Personal Choice on Grand

[akparrothead]

We have a group of six (three couples) that are going on the Grand Princess (A702). We're on Personal Choice Dining which is we've had before. What's the best way of arranging dinner meals for all six? We we're not to happy with having different servers every night on our last voyage as the service varied each night. Can you make reservations on board for a particular time each night (may vary depending on port) and request to have the same server? On the other hand, it was nice to see the different decors in the restaurants.

 

Suggestions would be welcome!

[Tigger B]

We sailed on the Dawn Princess last January and had Personal Choice dining and loved it. We found a server we liked and met some people on the ship we enjoyed being with, so every morning, I would call and make reservations for the same server for however many people we were going to eat with. Worked out great.

 

We'll be on the Grand right after you...A703 and I would think it will be the same. Make the reservations, you'll have no problems. I always left a few bucks wirth the hostess and we always had what we wanted...

 

Brian.

[chasetf]

We are Late Traditional diners who got Anytime on our Grand cruise. The first night (group of 4) we enjoyed our servers so made a standing reservation for the same table at the same night for the rest of the cruise (12 day cruise). It worked out great.

 

In your case, where you want varing times, they may or may not take that and guarentee the same table. Try it, but you might have more luck if you make it for the same time each night.

[MercedMike]

We are Late Traditional diners who got Anytime on our Grand cruise. The first night (group of 4) we enjoyed our servers so made a standing reservation for the same table at the same night for the rest of the cruise (12 day cruise). It worked out great.

 

We just got off Grand Princess last week. They had a sign posted at the anytime dining rooms saying, "We are sorry but we are unable to accept standing reservations." I heard Franco, the Maiter D', turning down one person who wanted to make standing reservations.

 

OTOH when we were on Grand in May they went out of their way to seat us with the servers we requested. Probably the thing to do is that when you find a server you like, find out that servers hours and arrive just as he comes on duty and you should have no problem getting a table in his section.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[Nebr.cruiser]

We just got off the Grand too, with anytime dining, and noticed that many people had reservations each night. I don't know if they were standing (at the same time and table) each night or not, although a couple we dined with twice said they had made reservations for the rest of the cruise at the table we were at because they liked the wait staff. I'm not sure if they had reserved the same time every night or not.

 

Each evening when we went in to dinner they asked if we had a reservation. I didn't see the sign about no standing reservations, but that may well have been the case and people wanting to reserve just called in each day to do so.

 

I am very ambivalent about the anytime dining concept; love being able to go to dinner whenever we feel like it; having a little down time after shore excursions or being able to schedule our meals around whatever nighttime entertainment we want to do. But, I think you do lose the benefit of getting to know one set of tablemates well and of having the same wait staff, who has time to learn your likes and dislikes and generally seem to show more personality and attentiveness.

 

We had good but much more impersonal service with anytime dining, in my opinion.

[chasetf]

We just got off Grand Princess last week. They had a sign posted at the anytime dining rooms saying, "We are sorry but we are unable to accept standing reservations." I heard Franco, the Maiter D', turning down one person who wanted to make standing reservations.

 

OTOH when we were on Grand in May they went out of their way to seat us with the servers we requested. Probably the thing to do is that when you find a server you like, find out that servers hours and arrive just as he comes on duty and you should have no problem getting a table in his section. Have a GREAT cruise!

Guess there must be some discretion with the dining staff. Too bad. Does not give customers the impression there is a consistent policy.