I agree with you 100% about the bench type tables for 2 along the walls in the MDR! We have sometimes (rarely) not spoken with the other tables for 2, but usually have found sweet couples beside us with fun stories to share.
With reference to the waits with reservations/no reservations... On our March cruise on the Enchanted, I could never quite get a main dining reservation with the Medallion, so our first night we went to the deck 6 restaurant. Long wait for any table but the hostess escorted us down to the deck 5 restaurant. Turned out to be always just walk up, no wait, uncrowded and the hostess got to recognize us and our preferences. I can't remember the two rooms' names, but I'm glad we were flexible. Thanks for the tutorial, Allison. We're booked for next February on the Enchanted again so maybe I can take advantage of your dining reservation tips , especially for the specialty restaurants. We were shut out in March.
I think you might be right as far as possibly maybe trying a different deck for the main dining room if the line is long. When I was on the Discovery recently when there was a long type of line on one deck for the main dinning room I just tried another deck level main dining room and I got in quickly.
Thanks so much! I was able to get in the way you could not. So happy to get reservations made, especially for our specialty dining. We had one dinner included in our package and when I went to book the Crown Grill, it was smart enough to know this and used our credit. Thanks so very much for all your wonderful hints.
We paid for our specialty dining before our cruise and had no problems but people who made reservations and didn’t pay before embarking were saying their reservations were wiped out when they boarded.
We just got off Coral Princess after a fabulous cruise. All of the pre cruise app frustrations evaporated within 15 seconds of boarding the ship. Although the decor is somewhat dated the ship is in very good shape with lots of fresh paint and new floor coverings. Considering the ship had only been back in service for a week most things flowed pretty smoothly. MDR food variety was a little down on pre-pandemic levels but the quality was very good. The buffet was self serve but with many items on their own individual plates. That said, the variety was about half of previous times and actually looked a little dull. Wifi was a little slow and was prone to dropping out frequently. The ship was sailing at 65 percent of capacity so service was generally very good. All in all a great cruise so roll on our New England/Canada cruise on Caribbean Princess in September.
Thank you for great information Allison. I learned my lesson after not being able to make specialty dining reservations on the Caribbean Princess because Al specialty dining venues were completely booked. I was successful in booking the Crown Grill for our next cruise on the Sky Princess in January, 7 Mos out. The web site said Platinum and Elite members can book the Dining Room and Specialty dining immediately after booking.
Allison it is always a pleasure viewing your videos as they are so informative and helpful. My husband and I are also booked on the Love Boat cruise and are renewing our vows. I hope that we have the pleasure of meeting you and Gordon in person!
We used to get the Medallion app mailed to us in Canada, but no more. No big deal. Got it all set up for our Alaska cruise in late July, we are Green Lane 👍
I was having trouble adding additional people with a separate booking number to my reservation for dinner. I watched your video from June 26 about making reservations. While it didn't get into the details of adding another booking number it did point me in the right direction to where I was able to find it on my own. Thank you for your help with this video, and all of your other videos. We will be on the Sky Princess leaving Southampton on Oct. 29. So excited. It's our first cruise in almost three years.
Just got back from Alaskan cruise aboard Discovery Princess and that was one major disappointment, tried booking specialty dining first day and were booked completely already, but another note is to keep checking as they do get cancellations, we were able to get in Sabatini’s, if you haven’t been do go, it was awesome. We ended up going to the Crown Grill another night at the invite of another couple who was accommodated with changing from a two person table to four. Also very good. This was our very first cruise and want to thank you for providing us with much useful info, watched many of your videos.
Thanks for the tip about the link! I used it to book specialty dining many months in advance of my cruise. Now, trying to login (6 months ahead of the sail date) with my credentials only gives an endless "loading" wheel, and Princess removed the option to login with booking number. So, my only record of reserving specialty dining is a charge on my credit card statement. (I regret not taking a screenshot of the reserved dining page.) Fingers crossed that Princess still has this data in their database...
thanks for the video, very helpful. I found out when I went on the website that we were booked for two specialty dining nights. that is why we were billed twice. Therefore we can either delete one or go to both. Problem solved. And thanks Trish
I chose my next cruise I am going on with my niece. I looked at the website booking, it came up with a girlfriend of mine who is going on another cruise with. Went back to check I had chosen the right cruise, I had.
Thanks again Allison for the update. I was surprised to learn our Medallion is in the mail and we are in Ontario. Will let you know if we actually receive.
