Sitting with friends in the MDR

[ahughes517]

Hi! Cruising with friends on the Mariner of the Seas next February...how do we make sure we’re seated together at dinner? We both have the late seating. Is there a way to call Royal ahead of the cruise and ask that we be seated together?

 

Thanks for your help!

[cruisinfanatic]

2 minutes ago, ahughes517 said:

Hi! Cruising with friends on the Mariner of the Seas next February...how do we make sure we’re seated together at dinner? We both have the late seating. Is there a way to call Royal ahead of the cruise and ask that we be seated together?

 

Thanks for your help!

If you are at early or late seating, your bookings need to be cross referenced by your TA's

[island lady]

Or simply go to the podium at the restaurant when you board.  Tell them you want to sit with couple from cabin ##.

We have done that several times when we meet new and interesting people in the lounge and decide to go to dinner together.  

[Kerry's Girls]

For us, each party had to call RCCL and link bookings for dining to be linked (couldn't have just one person call with all the reservation numbers).  

[cruiseguy1016]

As others have stated, make sure your bookings are linked. That will ensure that the four of you are seated at the same table. If you would like to have a table for just the four of you, send an email to rcldining@rccl.com, give them your booking numbers and ask to seated at a table for four.

[cruisinfanatic]

1 hour ago, island lady said:

Or simply go to the podium at the restaurant when you board.  Tell them you want to sit with couple from cabin ##.

We have done that several times when we meet new and interesting people in the lounge and decide to go to dinner together.  

Why would you do that if not necessary?

[gerif]

1 hour ago, island lady said:

Or simply go to the podium at the restaurant when you board.  Tell them you want to sit with couple from cabin ##.

We have done that several times when we meet new and interesting people in the lounge and decide to go to dinner together.  

I can see that happening with MTD but with traditional dining, wouldn’t other people be seated at the table? Doesn’t make much sense to me. Definitely not going to work if you have traditional (which is the case here) and your newfound friends have MTD. 

[ahughes517]

Thanks, everyone! Since we booked directly with Royal (so no TA), I’ll explore the routes you suggested in linking the reservations. And if all else fails, there’s always a podium visit. Thank you!

[cruisinfanatic]

9 minutes ago, ahughes517 said:

Thanks, everyone! Since we booked directly with Royal (so no TA), I’ll explore the routes you suggested in linking the reservations. And if all else fails, there’s always a podium visit. Thank you!

don't do the podium visit. Get it done before. Who knows what table they'll stick the 4 of you at

[Snit13]

3 hours ago, Kerry's Girls said:

For us, each party had to call RCCL and link bookings for dining to be linked (couldn't have just one person call with all the reservation numbers).  

I recently booked 3 grand suites and a junior suite on Harmony for November.  I do not use a travel agent and I linked all of the cabins even for the 10 3 night dinners I purchased, and I received a confirmation with all names and reservation numbers linked to my reservation.  Extremely easy to do.

[RickinStl]

On your first night. Go the the MDR and see the Host... Ask them to add your reservation for the number of people I your party;  they will do their best to accommodate you all.. 

 

[brillohead]

14 hours ago, island lady said:

Or simply go to the podium at the restaurant when you board.  Tell them you want to sit with couple from cabin ##.

We have done that several times when we meet new and interesting people in the lounge and decide to go to dinner together.  

 

10 hours ago, RickinStl said:

On your first night. Go the the MDR and see the Host... Ask them to add your reservation for the number of people I your party;  they will do their best to accommodate you all.. 

Definitely have each party call Royal (or their TA, if the other group booked through a TA) and have them link the reservations.

Trying to do a "first night podium visit" is absolute mayhem.  Trust me -- there was a mix-up on my cruise last month (reservations not linked like they were supposed to be) and the podium visit thing -- while they did their best to accommodate us -- resulted in a less than desirable solution.

Just link the reservations.

[cruiseguy1016]

41 minutes ago, brillohead said:

 

Definitely have each party call Royal (or their TA, if the other group booked through a TA) and have them link the reservations.

