New to Oceania - confused about restaurant reservations

[LHT28]

Hi, I'm new to Oceania, looking forward to our June cruise. One of the things I really like is that the "speciality" restaurants, if they call them that, are "free" with one exception, unlike on most ships where there is an upcharge.

 

My question is, does it matter which days you book the special restaurants and when you eat in the GDR? Should I look at the itinerary and figure out which days are best depending on what time we get back from the excursions? Are there certain nights in the GDR that are special, like the Captain's dinner in some of the other lines? Should we try to book all of the special restaurants to try them all? Are there menus for those restaurants so I can see if I even like what's offered? I understand the food in the GDR is very good, and I know there's enough variety I could find something I like. Advice please? Thanks!

well they are not really free just included in your fare with the exception of La Reserve & Privee on the O class ships which do have a fee attached

 

I would book your reservations as soon as your time frame opens up

There is not really any special menus in the GDR so pick the nights that work best for you

sample menus at https://www.oceaniacruises.com/experience/dining/

click on the restaurant of choice on left then look for the link to the sample menu

enjoy

Edited March 2, 2016 by LHT28

[cruisegal415]

well they are not really free just included in your fare with the exception of La Reserve & Privee on the O class ships which do have a fee attached

 

I would book your reservations as soon as your time frame opens up

There is not really any special menus in the GDR so pick the nights that work best for you

sample menus at https://www.oceaniacruises.com/experience/dining/

click on the restaurant of choice on left then look for the link to the sample menu

enjoy

 

Thanks for the info! I know they're not really free, thus the quotes around them! Will look at the menus.

 

Does everyone think that La Reserve and Privee are worth the extra $$? We are sailing on Riviera in June, never sailed on Oceania, should we try them?

[LHT28]

Does everyone think that La Reserve and Privee are worth the extra $$? We are sailing on Riviera in June, never sailed on Oceania, should we try them?

Privee is just a private dining room where you can have a group of up to 10 for a private dinner ...food is from Polo & Toscana the last price I saw was $250 for the room ..

 

La Reserve is wine & food pairing they have 3 menus offered on different nights during the cruise maximum people 24

check the menus & prices

[Paulchili]

As Lyn said:

Privee is a great setting for an intimate dinner with a group of friends (up to 10) for a special occasion. It costs $250 - so with 10 people it is $25/person. Service and setting are wonderful - food is from either Polo or Toscana (or both)

La Reserve is an exceptional food and wine tasting experience. You have to be a "foodie" and a wine connoisseur to appreciate it fully (and be willing to pay the price) :)

Both can be paid for from one's OBC once onboard. La Reserve often get fully booked early.

[Mura]

We have had several La Reserve dinners on MARINA and they were wonderful. If you don't enjoy wine with your dinner (some don't, for various reasons), then while you would certainly enjoy the food I wouldn't say it's worth the $$ because you are really paying for the wines. (If you don't mind foregoing the wine, you might well want to pay the fee just for the special food.)

 

As to Privee, we personally have not done so ecause we didn't see why we should pay for food which is "free" just for the privacy. But we have many friends who highly recommend doing so, just because the room is so delightful. (We were invited to join a party on a previous cruise but then the inviters had to cancel so we did too.)

 

Hope this helps.

 

Mura

[nedward]

As an Oceania newbie, and in a "regular" stateroom, should I manage my expectations regarding the ability to even get a reservation after the folks in the upper-class cabins get their multiples?

 

Thanks, Ned

[Paulchili]

As an Oceania newbie, and in a "regular" stateroom, should I manage my expectations regarding the ability to even get a reservation after the folks in the upper-class cabins get their multiples?

 

Thanks, Ned

 

Everyone is GUARANTEED their allowance of specialty dining reservations - whether you book online before boarding or once onboard.

They may not be on the days/times of your first choice but you will get your allowance.

Booking early and being flexible with time and table size may give you more choices.

Enjoy.

Edited March 3, 2016 by Paulchili

[Mura]

I'm not quite sure what you are asking ... but I think you are asking if the top suite people get all of their reservations before you do ... and the answer to that is no. The number of reservations you can make initially are guaranteed reservations. Your ability to get further reservations will depend on how many passengers are also trying to get further reservations. On some cruises everybody and his brother wants extras. On other cruises, a significant number are not interested in extras.

 

Mura

[Jay23]

We have always got one reservation per restaurant when cruising with Oceania in a veranda suite with no trouble. If you are happy to join others you are more likely to get the time you prefer, I also thought it was the number of days on the cruise that determined how many reservations you can have not the level of accommodation you have. Am I wrong?

