Wendy The Wanderer Posted September 3, 2013 #1 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Okay, so our restaurant reservations open up tomorrow, and since it's our first time in Oceania, I have a few questions. How does it work if we want to share with friends? Do we both book separately, and provide the friend's booking number, or does just one of us book for both (we're the same cabin class)? Is the first night aboard a good time to choose a specialty restaurant? I've done this on Regent and it works out well. On a 14 day cruise, what are the chances of getting a second night in a specialty restaurant? If it's good, is it better to "frontend load" our reservations for the first week of the cruise, in hope of getting another night here and there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted September 3, 2013 #2 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Book a table for yourselves and then invite a guest or guests to join you. The system is a bit confusing since you have to say "no" to "sharing" if you want to invite someone to join you. You need the first and last name + the booking number of your guests. It's good that you are in the same class of cabin because sometimes the person in the higher class first reserves a table for two, and then when the other persons are eligible to make a reservation, you add them to your table. On our first Marina cruise two years ago we ended up in Jacques on the first night and it was lovely -- there was plenty of room. It's hard to tell if that's always the case (especially since usually we have not tried for a specialty restaurant on the first night). It always depends on your fellow passengers (plus how full is the ship?) as to whether you can count on extra reservations or not. You know, not every passenger is as enamored of the specialty restaurants as some others. I know someone who did have a disaster of a dinner in the GDR on one occasion and so now will only eat in the specialty restaurants or Terrace. DH and I tend not to be so impressed with the specialty restaurants that we feel we have to have as many reservations as possible. Still, it's probably a good plan to book the early reservations and then see once you are on board if you can get more. Your chances are probably pretty good based on posts I have read. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
computerworks Posted September 3, 2013 #3 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I'll add a few personal comments.. We always like to eat in the MDR the first night of a cruise... it gives us an overall feel of the ship and the crew...and what we can expect in the coming days.. plus a good cross section of our fellow travelers. On our last Oceania cruise (10-day on the Riviera), we spread out the specialty restaurants over sea days when we could. We always book our best choice for the last night. On that trip, we were able to get 2nd visits to two of the four, with little effort. We found it possible to book an additional one of our choice for the first night, once we boarded... but I would guess that would be the luck of the draw, from cruise to cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted September 3, 2013 Author #4 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Thanks for the information on how to book the joint reservations. Do they open up at an ungodly hour like 1 a.m.? We don't have favourites, since this is all new to us, so we'll wing it. Jacques, Polo, Toscana and Red Ginger. Oh, decisions, decisions! You're probably right about the GDR on the first night, although we've found that things are quieter and more orderly on the first night in a specialty resto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rheasue38 Posted September 3, 2013 #5 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Hi! We always book a specialty for the first night. All the restaurant managers have told us that the GDR is usually very crowded the first night. As far as making reservations with friends, you need their booking number. When you make the reservations, you will be prompted to add yours and then theirs. I did it in March for friends who were traveling with us. We usually eat in each specialty twice since we don't go to Red Ginger. I change that reservation once onboard to Jacques and then ask for extra reservations throughout the cruise. We leave on Wed. for our 16th Oceania cruise. Rhea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted September 3, 2013 Author #6 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Can someone confirm the time of day the bookings open up? Is it 1 a.m., or 12 midnight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted September 3, 2013 #7 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Can someone confirm the time of day the bookings open up? Is it 1 a.m., or 12 midnight? I have done mine at 2 am did not try early but 8am works fine as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ORV Posted September 3, 2013 #8 Share Posted September 3, 2013 A couple of thoughts on this. Being a transatlantic I would expect more people trying to get extra Specialty reservations. I would book the nights that work into your schedule. Being in a Penthouse suite you have the option of ordering room service from any of the restaurants, any night. So if you find some food you really like from one or more of them you can still enjoy it, even if you can't get reservations. For me that is one of the biggest benefits of the Penthouse level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted September 3, 2013 Author #9 Share Posted September 3, 2013 A couple of thoughts on this. Being a transatlantic I would expect more people trying to get extra Specialty reservations. I would book the nights that work into your schedule. Being in a Penthouse suite you have the option of ordering room service from any of the restaurants, any night. So if you find some food you really like from one or more of them you can still enjoy it, even if you can't get reservations. For me that is one of the biggest benefits of the Penthouse level. Yes, I'd forgotten that. We will definitely do that some night. We're not big room service people, but we will make a point of it this time. All the food is beginning to overwhelm me. Time for a diet! As for "schedule", what schedule? ;) All we have is Tangiers, Azores and Bermuda--other than that it's chilling out and watching the ocean, and drinking and eating! Oh, and napping! