How do I change dinner seating to main seating?

[Drinal01]

Hi all:

 

I just looked at my reservations and realized I am scheduled to eat during second seating -- 8pm or later.

 

When I changed the date of my cruise they changed my seating times.

 

I was wondering if anyone had advise on how to request my dinning time to be changed.

 

I called disney only to be told I would be put on a long waiting list... Having a 5 year old eat at 8pm or later isnt really an option...

 

Any advice?

 

This will be for a 7 day cruise.

 

Thanks!

[belle907]

Keep calling to see if any spaces opens up for 1st seating on your sailing. Just because you are on a waitlist doesn't mean you will automatically be assigned if/when your name gets to the top.

If you can't change it before your sailing date once you board the ship go to Rockin' Bar D, deck 3 forward, and see if you can change it then.

[rsinj]

Hi all:

 

I just looked at my reservations and realized I am scheduled to eat during second seating -- 8pm or later.

 

When I changed the date of my cruise they changed my seating times.

 

I was wondering if anyone had advise on how to request my dinning time to be changed.

 

I called disney only to be told I would be put on a long waiting list... Having a 5 year old eat at 8pm or later isnt really an option...

 

Any advice?

 

This will be for a 7 day cruise.

 

Thanks!

 

I can appreciate your situation as our daughter was 3 on our first cruise and just a bit older on the next. If you booked through a travel agent, work on them to get the seating changed. If you are unable to change prior to sailing, immediately upon boarding, go straight to the first dining room you're scheduled for ans speak with the Maitre D. If all fails, there is always other alternatives - the buffet, room service, and if I remember correctly burgers/hotdogs. You could have an early meal for your 5 year old, drop him/her at the kids club and then go have your meal at 8. Personally, I don't like eating that late either.

 

Good luck.

 

Howard

[Drinal01]

I booked on Disney...thought I would get better service than through a travel agent. I am not so sure now... I think next time I will go through an agent.

[CKCruising]

I booked for April and was wait listed as well. I made phantom bookings on the Disney website pretty much weekly. It kept telling me it couldn't give me the Main Dinner. After the 20th time, it let me book Main dining, so I had my TA call and viola, it was changed.

[belle907]

I booked on Disney...thought I would get better service than through a travel agent. I am not so sure now... I think next time I will go through an agent.

When you changed your reservation did you tell them which dinner seating you wanted? When you book on DCL's site it automatically gives you 2nd seating unless you change it to main. So if you didn't tell the agent which seating you wanted you can't fault DCL.

 

 

Second seating isn't as bad as it sounds. When we took our 1st cruise daughter was 5 and we had 2nd seating. We all had a snack around 4:00 to tide us over. We liked seeing the shows before dinner. She only fell asleep at dinner 1 night and she had already eaten.

BTW, we are from the east coast so there was no time difference involved for us.

[ducklite]

One advantage to second seating is that you don't have to rush when you return from shore excursions. We only went to a couple of the shows, so we'd have time to even take a short nap before dressing for dinner--which was really refreshing after a hot day in port.

[Presentation]

Hi all:

 

I just looked at my reservations and realized I am scheduled to eat during second seating -- 8pm or later.

 

When I changed the date of my cruise they changed my seating times.

 

I was wondering if anyone had advise on how to request my dinning time to be changed.

 

I called disney only to be told I would be put on a long waiting list... Having a 5 year old eat at 8pm or later isnt really an option...

 

Any advice?

 

This will be for a 7 day cruise.

 

Thanks!

 

 

To each their own, but in my opinion, second seating is not bad, it’s terrible! It’s a deal breaker for us. Our kids are early to bed, early to rise.

 

What happed to us:

My situation was far worse then yours. I booked the cruise myself but then converted it to a travel agent where we formerly had a credit card that gave us a 3% reward credit toward your next crusie but you had to book thru their travel agent. I booked what I wanted and the TA changed it to late dining then told me how they did me a favor. I yelled at them, made it clear that this is not want I wanted, called Disney myself and got it changed back. They did it again! Again, I was able to fix. They did it a third time and by this point the main dining was sold out. This bad experience soured me on all travel agents. Now I’m much more a research it myself, book it myself person.

 

What we tried – but did not work:

We got on some list via the phone.

We went to Rockin' Bar D, deck 3 forward, got on anther list

Finally we got a message on the phone that they could not accommodate our request

 

 

What did work for us and will work for you:

After you exhaust the above mentioned method and you still want main dining and it’s important to you, do this. Only you can decide if this is worth it for your family. For us, the below was well worth it.

 

Take your dinner ticket slip and a Franklin. A Franklin would be the correct gratuity for a family of four on a 7 day cruise for this situation.

 

Fold the Franklin with the president’s photo so it’s in the palm of your hand held in place by your palm and your thumb. Keep the dinner reservation ticket open so the entire reservation sip is visible to anyone but the other paper is under your thumb so only the Maitre d'/ headwaiter can see it but he can clearly see it.

 

 

Go to your assigned restaurant early and ask to speak with the Maitre d/headwaiter. Try to be standing my the podium where you walk in. On the other side of the podium is a computer with a layout of the dining room.

 

Holding your had out with the ticket sticking out and the Franklin position so he can see it, verbally tell him you need main dining because of the kids and can he help you.

 

When he says yes you shake hands in such a way that the paper is exchanged yet never visible to anyone else.

 

The Maitre d'/ headwaiter has his own unspoken communication with his staff. In the background you may see his support staff rearranging an area of the dining room with the speed and efficiency that would make a military caption blush with envy. They will fit you in. Don’t ask me how, but they will. Your table may not have a number on it, and a nearby table may suddenly have two umbes and very little elbow room, but let them deal with this.

 

This should work the first time, but if it does not, go to another of the three maitre d’s. With three dining rooms there are three maitre d’s. Using the above technique I’d be shocked if it did not work the first time, but for sure it will work one of the three times.

 

Bon Appetit!

[MESH]

:)This February we will be doing back-to-back Disney cruises on the Magic, which will make it our 10th and 11th cruise. Trying to get main seating dining is a deal breaker for me.

 

When we have booked directly through Disney or through our travel agent, I let Disney know up front that main seat dining is what I want or "no deal." In some cases I have changed my travel plans to ensure this.

 

However, when doing a back to back cruise last year, I booked on board for this coming year and let the Disney representative on the ship know that I needed main seat dining for both although originally the Disney representative could only guarantee one of the weeks. By the end of cruise, we were confirmed, in writing, main seat dining.

 

Because main seat dining is popular, you almost have to book a year ahead of time -- as most people want it.:)