Manfredi’s and Chef’s Table Already full?

[The-Inside-Cabin]

My cruise on the Orion is in April and I was notified that I could make reservations at  Manfredi’s and Chef’s Table starting at 8 PM Pacific Time today, Feb 6th.   

 

I log onto my viking journey at 11 pm and discover that there are ZERO times available for any specialty restaurant any day of the 8 day cruise.  ( April 17-25)  We are in a Penthouse Veranda which gives us a jump on other categories, but I guess there are other categories above us.   

 

Does this sound right that every specialty restaurant would have zero available times 3 hours after my window opened?

 

This is our first Viking Cruise

 

Thanks

 

[SteelCity Cruiser]

I had made reservations for each evening in the Restaurant right away and had to cancel those reservations first to see what was available at the specialty restaurants when they opened for us (on a different cruise, but same system). 

 

[Eggtuary]

SteelCity beat me to it. My Viking Journey won’t let you schedule a conflict. But it only says “no time slots available” when you try, rather than letting you know that your scheduled time in The Restaurant is the real issue. Try canceling a Restaurant reservation for the date you want, and then watch as the specialty restaurants magically open up on that same date. 😊

[Heidi13]

We haven't booked a shorter cruise, but we never book meals before the cruise. We normally decide that day and check the cabin telly for options. Never failed to get a table at a reasonable time.

 

Have also just turned up and been fitted in without much of a wait.

[CILCIANRQTS]

For our April cruise, there was no usual “pecking order”, so it was open season on reservations.

Given low load factors, Viking’s tendency to hold back some reservations, and the inevitable change of plans that free up slots, you should be fine once on board.

[takemewithyou]

7 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

My cruise on the Orion is in April and I was notified that I could make reservations at  Manfredi’s and Chef’s Table starting at 8 PM Pacific Time today, Feb 6th.   

 

I log onto my viking journey at 11 pm and discover that there are ZERO times available for any specialty restaurant any day of the 8 day cruise.  ( April 17-25)  We are in a Penthouse Veranda which gives us a jump on other categories, but I guess there are other categories above us.   

 

Does this sound right that every specialty restaurant would have zero available times 3 hours after my window opened?

 

This is our first Viking Cruise

 

Thanks

 

I am on the same cruise with you.  Logged in Sunday at 8 or 9 am and there were some reservations then, but not many!  Many were only for 9 pm.  I did get a couple at reasonable times but not on my preferred day.  Also in PV.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

1 hour ago, Eggtuary said:

SteelCity beat me to it. My Viking Journey won’t let you schedule a conflict. But it only says “no time slots available” when you try, rather than letting you know that your scheduled time in The Restaurant is the real issue. Try canceling a Restaurant reservation for the date you want, and then watch as the specialty restaurants magically open up on that same date. 😊

I did make normal restaurant reservations, but i can't find any way to view them or to cancel them. 

 

I found it - its under calendar - I canceled one and now it reappears.....for 9pm.....

 

I canceled a different day and found one at 8:30 pm...

 

They should really explain this better and let you cancel rebook at the the same time.....and see all available reservation times at once

 

 

Edited February 7, 2022 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

I went on Viking live chat and the agent was able to see what was available and then tell me which days to cancel and rebook.     All done, but thanks to @Steel City cruiser and @Eggtuaryfor steering me in the right direction !

 

Now I guess the shore excursions remain a mystery

[JeriGail]

7 hours ago, SteelCity Cruiser said:

I had made reservations for each evening in the Restaurant right away and had to cancel those reservations first to see what was available at the specialty restaurants when they opened for us (on a different cruise, but same system). 

 

On our December cruise and all other recent cruises I've read about, The Restaurant reservations are wiped out once you board, so they seem to be unnecessary.  The only reason I can think of for Viking to suggest making reservations in The Restaurant is to help with social distancing.  Like many others have reported, it was easy to get reservations for most time slots once you board.

[Eggtuary]

1 minute ago, JeriGail said:

On our December cruise and all other recent cruises I've read about, The Restaurant reservations are wiped out once you board, so they seem to be unnecessary.  The only reason I can think of for Viking to suggest making reservations in The Restaurant is to help with social distancing.  Like many others have reported, it was easy to get reservations for most time slots once you board.

Wait, are you saying I will need to rebook all my reservations for The Restaurant when I board?  Bummer. Not the biggest problem, certainly, but odd. 

[JeriGail]

Just now, Eggtuary said:

Wait, are you saying I will need to rebook all my reservations for The Restaurant when I board?  Bummer. Not the biggest problem, certainly, but odd. 

