Dine My Way & all new Dining questions since cruising restart!!

[memoak]

9 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

You did not use OBC.  You used SD credits to pay for the res.

That is because OBC is On Board Credits” and you are not on board yet

 

[Steelers36]

9 minutes ago, memoak said:

That is because OBC is On Board Credits” and you are not on board yet

 

The poster thought they had used OBC in an earlier post.  But after a Q, they clarified the order process.

 

Most of us know the only use for OBC before the cruise is if one is booking ship excursions.

[tweezer]

On 10/25/2022 at 8:18 PM, travelin.sisters said:

I picked 6.20 because it is not too early, but they won't put anyone at your table before that because it is not enough time...if you pick 6.40 they will have a first seating at the table & then you will have to wait for them to finish (one of the hiccups we encountered).

Besides picking 6:20 and the same dining room for each night, what exactly did you do to ensure you were given the same table every night?  I was not able to do that AT ALL on my last cruise.

 

[travelin.sisters]

4 minutes ago, tweezer said:

Besides picking 6:20 and the same dining room for each night, what exactly did you do to ensure you were given the same table every night?  I was not able to do that AT ALL on my last cruise.

 

On the first night I spoke to the head waiter or maitre d' (now the restaurant manager & head of restaurant operations) and the hostess, explained our need for consistency (due to allergies) & asked to be at the same table each night. We only had minor glitches on any of our 3 cruises this year. 

[tweezer]

10 minutes ago, travelin.sisters said:

On the first night I spoke to the head waiter or maitre d' (now the restaurant manager & head of restaurant operations) and the hostess, explained our need for consistency (due to allergies) & asked to be at the same table each night. We only had minor glitches on any of our 3 cruises this year. 

Thanks - I'm gluten-free, so that's why I especially like to have the same wait staff every night.  They get to know your preferences, needs, etc.  I will try again on my upcoming cruise.

[travelin.sisters]

6 minutes ago, tweezer said:

Thanks - I'm gluten-free, so that's why I especially like to have the same wait staff every night.  They get to know your preferences, needs, etc.  I will try again on my upcoming cruise.

Yes it makes it so much easier not to have to keep explaining & safer as there is less chance for a mix up. 

[VibeGuy]

There’s a button in the staff view of the reservation system that can turn a time:party size reservation into a time:specific table reservation - some dining room management are happy to use it, others less so. 

[tweezer]

1 hour ago, VibeGuy said:

There’s a button in the staff view of the reservation system that can turn a time:party size reservation into a time:specific table reservation - some dining room management are happy to use it, others less so. 

Wow!  That's good to know --

[luvdaislands]

3 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Most of us know the only use for OBC before the cruise is if one is booking ship excursions.

Well I've been cruising for 30+ years (55+ cruises), am Elite with Princess and have been burdened with their poorly designed app since its inception; yet I did not know about that OBCs couldn't be used for specialty dining reservations. Maybe I missed the instructions for how to do any & every thing on the poorly designed app. or you could possibly advise where this info is found. As posted yesterday, I made reservations for specialty dining only to learn my credit card was charged without any popup warning that was to be done, as is done on all other online purchases.  Further, after making changes to days & times I was charged twice for each of two rez's. No doubt this is because I- along with many, many others- aren't computer literate enough to guess out how the dumb system works.

 

I've had it with Princess and will request a chargeback on the CC or deal with it on board as I'm not wasting any more precious time navigating the app! Also, will probably sail other lines for next winter's winter cruises.

[Steelers36]

43 minutes ago, luvdaislands said:

Well I've been cruising for 30+ years (55+ cruises), am Elite with Princess and have been burdened with their poorly designed app since its inception; yet I did not know about that OBCs couldn't be used for specialty dining reservations. Maybe I missed the instructions for how to do any & every thing on the poorly designed app. or you could possibly advise where this info is found. As posted yesterday, I made reservations for specialty dining only to learn my credit card was charged without any popup warning that was to be done, as is done on all other online purchases.  Further, after making changes to days & times I was charged twice for each of two rez's. No doubt this is because I- along with many, many others- aren't computer literate enough to guess out how the dumb system works.

 

I've had it with Princess and will request a chargeback on the CC or deal with it on board as I'm not wasting any more precious time navigating the app! Also, will probably sail other lines for next winter's winter cruises.

It has nothing to do with the App and the policy for using OBC prior to sailing date has been in place for a long time now.  Sorry you were not aware of this, but hard to believe in a way - especially for someone who uses CC Princess forum. 

[lx200gps]

I've just finished booking eight Specialty restaurant dinners for our next two cruises, and will probably book a few more once on board (Crown Grill seems unbookable close to cruise date). As per the norm, our credit card was duly charged, and of course I knew that going in. Visa charged 1.41 as a US to Canadian exchange rate. When I go to the P website, given when we booked these trips, I can buy OBC at 1.25. If I were to buy a few hundred in OBC now, is it possible to drop by the PSD upon embarking, have the credit card charges reversed, and pay for the meals with this OBC?  The credit card/Princess exchange rate delta is not insignificant. Thx..

