traditional dining waitlist ?

[twosit]

We are number 147 or something like that on the waitlist for traditional dining. We really prefer the traditional form. Any input on how many people are able to get this once onboard the ship? Does anybody have hints? Thanks lots for your help.

Lynda

[jbrand29]

When is your cruise? I have a client that is on the Sapphire right now and was on the waiting list (we booked the cruise 2 mos before)...she was 91 on the list when she left on Saturday...I got an email today and she was able to get in traditional seating for 2nd seating. (I think 2nd seating because she met a group on this board and that's what they were at).

[Cruisin' Chick]

It seems from these boards that much of the time there's a waitlist for traditional dining. You would think, in the spirit of "personal choice" that Princess would shift a PC dining room to traditional whenever there's a substantial number of passengers wanting a fix seating.

[gibber]

We too are on the waitlist for the early sitting of traditional dining for the Dec 17 Sapphire cruise. We are a family of 13 celebrating my parent's 50th anniversary. Ironically the one thing they keep saying is "we don't care what everyone does during the day but we want us all to eat dinner together". Anyway our fingers are crossed. Has anyone been this far down the waitlist and still got a traditional dining spot? Another question I have is if we are stuck with PC dining, we have always been early eaters and would be happy to all show up at 5:30. Do you think tables side by side to sit 13 would be available at 5:30pm? Thanks for any advice people can give.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Maybe you can talk to your TA and see if you can get a couple of tables reserved together for at least one dinner to celebrate the occasion. From what I read, if you shoot for a time period other than the really popular times (maybe go for something really early), you'll have a better chance.

[HighFlyer]

We were waitlist #110 on cruise day. While we didn't get traditional dining, the we did meet with the maitre'd at 3PM on sailaway day and he did give us a fixed time/table in the PC dining room. I believe the conditions were that you couldn't do this between 6-8PM, and that you would lose your spot if you didn't show up 15 mins after your assigned time. If they do this on your ship, you should be fine since you want 5:30.

[JohnL1935]

On one cruise we were around 225. As soon as we boarded, we went to the dining room and made our request to the maitre'd. He said he would send a note to our room before dinner and sure enough around 5 an envelope gave us our table #. Even so, there seemed to be empty seats around the dining room. Even if you don't get an assigned table, be sure to check with him each day for people who may have moved to flex dining.

 

John L.

[Pam in CA]

I agree with John. If you don't have assigned seating by the time you board, have someone from your group go to the Maitre D, with all of the booking numbers, cabin numbers and names in hand, and let him know that this is a family get-together and that you'd really like to eat together in traditional dining. Chances are good that he'll be able to accommodate you. As for changing to PC dining, even if you have the same table and same waiters every night, it's not the same as the traditional dining experience so stick to your guns with the Maitre D.

[kruisey]

Take heart dear friends I was 183 and Am down to 7 on early trad with over five months to go:)

[m steve]

If there are so many people on wait list for traditional dining shouldn't Princess consider them and have more traditional dining seating? It appears that anytime dining isn't what most cruisers want. I'm booked for a cruise in Feb. and have requested late seating and I expect to get it!

[2ndsailing]

My teenagers have been confirmed for traditional dining for over a week; my husband and I are #1 on the waitlist. Since the two books are linked you'd think we would all be confirmed....I"m sure we will be by Dec. 28th sailing. I'll just keep checking.:)

[bearette]

We were waitlisted at 25 and my sister and ehr boyfriend (who booked about three weeks later) where around 120-140 (I can't remeber the exact number). We booked about three months out and we are all confirmed now though there was a period of a week or so where my sister and her boyfriend were not confirmed. If you are sailing X-mas week or New Years you will have more trouble since a lot of families will be thinking the same thing you are... that we all want to eat together.

Like everyone else suggested if you aren't listed by your cruise see the matre'd. If you would be willing to eat later it is easier to get on the late traditional seating time than the early. So make sure you say you are willing to accept late if you really want traditional. Good Luck!