Good information but as a person who enjoys going on vacation and eating when I feel like it and not a schedule person this sounds really complicated. Must be disappointing to not be able to eat in the restaurant of your choice.
Thanks for this good info re dining reservation. I wonder how the reservation works if you travel with friends in two separate cabins wanting to sit at the same table. Also, can one pick a table location, i.e. window area Love your videos!
Sabatinis is still not coming up for reservations on my British Isles cruise on the Emerald Princess this August. I made reservations for the Crown Grill. Sabatinis is nowhere to be found
We are sailing in 47 days and haven’t been able to access Dine My Way on the Medallion app. This was so helpful. We are sailing on the Discovery Princess on 8/14 and are confused if we have to complete the ArriveCAN info even if we don’t plan on leaving the ship in Victoria. We are sailing from Seattle on a round trip inside passage. Can you clarify is we do and the window it has to be completed.
A Caveat... unless things have changed since my cruise in Dec. 2021 & April 2022 if you book Specialty-Restaurants via the medallion BEFORE boarding ship your Credit-Card is charged IMMEDIATELY ! We have enough OBC and choose to pay all our purchases against it.
We have heard from others that it is then credited back after you board and then charged against the OBC. Or maybe that's only if you have a specific Specialty Dining credit. Anyone else have experience?
Hi Allison! Love your videos!! When I tried to reserve a specialty dining, it would want to charge me, even though we are supposed to have one free specialty dining. Don’t know what to do now.
I have 24 days to our cruise and all I get is 'something went wrong' or invalid data. 😂 If I don't get a specialty restaurant booking it's not the end of the world. We can not even post Vegan of CPAP distilled water requirements. We will figure it out when we board with all our paper docs. Today is a great day, enjoy.
Is it really that difficult to get reservations for specialty dining when on the ship? If you're club class, aren't you supposed to get preferred reservations?
I have the premier/plus plan for my next cruise that has the the free specialty dining. When I try to make a res on the app, it still shows a price. Is the cost waived later? Or do I need to do something different to make a res?
Another piece of advise, be careful when booking dining if you are 2 people. There were choices for PRIVATE and DINE WITH OTHERS. I almost didn't see that.
@@cruisingforone we board the Discovery Princess to Alaska 2 weeks from today…July 10. We picked our embarkation group 59 days out and you don’t pick your disembarkation groups until you are onboard.
Even though it is shown on the app when we were on enchanted in December they did it the old school way with a paper notice and luggage tags on you bed the 2nd to last night.
Hi Allison. This video helped. I do still have a question. Is it possible to know what time nightly entertainment takes place so that we can use that to decide a dining time? We will sail on the Regal Princess out of Ft Lauderdale in January and it’s been 13+ years since we’ve sailed on Princess
We have had many viewers submit the daily schedule to us: The Princess Patter and they are available to view on our website. Mostly, it seems, that there is a big production show nightly at 7 or 7:30 and 9:30, with other shows in the other venues at various times. So, peruse the many Princess Patters to help you get a feel for past show times. Either go directly to our website at LetsGoTravelTips.com or I've included the link here: sites.google.com/view/letsgotraveltips/documents-patters-menus-pictures?authuser=0
Just wanted to tell u I took the crown princess may 7 th to Alaska . The cruise was a mess . I was given a 20% discount on a future cruise. Now it's been increased to 50 % . But has to be used by Jan 1 2023. I still think that's a rip off .
I was able to delete one of the specialty dining but I want to book a different room. I wanted to book at Sabitinis but it seems that It was not available
It will only be shipped within 3 weeks of sailing. Don't worry. It's typically been about 16 days before embarkation when we've received ours in the past even when I ordered them 6 months before.
We are on the land cruise before the boat cruise. I strongly suggest that you not do it this way. 7 of our group of 30 tested positive and will not be joining us on the boat.
The app when booking in advance for dining when on IPhone is useless. Everyone that used it on our April and May cruises did not get what they selected. It’s a waste of my time and so frustrating for for loyal Princess passengers.
Thank you for your very helpful video. It was very helpful. Even though I have the medallion app I could not previously find the web version of it as a backup for when the medallion app is not working correctly. I experimented after your video and I was able to find it. I have one question not related to this topic that I would appreciate an answer to if you know the answer. ( back ground information for question) When I was on my recent Princess Alaska cruiseI I could not find the signs at the exits in ports like they use to have that list the port phone number, boarding time etc. I also could not find that info on the daily Princess platter. The only place that I could find the information about the port number etc. was by the elevator on a video screen. My question: Is the port phone number, boarding time etc. for that port listed someplace else other than on the screens by the elevators for Princess?Thank you
@twaunnie Busse - Maybe it's on the Port information that is found on the MedallionApp? I know that it's on the Patters we received, but it's a small, two line statement, tucked way at the bottom: For assistance shoreside, contact the Port Agent at (phone number) I'll see if I can find it elsewhere. If you can capture a picture from the portals in the hall, then you'll have it on your phone, but I certainly think it should be more prominent. Hope this helps.
