I am often a solo cruiser, and I value the Traditional Dining Seated with Other Guests--my table becomes my tribe for the duration of the sailing. I have no complaints about the MDR food, and no desire to eat in a Specialty restaurant. Aside from the cost, eating with my table each night is a priority for me.
This is an excellent point! My mother is a frequent solo cruiser with Cunard and says that if they ever stopped offering traditional dining, she'd stop cruising. Even as a couple, my wife and I missed meeting people. Thanks for watching!
Food brings people together, and when we cruise with others, everyone does what they want until dinner, that's when we all come together and discuss what has been happening. Traditional dining is good for groups, couples, and solo cruisers. The MDR is a good place to get back together and the Wait Staff gets to know what you want, very quickly.
Absolutely! Especially on longer cruises when you get a really good team that get to know what you like. I miss meeting people as well. So happy it's back! Thanks for watching.
I loved it when they brought in any time dining but then on some ships it got incredibly crowded between the six and seven, we don't like eating later than 730. On the last two cruises we have been on what is now called sanctuary class and that was amazing a dedicated dining room that you could go at any time, we nearly always sat at the same table had the same waiters so for us it was the best of both worlds. I would like to see more Oriental and Indian speciality dining rooms like they have on PO. Going to head to the future princess is going down the ship within the ship I can see that some of the speciality dining will be sectioned off for those who have sanctuary class. Or to give it its old term first, second and steerage class.
I do worry a bit about the ship within a ship concept and a return to the class system. We've had the suite and reserve class around for a number of years now, and it hasn't made much of a difference overall. I think the "Premier" seating in the theatre for the production shows highlights it more than anything. Onboard Sun Princess this summer, we were in the Reserve restaurant which was nice but I it was a lucky bid upgrade from a balcony room to a mini-suite that just happened to be reserve. It was nice but I really do miss meeting people with the traditional dining. Thanks for watching!
We have never done speciality dining or chefs table. But on our upcoming sun princess cruise we will be trying both. I figured you have to splurge once in a lifetime...lol
The Chef's Table is something special, especially when you get a Restaurant Manager and Chef that really click with each other, it can be quite the show! Enjoy the Sun Princess, she's a really beautiful ship, I enjoyed her much more than Enchanted/Sky/Discovery. Thanks for watching!
It's a good solution for some but perhaps out of reach for others! I enjoyed Explora Journeys immensely this year, same thing with everything included. Specialty restaurants are only special if they are something unique and not something I can get easily on land.
I've travelled solo on Princess twice (Fall 2023 and Spring 2024) and board the Island in two weeks. For each I've reserved a table for dinner by myself at 8:20. That's worked so far. I've also eaten at Crown Grill and Sabatini's on my first two trips. I am curious to see how it goes on the Island, which has only 2 MDR'S with one serving both reserved any-time and walk-ups. Will I have to wait on a long line with many walk-ups? Is 8:20 so late that there won't be lines any way? Will spots be available at CG and S or will they all be grabbed by Premium package holders? Will there be fewer folks in the MDR'S because many more are going to the specialties? All waits to be seen. I like going to the 7:30 show and then having a quiet but efficient dinner on my own, with service not slown down by the need for everyone to finish his course before the next can be served. And while I do enjoy meeting others, this introverted boy's energy for the effort of keeping up conversation can wane by the end of the day.
It sounds like you've found a sweet spot for yourself. For sure, after about 7:30pm, it's not much of a wait for a table. I think you'll find that even though Island only has the two dining rooms, it won't be an issue. She's one of my favorite ships, I spent a month onboard her in 2023.
I’ve cruised 11 times with Princess. Traditional dining has always been horrible for the first couple of nights at the start of any voyage. Long and confused lineups even booking reservations had been done way ahead on the app prior to boarding. I’ll wait and see if the new phone reservation offering will remedy, if any, the well-known problem.
