Are Reservations necessary for Specialty Restaurants?

[Jagggg]

On another cruise line my husband and I never needed to make reservations for the Specialty restaurants for dinner after 7:00 and the restaurants were empty. That cruise line also had boards around the ship, stating open times for seating. Does Princess also have the restaurants boards?

Will be leaving on the Crown this weekend and wondering if we need reservations for the Crab Shack and Crown Grill. Sounds like a lot of people can't even get through on the dine line to even make reservations. Not knowing what we will be doing, I hate to commit to a specific time. Can a person just show up after 7:00 and get seated? Or if you show up at 7:00 will they maybe say a 30 minute wait? We don't mind waiting. Basically are the restaurants that full?

[Colo Cruiser]

On another cruise line my husband and I never needed to make reservations for the Specialty restaurants for dinner after 7:00 and the restaurants were empty. That cruise line also had boards around the ship, stating open times for seating. Does Princess also have the restaurants boards?

Will be leaving on the Crown this weekend and wondering if we need reservations for the Crab Shack and Crown Grill. Sounds like a lot of people can't even get through on the dine line to even make reservations. Not knowing what we will be doing, I hate to commit to a specific time. Can a person just show up after 7:00 and get seated? Or if you show up at 7:00 will they maybe say a 30 minute wait? We don't mind waiting. Basically are the restaurants that full?

 

Its hard to say. Each cruise the demand is different. How many in your party? Obviously the more people the harder it is to get a table on a whim.

I would say if you can be flexible then you may not have an issue, however there are times when they are full for the entire cruise. We had no issue walking up in either Sabatinis or the CG on the Emerald last month. ;)

Edited March 17, 2015 by Colo Cruiser

[Jagggg]

Its hard to say. Each cruise the demand is different. How many in your party? Obviously the more people the harder it is to get a table on a whim.

I would say if you can be flexible then you may not have an issue, however there are times when they are full for the entire cruise. We had no issue walking up in either Sabatinis or the CG on the Emerald last month. ;)

 

There are 4 of us. Good to know that you can just walk up. Thanks

[Colo Cruiser]

There are 4 of us. Good to know that you can just walk up. Thanks

 

When you get a chance after boarding have a chat with the head waiter at both restaurants to get a feel for how the demand is for your cruise.

[IECalCruiser]

There are 4 of us. Good to know that you can just walk up. Thanks

You can just walk up, but you may not be seated. As stated, demand can vary on each cruise. There have been recent posts that on certain shorter cruises the specialty restaurants were fully booked for the entire cruise on the first day. Also, the Crab Shack is not served every night. It also isn't a stand alone venue but closes off a portion of the buffet. It has been fully booked on at least one night it was offered on the two cruises where we ate there. Even if the restaurant looks partially empty, it may be operating at full capacity. One night we ate at the Crab Shack and the room looked half full. However we talked to a couple next to us and they said their friends were unable to get a reservation that night because it was fully booked. People came and left during our meal but all of the tables were never full.

[capriccio]

You can just walk up, but you may not be seated. As stated, demand can vary on each cruise. There have been recent posts that on certain shorter cruises the specialty restaurants were fully booked for the entire cruise on the first day. Also, the Crab Shack is not served every night. It also isn't a stand alone venue but closes off a portion of the buffet. It has been fully booked on at least one night it was offered on the two cruises where we ate there. Even if the restaurant looks partially empty, it may be operating at full capacity. One night we ate at the Crab Shack and the room looked half full. However we talked to a couple next to us and they said their friends were unable to get a reservation that night because it was fully booked. People came and left during our meal but all of the tables were never full.

 

They were turning folks away from the Crab Shack on the Ruby Princess last fall. The dining area didn't look full but it was obvious that their staffing level wouldn't have supported people at every table. We've also seen that happen with Sabatinis and Crown Grill on other cruises.

[sptrout]

We were on the Emerald Princess a couple weeks ago and they were turning away walk-ups. After a less than satisfying experience at the MDR the first night, we dined in either Sabatinis or the CG five of the remaining 6 nights. To make reservations for all those nights I called the DINE telephone line and was told that the last two (or three) nights were all fully booked.

