berrypuma Posted October 18, 2011 #1 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I am booked for the Jan 23 sailing on Marina. As I think about the reservatiosn I will be making I would like to plan these so that they don't coincide with the special evenings in the Main Dining Room. My understanding is that the Specialty Rest. menu does not vary, however the Main dining room's changes daily. Does anyone have advice on how to select dates for the specialty restaurants? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted October 18, 2011 #2 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I think you can view the GDR menu in the morning at The Terrace There were some posts earlier stating they deliver the menus to your cabin the night before...not sure if that still happens There is no way ahead of the cruise to know what the menus will be or at least none that I have come across We just make the reservations on the night we think will work best for us if the GDR menu looks better then we will call & cancel the Specialty reservation Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted October 18, 2011 #3 Share Posted October 18, 2011 We tend to book them for the early part of the cruise so we can try to get extra reservations to the restaurants we like best later in the cruise. We also try to book them for sea days or days when we get back early or the ship leaves early - not on days we know we'll be busy and will get back to the ship too late to easily change for early dinner in the specialty restaurant. As pointed out by Lyn, they do deliver next day menus with evening papers and if you like the menu in the MDR you can cancel/change your reservation. Don't forget about the Terrace Cafe on the Marina - much better than the MDR, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleCow Posted October 18, 2011 #4 Share Posted October 18, 2011 . . . they don't coincide with the special evenings in the Main Dining Room. . . I can't recall any "special evenings" in the MDR (no dancing baked Alaskas or formal nights, etc.) so it's just a matter of the menus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potterhill Posted October 18, 2011 #5 Share Posted October 18, 2011 We were on Marina in Sept. Never saw any menus delivered to our room. Booked our reservations before we left home based on days in port etc. Managed to get extra reservations all the way along. If they give you extra ones, they don't take away the existing reservations. One thing that struck me on this cruise was that in the past, the last night was wide open as people were packing and didn't want to dine in specialty restaurants. On this cruise the last night was a complete sellout in every restaurant. Go figure. Mo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted October 18, 2011 #6 Share Posted October 18, 2011 We tend to book them for the early part of the cruise so we can try to get extra reservations to the restaurants we like best later in the cruise. We also try to book them for sea days or days when we get back early or the ship leaves early - not on days we know we'll be busy and will get back to the ship too late to easily change for early dinner in the specialty restaurant.As pointed out by Lyn, they do deliver next day menus with evening papers and if you like the menu in the MDR you can cancel/change your reservation. Don't forget about the Terrace Cafe on the Marina - much better than the MDR, IMO. I will agree with Paul on most of this... Our method of choosing which night to book the specialty restaurants was purely related to itinerary--since we couldn't know the GDR menu in advance anyway... I was hesitant to make a reservation on a day with long hours in port since we really dind't ever know if our tour would run late or if we might be hungry or not immediately when we returned or if we needed a little extra time to wind down and change...At sea days and days with early departures from port are fare more predictable... So, however many advance reservations you are allowed, go ahead and book those accordingly...On days when you are not booked into a specialty restaurant, you might always be able to snag an extra reservation... (on our 16 night cruise, we only ended up eating in the GDR five times)... Where I do disagree with Paul is on the Terrace Cafe...Although the food is good...and they serve lobster as a standard...we found it a difficult dining experience. I went one way to find food, my wife another...When I got back to the table, I finally gave up waiting for her and ate my opening course...so, when she got back with her meal, I set out to get some lobster...After a rather long wait for the lobster, I returned only to find her finished...We, basincally, never ate together that night...and never returned to the Terrace...So, yes, while the food is excellent, you have to question whether it is worth it...I prefer to be served while on a cruise... That said, a great Lunch Option is the Filet and Lobster Tail Sandwich served at the grill...and, of course, the best food item on the ship may be the malts served up right next to the grill!