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

[eric4395]

Just now, BamaVol said:

Is there a reason you are splitting amongst 3 MDRs?  I think the advantage of sticking to a single MDR is the likelihood you will be recognized by the staff and treated with just a little more personal service.  There are those among us here who long for the days of traditional dining.  If you are one of those, you may find the experience more to your liking if you return to the same dining room night after night.

 

We had the same headwaiter each night and got to know him pretty well, and vice versa,  We did not see the same server every night but when we did get a repeat, he remembered us from a couple nights earlier. Being served by the same staff just makes for a smoother experience, like knowing not to put butter on my bread plate or remembering that my wife drinks cabernet so that a drink reorder took a few seconds less.

 

And as several others have pointed out, you may be able to secure the same table and server for the entire cruise which elevates the experience just that much more. Part of the pleasure of cruising is being treated as if you are much more important than you might be in real life. This helps with that.

 

Of course, none of this might matter to you. But if it does, something to consider. 

Doesn't matter to us we have been on 20+ cruises, we just like to try each place that's available 

[BamaVol]

3 minutes ago, eric4395 said:

Doesn't matter to us we have been on 20+ cruises, we just like to try each place that's available 

We had lunch and breakfast in a different MDR.  It you had led me there blindfolded, I couldn’t have identified any significant differences between that and the one where we ate dinner.  You may be more perceptive.  Enjoy!

Edited March 18, 2023 by BamaVol

[eric4395]

Just now, BamaVol said:

We had lunch and breakfast in a different MDR.  It you had led me there blindfolded, I couldn’t have identified any significant differences between that and the one where we ate dinner.  You may be more perceptive.  Enjoy!

Is there any MDR you would recommend on the Sky Princess for the   evening meal

Edited March 18, 2023 by eric4395

[BamaVol]

1 minute ago, eric4395 said:

Is there any MDR you would recommend on the Sky Princess for the   evening meal

My lone Princess cruise to date was not on the Sky.  I’ll let someone else offer an opinion.

[wowzz]

21 minutes ago, eric4395 said:

Is there any MDR you would recommend on the Sky Princess for the   evening meal

We like Soleil - easy to walk to with a glass of wine from Vines. 

[Steelers36]

8 hours ago, Times Prince said:

Not on the app on my phone.
I have reservations and it says it will cancel if I even look at other options for reservations.

If you are meaning the Princess App, when using DMW (DineMyWay), it will warn you that making a new res cancels the existing one, but just checking for other availability does not cancel your existing.  Nothing will be cancelled/replaced until you confirm something new.

[Thrak]

19 hours ago, wowzz said:

In a word,  no. The menus are posted outside each MDR every morning for that night's dinner.

 

The menus are also posted on the TV every day. It's very easy to check. (I can't remember if they are posted in the app but wouldn't be surprised. The TV is much larger and easier for me to see so I use it for Room Service, MDR menu checking, etc.)

Edited March 18, 2023 by Thrak

[Thrak]

12 hours ago, Times Prince said:

Not on the app on my phone.
I have reservations and it says it will cancel if I even look at other options for reservations.

 

You can "look" all you like. It only cancels your existing reservation if you choose something else.

[JimC]

I don't want to use my cell phone to access the Princess app. Can I access it and makes my dining reservation on the Princess website or some other way on my laptop computer? 

[wowzz]

2 hours ago, JimC said:

I don't want to use my cell phone to access the Princess app. Can I access it and makes my dining reservation on the Princess website or some other way on my laptop computer? 

You can access the app through a tablet or a phone. 

[Steelers36]

6 hours ago, JimC said:

I don't want to use my cell phone to access the Princess app. Can I access it and makes my dining reservation on the Princess website or some other way on my laptop computer? 

 

4 hours ago, wowzz said:

You can access the app through a tablet or a phone. 

Login to your Cruise Personalizer and use the URL link provided under where they suggest you download the Princess App from the Play Store.  Once you have the URL, you can Bookmark it for future use.

 

[BuckeyeTraveler]

On 3/12/2023 at 11:11 PM, Steelers36 said:

I presume you are talking about everyone you mention is in the "with reservation" line.  I guess one has to wait to be seated unless the guest has already locked down a set table for each night and can just walk to it.  This is what we did and never waited in lines.

 

As to your direct question, there is no way to know.  Same idea as you join the long TSA line at the airport and you have no way of knowing how many people in front of you have an earlier flight or later flight than you do.  If 100 people have a 5:20pm res, it is going to take them a while to seat everyone.  The DR's are large as you know.  That said, I have never seen close to 100 people in line last Fall.

 

ETA:  Perhaps the Mgr or Host at the door should be calling up those with 5:20pm and then start on the 5:40's, etc?

How do you "lock down" a set table?

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, BuckeyeTraveler said:

How do you "lock down" a set table?

Ask the DR Mgr or Host who works the on-board app on a tablet they typically carry around.  Technically up to DR Mgr, but sometimes others are "empowered" to make it so.