 

We then stopped at the CG at 5:30PM and asked the Head Waiter if there were any tables for two remaining. After checking for a couple minutes, he said yes, but only the table next to the entrance. We said it was fine with us. Since this table was next to the Head Waiter's podium, we heard him turn down several others during the next couple hours.

 

The same basic story with Sabatinis, we asked the Head Waiter and he said "no problem".

 

IMO, if you want seating at a specific restaurant, you should make reservations, otherwise you may be disappointed.

Edited March 17, 2015 by sptrout

[Colo Cruiser]

I am just glad they don't allow pre booking before the cruise.

Hope they keep it that way.

[Astro Flyer]

I am just glad they don't allow pre booking before the cruise.

Hope they keep it that way.

Me too! :)

[richstowe]

There are 4 of us. Good to know that you can just walk up. Thanks

Based on our recent experience on the Regal , you will not get a table until 8 if at all.

I got the feeling the specialty restaurants were doing their best to get 2 turns of the tables .

Thus they were taking very few reservations (if any at all) between 6:45 and and 7:45 .

We called upon boarding for a spot at Sabatinis or the steak Grill on either of the last 2 nights.

The answer was either 6:30 or 8 PM . We chose 8 at the crown grill .

[Cruisin' Chick]

I've been on some cruises where the head waiter was going table to table asking if he can book a specialty dinner for anyone. On our last cruise, the head waiter told us that we had been given a complimentary dinner and he was able to get us in the next night. Only a couple of the other tables were in use when we were there. But I'm guessing that they book only so many tables due to limited staff, as above posts suggest.

 

I imagine if you're not trying to book on an obviously popular night (Valentines Day) and if there aren't a ton of passengers who want to celebrate a birthday or anniversary on the same day...it shouldn't be difficult to get in. But most likely if this is a priority for you, best to get a ressie.

 

We don't have any urge to eat in Sabatinis, etc., but I agree that it's good that Princess doesn't have pre-booking for them.

[Astro Flyer]

My experience has been that sometimes formal night can be more crowded as those who prefer to not dress up go to specialty restaurants instead of the MDR. Also some passengers still follow the formal night guidelines & prefer to go to a specialty restaurant.

 

We make reservations after one time walking past Sabatini's at about 6:30 & asked to be seated as it was only about a third full. We couldn't be seated as they said reservations are staggered to not have every table occupied at the same time. Maybe that's due to the limits of the kitchen because I've seen them get additional servers from elsewhere when it gets busy.

 

Early dining times seem to be more popular & sometimes have to go at 8:00 when not booking on embarkation day. On a recent cruise at 6:00 Sabatini's was practically empty on the first night but they turned away passengers without reservations at the Crown Grill on formal night.

Edited March 17, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[OCruisers]

Best to make reservations and not expect to always be able to just walk in.

Formal nights are normally especially busy. ;)

LuLu

[Pia1913]

I am just glad they don't allow pre booking before the cruise.

Hope they keep it that way.

 

Me too! :)

 

Why? As you both know, we just cruised on another line and had advance reservations. Had I not done that, there is no way we could have gotten our preferred seating- 6:00 or 6:30.

[Colo Cruiser]

Why? As you both know, we just cruised on another line and had advance reservations. Had I not done that, there is no way we could have gotten our preferred seating- 6:00 or 6:30.

 

 

Based on those that make a res and never show up. :(

And those that decide once onboard to go.

Edited March 17, 2015 by Colo Cruiser

[Astro Flyer]

Why? As you both know, we just cruised on another line and had advance reservations. Had I not done that, there is no way we could have gotten our preferred seating- 6:00 or 6:30.

 

Cugina...I prefer the Princess system but understand that others will feel differently.

 

Two years ago on my last RCI cruise we could pre-reserve specialty restaurants however it required payment in full just like their shore excursions. I prefer to use OBC to pay for specialty restaurants which would be impossible to do if all reservations were pre-booked. RCI also charged a penalty fee to cancel if done the day before or later.