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubledobles Posted October 18, 2011 #7 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Book your specialty restaurants on days when you have easy or short tours, or, possibly sea days. That's how we do it. The Oceania Club "party" is usually in the middle of the cruise, so try for restaurant reservations at 7:30 p.m. As for the GDR menus, they are good, but the specialty restaurants menus are far superior, so I wouldn't worry about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Acrusa Posted October 18, 2011 #8 Share Posted October 18, 2011 On our cruise last March on the Natica, we reserved those days we where out to sea. Rather then when we knew we where on a full days tour.However the MDR menu was sent to us the night before In our staterooms.If we didnt like what was being served the next evening, I would go to one of the specialty rest. at around 6:30 that evening and get a table for around 7 or 7:30. for the 2 of us.I made my rounds to see the M'tre Ds in both restaurants just for that purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted October 18, 2011 #9 Share Posted October 18, 2011 ..we found it a difficult dining experience. I went one way to find food, my wife another...When I got back to the table, I finally gave up waiting for her and ate my opening course...so, when she got back with her meal, I set out to get some lobster...After a rather long wait for the lobster, I returned only to find her finished...We, basincally, never ate together that night.. For the same reason we do not really like a steady diet of buffet dining If we try to get our food at the same time then someone will take your table :eek::eek: since no one is sitting there they figure it is vacant I prefer to be seated & served anyway..isn't that what a vacation is all about :D Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rloke Posted October 18, 2011 #10 Share Posted October 18, 2011 If we try to get our food at the same time then someone will take your table :eek::eek: since no one is sitting there they figure it is vacant Does draping the napkin on the back of the seat not indicate that the table (or at least the seat) is taken? That's what DW did on our Marina cruise and it seemed to work... :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted October 18, 2011 #11 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Does draping the napkin on the back of the seat not indicate that the table (or at least the seat) is taken? That's what DW did on our Marina cruise and it seemed to work... :p That and a 2 glasses full of water & soda/lemonade does the trick for us. 9 out 10 times I'll take the self-service lobster tail and jumbo shrimp, etc over so-so food and often poor service in MDR on the Marina; R ships are a different story. To each his/her own :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted October 18, 2011 #12 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Does draping the napkin on the back of the seat not indicate that the table (or at least the seat) is taken? That's what DW did on our Marina cruise and it seemed to work... :p I thought it might but obviously...but for some they did not get the memo :D We sat down in a table near the window , DH went got his salad then I went ..we both decided to go & see what we wanted for our next course I came back first & a strange man was sitting at our table I just sat at the next table The waiter came over to fill the water glass and gave me & the man a strange look...I just told him it was OK we we sit here The man asked how I was i told him fine until someone took my table, he said that was terrible ...kept on eating Did not have a clue LOL :D Apparently he was watching for his wife, told the waiter she must have left She went to the correct table ...he finally spotted her on his way back from another foraging expedition Maybe he got my meaning then .. It was quite amusing afterwards...thank goodness the room was not all that busy at the time Now if we do eat in the buffet one stays seated while the other forages for food Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted October 18, 2011 #13 Share Posted October 18, 2011 That and a 2 glasses full of water & soda/lemonade does the trick for us. That usually works for us also but this time it did not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted October 18, 2011 #14 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I agree completely with Paul here. Get as many specialty restaurant reservations as you can and use the Terrace Cafe as much as possible. You will not be missing anything special in the GDR any night as the food and service are nowhere near the quality of the other venues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondorner Posted October 19, 2011 #15 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Never noticed any "special" evenings in the Grand Dining Room, except maybe turkey on Thanksgiving, etc. In general, every night has something special, usually more than one. As a result, we really don't care which evenings we book the specialty restaurant reservations, unless we plan to be in port really late -- which has never happened, to date. We're always back in time for a quick change if necessary. We do try to book at 6:30 or so, or go the the GDR around the same time, as we like to dine early -- often as early as 4:45 or 5:00 pm at home (we usually make the early bird specials in plenty of time). While we have always been able to get extra reservations in the specialty restaurants, doing so has almost always been determined by availability of friends met on board to dine with us. I especially remember one time when