[chasetf]

Another question I have is if we are stuck with PC dining, we have always been early eaters and would be happy to all show up at 5:30. Do you think tables side by side to sit 13 would be available at 5:30pm? Thanks for any advice people can give.

By this statement is it your hope they will combine tables ? If so, I doubt they can do it. As I understand the table is fixed to the floor. What I have seen is they have table tops that can add to a round table to make it change for 4 to 6 or 8 seating.. or take off to make it back into a 4 placer.

 

The other reason I would believe they will not be able to do that is the serving stations are set up for the waiters to accommodate the a set number of people. If a table for eight becomes at table for 13, where do they stage the extra meals and clear the extra dirty dishes to.

 

Your best hope is to get two tables (a six and eight) near to each other. Also beware that early is always the most desired sitting PC or Traditional. We are late eaters who enjoy the sailaway, and having a second cup of coffee after desert. Only once have we not gotten Late Traditional (our Med cruise), so we just did a standing reservation late PC.

[twosit]

Thanks all for your responses. Our cruise is Dec. 17 so we are past the cancellation date. We are cruising with our college kids and if we have traditional with a set time every night-we will be able to count on at least that time being together. We really prefer the late seating as then we don't have to rush when we return from ports--plus not as many babies (who I love--just not at dinner time). Is it true that if we were to make a standing reservation in the PC dining room we would not get the special desserts and entertainment that goes on in the traditional dining rooms?

Seems crazy to me that they don't set aside another of the dining rooms since it appears there is always a wait list for traditional.

[cherylandtk]

You won't get the "entertainment" in the PC dining room, parades, napkin waving, etc. because not everyone is eating dessert or at the same point in the meal at the same time as in traditional. You do get to order things like Baked Alaska, it just comes on a plate from the kitchen instead of parading around the tables first.

 

You should be able to make advance reservations for the same tables each night at 8 or 8:30.

[madelinerose]

Thank goodness! YAY!!! ;)

 

You won't get the "entertainment" in the PC dining room, parades, napkin waving, etc.

[chasetf]

Seems crazy to me that they don't set aside another of the dining rooms since it appears there is always a wait list for traditional.

We prefer the Late Traditional Dining and have gotten it on every cruise we have been on except our last one which was the Med. The other thing I have noticed is the dining room at Late Traditional has never been at capacity. There always have been empty tables around us. We also understand many times after talking with the waiters the Early Traditional is max'd.

 

One time on the Independence, we were given early and wanted late. We went to the matre'd meeting to change. Fourteen couples were there trying to change from late to early, and we were the only changing early to late. Made lots of new friends who wanted to trade. Matre'd would not allow it..... so do not know who got our seats because we got changed and left....

[ChattTenn]

We are number 147 or something like that on the waitlist for traditional dining. We really prefer the traditional form. Any input on how many people are able to get this once onboard the ship? Does anybody have hints? Thanks lots for your help.

Lynda

Hi,

If you don't get confirmed for traditional dining by the end. Once you get onboard, that afternoon you will need to see the Assistant to Maitre D' or whosever was at the table at the time and ask him to change for you. You will hear to story such as there is a long waiting list for traditional but don't take it to heart and asking him to try anyway. On Coral, Island and Caribbean they set 2 tables outside the Sabatini restaurant (1 for reserve special restaurant and 1 for change dining).

 

We were able to switch the traditional dining everytime (once was 185 and on Caribbean Princess was 266 10/15/05).

 

It is very sad to go into the traditional dining and see many empty tables because people got confirmed with traditional dining for some reason went else for their food. Many night, they had to send the people from the any time dining to the traditional dining to fill the place up.

 

As for ourself, we were at the table of 8's and only had four people and other 4 never shown up.

 

Keep on trying. Happy crusing.

