QM2 Britannia - Waitlist for 2nd seating, or go with open seating?

[IDLnyc]

We'll be sailing on the 2023 Christmas cruise on the QM2 - we have a Britannia cabin.  At booking, we requested a table for two at 2nd seating.  I just checked "My Cunard" and our dining request is listed as a "...preference.  It will be confirmed once you are on board".  First seating and open dining are marked "Available". 

This is the first time our dining preference has not been confirmed prior to embarkation (though usually we've requested 1st seating).  We've also always been assigned our desired table for two, though we sometimes have to re-request it from the maitre d' on embarkation day.  We are Platinum and on this trip, in a mid-level Britannia category (neither highest or lowest).

Here are my questions:

1) What are the odds that our 2nd seating/table for 2 will be "confirmed once we are on board"?  Or is that code for "your desired option is unavailable:  we'll tell you what is available in person."

2) if those odds aren't good, are we better off requesting "open seating" now?  On a holiday cruise, it might be nice to have the flexibility to dine early or late. And I just received an email, that people on open seating can start reserving their holiday dinner times now.  But that strategy wouldn't be preferable if it would expose us to lengthy queues, or reduce the odds of getting our preferred table size.

 

Thanks for your time and advice.....

Edited November 22, 2023 by IDLnyc

[foodsvcmgr]

First I would attempt to telephone Cunard and see if this can be resolved in advance.

If not I would leave the waitlist stand as there may be some in fixed dining who will wish to change to open once aboard, clearing a space for you.

There are probably some tables held in fixed for last minute assignments by the maitre d’ as well, so as long as the waitlist is not extensive you will likely get your request.

[bluemarble]

@IDLnyc, my first question (which may be the same as yours), is are you actually waitlisted for second seating?

 

I'm wondering if anyone in the US actually gets a confirmed dining assignment anymore. I'm also in the US and have two upcoming bookings. One is on QM2 in 2024 where I requested "Early Dining" and the other is on QA in 2025 where I requested "Open Dining". Both of my bookings simply indicate I have registered my preference and "This will not be confirmed until you are on board". And in both cases the other two alternatives I haven't selected are listed as "Available".

 

Now my booking on QM2 was made under the terms of the low-fare "Independence Day Sale" which might mean I can only specify a preference for my dining arrangements. I'm not sure about that. But my booking on QA was done during the "Upgrades on Us" promotion not that long after bookings opened. I would have thought I'd have a confirmed dining choice on that QA booking.

 

So I guess my question for anyone with a US booking is, are you actually seeing your dining choice listed as "confirmed" in My Cunard or simply as a "preference"?

[Millieloulou]

Why did Cunard have to change things? I am sure everyone was quite happy with two sittings? We also have a similar problem with dining , we’re on the same cruise.Had first booked the late dining , but with reading comments about how slow the service can be ,changed it to open dining.Don’t really want to start eating passed 9pm.Have booked the “holiday celebrates” nights to join another table, just hope it all turns out well.

[Victoria2]

12 minutes ago, Millieloulou said:

Why did Cunard have to change things? I am sure everyone was quite happy with two sittings? We also have a similar problem with dining , we’re on the same cruise.Had first booked the late dining , but with reading comments about how slow the service can be ,changed it to open dining.Don’t really want to start eating passed 9pm.Have booked the “holiday celebrates” nights to join another table, just hope it all turns out well.

Right or wrong, my thoughts are it's to bring Cunard Dining more in line with other cruise lines which have an open dining option.

I know folk who are delighted with it so as usual. can't please all the folk all the time.

I had a chat with a senior member of staff before Covid and I asked if open dining would ever come to Cunard. The reply four years ago, was 'never say never' and  maybe I'm reading too much into that but my thoughts are it's been in the pipeline for a while.

[Millieloulou]

But QM2 is not a cruise ship, that is what makes her so different from the rest.Keep her iconic !

[BouncingWheel]

Open dining works very well on QM2 due to one floor being fixed and the other open dining. It starts that way but because they are connected it is very fluid and I have come across fixed diners in the open section and I have been seated in the fixed section if I arrived just after the cut off point for them and they didn’t show so they fill up the tables that way.

Edited November 23, 2023 by BouncingWheel

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, Millieloulou said:

But QM2 is not a cruise ship, that is what makes her so different from the rest.Keep her iconic !

No, she's not but her guests come from all directions, including other cruise lines which do offer any time dining.

Keeping up with the trends, and bear in mind open dining is popular with many guests, might mean Cunard will have more chance filling its ships in the future.

[foodsvcmgr]

My booking receipt made 29 August for next September on QV shows - Second Sitting Confirmed.

Not sure why Cunard would stop confirming, based on availability and fare type rules.

HAL and Celebrity continue to confirm early, late, or open at time of booking.

[foodsvcmgr]

Bluemarble - I just checked the Personaliser and as you say it states my previous preference (late, table for 2) and will only be confirmed on board.

I will certainly have my booking receipt paperwork in hand after boarding but I hope what was never an issue does not suddenly become a major struggle or confrontation.

Needless if it does.

Will be curious to hear of experience of those sailing in next few months.

[rsquare]

18 hours ago, bluemarble said:

So I guess my question for anyone with a US booking is, are you actually seeing your dining choice listed as "confirmed" in My Cunard or simply as a "preference"?

"This will not be confirmed until you are on board" for M435 Northern Lights and for M436 Westbound TA, both November 2024, both other alternatives "available.".  Second sitting, table for 6 requested in each case,  I'm Diamond, my travelling companion is new to Cunard.

 

Since we're a year out from these voyages, it is unlikely that second sitting has already filled up.  I think they are trying to retain as much wiggle room as possible. 

