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

[Thrak]

8 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

We are in similar situation - two couples and setup as travel companions for dining and looking to have TD experience with same table and waiters each night.  I'd prefer Symphony or Concerto (Regal) over Allegro, but Symphony not even available as yet in DMW and Allegro only added less than a month ago.  I had to go with Allegro as it was wide open of course and I couldn't get Private table for four of us in Concerto.

 

Perhaps our only difference with your situation is we have B2B2B.  A story like yours is giving me hope the dining situation is getting somewhat better and will work out.

 

When I initially setup our dining all 3 dining rooms were offered. I booked our dinner for 4 at the same time each night and chose Symphony as it is near to Vines and I figured that would be very convenient for us. I was surprised to find that Symphony was not in use when we actually boarded. Overall it was a minor annoyance and had very little effect on our enjoyment of the cruise.

[Steelers36]

1 minute ago, Thrak said:

 

When I initially setup our dining all 3 dining rooms were offered. I booked our dinner for 4 at the same time each night and chose Symphony as it is near to Vines and I figured that would be very convenient for us. I was surprised to find that Symphony was not in use when we actually boarded. Overall it was a minor annoyance and had very little effect on our enjoyment of the cruise.

Hopefully it was closed due to passenger load and not for staff shortages.  

 

I do slowly, almost imperceptibly at times, see improvements and hoping for better by the time we go.

 

[oskidunker]

On 5/14/2022 at 6:39 PM, Astro Flyer said:

As a result of all of the Princess issues we’re close to canceling our future cruises & are booking our first Oceania cruise instead…too many Princess disappointments for us as we’re reaching 500 days.

 

I booked Oceana for Sept. have 21 cruises on Princess. Not encouraging to hear about the current dining situation. We had always had fixed dining. Not sure  I would book Princess anymore. Of course Oceana is much more expensive. 

[Astro Flyer]

10 hours ago, oskidunker said:

I booked Oceana for Sept. have 21 cruises on Princess. Not encouraging to hear about the current dining situation. We had always had fixed dining. Not sure  I would book Princess anymore. Of course Oceana is much more expensive. 

For us the price difference was acceptable & their prices include many things that are added to the Princess cruise cost (internet, specialty restaurants, shuttles to city center, fitness classes, bottled water, soft drinks & specialty coffee, launderette, taxes & fees)…we’re booked for next year. 😊

 

[Tedferg]

13 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

For us the price difference was acceptable & their prices include many things that are added to the Princess cruise cost (internet, specialty restaurants, shuttles to city center, fitness classes, bottled water, soft drinks & specialty coffee, launderette, taxes & fees)…we’re booked for next year. 😊

 

Do you know what the percentage difference in fare is for similar itineraries? I ask because sometimes people say the fares are close because of extras, but when I do quick comparisons Oceania is at least 50% more and often much more.

[MommyOTwins]

1 hour ago, Tedferg said:

Do you know what the percentage difference in fare is for similar itineraries? I ask because sometimes people say the fares are close because of extras, but when I do quick comparisons Oceania is at least 50% more and often much more.

I personally feel like there's never really any point to trying to compare prices to decide if one cruise line is more expensive than another, given the differences in ship size, on-ship experiences (dining, entertainment, activities) room layout (e.g., is the basic verandah on on ship the equivalent of a mini-suite on another), dining (main dining on ship may be comparable to specialty dining on another), how much will you pay for alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks (a la carte or with a package), will you have to pay for a Sanctuary or similar upcharge experience to enjoy the same amenities as the pricier cruise line and so on.  You have to do the research for individual cruises and decide which one is better for you based on what you want to get out the experience at a price you are willing to pay.  

[Tedferg]

1 hour ago, MommyOTwins said:

I personally feel like there's never really any point to trying to compare prices to decide if one cruise line is more expensive than another, given the differences in ship size, on-ship experiences (dining, entertainment, activities) room layout (e.g., is the basic verandah on on ship the equivalent of a mini-suite on another), dining (main dining on ship may be comparable to specialty dining on another), how much will you pay for alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks (a la carte or with a package), will you have to pay for a Sanctuary or similar upcharge experience to enjoy the same amenities as the pricier cruise line and so on.  You have to do the research for individual cruises and decide which one is better for you based on what you want to get out the experience at a price you are willing to pay.  

Your last sentence seems to contradict your original point.

My point is that we are happy with a basic balcony cabin with Plus fare, see no need for Mini Suite, Club Class etc. We have been intrigued by Oceania brochures, that we receive several times each week. 

Edited May 20, 2022 by Tedferg

[FlaMariner]

On 5/17/2022 at 11:28 AM, Camelia- said:

Now another question would be: when she boards and goes to the dining room  - will she be getting the same table each time or will she be moved around..I suppose she can request it?

 

Our experience on the Sky in March.....

 

We had same time, same dining room, same table for two requested but after day 2 when we found our perfect "table for two" and asked if we could just come there on time every evening the assistant manager said it could not be guaranteed and we would need to go thru the line.....We did all that and we got the table every evening (sometimes we had to beg more than others, whatever) but again, "no guarantee" but we got it...but what a hassle it was.   

 

 

 

[Camelia-]

2 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

 

Our experience on the Sky in March.....

 

We had same time, same dining room, same table for two requested but after day 2 when we found our perfect "table for two" and asked if we could just come there on time every evening the assistant manager said it could not be guaranteed and we would need to go thru the line.....We did all that and we got the table every evening (sometimes we had to beg more than others, whatever) but again, "no guarantee" but we got it...but what a hassle it was.   

 

 

 

Thanks for hearing your experience. I’ve found in the past that things were different from ship to ship but I haven’t cruised post Covid so curious..!