Sorry if I wasn't clear.  Reservations were not needed at the Restaurant.  I dutifully tried to guess which days I'd want to go to the Restaurant and which days I'd go to Manfredi's or The Chef's Table, but when I boarded, I changed almost every reservation and did not need any reservations at the Restaurant.  It was never full.  If you came at opening time, you might need to wait a few minutes, but other than that, you could be seated right away.  It might be different with a full ship, but we only had 640 pax.  Our friends made a reservation for 4 at the Restaurant a couple of times, but that was just so we could be seated right away.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

59 minutes ago, JeriGail said:

Sorry if I wasn't clear.  Reservations were not needed at the Restaurant.  I dutifully tried to guess which days I'd want to go to the Restaurant and which days I'd go to Manfredi's or The Chef's Table, but when I boarded, I changed almost every reservation and did not need any reservations at the Restaurant.  It was never full.  If you came at opening time, you might need to wait a few minutes, but other than that, you could be seated right away.  It might be different with a full ship, but we only had 640 pax.  Our friends made a reservation for 4 at the Restaurant a couple of times, but that was just so we could be seated right away.

Were the specialties easy to get once onboard?    Appreciate your insight..    Was there an option to be seated with others?  We always like to meet new people.    

[Mich3554]

We just spent 54 days on the Jupiter, and about half our dinners we ate at either The Restaurant, Manfredi’s or The Chef’s Table.  We did not have a single reservation when we boarded.  Getting a reservation while onboard is not a problem.  We usually had no idea where we wanted to eat until we saw that day’s menu.

[Frenchberet]

We haven’t cruised since 2020 so trying to understand the new procedures.  We’re doing an expedition cruise so no Chef’s Table.  Can I book Manfredi’s first then do the Restaurant reservations?

[JeriGail]

57 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Were the specialties easy to get once onboard?    Appreciate your insight..    Was there an option to be seated with others?  We always like to meet new people.    

Yes, they were.  Viking allows 2 hours for each reservation, so the number of available reservations is artificially low.  Once people board, they change their reservations, so times open up.  The first night we ate at the restaurant and one of the crew came by to say that there were reservations at the Chef's Table and asked if anyone wanted to go!  A bunch of people followed him there.  The earliest and later times were a bit more available, but we never had issues when we wanted to eat at an alternative.  

[JeriGail]

18 minutes ago, Frenchberet said:

We haven’t cruised since 2020 so trying to understand the new procedures.  We’re doing an expedition cruise so no Chef’s Table.  Can I book Manfredi’s first then do the Restaurant reservations?

Sure.  I don't know the capacity on the expedition ships or how popular reservations will be onboard, but there's no reason you couldn't reserve Manfredi's first.

[claranda]

As first-timers on Viking, it all seems a bit weird to us. Our suite level gives us three reservations for each of the speciality restaurants, so when reservations opened I made the six bookings - for a seven night cruise! Like others, though, we’re going to want to make changes - I’m sure we’ll want to try the Restaurant more than once, and we will not fancy the British or American Chef’s Tables, plus I could only get 8pm timings and we’d like a couple at 7.30. If everyone’s doing it, it sounds chaotic! Maybe we’ll prop up the bar till the dust clears!

[Heidi13]

6 hours ago, JeriGail said:

Yes, they were.  Viking allows 2 hours for each reservation, so the number of available reservations is artificially low.  Once people board, they change their reservations, so times open up.  The first night we ate at the restaurant and one of the crew came by to say that there were reservations at the Chef's Table and asked if anyone wanted to go!  A bunch of people followed him there.  The earliest and later times were a bit more available, but we never had issues when we wanted to eat at an alternative.  

 

When the final 8 of us on Viking Sun did the Galley Tour, I believe the Chef mentioned each of Manfredis and Chefs Table can handle up to 120 pax per night. Therfore, almost 25% of pax on a full ship can eat in 1 of these restaurants, each evening. Note - pre-COVID.

[Twitchly]

10 hours ago, JeriGail said:

Sorry if I wasn't clear.  Reservations were not needed at the Restaurant.  I dutifully tried to guess which days I'd want to go to the Restaurant and which days I'd go to Manfredi's or The Chef's Table, but when I boarded, I changed almost every reservation and did not need any reservations at the Restaurant.  It was never full.  If you came at opening time, you might need to wait a few minutes, but other than that, you could be seated right away.  It might be different with a full ship, but we only had 640 pax.  Our friends made a reservation for 4 at the Restaurant a couple of times, but that was just so we could be seated right away.

