No parties of 7 in specialty restaurants!

[jerber]

I tried to book tables for seven people during our upcoming Jewel cruise on 10/20. The online system only allows 6 or 8 so I called NCL and they forced me to book tables for eight if we wanted to sit together! This seems incredible unfair and greedy! Any suggestions as to how to handle this?

[russianmom]

other than Teppanyaki there really is no need to book ahead. I never have and have never had a problem getting a table.

 

Once on board you can have the 8th person charge removed when they see you are only 7 people.

[younglegend]

I tried to book tables for seven people during our upcoming Jewel cruise on 10/20. The online system only allows 6 or 8 so I called NCL and they forced me to book tables for eight if we wanted to sit together! This seems incredible unfair and greedy! Any suggestions as to how to handle this?

 

Book for 6 or 8 and when you get there tell them you have seven. They don't really have tables for exactly 7. In most restaurants won't sit anyone else with you unless you want. Teppanyaki and Cirque show (doesn't apply on the Jewel) are the only two where tables are shared.

[trish1c]

Why is it greedy? Did you have to pay for 8 people when you booked? If so, then I agree but if it was just a placeholder to make sure that they could fit you in the room & you only pay for the 7 people who eat, it should be fine.

[Molokai-Chuck]

In this day of high tech stuff and computers they should have the odd numbers available to be booked on line.

 

I wanted to book 5 seats at the POAm Brazil Steakhouse in May for our upcoming July cruise. It ( #5 ) was not there. So I had to book and PAY for the sixth seat then. When I boarded and told them of the issue, they said they would remove the charge. However, it may take up to 2 to 3 billing cycles to post. It did, 3 cycles.

 

Crazy...just crazy in the day of preparing our nation to send men and women to Mars.... we can not make and pay for just what is needed on earth.

 

Think of all the extra time and effort NCL has to go through to credit my account $20.

[sjnyc323]

I tried to book tables for seven people during our upcoming Jewel cruise on 10/20. The online system only allows 6 or 8 so I called NCL and they forced me to book tables for eight if we wanted to sit together! This seems incredible unfair and greedy! Any suggestions as to how to handle this?

 

 

Dont pre book and book when you get on ship

[Single Cruiser]

I've booked tables for 5. Just waited until was onboard and used the iConcierge app!

[rvsullivan]

I've never understood all the pre booking and pre paying. We've never done that and so far have always been able to dine when and where we wanted on every ship. Tepenyakki is the only venue that has a problem. All the advance bookings are only for about 25% of the available tables and the rest are held for on board bookings.

For those that insist on advance bookings, book for 6 instead of 8 and then add one on board, that way you won't feel like you are being taken advantage of, although I don't see how you are if they refund your money.

[valleyvillage]

I've never understood all the pre booking and pre paying. We've never done that and so far have always been able to dine when and where we wanted on every ship. Tepenyakki is the only venue that has a problem. All the advance bookings are only for about 25% of the available tables and the rest are held for on board bookings.

For those that insist on advance bookings, book for 6 instead of 8 and then add one on board, that way you won't feel like you are being taken advantage of, although I don't see how you are if they refund your money.

 

I'm SO with you! Another advantage of waiting until you board is that, if you have any OBC, you can use it to pay for specialty dining! If you book in advance, you cannot.

[mjkacmom]

I had the same issue. I booked for 8, called and had it noted we are a party of 7, and will be refunded with a obc when I go to the service desk onboard. The rep I spoke to thought it was weird (since parties of 3 and 5 were fine).

[Ilovesailing]

I've never understood all the pre booking and pre paying. We've never done that and so far have always been able to dine when and where we wanted on every ship. Tepenyakki is the only venue that has a problem. All the advance bookings are only for about 25% of the available tables and the rest are held for on board bookings.

For those that insist on advance bookings, book for 6 instead of 8 and then add one on board, that way you won't feel like you are being taken advantage of, although I don't see how you are if they refund your money.

