Specialty Dining resevations on the Escape

[mvh]

Today was my 90 day mark for my cruise in March. So, I went on line to book my shows and dining and all the times that we available were terrible since I have 8 people in my group. I realize they only open 25% of the tables ahead of time, but has anyone experienced this and were you able to get better seating once on the ship? I had no idea it would be this difficult to book for 8 people, which I didn't think was that many. Not exactly Freestyle.

[jeffregpuck]

I traveled in a group of 11 a couple of years ago, and we were always seated together (obviously not on the Escape, and it was one of the smaller ships).

 

It does tend to be easier if you want an early or late time..."prime time" seating is not easy for large parties.

 

I would book what I could, and then change soon after getting on board. You should have pretty good luck. :cool:

[kk in ct]

I would not wait until you get on the ship to finalize your specialty restaurant reservations. We were just on the Escape last week and were lucky to have made some reservations before the actual cruise. Based on how many people booked with an included dining plan upgrade, pretty much no specialty restaurants that took reservations had any openings the entire cruise once you got on board. To us it appeared as if they over extended the offer for upgraded dining and simply could not accommodate everyone. The only thing we were able to book on the cruise was the Brat Pack show at the Supper Club. The show was excellent, but I personally didn't care for the set menu they were serving that evening.

[travelinmoma]

If you pay for SDP and then find out you can't book any reasonable times, do you get your money back?