Marina restaurant reservations

[zoncom]

On 24 night in May. Can I book as many specialty res as I wish. Or is it limited?

[LHT28]

https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005477653-How-many-dining-reservations-am-I-allowed-in-each-specialty-restaurant-

[1985rz1]

1 hour ago, zoncom said:

On 24 night in May. Can I book as many specialty res as I wish. Or is it limited?

Limited by ship type, cabin category, and length of cruise.  See LHT28's post (above, #2) for the specific rules.

Edited March 21, 2022 by 1985rz1

[ronrick1943]

As they say limited, but you can always check once on the ship each day to get additional nights, they seem to free up during the cruise.

[CintiPam]

Also there is more availability to book during the cruise if you are willing to share a table with others and also dine later in the evening.

[Hawaiidan]

On 3/21/2022 at 9:37 AM, zoncom said:

On 24 night in May. Can I book as many specialty res as I wish. Or is it limited?

 only  what is given for you cabin class pre cruise.   Once on board you can book unlimited reservations day by day...   Be willing to share and be flexible...  There will be lots of openings.    However  do not sell the main dining room or terrace short 

  We found that both are just as good .   It aint like the "other lines where they are lower quality to steer you to pay extra  for special dinners.........Not this Ship !!!

[welshfamily]

I think  you have to be realistic as each cruise can differ depending on the ports and passengers on board. If the majority of the ship are European the early slots are usually open however Americans seem to like to eat early, as do we.

We have been in a penthouse and only got one extra and in a disabled ocean view and had plenty of extra choices. On the Marina there are 4 therefore you will get to try all of them.  In the Med on a hot evening it takes a lot to beat the Terrace ( again depending on the port views etc.) 

I think Hawaiian might travel in a named  suite to get as many as he likes,( or just lucky) which is fine by me as those suites are pricy.

[mauibabes]

@zoncom

you did not say what ship you are on for your 24 day voyage nor itinerary. I think all the responses are accurate based on our experiences since October 2021as we sailed for 46 days on Riviera and just got off Marina last week before her TA. 
if passenger loads stay in the 60-80% range, you will be able to dine in a Specialty restaurant with some regularity just by checking in with the Reservation desk or at the individual restaurants. Any comments Pre Pandemic are no longer valid, just “used to be”. IF you are in a PH or higher, I can assure you that your Butler will take care of your desires, especially if they understand their extra gratuity is riding on it.  Remember, in a PH your dinner room service, course by course, is from a Specialty restaurant so depending on where you want to eat, restaurant or stateroom, every night is possible. My wife loves Jacques chicken in the GDR so we always dine there when we need a break from the Specialty dining menus. 

ALL THE RESTAURANT VENUES CAN BE GREAT.  

Enjoy your cruise and 24 days is a great length, IMHO. 

Mauibabes

[Redtravel]

Before pandemic, we often shared tables. Never had problem getting reservations.  That was until the pandemic.  For our January cruise, when I went online to reserve, I wanted only table for 2.  Getting a table for 2 at an acceptable time was not available.  I got 2 early and 2 late reservations.  It wasn’t great, but it was ok.  I kept checking and eventually did get the times that I wanted.  That was likely due to people who canceled that cruise because of the surge in Omicron cases.  Eventually we also canceled too.  

[Mura]

You brought up something that had not occurred to me before.  We usually like to share tables, but clearly in this climate that is probably not advisable.  We are happy with late reservations, so that wouldn't be a problem.  Then again, the GDR has had large tables suitable for 8 people that probably with social distancing would work for 4 ... assuming they want to accommodate passengers in this way.

 

It probably doesn't matter (regarding us) since we don't intend to travel until Covid is even more reduced.

 

Mura

[Host Jazzbeau]

Jan. 14-28 Riviera was our first cruise on an O-class ship, so I can't compare to pre-Covid.  All the restaurants (GDR and specialties) seemed to have lots of 2-tops.  We were able to secure reservations at all 4 specialties for 7:30 (on the morning that reservations opened for PH), and our Butler was able to get us another set also at 7:30.  Arriving at the GDR at that time was also never a problem.  [I don't know if that's considered an easy time, but since the 6:30 diners aren't finished yet I assume it's a tough time?  We were prepared to wait, but it never came up.]