When we cruised in 2018 on a full ship, there were occasional short waits for seating at the main restaurant. No biggie. No reservations back then, either, of course.

[lackcreativity]

20 hours ago, claranda said:

As first-timers on Viking, it all seems a bit weird to us. Our suite level gives us three reservations for each of the speciality restaurants, so when reservations opened I made the six bookings - for a seven night cruise! Like others, though, we’re going to want to make changes - I’m sure we’ll want to try the Restaurant more than once, and we will not fancy the British or American Chef’s Tables, plus I could only get 8pm timings and we’d like a couple at 7.30. If everyone’s doing it, it sounds chaotic! Maybe we’ll prop up the bar till the dust clears!

My comments are pre-covid, and from the perspective of a Veranda cabin, so no pre-cruise dining reservations for us at all. On each of our three cruises ( 11 -15 days), we were able to dine several times in each of the specialty restaurants by reserving once on board. Might not have been first choice of times/days we wanted, but we accept that when we book in a veranda cabin. We were not stuck eating at 9:00, so things are definitely pretty flexible once onboard, and usually change over the course of the cruise.

 

I suggest that you download the Viking App on your phone before leaving home, as that makes it easy to check, make, and change your reservations. Others swear by the system available on your TV in the cabin.

[Nonnie1975]

OK  I am a dummy!  I forgot and didn't make any reservations for the Main Restaurant.  No judging, I am already beating myself up.  So are my husband and I in deep doo-doo about eating at night time.  I am new at this.

[Heidi13]

14 minutes ago, Nonnie1975 said:

OK  I am a dummy!  I forgot and didn't make any reservations for the Main Restaurant.  No judging, I am already beating myself up.  So are my husband and I in deep doo-doo about eating at night time.  I am new at this.

 

Pre-COVID, no reservations were required for the MDR. Although they show in MVJ, many pax report that the ship doesn't even receive any reservations made (MDR). You will have no issue getting a table.

[Mich3554]

1 hour ago, Nonnie1975 said:

OK  I am a dummy!  I forgot and didn't make any reservations for the Main Restaurant.  No judging, I am already beating myself up.  So are my husband and I in deep doo-doo about eating at night time.  I am new at this.

Don’t worry about it.  If we wanted to eat in The Restaurant, we made reservations that day (very easy on the room TV) or we just showed up when we wanted to eat.  We spent 54 days on the Jupiter, ate where we wanted and never made reservations before the day we wanted to eat.

[Moonlion]

6 hours ago, Mich3554 said:

Don’t worry about it.  If we wanted to eat in The Restaurant, we made reservations that day (very easy on the room TV) or we just showed up when we wanted to eat.  We spent 54 days on the Jupiter, ate where we wanted and never made reservations before the day we wanted to eat.

Same with us on our January 24th Northern Lights cruise (Venus).  I made reservations for the Restaurant beforehand on MVJ but couldn't get times we wanted at Manfreddi's or Chefs Table. Once on board, we could show up at the Restaurant anytime we wanted and be seated.  It was easy to make reservations for the two specialty restaurants once onboard, even same day reservations. 

[eel]

On 2/7/2022 at 1:06 AM, The-Inside-Cabin said:

My cruise on the Orion is in April and I was notified that I could make reservations at  Manfredi’s and Chef’s Table starting at 8 PM Pacific Time today, Feb 6th.   

 

I log onto my viking journey at 11 pm and discover that there are ZERO times available for any specialty restaurant any day of the 8 day cruise.  ( April 17-25)  We are in a Penthouse Veranda which gives us a jump on other categories, but I guess there are other categories above us.   

 

Does this sound right that every specialty restaurant would have zero available times 3 hours after my window opened?

 

This is our first Viking Cruise

 

Thanks

 

 

On 2/7/2022 at 8:21 AM, takemewithyou said:

I am on the same cruise with you.  Logged in Sunday at 8 or 9 am and there were some reservations then, but not many!  Many were only for 9 pm.  I did get a couple at reasonable times but not on my preferred day.  Also in PV.

 

We are also on the same cruise!

I had an online chat session with customer service today and after doing some checking, she seemed to think that specialty dining had not really opened up yet for our sailing. I can see one reservation at Chef's Table  available at 9 PM so that seems odd. She said we should just book on board. So I asked how we do that and she really did not know! She suggested we just ask someone in the dining area. Not very specific! 

 

If anyone can suggest how we can book specialty dining on board, that would be appreciated.