[Paulchili]

We have always got one reservation per restaurant when cruising with Oceania in a veranda suite with no trouble. If you are happy to join others you are more likely to get the time you prefer, I also thought it was the number of days on the cruise that determined how many reservations you can have not the level of accommodation you have. Am I wrong?

 

It is both - Upper suites get more reservations per cruise than lower cabins and the longer the cruise, everyone gets more reservations/cruise (with a limit :))

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/faq/

[LHT28]

As an Oceania newbie, and in a "regular" stateroom, should I manage my expectations regarding the ability to even get a reservation after the folks in the upper-class cabins get their multiples?

 

Thanks, Ned

We are in a C cabin got my reservation no problem ..you may have to be flexible to get the times you like

[iamkingofall]

On our last O cruise we used all 4 . But twice , on the day of , we went to the desk and asked,and got in .One was Polo , don't recall the other . If you want a table for two and it seems the times earlier to catch the shows were a slimmer chance . So you may have a good chance if your a little flexible .We would go by the MDR in the afternoons to check on the evenings menu as sometimes they were serving something we did not want to miss .

[UAL_FlyGal]

Everyone is GUARANTEED their allowance of specialty dining reservations - whether you book online before boarding or once onboard.

They may not be on the days/times of your first choice but you will get your allowance.

Booking early and being flexible with time and table size may give you more choices.

Enjoy.

 

Sirena only has 2 Specialty restaurants. Toscana & Red Ginger. We have an inside stateroom so I booked both. HOWEVER, I noticed that we could reserve more than the 2 GUARANTEED. Have you ever done that?

[LHT28]

Sirena only has 2 Specialty restaurants. Toscana & Red Ginger. We have an inside stateroom so I booked both. HOWEVER, I noticed that we could reserve more than the 2 GUARANTEED. Have you ever done that?

Not sure what you are asking ...are you saying you can book 2 in each of the restaurants online ?

Edited September 3, 2016 by LHT28

[JimandStan]

Sirena only has 2 Specialty restaurants. Toscana & Red Ginger. We have an inside stateroom so I booked both. HOWEVER, I noticed that we could reserve more than the 2 GUARANTEED. Have you ever done that?

 

The number of guaranteed reservations is tied into the type of cabin you've booked AND the length of the Cruise.

 

If your cruise is 18 Sailing Days (or more), you'll be permitted to make two advance reservations per restaurant in an inside cabin.

 

For All Vessels:

-Owner's, Vista and Oceania Suites may make reservations at 90 days out until 7 days prior to embarkation.

Penthouse Suites may make reservations at 75 days out until 7 days prior to embarkation.

Concierge Level Veranda Staterooms may make reservations at 60 days out until 7 days prior to embarkation.

Veranda, Ocean View and Inside Staterooms may make reservations at 45 days out until 7 days prior to embarkation.

 

Number of Reservations, Regatta, Insignia, Nautica, Sirena:

Owner's Suite, Vista Suite, Penthouse Suite and Concierge Level Veranda

0-7 Sailing Days: 1 reservations at each restaurant

8-17 Sailing Days: 2 reservations at each restaurant

18+ Sailing Days: 3 reservations at each restaurant

Veranda, Ocean View and Inside Stateroom

0-7 Sailing Days: 1 reservations at each restaurant

8-17 Sailing Days: 1 reservations at each restaurant

18+ Sailing Days: 2 reservations at each restaurant

 

 

[UAL_FlyGal]

The number of guaranteed reservations is tied into the type of cabin you've booked AND the length of the Cruise.

 

If your cruise is 18 Sailing Days (or more), you'll be permitted to make two advance reservations per restaurant in an inside cabin.

 

For All Vessels:

-Owner's, Vista and Oceania Suites may make reservations at 90 days out until 7 days prior to embarkation.

Penthouse Suites may make reservations at 75 days out until 7 days prior to embarkation.

Concierge Level Veranda Staterooms may make reservations at 60 days out until 7 days prior to embarkation.

OK.Veranda, Ocean View and Inside Staterooms may make reservations at 45 days out until 7 days prior to embarkation.

 

Number of Reservations, Regatta, Insignia, Nautica, Sirena:

Owner's Suite, Vista Suite, Penthouse Suite and Concierge Level Veranda

0-7 Sailing Days: 1 reservations at each restaurant

8-17 Sailing Days: 2 reservations at each restaurant

18+ Sailing Days: 3 reservations at each restaurant

Veranda, Ocean View and Inside Stateroom

0-7 Sailing Days: 1 reservations at each restaurant

8-17 Sailing Days: 1 reservations at each restaurant

18+ Sailing Days: 2 reservations at each restaurant

 

 

OK. Here's the deal. :D We're in an Inside cabin. It's 10 days which means we can make 2 reservations online. We did. 1 in Toscana and 1 in Red Ginger. After I submitted our reservations and it was confirmed, I noticed that I could put in more dates if I wanted to. There was no restriction. Has anyone booked 'over the limit?'

