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

[Roberto256]

6 hours ago, suzyed said:

My Mom used to get up and clean the bathroom on Ambien!

 

 

Mrs. 256 would love if that happened to me.   As it is, she doesn't like the side-effects, and doesn't think I should take.

[suzyed]

7 hours ago, Roberto256 said:

 

Mrs. 256 would love if that happened to me.   As it is, she doesn't like the side-effects, and doesn't think I should take.

Just a little tip...the Ambien CR has fewer side effects....works a bit different but it was better me, anyway.  Don't take any of it any longer but it helped at the time.

 

[generichandle]

I have a question: Can I order from the MDR menu and have it delivered to my cabin?

 

[memoak]

18 hours ago, generichandle said:

I have a question: Can I order from the MDR menu and have it delivered to my cabin?

 

Only if you are in a full suite

[basicprincess24]

I have a question about Specialty Dining reservations. We'd like to use some of our OBC for specialty dinners, but it seems that reservations in the app require payment when booking. Is there any way to reserve in advance without payment? 

 

If not, and we need to make reservations on board, will this be an issue? We'll have a party of 6 and we'd prefer to do our specialty dining on non-formal nights. I've only done specialty dining on NCL before, which definitely requires reservations well in advance, so the idea of waiting makes me a little nervous, particularly with a larger group.

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, basicprincess24 said:

I have a question about Specialty Dining reservations. We'd like to use some of our OBC for specialty dinners, but it seems that reservations in the app require payment when booking. Is there any way to reserve in advance without payment? 

 

If not, and we need to make reservations on board, will this be an issue? We'll have a party of 6 and we'd prefer to do our specialty dining on non-formal nights. I've only done specialty dining on NCL before, which definitely requires reservations well in advance, so the idea of waiting makes me a little nervous, particularly with a larger group.

Just go to the restaurant of choice after boarding.  Or, call the DINE line and make a res.   Should not be a problem.

[trbarton]

I just got off the Ruby Princess. Dinner in the MDR was a complete disaster. On my 7 day cruise I never had the same table/wait staff twice. I complained to many of the staff with no results. In cruising again I will insist on the same table/wait staff each night & refuse to sit at a different table. Nothing I said made any difference. 
 

Anyone had this problem & if so what did you do?

 

Tom😀

[leck57]

1 hour ago, trbarton said:

I just got off the Ruby Princess. Dinner in the MDR was a complete disaster. On my 7 day cruise I never had the same table/wait staff twice. I complained to many of the staff with no results. In cruising again I will insist on the same table/wait staff each night & refuse to sit at a different table. Nothing I said made any difference. 
 

Anyone had this problem & if so what did you do?

 

Tom😀

 

To be quite honest this isn't important to me. When we had Traditional Dining, yes it's nice to have the same table and waitstaff, but now we just go Anytime (yes I know it has changed) and I just accept we will get different seating and staff. Sure it's nice to get a good waiter and get them again but no deal breaker for me. I did ask on our last cruise to sit in an area that had our preferred waiter but was always told the area was full, so I gave up.

In the case of non Traditional Dining it must be a nightmare for the head waiter to meet "same table" requests.

[trbarton]

27 minutes ago, leck57 said:

 

To be quite honest this isn't important to me. When we had Traditional Dining, yes it's nice to have the same table and waitstaff, but now we just go Anytime (yes I know it has changed) and I just accept we will get different seating and staff. Sure it's nice to get a good waiter and get them again but no deal breaker for me. I did ask on our last cruise to sit in an area that had our preferred waiter but was always told the area was full, so I gave up.

In the case of non Traditional Dining it must be a nightmare for the head waiter to meet "same table" requests.

Question….If you don’t have the same wait staff do you give a extra tip on the last night & to whom?  I think that the waiters loose out on that money if it’s different customers each night. 
 

Tom😀

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, trbarton said:

I just got off the Ruby Princess. Dinner in the MDR was a complete disaster. On my 7 day cruise I never had the same table/wait staff twice. I complained to many of the staff with no results. In cruising again I will insist on the same table/wait staff each night & refuse to sit at a different table. Nothing I said made any difference. 
 

Anyone had this problem & if so what did you do?

 

Tom😀

Yes, folks are having the problem and others not.  This is from the actual cruises since start-up.  It seems that many have had to make requests with DORO, or Sr HW, in order to make it happen.  Others have been SOL.  Earlier today, I was speaking with an OCEAN team help person and she told me she was on Majestic recently and their group of eight had the same table each night.  IDK if any preference was given, or it works better with a large dining party, but there you go.  It sounded like whatever the table assignment was, it was correct to start off and remained so.  Was she correct as an employee or someone connected to the Team that works to fix DMW?  Who knows?

 

I do know this - regardless if my DMW says we have a "perfect" res setup for us, I will be seeking out the DORO (former MD) on Day 1 - just like in the "old" days - to verify our location and make sure it is set for the full voyage.  I don't trust the dining system one iota.

