who have sailed recently can correct me, but from what I can tell, it's 5:30 or 8:00; there really is no 6, and there are only two times. So I don't think 5:30 is changing to earlier, but that 5:30 and 6:00 are all really 5:30. Not happy!

[CalLuvsCrusingToo]

Others who have sailed recently can correct me, but from what I can tell, it's 5:30 or 8:00; there really is no 6, and there are only two times. So I don't think 5:30 is changing to earlier, but that 5:30 and 6:00 are all really 5:30. Not happy!

 

Got off Crown last week.... Early = 5:30pm.

 

Late was 7:30 (or 7:45?)

 

Anytime is a crapshoot. Some people say its great, others say long wait.

 

We were very pleased with 5:30.

We were able to easily do the Shows, and then usually casino after that.:p

[peety3]

Princess does have anytime and usually 2 of the 3 are anytime, and one dining room is for traditional. Because I always do traditional, posters who do anytime can probably answer more specifics.

 

Yes and no. Most of the ships with three MDRs end up with 1 MDR for traditional early and late, 1 MDR for traditional early then anytime, and 1 MDR for anytime "all night long". This results in an "imbalance" of anytime capacity until that second MDR converts to anytime, and therefore anytime diners typically can't do reservations for 5:31-7:14pm (ish) - essentially reservations are only offered if you can utilize the table right away upon opening.

[Scotto97]

We always book 6 PM in the MDR that stays traditional with an early or late seating only. (In Grand Class, it's the aft dining room)

 

That being said, if they changed the time to 5:30 after confirmation, we'd try for a table with just the number in our party and fudge our arrival time to around 5:45.

 

5:30 is just too early, especially after a port day.

[geejay]

We are signed up for 6:00 on the Caribbean Princess. We are in an aft cabin and want to be in the traditional (aft) dining room. Which time is usually for the traditional dining room??:confused:

[Scotto97]

We are signed up for 6:00 on the Caribbean Princess. We are in an aft cabin and want to be in the traditional (aft) dining room. Which time is usually for the traditional dining room??:confused:

 

It's usually shows online as 6 PM, but according to several posts, it may be changed when you get onboard to 5:30

 

Not Happy !!

[MGnut]

It's usually shows online as 6 PM, but according to several posts, it may be changed when you get onboard to 5:30

 

Not Happy !!

 

On our upcoming Island Princess cruise (April 23), we are confirmed and shown on the personalizer as dining at 5:45

 

If I try to make a new booking, it shows 5:15 and 5:45 for early dining, but both are waitlisted.

[geejay]

Me either. Mobility issues so we book the aft cabin to be below Horizon Court and above dining room. Will be peeved if we are in another dining room. And I don't want to stand in line after boarding to get it changed!