[Redtravel]

16 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Jan. 14-28 Riviera was our first cruise on an O-class ship, so I can't compare to pre-Covid.  All the restaurants (GDR and specialties) seemed to have lots of 2-tops.  We were able to secure reservations at all 4 specialties for 7:30 (on the morning that reservations opened for PH), and our Butler was able to get us another set also at 7:30.  Arriving at the GDR at that time was also never a problem.  [I don't know if that's considered an easy time, but since the 6:30 diners aren't finished yet I assume it's a tough time?  We were prepared to wait, but it never came up.]

That cruise wasn’t typical of most O cruises. We were supposed to be on that cruise, but canceled.  Lots of people canceled.   We gave up several reservations for restaurants. If you are on a full O sailing, getting restaurant reservations can be tricky.  I always go online at midnight on the date that reservations are open.  Even then, I don’t always get my first choice.  I get all the allowed bookings and try to change them later.  Often, once onboard there are more times available.  

[Rob the Cruiser]

We've had great results in getting additional reservations for a table for two on shore days. Getting additional reservations on sea days was a challenge. 

Edited March 26, 2022 by Rob the Cruiser

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Here's what you may see when you sign in to make reservations online.  But I'm in the group that books later than those in Concierge and suites, so I book 45 days prior to cruise.   And I'm on a two week cruise on one of the smaller ships (Sirena) so there are only 2 specialty restaurants to book, and only 1 reservation for each, given my room category (NOT Concierge/suite) and number of cruise days (or (nights?)  You will first be asked to choose if you want to dine alone or share a table, which varies from a 4 seater to maybe 6 or 8.  Then you select which restaurant you want to look at, and this calendar pops up.  Just keep in mind that this is an example, with a date I chose at random, for my not-full cruise.  You will likely NOT find all these choices open for each day.  But I just thought I'd post to give you an idea of when slots are available if you book as early as you can and don't have your heart set on not sharing a table on a sea day at 7 PM!!  The date you can book will be included on your invoice and also under the "My Account" section on the website. Since we always choose lower priced rooms, we must wait until 45 days out.  But I go on the website at midnight on the night before our stated booking date and book right at 12:01 AM to get good choices of dining dates/times.  It's hard to get our choice of times on sea days, and hard to get dine alone slots at our preferred times,   This time I did better than usual, though.  

 

Edited March 26, 2022 by IWantToLiveOverTheSea

[pinotlover]

Here’s a few numbers, given to me by one of the ship officers, that apply either pre or post Covid. Whether it’s an O ship or the smaller R ship, the dining capacities of the Specialties is designed to be about 40% of the ship’s maximum capacity. Therefore, on the Marina, with a capacity of just shy of 1200, the nightly capacity of those four restaurants in total with a full staff is 450ish+ . 
 

With this in mind, those that sailed on cruises that were poorly sold, 400-700 passengers, had lots of opportunities to eat in the Specialties. As cruisers return, which they must for the Lines to survive, the odds change. If 1000 people are vying for that reservation, unless in a top suite, the odds are different than if only 500 are. Simple enough. Expectations and experiences of those sailing on near empty ships will soon be more outdated than those sailing pre Covid.

 

The overall numbers supplied for normal nightly evening dining on near full capacity ships were approximately: Specialties-40%, GDR/Terrace- 40%, En-suite/Room Service/ Non diners 20%.
 

One may be surprised, as I was, with the non dining category inclusion, but I was told some insisted upon eating early and that Afternoon Tea (4:00-5:00) was their evening meal. They would often have a larger lunch and then the Tea for dinner. Others wanting to eat early often did so by room service with service between 4:30 and 5:30 being the most popular , and busiest for room service staff. On some cruises this number can approach 25% of the passengers.

 

 

[Pizzasteve]

Minor note, we accepted a shared table late to get another Tuscan dinner, but were seated at a 2 top when we ate, so a shared table isnt always shared.  Our only other shared was a large 4 top.  Great couple to dine with.

 

With some planning, over a 10 night cruise we had 7 specialty meals, and only one night we didnt get one we wanted, trying at about 3pm, when they open resv at 8am.

 

Main dining dished were interesting and excellent, a few of our favorites, though they offered a bit less choice.

Edited March 29, 2022 by Pizzasteve