Seaside YC- Need to Arrive early for Specialty Dining Reservations ?

[Luckybee]

Haven't sailed MSC before. We're booked for May on the Seaside in the YC .  We understand there is no way to book dining in advance 😞 We plan on arriving in Mia the night before and staying at one of the Amex Fine Hotels where we wont have to checkout until 4 pm. I'd prefer to wait until 3ish to check in for the cruise when we can walk right on and go directly to our suite. Dh and I are planning to book at least 3 nights in the specialty restaurants (but not the package as we prefer to be able to choose from the full menu's). The only reason for us to arrive earlier would be if we need to do so to get the days and specific times we desire for dining. Will we need to get there early to do so ? (which may change our hotel plans as it will be a waste to book say the 4S if we dont have any time to enjoy it pre cruise). If we wait until later do the pickings tend to get slimmer ? Does being in the Royal Suite in the YC get us any kind of priority for booking dinners?

[Hobby3333]

I have been on the Seaside in YC two years in a row and will be again in July.  I get to the port about 10:45 and in the YC embarkation lounge by 11:00.  I have not had to wait for any length of time.  If I were to wait until 3 I will have missed lunch, couple of glasses of champagne and my meeting with our butler.   

Edited January 20, 2020 by Hobby3333
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[Luckybee]

Thanks

 

I get that one can board earlier but what I'd like to know is if we choose to board later will we have any difficulty getting the days and times we want for specialty restaurants ?

And if we do board earlier , like you do, are we able to go directly to the suite or do we have to wait until the afternoon for that ?

I dont really care if we miss lunch, or champagne, but are you also saying that the butler won't come to see us if we board later?

Edited January 20, 2020 by Luckybee

[Hobby3333]

The butler will come see you.   No worry.  My suite was ready both times.   If you prefer to board later, no problem.

[Até]

As mentioned embarkation is never really a problem when in Yacht Club, but if you don't want to embark early I still don't think specialty dinner restaurant reservations later in the afternoon will be a problem.  By the first evening/second day some of the prime times may start getting full so if you think you will want a specific time I suggest buying the dining package.  Even if you want to order off the a la' carte section of the menu doing so with the dining experience package usually still comes out cheaper as you get 50% off the a la' carte menu items when using your dining package.  The package usually costs about $26 per meal, so look at the a la' carte menu item's prices and see if the 50% off saves you money.  Additionally with the package you can make specific reservation times online before the cruise so you can board later with no worries of getting your desired dining times.  This assumes you want to try each of the specialty restaurants.  I usually do not purchase a specialty dining package when booked in the YC, but do when booked in a regular cabin.  The YC food is usually pretty good and the specialty restaurant food is only a small step above YC, but a more significant step above the MDR's.  So I reserve the specialty dining for regular cabin sailings.  If you only want to try one or maybe two specialty restaurants and don't really have a specific day or time required then I'd be pretty confident the concierge can get you in last minute, e.g. with a days notice.  Tepannyaki is usually fairly easy to get into and the dining package would help none for that.

[George C]

We were on seaside about 2 months ago arrived about 11am waited in a lounge for about 90 mins before we got escorted to YC , lounge had wine and beer and snacks, was told by others wait was normally shorter. Had no problem booking specialty which are next to YC . 

[grandgeezer]

We were on the Seaside, in October and ate at the Butchers Cut once each week. Both times it was a spur of the moment decisions. Both times, about 6pm, we walked in and was seated right away. In fact, there couldn't have been more than ten people in there when we left. I can't speak of the other specialty restaurants.

[Two Wheels Only]

We were in the RS on Seaside but even if we weren't, booking specialty dining reservations were not a problem. The concierge will handle it. 

 

There was a wait for Teppanyaki only because the prior group ran long because it was a birthday celebration but other than that, we were seated as soon as we arrived. We had Ocean Cay completely to ourselves. 

[CruisingFox27]

In our experience you do not need to book the speciality restaurants immediately after embarking. We made our reservations the evening before we wished to dine and had plenty of options for our reservation time. I wouldn't see any need for you amend your plans just to ensure a reservation. I've not experienced anything to suggest YC have any priority for booking. 

Just ask the concierge to make your reservations after your arrival.