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

[memoak]

2 minutes ago, ecs66 said:

We haven't cruised since Feb. 2020, and the four of us always have arranged for traditional dining in a MDR, early seating, same table.  Is it still possible to do that?  If so, via Personalizer, or would our TA set that up for us?

There are no set dining times. You can try to reserve same time but it won’t be the traditional dining you are used to. 

[wowzz]

52 minutes ago, ecs66 said:

We haven't cruised since Feb. 2020, and the four of us always have arranged for traditional dining in a MDR, early seating, same table.  Is it still possible to do that?  If so, via Personalizer, or would our TA set that up for us?

Your TA can do nothing.

You can book the same time,  in the same restaurant, every night for the four of you,  but you may not get the same table,  unless you are prepared to eat the monent the restaurant opens, in the middle  of the afternoon .

[PacnGoNow]

58 minutes ago, ecs66 said:

We haven't cruised since Feb. 2020, and the four of us always have arranged for traditional dining in a MDR, early seating, same table.  Is it still possible to do that?  If so, via Personalizer, or would our TA set that up for us?

We’ve done 9 cruises since the restart and have been able to get the same time, same table in the MDR every evening.  Just book a private table for the 4 of you.  Early seating will be easier.  If you like the table and waitstaff, then just tell the Dining Room Mgr/Maitre’d that you would like the same table every night.  

 

We’ve not had a problem.  It’s always chaotic the first night, but by 2nd or 3rd night it was much better.

 

You should not have any trouble getting a 4 top table. 

 

 

[Steelers36]

4 hours ago, ecs66 said:

We haven't cruised since Feb. 2020, and the four of us always have arranged for traditional dining in a MDR, early seating, same table.  Is it still possible to do that?  If so, via Personalizer, or would our TA set that up for us?

Add your travel friends as Travel Companions in the Princess App.  You just need their Booking Number.  They can add you as well.

 

All dining reservations are now in the Princess App under DineMyWay (DMW).  You can also access DMW functionality in the web version of the Princess App.

 

Add your travel companions to your dining party and then book using DMW.  You are now booking a party of 4.  Use the option to book for the entire voyage and select DR and Time slot with PRIVATE seating.  This will result in system looking to book you a 4-top (IDK if it will block a 6-top and keep two seats empty). 

 

Now, despite Princess marketing BS, DMW does NOT guarantee you blocked into the same table each night.  You should ask the DR Mgr or a DR Host (they work the on-ship version of DMW) and they ought to be able to block you into the same table for each night.  Be nice and be persistent/persuasive if you get resistance (remind them that Princess has promised to provide the TD experience with same table and waiters if necessary).

[Steelers36]

4 hours ago, memoak said:

There are no set dining times. You can try to reserve same time but it won’t be the traditional dining you are used to. 

This is not exactly true.  DMW offers a set of times and the guest doesn't just pick a random time.  The only situation where a dining time would be random assigned is if the guest is a walk-up.  Otherwise, DMW is offering booking times every 20 minutes.  I do realize they are somewhat theoretical in that a guest may not be immediately seated upon arrival for a reservation - depending on the res time and the flow throughout the DR.

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, wowzz said:

Your TA can do nothing.

You can book the same time,  in the same restaurant, every night for the four of you,  but you may not get the same table,  unless you are prepared to eat the moment the restaurant opens, in the middle  of the afternoon .

Have to disagree.  We cruised on four voyages last Fall and managed to get a 4-top for us and our friends at a set time and it was not at 5:00pm.

 

If a guest can book a table for 6:30pm each night and be seated, it ought to be possible for it to be the same table each night.  Now, there might be a challenge is every guest wanted the same thing, but they don't, so it is possible.  That said, I think some ships have personnel that are better at delivering this for guests and some ships either not doing so well or didn't care to.  As we sit here in March 2023, IDK if the situation has improved, but many guests have reported success in having a table blocked for them.

[BamaVol]

Day 4 on the Caribbean. We have been eating in the Palm each night. Our times have varied. There has been a line until last night even with reservations but it moves swiftly. We ask for a two top and get one by the window. Tables are close but not uncomfortably so. I tend to engage with strangers. But once the food arrives, it gets my full attention. At no time have we seen the MDR completely full. That might be due to selecting the “hidden” MDR. 