 

[Steelers36]

3 minutes ago, trbarton said:

Question….If you don’t have the same wait staff do you give a extra tip on the last night & to whom?  I think that the waiters loose out on that money if it’s different customers each night. 
 

Tom😀

If you feel it is deserved, then give the money through the PSD and tell them to add it to the pool for dining rooms (which IDK if will be separated from hotel staff, but you can do it that way).  Or, if you like to give extra, then do not wait until the end and give them something each night.  OR, at the end, you know where the tables were, so go visit them perhaps?

 

[Steelers36]

35 minutes ago, leck57 said:

 

To be quite honest this isn't important to me. When we had Traditional Dining, yes it's nice to have the same table and waitstaff, but now we just go Anytime (yes I know it has changed) and I just accept we will get different seating and staff. Sure it's nice to get a good waiter and get them again but no deal breaker for me. I did ask on our last cruise to sit in an area that had our preferred waiter but was always told the area was full, so I gave up.

In the case of non Traditional Dining it must be a nightmare for the head waiter to meet "same table" requests.

Last sentence quibble - ATD never had a system of same table and wait staff.  ATD was always intended to be random by definition.  Not to say arriving around same time each night might get you seated in same general area.  I recall last time we did ATD, almost every night we were in same area and had same wait staff, but it isn't the intent or promise.  This was a long time ago.

 

I am not totally fussy on table location, but I would rather not be right beside a serving station.  I like being a little out of the way as it is quieter.  But we do like the regularity of the same wait staff if they are good.  If not, I might ask for a move on a long voyage - well I would for sure if they were not good.  We have been lucky with lots of good and memorable wait staff.  It's nice to have the familiarity and it brings efficiency to the service.  It's fun to banter, talk and joke around a bit as well.

 

There is no reason why we all cannot get what we want.  It worked well before and Princess changed a system that was not broken.  The new system works great for ATD, and just awful bad for TD.

[leck57]

33 minutes ago, trbarton said:

Question….If you don’t have the same wait staff do you give a extra tip on the last night & to whom?  I think that the waiters loose out on that money if it’s different customers each night. 
 

Tom😀

 

I am sure you are correct on that. I don't tip waiters if we have different ones most nights. I do leave the auto tip in place however.

[chamima]

6 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

There is no reason why we all cannot get what we want.  It worked well before and Princess changed a system that was not broken.  The new system works great for ATD, and just awful bad for TD.

Last sentence quibble - ATD never had a system of same table and wait staff.  ATD was always intended to be random by definition.  Not to say arriving around same time each night might get you seated in same general area.  I recall last time we did ATD, almost every night we were in same area and had same wait staff, but it isn't the intent or promise.  This was a long time ago.

 

I am not totally fussy on table location, but I would rather not be right beside a serving station.  I like being a little out of the way as it is quieter.  But we do like the regularity of the same wait staff if they are good.  If not, I might ask for a move on a long voyage - well I would for sure if they were not good.  We have been lucky with lots of good and memorable wait staff.  It's nice to have the familiarity and it brings efficiency to the service.  It's fun to banter, talk and joke around a bit as well.

 

I totally agree!

The new system is terrible for those of use with food allergies/restrictions who don't eat off the regular menu. One of the wonderful things about cruising for us was only having to explain the restrictions once at the beginning of the voyage and not every night. Couple that with the banter with your regular waitstaff that you would lose and dinner goes from being a really pleasant experience to just another meal.

I would imagine the (good) waiters also don't like the new system because those "relationships" they developed with passengers also lead to some nice size tips in addition to the auto.

[suzyed]

7 hours ago, trbarton said:

Question….If you don’t have the same wait staff do you give a extra tip on the last night & to whom?  I think that the waiters loose out on that money if it’s different customers each night. 
 

Tom😀

I hadn't even thought of that but you have a good point.

 

[RNRcruisers]

9 hours ago, trbarton said:

I just got off the Ruby Princess. Dinner in the MDR was a complete disaster. On my 7 day cruise I never had the same table/wait staff twice. I complained to many of the staff with no results. In cruising again I will insist on the same table/wait staff each night & refuse to sit at a different table. Nothing I said made any difference. 
 

Anyone had this problem & if so what did you do?

 

Tom😀

 

I wonder if it is different by ship? If it depends on the person in charge? Ugh, I just want my TD back.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

3 hours ago, chamima said:

I totally agree!

The new system is terrible for those of use with food allergies/restrictions who don't eat off the regular menu. One of the wonderful things about cruising for us was only having to explain the restrictions once at the beginning of the voyage and not every night. Couple that with the banter with your regular waitstaff that you would lose and dinner goes from being a really pleasant experience to just another meal.

I would imagine the (good) waiters also don't like the new system because those "relationships" they developed with passengers also lead to some nice size tips in addition to the auto.

Normally they have the person with allergies talk to someone the night before and place their order for the next day for the meals that they will be eating in the main dining room. Are you saying that they no longer do this?  If so, that’s concerning.

[NavyVeteran]

3 hours ago, chamima said:

I totally agree!