Yes, the first night of traditional dining has always been a pain point! That's almost a topic in itself, but it's the one night that I'm not showing up right at the seating time. You'll find me either first in line of waiting at the bar for the line to die down. If cruise lines want to fix that, they need to take a page out of Disney Cruise Line's book and see how they do it with the restaurant rotation. One of the biggest problems that they face is that people don't properly join their cruise reservations together for dining. This is done using a "TWID" in the back end, make sure your Travel Agent does this!!! Thanks for watching.
So much more relaxing to stay at a resort. Cruising has become nothing more than a treasure hunt on the high seas. I want to relax, not wait in line for the next activity or the next meal. I know it is rude but I cant stand the average cruise passenger. They annoy the F' out of me. Everything is about the hunt. They are all hunting for something that only can be found on a psychologist's sofa. Lets deal with our problems and stop trying to gamble them away on a cruise ship.
The gambling is off the charts, I agree. If you've seen other videos of mine, you'll see how annoyed I get about the Bingo onboard. The Casino operator is raking it in hand over fist. I have a new video coming out in the next couple of weeks on the changes to Star Princess over Sun which will include comments about the Casino. Yes, resorts are relaxing, but for me personally, I don't generally travel to relax. It's more about either getting somewhere or exploring a few places that I want to visit, the ship is just transportation and accommodation. It all depends on what you are looking for I guess! I certainly don't find Princess passengers as annoying as some other cruise lines. Take care and thanks for watching!
I imagine I’m not your typical cruise passenger. For one I don’t gamble. I spend my time on the ship reading and gazing out at the sea. I do everything on my own time, and don’t rush to do any of the ships activities. We rarely even attend shows. It’s the combination of the scenery and the motion of the ship, I find captivating.
I am often a solo cruiser, and I value the Traditional Dining Seated with Other Guests--my table becomes my tribe for the duration of the sailing. I have no complaints about the MDR food, and no desire to eat in a Specialty restaurant. Aside from the cost, eating with my table each night is a priority for me.
This is an excellent point! My mother is a frequent solo cruiser with Cunard and says that if they ever stopped offering traditional dining, she'd stop cruising. Even as a couple, my wife and I missed meeting people. Thanks for watching!
I agree
Food brings people together, and when we cruise with others, everyone does what they want until dinner, that's when we all come together and discuss what has been happening. Traditional dining is good for groups, couples, and solo cruisers. The MDR is a good place to get back together and the Wait Staff gets to know what you want, very quickly.
How early do you pick an assigned time for traditional dining prior to cruising? Is this done on check in or earlier?
I love traditional dining
Absolutely! Especially on longer cruises when you get a really good team that get to know what you like. I miss meeting people as well. So happy it's back! Thanks for watching.
I loved it when they brought in any time dining but then on some ships it got incredibly crowded between the six and seven, we don't like eating later than 730. On the last two cruises we have been on what is now called sanctuary class and that was amazing a dedicated dining room that you could go at any time, we nearly always sat at the same table had the same waiters so for us it was the best of both worlds. I would like to see more Oriental and Indian speciality dining rooms like they have on PO.
Going to head to the future princess is going down the ship within the ship I can see that some of the speciality dining will be sectioned off for those who have sanctuary class. Or to give it its old term first, second and steerage class.
I do worry a bit about the ship within a ship concept and a return to the class system. We've had the suite and reserve class around for a number of years now, and it hasn't made much of a difference overall. I think the "Premier" seating in the theatre for the production shows highlights it more than anything. Onboard Sun Princess this summer, we were in the Reserve restaurant which was nice but I it was a lucky bid upgrade from a balcony room to a mini-suite that just happened to be reserve. It was nice but I really do miss meeting people with the traditional dining. Thanks for watching!
We have never done speciality dining or chefs table. But on our upcoming sun princess cruise we will be trying both. I figured you have to splurge once in a lifetime...lol
The Chef's Table is something special, especially when you get a Restaurant Manager and Chef that really click with each other, it can be quite the show! Enjoy the Sun Princess, she's a really beautiful ship, I enjoyed her much more than Enchanted/Sky/Discovery. Thanks for watching!