[ecs66]

10 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Add your travel friends as Travel Companions in the Princess App.  You just need their Booking Number.  They can add you as well.

 

All dining reservations are now in the Princess App under DineMyWay (DMW).  You can also access DMW functionality in the web version of the Princess App.

Thanks for the info, but we don't DO cell phone "apps" if they require any kind of password, and I'm guessing this does.  All this tech fol-de-rol is insane.  (And my career was in tech; I despise it.)  The Medallion, the App, and similar nonsense is what's kept us from cruising on Princess for a while, even after Covid.

[Steelers36]

9 minutes ago, ecs66 said:

Thanks for the info, but we don't DO cell phone "apps" if they require any kind of password, and I'm guessing this does.  All this tech fol-de-rol is insane.  (And my career was in tech; I despise it.)  The Medallion, the App, and similar nonsense is what's kept us from cruising on Princess for a while, even after Covid.

Sorry for your phobia.  Yes, you need an id and password to login to Princess - whether it is on the website or the App.  You are expected to do at least some basic registration for a cruise.  Other lines have App as well, and anything associated with a personal cruise booking is going to require password access.

[memoak]

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Sorry for your phobia.  Yes, you need an id and password to login to Princess - whether it is on the website or the App.  You are expected to do at least some basic registration for a cruise.  Other lines have App as well, and anything associated with a personal cruise booking is going to require password access.

I do not use a passeord for the app you can log on and do everything by using your booking number   I have 4 cruises on it and 2 of them are back to back   Just to note back to back cruises will show as one cruise if you have the same cabin not sure if you have different cabins

Edited March 5, 2023 by memoak

[Steelers36]

56 minutes ago, memoak said:

I do not use a passeord for the app you can log on and do everything by using your booking number   I have 4 cruises on it and 2 of them are back to back   Just to note back to back cruises will show as one cruise if you have the same cabin not sure if you have different cabins

Oh, I see.  Yes, the alternate login works and still gives access to other active bookings.  Yes, we had same cabin throughout latest B2B2B and it showed as one booking in the App, except when one of them was going through a re-faring at times when I found lower fares.

[ecs66]

4 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Sorry for your phobia.  Yes, you need an id and password to login to Princess - whether it is on the website or the App.  You are expected to do at least some basic registration for a cruise.  Other lines have App as well, and anything associated with a personal cruise booking is going to require password access.

LOL!  Not a phobia -- a visceral hatred.  I'm not afraid of it.  Anyhow, I'll do it via PC in the Personalizer thingie as in the past.  As Platinum, I'm very familiar with that.  (I still miss the old way.)

 

BTW, does one of us take the job of arranging a CC get-together while on board?  We've been to a few in the past?  (Or does Princess have a way to identify us and make arrangements themselves?)  Last time we met in a wine venue -- I think on Sky.

[capriccio]

5 minutes ago, ecs66 said:

BTW, does one of us take the job of arranging a CC get-together while on board?  We've been to a few in the past?  (Or does Princess have a way to identify us and make arrangements themselves?)  Last time we met in a wine venue -- I think on Sky.

Check out your roll call.  If someone has volunteered to arrange a Meet and Greet it will appear there.  Princess supplies the venue upon request but all the organization is done by cruisers including inviting the captain and other senior staff.

[ecs66]

2 minutes ago, capriccio said:

Check out your roll call.  If someone has volunteered to arrange a Meet and Greet it will appear there.  Princess supplies the venue upon request but all the organization is done by cruisers including inviting the captain and other senior staff.

Oh, right.  The Roll Call.  That makes perfect sense.  Thanks!

[memoak]

19 minutes ago, ecs66 said:

LOL!  Not a phobia -- a visceral hatred.  I'm not afraid of it.  Anyhow, I'll do it via PC in the Personalizer thingie as in the past.  As Platinum, I'm very familiar with that.  (I still miss the old way.)

 

BTW, does one of us take the job of arranging a CC get-together while on board?  We've been to a few in the past?  (Or does Princess have a way to identify us and make arrangements themselves?)  Last time we met in a wine venue -- I think on Sky.

