struggle with dining last night

[Zesty Italian]

Did anyone else have problems with the dining reservations last night??  I logged on at 11:00 central and had to wait till 11:05 before dining would even come up.  Then every time I pushed the button, a box would tell me "because of dining restrictions you cannot book at this time".  I knew that was wrong and it would be followed by a 404 error message,  This went on for 20 mins. when suddenly, it would let me book.  Like others have mentioned, almost every open spot at all restaurants was 8:30 and 9 PM!  Jacque had only sharing available.  I took it just to have something.  Did anyone else have a problem not being able to get in to the site last night?  Here's my question for today:  I tried to go in to see if I could change Jacque reservation, but it only shows me the other 3 restaurants.  Even when I press the edit button for Jacque's, it shows me only the other 3.  What am I doing wrong?  Please note I made reservations 3 years ago with no problems so it's not that I don't know how it works.  Thanks for any help.

[LHT28]

sometimes it takes a minute or so after the magic hour  to get the  box to open

I usually wait until 1 minute  after  the hour to log in

now that the secret is out  several hundred people may be trying  to get their res at the same time

[clo]

13 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

sometimes it takes a minute or so after the magic hour  to get the  box to open

I usually wait until 1 minute  after  the hour to log in

now that the secret is out  several hundred people may be trying  to get their res at the same time

I was also advised to not be logged onto the site ahead of time.

[Paulchili]

Call Oceania to see if you can change your reservations.

What cat cabin are you in - that makes a difference in availability.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Yes- it's always best to wait until 1-2 minutes after your time slot opens. Do not log onto the O website until that 1-2 minute buffer has passed.

Depending on itinerary and cabin level, "table for 2" in prime time, particularly on sea days, may all be gone.

Book "sharing" where there's always more flexibility. 

If you happen to be on an "extended journey" (multiple segment cruise), there are some rare occasions when your start date does not get "opened." Call Oceania.

On long or multi-segment cruises, attempts to book reservations bunched up in one segment and/or not otherwise spread out may get rejected.

Also occasionally, you may need to close out of the website and your browser and then re-enter  to get the scheduler to function correctly (e.g., change a reservation). 

You can always try to move things around once onboard. But, short cruises are often the hardest to get extra daily reservations, particularly for non-sharing.

 

Edited February 15, 2020 by Flatbush Flyer

[YoHoHo]

43 minutes ago, Zesty Italian said:

Did anyone else have problems with the dining reservations last night??  I logged on at 11:00 central and had to wait till 11:05 before dining would even come up.  Then every time I pushed the button, a box would tell me "because of dining restrictions you cannot book at this time".  I knew that was wrong and it would be followed by a 404 error message,  This went on for 20 mins. when suddenly, it would let me book.  Like others have mentioned, almost every open spot at all restaurants was 8:30 and 9 PM!  Jacque had only sharing available.  I took it just to have something.  Did anyone else have a problem not being able to get in to the site last night?  Here's my question for today:  I tried to go in to see if I could change Jacque reservation, but it only shows me the other 3 restaurants.  Even when I press the edit button for Jacque's, it shows me only the other 3.  What am I doing wrong?  Please note I made reservations 3 years ago with no problems so it's not that I don't know how it works.  Thanks for any help.

I was logged in ahead of time looking at some things. Was idle for a while. At just after midnight EST I tried selecting the dining tab and was kicked back to login. Maybe because I was idle too long. In any case, not a big deal.

 

Logged back in and was able to complete and booking was surprisingly easy this time. It all worked as it is supposed to. I was able to select the venue, sharing or not sharing and see the days available in the calendar. THAT was the only confusing bit. Some days had nothing noted - just a blank square.That was because nothing was available at all for the selected sharing/not sharing choice.  When I change the criteria to sharing then there was the green button to see the available times on that date.

 

Unlike you, after I had booked I was able to go back and re-select choices to see if there was something different we would prefer.

