Annoyed by Anytime Dining taking reservations and wait times once seated

[centralcalicruzer]

To the OP - Were you the couple at our table from Stockton that had waited a really long time for a table on the second formal night? Maybe not, since you say you never went back after the first try and this was the second to last night of the cruise, but we were seated with a couple from Stockton so I thought it might be you. Anyway, that night, the second formal night and lobster night, was the only night we had to wait on a table with a pager. We went earlier than usual (around 7:00) because we were trying to make it to two different shows, and we did agree to share a table whereas we mostly request tables for two these days. We probably waited a half hour to 45 minutes, not really sure but we grabbed a drink, found two empty chairs near another couple and made new friends and chatted for a while. Every other night we went to the dining room around 8:00 and were usually seated within minutes if not right away. A couple nights we skipped the dining room and ate in Alfredos (no wait) or the Crown Grill (made reservations that day) or even the buffet a couple nights. On a ten night cruise we don't mind skipping the MDR sometimes, although we really enjoy it, we feel we get plenty of meals there and still have the flexibility to eat elsewhere and not feel like we are missing out. I agree that if you want to eat in the MDR at 7:00 there will be plenty of competition for a table, but I'm not really sure what Princess can do to change when people want to eat.

[Homosassa]

Do you mean that if the dining room that changes from Early Traditional to Anytime Dining is only half full a half hour after the Early Traditional starts it will then take Anytime Diners?

 

I don't know the exact time that dining room will start taking anytime diners as I never paid any attention to the time the first anytime diners were seated. However, as the number of tables that are not being used for the early traditional seating is known and the wait staff for the empty sections are available, the anytime section does start taking anytime diners. I imagine the time will be in the daily schedule.

[Colo Cruiser]

I don't know the exact time that dining room will start taking anytime diners as I never paid any attention to the time the first anytime diners were seated. However, as the number of tables that are not being used for the early traditional seating is known and the wait staff for the empty sections are available, the anytime section does start taking anytime diners. I imagine the time will be in the daily schedule.

 

 

The issue is every ship operates differently and from cruise to cruise it changes (tweaked) as well.

[casofilia]

I don't know the exact time that dining room will start taking anytime diners as I never paid any attention to the time the first anytime diners were seated. However, as the number of tables that are not being used for the early traditional seating is known and the wait staff for the empty sections are available, the anytime section does start taking anytime diners. I imagine the time will be in the daily schedule.

 

The issue is every ship operates differently and from cruise to cruise it changes (tweaked) as well.

 

Thank you that will well be worth remembering and checking.

[MGAfhc]

I don't know the exact time that dining room will start taking anytime diners as I never paid any attention to the time the first anytime diners were seated. However, as the number of tables that are not being used for the early traditional seating is known and the wait staff for the empty sections are available, the anytime section does start taking anytime diners. I imagine the time will be in the daily schedule.

 

It used to be that way, but ships I have been on in the last two years CB, Star, Crown, Royal have not done this. They all waited until 7:30 to admit any AT diners even if there are unused tables. We learned to wait until 7:20 for the 7:30 changeover before going to the Deck 6 Dining Room and have never had to wait more than 5 minutes since. We have given up on the Deck 5 Dining Room, although it too may be alright after 7:30. Past experience was with waits sometimes over an hour if trying to eat before 7:30.

[LazyMary]

Years ago, getting a reservation was a perk for suites. They would call your cabin and ask when you would like to eat. Then they opened reservations to a limited number of people. With so many elites these days, many know waiters from past cruises, find them and ask for that table. The waiter arranges to keep that table open for them every night so many times the head waiters are not making the arrangements. It is getting frustrating for many passengers. We were on a 30 day cruise years ago in the grand suite. We were not able to get a reservation. We were never able to get a window table . Luckily we had the dining table in the cabin so we ordered in most nights. I thought we might have a little pull in that cabin but it didn't happen. Room service was excellent.

Now we usually go up a little earlier than we want to eat, get a beeper, find a table with friends in the lounge and have a few drinks, or we order dinner in our cabin.

We also had a problem on our last cruise because they used one third of the anytime dining room for early traditional seating. That really slows things down.