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted September 3, 2013 Author #10 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Hi! We always book a specialty for the first night. All the restaurant managers have told us that the GDR is usually very crowded the first night. As far as making reservations with friends, you need their booking number. When you make the reservations, you will be prompted to add yours and then theirs. I did it in March for friends who were traveling with us. We usually eat in each specialty twice since we don't go to Red Ginger. I change that reservation once onboard to Jacques and then ask for extra reservations throughout the cruise. We leave on Wed. for our 16th Oceania cruise. Rhea Thanks Rhea for confirming my intuition about the first night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKS Posted September 3, 2013 #11 Share Posted September 3, 2013 If you have a butler (PH or above) he/she is adept at scheduling your reservations for you and "scoring" additional reservations if they become available. Just ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted September 3, 2013 Author #12 Share Posted September 3, 2013 If you have a butler (PH or above) he/she is adept at scheduling your reservations for you and "scoring" additional reservations if they become available. Just ask. Yes thanks. Tried this on Regent in the past, no luck, but maybe O is better. At the moment this is all conjecture. We may love the GDR and/or Terrace so much we don't want to bother after our one allowed visit to the alternatives. Oh, btw, where do people eat lunch? Is it GDR or Terrace Cafe? Or Waves? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAG Posted September 3, 2013 #13 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Yes thanks. Tried this on Regent in the past, no luck, but maybe O is better. At the moment this is all conjecture. We may love the MDR and/or Terrace so much we don't want to bother after our one allowed visit to the alternatives. Oh, btw, where do people eat lunch? Is it MDR or Terrace Cafe? Or Waves? All of the above, but not in the same day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RetiredFL Posted September 3, 2013 #14 Share Posted September 3, 2013 All of the above, but not in the same day! Are you sure!!!! By the way, Wendy, you can eat at both Waves and the Terrace for lunch in that you can take food between the two venues. Have a burger at Waves and get desert at the Terrace, etc. Also if one in your party wants Terrace food and you want a burger they can bring their plate out to Waves. A secret (at least on the R ships): the ice cream selections are different between Waves and the Terrace so check both before deciding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted September 3, 2013 Author #15 Share Posted September 3, 2013 A secret (at least on the R ships): the ice cream selections are different between Waves and the Terrace so check both before deciding. Thanks, but we'll not be on an R ship. All of the above, but not in the same day! What I meant was, are these the only places for lunch? I guess the answer is "yes". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAG Posted September 3, 2013 #16 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Thanks, but we'll not be on an R ship. What I meant was, are these the only places for lunch? I guess the answer is "yes". That is correct, MDR, Terrace and Waves and room service of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Caroldoll Posted September 3, 2013 #17 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I did mine for Christmas the other day. You might want to try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulchili Posted September 3, 2013 #18 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I did mine for Christmas the other day. You might want to try. That only works for suites. PHs are 90 days out - and so on..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted September 3, 2013 Author #19 Share Posted September 3, 2013 I did mine for Christmas the other day. You might want to try. It's tomorrow. Friend in California is doing it for us, since she can stay up late enough to do it early. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digtexas Posted September 3, 2013 #20 Share Posted September 3, 2013 We ate in Jaques on the first night only. I don't know how it was on other nights, but that night the staff was somewhat overwhelmed and the service was extremely slow. As an aside, Tangiers might be the worst place that we ever visited on a ship. We went to town on a shuttle and a group of 6 to 8 of us walked around. Within 10 minutes of being constantly hassled by aggressive hustlers who claimed to be guides, and finding the place rather nasty, everyone headed back to the ship. Even the pax on the supposedly legit ship's tours got literally trapped in a third floor rug shop for a demonstration and hard sell after their guide abandoned them there. They gave the shore excursion desk hell when they finally made it back to the ship. I would not even bother to get off of the ship in that place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wp bob Posted September 4, 2013 #21 Share Posted September 4, 2013 last cruise I booked dinner res at 9pm in California since it was after midnight in Miami. it worked well and I got all my choices and times. we were willing to share which seemed to help get the earlier time slots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted September 4, 2013 #22 Share Posted September 4, 2013 last cruise I booked dinner res at 9pm in California since it was after midnight in Miami. it worked well and I got all my choices and times. we were willing to share which seemed to help get the earlier time slots. Technically, Restaurant Reservations open at 1 second after midnight (Eastern Standard Time), so those who are online at that time will have access. However, telephone customer service opens at 9AM (Also EST) the next morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChatKat in Ca. Posted September 4, 2013 #23 Share Posted September 4, 2013 It's tomorrow. Friend in California is doing it for us, since she can stay up late enough to do it early. What a nice friend you have to do that for you.:rolleyes: Especially if you got all your first choice dates and times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairbourne Posted September 4, 2013 #24 Share Posted September 4, 2013 WendytheWanderer Just booked ours and availability in all SRs wide open, so you should have no problem at all! We did the first night SR booking on the Regatta in Polo and to be honest, it wasn't so great service wise, so not doing that again! I think on every voyage there may be new staff "settling in" and although that shouldn't impact on the service to guests, it does a tad - first night nerves as it were! Anyway - the countdown is now serious, SRs booked, it's all starting to take shape! ;):D. It's just my shape I have to worry about - are there enough elasticated waistbands in the world??? :eek: LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy The Wanderer Posted September 4, 2013 Author #25 Share Posted September 4, 2013 What a nice friend you have to do that for you.:rolleyes: Especially if you got all your first choice dates and times. Yes thanks Kathy. All done, successfully! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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