Edited March 17, 2015 by Astro Flyer

[Pia1913]

I didn't have to pre-pay for any one them because it was a promo included with my booking. We ate in a specialty restaurant all 7 nights.

 

Also, they didn't give all the spaces away in advance; lots of folks could make dining reservations while on board. Especially if you wanted 5:30, which surprisingly a lot of passengers did.

 

Same thing with the shows. Advance reservations were great, but those who didn't show 10 minutes before any performance lost their seats. Of course those had no money involved, so ressies were more "loosey goosey."

[Jetswdo]

I am a planner, and I prefer to eat dinner between 6:00 and 6:30, the latest 7:00. On Princess, I hate rushing on first day to make reservations, but I do that to ensure the days and times. I do like it better on Celebrity that I can get this straigtened out before boarding the ship, so embarcation day is more relaxed then it is when I cruise Princess. Fortunately on Princess, we only do the steak restaurant a couple of times, and maybe Sabatini's once-- the rest of the time we are fine with mdr or buffet, and occasional light dinner using room service. The few times that we decided to go to a specialty restaurant for dinner for that day, sometimes it has worked out, other times we were just out of luck! So for Princess, if you can plan, try to book the first day whatever you can.

[toberman]

We've never had a problem with 'walk-up' to get a table. What we've noticed is sometimes wait times for service could be long. They typically staff the speciality venues according to the # of reservations they have each night. The serving staff are not assigned to only one venue, but are moved around according to requirements (reservations) of each dining room. So, yes you can probably get a table, but be patient with the staff.

[yoyosma]

My last cruise on the Regal, we were unable to get reservations at the Crown Grill for any night, no walk ups either. We did not try until the middle of the cruise and really wanted the last night. We do that a lot and have never had a problem before. We did get our choice of reservations at Sabatini's, which has never been a favorite before so we seldom go. However, new menu and food and service was excellent. You should have seen my DH's sea food pasta appetizer. Had a whole lobser tail in it plus other stuff and he said it was really good. We both had a great meal and will do it again next year.

[4cats4me]

We went directly to Crown Grill immediately after boarding (we had priority boarding and in the first wave to embark) and made our reservations for the nights we wanted. It was of course wide open and we were told either 6:30 or 8:00 pm, so we chose 8 pm. One of the nights was also formal night, and we noticed upon showing up there was a sign saying that they were completely booked. So glad we booked Crown Grill early. Next time we will book for 4/7 nights instead of only two :o

[caribill]

Why? As you both know, we just cruised on another line and had advance reservations. Had I not done that, there is no way we could have gotten our preferred seating- 6:00 or 6:30.

 

Also, they didn't give all the spaces away in advance; lots of folks could make dining reservations while on board. Especially if you wanted 5:30, which surprisingly a lot of passengers did.

 

But all spaces for 6 or 6:30 had been assigned in advance?

[Pia1913]

But all spaces for 6 or 6:30 had been assigned in advance?

 

I believe so. I couldn't even get a 6 at the steakhouse when I booked from home. Very popular. And then on board, when I wanted to do the steakhouse again, my choice was 5:30 or 9:30. Guess what I took. :)

[JimmyVWine]

Why? As you both know, we just cruised on another line and had advance reservations. Had I not done that, there is no way we could have gotten our preferred seating- 6:00 or 6:30.

 

I just think that there are too many "must have everything planned out in advance" people who cruise. The people who have to review the Patters before they get on board. The people who have to know which nights are formal nights. The people who need to know which night the escargot is served. The people who run to the Sanctuary as soon as they get on board. If Specialty Restaurants were open for booking as soon as people put down their deposit for a cruise, the restaurants would book out fully way too far in advance by people who don't know if they really intend to keep the reservation, but simply make them as placeholders "just in case". Then you have the whole issue of cancellations and no-shows which makes it hard on the restaurant and difficult on other passengers who have to get placed on a waiting list or who have to check back constantly at the door to see if a table has opened up. By requiring that people actually be on board before they book, you force people to actually think about what they are doing rather than racing to make reservations that they may or may not keep, "just to be safe".

