Dining reservations

[mthomp5]

1 minute ago, lorri111 said:

Grand

Thank you for your reply.  I noticed a couple of us are sailing on the Sun. So maybe a whole different set of rules for that ship.

[lorri111]

4 minutes ago, mthomp5 said:

Thank you for your reply.  I noticed a couple of us are sailing on the Sun. So maybe a whole different set of rules for that ship.

I edited my post to read....

Crown. But we were only able to book Traditional, it didn't give a Reservable option.

Don't know why I get Crown and Grand mixed up. 

[Z0nker]

32 minutes ago, mthomp5 said:

@Z0nker, are you sailing on the Sun for this June/July 2025 where you could only book dining up to 7/5/2025 and not beyond that date?  I’m wondering if the within a year requirement is for the Sun.

 

We’re platinum and will be on the Sun Sept 2025.  I tried again and now it says no dining times are available for main dining or specialty dining. 

We are sailing on the Ruby. 

[mrsgoggins]

16 hours ago, mthomp5 said:

We are platinum sailing on the Sun in October 2025. I tried to reserve dining today via the app and I got a pop up message that says voyage must be paid in full or be platinum or elite.  So no luck with being platinum. 

 

I am still getting the exact same message despite also being Platinum and having paid in full. My sailing on Sky is this September, so it doesn't have anything to with being more than a year out.

 

Further proof comes from the fact that I have been able to book my dining on my next Princess cruise, also on Sky, more than a year out. Same App too!   

 

I have reinstalled the App several times and it doesn't change the message for my upcoming cruise, which is exactly the same as yours.

[Cruisemeister2002]

9 minutes ago, mrsgoggins said:

 

I am still getting the exact same message despite also being Platinum and having paid in full. My sailing on Sky is this September, so it doesn't have anything to with being more than a year out.

 

Further proof comes from the fact that I have been able to book my dining on my next Princess cruise, also on Sky, more than a year out. Same App too!   

 

I have reinstalled the App several times and it doesn't change the message for my upcoming cruise, which is exactly the same as yours.

We sail on Sky in September. Don't know if it's the same cruise as yourself. But was able to book Soleil restaurant for entire cruise. Mind you, despite some on this forum stating that Soleil  could be booked either Traditional 17.30 or 19.50 and at twenty minute intervals we wanted the 19.50 Tradition to be seated with other guests but anything after 19.30 was Private only which means just myself and wife and seeing as we see each other on a daily basis we like to mix and have conversation with others and hopefully make friends. So in essence I have booked a shared table for 19.30 every night except on a couple of occasions where we are on a excursion or booked for a Speciality restaurant. There will also be a few more times when we won't be in the MDR as we have two Casual dining visits and may book. depending on the quality of the MDR food, a couple more Speciality dining visits.

[Z0nker]

Has anyone been able to book dining on Ruby for a date later than July 2, 2025?  Thought it was a “one year” rule but we’re passed that. All that’s showing up is TD. 

[mthomp5]

3 hours ago, mrsgoggins said:

 

I am still getting the exact same message despite also being Platinum and having paid in full. My sailing on Sky is this September, so it doesn't have anything to with being more than a year out.

 

Further proof comes from the fact that I have been able to book my dining on my next Princess cruise, also on Sky, more than a year out. Same App too!   

 

I have reinstalled the App several times and it doesn't change the message for my upcoming cruise, which is exactly the same as yours.

I downloaded the most current app version 1.3.0.  Still not able to book but got a little farther.  It now says no available restaurants found.  I will try again in a couple of weeks.

[arizonaperson]

@mthomp5 what if you try a different dining room or time and see if that is available. Might not be your preferred time or room, but since your cruise is so close( September 2024).

