In her circumstance a very early meal was fine and probably ideal for both her and the staff. In addition, the cruise line added some new eateries where guests can savor interesting dishes. I was able to very easily make reservations for every venue and time we wanted. In a post-pandemic world where people are used to on-demand ordering, the line is also enhancing its OceanNow on-demand menu to include entrees and beverage options from restaurants throughout the ship. It's been strictly word-of-mouth! Plus, our experienced travel consultants have access to exclusive vacation deals to make sure you get the best value for your time and money. Customize your reservations and other dining options. Will the service be the same (personalized)? ", Another member, RSF Cruiser, has booked about two Princess cruises a year for the past five years and has been "totally pleased. The value of the Princess Plus package is a total of $95.28 USD per per person, per day. Gratuities for anyone in an inside, ocean view, or balcony cabin are $14.50 USD per person. Suggested post: 25 Most Popular Cruise Essentials (recommended by avid cruisers). Mention the brand and age of the tablet and the operating system version if you can find it. Please share on Facebook, Twitter or PIN to your favorite Pinterest board (share buttons at the top). CC Help Jenn After many loyal years with Holland America, we are trying a 4 night Thanksgiving cruise on the Royal Princess this year. But the work and advanced planning has shifted to your shoulders. You must be in favour, jeanlyon! "Costco does not do that. I will just note again that no one in CC or a Suite needs to make a DR reservation. We've got a couple of Select fare cruises on the books, both booked at launch, and our choice of Club dining also states to be confirmed on board. Princess Plus isnt a limited time promotion or sale, but rather a new more inclusive fare type. More options at your fingertips means less time waiting and more time to dine your way. Where does the policy say only Platinum or Elite are allowed to reserve before final payment? Arrggghhhh! Princess cruise ships are equipped with Ocean Medallion technology, which includes MedallionNet, fast and reasonably priced wifi/internet. Please let me know in the comments below. Id love to connect with you on Instagram and Facebook @lifewellcruised. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. 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Greater convenience and more ways to tempt your palate are just two of the benefits you can look forward to when you book a Full Suite or Reserve Collection Mini-Suite with Princess. I think this is ina state of flux. Princess MedallionClass ships are enabled by the OceanMedallion, a wearable device that allows guests the capability to do things such as unlock their stateroom door, initiate contactless payment, locate family and friends, and interact with various elements around the ship. Perhaps there is a 3rd thing - and no offense - why is Princess opening up DMW to non-Platinum and non-Elites when the policy states otherwise and it is a specific benefit for those loyalty levels? Order food and drinks delivered wherever you are with OceanNow. CC Help Jenn Started June 21, 2021, By The Pizzeria is open from 11:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. for lunch by the slice, and then reopens at 6 p.m. for sit-down service until 11 p.m. -- Ocean's only casual dinner alternative (the rest of . You get your pick of venues and times in appreciation for your loyalty! Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida, NEW! No more early or late seatings. "Instead of restricting dining choices during the pandemic, we've been able to expand the options for our guests and thanks to the unique, innovative capabilities of the OceanMedallion, reduce wait times and eliminate the need to stand in line.". If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. We went on an Alaskan cruise in July and our docs said we had 6pm dining, but when we got on board they told us it was now 5pm. The call center now has a staff of 250 selling cruises, though many bookings are completed online at CostcoTravel.com. One of the biggest is Reserve Dining. This means you dont have to wait in line, or even get out of your chair if you want a snack, or cant take your eyes off the sunset. I made all of our dinner reservations over two weeks ago for our March 2023 cruise and all the reservations are still intact on the Dine My Way page of the app. LOL! Request the same time each night if you prefer the same waitstaff. Want to book Royal Princess 506 Departures. Princess Cruises Dining - What's Included Main Dining Room - Fine Dining On Princess ships, you'll have a choice of both traditional seating (early or late) or Anytime Dining, a flexible open dining option. "We believe guests are going to love the control and customization Dine My Way offers," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. I just booked a 3FFrepositioning cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Quebec next July. Princess OceanMedallion program already gives guests ultra-fast WiFi at sea, the ability to access staterooms, make onboard purchases, book excursions, and more, right from a smartphone. However, for many passengers, the Princess Plus value is worth the additional cost. New personalization let you choose, for instance, what sauce you want on your steak. So you could try to make plans that way. Always check with the cruise line or your travel agent. In recent news, Princess has said that it will be updating the entire fleet to Medallion Class, which will even have some new Ocean Medallion features. 