Dinning time’s available for higher category cabins and not for lower category’s ? Can this be true ?

[ccnel]

Ok, I don’t believe what happened, but I think there has to be a simple explanation.   We are NCL platinum cruisers and recently booked a 10 night cruise. At 125 days out I called and made 4  speciality dining reservations for a table for 2 - Great times, 7 or 730.  
We told another couple that we were going on this cruise, they are princess cruisers, and they decided to join us.  I called the platinum number to see if I could add them to our dinner reservations, from 2 to 4 people, we are 110 days out.  The time’s available for 4 people per the reservation assistant were much earlier or later than 630- 730. 5,530, 8,8:30, 9. She suggested that they call themselves and get a table for 2 at the same times as us and we can ask at the restaurant to combine tables when we arrive - I told our friends that. He went on line and was able to book tables for 4 for the exact times I had our reservations.  Even when I looked online I could not see the times open that he was seeing and that he was able to get.   I am in a balcony and he reserved an aft suite. 
 

Are dinning reservations allocated by cabin category’s?  Why couldn’t the platinum customer service rep not see what my friend was seeing online ?   Something fishy is going on … 
 

in any event, we now have tables for 4 at our preferred times for our cruse thanks to my first time NCL cruiser and not my platinum status.   I will cxl my existing reservations for others to snag.  Just confused as one of the nights is my DWs B day and I told the agent that and still, no help from the desk.  

[KeithJenner]

I don’t think you would have been able to

see these times as you already have a booking then.

 

The person you spoke to at NCL should have been able to see something (I would assume), so I can’t explain that, but it may explain why your friends could get a booking when you couldn’t see anything.

[RB9643]

 

That is a weird scenario, but as seasoned NCL cruiser, are you really that surprised that 2 different sources provided 2 different answers?  😄

 

 

[European_CruiseGirl]

Op you don’t see the times available as you already have a reservation for those times 😊 The system does not allow multiple bookings for the same time slot, so if you have already a booking at any of the restaurants on a certain day at a certain time the system does not let you book again for any restaurant at the same time frame. Usually it’s like 1,5-2 hours time slot that becomes unavailable before and after the reserved time (let's say you booked 7PM: the system calculates that you will spend eating at a restaurant around 1,5-2 hours -> this means that for the 7PM booking if you try to book a restaurant again for the same day it will only show times around 8:30-9PM or 5-5:30PM; in minimum 1,5-2 hours before/after the 7PM booking starts). What the NCL rep could have done is cancel your existing reservation and then book you a table for 4 for that time. S/he would have just needed to verigy in beforehand from somewhere else that there are indeed tables left. Looking just at your reservation s/he saw exactly what you did too. 
 

It is btw the same when booking shore excursions too. Once you book a shore excursion all excursions overlapping with the reserved one disappear and cannot be booked. Only if you cancel your shorex reservation can you again see the other shorex. 
 

Edited July 18, 2023 by European_CruiseGirl

[dexddd]

Who knows.  We had a DOS on Dawn years back.  Asked Virginia the concierge for Cagney's reservation and told none available.  Same day at lunch asked hostess told no problem.  When we went later that week venue 1/2 full. Feel free.

[ccnel]

Sounds like a very reasonable explanation, however, in playing around in the system, I can see, hour slots available, for a table of two, before and after my 7:30 time, So maybe the block is for an hour. Wish the agent was able to see the entire restaurants availability without my booking number filtering their view don't ya think ? -  And the cruise agent didn't realize ... Maybe an edit ability - would hate to cxl a reservation and then not be able to replace -  See, a simple explanation, nothing fishy at all ..... thank you ... 

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by ccnel