There are many things you cannot do in the personalizer   There is a PC version of the app but you do need to do that as you cannot get a boarding pass anymore

[Rudy888]

On 3/4/2023 at 6:21 PM, wowzz said:

Your TA can do nothing.

You can book the same time,  in the same restaurant, every night for the four of you,  but you may not get the same table,  unless you are prepared to eat the monent the restaurant opens, in the middle  of the afternoon .

It is my understanding that the first night go to the Maitre d and make the request. Should not be a problem. Cannot be done beforehand.

[Sea Green]

I've booked two nights in Crown Grill and Sabatinis using dining credits. If I cancel to book a better timeslot, will I lose the credit? I'm guessing if its on the same day It will simply overwrite the original booking. But for a different day, I would have to cancel the booking first. Will the dining credit revert back to my account?  

 

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, Sea Green said:

I've booked two nights in Crown Grill and Sabatinis using dining credits. If I cancel to book a better timeslot, will I lose the credit? I'm guessing if its on the same day It will simply overwrite the original booking. But for a different day, I would have to cancel the booking first. Will the dining credit revert back to my account?  

 

If you cancel pre-cruise it should.  IDK if it does, however.  I just know what the system ought to do, but it cannot be trusted.  Hopefully someone who has done a cancel/re-book using the App, will reply.

[NoelleC]

On 3/6/2023 at 1:59 PM, Sea Green said:

I've booked two nights in Crown Grill and Sabatinis using dining credits. If I cancel to book a better timeslot, will I lose the credit? I'm guessing if its on the same day It will simply overwrite the original booking. But for a different day, I would have to cancel the booking first. Will the dining credit revert back to my account?  

 

I booked using my credits, canceled and changed the times, and it charged my credit card and shows credits still available 🤷🏼‍♀️ My TA said just go to guest services on the ship.

[jsn55]

13 hours ago, NoelleC said:

I booked using my credits, canceled and changed the times, and it charged my credit card and shows credits still available 🤷🏼‍♀️ My TA said just go to guest services on the ship.

"Just go to Guest Services ... "  A statement made by someone who has never seen the length of the line at Guest Services during the first two days of sailing.   Your TA should fix this now, unless using credits is something that can only be handled by the pax.  Either way, if it's not fixed now, you can look forward to a lot of people-watching as you stand in line instead of exploring the ship.

[NoelleC]

47 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

"Just go to Guest Services ... "  A statement made by someone who has never seen the length of the line at Guest Services during the first two days of sailing.   

I just watched a tip that once you are on board you can TEXT Guest Services instead of standing in line through the app. Has anyone tried this, and how well did it work?

[Steelers36]

35 minutes ago, NoelleC said:

I just watched a tip that once you are on board you can TEXT Guest Services instead of standing in line through the app. Has anyone tried this, and how well did it work?

It is called Crew Chat in the Princess App and great majority of reports on using it have been positive.

[windsor26]

22 hours ago, NoelleC said:

I booked using my credits, canceled and changed the times, and it charged my credit card and shows credits still available 🤷🏼‍♀️ My TA said just go to guest services on the ship.

If you book pre cruise you will be charged  for credit vouchers you have to wait until on board and the first restaurant y6ou go to will charge the vouchers as they are non specific   IE  If you have one voucher and want the expe4nsive restaurant do not go to the cheaper one first as it will take the voucher 

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, windsor26 said:

If you book pre cruise you will be charged  for credit vouchers you have to wait until on board and the first restaurant y6ou go to will charge the vouchers as they are non specific   IE  If you have one voucher and want the expe4nsive restaurant do not go to the cheaper one first as it will take the voucher 

I do not agree with this post in two ways.  I will grant the some guests have not seen SD credits applied when making a booking using the App, but plenty of guests - myself included - have seen this work in DMW. 

 

Also, if a guest goes to Sabi's first, they can ask to have the service charge billed to cabin and save the credit for the CG.

Edited March 12, 2023 by Steelers36

[bafinegan]

6 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

I do not agree with this post in two ways.  I will grant the some guests have not seen SD credits applied when making a booking using the App, but plenty of guests - myself included - have seen this work in DMW. 

 

Also, if a guest goes to Sabi's first, they can ask to have the service charge billed to cabin and save the credit for the CG.

I was also able to book specialty dining pre cruise using dining credits