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

[wowzz]

2 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

He is booked in a room that includes Club/Reserve Dining.

Yes - didn't make myself clear. I was talking about making reservations for the Speciality restaurants.  

[memoak]

51 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Yes - didn't make myself clear. I was talking about making reservations for the Speciality restaurants.  

In my experience if you are willing to eat at around 7:30 or 8:00. those restaurants are very rarely full   I have always been able to get reservations after boarding

[wowzz]

10 minutes ago, memoak said:

In my experience if you are willing to eat at around 7:30 or 8:00. those restaurants are very rarely full   I have always been able to get reservations after boarding

Possibly in the US, but on UK and European cruises, they are peak times, and usually full.

[Cinerama]

Back from our 4/15-22 cruise on the Caribbean Princess. We had initially booked a table just for the two of us each night in the MDR. But when son and family joined us for lunch in the MDR on the first day, he wanted to have dinner with us each night, I asked if we could have the same table, same time each night for the 6 of us. We got a table by a window which was nice. The only down side I thought at first was that it was a 5pm each night, But, since the children had 5 to 6 off for the camp it worked fine.  

Edited May 3, 2023 by Cinerama

[BamaVol]

6 hours ago, cruise_critical said:

Thank you. A consistent dinner experience is really important for my wife and I so it sounds like I have made the right choice! I got the Premier package as well, so now I need to worry about which night I will do the Crown Grill and Sabatini's. Don't want to miss out on a good MDR menu night. Does the MDR menu rotate every 5 or 7 days for a 13 night cruise?

We were on a 10 day in March and there were no repeats.

[MILLERVILE]

On 5/1/2023 at 4:17 PM, eric4395 said:

Been receiving emails this week saying our dining MDR  reservations are being changed to a different time, same place however only by 10 mins most nights?. Not sure what the point of this is . Also says and my  tablemates instead of tablemate ? as  I have reserved for just the 2 of us on the app every night for a table for 2. ?

oh wow I'll have to watch for that! it would be disappointing when you go the the trouble of making your reservations and then they changed on you.

[that]

Very disappointing

[Leelooczj]

Does anyone know how to book Crab Shack on Royal Princess? I do not see it even mentioned as a specialty dining option by Princess, yet I keep seeing reviews of the experience on other websites, such as only offered on one night during a cruise, etc. I am on the Sydney to Japan cruise in April next year, my wife loves seafood, so wondering how one secures this 'special treat'. Thanks 😊

[Steelers36]

5 hours ago, Leelooczj said:

Does anyone know how to book Crab Shack on Royal Princess? I do not see it even mentioned as a specialty dining option by Princess, yet I keep seeing reviews of the experience on other websites, such as only offered on one night during a cruise, etc. I am on the Sydney to Japan cruise in April next year, my wife loves seafood, so wondering how one secures this 'special treat'. Thanks 😊

If offered, it's in the buffet area.  It is not a dining option offered in the App.  I have not heard this mentioned recently, but a while back folks were reporting not seeing it offered on their ships.

[nini]

7 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

If offered, it's in the buffet area.  It is not a dining option offered in the App.  I have not heard this mentioned recently, but a while back folks were reporting not seeing it offered on their ships.

 

Correct. It was not open at all when we sailed twice last year; nor was Planks.

I believe it is a staffing issue.

[Leelooczj]

Thank you for your responses. Now that cruising is well and truly afloat again, perhaps we will see a return to old favourites? But speaking of missing dining options, I notice that the Royal Princess cruise to Japan in April 2024 from Sydney does not offer the Symphony Dining Room on Deck 5 as an option at all, just Allegro and Concerto on Deck 6. Have they lost a whole dining room?🤔

[that]

Symphony will be Reserve Collection Dining.

[Leelooczj]

Thanks for explaining that.

[jsn55]

12 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

If offered, it's in the buffet area.  It is not a dining option offered in the App.  I have not heard this mentioned recently, but a while back folks were reporting not seeing it offered on their ships.

I remember huge lines at Royal Princess' buffet for some kind of noodle dish one evening.  I never did go find out how to know what the nightly buffet specials were.  I usually have 3 or 4 appetizers for dinner, hence my familiarity with ship's buffets.