 

So no, I did not have any trouble last night. That said, this was the first time it has worked that smoothly for me. I have had the same problem you describe with a venue no longer selectable after making a choice.  Sorry, I dont recall how I got around that when it happened before. Likely did my usual to restart the the browser and cleared the cache (temp files). I usually use Firefox on a PC. And when having trouble as you are describing will sometimes switch to my rarely used Chrome. I only use Chrome for my employment (we use gmail as our MSP and it seemed to me for a while the googley folks put in some updates that caused memory leaks in FF so it would freeze up. So work=chrome, the rest of my life=FF) . Because it is "clean" with little history, cache, extensions, etc it might work w/o having to clean up FF. And vice versa, actually .

 

Sorry you had such trouble. I know it can be frustrating to have that anticipation dashed when fighting with website issues at the stroke of midnight only to find the only available time slots to start dinner are for when you would rather to be heading off for the show.

 

At Jacques and Toscano we prefer a table for two as we like to order a bit of this to share and one of that. Most of the time the wait staff handle it perfectly so even at a shared table it does not cause much delay for the others but we'd like to avoid a potential problem all together. Red Ginger we enjoy a 6 top, even 8 as there can be lots of conversation about unfamiliar dishes and that leads to travel stories.... We have mixed feelings toward Polo so sharing a table and conversation with new folks is a big part of the evening.

 

For "2 alone" there was only one 8:30 and the rest were all 9:00 as you had too. So we took earlier times and will share, and possibly arrive late for the show. And if we are then that means it was a good evening.

 

Bear in mind they hold back some time slots for booking on board availability, both for those who did not get it done ahead of time and to accommodate the top suites last minute requests. So maybe do as Paulchili suggested and simplify this for yourself and call O to book them for you. (and hopefully it is noted that you have to phone and the CSRs time was used due to a website issue) . Then once on board see if you can move them around to more agreeable times.

[Zesty Italian]

Thank you for the kind replies.  I did know it wouldn't open till 12:01 or so, but not that I couldn't be logged in to the website at all.  I did try to back out several times as suggested and it finally worked 20 mins. later.  We are on a 15 day TA in a B3 so I knew we were in the last time to book.  I just never had a problem with all the error messages.  Today I just can't figure out why Jacques won't come up even when I push my edit that reservation button.  I tried to call last night, but of course it was after their hours.  I called on our last cruise and he was not helpful so had to book an 8:30 on board.  I will try to change things onboard as suggested.  Just wondered about not seeing Jacques on the screen as I would keep an eye for openings etc.

[LHT28]

5 minutes ago, Zesty Italian said:

We are on a 15 day TA in a B3 so I knew we were in the last time to book.  I just never had a problem with all the error messages.  Today I just can't figure out why Jacques won't come up even when I push my edit that reservation button.  I tried to call last night, but of course it was after their hours.  I called on our last cruise and he was not helpful so had to book an 8:30 on board.  I will try to change things onboard as suggested.  Just wondered about not seeing Jacques on the screen as I would keep an eye for openings etc.

Have you tried calling  O today  to see if someone can look at what is open besides 8:30 pm?

a lot of people like Jacques  so very hard to get in & then there are those from the main stream lines that think only the specialties have good food  so will not eat in the GDR

Worse case  just ask  once you are onboard  if any other night/times are open

[Roccaforte]

On our last cruise on an R ship one night at Polo was completely blocked even though we were in a PH.  Turns out it was reserved for a group.  Fortunately only the one night was unavailable.  I try to sign on at one or two minutes after midnight EDT.  Has worked fine.  Once on board we try to book an extra specialty.  We’ve had to share but that’s been fun.  Hope you’re able to get the reservations you want.  We just can’t eat dinner at 8:30 or 9:00 any more.  Besides you miss the show😫

[Zesty Italian]

No kidding about eating at 9!  We eat at home at 5 so even 6:30 is late to us.  Last time on Oceania we could only get 8:30 for Jacques once onboard even after calling and it was my bday 😞  I will try calling, but has anyone else ever had Jacques not come up on screen when the other 3 do?  It won't even let me edit my existing for Jacque's.

[retafcruiser]

1 hour ago, Zesty Italian said:

No kidding about eating at 9!  We eat at home at 5 so even 6:30 is late to us.  Last time on Oceania we could only get 8:30 for Jacques once onboard even after calling and it was my bday 😞  I will try calling, but has anyone else ever had Jacques not come up on screen when the other 3 do?  It won't even let me edit my existing for Jacque's.