I solved the dining issue...I booked a Viking cruise. Much better, great food and all included (even specialty restaurants).
It's a good solution for some but perhaps out of reach for others! I enjoyed Explora Journeys immensely this year, same thing with everything included. Specialty restaurants are only special if they are something unique and not something I can get easily on land.
I've travelled solo on Princess twice (Fall 2023 and Spring 2024) and board the Island in two weeks. For each I've reserved a table for dinner by myself at 8:20. That's worked so far. I've also eaten at Crown Grill and Sabatini's on my first two trips. I am curious to see how it goes on the Island, which has only 2 MDR'S with one serving both reserved any-time and walk-ups. Will I have to wait on a long line with many walk-ups? Is 8:20 so late that there won't be lines any way? Will spots be available at CG and S or will they all be grabbed by Premium package holders? Will there be fewer folks in the MDR'S because many more are going to the specialties? All waits to be seen. I like going to the 7:30 show and then having a quiet but efficient dinner on my own, with service not slown down by the need for everyone to finish his course before the next can be served. And while I do enjoy meeting others, this introverted boy's energy for the effort of keeping up conversation can wane by the end of the day.
It sounds like you've found a sweet spot for yourself. For sure, after about 7:30pm, it's not much of a wait for a table. I think you'll find that even though Island only has the two dining rooms, it won't be an issue. She's one of my favorite ships, I spent a month onboard her in 2023.
@TidalHorizons Going thru the Panama Canal!
Ah! The start of the world cruise onboard Island. That should be a really festive cruise! Enjoy!
I’ve cruised 11 times with Princess. Traditional dining has always been horrible for the first couple of nights at the start of any voyage. Long and confused lineups even booking reservations had been done way ahead on the app prior to boarding. I’ll wait and see if the new phone reservation offering will remedy, if any, the well-known problem.
Yes, the first night of traditional dining has always been a pain point! That's almost a topic in itself, but it's the one night that I'm not showing up right at the seating time. You'll find me either first in line of waiting at the bar for the line to die down. If cruise lines want to fix that, they need to take a page out of Disney Cruise Line's book and see how they do it with the restaurant rotation. One of the biggest problems that they face is that people don't properly join their cruise reservations together for dining. This is done using a "TWID" in the back end, make sure your Travel Agent does this!!! Thanks for watching.
So much more relaxing to stay at a resort. Cruising has become nothing more than a treasure hunt on the high seas. I want to relax, not wait in line for the next activity or the next meal. I know it is rude but I cant stand the average cruise passenger. They annoy the F' out of me. Everything is about the hunt. They are all hunting for something that only can be found on a psychologist's sofa. Lets deal with our problems and stop trying to gamble them away on a cruise ship.
The gambling is off the charts, I agree. If you've seen other videos of mine, you'll see how annoyed I get about the Bingo onboard. The Casino operator is raking it in hand over fist. I have a new video coming out in the next couple of weeks on the changes to Star Princess over Sun which will include comments about the Casino.
Yes, resorts are relaxing, but for me personally, I don't generally travel to relax. It's more about either getting somewhere or exploring a few places that I want to visit, the ship is just transportation and accommodation. It all depends on what you are looking for I guess! I certainly don't find Princess passengers as annoying as some other cruise lines. Take care and thanks for watching!
I imagine I’m not your typical cruise passenger. For one I don’t gamble. I spend my time on the ship reading and gazing out at the sea. I do everything on my own time, and don’t rush to do any of the ships activities. We rarely even attend shows. It’s the combination of the scenery and the motion of the ship, I find captivating.
You should seriously give Cunard a try. I loved my crossing from Southampton to New York, it was just me and the sea!
@TidalHorizons Not onto cattle carts Horrid way too spend a week. You can hear people breathing next door. Creepy