@@LetsGoTravelTips Thank you for getting back to me about my question on port information. I did not realize that there might be port information on the medallion app. I will check it out to find if there is information there on my upcoming Princess cruise. To be honest I gave up trying to do anything on my iPad in my cabin on my last recent Alaska cruise because the internet was basically nonexistent during the whole cruise. I hope that your internet is good for you on your trip. I don’t know if the medallion app is internet dependent. I did not see any port information on my platters but maybe it was hiding in some small print. As far as your suggestion about taking a picture with my smart phone I don’t use one but I can try taking a picture with my camera instead. Thank you again. Enjoy your trip and have a great time.
I am cruising on the Regal in August, and have a dining package that includes 2 or three dinners in the specialty restaurants. When I went to book my reservations, they charged me the $ 29 cover charge. How do you book reservations without being charged? Thanking you in advance.
Thanks for the lessons and tips today, Allison. I always look forward to your videos.
I agree with you 100% about the bench type tables for 2 along the walls in the MDR! We have sometimes (rarely) not spoken with the other tables for 2, but usually have found sweet couples beside us with fun stories to share.
With reference to the waits with reservations/no reservations... On our March cruise on the Enchanted, I could never quite get a main dining reservation with the Medallion, so our first night we went to the deck 6 restaurant. Long wait for any table but the hostess escorted us down to the deck 5 restaurant. Turned out to be always just walk up, no wait, uncrowded and the hostess got to recognize us and our preferences. I can't remember the two rooms' names, but I'm glad we were flexible.
Thanks for the tutorial, Allison. We're booked for next February on the Enchanted again so maybe I can take advantage of your dining reservation tips , especially for the specialty restaurants. We were shut out in March.
I think you might be right as far as possibly maybe trying a different deck for the main dining room if the line is long. When I was on the Discovery recently when there was a long type of line on one deck for the main dinning room I just tried another deck level main dining room and I got in quickly.
Thanks so much! I was able to get in the way you could not. So happy to get reservations made, especially for our specialty dining. We had one dinner included in our package and when I went to book the Crown Grill, it was smart enough to know this and used our credit. Thanks so very much for all your wonderful hints.
Thank you so much! Now to find my excursion reservations!
We paid for our specialty dining before our cruise and had no problems but people who made reservations and didn’t pay before embarking were saying their reservations were wiped out when they boarded.
We just got off Coral Princess after a fabulous cruise. All of the pre cruise app frustrations evaporated within 15 seconds of boarding the ship. Although the decor is somewhat dated the ship is in very good shape with lots of fresh paint and new floor coverings. Considering the ship had only been back in service for a week most things flowed pretty smoothly. MDR food variety was a little down on pre-pandemic levels but the quality was very good. The buffet was self serve but with many items on their own individual plates. That said, the variety was about half of previous times and actually looked a little dull. Wifi was a little slow and was prone to dropping out frequently. The ship was sailing at 65 percent of capacity so service was generally very good. All in all a great cruise so roll on our New England/Canada cruise on Caribbean Princess in September.
Thank you for great information Allison. I learned my lesson after not being able to make specialty dining reservations on the Caribbean Princess because Al specialty dining venues were completely booked. I was successful in booking the Crown Grill for our next cruise on the Sky Princess in January, 7 Mos out. The web site said Platinum and Elite members can book the Dining Room and Specialty dining immediately after booking.
Allison it is always a pleasure viewing your videos as they are so informative and helpful. My husband and I are also booked on the Love Boat cruise and are renewing our vows. I hope that we have the pleasure of meeting you and Gordon in person!
I feel so bad for everyone who can’t book dining. I’ve not had any problems even on my very first Princess cruise. Thanks for this information.
We used to get the Medallion app mailed to us in Canada, but no more. No big deal. Got it all set up for our Alaska cruise in late July, we are Green Lane 👍
I was having trouble adding additional people with a separate booking number to my reservation for dinner. I watched your video from June 26 about making reservations. While it didn't get into the details of adding another booking number it did point me in the right direction to where I was able to find it on my own. Thank you for your help with this video, and all of your other videos. We will be on the Sky Princess leaving Southampton on Oct. 29. So excited. It's our first cruise in almost three years.
