Thoughts on the NEW Dining Options starting Sept 14, 2024

[mikjr]

I assume everyone who has a booked cruise, has received an email outlining the NEW Main Dining Room options, starting Sept 14, 2024.   ALL CURRENT reservations will be cancelled! 

From what I read, the only change I noticed was the difference between Anytime Dining options will now be in separate dining rooms based on whether you have a Reservation OR you are a Walk in with NO reservation.   REZ use one dining room exclusively; NO REZ uses another dining exclusively.  Traditional dining will remain the same.  

I guess my question is, will you be able to reserve the SAME TIME for every day of your cruise, using the APP??   

HERE is the contents of the EMAIL:
 

Starting with voyages departing September 14, 2024, Princess will designate separate dining rooms aboard every ship in the fleet* to three table service options: 

• Traditional dining offering an early and a late seating every evening 
• Reservable dining times 
• Open seating to support walk-ins anytime 

To support these changes and the transition to the new system, main dining reservations that you may have already made will be cancelled. 

This change does not affect anyone booked in specialty dining restaurants or suite or reserve collection accommodations, who enjoy a dedicated dining room on Princess ships, where no reservations are required. 

Starting June 17, you will be able to use the app ahead of your voyage to opt for traditional seating in a dedicated dining room with the same waiter, same table and same time each night, or flexible dining, allowing you to enjoy dinner at any available time and table size of your choosing in either the Reservable or Open Seating dining rooms.

[Luv2cruz1000]

Received the email stating June 17 we can book our dining preference. Previously we could not as our cruise is not paid in full or have special standing with Princess. Are we now able to book our preference? ( We have sailed with carnival and you can choose dining preference at time of booking.) Thoughts?

[NoWhiners]

Maybe it's too soon to know, but does anyone have any idea if this means that if we selected "anytime dining" when we booked, we now have to go back and make another choice (i.e., reservable vs walk-up).

 

This is going to irritate me if we have to go back and make a new selection. I thought we were all set and I could concentrate on other things. Grrrr 😀

[reedprincess]

Maybe take a gander at the active, multi page thread on the new dining changes, that's been active for several days - lots of info, speculation, thoughts, etc..

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3003226-41324-princess-rolls-out-fleetwide-dining-revolution/

[NoWhiners]

Just now, reedprincess said:

Maybe take a gander at the active, multi page thread on the new dining changes, that's been active for several days - lots of info, speculation, thoughts, etc..

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3003226-41324-princess-rolls-out-fleetwide-dining-revolution/

 

Thanks! I came here looking for what people think of this and was just making my way thru the threads. Now I know where t look 😉

[jeromep]

34 minutes ago, mikjr said:

Traditional dining offering an early and a late seating every evening 

I stated this in another thread; what is old is new again.  This isn't all that different from the old differentiation between Anytime Dining and Traditional Dining.  I don't think it was more than 5 years ago that they transitioned away from the two dining systems to Dine Your Way.

 

Be prepared for the return of folks bemoaning not being able to get a Traditional Dining time slot when they try to reserve a seating and how they can finagle getting one when they get on board.  So many of those threads are in the archives, just go look for them, they are there.  I'm just guessing, but the difference is now that your Trad Dining time isn't set when you book, but when you go on the app and try to book one after you have booked the cruise.  This will be something that bothers the anti-app cruisers, for sure.

 

43 minutes ago, mikjr said:

• Reservable dining times 
• Open seating to support walk-ins anytime

 

So, basically Anytime Dining, like it used to be, but with separate dining rooms focusing on first come seating or reservations.  I think this should be an improvement on the Anytime side.

 

I'm just not sure I see the big deal here.  I suspect my misguided viewpoint will be dealt with swiftly.

[mikjr]

27 minutes ago, NoWhiners said:

Maybe it's too soon to know, but does anyone have any idea if this means that if we selected "anytime dining" when we booked, we now have to go back and make another choice (i.e., reservable vs walk-up).

 

This is going to irritate me if we have to go back and make a new selection. I thought we were all set and I could concentrate on other things. Grrrr 😀

The way I read it, ALL current reservations have been cancelled and on June 17, we can rebook our dining preferences. 

[BamaVol]

26 minutes ago, mikjr said:

The way I read it, ALL current reservations have been cancelled and on June 17, we can rebook our dining preferences. 

Only reservations for cruises departing Septmber 14 or later will be cancelled.  My June 15 reservations will stay.

 

one of the YouTube cruise bloggers ran an unscientific poll last week and got 3,000 replies. Only 18% want traditional dining.  I project an imbalance.

[NoWhiners]

1 hour ago, mikjr said:

The way I read it, ALL current reservations have been cancelled and on June 17, we can rebook our dining preferences. 

 

I read it that way too. I am a bit confused about whether this means we have to go back and re-select Anytime dining or if this is just for those who booked Anytime reservations. It's too soon for us to do that so I am uncertain if I have to do anything. The new system seems a bit confusing.

 

tldr: If we booked Anytime dining, with no special reservations, do we have to go back and pick one of the 2 new options?

