Dining "waitlisted" any luck getting in?

[jenale80]

I booked our cabin a few months back with 6p dining with the kid pick up program (sorry don't remember the name, I'm new to RCI).

 

Anyhow, just booked a connecting cabin for my parents, but the 6P dining is already full. So I went ahead and kept my reservation at 6p and booked them in the My Time Dining, while being waitlisted on Early dining list. Although I didn't see this on their invoice, will that information appear somewhere?

 

We are still over 10 months out, I can't believe 6p is already full.... you think the chances of them being able to get into early dining will happen?

 

I hope so.... I suppose it would be ok for all of us to do My Time Dining, but I really want to take advantage of the dining/kids program thing.... would really hate to all be stuck with late dining at 830p :(

[Beth C]

I had late joiners in our group for my next cruise and same thing.... Until they linked our reservations and magically the 5th cabin got placed right into the same dining time! Make a call to Royal and ask for the reservations to be linked - me thinks they have a bit of wiggle room ;)

 

 

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[DragonOfTheSeas]

I was waitlisted on each of my last three cruises for late seating. I booked months in advance. I waited it out and I got in. I agree--link their reservation with yours and all will be good. :)

[jenale80]

I called to book the second room and the rep said she already linked the reservations, so must really be full, cause she gave me no hope of getting my parents to sit with at this moment :(

 

Guess I will just have to wait it out, here's hoping....

[DragonOfTheSeas]

I called to book the second room and the rep said she already linked the reservations, so must really be full, cause she gave me no hope of getting my parents to sit with at this moment :(

 

Guess I will just have to wait it out, here's hoping....

 

They are saving spaces in case Diamond, Diamond + and Pinnacle Crown and Anchor pax need that seating. Wehn they do not need all of the spaces you will get in. It is too far out for it to be full. Look on the ship to seee if all of the rooms are sold.

 

If there are still plenty of rooms--just wait it out.

[jenale80]

They are saving spaces in case Diamond, Diamond + and Pinnacle Crown and Anchor pax need that seating. Wehn they do not need all of the spaces you will get in. It is too far out for it to be full. Look on the ship to seee if all of the rooms are sold.

 

If there are still plenty of rooms--just wait it out.

 

I will. Thanks for the extra info. to make me feel a bit more ease about it. :)

[kimala]

They are saving spaces in case Diamond, Diamond + and Pinnacle Crown and Anchor pax need that seating. Wehn they do not need all of the spaces you will get in. It is too far out for it to be full. Look on the ship to seee if all of the rooms are sold.

 

If there are still plenty of rooms--just wait it out.

 

Oh really?? Im Diamond and booked Allure 7 months out for Oct 20th sailing and we are waitlisted for early seating. My TA tried to argue with Royal and they said there wasnt anything they can do.

[MnMomW3Boys]

I just talked to RCCL about this same thing a couple days ago. We are booked on a sailing in October and the only thing available at the time when we booked a couple months ago was My Time Dining. I prefer the early dining time due to the kids so I called and asked if we could be wait listed for the earlier dining and was told that there is no wait list available at this time but to keep calling back as we get closer to the cruise date. She explained that they only open up so many slots for each time preference and then as it gets closer to the date and more people book they will open more slots in each time slot. Basically this prevents early bookers from getting all of a preferred time slots and probably helps distribute the folks for the waitstaff too. Hope that makes sense.

[nancronin]

If you're still on waiting list at cruise time, go immediately up to the dining room when you board and they'll most likely be able to change you all to a table for all of you in early dining. We had to do that one cruise and had no problem - friends decided to come shortly before cruise - early was full - so they took late dining but we had no problem changing it on the ship. ENJOY!

[kruzerci]

I'm sure you will get in. We were wait listed for early on Oasis when we booked (10 months out) and were confirmed in early a few days later.

[matj2000]

Are you sure you want your parents in a connecting room?

I wouldn't even want mine on the same deck.

Did you know that the walls are thin you cannot lock that door?

[dreamer976]

You'll have no problem, IMHO. People book and cancel cruises all the time. Some people book multiple cruises for the same dates so they can snag the best stateroom locations, etc. while they take their time deciding which to go on then cancel the rest.

[sunnysavannah]

Almost identical scenario for us for our Oct sailing. Our friends were only waitlisted a few days before it magically worked it's way out. :p

[sky0000547]

I booked my last cruise only 2 months out and was wait listed on the 6pm dining. Few days later it was confirmed I had the 6pm.

 

If it had failed, I would have just booked MTD for 6pm.

[HokiePoq]

I booked my last cruise only 2 months out and was wait listed on the 6pm dining. Few days later it was confirmed I had the 6pm.

 

If it had failed, I would have just booked MTD for 6pm.

 

Is there a limit for MTD? We are also waitlisted for early but wouldn't mind MTD, just not late. We're not night owls and eating and going to bed within a relatively short period of time is not a healthy thing to do unless one is trying to gain the maximum amount of weight, lol.

[ostrich710]

I agree with what everyone else has been saying -- their chances of getting in should be pretty high. Same thing happened to us with our upcoming cruise: we booked 10 months out and 6pm was already full. We put ourselves on the waitlist and within a couple of weeks we noticed it had been changed to early seating. As others have mentioned, RCI seems to be saving seats in early seating nowadays.

 

As far as where you can see this information, if they log into "my cruises" on the rccl website and view the reservation, at the bottom it should show dining preferences. Right now it will say MTD, Early seating waitlist. Hopefully, soon, it should change to early seating, no waitlists. Good luck!