Just got back from Alaskan cruise aboard Discovery Princess and that was one major disappointment, tried booking specialty dining first day and were booked completely already, but another note is to keep checking as they do get cancellations, we were able to get in Sabatini’s, if you haven’t been do go, it was awesome. We ended up going to the Crown Grill another night at the invite of another couple who was accommodated with changing from a two person table to four. Also very good. This was our very first cruise and want to thank you for providing us with much useful info, watched many of your videos.
Thanks for the tip about the link! I used it to book specialty dining many months in advance of my cruise. Now, trying to login (6 months ahead of the sail date) with my credentials only gives an endless "loading" wheel, and Princess removed the option to login with booking number. So, my only record of reserving specialty dining is a charge on my credit card statement. (I regret not taking a screenshot of the reserved dining page.) Fingers crossed that Princess still has this data in their database...
thanks for the video, very helpful. I found out when I went on the website that we were booked for two specialty dining nights. that is why we were billed twice. Therefore we can either delete one or go to both. Problem solved. And thanks Trish
I chose my next cruise I am going on with my niece. I looked at the website booking, it came up with a girlfriend of mine who is going on another cruise with. Went back to check I had chosen the right cruise, I had.
Thanks again Allison for the update. I was surprised to learn our Medallion is in the mail and we are in Ontario. Will let you know if we actually receive.
The web version is helpful (vs the APP) to manage the bookings of others traveling w you that are not comfortable doing it themselves.
Thank you for that input. Makes sense.
Thanks so much. What about special programs or shows at night. How did you find the list of those?
Good information but as a person who enjoys going on vacation and eating when I feel like it and not a schedule person this sounds really complicated. Must be disappointing to not be able to eat in the restaurant of your choice.
We had to call Princess to the the approval check for the contract.
Thanks for this good info re dining reservation. I wonder how the reservation works if you travel with friends in two separate cabins wanting to sit at the same table. Also, can one pick a table location, i.e. window area Love your videos!
Sabatinis is still not coming up for reservations on my British Isles cruise on the Emerald Princess this August. I made reservations for the Crown Grill. Sabatinis is nowhere to be found
We are sailing in 47 days and haven’t been able to access Dine My Way on the Medallion app. This was so helpful. We are sailing on the Discovery Princess on 8/14 and are confused if we have to complete the ArriveCAN info even if we don’t plan on leaving the ship in Victoria. We are sailing from Seattle on a round trip inside passage. Can you clarify is we do and the window it has to be completed.
A Caveat...
unless things have changed since my cruise in Dec. 2021 & April 2022
if you book Specialty-Restaurants via the medallion BEFORE boarding ship
your Credit-Card is charged IMMEDIATELY !
We have enough OBC and choose to pay all our purchases against it.
We have heard from others that it is then credited back after you board and then charged against the OBC. Or maybe that's only if you have a specific Specialty Dining credit. Anyone else have experience?
Hi Allison! Love your videos!!
When I tried to reserve a specialty dining, it would want to charge me, even though we are supposed to have one free specialty dining. Don’t know what to do now.
I have 24 days to our cruise and all I get is 'something went wrong' or invalid data. 😂 If I don't get a specialty restaurant booking it's not the end of the world. We can not even post Vegan of CPAP distilled water requirements. We will figure it out when we board with all our paper docs. Today is a great day, enjoy.
Do we need to book for the fine dining or is this just for the other restaurants on board we sail on the ruby princess 8th October
Is it really that difficult to get reservations for specialty dining when on the ship? If you're club class, aren't you supposed to get preferred reservations?
I have the premier/plus plan for my next cruise that has the the free specialty dining. When I try to make a res on the app, it still shows a price. Is the cost waived later? Or do I need to do something different to make a res?
Another piece of advise, be careful when booking dining if you are 2 people. There were choices for PRIVATE and DINE WITH OTHERS. I almost didn't see that.
Was able to book my arrival group today. Departure groups still not coming up
Departure groups aren’t picked until you are onboard
How many days before your cruise?
@@cruisingforone we board the Discovery Princess to Alaska 2 weeks from today…July 10. We picked our embarkation group 59 days out and you don’t pick your disembarkation groups until you are onboard.
Even though it is shown on the app when we were on enchanted in December they did it the old school way with a paper notice and luggage tags on you bed the 2nd to last night.