 

Now suites have Club Class so there should be no wait at all.....we also have sailed in the Grand Suite many times and realized sometimes you need to play the Grand Suite card.

[LazyMary]

I would agree totally with this but with a proviso and an addition.

 

Let groups of 8 or more reserve.

Swipe room cards and turn away Traditional Diners while Anytime Diners are waiting

 

Totally agree ...sometimes that is what puts a snag in ATD....you should need to show your room key.

[the mistral wind]

It is just a thing on the Princess boards that many Princess cruisers try to promote Carnival ships as full of cruising heathens and barbarians who swirl their grog......our kids like cruising on Carnival and RCCL and compare Princess ships to floating rest homes......( Princess people will say....no....that's Holland America).....while our friends who like to cruise with Crystal cruises think that Princess is made of plebeian passengers who cannot afford a country club memberships....it really is just a bunch of nonsense all the way around...:D;p

I would love to cruise on Crystal too but how can you compare Mercedes to Corolla. They are both ok cars but one costs much more is certainly better.

[wrongwaywatson]

I copied/pasted this from Princess's site, describing Anytime Dining:

 

Fresh and Flexible, Dine Any Time

 

"Just like a restaurant at home, Anytime Dining enables guests the freedom to dine when and with whom they wish, at any time between 5:30 PM and 10 PM. Reservations are available through an onboard dining hotline, but not required, and diners may choose to eat only with their own group, or be seated with other guests. The choice is yours."

 

Me: So, essentially is means you can eat at ANYTIME you choose to go to the restaurant. You may make reservations and you are NOT locked into a certain time every single night.

Edited March 10, 2017 by wrongwaywatson

[casofilia]

{Snipped}

 

So, essentially is means you can eat at ANYTIME you choose to go to the restaurant.

 

If this were true there would be no complaints and no long waits. I bet if we turn up at any time before 8pm there will be a wait maybe for a very long time.

[wrongwaywatson]

If this were true there would be no complaints and no long waits. I bet if we turn up at any time before 8pm there will be a wait maybe for a very long time.

 

That is true, just like a restaurant at home, you may have a wait, and you may not. It depends on how many people want to eat at the same time. You don't always get in when you show up.

[wrongwaywatson]

Each day we look at the patter and decide what we want to do in the evening. We then decide what time we need to eat to be able to do those activities and we make our reservation accordingly. It has worked out well for us.

 

I do think that any Traditional Diners who try to eat Anytime Dining should be turned away. If they choose not to eat in the Traditional Dining Room they should do the buffet or one of the upcharge restaurants.

[casofilia]

Do Princess ships have a system where one can leave a written note for the Hotel Manager? If we turn up to the Anytime Dining restaurant and there is a queue and a wait I will ask the staff if they have allowed in those with Traditional Dining. Then I will decide just what to communicate to the Hotel Manager regarding the situation. I wish more people would do similar, there are enough people posing here who feel strongly about the Princess supposed Anytime Dining.

[wrongwaywatson]

Do Princess ships have a system where one can leave a written note for the Hotel Manager? If we turn up to the Anytime Dining restaurant and there is a queue and a wait I will ask the staff if they have allowed in those with Traditional Dining. Then I will decide just what to communicate to the Hotel Manager regarding the situation. I wish more people would do similar, there are enough people posing here who feel strongly about the Princess supposed Anytime Dining.

 

 

I don't know about leaving a written note, but I would assume that you could and they would receive it. I've never asked about the Traditional Diners in the ATD room and I have only read about it happening here. I agree that it is irritating! During our first 2 cruises we were part of a larger group (8) and we had to wait 15, 20 minutes a few times, and then we started making reservations. With just the 2 of us, we usually make reservations, but we have just went down a few times and we were seated pretty quickly.

[Womble99]

 

I do think that any Traditional Diners who try to eat Anytime Dining should be turned away. If they choose not to eat in the Traditional Dining Room they should do the buffet or one of the upcharge restaurants.

 

Interesting view. I guess those who choose traditional shouldn't make new friends whilst on board? Only choice to have dinner with new friends would be specialty restaurants or buffet I guess as they aren't welcome at anytime by the sounds of it?