 

I'd be interested if anyone on either voyage who selected either first sitting or open seating was told that second sitting is available.

 

It could also be the table for 6 request that is creating the problem, although I've been requesting and getting that for over a decade now.

[Bell Boy]

3 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

No, she's not but her guests come from all directions, including other cruise lines which do offer any time dining.

Keeping up with the trends, and bear in mind open dining is popular with many guests, might mean Cunard will have more chance filling its ships in the future.

Trends , not too sure of that, as Fixed Dining, in other words a dedicated table that one can walk straight to and a friendly crew member who may often welcome you by name  has proved to be still popular in the Britannia category    (my observations and feedback from some MD's ) Your experience of  an 'open dining time in the Grills' is completely different from below decks , ie not being asked 'occasionally' to come back in half an hour or so , or the bother of that blessed booking App .   

[exlondoner]

As I have recently demonstrated, my memory is not as good as I thought. But, several times over the years, the Voyage Personaliser has shown our dining room booking for QG, as ‘Table for 2, requested not confirmed’.  I’ve never given this a thought, and, of course, we have always had a table for two. But I wonder if what the VP says means anything much at all.

[Victoria2]

13 minutes ago, Bell Boy said:

Trends , not too sure of that, as Fixed Dining, in other words a dedicated table that one can walk straight to and a friendly crew member who may often welcome you by name  has proved to be still popular in the Britannia category    (my observations and feedback from some MD's ) Your experience of  an 'open dining time in the Grills' is completely different from below decks , ie not being asked 'occasionally' to come back in half an hour or so , or the bother of that blessed booking App .   

Trends as in dining styles from other cruise lines have proven popular and although it's very true I'm used to it 'up in the Gods' as opposed to your 'below decks' 😄, a sample, and it is only very small I grant you, of comments on this board show it's welcomed by some.

I have friends who book anytime dining and if the relatively new concept on Cunard, along with the existing dress advisories encourage newbies, then I'm sure the Carnival bean counters will be happy bunnies.

 

Edited November 23, 2023 by Victoria2

[bluemarble]

41 minutes ago, foodsvcmgr said:

My booking receipt made 29 August for next September on QV shows - Second Sitting Confirmed.

Not sure why Cunard would stop confirming, based on availability and fare type rules.

HAL and Celebrity continue to confirm early, late, or open at time of booking.

 

11 minutes ago, foodsvcmgr said:

Bluemarble - I just checked the Personaliser and as you say it states my previous preference (late, table for 2) and will only be confirmed on board.

I will certainly have my booking receipt paperwork in hand after boarding but I hope what was never an issue does not suddenly become a major struggle or confrontation.

Needless if it does.

Will be curious to hear of experience of those sailing in next few months.

 

Thank you for that follow-up. I don't receive the Booking Confirmation documents from Cunard unless I ask for them from my travel agent, so I don't have those for either of my current Cunard bookings to see what they say about our dining arrangements. I usually ask for those closer to sailing once I've applied for the Shareholder Benefit to confirm the OBC for that.

 

I suppose the Cunard Booking Confirmation document ought to be the official place to indicate if our selected dining arrangement is confirmed or waitlisted. I doesn't look like My Cunard is showing that information.

 

6 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

As I have recently demonstrated, my memory is not as good as I thought. But, several times over the years, the Voyage Personaliser has shown our dining room booking for QG, as ‘Table for 2, requested not confirmed’.  I’ve never given this a thought, and, of course, we have always had a table for two. But I wonder if what the VP says means anything much at all.

 

I have to admit my memory isn't all that great at times any more. But I'm pretty sure My Cunard (or perhaps the previous Voyage Personaliser) indicated whether our selected dining arrangements were confirmed or waitlisted for our bookings here in the US. That could well be a false memory though. Either way, I suspect you are right that what My Cunard is showing us now doesn't mean much.

[bluemarble]

I had to go back a few years, but here's what I found showing where the old Voyage Personaliser showed our dining choices as confirmed or waitlisted.

 

 

Edit to add: As I look back through screen snippets from the early days of My Cunard when we were commenting about all the bugs it had, I'm seeing it only mentioned registering a preference back then. Here's one I have from the early days of My Cunard where the bug was that it didn't actually show you which sitting you were requesting.

 

Edited November 23, 2023 by bluemarble

[foodsvcmgr]

Yes hopefully this is just a wording issue or disclaimer that nothing is ever 100% guaranteed.

The actual booking confirmation paperwork should be the final word of what one is entitled to.

Like it states your cabin number, OBC, etc.

At least that will be my argument if needed.

[rsquare]

1 hour ago, bluemarble said:

I suppose the Cunard Booking Confirmation document ought to be the official place to indicate if our selected dining arrangement is confirmed or waitlisted. I doesn't look like My Cunard is showing that information.

My Booking Confirmations, which my TA sends me, for both voyages say "Second Sitting / Confirmed" so I suppose that this is down to a notoriously inept Cunard website.  I trust the confirmation over myCunard.

[IDLnyc]

Thanks to all who responded, especially @bluemarble, @rsquare, and @foodsvcmgr. who raised the definite possibility that our dining status (to be "confirmed on board") is not a waiting list, but just new verbiage, and/or a peculiarity of the "My Cunard" website.

I don't recall this uncertainty before our last QM2 voyage (May, 2022), but I'm pretty sure that was before the implementation of the open seating option.

So we'll sit tight now.  And yes, for the record, our emailed reservation shows "Second Sitting: Confirmed".  I'll be sure to update this thread if we have any surprises after embarkation.

Thanks again to all for taking the time to comment.