Trying to do a "first night podium visit" is absolute mayhem.  Trust me -- there was a mix-up on my cruise last month (reservations not linked like they were supposed to be) and the podium visit thing -- while they did their best to accommodate us -- resulted in a less than desirable solution.

Just link the reservations.

 

And then send an email to rcldining@rccl.com requesting your table configuration. This way everything is taken care of before you get on the ship.

[cruisinfanatic]

12 hours ago, RickinStl said:

On your first night. Go the the MDR and see the Host... Ask them to add your reservation for the number of people I your party;  they will do their best to accommodate you all.. 

 

They don't have MTD

[Paulette3028]

16 hours ago, ahughes517 said:

Hi! Cruising with friends on the Mariner of the Seas next February...how do we make sure we’re seated together at dinner? We both have the late seating. Is there a way to call Royal ahead of the cruise and ask that we be seated together?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

15 hours ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

As others have stated, make sure your bookings are linked. That will ensure that the four of you are seated at the same table. If you would like to have a table for just the four of you, send an email to rcldining@rccl.com, give them your booking numbers and ask to seated at a table for four.

 

It is TOO EARLY to send in the dining request to rcldining@rccl.com now for a cruise in February 2020. Everyone who you want to sit together needs to have the same dining time on their reservation....so all reservations for instance would have to have 'Early Traditional Dining' or Late Dining Seating.  Rcldining@rccl.com cares less if the reservations are 'linked' than you might think, but it is fine if you do link them.

 

About 4 weeks before your cruise send an email to rcldining@rccl.com with the reservation numbers (include the names of the people on the reservation) with whom you want to sit.  That is when this part of the Food and Beverage Department in corporate starts to work on dining room seating.  If you send it in too early, it will get lost -- think about how many ships they are working on for seating arrangements in any given week.  Generally within a few days you will get back an email letting you know the table number you and your group will be assigned.

 

It has worked fabulous for me in the past.  

[steveru621]

You have plenty of time.  Call your TA and have all the reservations linked.

[Tin]

Just got the reply from the staff after emailing them. I specified a location and table size I wanted, no issues at all. 

[island lady]

21 hours ago, cruisinfanatic said:

Why would you do that if not necessary?

 

???   It was necessary and polite for us to do it, IMHO, to help the MDR My time dining manager with table planning for us to do it when we changed our reservation table size.  We do that a lot in CK also.  To each their own.  

Edited April 11, 2019 by island lady

[island lady]

21 hours ago, gerif said:

I can see that happening with MTD but with traditional dining, wouldn’t other people be seated at the table? Doesn’t make much sense to me. Definitely not going to work if you have traditional (which is the case here) and your newfound friends have MTD. 

 

I only book MTD, and have for years, ever since the program came out.  But I see your point, as the OP obviously has traditional dining...though that can still be changed.  Before MTD came out,  we had traditional late seating and have had to change table locations, and size in the past. It is simple to do.  With traditional dining as well as MTD, that can still be booked in advance by linking the reservations ahead of time.   

Edited April 11, 2019 by island lady

[island lady]

21 hours ago, ahughes517 said:

Thanks, everyone! Since we booked directly with Royal (so no TA), I’ll explore the routes you suggested in linking the reservations. And if all else fails, there’s always a podium visit. Thank you!

 

You are most welcome.  Enjoy!  🙂 

[island lady]

21 hours ago, cruisinfanatic said:

don't do the podium visit. Get it done before. Who knows what table they'll stick the 4 of you at

 

It can still be changed.  Have done so in the past.  

[gerif]

6 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

I only book MTD, and have for years, ever since the program came out.  But I see your point, as the OP obviously has traditional dining.  That can still be booked in advance by linking the reservations ahead of time.  I have done that with MTD also.  

Yes, the OP has traditional dining, so I don’t understand the relevance of your post at all. 

[island lady]

17 minutes ago, gerif said:

Yes, the OP has traditional dining, so I don’t understand the relevance of your post at all. 