Hi Allison. This video helped. I do still have a question. Is it possible to know what time nightly entertainment takes place so that we can use that to decide a dining time? We will sail on the Regal Princess out of Ft Lauderdale in January and it’s been 13+ years since we’ve sailed on Princess
We have had many viewers submit the daily schedule to us: The Princess Patter and they are available to view on our website. Mostly, it seems, that there is a big production show nightly at 7 or 7:30 and 9:30, with other shows in the other venues at various times. So, peruse the many Princess Patters to help you get a feel for past show times. Either go directly to our website at LetsGoTravelTips.com or I've included the link here:
sites.google.com/view/letsgotraveltips/documents-patters-menus-pictures?authuser=0
@@LetsGoTravelTips Thank you!😀
Just wanted to tell u I took the crown princess may 7 th to Alaska . The cruise was a mess . I was given a 20% discount on a future cruise. Now it's been increased to 50 % . But has to be used by Jan 1 2023. I still think that's a rip off .
I was able to delete one of the specialty dining but I want to book a different room. I wanted to book at Sabitinis but it seems that It was not available
Went to the web version of Dine My Way and only Crown Grill showed up to make reservations
Oh, OK... I ordered my medallion, but have not received it -- a month ago ordered.
It will only be shipped within 3 weeks of sailing. Don't worry. It's typically been about 16 days before embarkation when we've received ours in the past even when I ordered them 6 months before.
We are on the land cruise before the boat cruise. I strongly suggest that you not do it this way. 7 of our group of 30 tested positive and will not be joining us on the boat.
My son is a Healthcare provider and could proctor our tests but we don't know what he had to do to certify them. Can you help us?
The app when booking in advance for dining when on IPhone is useless. Everyone that used it on our April and May cruises did not get what they selected. It’s a waste of my time and so frustrating for for loyal Princess passengers.
Could you show how to upload passports to a phone?
Do you put your negative Covid test in somewhere on the medallion app?
Tried everyday and multiple times of evening and Sabatinis didn't come up anywhere . Did both on app and web version
If you booked your dining room table, it doesn't let you book specialty dining unless you cancel the dining room.
Thank you for your very helpful video. It was very helpful. Even though I have the medallion app I could not previously find the web version of it as a backup for when the medallion app is not working correctly. I experimented after your video and I was able to find it. I have one question not related to this topic that I would appreciate an answer to if you know the answer. ( back ground information for question) When I was on my recent Princess Alaska cruiseI I could not find the signs at the exits in ports like they use to have that list the port phone number, boarding time etc. I also could not find that info on the daily Princess platter. The only place that I could find the information about the port number etc. was by the elevator on a video screen. My question: Is the port phone number, boarding time etc. for that port listed someplace else other than on the screens by the elevators for Princess?Thank you
@twaunnie Busse - Maybe it's on the Port information that is found on the MedallionApp? I know that it's on the Patters we received, but it's a small, two line statement, tucked way at the bottom:
For assistance shoreside, contact the Port Agent at (phone number)
I'll see if I can find it elsewhere. If you can capture a picture from the portals in the hall, then you'll have it on your phone, but I certainly think it should be more prominent.
Hope this helps.
@@LetsGoTravelTips Thank you for getting back to me about my question on port information. I did not realize that there might be port information on the medallion app. I will check it out to find if there is information there on my upcoming Princess cruise. To be honest I gave up trying to do anything on my iPad in my cabin on my last recent Alaska cruise because the internet was basically nonexistent during the whole cruise. I hope that your internet is good for you on your trip. I don’t know if the medallion app is internet dependent. I did not see any port information on my platters but maybe it was hiding in some small print. As far as your suggestion about taking a picture with my smart phone I don’t use one but I can try taking a picture with my camera instead. Thank you again. Enjoy your trip and have a great time.
Covid contact won’t go green till you do final check off
We are going on Regal in November and December and we have booked Club Class. Which dining room will we be in?
Symphony
When we were club class I’m March Club class in March- we were in Concorto. We were just off to the the right as you entered
I am cruising on the Regal in August, and have a dining package that includes 2 or three dinners in the specialty restaurants. When I went to book my reservations, they charged me the $ 29 cover charge. How do you book reservations without being charged? Thanking you in advance.
Read all the conditions of the package. It says something like once you pay it we will give on board credit for it
@@bstanz5266 Thanks
Hi Allison! Which dining room is Club Class located? Thanks, Mari