[2ndsailing]

Further to my earlier post that my sons were confirmed, but my husband and I were still wait listed.....we were confirmed for 2nd seating yesterday....:)

[HRHMadonna]

We were loyal to Princess for years...Most in our group are platinum and some have 12 plus Princess cruises. In recent years, with traditional seating on the new ships so limited, we have had no option but to settle for Personal Choice. On the Golden & the Star, that was not a problem for our reunion group of 16 because the Matre D was willing to accomodate us at two adjacent tables for 8 and we simply reserved the same tables each night for 8 PM the following night. This way we were all together for dinner and we had the same wait staff all week long. We loved it -- and all we really missed from the usual traditional 2nd seating experience was the dessert parade.

 

Last year on the Diamond Mexican Riviera, however, we were not so fortunate. Initially Princess wanted to seat 8 of us in one dining room and eight in another dining room -- explaining that it wasn't fair to the other passengers for one group to tie up 16 seats in the same dining room during "prime time". The Matre D tried to insist that we rotate each evening and try all of the Personal Choice options. He took great pride in explaining Personal Choice to us, but the way he explained our options, Personal Choice sounded more and more like "Forced Rotation". We were willing to take two tables for 8 or four tables for 4 just to be together and we were genuinely disappointed by Princess' inflexibility in seating us as a group.

 

True....As the Captain's Circle Rep suggested to us, we could book earlier to insure traditional reserved seating for our group...... Or, as I suggested to her, we could try another cruise line. How do you spell Royal Caribbbean?

 

Like some earlier posters, I wonder why Princess does not increase the seating for traditional dining if the demand is so great and the waitlists are so long.

 

This August when I called to book our group for January, I learned that we would be waitlisted for trad. 2nd seating...again. That, for us was a deal breaker, so this year we shall "Get Out There!" It will be a different cruise experience, but at least we will be together for dinner and we will avoid the Day 1 hassles with the Matre D over seating arrangements.

[alolewis]

Started out on the waitlist for early traditional at number 334 when booked the cruise in August, now with less than a week to go on the Coral 4 Nov sailing, at number.....(drum roll) 190!

 

Does anyone know why we have moved up so much, did that many people cancel the cruise or just the early seating?

[ChattTenn]

On Sun class and Island class the possibility change to get into the traditional dining is 50% but on Grand class ships Princess put aside 2 out 3 dining rooms for Anytime.

 

In February on Coral Princess, a person (a JUNIOR waiter) at the Dining Inquiry information table tried to explain to us about the Personal Choice eventhough we kept to tell her that we did not want it and wanted to put our name on a list to switch to the traditional dining.

 

At the end of the Caribbean Princess, I knew my husband put down a long comment regarding the dining (AGAIN). It seems Princess does not pay attention to those of us who has been their loyal fan and is forcing their choice us.

 

We too are fan of Princess and platinum members but wonder how we will put up for this hassle on embarkation day.

 

Just like HRHMadonna said, starting to look elsewhere for future cruising.

[Bookworm77]

On our 10/22 sailing on the CB we chose Anytime Dining, however, we did make reservations for the dining room on a few nights. As others have suggested, try seeing the Matre'D on sail day. Or, just call Concierge right after you board and make reservations for the same dining room for every night. Do it all right then... not on each day. This should guarantee you'll all be together for dinner each night, tho may not guarantee you the same waiter each night.

 

Also, you won't get one large table, but multiple tables surrounding each other. On our sailing there was a VERY large group that had 4 tables for 8 every night. I'm not sure if they were all confirmed ahead of sailing, or if they choose one of the above routes. But they definitely had the same tables all week.

[Bookworm77]

On our 10/22 sailing on the CB we chose Anytime Dining, however, we did make reservations for the dining room on a few nights. As others have suggested, try seeing the Matre'D on sail day. Or, just call Concierge right after you board and make reservations for the same dining room for every night. Do it all right then... not on each day. This should guarantee you'll all be together for dinner each night, tho may not guarantee you the same waiter each night.

 

Also, you won't get one large table, but multiple tables surrounding each other. On our sailing there was a VERY large group that had 4 tables for 8 every night. I'm not sure if they were all confirmed ahead of sailing, or if they choose one of the above routes. But they definitely had the same tables all week.