Maybe the time that you’re showing on your app of 5 PM is already full? Don’t forget there’s always a walk-in dining room, or specialty dining ,or buffet or casual dining.
Frustrating for sure on all of this, but I’m sure there will be quite a few people once they get onboard trying to get into the dining room of their choice and the time of their choice.
Lots of people make reservations and don’t show up for whatever reason. Could be a long port day and they just decided they don’t want to  go to the dining room for dinner that night or they have so many reservations made they don’t know which ones they’ve canceled or which ones they’ve made, and so many other scenarios-so many variables and this new dining  program is going to test the staff and the passengers. It already has for passengers.

Quite a few passengers definitely wanted the traditional brought back.

My husband and I quite liked in the past the late traditional dining and it was definitely a less crowded dining room, but we enjoyed the later seating as we could have a pre-dinner cocktail and nibble and never felt full before dinner and it gave us plenty of time after especially if departing port at 6 PM to have a nice leisure time getting ready for dinner most evenings. But then we were known to go to the late show and then go check out music ,so it wasn’t like we were eating dinner late and then going straight to bed. Choices are good.
These new dining choices will work itself out. I am sure as they start in the middle of September, but definitely going to be potentially a mess at the beginning. 

[mthomp5]

3 hours ago, arizonaperson said:

@mthomp5 what if you try a different dining room or time and see if that is available. Might not be your preferred time or room, but since your cruise is so close( September 2024).

Maybe the time that you’re showing on your app of 5 PM is already full? Don’t forget there’s always a walk-in dining room, or specialty dining ,or buffet or casual dining.
Frustrating for sure on all of this, but I’m sure there will be quite a few people once they get onboard trying to get into the dining room of their choice and the time of their choice.
Lots of people make reservations and don’t show up for whatever reason. Could be a long port day and they just decided they don’t want to  go to the dining room for dinner that night or they have so many reservations made they don’t know which ones they’ve canceled or which ones they’ve made, and so many other scenarios-so many variables and this new dining  program is going to test the staff and the passengers. It already has for passengers.

Quite a few passengers definitely wanted the traditional brought back.

My husband and I quite liked in the past the late traditional dining and it was definitely a less crowded dining room, but we enjoyed the later seating as we could have a pre-dinner cocktail and nibble and never felt full before dinner and it gave us plenty of time after especially if departing port at 6 PM to have a nice leisure time getting ready for dinner most evenings. But then we were known to go to the late show and then go check out music ,so it wasn’t like we were eating dinner late and then going straight to bed. Choices are good.
These new dining choices will work itself out. I am sure as they start in the middle of September, but definitely going to be potentially a mess at the beginning. 

Thanks for the suggestions! I just went back in to try other dates/times/dining rooms and got the same results —which is no results found.  We actually don’t sail until September 2025 so we have time. I will try again in a couple of weeks. And we’re traveling now but when we get home, I’ll try the desk top version too.  

[arizonaperson]

@mthomp5 well darn that you keep getting no results found. Perhaps it is indeed too early since your cruise is not until September 2025.

I have a feeling it depends on what ship you’re on. Because others have reported that they’ve been able to make Reservations for late 2025 and even in 2026, which in my opinion 2026 is too far away to know that you even want to cruise or dine at a particular time.

yep, thought your cruise was for September of this year , so that’s why I said keep trying ,but absolutely keep trying ,but wait a little bit.
I know most of these threads are so focused on people being able to make reservations and that definitely seems to be what passengers want, but there is always the walk-in restaurant -go anytime that you’re hungry .of course just like a land based restaurant you may have to wait a little bit. At least Princess has given more choices ,which probably has complicated things, but I do believe the traditional dining is what most passengers have wanted again .

Hope you’re able to eventually make a reservation for the time and place that you desire.

[Retired-N-Happy]

18 minutes ago, arizonaperson said:

@mthomp5

I have a feeling it depends on what ship you’re on...which in my opinion 2026 is too far away to know that you even want to cruise or dine at a particular time.

