advice about specialty restaurant

[JimandStan]

La Reserve offers wine dinners on selected nights of the cruise. The restaurant utilitizes staff from the ship, but the operation is entirely separate from O and one is billed immediately upon reservation from that third party.

 

It's actually difficult to just book a reservation in La Reserve. The company, from what I can tell, sends invitations to passengers based on their accomodations. They go down the pecking order until the very few slots are filled. Typically no more than 14-15 people dine on any one night, and a mid lenght cruise may only have 2 nights scheduled, rarely 3. So they don't make it very far down the list before they fill up.

 

If enjoying the wine dinner is something you want to do, we always sign up for one, I would suggest contacting O about 180 days out from your cruise and see if they'll help you get in.:)

 

Thank you for painting the picture as you saw it, unfortunately, you must have experienced a great deal of confusion, because you missed some of the facts.

 

For Example:

 

-La Reserve seats a maximum of thirty persons, and while they may not all be filled at every Event, I personally have never seen fewer than a total of twenty six chairs at those three tables.

 

 

-As soon as a Passenger pays a deposit and is issued a Booking Number, they may view the La Reserve Schedule (just as early as that schedule is established by Oceania) via the Cruise Planner. You were correct in your assertion that payment for La Reserve Reservations are due immediately.

 

-Although Oceania, as well as some of their Travel Partners, have been known to issue Invitations to La Reserve (both prepaid AND à la carte) as a Promotional Incentive, this process is not the primary means for filling up the Venue or of alerting passengers to the proposed Schedule of Events for La Reserve.

 

As I pointed out earlier, Passengers may always check the La Reserve Schedule (&/or MAKE pre-cruise Reservations, Online) via the "Already Booked" section of their Oceania Accounts on the Web Site.

[corpkid]

We love it and book it and book online - our last cruise it was full with 24 people. Everyone seemed to have a great time (except for this one guy who only drank bud light and was grumpy in general - probably because he drinks only bud light) - and boy oh boy hope you don't have an early morning as the wine never stops for 3+ hours. By the end, everyone was 2 to 3 sheets to the wind and laughing and conversation was non-stop. The food was very good as well, but the whole play is does the wine taste good with the food? And it was (one miss we thought, but by that point... who cared!?) Well worth the price, IMHO. We always try to do this on Sea Days, but in retrospect, doing it BEFORE a sea day would be ideal as you can sleep off the copious amounts of wine.

 

Leads to a question - when do reservations open for La Reserve? We're eyeing the connoisseur menu for our 2015 Aus/NZ trip and they are not yet available. We like to secure these special nights early to ensure we can get in.

Edited March 28, 2014 by corpkid

[JimandStan]

Leads to a question - when do reservations open for La Reserve? We're eyeing the connoisseur menu for our 2015 Aus/NZ trip and they are not yet available. We like to secure these special nights early to ensure we can get in.

 

There is no set answer, and normally I would recommend that you monitor the La Reserve Section of your "Already Booked" Account Page until the schedule shows up -as it will, eventually- but you guys may wish to simply ask our mutual girlfriend to give you a heads up when the La Reserve schedule opens up for your Cruise. ;)

 

Enjoy the pampering, you deserve it, and she is good at it!

[pinotlover]

Corpkid'

 

I have already asked that question for the AU-NZ trip next winter. O told me to watch alround 180 days out. As I stated it is not a Oceania event, but ran by a third party with O staff, so O doesn't set the booking timetables.

[ohmark]

ran by a third party with O staff, so O doesn't set the booking timetables.

Some background on this? Who is the third party and why would O decide to engage a third party for this purpose?

[pinotlover]

ohmark;

 

To answer the first part, I don't remember the name of the organization. I did just check my cc bill and it was Oceania Cruises that billed me for my last La Reserve dinner.

 

I'm just repeating what different somms onboard, that work the event, have told me. O contracts it out to a third party, just like they do the Spa.