[Steelers36]

7 hours ago, lx200gps said:

I've just finished booking eight Specialty restaurant dinners for our next two cruises, and will probably book a few more once on board (Crown Grill seems unbookable close to cruise date). As per the norm, our credit card was duly charged, and of course I knew that going in. Visa charged 1.41 as a US to Canadian exchange rate. When I go to the P website, given when we booked these trips, I can buy OBC at 1.25. If I were to buy a few hundred in OBC now, is it possible to drop by the PSD upon embarking, have the credit card charges reversed, and pay for the meals with this OBC?  The credit card/Princess exchange rate delta is not insignificant. Thx..

Once on board, I believe any cancelled bookings are credited back to the stateroom account and will not go back to your original form of payment.  If you cancel before sailing, your card is refunded and then you would book on board for all and not just some of the ones you plan to. 

[lx200gps]

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Once on board, I believe any cancelled bookings are credited back to the stateroom account and will not go back to your original form of payment.  If you cancel before sailing, your card is refunded and then you would book on board for all and not just some of the ones you plan to. 

Valid point, thanks. It makes sense that they would refund cancelled bookings to the stateroom account and not the CC. Problem is, I'm very hesitant to cancel any of the bookings beforehand, as I can't be sure we would be able to re-book once on board. In the past, we've never had any issues booking all our specialty restaurant dinners upon embarkation; every timeslot and date we wanted were always available. On the Enchanted is September, we had huge problems doing that, few of our desired times and/or restaurants were available. We'll have to see how things are on the Sky next week.

[Doug R.]

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Once on board, I believe any cancelled bookings are credited back to the stateroom account and will not go back to your original form of payment.  If you cancel before sailing, your card is refunded and then you would book on board for all and not just some of the ones you plan to. 

By cancelling and rebbooking on board, doesn't one run the risk of losing desired times?

[Steelers36]

17 hours ago, Doug R. said:

By cancelling and rebbooking on board, doesn't one run the risk of losing desired times?

Yes, but I am not so sure they book the whole thing pre-cruise.  Anyway, we have managed  to be accommodated when desired (or close enough in time slot).

[polmcs]

On 11/6/2022 at 2:26 AM, Ombud said:

@Paccruiseask if others at the table are willing to link bookings so that you're one group

 

@polmcsclub class doesn't need to pre-book dining times. 

 

 

Yup. I’m aware that I don’t need to make a reservation, but as the result of winning an upgrade bid, DMW was not showing that I had access to club class. I’ve since deleted my original reservations in the MDR and I notice pad yesterday that the DMW in the app is now reflecting club class. It just took about a week for that to be updated.

 

I’m not out of the woods yet though. I booked an Alaskan cruise for next May over the weekend and the app is not showing a link for DMW for that particular cruise. 

[JenT412]

Does the fettuccine Alfredo still come in the Parmesan cheese bowl? 

[travelin.sisters]

50 minutes ago, JenT412 said:

Does the fettuccine Alfredo still come in the Parmesan cheese bowl? 

occasionally someone has reported they made it special if they asked but mostly the answer is no (even if asking for it as a special order)

[Flyinby]

We are a family group of 13, and planned to meet in the main dining room at a fixed time each night, with all of us seated together (not one table, of course).  This has been simple in the past, but hitting the "Dine my way" in the app, choosing same time each night, and adding all 13 to the group returns a "Sorry, no reservations available, check back later".  The cruise is Dec. 12, so not that far off.  Any ideas?

 

It's nice to see they've made what was once a simple process into a convoluted nightmare, thanks to the company's love for the "Medallion".  We have jumped through hoop after hoop to get everyone properly registered via the app and web, yet keep running into glitches.  We've done several Princess cruises in the past, but their fixation on this app and its associated processes has me leaning toward this being our last....we'll see, but what used to be a simple process is no longer.  Being a computer tech person who's done a bit of programming in the past, I know that a main goal is to simplify and speed processes for the end user, and this is a fail in that respect.  Maybe, someday, but after subjecting customers to being beta testers for years with no compensation?  And, c'mon, Part 3 of the Medallion app posting on its 173rd page, and apparently mostly gripes or something not working?  That in itself should speak volumes.

[PacnGoNow]

On 11/6/2022 at 6:48 AM, tweezer said:

Besides picking 6:20 and the same dining room for each night, what exactly did you do to ensure you were given the same table every night?  I was not able to do that AT ALL on my last cruise.

 

What ship?