.... but there is always the walk-in restaurant -go anytime 

It does indeed depend on the ship.  The walk in restaurant on the Sun and the Star is the American diner which basically is an all day menu and supposedly will have I believe a single choice from the dinner time MDR menu. I don't know if the other ships in the fleet are doing this or if the third restaurant is just a walk in with the normal dinnertime MDR menu.

 

When it comes to knowing if you wish to cruise in 2026 that obviously is a personal choice.  We booked B2B's on the Star for November of 2025 and February of 2026 as soon as bookings opened up.  Certain sailings and certain ships will obviously have more demand than others and if you wish to get a certain cabin such as a corner balcony or a handicapped cabin, you need to hop on things fairly early.

 

[Sea Hag]

On 7/4/2024 at 7:31 AM, arizonaperson said:

@ziggyuk thanks for the information on The Ruby dining room. Yes, I was pretty sure Michelangelo DR was for traditional dining. ( same table,same time,same wait staff, etc)

Most have reported 7:30 pm , not 7:20 pm for second seating,but …….

I know this new dining change has been confusing,so that’s why I was trying to gather information for all in one post/ thread.

I'm seeing 5:00 and 7:20 in Michaelangelo on the Ruby.

Edited Friday at 08:08 PM by Sea Hag

[arizonaperson]

22 minutes ago, Sea Hag said:

I'm seeing 5:00 and 7:20 in Michaelangelo on the Ruby.

Thanks, I have updated the ship to ship DR list. Appreciate it.

[Cruise till you drop]

6 hours ago, mthomp5 said:

Thanks for the suggestions! I just went back in to try other dates/times/dining rooms and got the same results —which is no results found.  We actually don’t sail until September 2025 so we have time. I will try again in a couple of weeks. And we’re traveling now but when we get home, I’ll try the desk top version too.  

We sail Aug 2025 and we’re seeing the same (lack of) results. 
 

We cannot book MDR but as for specialty restaurants, those you can make.  Amazing isn’t it ?

[mthomp5]

1 hour ago, Cruise till you drop said:

We sail Aug 2025 and we’re seeing the same (lack of) results. 
 

We cannot book MDR but as for specialty restaurants, those you can make.  Amazing isn’t it ?

I tried for specialty dining at The Catch and Sabatini’s and had no luck. 🙁. I’ll try again in a couple of weeks.  If I try too many times in a day, it will drive me crazy.

 

which ship are you sailing on in August 2025?

 

 

[windsor26]

I booked the Crown for January 2025  and yesterday used the new app to book my dining reservations for every night  There were quite a lot of opportunities and times available

[paddingtonbear]

2 hours ago, windsor26 said:

I booked the Crown for January 2025  and yesterday used the new app to book my dining reservations for every night  There were quite a lot of opportunities and times available

Are you elite or have you paid in full? 

[Cruise till you drop]

7 hours ago, mthomp5 said:

I tried for specialty dining at The Catch and Sabatini’s and had no luck. 🙁. I’ll try again in a couple of weeks.  If I try too many times in a day, it will drive me crazy.

 

which ship are you sailing on in August 2025?

 

 

Royal Princess to Alaska

[Cruise till you drop]

3 hours ago, paddingtonbear said:

Are you elite or have you paid in full? 

Final payment isn’t required until 2 or 3 months before sailing.  If Princess has built this requirement in that you can’t book dining until final payment, then I’m cancelling right now.

 

Do they think people will start to plunk down the entire cruise payment early so I can make my dining reservations early?

 

I’m not that stupid

Edited Saturday at 10:59 AM by Cruise till you drop

[arizonaperson]

9 hours ago, windsor26 said:

I booked the Crown for January 2025  and yesterday used the new app to book my dining reservations for every night  There were quite a lot of opportunities and times available

Could you elaborate on what you were able to book? What dining room and were you able to get a share table for a private table ? and what were your choices?
Did you book traditional? Reservable every 20 minute reservation?Just trying to keep a list of what everybody is booking ship by ship ,so “ one” can just look at the list and be able to make a decision. Thanks.
Here is the information that I have for the Crown Princess.