 

Don't know the reasons, but could be (1) work rules, on how many days/hours any staff can work on the ship for O, or; (2) They can hand select the employees that work the events outside of any work rules the employees may enjoy; (3) It allows for the event, while O can still claim that all of their specialites are included in the base price; (4) We have been served wines that are not on the ships wine list; (5) Combo

 

The somms have told me they are paid separately by the company for working La Reserve and the money doesn't come from O. Even though I have no basis of knowledge, they lead me to believe that working the event was an attractive deal (financially) for them.

[hondorner]

La Reserve is operated in association with Wine Spectator magazine. I never assumed this meant Wine Spectator was operating the venue, but that Wine Spectator assisted inthe choice of wines for the best pairing with the food. There are a few things that lead me to believe it is an Oceania operation. I know that Chef Kelly (from the culinary center) and other executive chefs have been responsible for the menu selections. I know the sommelier from my first La Reseve experience was a transfer from Regent, not an employee of a third party. I knkw that each of my three La Reserve expeiences was booked through Oceania, charged to Oceania on my credit card, and was full to the normal capacity of 24 (8 at each of 3 tables; I guess chairs could be added to the end of each table for a capacity of 30, but I've never seen it and it hasn't been advertized as such to my knowledge).

 

I think it's possible that there was a misunderstanding on the part of the sommeliers who said they worked for a third party; it's true that almost all of the staff on the entire ship is provided by third party staffing companies who recruit and train the employees and supply them to the ships. That does not mean that La Reserve is operated by a third party, any more than the Culinary Centers are operated by Bon Appetit magazine, with which they are associated.

 

I would be amazed if the report of a third party operating La Reserve is true; and even if it is, it does not affect the experience in a negative way.

[Hawaiidan]

It appears it's alternate name may come from the large veal chop served there whose bone seems as large as the "tusk" of a hairy mastodon!!! -- Wiks/QUOTE]

 

 

Then there's the famous place in Boston -- the name is escaping me at the moment -- where the bone-in prime rib (32 oz?) seems to come with the whole leg attached ... ah yes, Durgin Park.

 

It was very good, but I have preferred the ones I've munched on in Polo ... also 32 oz. but without the whole leg ... (no, I've never met anyone who managed to devour the whole thing ...)

 

Mura

 

 

I am rather amused, with my reasonable knowledge of anatomy, and know that the ribs are nowhere near the leg... someone serving "prime rib from the Leg" is getting a round of beef cut from a joint..... It is not prime rib.

[Mura]

Well, Dan, it may not necessarily be a leg! But it is a huge bone that is bigger than the piece of meat. Perhaps a rib?

 

Mura

[JimandStan]

[pacheco18]

Getting back to the question of additional meals in the specialties, there are a few other strategies that work

 

If you are in a suite, your butler MAY have some pull in getting you an extra reservation.

 

I have known situations where folks just went up to one the specialties without a reservation and got seated -- there may be some no shows (not polite, but it happens)

 

As with ALL specialty restaurant reservations, if you are willing to share a table, your chances of an extra reservation increase dramatically.

[arima22]

We booked our Marina cruise for sailing date of Aug. 21, 2014 on Dec. 28, 2013. When I received my first message from Oceania, first week of Jan. 2014, with the booking information one attachment to the email was a promotion for La Reserve. I went to "already booked" immediately and signed up. There were 3 nights, 1 for each of 3 menus they offer, for this 12 day cruise. I had my choice of nights at that time- just about 8 months, about 230 days est., from the cruise date. I believe the brochures promote dinner for 24 people, one promotional photo shows 3 tables of 8, but that could change with demand as JimandStan say.

[corpkid]

...and you can only do La Reserve once per cruise it appears? Once I book mine, the option to book further nights disappears. We would like to try all three menus... I suppose we can wait until our 3rd cruise next year to do the connoisseur menu. Though life. :)

[hondorner]

...and you can only do La Reserve once per cruise it appears? Once I book mine, the option to book further nights disappears. We would like to try all three menus... I suppose we can wait until our 3rd cruise next year to do the connoisseur menu. Though life. :)

Once an option like that disappears, try calling an Oceania Rep (or use your valuable, experienced travel agent). No guarantees it will work, but they can sometimes get around the web site limitations.

