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

[Thrak]

We sail December 2nd on Ruby Princess. I made dining reservations a month or so ago. Just checked and all reservations still show in the app. Same dining room at the same time every night but the one where we are using a comped dinner at Crown Grill.

 

The system also worked great for us on our cruise in May. Every night same table, same time, with friends.

[Kay S]

Just now, Thrak said:

We sail December 2nd on Ruby Princess. I made dining reservations a month or so ago. Just checked and all reservations still show in the app. Same dining room at the same time every night but the one where we are using a comped dinner at Crown Grill.

 

The system also worked great for us on our cruise in May. Every night same table, same time, with friends.

You are the lucky ones.

[Fa-Li]

A couple of questions about Club Class dining if I may: 

 

we are sailing on Enchanted in February, with friends.  Each couple in a suite.  Will the four of us be able to just turn up to Club Class dining when we are ready to dine, or is there a need to make reservations for this as well?  Will it be an issue that there are four of us?

 

Also, does each MDR have a CC section, or just certain dining room/rooms?

 

Thanks to anyone who knows.  Things seem to have gotten so complicated!

[windsor26]

3 hours ago, Fa-Li said:

A couple of questions about Club Class dining if I may: 

 

we are sailing on Enchanted in February, with friends.  Each couple in a suite.  Will the four of us be able to just turn up to Club Class dining when we are ready to dine, or is there a need to make reservations for this as well?  Will it be an issue that there are four of us?

 

Also, does each MDR have a CC section, or just certain dining room/rooms?

 

Thanks to anyone who knows.  Things seem to have gotten so complicated!

Both the Coral and the Sky had a portion of one restaurant as club class and you went in the right hand door to get to this instead of checking in with the steward on the door on the left and being assigned your table

[NavyVeteran]

4 hours ago, Fa-Li said:

we are sailing on Enchanted in February, with friends.  Each couple in a suite.  Will the four of us be able to just turn up to Club Class dining when we are ready to dine, or is there a need to make reservations for this as well?  Will it be an issue that there are four of us?

There will absolutely be no problem with four of you showing up any time and asking for a table for four. No reservations needed in Club Class.

 

Pre-pandemic, we had four couples traveling together in suites. They had a table for eight set up in Club Class specifically for us (since there were no other parties of eight in Club Class that cruise). Whenever we showed up, that table was available for us. Since they have several tables for four, you may not always be at the same table, but they will have a table for you.

 

You will also have no problem eating together at a table for four in the specialty suite breakfast. On our cruise, they pushed some tables together in Sabatini's to provide a table for eight, and it was available for us every morning (even if we didn't always arrive at the same time). They will have several tables for four available for you.

[Sockie]

On 8/10/2021 at 12:15 PM, voljeep said:

totally agree - actual experiences

 

let the "old thread" be the place for the 'i believe' and used too's

I wasn’t a fan of the medallion program.

[Sockie]

On 9/26/2022 at 2:38 PM, Kay S said:

Thousands of people (I would bet) want TD back, but Princess does not care what traditional cruisers want.  

What is TD?

[Sockie]

On 8/5/2022 at 9:42 PM, Cruise2End said:

What I find really bizarre is I’m traveling solo and the only way you can reserve with a request to share is if you choose a dining time of 6:20 or earlier.   I previously had always done late traditional which would be later.

What am I missing here. I am solo and enjoy dining with a larger group of people so you get to make new friends. I have no desire to dine alone. Is it going to be a problem?

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, Sockie said:

What is TD?

Traditional Dining.  In the context of cruising.

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, Sockie said:

What am I missing here. I am solo and enjoy dining with a larger group of people so you get to make new friends. I have no desire to dine alone. Is it going to be a problem?

If you were to use DMW (DineMyWay) in the MC (Medallion Class) App, you would select Sharing option when making a reservation.  If you want to be a "walk-up", they will likely ask you, but you can tell them you want to Share.

[JLC@SD]

How does the DMW work.  On the app, we reserved a dining room for 6 PM w shared table.  Will we have the same table and same table mates each meal.

[JF - retired RRT]

7 hours ago, JLC@SD said:

How does the DMW work.  On the app, we reserved a dining room for 6 PM w shared table.  Will we have the same table and same table mates each meal.

Probably not. You might get the same table (it's a toss-up). You likely won't have the same tablemates, unless you make arrangements with MDR staff.

[Steelers36]

22 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Probably not. You might get the same table (it's a toss-up). You likely won't have the same tablemates, unless you make arrangements with MDR staff.

And perhaps the others at the table are also expecting the same table.  Not everyone can keep same table if system is random assigning.  Your advice to speak with DR staff is the way to go.  I hope Princess HQ is hearing from the ships where DMW is not working for them and guests.

[dave_k58]

Our first cruise was in 2006 - there was no "anytime dining, or my way dining".  It was either early or late dining. It was ok - you ate at the same table with the same people the entire cruise and had the same wait staff. Sometimes you liked them - sometimes not. The problem was, some people would skip dining in the dining room some times - some would come late. It was not always easy for the other people at the table- let alone the wait staff. Sometimes, half the table wouldn't show up. 

[Tedferg]

On 9/26/2022 at 4:05 PM, PacnGoNow said:

So, why not have 1 MDR TD? The others can certainly be DMW.

Just back from Caribbean Princess - Island Dining room was not open during the cruise, probably a staffing issue. So, reserving one DR in these circumstances would not work.