 

 

 

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[wrongwaywatson]

Interesting view. I guess those who choose traditional shouldn't make new friends whilst on board? Only choice to have dinner with new friends would be specialty restaurants or buffet I guess as they aren't welcome at anytime by the sounds of it?

 

 

 

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It isn't a matter of being welcomed, it's a matter of courtesy to the diners in ATD. There are a set number of seats in the TD room. There are a set number of seats in ATD room. People with ATD can't walk up to the TD room one night and say "we want to eat here tonight". When people from TD come into the ATD room, it causes longer waits for those of us that select ATD.

 

But, isn't it wonderful that we are able to cruise and that these are the things that we are concerned with? If a person from Traditional Dining going into the ATD room is one of the worse things that happen to me during my cruise, I think I should feel fortunate! And, isn't it really kind of cool that you are in Australia, I'm in the US and the other cruiser is in NZ and we are conversing about our upcoming cruises?

[wrongwaywatson]

I know the main topic of conversation at my house this past week is where we are going to eat our first meal when we get on the ship! LOL

[donaldsc]

I copied/pasted this from Princess's site, describing Anytime Dining:

 

Fresh and Flexible, Dine Any Time

 

"Just like a restaurant at home, Anytime Dining enables guests the freedom to dine when and with whom they wish, at any time between 5:30 PM and 10 PM. Reservations are available through an onboard dining hotline, but not required, and diners may choose to eat only with their own group, or be seated with other guests. The choice is yours."

 

Me: So, essentially is means you can eat at ANYTIME you choose to go to the restaurant. You may make reservations and you are NOT locked into a certain time every single night.

 

Let me remind people that "just like a restaurant at home", if you arrive at a restaurant w/o reservations, you may have to wait for a table. Italics are mine.

 

DON

[casofilia]

Let me remind people that "just like a restaurant at home", if you arrive at a restaurant w/o reservations, you may have to wait for a table. Italics are mine.

 

DON

 

But "At Home" if there are 2000 people looking for somewhere to eat then there are a large number of restaurants to choose from and if you cannot get in to your first choice there are plenty more in the vicinity to try. On board there are no other restaurants of the same standard as the one you are entitled to go to if you have booked Anytime Dining; especially you are not able to go to Traditional Dining.

[caribill]

I would agree totally with this but with a proviso and an addition.

 

Let groups of 8 or more reserve.

Swipe room cards and turn away Traditional Diners while Anytime Diners are waiting

 

No need to swipe. Just look at the dining information printed on the card.

[casofilia]

No need to swipe. Just look at the dining information printed on the card.

 

But if it is swiped and noted in the computer system then repeat offenders could be identified and should be sternly spoken to by the Maitre d' or even the Hotel Manager.

[PrincessLuver]

Let me remind people that "just like a restaurant at home", if you arrive at a restaurant w/o reservations, you may have to wait for a table. Italics are mine.

 

DON

 

Where did you copy this from....I have not seen it....and most restaurants at home seat first come first serve.....Princess allows people to make permanent reservations for the same table every night in ATD and also they allow for very few reservations when you can make them so it is not an easy thing to do.....and the Dine Line is for all of their speciality restaurants and ATD is a dining room not a RESTAURANT......:rolleyes:

[wrongwaywatson]

I am the person who copied and pasted it from the Princess site. I went on their site, I typed "anytime dining" into the search bar on their site.

 

 

 

[wrongwaywatson]

I guess I really don't understand all of the fuss about reservations and Anytime Dining. It allows you the FREEDOM to choose when you want to dine and you aren't locked into the same time every night, unless you WANT to be. It CLEARLY states in the description that YOU CHOOSE. It also clearly states that reservations are accepted. You choose if you want to make a reservation or if you want to just show up. It is your choice. Now, if the website said "no reservations are accepted, it is first come-first served" and a ship was taking reservations, then YES, absolutely be upset about it

[dtb55]

I am the person who copied and pasted it from the Princess site. I went on their site, I typed "anytime dining" into the search bar on their site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, there you have it.

 

 

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