 

Same for, us dozens of cruises and never had trouble getting a table. Why give some company the opportunity to use your money in advance.

While you wont lose much interest for me its the principal and while I don't doubt that NCL is going to go bankrupt anytime soon it often happens in the business today.

[aharris0614]

I tried to book tables for seven people during our upcoming Jewel cruise on 10/20. The online system only allows 6 or 8 so I called NCL and they forced me to book tables for eight if we wanted to sit together! This seems incredible unfair and greedy! Any suggestions as to how to handle this?

 

Try booking a 3 and a 4 then have NCL or your TA link your dining reservations together. Follow up with the specific restaurant when you board to make sure they have them linked as 7 ppl and not a 3 and 4 top.

[jerber]

Greedy is forcing me to pay for eight if I want to take advantage of their pre cruise discount. They insisted that I had to pay for 8 if I wanted 7 together.

[Hikini]

Just make your reservation when you get onto the ship. We had a party of 7 and had absolutely no trouble getting a table. Both Moderno and Le Bistro.

[rvsullivan]

Greedy is forcing me to pay for eight if I want to take advantage of their pre cruise discount. They insisted that I had to pay for 8 if I wanted 7 together.

 

What pre cruise discount are you getting???

[jerber]

What pre cruise discount are you getting???

They have $57 per person for a package that includes le bistro, cagneys, and Italian. We also get a bottle of wine for booking one restaurant for embarkation day.

[trish1c]

They have $57 per person for a package that includes le bistro, cagneys, and Italian. We also get a bottle of wine for booking one restaurant for embarkation day.

 

I would actually take this up with Florida's Attorney General and the one in your state.

If you have to pre-pay for a phantom guest & then apply to get your money back, NCL makes interest on your money at your expense. While the interest on $57 doesn't seem like a lot, Multiply that by the number of guests who do the pre-booking each week on each of the ships & now you are probably talking thousands of dollars. It's fraud, especially when it's not that hard to set the computerized reservation system to accommodate odd number.

[rvsullivan]

I would actually take this up with Florida's Attorney General and the one in your state.

If you have to pre-pay for a phantom guest & then apply to get your money back, NCL makes interest on your money at your expense. While the interest on $57 doesn't seem like a lot, Multiply that by the number of guests who do the pre-booking each week on each of the ships & now you are probably talking thousands of dollars. It's fraud, especially when it's not that hard to set the computerized reservation system to accommodate odd number.

 

 

Well I guess this could be possibly true if NCL made you book in advance and pay for it. But, they don't, this is an OPTION they give you. You can also opt to wait until you board, buy the same package and get the free wine on the first night.

[halos]

I am totally confused as to why this is such a big issue. The table (of course) will always be set for an even number of people. It doesn't mean that an even number of people MUST dine.

 

Good grief!

 

They are only going to charge the passengers that sit down and have a meal for goodness sake.

[ibcnusoon]

 

Good grief!

 

They are only going to charge the passengers that sit down and have a meal for goodness sake.

 

When you pre-reserve, you pay in advance.

[halos]

When you pre-reserve, you pay in advance.

 

 

Ok, so like everyone said, you pay and then get reimbursed, or you book for 6 and then add one once on board, or you don't book ahead at all because it honestly isn't necessary unless you are stuck on a certain night/time and don't want to risk it.

Still not an issue.

[jdvmd]

I'm SO with you! Another advantage of waiting until you board is that, if you have any OBC, you can use it to pay for specialty dining! If you book in advance, you cannot.

 

Same for, us dozens of cruises and never had trouble getting a table. Why give some company the opportunity to use your money in advance.

While you wont lose much interest for me its the principal and while I don't doubt that NCL is going to go bankrupt anytime soon it often happens in the business today.

 

I am with you both on this. Don't understand the need to prebook especially if you have OBC coming your way.