[NownZen]

14 hours ago, Flyinby said:

 I know that a main goal is to simplify and speed processes for the end user, and this is a fail in that respect.  Maybe, someday, but after subjecting customers to being beta testers for years with no compensation?  And, c'mon, Part 3 of the Medallion app posting on its 173rd page, and apparently mostly gripes or something not working?  That in itself should speak volumes.

No. The goal is to make it easier at the pier for Princess. Having done, and still doing a lot of programming, it is clear that they chose very inexperienced programmers who had never been on a ship. They now seem more interested in changing the graphics than the usability.

[tweezer]

3 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

What ship?

It was the Majestic, September 2021

[Steelers36]

On 11/13/2022 at 10:02 PM, Flyinby said:

We are a family group of 13, and planned to meet in the main dining room at a fixed time each night, with all of us seated together (not one table, of course).  This has been simple in the past, but hitting the "Dine my way" in the app, choosing same time each night, and adding all 13 to the group returns a "Sorry, no reservations available, check back later".  The cruise is Dec. 12, so not that far off.  Any ideas?

 

It's nice to see they've made what was once a simple process into a convoluted nightmare, thanks to the company's love for the "Medallion".  We have jumped through hoop after hoop to get everyone properly registered via the app and web, yet keep running into glitches.  We've done several Princess cruises in the past, but their fixation on this app and its associated processes has me leaning toward this being our last....we'll see, but what used to be a simple process is no longer.  Being a computer tech person who's done a bit of programming in the past, I know that a main goal is to simplify and speed processes for the end user, and this is a fail in that respect.  Maybe, someday, but after subjecting customers to being beta testers for years with no compensation?  And, c'mon, Part 3 of the Medallion app posting on its 173rd page, and apparently mostly gripes or something not working?  That in itself should speak volumes.

Pre-Cruise Suggestions

1. Appoint two primary guests in your party.
2. Using Booking Numbers, add everyone as Travel Companions.
3. Each Primary Guest creates a DR reservation.  Try the option to book for entire voyage and use the preferred time you want. 
4. Each Primary Guest will add either 5 or 6 Travel Companions to their reservation request.  So, each guest will have a total of either 6 or 7 guests to book.
5. Each Primary Guest books the same DR and same time for a PRIVATE table space.
6. You should end up with one group at a 6-top and one at a 8-top.  There is NO WAY pre-cruise to know, nor to get those tables in proximity.  However, by selecting same time and DR, you can work with the DR staff on board to get nearby each other.

 

Embarkation Suggestions

Please advise which ship in case I can be more specific.

 

See a DR Manager either at Embarkation Lunch time or immediately upon DR open for Dinner.  Make your request and they will most likely figure it out.  You can all be seated in proximity and even have same waiters since many waiter sections will contain a 6-top and a 8-top.  You all can decide to mix-up the seating each night as well - no need to stay in same seat for duration of the voyage.  Note that is is harder for them to accommodate a TD-style request if you are after a time "in-between" an earlier session and a late session.  If you are after later dining, this will not be a problem at all.

 

It will be harder I expect to be handled if you don't manage the Pre-Cruise steps and if all three DR's are open in the App to book.  Sometimes, one DR is being held out of the App and is then available on board.  This seems to normally be the DR with Club Class dining (which only takes a portion of the space).

 

 

[Thrak]

We board Ruby Princess on December 2nd. I made dining reservations for the same time each night in Michelangelo Dining Room. (That's the one on Plaza and close to Vines.) I've checked frequently to be sure my reservations were in place. They have always been just as I made them until today. Today, the one night I'm booked in Crown Grill is in place but the other 15 days of reservations are gone. GAH!!!

 

I went to put the reservations back as I had them and no longer see Michelangelo as an option. I am waaaaaaaaaaaay not happy.

 

Edit: Okay, now I'm confused. I checked the online version and it shows all of my reservations - in Michelangelo - are intact. Do I trust the online version or the one on my phone? I don't want to make "new" reservations on the phone app that will cancel out the ones I made previously that only show in the online version. I don't know which version of the danged thing to trust.

Edited November 15, 2022 by Thrak

[chamima]

1 hour ago, Thrak said:

We board Ruby Princess on December 2nd. I made dining reservations for the same time each night in Michelangelo Dining Room. (That's the one on Plaza and close to Vines.) I've checked frequently to be sure my reservations were in place. They have always been just as I made them until today. Today, the one night I'm booked in Crown Grill is in place but the other 15 days of reservations are gone. GAH!!!

 

I went to put the reservations back as I had them and no longer see Michelangelo as an option. I am waaaaaaaaaaaay not happy.

 

Edit: Okay, now I'm confused. I checked the online version and it shows all of my reservations - in Michelangelo - are intact. Do I trust the online version or the one on my phone? I don't want to make "new" reservations on the phone app that will cancel out the ones I made previously that only show in the online version. I don't know which version of the danged thing to trust.

 

Print out the online reservation and take it with you!!!

May not help but can't hurt.