Yes. When a restaurant does not show up on screen it indicates no reservations are available. If you click on sharing a table, it will probably show up (unless it is really fully booked).

[Paulchili]

4 hours ago, Zesty Italian said:

I called on our last cruise and he was not helpful so had to book an 8:30 on board.

On another board they have a suggestion for a problem like this - HUACA - Hang Up And Call Again. Maybe speaking to a different rep might Have a different outcome - nothing lost by trying.

Edited February 16, 2020 by Paulchili

[Zesty Italian]

Thanks Retafcruiser.  I guess it is fully booked as I checked share table also.  Shouldn't it show Jacque's when I hit edit though?  What if I wanted to cancel?  Have never done that, but would guess it's under edit?

I forgot to say thank you to YoHoHo before for the suggestion of using Chrome to open.  I do forget to do that.  Tried and it didn't solve this problem, but it is worth remembering.  My husband always says to call and talk to another rep so we'll try again.

[cruisingxpert]

13 hours ago, Zesty Italian said:

 

I forgot to say thank you to YoHoHo before for the suggestion of using Chrome to open.  I do forget to do that.  Tried and it didn't solve this problem, but it is worth remembering.  My husband always says to call and talk to another rep so we'll try again.

By the way, you can thank YoHoHo in person if you join the Roll Call and come to our Meet and Greet.  You are both on the same cruise.😊

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2533561-miami-to-rome-march-31-2020/

 

[Zesty Italian]

Thank you for the invite.  Will talk to my husband.

I did find something that maybe useful to another about the dining site.  When I look up Jacque's and press the dine alone button, it does not show Jacques rather just the other 3 restaurants.  If I then push "share table" the same thing happens.  But, if I originally push the share button without trying dine alone first, Jacque's does come up and shows a few tables to share.  

[PaulMCO]

Oceania does maintenance on their web site on the weekend,  So it is hit/miss whether functions work.

[Zesty Italian]

Thanks for that info.

[Redtravel]

Sadly, getting a specific date can be a problem.  Last summer, we celebrated our 50th anniversary.  We were not on Oceania.  We requested a reservation for table for 2 in a specialty restaurant.  We called. TA called. Response was we had to wait until embarkation. Told it was not a problem.  When we embarked, we asked again. Told that our date was already full. We were upset. We did eventually get a reservation. However, we had to share with another couple. That couple was horrible. We would have had a better time eating at the buffet. Next time we want to be alone, it will be room service. Cruise line was aware of our anniversary. They decorated our cabin while we were at breakfast. 

[Paulchili]

6 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

Sadly, getting a specific date can be a problem.  Last summer, we celebrated our 50th anniversary.  We were not on Oceania

I am sorry to hear about this but how is this pertinent to Oceania?

Granted, you may not find a table for 2 on your special day when booking online but I bet they will accommodate you on-board when you explain your situation (or when you call an Oceania rep when making reservations and explain your situation).

They always save some reservations in all restaurants for those that are not able to do it online ahead of time.

I would be very surprised if they refused to accommodate you on Oceania.

Edited February 18, 2020 by Paulchili

[Mura]

The passenger information form specifically asks for any special dates that may come up on your cruise: anniversaries, birthdays, etc.  Has that been filled out?

 

A couple of years ago I had a birthday on board and we had a lovely dinner with 3 couples from our Roll Call.  (I know that roll calls are diminished these days but they can be a good way to meet people who are on your cruise.)  The ship gave us a lovely cake for dessert.

 

A couple of years earlier we had shared a table with two other couples -- all of us musicians, which was an unexpected treat.  The birthday girl and her bridegroom -- they were also newlyweds -- had ordered a cake which was particularly delicious.  Saved the rest of us from having to choose a dessert ...

 

Even if you want a private table just for the two of you, I'd think that could be arranged ... just guessing since we avoid two-tops when we can!  We have two-tops at home so don't look for them on our vacations.