 

[Steelers36]

DMW was off-line shortly after the latest release was posted in the Play Store.  Then, yesterday it was not finding any SD availability, but regular dining was working.  Of course, the performance was a lot of spinning and waiting after selecting Dining Party.

 

This morning, DMW is running like greased lightening.  SD reservations options are showing and working.  I still see the same old issues with some credits not being recognized.

 

On performance, I have seen this before and I wonder if it is partly due to less users on a Sunday morning.  It is also true there is no PCL help staff fielding calls and such that would also be accessing DMW trying to help guests.  Perhaps the App has a significant issue with user load and could also explain recent issues on ships that are fuller and a lot of people concentrated in one location accessing the feature.  

 

Anyway, the speed of DMW steps right now is pretty much immediate.  If only it was like this all the time.

 

[Astro Flyer]

DMW is currently unavailable for me as they’re “making updates to available reservations”.

[bafinegan]

2 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

DMW is currently unavailable for me as they’re “making updates to available reservations”.

same here...

[whataboutport]

On 8/17/2021 at 5:28 PM, Thrak said:

 

 

Contacting Princess won't help you with your problem. Try contacting the dev team directly. Be detailed but nice. They fixed a bunch of issues for me.

 

askoceanmedallion@carnival.com

Is this email specifically for dining, or the app in general?

[Thrak]

1 hour ago, whataboutport said:

Is this email specifically for dining, or the app in general?

 

Anything to do with the broken app. When I first tried to use it almost nothing worked for me. I sent all of my info to the dev team.

Full Name on Reservation:

Booking Number:

Device Type being used when accessing the MedallionClass app:

Operating System on Device:

 

It took a couple of emails to get to that point and after that it all started working for me and I had no more problems with the pre-boarding stuff.

[Blue_Flame]

Question about changing a SD reservation in app, made with the dining credit:

 

I made the original reservation with no problem on future Ruby cruise, and it accepted my dining credit. If I want to change the reservation to a different night through the app, and I cancel the current reservation, does the app immediately recognize the refunded credit? I am hesitant to cancel until I know for sure how long it takes to be recognized as a credit.

 

[alibabacruisers]

My dining credit did not show up.  It only showed that I needed to pay the $58.  

 

I am interested in the answer to your question as well, Blue.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, Blue_Flame said:

Question about changing a SD reservation in app, made with the dining credit:

 

I made the original reservation with no problem on future Ruby cruise, and it accepted my dining credit. If I want to change the reservation to a different night through the app, and I cancel the current reservation, does the app immediately recognize the refunded credit? I am hesitant to cancel until I know for sure how long it takes to be recognized as a credit.

 

I'd love to test this out, but afraid of what might happen.  LOL.

[whataboutport]

A little off topic, but is the International Cafe the same as La Patisserie or a similar venue? I really loved the quiches and salads at IC on the CB. Hope it's similar. But it has been almost 10 years.

[bafinegan]

The SD credits FINALLY showed up when I went to make our reservations for our Alaska cruise.  I added the other couple who is traveling with us.  Not sure how theirs will be charged.  Will it automatically use their dining credits? Thinking maybe I should just cancel and book onboard.

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, bafinegan said:

The SD credits FINALLY showed up when I went to make our reservations for our Alaska cruise.  I added the other couple who is traveling with us.  Not sure how theirs will be charged.  Will it automatically use their dining credits? Thinking maybe I should just cancel and book onboard.

I believe the system is charging the credits against the booking guest - same as if you had no credits and it charges your credit cards.  I have not got around to reaching out to an OCEAN rep to discuss this, but this is why I think my theory is correct. 

 

DMW sometimes recognizes credits and sometimes not.  I had the issue, but seems to have resolved now.  However, DMW is not recognizing our friends' dining credit.  If I book CG for wife and I, I see $58 in credits and $0 owed.  If I book CG just for our dining party friends, they show $0 credit and a pending charge of $58 (of course it would end up being to my card if I went ahead).  If I book CG for all four of us, DMW is applying $116 credit and $0 charge to my card.

 

All of the above experiences with DMW were mock bookings and I did not complete any.

 

This is part of a B2B2B voyage and I have a total of five SD credits across the three bookings.  In order to 100% prove it, I would need to make an actual booking, then do it again, and a third time to see what happens. 

 

I also believe that DMW is looking across the logical voyage (all three combined) to see available DR credits.  I believe this is the case because if I book SD reservation during the cruise where wife and I have only one credit each - and include our friends - DMW is still applying four credits.

 

And here is one other "funny" thing.  We have a 4th cruise on a different ship and after several days gap from the B2B2B.  This final voyage is a separate booking in MC App and is not combined with the B2B2B - as the case should be.  We no longer have any SD credits on that final voyage due to the most recent re-fare which saved $$$ but had no SD perk.  If I go to book SD res sometime during that voyage, DMW gives us credits - so they must be coming from the other res. 

 

 

Workaround for you?  You book one SD res for the four of you and have your friends book another.  You pay, they pay and then you are even.

 

[Tedferg]

16 hours ago, whataboutport said:

A little off topic, but is the International Cafe the same as La Patisserie or a similar venue? I really loved the quiches and salads at IC on the CB. Hope it's similar. But it has been almost 10 years.

La Patisserie was not as extensive as IC on our cruise.

[Thrak]

1 hour ago, Tedferg said:

La Patisserie was not as extensive as IC on our cruise.

 

La Patisserie is La Poop.

[whataboutport]

3 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

La Patisserie is La Poop.

What didn't you like about it?

[Thrak]

12 minutes ago, whataboutport said:

What didn't you like about it?

 

Compared to an IC it is totally pathetic. A few rolls or danish. Bah!

[whataboutport]

Oh well then that sucks. I loved the salads and quiches.