[JimandStan]

OK. Here's the deal. :D We're in an Inside cabin. It's 10 days which means we can make 2 reservations online. We did. 1 in Toscana and 1 in Red Ginger. After I submitted our reservations and it was confirmed, I noticed that I could put in more dates if I wanted to. There was no restriction. Has anyone booked 'over the limit?'

 

That has never happened to me, but I'm too much of a control freak to risk it, so I don't think that it is worth taking the chance.

 

Oceania closes out the Reservation system one full week before the voyage commences in order to adjust irregularities.

 

If they catch on, you never know which of your "extra" reservations they would choose to cancel; you of course would be in no position to complain. :eek:

 

I would lose my mind.

[UAL_FlyGal]

Oceania closes out the Reservation system one full week before the voyage commences in order to adjust irregularities.

 

If they catch on, you never know which of your "extra" reservations they would choose to cancel; you of course would be in no position to complain. :eek:

 

I would lose my mind.

 

BINGO!! That's the answer I was waiting for! I knew it, knew it, I knew it was too good to be true!!

Thanks sooo much for your help!!

[janecambridge]

I have just witnessed that on Riviera.Some cocky bloke who was full of himself,told us that although he was only ocean view for the week, he had booked his 4 restaurants and then booked the other three nights as well.Unfortunately for him,three were very quickly cancelled by Oceania and they weren't the times he wanted..

[LHT28]

Never have seen that either

must be a computer glitch at O again

[UAL_FlyGal]

I have just witnessed that on Riviera.Some cocky bloke who was full of himself,told us that although he was only ocean view for the week, he had booked his 4 restaurants and then booked the other three nights as well.Unfortunately for him,three were very quickly cancelled by Oceania and they weren't the times he wanted..

 

Thanks so very, very much for your timely response!! I'm sooo glad I didn't press the 'confirm' button!

[nyfeds]

Thanks so very, very much for your timely response!! I'm sooo glad I didn't press the 'confirm' button!

 

We just booked our two. Didn't want to chance any glitches reserving more than that, despite the system allowing us to do so this morning. One can always ask about additional specialty restaurants reservations once on-board. :)

Edited September 3, 2016 by nyfeds

[blambition]

We will be doing a seven-day Caribbean cruise this winter on the Marina, which means we get four of the specialty restaurants. Is picking the first night out a good choice for booking one of the specialty dining rooms? Having never sailed Oceania before, I am curious since my sister was just on the Regatta and mentioned that they had caviar on two of the nights in the main dining room, but hers was a 10 night cruise. That is actually one appetizer I would enjoy, unfortunately it seems hard to look at older menus, to try and figure out what might be served on which night especially on the seven night cruise.

 

 

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[LHT28]

We will be doing a seven-day Caribbean cruise this winter on the Marina, which means we get four of the specialty restaurants. Is picking the first night out a good choice for booking one of the specialty dining rooms? Having never sailed Oceania before, I am curious since my sister was just on the Regatta and mentioned that they had caviar on two of the nights in the main dining room, but hers was a 10 night cruise. That is actually one appetizer I would enjoy, unfortunately it seems hard to look at older menus, to try and figure out what might be served on which night especially on the seven night cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

they may mix the menus for a 7 day cruise

the first night & last night seem to be the same no matter if a 10 or 12 day cruise so maybe works the same for 7 day

check the menu outside the GDR if there is caviar on the night you go to the specialty restaurant .. just go for the Appy then go to your reservation ;)

[Mura]

Our experience has been that the easiest night to get a reservation is departure night.

 

On our first Marina cruise back in Oct '11 we were a group of 6. I'd tried to book Jacques that night using our butler (we were in a VS thanks to accepting a move-over offer from O) but he couldn't book it because I didn't have the others' booking numbers. So we just went to the GDR, and when we said we wanted a table for 6, they asked if we wanted to go to Jacques.

 

The restaurant was pretty empty that night. Many people are tired from flying in, etc., so it seems easy to get a specialty restaurant on the first night.

 

If you want to go online to book it, it's probably even easier. Gambling as to when you can get caviar is another issue!

 

Here's a suggestion if you want the caviar: Check out the GDR menu when you board to see if it's there. If not, try for a specialty reservation. The odds are (from my experience but please don't hold me to it) that you can get it the first night. Later on, it's somewhat more difficult.

 

BUT -- if you are guaranteed 4 reservations (one each) on your 7 day cruise, you will get it. If not that night, then later. It sounds like you are in a suite -- so assign your butler the chore and he will make sure you get it!

 

Mura