 

As Paul says, since most passengers do NOT book anything online, reservations are saved.  Just because they system says everything is sold out, that is not the case.  They leave room for those who are NOT booking online.  Try again the day you board and you may be surprised.

 

Can you imagine the howls of outrage if all tables were taken just by people who book online????

 

 

 

 

[Zesty Italian]

They did know it was my bday as I had a card from them.  We did try to talk to Oceania once onboard about the struggle to get a reservation and it did not make a difference.  They would only give us the 8:30 time.  My husband had talked to Jacque's to tell them it was my bday.  They had a lovely cake and sang which turned out to be amusing as it said Happy Birthday David and that's who they sang to!!  My husband felt so badly.  They quickly apologized and took the cake back to correct it.  By the time it was brought to our cabin, we went to bed.  So I guess I have to disagree that Oceania will help if spoken to.  We tried several times.  I agree with the person who said they had a horrible time sharing a table.  For our first 4 cruises, it went from bad to worse.  When we realized we could get a table for our family if we asked early, we always did.  Worked out great.  We had one family from another country that showed up very late for every meal, and spoke in another language even when we tried to be friendly.  Interestingly, they spoke English when asking for wine or ordering food.  We tried to get our orders taken several times only to be told they had to wait for the other family who may or may not come to dinner.  I put up with that for a couple of days and said we would NOT wait again.  So we will see what our table mates will be like for Jacque's on this cruise.  Unless, we're lucky enough to find an opening onboard.

[LHT28]

41 minutes ago, Zesty Italian said:

I agree with the person who said they had a horrible time sharing a table.  For our first 4 cruises, it went from bad to worse.  When we realized we could get a table for our family if we asked early, we always did.  Worked out great.  We had one family from another country that showed up very late for every meal, and spoke in another language even when we tried to be friendly.

I am confused

Was this other family part of your group ?

Was this on another cruise line?

 If you are sharing a table in the specialties  &  the others do not show up within 20 mins we ask to be served

 

[Zesty Italian]

Sorry for the confusion.  I was responding to the last 3 posters and probably shouldn't have combined my thoughts.  Yes, it was on several other lines before Oceania when we didn't have a private table.  We routinely waited at least 20 mins. and the waiters wouldn't serve us till the other family showed.  I realize it was hard on them to be out of sink, but we weren't responsible for that family being at our table and never even knew if they were coming.  For our knowledge, is there a certain amount of time on Oceania to wait for others?  I think it's rude not to be on time, so waiting 20 mins. is longer than I want.

[LHT28]

15 minutes ago, Zesty Italian said:

 For our knowledge, is there a certain amount of time on Oceania to wait for others?  I think it's rude not to be on time, so waiting 20 mins. is longer than I want.

Usually for the Specialties  they give people  15 mins leeway from the set time of your reservation

We will wait 20 mins  then ask to be served

If the people do finally turn up  the Maitre'd can seat them elsewhere

I find it rude not to call & let the specialty restaurant manager know you will not be there  when you have a specific time  for your reservation

 

GDR  it is open dining  so if sharing we wait 15 min to see if they seat others  ..if no one is seated we just ask to be served & the waiter removes  the other place settings

 

[Mura]

Our experience -- limited to GDR considerations -- is that we have fairly often asked to share a table but when there weren't others there in a very short time who also wanted to share, we ended up at a two-top.  On very rare occasions, they did seat us at a larger table but when no one showed up they removed the other place settings.  It was made clear to us that at least in the GDR they do NOT want people waiting for others for an inordinate time.  And I had the feeling that 10 minutes was considered inordinate.

 

I wasn't aware of the system in the specialties about wait times for others because we've never had a situation when we had to wait for table mates.  The last time we were at a sharing table in a specialty (last cruise) we all arrived at the same time.  We literally checked in in back of the two other couples.  That was one of our favorite all-time meals on O.  Of course, on that same cruise we had showed up for our 7:30 reservation in Polo and were told that we were supposed to be there at 6:30 ... except that everything we had in print said our reservation was at 7:30.  Too bad the restaurant didn't know that!  I asked if the other couple had been inconvenienced, and they told me "no".  I have no idea if that was the case, of course.

 

Mura