The new system is terrible for those of use with food allergies/restrictions who don't eat off the regular menu. One of the wonderful things about cruising for us was only having to explain the restrictions once at the beginning of the voyage and not every night. Couple that with the banter with your regular waitstaff that you would lose and dinner goes from being a really pleasant experience to just another meal.

I would imagine the (good) waiters also don't like the new system because those "relationships" they developed with passengers also lead to some nice size tips in addition to the auto.

You should not have to explain the restrictions to the waiter each night. If you have allergies, then you should be ordering from the head waiter - not the waiter. If you go to the same dining room, you can order from the same head waiter each night. Just mention to the person seating you and then to the waiter that you ordered from the head waiter.

[chamima]

12 minutes ago, NavyVeteran said:

You should not have to explain the restrictions to the waiter each night. If you have allergies, then you should be ordering from the head waiter - not the waiter. If you go to the same dining room, you can order from the same head waiter each night. Just mention to the person seating you and then to the waiter that you ordered from the head waiter.

 

If memory serves there were at least 3 headwaiters in every Princess dining room we've been in.

I'll reiterate Steelers36's statement - Princess "fixed" a system that was not broken. Those of us who like traditional were perfectly happy and I think our highly tipped waiters were also!

Edited November 12, 2021 by chamima

[memoak]

14 hours ago, trbarton said:

I just got off the Ruby Princess. Dinner in the MDR was a complete disaster. On my 7 day cruise I never had the same table/wait staff twice. I complained to many of the staff with no results. In cruising again I will insist on the same table/wait staff each night & refuse to sit at a different table. Nothing I said made any difference. 
 

Anyone had this problem & if so what did you do?

 

Tom😀

If you don't get what you want you will refuse to sit at a different table ?  What will you do block the entrance for everyone else ?  Or lay on the floor kicking your legs in the air ?  Face it traditional dining (same table same waiters every night) does not really exist anymore on Princess.  Maybe you should go to another line

[Steelers36]

5 minutes ago, memoak said:

  Face it traditional dining (same table same waiters every night) does not really exist anymore on Princess.  

Some people are posting this, but Princess still insists they are providing the TD experience.

 

[trbarton]

12 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Yes, folks are having the problem and others not.  This is from the actual cruises since start-up.  It seems that many have had to make requests with DORO, or Sr HW, in order to make it happen.  Others have been SOL.  Earlier today, I was speaking with an OCEAN team help person and she told me she was on Majestic recently and their group of eight had the same table each night.  IDK if any preference was given, or it works better with a large dining party, but there you go.  It sounded like whatever the table assignment was, it was correct to start off and remained so.  Was she correct as an employee or someone connected to the Team that works to fix DMW?  Who knows?

 

I do know this - regardless if my DMW says we have a "perfect" res setup for us, I will be seeking out the DORO (former MD) on Day 1 - just like in the "old" days - to verify our location and make sure it is set for the full voyage.  I don't trust the dining system one iota.

 

I looked at the Patter to see if they was a place & time like you mentioned to talk to someone & there was nothing listed. Never heard the term DORO before. When they had the cooking demonstration he was introduced as the maître d’. 
 

On my next cruise in December I plan to do the same thing. 
 

Tom😀

[trbarton]

26 minutes ago, memoak said:

If you don't get what you want you will refuse to sit at a different table ?  What will you do block the entrance for everyone else ?  Or lay on the floor kicking your legs in the air ?  Face it traditional dining (same table same waiters every night) does not really exist anymore on Princess.  Maybe you should go to another line

I’m not planning to change cruise lines & I’m aware of other people that had the same table/wait staff every night. I have every right to ask to be seated at the same table each night & there is a line for people that don’t care where they sit. I like to get to know the wait staff & for them to get to know me, my choice. 
 

Do you normally leave an extra tip to the dinning room staff at the end of the cruise & with the new system how do you do it?

 

That was a part of my question. 
 

Tom😀

[memoak]

5 minutes ago, trbarton said:

I’m not planning to change cruise lines & I’m aware of other people that had the same table/wait staff every night. I have every right to ask to be seated at the same table each night & there is a line for people that don’t care where they sit. I like to get to know the wait staff & for them to get to know me, my choice. 
 

Do you normally leave an extra tip to the dinning room staff at the end of the cruise & with the new system how do you do it?

 

That was a part of my question. 
 

Tom😀

If I had different waiters each night I would not tip extra no.  We normally book club class on most trips and have the same waiters all the time.  On our short (7 day) casino freebie cruises we generally just use specialty dining and Vines for all dinners using our OBC from our deposits

[Steelers36]

12 minutes ago, trbarton said:

I looked at the Patter to see if they was a place & time like you mentioned to talk to someone & there was nothing listed. Never heard the term DORO before. When they had the cooking demonstration he was introduced as the maître d’. 
 

On my next cruise in December I plan to do the same thing. 
 

Tom😀

I have seen same thing - no dedicated appt time on Day 1.  Presumably because the "wonderful" DMW has taken care of ALL dining issues and totally unnecessary to engage the DORO.