First time on NCL - issue with dining reservations for Party of 5

[modernscarlett]

The NCL site will not allow any odd number reservations at any of their restaurants.  Any way around this? We are on a 14 day cruise. Do we need to make all reservations before boarding or are their generally slots once aboard.

 

TIA!

[tumblew467]

I was always told to just reserve for 6 and then when onboard you can let them know. THere is a limited amount of slots available online when you do the booking. So I have always reserved online and then once onboard  you can change the total amount of people. And sometimes you have to change the times if it conflicts with a show.

Edited January 15, 2020 by tumblew467

[Funky Fusion FoodsJ]

I agree with TumbleW, I am a solo cruiser and I always have to reserve for 2, then when I get on the ship let them know I'm a single.

[SSMcruises]

We are a group of 9.  I booked tables of 8 and hope they will squeeze one in.  Fingers crossed ! 

[4774Papa]

41 minutes ago, modernscarlett said:

The NCL site will not allow any odd number reservations at any of their restaurants.  Any way around this? We are on a 14 day cruise. Do we need to make all reservations before boarding or are their generally slots once aboard.

 

TIA!

NCL can be a pain in the a-- about booking prior to boarding when you have all the specialty restaurant meals.

 

I tried to book as soon as I could and of five nights, three were terrible times, like 5:30 or 8.

So what I did (we had a party of 6) was go immediately to the desk for specialty dining after boarding and changed the reservations for the three bookings.

[hallux]

The tables seat even numbers - book for one more than you need, don't even bother telling them you're only 5 instead of 6 as they'll need the 6-seat table anyway.

[tef43]

14 minutes ago, SSMcruises said:

We are a group of 9.  I booked tables of 8 and hope they will squeeze one in.  Fingers crossed ! 

 

Change the resv to 10.

[smplybcause]

16 minutes ago, SSMcruises said:

We are a group of 9.  I booked tables of 8 and hope they will squeeze one in.  Fingers crossed ! 

 

Most of their tables are 2 tops and 4 tops and then then just shove em together to get the right amount. Not super easy to squeeze just one in. The tables are usually close together so there's often spots where you can't put a seat on the end without blocking the whole way. I'd up it to 10 like tef43 said. 

[CruiserDan53]

20 minutes ago, tef43 said:

 

Change the resv to 10.

8 is usually the maximum

 

35 minutes ago, SSMcruises said:

We are a group of 9.  I booked tables of 8 and hope they will squeeze one in.  Fingers crossed ! 

We were also a group of 9. We booked 8 and we just told the restaurant when we got there. For specialty restaurants it helped to go to the restaurant right when they opened to make the change in person but it was never a big deal.

[2+2]

I have heard that if you reserve for eight, and only seven show up, you are responsible for paying for the no show. I heard that once you are on board, you must cancel the extra seat within twenty-four hours to avoid this. Can this be confirmed.

[tumblew467]

6 minutes ago, 2+2 said:

I have heard that if you reserve for eight, and only seven show up, you are responsible for paying for the no show. I heard that once you are on board, you must cancel the extra seat within twenty-four hours to avoid this. Can this be confirmed.

Never heard of that.

[hallux]

23 minutes ago, 2+2 said:

I have heard that if you reserve for eight, and only seven show up, you are responsible for paying for the no show. I heard that once you are on board, you must cancel the extra seat within twenty-four hours to avoid this. Can this be confirmed.

For the ones with a cover charge - maybe.  For the ones that are a-la-carte - doubtful.  As I noted above - most or all of the tables are in even numbers, if you were to book for 8 online and change it to 7 on board you'd still be sat at an 8-top. 

 

I had first-hand experience here - I sailed solo on the Bliss with a couple (so 3 total), we booked Le Bistro for 4 and never bothered changing the reservation.  When we arrived at the restaurant, they asked if the 4th was coming later and we said there wasn't one we were told it wouldn't have mattered if we had changed the reservation as we would have gotten the same size table.

[2+2]

Looks like I may have answered my own question.