 

Crown Princess

Botticelli  is reservable every 20 minute reservations 

Michelangelo is traditional 5 pm & 7:30pm

DA Vinci- walk in

Edited Saturday at 03:00 PM by arizonaperson

[Retired-N-Happy]

4 hours ago, Cruise till you drop said:

Final payment isn’t required until 2 or 3 months before sailing.  If Princess has built this requirement in that you can’t book dining until final payment, then I’m cancelling right now.

 

Do they think people will start to plunk down the entire cruise payment early so I can make my dining reservations early?

 

I’m not that stupid

In general, you need to be Platinum or Elite in order to make your reservations as soon as you book. If you have not reached that status yet, you do need to pay off the cruise early, generally.  

 

Now, it has been reported on the boards that some people have been able to get their time slot preferences before final payment if they haven't achieved Platinum status yet.  It could be because they back doored it using the web version or it could be a glitch in the system.  

 

Certain ships haven't even opened up yet for bookings.  I have a reservation on the Sun for January.  Paid it off early with my gift cards and no slots are available for booking yet.

But others have gotten slots on smaller ships in the fleet into 2026.  It's a total cluster.  The policy should be the same across the fleet yet it isn't.

 

Your signature says you've cruised on Princess five times already.  You should be aware of their policy. So, are you cancelling or just typing hot air?

Edited Saturday at 03:02 PM by Retired-N-Happy

[arizonaperson]

19 hours ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

It does indeed depend on the ship.  The walk in restaurant on the Sun and the Star is the American diner which basically is an all day menu and supposedly will have I believe a single choice from the dinner time MDR menu. I don't know if the other ships in the fleet are doing this or if the third restaurant is just a walk in with the normal dinnertime MDR menu.

 

When it comes to knowing if you wish to cruise in 2026 that obviously is a personal choice.  We booked B2B's on the Star for November of 2025 and February of 2026 as soon as bookings opened up.  Certain sailings and certain ships will obviously have more demand than others and if you wish to get a certain cabin such as a corner balcony or a handicapped cabin, you need to hop on things fairly early.

 

I have not included Sun Princess in the ship to ship dining because it really wasn’t involved in the “ new” program. It was already implemented prior to July 1, 2024.

Walk -in dining on other ships is different compared to The Sun. Other ships and Not The Sun, the walk-in restaurant is indeed the same exact  menu as the other main dining rooms.( of course subject to change)

It’s all about traditional, reservable( flexible), or walk-in now.

 

yes, I am posting as many scenarios as I can, as they pop up. ESpecially, the people that say they have not paid in full ,are not elite, or not platinum or  are platinum or Elite. Right now there does not seem to be set in stone “ rules” from Princess . I don’t think anybody’s trying to backdoor it in ,to get the Reservations. It is what it is.

Frustrating for sure for quite a lot of passengers.

Edited Saturday at 03:19 PM by arizonaperson

[Cruise till you drop]

53 minutes ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

In general, you need to be Platinum or Elite in order to make your reservations as soon as you book. If you have not reached that status yet, you do need to pay off the cruise early, generally. 

I am Platinum and have not been able to get any reservations made

Edited Saturday at 03:55 PM by Cruise till you drop

[Cruise till you drop]

57 minutes ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

It could be because they back doored it using the web version or it could be a glitch in the system.  

This did not work either

[Retired-N-Happy]

1 hour ago, arizonaperson said:

I don’t think anybody’s trying to backdoor it in ,to get the Reservations. It is what it is.

Frustrating for sure for quite a lot of passengers.

Frustrating, yes.  But some non platinum/elites that haven't paid in full have been able to make reservations when they really shouldn't.  Don't know if it's a glitch in the system or they're able to do it via the web version on their PC.