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, that said:

Symphony will be Reserve Collection Dining.

 

2 hours ago, Leelooczj said:

Thanks for explaining that.

But that won't take up the entire DR.  My thinking is they have been doing this a lot lately and allows for walk-up space and for satisfying guests who want to secure same table and waiters every night.

[PacnGoNow]

5 hours ago, jsn55 said:

I remember huge lines at Royal Princess' buffet for some kind of noodle dish one evening.  I never did go find out how to know what the nightly buffet specials were.  I usually have 3 or 4 appetizers for dinner, hence my familiarity with ship's buffets.

On the Enchanted, in March, we had huge lines in the buffet one night for the Asian noodle bowl night.  All types of noodles, sauces and choices of what you wanted in the bowl.  Was excellent.

[808cruisers]

I manually reserved Concerto 6pm on MOST nights. Will I get the same table? I'm assuming no. 

[Steelers36]

13 hours ago, 808cruisers said:

I manually reserved Concerto 6pm on MOST nights. Will I get the same table? I'm assuming no. 

Correct - no guarantee of that at all.  However, ask DR Mgmt to lock you into the same table and you should have great chance of success.

[Rudy888]

We have reservations in the main dining room for 7:20. We like to share but that is not available to reserve. On our last cruise we had reservations at 6:20 the last time where you could book sharing. Anyone have experience getting a shared table at a later dining time?

[Steelers36]

22 minutes ago, Rudy888 said:

We have reservations in the main dining room for 7:20. We like to share but that is not available to reserve. On our last cruise we had reservations at 6:20 the last time where you could book sharing. Anyone have experience getting a shared table at a later dining time?

You can always get a shared table as a walk-up.

[wowzz]

3 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

You can always get a shared table as a walk-up.

Indeed, we did that recently. We were led to a very nice 6 top. And we sat, and sat, and no one joined us. In the end,  the waiters took pity on us, moved us to a two top, and we ordered. 

We love sharing with new people every night, but somehow it seems that increasingly people want to just hunker down and eat as a couple.

Such a shame.

[Leelooczj]

6 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

You can always get a shared table as a walk-up.

We don't like eating too early, especially if we have been grazing throughout the day, but we too like to eat with others and share experiences and life stories, but the latest we could book on this cruise and still eat with others on any night was 06:20pm. Don't understand why.

[Kay S]

3 hours ago, Leelooczj said:

We don't like eating too early, especially if we have been grazing throughout the day, but we too like to eat with others and share experiences and life stories, but the latest we could book on this cruise and still eat with others on any night was 06:20pm. Don't understand why.

Princess has eliminated fixed seating, traditional dining.  You might get a shared table at 6:20, but there may be different people and different waitstaff from one night to the nest.  You would not be alone in thinking this system stinks.

[Steelers36]

50 minutes ago, Kay S said:

Princess has eliminated fixed seating, traditional dining.  You might get a shared table at 6:20, but there may be different people and different waitstaff from one night to the nest.  You would not be alone in thinking this system stinks.

Although they have eliminated it as a DR-wide option, Princess continues to promise the TD experience and guests who desire same table and wait staff can get that by request and working with DR Mgmt.  As for a shared table with the same group of strangers each night, well that is kind of out of Princess' control since the DMW system cannot possibly deliver on that and guests may not show up at the same time each night, etc.  That said, if guest gets lucky at a shared table on night one and the group would all like to continue as such (save and except for those times when folks may go to SD venue), then ask DR Mgmt and they can probably do something.  The additional dining options do make it such that various guests at a shared table can be off going to a SD, going to Chef Table, buffet, Alfredo's, etc.  Used to be MDR and Buffet and that about it.

 

[Rudy888]

17 hours ago, Kay S said:

Princess has eliminated fixed seating, traditional dining.  You might get a shared table at 6:20, but there may be different people and different waitstaff from one night to the nest.  You would not be alone in thinking this system stinks.

Ok with me for different people every night. I prefer the samd wait staff but can live with changes every night. I just want shared seating after 6;20.