[laynp]

Help Help!! First time cruising on Princess Regal, full suite! I am having trouble with all the abbreviations: DMW, DR, etc  I try to follow the thread but don't understand a lot of post, 

1. What do the abbreviations mean?

2. As Full Suite, where do we eat?

3. Do all reservation have to be made using the Medallion app?

Sorry for the questions but this is all new to me!

[memoak]

15 minutes ago, laynp said:

Help Help!! First time cruising on Princess Regal, full suite! I am having trouble with all the abbreviations: DMW, DR, etc  I try to follow the thread but don't understand a lot of post, 

1. What do the abbreviations mean?

2. As Full Suite, where do we eat?

3. Do all reservation have to be made using the Medallion app?

Sorry for the questions but this is all new to me!

If you are in a full suite you will eat breakfast In Sabatini’s for suite breakfast and club class dining area for dinner and lunch in sea days. No need for reservations. You will s as also have a free specialty dinner on first night. Just call dine line when you board to set a venue and time   On the Emerald this week the dine line actually called me although I had already arranged time my going to the venue itself

[laynp]

On the Princess Regal where is the Club Class dining area?

[jsn55]

44 minutes ago, laynp said:

Help Help!! First time cruising on Princess Regal, full suite! I am having trouble with all the abbreviations: DMW, DR, etc  I try to follow the thread but don't understand a lot of post, 

1. What do the abbreviations mean?

2. As Full Suite, where do we eat?

3. Do all reservation have to be made using the Medallion app?

Sorry for the questions but this is all new to me!

The abbreviations can sometimes be annoying.  I generally read a few posts and figure it out.  MDR is main dining room, DMW is 'dine my way'.  Unfortunately, you need to use the app for most things and it doesn't work much of the time.  Out of four dinner reservations we made, only one 'worked', the others got screwed up.  A crew member came by when we were poking at the big display in the elevator bank one day.  He checked the res we were interested in; it was wrong and he attempted to correct it, but he couldn't get the medallion to work either.  It's really annoying.  Princess is well aware of this issue which has gone on for several years, they just don't care.

[konatyme]

I don't know whether or not anyone else has had this same problem, and I doubt there's an easy answer, but I'll give it a try. We are scheduled for a round-trip cruise to Hawaii on the Emerald, leaving June 1, 2023. We booked the cruise at the end of February and within a day or two, I went on the Medallion app and made dining reservations. We are traveling with another couple who are in their mid-80s and very hard of hearing, even with hearing aids. I added them to our dining reservations within a day or two with the intention that we would have a table for 4, because it's very, very hard for them to be at a table with more people--they can't hear the conversations, except as a lot of "noise". 

I went on the app yesterday to check on some other things and saw that our reservation says "shared table". I got on Princess Live Chat and was told that means not that we are sharing a table with our friends, but that it means the four of us will be at a table with other guests. 😟 I'm afraid to go in and try to edit our reservation because I'm afraid we might lose it altogether and have to start over. The Princess rep suggested that I wait and go to the dining room as soon as we get on the ship and talk to someone about the problem and see if we can keep the same dining time, but at a table for 4. 

Any thoughts on whether I should try to change it on the app or wait til we are onboard? (I realize that no one is going to know for sure, but thought I'd see what your opinions might be.) Thanks!

 

 

[Yukonjake]

We had a party of 6 last summer and I was unable to set up a table for us on the website or app. I talked to the maître d' the first night and he accommodated us that night. I got a phone call next day in the cabin; the dining room staff had worked their magic and we had a reserved table and time for the rest of the week.

[suzyed]

If you have trouble with the app on your phone try the Web version on the Princess site.  Don't be afraid to try and change it on the app...you can still always talk to the maitre d' when you get onboard if you had/have an issue. 

[konatyme]

Thanks so much for the kind words of encouragement. I really appreciate it!

 

[Thrak]

We are booked on a cruise next Spring with our Son, his wife, and their daughter. We are booked every night at the same time with a private table for 5. I did it in the app and it was very easy.

[konatyme]

@Thrak Thank you, Thrak. I thought I had done this, but after I added our friends, at some point, it changed to "shared table"; hadn't checked that part of the app for awhile, so didn't notice it til yesterday.

[Thrak]

6 minutes ago, konatyme said:

@Thrak Thank you, Thrak. I thought I had done this, but after I added our friends, at some point, it changed to "shared table"; hadn't checked that part of the app for awhile, so didn't notice it til yesterday.

 

I rechecked my dinner arrangements just now and they are (thankfully) still in place. Only time will tell if that holds with future "updates" to the app.

[eric4395]

5 hours ago, Thrak said:

We are booked on a cruise next Spring with our Son, his wife, and their daughter. We are booked every night at the same time with a private table for 5. I did it in the app and it was very easy.

My wife and i are the same we booked a private table every night on the app for 2 at our chosen time on a cruise from Southampton in May