we were randomly approached at lunch by the reservations fellow saying they had space at Toscana that evening; did we want to reserve? We asked if they had a table for four, he replied "sure", we made the reservation, then called friends to share it with them. It worked out great. We do like to be served -- and dine together on each course --- and not have to hunt for a table on our own -- so we rarely eat in the Terrace buffet. Breakfast in the GDR unless we're in a hurry, and then often in the cabin, then lunch at Waves, then dinner in the GDR or one of the specialties. However, on the Miami to SF second voyage of Marina this past February, we often dined with Jim and Stan, and had a lot of fun hurrying upstairs to get great appetizers at the Terrace, then hustle back downstairs to get our entree and dessert in the GDR. Another reason for dining earlier is that in almost 100 nights aboard O, we haven't missed more than 3 or 4 shows, and 2 of those were the evenings we were in Privee and La Reserve (which take almost all evening). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tauni Posted October 19, 2011 #16 Share Posted October 19, 2011 I have been on the Insignia, going on Marina in December, and as far as I know, there are no Special Nights in the main dining room. No staff shows, no baked alaska presentation...just good food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skandls Posted October 19, 2011 #17 Share Posted October 19, 2011 If the Terrace Cafe has table problems - can I make my own sign that says 'Looking for Food' or 'Reserved for Me'? I can take it with me when we are done with our meal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitraveler Posted October 19, 2011 #18 Share Posted October 19, 2011 LOL no Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted October 19, 2011 #19 Share Posted October 19, 2011 If the Terrace Cafe has table problems - can I make my own sign that says 'Looking for Food' or 'Reserved for Me'? I can take it with me when we are done with our meal. There is not usually a problem for breakfast or lunch DH usually leaves his hat on the chair if we both go off foraging at the same time usually a napkin on the arm or back of the chair lets people know someone is already there Take a sweater or something to leave on the chair in my case as posted above the poor man was lost ...could not remember which table he was at :D Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmgmd50 Posted October 22, 2011 #20 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I agree completely with Paul here. Get as many specialty restaurant reservations as you can and use the Terrace Cafe as much as possible. You will not be missing anything special in the GDR any night as the food and service are nowhere near the quality of the other venues. Got off the Marina yesterday. We booked our reservations towards the beginning of the trip but not on days when there late departures. Though we were in a Verandah room, we got four advanced reservations but wound up getting two additonal evenings with friends we met on board. We disliked the MDR, once walked out after seeing the menu, went to the Terrace and really enjoyed it. Lots of choices including most of the same items they were serving in the MDR that evening. We never returned to the MDR and enjoyed the Terrace other evenings as well. I must say that the four specialty restaurants were really great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted October 23, 2011 #21 Share Posted October 23, 2011 We disliked the MDR, once walked out after seeing the menu, Do they not display the menu at the entrance anymore? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted October 23, 2011 #22 Share Posted October 23, 2011 They do but I guess not everyone takes the time to go and read it during the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted October 23, 2011 #23 Share Posted October 23, 2011 They do but I guess not everyone takes the time to go and read it during the day. I was wondering why they had to be seated before seeing the menu :confused: Seemed strange as it was always posted on our previous cruises We always check the menu mid afternoon so we can decide where to eat that evening ..GDR or the Terrace Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PaulMCO Posted October 24, 2011 #24 Share Posted October 24, 2011 As far as specialty dining -- we tend to use the itinerary as the gauge. If we are touring a lot -- we typically will eat at the GDR or the Terrace. If it is a sea day -- then it would likely be a specialty night. We tend towards the longer cruises so there are plenty of sea days to make this work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmgmd50 Posted October 29, 2011 #25 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Do they not display the menu at the entrance anymore? They do post the menu but we actually had not looked at it, assuming there would be something we wanted. That is not to say they didn't have items we would eat such as Chicken Kiev, but not what I wanted for dinner that night. So we went up to the Terrace (our first dinner there) where we found sushi, roast beef, grilled lobster, and Chicken Kiev! We really enjoyed it and reutrned several other evenings when we did not have reservations elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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