 

OK....let me spell it out for you...I have done traditional dining in the past.  Have met friends, and have changed tables to join them, just went to the podium for the change.  Have also had the displeasure of being seating with less than congenial table mates (couples fighting, obnoxious types, screaming bratty children, etc...etc.) and have changed tables.   Just because you are booked into traditional dining...does not mean you can't change tables or size.  In the OP's case the best thing for them to do is to link their reservations...as I have already mentioned.  

 

Since MTD came along, we have done the MTD program and are awarded a table for two, as that is already in our profile. As the same instance, we have changed to join friends we met along the way later in the cruise.  Coastal Kitchen is also very good about accommodating that change.  

 

But hey...what do I know....I am just a "newbie" cruiser.  😉 

Edited April 11, 2019 by island lady

[steveru621]

54 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

OK....let me spell it out for you...I have done traditional dining in the past.  Have met friends, and have changed tables to join them, just went to the podium for the change.  Have also had the displeasure of being seating with less than congenial table mates (couples fighting, obnoxious types, screaming bratty children, etc...etc.) and have changed tables.   Just because you are booked into traditional dining...does not mean you can't change tables or size.  In the OP's case the best thing for them to do is to link their reservations...as I have already mentioned.  

 

Since MTD came along, we have done the MTD program and are awarded a table for two, as that is already in our profile. As the same instance, we have changed to join friends we met along the way later in the cruise.  Coastal Kitchen is also very good about accommodating that change.  

 

But hey...what do I know....I am just a "newbie" cruiser.  😉 

 

It does cause issues for traditional dining when there are last minute changes.

 

We had asked for a large table. I checked that afternoon when we boarded, and sure enough, a table for 10.  That night we arrived and found out we now had a table for 4.  I was very upset.  Talked to the head waiter who thought we wouldn't mind moving to accommodate a request just like yours.  To make it even worse, the other couple didn't show up at all for 8 nights.

 

Passengers should be aware there are consequences for someone.

[Paulette3028]

1 hour ago, island lady said:

 

OK....let me spell it out for you...I have done traditional dining in the past.  Have met friends, and have changed tables to join them, just went to the podium for the change.  Have also had the displeasure of being seating with less than congenial table mates (couples fighting, obnoxious types, screaming bratty children, etc...etc.) and have changed tables.   Just because you are booked into traditional dining...does not mean you can't change tables or size.  In the OP's case the best thing for them to do is to link their reservations...as I have already mentioned.  

 

Since MTD came along, we have done the MTD program and are awarded a table for two, as that is already in our profile. As the same instance, we have changed to join friends we met along the way later in the cruise.  Coastal Kitchen is also very good about accommodating that change.  

 

But hey...what do I know....I am just a "newbie" cruiser.  😉 

 

2 minutes ago, steveru621 said:

 

It does cause issues for traditional dining when there are last minute changes.

 

We had asked for a large table. I checked that afternoon when we boarded, and sure enough, a table for 10.  That night we arrived and found out we now had a table for 4.  I was very upset.  Talked to the head waiter who thought we wouldn't mind moving to accommodate a request just like yours.  To make it even worse, the other couple didn't show up at all for 8 nights.

 

Passengers should be aware there are consequences for someone.

We usually go through rcldining@rccl.com for MDR seating request, since we generally sail as a couple but want to sit at a table of 8-10.....we like the cross conversation and meeting new people.  

 

We have at times gone to the dining room host to have a table arrangement changed because we met some new people on board and want them to join us....and like IslandLady says....it gets done.  They are usually great.  

 

We have also been assigned to a table of 6-10 and one couple besides us shows up, has a slightly disappointing first night dinner and never shows up again and none of the others ever show up either.  

 

With the advent of specialty dining, the MDR experience has totally changed.   On our next cruise we happen to be sailing with 2 other couples who have been friends for a long time....so on that cruise we know who will be at our table and KNOW they will show up.