[Hawaiidan]

Well, Dan, it may not necessarily be a leg! But it is a huge bone that is bigger than the piece of meat. Perhaps a rib?

 

Mura

 

Ha! .... a rib bone !...Ill bet that's why they call it "prime RIB"....... I am still, however, working on another beef "cut" Rocky Mt. Oysters...

 

But I digress.

 

Made me think of the innkeepers song in le Miz....... " Food beyond compare, food beyond belief... mix it in a bowl and pretend its Beef... Kidney of a horse, liver of a cat...little bits of this and a little bit of that"

 

All in good fun Mura.....

[Mura]

Ha! .... a rib bone !...Ill bet that's why they call it "prime RIB"....... I am still, however, working on another beef "cut" Rocky Mt. Oysters... But I digress.

 

Made me think of the innkeepers song in le Miz....... " Food beyond compare, food beyond belief... mix it in a bowl and pretend its Beef... Kidney of a horse, liver of a cat...little bits of this and a little bit of that"

 

All in good fun Mura.....

 

 

And taken as such! :)

 

Mura

[Mura]

Once an option like that disappears, try calling an Oceania Rep (or use your valuable, experienced travel agent). No guarantees it will work, but they can sometimes get around the web site limitations.

 

 

Good suggestion for you, Corpkid, from Don. I've never been aware of a limitation on the times you can book La Reserve, but there may well be when booking in advance. They want to give everyone who wants to try it a chance, I suppose.

 

When we did the most expensive dinner on our November 2013 cruise (the "Connoisseur", were were only 2/3 sold.

 

When we did the "Exploration" menu on our Oct '11 cruise, all seats were taken. (Back then it was $75, not $95.)

 

You can always wait to book on board for another dinner. And from what I have heard here a while back, if you can gather up others who want to do a dinner that isn't scheduled, you should be able to get one scheduled. It appeared to be that if enough people are interested, they will set up the dinner.

 

I don't know what the minimum amount of diners might be, however. Maybe 8, maybe 16. Probably NOT 24, but I'm guessing that from the fact that our "Connoissuer" only had 16 participants. And I could well be wrong!

 

But it's worth a try!

 

We've been content with one La Reserve offering per cruise ... will be trying our third menu in May.

 

Definitely lovely evenings!

 

Mura

[corpkid]

I don't know what the minimum amount of diners might be, however. Maybe 8, maybe 16. Probably NOT 24, but I'm guessing that from the fact that our "Connoissuer" only had 16 participants. And I could well be wrong!

 

Thank you. I suppose we'll wait till our SYD --> AKL in February to try that menu. We really love these nights. What were you opinions on that menu? Being almost 2x as much, we are very curious. We loved the Exploration menu on our first O cruise last year, and are looking forward to the Discovery menu in a few weeks on our second. We are REALLY looking forward to doing the Connoisseur menu on our most anticipated trip in February down under (and third straight O cruise on Marina - can you tell we love the Marina and O in general???) Absolutely fantastic ship and staff. Not too big, not too small and the customer service is right where it needs to be. We are sad that we have to take a trip off as we want to do a river cruise to Oktoberfest next year, but that's a whole different thread. :)

 

OH - and Jim & Stan, we have put said mutual friend on the task of alerting us. :) She is a fantastic person and TA. We have so many laughs over the phone. Thanks for that!

Edited March 29, 2014 by corpkid

[hondorner]

...What were you opinions on that menu?

We've enjoyed all three menus, but the connosiuer is the one we would repeat.

[Mura]

I agree. The Connoisseur is truly special. (At least it was for us!)

 

Mura

[newbie60]

...and you can only do La Reserve once per cruise it appears? Once I book mine, the option to book further nights disappears. We would like to try all three menus... I suppose we can wait until our 3rd cruise next year to do the connoisseur menu. Though life. :)

 

On the Riviera last December, a friend had two nights at LaReserve - back to back nights with the second one being the Connoisseur. She had them both reserved well before the sailing.

 

When I booked our evening there, I did it by calling and the gal I spoke to at Oceania would have been more than happy to sign us up for multiple nights as long as I was willing to pay for them!

 

Enjoy! (BTW - we are on the same cruise next Feb)