 

Advanced booking has a way of snowballing down hill. People here post a question about how difficult/easy it was to get a table. Someone reports back that the restaurants were "about half booked" prior to boarding. 1,000 people read that post. Then the next time they cruise, they make a note of booking in advance. Then another poster poses the same question. The next answer becomes that the restaurants were "almost booked solid" prior to the cruise. And before you know it, word (or rumor) will get out that if you don't book in advance, you are out of luck. Before long, people who walk up to the MDR and see the posted menu will have nowhere to turn if they want to go to an alternate dining venue that isn't a buffet. And people who take advantage of sale prices shortly before sailing will likewise be out of luck. If this Board proves nothing else, it shows that there are a lot of anal retentive people who cruise. Give them the option of booking dining reservations two years in advance and they will avail themselves of that opportunity. When you have 3,000 people on a ship and a restaurant that seats around 100 people, those simply aren't very good odds. I could envision a system whereby reservations open up 30 days before sailing. That would be more fair, as it would give everyone who has booked an equal opportunity to snag a reservation. But then you still run the risk of people making reservations just to have them, knowing that they can cancel if it turns out that they don't want them any longer. Cancellations are simply the worst possible outcome for both the restaurant manager and people who really want a table. I just don't know that picking up the phone and dialing 4 digits once on board is such an onerous task that it needs to be supplanted by a system that has its own built-in inefficiencies.

[Pia1913]

I just think that there are too many "must have everything planned out in advance" people who cruise. The people who have to review the Patters before they get on board. The people who have to know which nights are formal nights. The people who need to know which night the escargot is served. The people who run to the Sanctuary as soon as they get on board. If Specialty Restaurants were open for booking as soon as people put down their deposit for a cruise, the restaurants would book out fully way too far in advance by people who don't know if they really intend to keep the reservation, but simply make them as placeholders "just in case". Then you have the whole issue of cancellations and no-shows which makes it hard on the restaurant and difficult on other passengers who have to get placed on a waiting list or who have to check back constantly at the door to see if a table has opened up. By requiring that people actually be on board before they book, you force people to actually think about what they are doing rather than racing to make reservations that they may or may not keep, "just to be safe".

 

Advanced booking has a way of snowballing down hill. People here post a question about how difficult/easy it was to get a table. Someone reports back that the restaurants were "about half booked" prior to boarding. 1,000 people read that post. Then the next time they cruise, they make a note of booking in advance. Then another poster poses the same question. The next answer becomes that the restaurants were "almost booked solid" prior to the cruise. And before you know it, word (or rumor) will get out that if you don't book in advance, you are out of luck. Before long, people who walk up to the MDR and see the posted menu will have nowhere to turn if they want to go to an alternate dining venue that isn't a buffet. And people who take advantage of sale prices shortly before sailing will likewise be out of luck. If this Board proves nothing else, it shows that there are a lot of anal retentive people who cruise. Give them the option of booking dining reservations two years in advance and they will avail themselves of that opportunity. When you have 3,000 people on a ship and a restaurant that seats around 100 people, those simply aren't very good odds. I could envision a system whereby reservations open up 30 days before sailing. That would be more fair, as it would give everyone who has booked an equal opportunity to snag a reservation. But then you still run the risk of people making reservations just to have them, knowing that they can cancel if it turns out that they don't want them any longer. Cancellations are simply the worst possible outcome for both the restaurant manager and people who really want a table. I just don't know that picking up the phone and dialing 4 digits once on board is such an onerous task that it needs to be supplanted by a system that has its own built-in inefficiencies.

 

I'm not one of those "need to know in advance people." In fact, I never read anything about ports I haven't been to (there aren't any - haha), because I like to be surprised. Same thing with daily activities; will find out when I get there. But this time, with the inclusion in my booking of all specialty restaurants, it was a benefit. For me. It made life easier not having to do it last minute, and also the fact that my husband, who is not well, could have dinner at his preferred time. I'll agree that this is not ideal for everyone, but we sure appreciated having the option.