 

Separate point: Prior to our cruise, there was a discussion where Medallion App did not show previous reservations in Island, but web access did show them. I asked at lunch on first day and was told Island DR would not be open. They connected me to dine line and my reservations were moved to Coral.

[PacnGoNow]

5 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

Just back from Caribbean Princess - Island Dining room was not open during the cruise, probably a staffing issue. So, reserving one DR in these circumstances would not work.

 

Separate point: Prior to our cruise, there was a discussion where Medallion App did not show previous reservations in Island, but web access did show them. I asked at lunch on first day and was told Island DR would not be open. They connected me to dine line and my reservations were moved to Coral.

Good point.  Was the ship full?  
 

[Tedferg]

6 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

Good point.  Was the ship full?  
 

I did not get an official count, but the headcount on Sail Away, 'We have XX Canadians, YY Mexicans ...

 

added up to ~2,000. Felt like there was a lot of space onboard.

[newbie53]

Hi,

 

We are traveling in a suite in January.  How do I book my complimentary first evening specialty dining without having to provide a credit card number?  

 

Thanks.

[JF - retired RRT]

16 hours ago, newbie53 said:

Hi,

 

We are traveling in a suite in January.  How do I book my complimentary first evening specialty dining without having to provide a credit card number?  

 

Thanks.

If the app or the web-based app won't let you, just wait until you're on the ship. It won't be a problem. We were in a suite in April and went to the Crown Grill on the first day and had no difficulty booking a first night res.

[newbie53]

8 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

If the app or the web-based app won't let you, just wait until you're on the ship. It won't be a problem. We were in a suite in April and went to the Crown Grill on the first day and had no difficulty booking a first night res.

Thank you!

[alibabacruisers]

We are currently on Majestic and booked the entire cruise at 5pm in one of tbe main Dining rooms, with the exception of two nights where we wanted to try the other twi main DR, and one night specialty. On our first night we talked to the check in person to see if we coukd get the same table each night and were told that the computer program assigns table...so basically no. The first 3 nights we had the same table so thought great....did not last though. We booked for 5pm thinking it would be a no brainer...wrong.  The next night we were moved to a diff table in less desirable location.  I asked if we coukd please have the same table we had been eating at and were told that someone at 540pm had that table.  Went round and round with many people to no avail.  We ended up eating in the Marketplace after that.  Made no sense! If the computer assigns as you arrive how could soneone later have the table already?  This was our first Princess cruise and will likely be our last.  The ship was full, the mask mandates not enforced, the 6 person elevator limit, dining rooms tables distance not spaced enough.

 

[Paccruise]

I sailed on Discovery in May.  I had set dining time.  First night was fun with 2 other couples..  But due to random assigning never seat with them again even when they were in line.  I really did not like each night with different people.  Felt like I need a recorder to play "my name and place where I live".  

 

In the next weeks I trying another cruise line to see if it is the same...

[luvdaislands]

On 10/8/2022 at 5:21 PM, alibabacruisers said:

We are currently on Majestic and booked the entire cruise at 5pm in one of tbe main Dining rooms, with the exception of two nights where we wanted to try the other twi main DR, and one night specialty. On our first night we talked to the check in person to see if we coukd get the same table each night and were told that the computer program assigns table...so basically no. The first 3 nights we had the same table so thought great....did not last though. We booked for 5pm thinking it would be a no brainer...wrong.  The next night we were moved to a diff table in less desirable location.  I asked if we coukd please have the same table we had been eating at and were told that someone at 540pm had that table.  Went round and round with many people to no avail.  We ended up eating in the Marketplace after that.  Made no sense! If the computer assigns as you arrive how could soneone later have the table already?  This was our first Princess cruise and will likely be our last.  The ship was full, the mask mandates not enforced, the 6 person elevator limit, dining rooms tables distance not spaced enough.

 

Totally agree. On more than 50 cruises, never had a problem and always sat at same table, with same servers and mates. In time the cruise lines (& other businesses) will come to realize that favoring the bottom line over keeping their loyal customers happy costs them in the end. Computers are being assigned tasks that only well trained, dedicated employees, can do properly. There was a time when the Maître 'Ds assigned seating & even considered age & geographic area. Now we can't phone a company without encountering the time consuming digital answerers that send us in circles. Of course a properly programmed computer could factor in this info. Personally I won't continue spending where I'm not appreciated but will go where they treat me as a desired customer. I ran a business for some 20 years with that philosophy and thereby retained customers who were the ones paying my salary.

[luvdaislands]

On 9/25/2022 at 10:50 PM, windsor26 said:

Just off Coral visited the DR to speak and ask for table I wanted to be told by the Maitre D that he no longer was able to organise or assist I had to go to the Pursers desk and use their special phone to the DINE LINE  and after all that they were unable to let me book a shared table every night  IO just had to take pot luck every night and wait

What does that MD think his job is??? I would have contacted the Chief Purser (or head hotel manager as he may now be called) to report the issue. Suggest you also make a point of this on the after cruise survey as well as communicating with management at Princess HQ.

[windsor26]

1 hour ago, luvdaislands said:

What does that MD think his job is??? I would have contacted the Chief Purser (or head hotel manager as he may now be called) to report the issue. Suggest you also make a point of this on the after cruise survey as well as communicating with management at Princess HQ.

Tried that He said it was not part of his job anymore and we HAD TO USE THE DINE LINE