[sky0000547]

Is there a limit for MTD?

 

If I remembered correctly if you are waitlisted on 6pm dining, you will still have to make a confirmed dining selection whether it will be MTD or the 8.30pm dining. If you do choose MTD during booking, you will have to pre-pay your gratuities.

 

Don't know whether MTD has a limit but it must be really rare to have both 6pm and MTD to be fully booked and forced to eat at 8.30pm.

[akcruz]

If I remembered correctly if you are waitlisted on 6pm dining, you will still have to make a confirmed dining selection whether it will be MTD or the 8.30pm dining. If you do choose MTD during booking, you will have to pre-pay your gratuities.

 

Don't know whether MTD has a limit but it must be really rare to have both 6pm and MTD to be fully booked and forced to eat at 8.30pm.

 

MTD gratuities are not due until final payment so if booked months out and dining gets changed before final payment you will have the option of removing the pre-paid gratuities.

 

To the OP, I have also heard that they open dining up in groups. They like to hold onto some slots for large parties or special groups that may book later. The closer it gets to sailing the less spaces held for those types of things so more open up.

 

Definitely get your parents waitlisted. You should have no issues getting them into the early dining this far out.

[LauraMay]

We booked on the Allure sailing 8th Sept 2013 and we were put on the 6pm waiting list, our travel agent advised us to add in our Crown & Anchor society numbers to the online reservation and two days later both cabins are now on 6pm dining.

[jenale80]

Are you sure you want your parents in a connecting room?

 

I wouldn't even want mine on the same deck.

 

Did you know that the walls are thin you cannot lock that door?

 

HA! Trust me it was booked all with good reason. DH and I are traveling with our 2 youngs sons, in an interior :eek: so not much privacy will be had anyhow. Plus this way we can stay out late while our boys stay in the cabin with Grandma & Grandpa right in the room next door. So saves us some money from having to pay the extra fees after 10 pm.

 

Is there a limit for MTD? We are also waitlisted for early but wouldn't mind MTD, just not late. We're not night owls and eating and going to bed within a relatively short period of time is not a healthy thing to do unless one is trying to gain the maximum amount of weight, lol.

From what I gather from speaking to the rep, there IS a limit to MTD as well.

 

Thank you all for the info. I am feeling pretty confident that this will work itself out, since we are so far out from our sail date. I told my parents about the situation and they are fine with it. Said they would rather eat early without us, than get stuck in late dining..... lol.

[jenale80]

Checked the website today and saw that my parents dining time HAS changed!!!! Yay! They have 6p dining, with no waitlist. So glad!

 

Our reservations are linked so I assume everything should be good with us sitting together. I booked our cruise a few months ago and then my parents just a couple weeks ago, so they weren't booked at the same time, but they both now have notes of the 'linkage"...... we should be all set, right? Also my family of 4 have the Family dining, where the kids get picked up (6p dining) and my parents obviously don't have that option but now have 6pm dining, shouldn't cause any issues, right?

 

Sorry for all the confusion, This is our first time cruising with RCI and I just want to make sure I have everything straight before we go. Thanks for any advice, in advance. :D

[Starry Eyes]

Checked the website today and saw that my parents dining time HAS changed!!!! Yay! They have 6p dining, with no waitlist. So glad!

 

Our reservations are linked so I assume everything should be good with us sitting together. I booked our cruise a few months ago and then my parents just a couple weeks ago, so they weren't booked at the same time, but they both now have notes of the 'linkage"...... we should be all set, right? Also my family of 4 have the Family dining, where the kids get picked up (6p dining) and my parents obviously don't have that option but now have 6pm dining, shouldn't cause any issues, right?

 

Sorry for all the confusion, This is our first time cruising with RCI and I just want to make sure I have everything straight before we go. Thanks for any advice, in advance. :D

I can't help with the family time question. Wonderful that it worked out with plenty of time to spare. Have a wonderful time.

[rpettus]

HA! Trust me it was booked all with good reason. DH and I are traveling with our 2 youngs sons, in an interior :eek: so not much privacy will be had anyhow. Plus this way we can stay out late while our boys stay in the cabin with Grandma & Grandpa right in the room next door. So saves us some money from having to pay the extra fees after 10 pm.

 

Whoa!!! Better check to make sure they will be willing! :eek: As a grandfather, my bride and I really don't come to "life" until after 11PM, especially on a cruise. The last time we traveled with the grands, they were in long before us. :D

[KansasK]

We were waitlisted for early dining when we booked our Independence of the Seas cruise in February for a November 15 sailing. My brother booked this cruise, too, and we were linked, but he was not waitlisted. He questioned this and they took his request to a resolutions committee of some kind. They decided to waitlist him. He was told that RCI gives travel agencies large blocks of room and reserve large parts of the dining room for them until they turn in the rooms.

 

We were given main dining room dining a week or so ago and so was my brother. I think your second reservation will have a good chance of getting main dining room dining this far out.

 

I don't agree with RCI's policy of waitlisting reservations that are made so far out from the cruise date. We were 11 months out. I think we should be given at least equal priority with travel agencies.

[critterchick]

They are saving spaces in case Diamond, Diamond + and Pinnacle Crown and Anchor pax need that seating. Wehn they do not need all of the spaces you will get in. It is too far out for it to be full. Look on the ship to seee if all of the rooms are sold.

 

If there are still plenty of rooms--just wait it out.

 

We get wait listed just like anybody else. But D+ and Pinnacle have priority on the waitlist, or so it says on the RCI website.