Main Dining Room Question

[krillsister]

First Time Oceania cruiser here.

Is there a set time for dining in the main dining room? Are you assigned seats like on the big cruise ships.

Just wondering about main dining room. Any info is appreciated.

[LHT28]

First Time Oceania cruiser here.

Is there a set time for dining in the main dining room? Are you assigned seats like on the big cruise ships.

Just wondering about main dining room. Any info is appreciated.

 

Open dining

Just show up between 6:30 pm -9pm

You can ask to share with others or just dine alone ..your choice

Same for the Terrace ...it is buffet style

 

Speciality restaurants require you to pre book a time

[edgee]

Open seating. Come when you please. If you want a table for 2 (not willing to share) you may have a wait that could be as long as 25 minutes if you arrive between about 6:50 and 7:30….at least that has been our experience. Otherwise not usually a problem to be seated promptly. The main dining room opens at 6:30.

[Mura]

No assigned seating. I think the hours are 6:30-9:00 for entrance, but I don't mind being corrected. No formal evenings ... "country club casual". So don't think you have to have a suit or tie ... although clothing is appreciated!

 

You can ask to dine alone or to share a table. We personally like to share, but others want to dine alone.

 

In other words -- go up to the GDR when you are ready for dinner and voice your preference. Sometimes there is a wait (if lots of people arrived when you did), but usually there is not, especially if you go in at opening time or after 7:30.

 

We like to share but fairly often we've been given a table for two, just because of who shows up when. If you want to share, you do need to have other people arriving within 10 minutes or so who also want to share. They do not want to seat two people at a table for 4-6-8, and then have no one else show up fairly quickly.

 

Mura

[krillsister]

WOW! What quick responses. Thanks for the info. We love to share. We are also going with three other couples. However, we may not always dine together.

[Mura]

It looks like several of us answered simultaneously ...

 

I've never had to wait 25 minutes for a table, however .... But that may be because we ask to share, and there are no others around who want to share, so they give us a table for two. I can see where it might be different if you specifically want a table for two!

111

Mura

[Mura]

WOW! What quick responses. Thanks for the info. We love to share. We are also going with three other couples. However, we may not always dine together.

 

So it's easy enough to ask for a joint table when you arrive together, and if you are just a couple, to ask for someone else to join you.

 

I've reported this before but it seems appropriate to repeat it ...

 

In Oct '11 I tried to book Jacques for 3 couples on a Marina cruise for the day we boarded. But I didn't have the booking numbers available, so we couldn't make a reservation.

 

Therefore, we went down to the GDR and when they saw we were a table of 6 we were asked if we wanted to go to Jacques ...

 

The moral is that it IS easier to get a specialty restaurant reservation on the night you leave port ...

 

Mura

[Paulchili]

 

The moral is that it IS easier to get a specialty restaurant reservation on the night you leave port ...

 

Mura

 

Apparently not any more - according to Pinotlover - unless you give up your already booked reservation for that particular restaurant.

[Mura]

I hadn't thought about that ... but in our case we already booked for opening night so I think we're okay!

 

Mura

[edgee]

It looks like several of us answered simultaneously ...

 

I've never had to wait 25 minutes for a table, however .... But that may be because we ask to share, and there are no others around who want to share, so they give us a table for two. I can see where it might be different if you specifically want a table for two!

111

Mura

 

We generally ask to eat alone and have waited a few times up to 25 minutes for a table for 2. For us it seems to be more of a problem on O class ships;has happened a couple of times on R class. Could have just been the particular cruises we were on.

Edited March 8, 2015 by edgee
punctuation

[Mura]

Maybe so ... another question is when you go into dinner ...

 

If you're trying to get a table for two at a time when there is high demand, I can see the problem. We tend to go in later ... 7:30 or later, sometimes more like 8:00.

 

It's ironic that we have fairly frequently been seated at a table for 2 when we wanted to share and YOU have had to wait a long time for a table for 2!

 

I think -- I'm not positive -- that recent dry docks added more 2 person tables ...

 

Mura

[hondorner]

We love to share, but don't really like multiple conversations, so we ask for a table for 4. Works perfectly, and we get to know people well that way. We have some life-long friends we met that way...

 

As for an invitation to go to a specialty restaurant, I seriously doubt it would affect your reservations. You didn't ask them, they asked you. It actually happens fairly often, not just on opening night. We've been asked while waiting in a short line at the GDR, we've been asked while having lunch at Waves. If they have space, they'll go out looking for folks to fill the spots.

[PSahoy]

If you are traveling solo and want to dine with others will the MD seat you with another couple or more if you request to join a table?

[turnip eater]

I noticed on your original post that your future cruise legend is quoted as Oceana, which is a P & O ship.

 

Did you mean to say that you are cruising on Oceania? Which ship?

 

Or

 

Are you cruising on P & O's Oceana ship?

 

Or are you cruising on both lines at different times?

 

:)

[Floridiana]

If you are traveling solo and want to dine with others will the MD seat you with another couple or more if you request to join a table?

 

We were always seated with whoever else showed up and wanted to share around the same time. Singles or couples. We eat at 6:30 pm.