[Arizona Wildcat]

47 minutes ago, NoWhiners said:

 

I read it that way too. I am a bit confused about whether this means we have to go back and re-select Anytime dining or if this is just for those who booked Anytime reservations. It's too soon for us to do that so I am uncertain if I have to do anything. The new system seems a bit confusing.

 

tldr: If we booked Anytime dining, with no special reservations, do we have to go back and pick one of the 2 new options?

Anytime dining has no reservations.  If you want a specific time or a different time each night you will need to rebook after June 17th if cruising after September 14th.  Same if you want traditional dining.

Not complicated.  Only difference from years ago is the ability to set up a different time each night.  

[Teechur]

We will be aboard a New England/Canada cruise beginning on June 19th and aboard an Alaska cruise on September 17th. We haven't made dining reservations for Japan yet since it's more than a year away. I guess we will deal with it like we do with every change Princess introduces. 😊

[CruisingFox27]

We're new to Princess so I was only just beginning to understand the options, we sail in September. I thought that currently you could reserve a time on the app or attend at anytime and just wait to be seated? Do the changes mean this is still the case but depending on your preference, that will determine which restaurant to dine in?

[negn]

3 hours ago, CruisingFox27 said:

We're new to Princess so I was only just beginning to understand the options, we sail in September. I thought that currently you could reserve a time on the app or attend at anytime and just wait to be seated? Do the changes mean this is still the case but depending on your preference, that will determine which restaurant to dine in?

Exactly.  Specific dining rooms depending on which option you choose.  You can not make reservations until June 17. 

[555]

We always eat early so the way I view it is it doesn't make much difference either way. I can select traditional dining and arrive early without having to wait on line to get to my assigned table or select anytime dining & be seated when I arrive when they first open. 

I suppose it appeals to those that have been longing for that traditional dining experience to be seated with the same people each night. One thing for certain, it will make seating much easier to the DR personal, not having to keep track of each group at the door each night. 

[CruisingFox27]

6 minutes ago, negn said:

Exactly.  Specific dining rooms depending on which option you choose.  You can not make reservations until June 17. 

So, unless I'm being quite dim, it's not really a significant change. Instead of reservation and anytime dining in each restaurant they've separated each format to different restaurants. We like the freedom to choose our dining time on the day and just go whenever we're ready, that will still be available but only in one MDR.

[negn]

That is the way I understood it.  

[tulok]

It looks like the only downfall for us is the fact that we made most of our reservations in the aft dining room as our cabin is aft. That was very convenient. Not a deal breaker but it was nice to have all 3 available to choose from. I know we still have all three but if we want a particular one we will have to choose that type of dining.  We are usually one to dine at a different time every night and not be traditional. c’est la vie. 

[DrSea]

My thoughts are that this is like Carnivals situation. 

[nbsjcruiser]

I'm not sure I see the difference between this and how they do it now. On the last few cruises we could have selected traditional dining, anytime dining or what we do -  select a certain time each night (usually in the same dining room) based on our stops. What's the difference to what they've announced?

[Arizona Wildcat]

3 hours ago, CruisingFox27 said:

So, unless I'm being quite dim, it's not really a significant change. Instead of reservation and anytime dining in each restaurant they've separated each format to different restaurants. We like the freedom to choose our dining time on the day and just go whenever we're ready, that will still be available but only in one MDR.

Significant change?  Absolutely not.  Princess is going back to pretty much what they did some years ago - am sure more details to come.

[Arizona Wildcat]

37 minutes ago, nbsjcruiser said:

I'm not sure I see the difference between this and how they do it now. On the last few cruises we could have selected traditional dining, anytime dining or what we do -  select a certain time each night (usually in the same dining room) based on our stops. What's the difference to what they've announced?

Yes, you could book the same dining room, same time each night; but now in one MDR Everyone will be on the same schedule.

This is simply going back to what was done some years ago.

[555]

37 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Yes, you could book the same dining room, same time each night; but now in one MDR Everyone will be on the same schedule.

This is simply going back to what was done some years ago.

The way I see it is that it's going to make things more efficient for the staff in the traditional DR. They'll have two dining times assigned, which some people just love and they'll be no need to have a hostess greet each couple to ask if they want to sit with others plus not having to record what table they'll be sitting at. 

As long as they still offer a table for 2 it works for me.

[Alaska05]

We've never done traditional dining because we don't like to eat too early or too late.  Like that sweet spot in between.

 

Now that we're a bit older, we may consider for our January 2025 Panama Canal cruise.  What times (give or take) are traditional dining usually.  I know it might vary a little from ship to ship.  

[555]

1 minute ago, Alaska05 said:

We've never done traditional dining because we don't like to eat too early or too late.  Like that sweet spot in between.

 

Now that we're a bit older, we may consider for our January 2025 Panama Canal cruise.  What times (give or take) are traditional dining usually.  I know it might vary a little from ship to ship.  

Typical early seating is usually around 5:30 PM and late seating around 7:30 PM. 

[Alaska05]

Just now, 555 said:

Typical early seating is usually around 5:30 PM and late seating around 7:30 PM. 

I could deal with 7:30 but not 8:00!