Ventura

Most definitely! Nice to know we're being watched.

We are grateful that our situation was resolved, but it wasn't without some aggravation and finger pointing that should never have happened. We persisted in our stance that the original reservation should be reinstated. It wasn't our fault that our table was downsized and one couple disappeared. Forums such as this, are a powerful tool for determining if others have experienced similar problems - which appears to be the case. Through Cruise Critic the message gets out and the cruise lines do take notice. Perhaps the whole specialty dining program needs to be revamped. On our previous Oceania cruise, we met other couples that we would have liked to include in our existing reservations which had been made long before departure. As previously mentioned, there are few larger tables so rearranging and finding availability was a hassle. It was easier to find evenings where none of us were booked in specialties and head to the main dining room. Thanks again to those who responded to my post and supported our efforts.

When we cruised to Alaska with two other couples, because we were in a concierge cabin, I was able to make our two specialty reservations early, inviting the other couples to join our table.

When I did this, I was told by the O representative I spoke with, that by inviting the other couples, they were using their allotted specialty reservation by joining our party, and could make no further reservations.

Is it possible that when one of the couples went in and made arrangements for their night at Polo, the system kicked them from your reservation so they could have the Polo reservation, reducing your number to six and the smaller table?

We were well aware when setting up the reservation and inviting guests, that this would count as their Toscana booking. I confirmed this with Oceania at the time. They were still eligible to book the Polo Grill. Really appreciate the Cruise Critic support and realize that this seems not to be an isolated situation. Oceania has a problem, and they just won't admit it.

We invited 3 other couples who we've arranged "Cruise Critic" excursions with to join us for dinner in Toscana on our upcoming cruise. We are concierge level and the others are in lower categories. I made these arrangements by telephone with Oceania when concierge level availabilty opened. There are limited tables for 8, but I was able to get the reservation for an evening that we had all agreed upon. I was able to invite guests to my reservation even though they were not eligible for booking at the time. When one of the couples went in to secure their reservation for Polo Grill, they noted the confirmed Toscana reservation. However, when they booked Polo Grill, their Toscana reservation with us disappeared. My reservation summary now shows a table for 6. I contacted Oceania to fix the problem, and of course someone else has grabbed the table for 8. There are no more tables for 8 available. Dealing with Oceania has been extremely frustrating. Oceania claims that the reservation was cancelled and that a key must have been inadvertently pressed. This was not the case, and the problem appears to be a glitch in the reservation system that treats invited guests differently. We truly resent the assumption that this was human error. Both of us have made numerous phone calls to Oceania's reservation department, and have asked to speak to supervisors to escalate a resolution -- we obviously want the original reservation reinstated. The only suggestion has been to wait until we're on board and cancellations may (or may not) happen. Not sure that we're willing to take that chance. I feel terrible that we may not be able to include the 4th couple at our table. It's also unlikely at this point that there's another evening we can find that we haven't already booked, or with availability. Our anticipated enjoyable evening together has left a bad taste without touching a fork. If anyone else has had experience with this issue, I'd be grateful for assistance.