Dining Reservations...limited??

[mreic082]

Hi all, 

 

We recently booked our first NCL cruise for March 7 on Escape. I went to make reservations for speciality dining tonight and noticed that there were very few spots left. Can anyone tell me if more time slots will open? 

 

Thanks! 

[mnventure]

6 minutes ago, mreic082 said:

Hi all, 

 

We recently booked our first NCL cruise for March 7 on Escape. I went to make reservations for speciality dining tonight and noticed that there were very few spots left. Can anyone tell me if more time slots will open? 

 

Thanks! 

They open about 25% of the time slots 120 days before sailing. You’ll want to book as soon as you board. 

[BirdTravels]

13 minutes ago, mreic082 said:

Hi all, 

 

We recently booked our first NCL cruise for March 7 on Escape. I went to make reservations for speciality dining tonight and noticed that there were very few spots left. Can anyone tell me if more time slots will open? 

 

Thanks! 

Unfortunately, dinner reservations, which opened on November 7, 2019,. are already sold out. 

 

As soon as you embark, you need to head to Entertainment reservations to book shows and complimentary dinner shows, then over to specialty dining reservations to book dining. By 1 pm on embarkation day, prime time dining will be totally sold out. 

 

The Supper Club on the Escape offers complimentary dinner shows most nights, so it is actually better to wait until embarkation day to book those first, then book your specialty dining around your entertainment. 

[luv2kroooz]

7 hours ago, mreic082 said:

Hi all, 

 

We recently booked our first NCL cruise for March 7 on Escape. I went to make reservations for speciality dining tonight and noticed that there were very few spots left. Can anyone tell me if more time slots will open? 

 

Thanks! 

Yes, lots more will open on boarding day. If you have the app or are comfortable with the touchscreens throughout the ship, you can avoid lines and book many things right on the app or touchscreens, avoiding any lines. You can always walk up to a specialty restaurant without a reservation. We like to dine after 8 and have never had an issue showing up after 8 without a reservation and getting a table. Their workload starts to come down after 8.

[hallux]

2 hours ago, blcruising said:

touchscreens throughout the ship

Does the Escape have those?  I thought they were new on the Bliss and Joy...

 

Looking at a walkthrough, I don't see the slot in those displays (near the elevators anyway) for the cruise card, to confirm bookings.

[shof515]

2 hours ago, hallux said:

Does the Escape have those?  I thought they were new on the Bliss and Joy...

 

Looking at a walkthrough, I don't see the slot in those displays (near the elevators anyway) for the cruise card, to confirm bookings.

 

all of the newer ships have it like the breakaway, getaway, escape, etc, etc. The card slot is always near the bottom of the display, sometimes the bottom right corner or the bottom left corner. sometimes they might be a small light to help you find it

[JamieLogical]

4 hours ago, hallux said:

Does the Escape have those?  I thought they were new on the Bliss and Joy...

 

Looking at a walkthrough, I don't see the slot in those displays (near the elevators anyway) for the cruise card, to confirm bookings.

 

It definitely does. I have booked many reservations through those screens on the Escape.

[mreic082]

15 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The Supper Club on the Escape offers complimentary dinner shows most nights, so it is actually better to wait until embarkation day to book those first, then book your specialty dining around your entertainment. 

When I was reading about the Supper Club last night, it said that there's a per person up charge. So it doesn't sound like it's complimentary....??

 

Enjoy the ambiance in the Supper Club, our intimate theater experience featuring a variety of musical entertainment. 

Need To Know

A per person upcharge is applicable along with Dining Packages. For more information click here. A 20% gratuity and specialty service charge will be included at time of payment.

[mreic082]

8 hours ago, blcruising said:

Yes, lots more will open on boarding day. 

We are driving to Miami on boarding day. Could I book reservations that open up on boarding day before I get on the ship or do I need to be on the ship to book those? I'm happy to use the app while we are in the car. 🙂

[shof515]

7 minutes ago, mreic082 said:

When I was reading about the Supper Club last night, it said that there's a per person up charge. So it doesn't sound like it's complimentary....??

 

Enjoy the ambiance in the Supper Club, our intimate theater experience featuring a variety of musical entertainment. 

Need To Know

A per person upcharge is applicable along with Dining Packages. For more information click here. A 20% gratuity and specialty service charge will be included at time of payment.

 

it depends on the show. when i was on the escape last year, they was 1 shows that was complimentary and another show that had the upcharge 

[luv2kroooz]

8 minutes ago, mreic082 said:

We are driving to Miami on boarding day. Could I book reservations that open up on boarding day before I get on the ship or do I need to be on the ship to book those? I'm happy to use the app while we are in the car. 🙂

You'll need to access the ships free WiFi network to book anything via the app so you would have to be onboard or right beside the ship in the terminal. My experience is that the reservation system isn't ready to accept reservations until 1130 or noon on boarding day.

[DinaS]

9 minutes ago, mreic082 said:

When I was reading about the Supper Club last night, it said that there's a per person up charge. So it doesn't sound like it's complimentary....??

 

Enjoy the ambiance in the Supper Club, our intimate theater experience featuring a variety of musical entertainment. 

Need To Know

A per person upcharge is applicable along with Dining Packages. For more information click here. A 20% gratuity and specialty service charge will be included at time of payment.

 

We went to a couple of shows at the Supper club on the Escape in October.  Neither had an additional charge.  The first time we  ate dinner there, since it was included.  The food was mediocre at best - we didn't finish our meals and after the show we hit the buffet.  It's really hard serving food while a show is going on, and the quality definitely suffers when you have to serve everyone the same thing at the same time.

 

The second time, we told them we didn't want the food - and they sat us in the back along the wall - and we just had drinks and watched the show.  

[BirdTravels]

17 minutes ago, mreic082 said:

When I was reading about the Supper Club last night, it said that there's a per person up charge. So it doesn't sound like it's complimentary....??

 

Enjoy the ambiance in the Supper Club, our intimate theater experience featuring a variety of musical entertainment. 

Need To Know

A per person upcharge is applicable along with Dining Packages. For more information click here. A 20% gratuity and specialty service charge will be included at time of payment.

There is one for-fee ($35.94 + gratuity) Escape Cabaret show with an enhanced 5-course menu.
 

All other dinner shows include a complimentary dinner. On our recent cruise on the Escape, 6 nights out of 7 had two complimentary dinner shows a night. We went to one comedy magic dinner show, one musical dinner show, and one Elton John tribute dinner show (all free). 

[mreic082]

3 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

All other dinner shows include a complimentary dinner. On our recent cruise on the Escape, 6 nights out of 7 had two complimentary dinner shows a night. We went to one comedy magic dinner show, one musical dinner show, and one Elton John tribute dinner show (all free). 

What time were those shows? They sound fun!

[BirdTravels]

3 minutes ago, mreic082 said:

What time were those shows? They sound fun!