4 minutes ago, jeanlyon said: Yes, that's what it says on my booking confirmation, but if you log in to your cruise on the website, under Dining Preference, it says freedom dining (Registered preference) and next to it is a little "i" which says this will be confirmed on board. No, it won't have to do with Covid-19 in 2023. I guess that "Don't YOU Know Who I Am???" It's the cut-backs - you either get a bed or food. Light drinkers and those that dont use much internet, may find that the cost savings is better with the lowest rate option. Again, 24/7 room service is included. 1. Unfortunately, we are sailing on Pacific Princess so we don't have the option of Anytime Dining. I was on the 15 day Panama canal cruise in Dec and the 10 day Caribbean cruise in Feb and the lines to get into the dining room between 5 and 5:30 were unbelievable. When we checked, a Costco "savor and spa" cruise aboard Anthem of the Seas offered similar value. If you were a previous Princess customer then some of your immigration information should have been transferred over fromthe cruise personlizer tothe app. However, Costco does have pre- and post-travel support departments, as well as an after-hours phone number for travel emergencies, to assist travelers once they've booked their cruise. "Costco is usually the best deal," says KirkNC, who is careful to compare multiple outlets before locking in a fare. *Previous dining selections (including traditional dining) will be honored. The only reference I have found is in the Captain's Circle loyalty benefits chart where it says, and I quote: "early access to Dine My Way reservations". The main dining room serves a 4 course meal each evening between about 5 and 9 pm. CC Help Jenn A la carte pricing makes it easy to pick and choose. Hopefully by 2023 the system will be redefined and refined. That's what Andrew Ostrander, who cruises several times a year, discovered as he was shopping for a Baltic trip. So, does this mean Princess will no longer have anytime dining? Princess now has Dine My Way aka Freestyle dining. "I think a first time cruiser would be better off using an agency that walks them through everything," says NoVa Mimi, who books all her cruises exclusively through Costco. (Think jeans, mattresses and wine, which can be purchased individually.) Costco Wholesale store (Photo: Trong Nguyen/Shutterstock.com), Onboard beverage package (Photo: Cabeca de Marmore/Shutterstock). I think Princess had to make some sort of changes in dining times for longer Caribbean cruises (not the European or other cruises). It's there on mine! I have a new Select booking made yesterday for Azura in June2023, and on my booking confirmation next to Sitting Confirmed is Freedom Dining. I'm not trying to say they are right - I'm just attempting to understand their assertion that this is "what passengers seem to be asking for". By Here are five things you don't know about booking a Costco cruise -- and why Costco Travel is my first -- and usually last -- stop when shopping for a cruise. The loyalty program on Princess Cruises is pretty fantastic, making it one of the best reasons to keep cruising with Princess. It's worth digging a little deeper on the Costco Travel website for even better deals. Take your pick of a variety of eateries and dining options, including regional cuisine. Want your favorite fruity drink while relaxing in the Piazza? On another thread, poster stated TD diners were lining up before 5 and blocking IC. Sure, dining reservations could always be made, but constant reservations adjustments required a shipboard phone or visiting a restaurant, often at specific times. CruiseHabit.com was created by Billy Hirsch. You can use the Wi-Fi to check emails go on social watch YouTube videos stream shows and video chat with loved ones back home. Learn how your comment data is processed. Started August 27, 2021, By Someone at Princess decided that this translated into passengers "wanting to eat earlier" and the new policy was born. * Once on board, you can order food and drinks for delivery wherever you are through OceanNow. Zeger explains that Kirkland Signature deals need to represent a value at least 20% better than offers you'd find elsewhere in the market; this applies to travel or anything you'd buy in the warehouse. I then re-checked my confirmed dining (Traditional) which I booked as early dining st 5.30p.m. If you're new to cruising or unsure of what you want, Costco might not be the best travel agency for you. Keep your distance, keep your seat, and still enjoy great service. Due to its popularity and good value, Princess Cruises replaced the time-limited Best Sale Ever promotion with the Princess Plus package, which is now available all the time. People were lining up at 4:45. Captain Circle members who benefit from free Internet minutes and a free mini bar set up, have a decision to make. Order food and drinks delivered wherever you are with OceanNow. Costco Travel does not sell every cruise line, but it does handle all of the largest brands, including Carnival. Ocean Now - more personal interactions with staff and personalized bar service. Common types of booking incentives include free beverage packages, specialty dining and shipboard credits -- a rebate that shows up as a credit to your onboard bill at the start of your cruise and can be used for drinks, specialty dining, spa treatments or shore excursions. This Royal Caribbean Announcement Will Make You Cry - And We're Going to Get Up Close to Bring You More. You may be able to arrange the same table/section/waitstaff once onboard but it is not guaranteed. First you have to download the Medallion Class app onto your smart phone or device. Let your tastes and mood decide, anything from a celebratory multi-course meal at an award-winning specialty restaurant to the best pizza at sea. Once the app is on your device you log in and your cruise(s) appear. Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos, Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features, Policy regarding COVID related Discussions. Powered by Invision Community. The anytime dining lines were crazy because some of those that had their traditional times changed without notice showed up in the anytime dining lines. Also the buffet might become busier which has to be a very good thing for the cruiseline .. My Princess vacation planner confirmed that dining changes are taking place across the fleet, with early dining at 5pm and late at 7:15. You can read more about how this all got started here. READ NEXT:The Big Change Coming to Carnival Cruise Lines Entire Fleet. The remaining balance would be $178.50 per person, or $25.50 a day. Continental breakfast is served on request in your stateroom between 06:30am and 10:00am. There is a limit of 15 alcoholic drinks per person, per day. You can also pick table size and if you would like to share with others or dine with just your party. This includes your cabin steward, waiters, assistant waiters and Matre D. A service charge (or gratuities) is normally charged daily to your shipboard account. I soon figured out that this was just a suggestion and the times could be scrolled through at 20 minute intervals for a time more satisfactory. You can make Dine My Way reservations right away (before final payment). I could select the same time dining each evening . But with all of these changes I had put into my profile for the late dining. If you are unlucky and don't get your preference, speak with the Maitre D when you get on board and request a change. We love cruising with Princess, and share as much helpful info as we can! That just seems way too early for dinner!! Youll find expert advice for experienced and first-time cruisers, as well as port and destination guides. You open the Dine My Way section and select (at least try to select) your preferred dining. With the new APP to choose your dining preference, does that mean traditional dining in the old sense is gone? Not there for me either! Go to this page on Princess.com:https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/food-and-dining/dine-my-way/. Started October 12, 2018, Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. You select your dining reservation time in the Dine My Way section of the medallion app. There's no hard sell (phone reps are not on commission), cruise cancellations are handled efficiently and without hassle, and the invoicing is clear and easy to read. Thanks for the friendly chat on this topic. message I sent to every Princess email address imaginable worked well for me after all. P.S. Let me apologize in advance for the . Dine My Way is all about personalizing your cruise dining experience. this is why i always pick any time dinning. As for discussion on selecting "private" table, it will depend on if you want to dine at the popular time or not as well as party size. Ocean concierge is where you can see events and activities either on your phone or portal, look at the dining room menus and check your ship board account. Anytime Dining is available from 5:30 to 10 p.m. On most Princess ships the traditional dining times are as follows: Early seating is at 5:30 p.m. 1st seating is at 6 p.m. 2nd seating is at 8:15 p.m. Ready2go11, July 14, 2022 in Princess Cruises. I won the Mother In Law Lottery and had the freaking best Mother In Law imaginable. This stylish bar offers an array of ocean treasures, including a flight of oyster shooters, sushi and sashimi, ahi tuna poke, king crab cocktail, chili and lime crab margarita, a royal lobster dish, and the world-renowned smoked Balik salmon, the salmon of the tsars. To compare the cost of Princess Plus versus the Princess Savers rate, lets look at a seven day cruise as an example. Beyond dining you have to enter all your boarding and health information in the app program. What do other cruisers think? Explore Sky Princess dining. Customize your dining time for each day, whether making reservations for the main dining room (which is included) or specialty restaurants (which charge a small cover charge). A world of dining options at no extra cost. With Princess Plus, youll get these 3 inclusions: While Princess Plus is a very good value, if you prefer a lower rate (without perks), this is still available. How can we possibly make reservations ahead of time when we have no idea of show times, tours and other things that we might not know until 30 mins. Powered by Invision Community. As part of the MedallionClass experience available on all Princess ships, guests can now use a mobile device (or other means) to arrange dining for their entire cruise, and flexibility is the name of the game. Princess Cruises prides itself on offering passengers delicious food throughout their sailings, morning through night. If your loyalty status is platinum or elite then you can select dining reservations once booked. For our August sailing this year, I'd already chosen early traditional. Late Seating TD is now 1915 hours. Dine My Way will allow passengers to make reservations in onboard. Dining when you want can mean choosing the same options for your whole cruise, doing something special one night, or establishing and changing reservations whenever youd like. Will this be good for the dining room staff? //