Upset, angry and confused

[Auntybs]

Taking my family on a 50th anniversary cruise on the Anthem. Cannot make any dinner reservations for all of us to sit together any time, any restaurant.

Have been on the phone with an agent for hours trying to book night by night. She is making three separate reservations for each night. We have 6:00 twice but the other nights are 7:30. Our little one is 5.

 

Do we make final payment. Is the Oasis or Allure more family friendly?

We are retirees and thought we would be dining with our children and grandchildren on this great splurge. Taken 25 past cruises and one with the entire family. I have ne'er had this problem before.

Thanks for any and all advice.

[Clarea]

Are you not able to get into one of the traditional (or Classic) dinng times?

[Captain Canuck]

can only see an issue if your party is bigger than normal tables

[cb at sea]

You WILL be able to eat together....once onboard, you can book, or re-book..whatever you want! Don't stress too much...it WILL work out!

[reallyitsmema]

Do you have three separate cabins with separate reservation numbers? If that is the case, the reservations can be linked and dinner reservations can be booked together. How many people are we talking about? Tables only hold so many, is that the issue?

[ewenix]

Are you not able to get into one of the traditional (or Classic) dinng times?

 

That's definitely worth a shot.

FWIW, in November 2015 DW and I booked ourselves, our kids, and her parents on the Thanksgiving 2016 sailing for Oasis. I would have thought that would be far enough out to get decent MDR seating. We were told that there was no room at all for early seating and would be assigned MTD, but could be put on the late seating waitlist if wish. I'm still a little annoyed that a year out I can't get an early seating table for 7 people.

[mattpro]

How many in your group?

 

If it is 10 or under you should not have a problem.

[nelblu]

I've had very good luck by e-mailing my request to "rcldining@rcl.com". On my recent March 26 Oasis cruise, I requested a table for 9 by a window and no problem--all of the 3 reserves were linked were together. Sometimes, as fall back, I'll call RCL's "Cruise Planner Dept." @ (800) 398-9819. Good luck and enjoy your cruise.

[Auntybs]

Thank you all. Yes, we linked when we booked. No, there is no traditional dining on the Anthem. They call it dynamic dining. It looks great on paper until you try to book it. I do have a reservation for each night but they would only book each cabin separately

[Auntybs]

Nelly, that is the number I called and spent hours with the agent. I think she really tried.

[ARCruisinNana]

Nelly, that is the number I called and spent hours with the agent. I think she really tried.

 

 

When are you sailing? It's been reported that there will be a change in the dining arrangements. It may be caught up in the change. I'm sailing on Anthem June 30 and I hope they will have it worked out.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

If the OP is whom I think she is, she is my client :D If it's not then she's in the same situation as my client!!!!

 

Classic 1 / Classic 2 were NOT available when my client booked, either to wait list or confirm. RCCL has been unable to assist either myself or her with her party of 11 other than what she has described. Dynamic Dining really does pose a challenge for large family groups! I feel so empathetic for their situation and wish I could do more to assist but I have been getting a RESOUNDING "NO CAN DO" at every turn!!!!!!!

[Robo1098]

If the OP is actually a party of 11 that is a more difficult situation. That is an important part of the equation.

[Auntybs]

We are a party of 9. Two grands, three parents and four kids.

[Arzeena]

Thank you all. Yes, we linked when we booked. No, there is no traditional dining on the Anthem. They call it dynamic dining. It looks great on paper until you try to book it. I do have a reservation for each night but they would only book each cabin separately

 

There is a Dynamic Classic Dining option....which is somewhat similar to traditional. Perhaps that will be good for a group like yours?

[nelblu]

We are a party of 9. Two grands, three parents and four kids.

 

Go see the Maitre D as soon as you board and you may be successful.

 

As an example, on my Oasis 3/26 cruise, a few of my entertainment shows dropped from my cruise planner. Called the Cruise Planner dept. and I was furious because it was a month prior to cruise and no tickets available. However, the individual that I was spoke to mentioned that some 25% of entertainment tickets are held back for on board Paxs. Sure enough I left my party of 9 (incl. 3 children) and got the needed 4 tickets to Oasis of Dreams & 9 tickets to Frozen in Time. Maybe the same concept applies to dining.

[Merion_Mom]

Dynamic Class IS traditional dining, insofar as having a table reserved for you at the same time every night is concerned.

 

That is what you want - to know that you will all be eating together.

[2CatsInFlorida]

The smaller ships are easier to get traditional dining in the main dining room or specialty restaurants. You should link your reservations when booking to assure seating together. I would cancel Anthem and only book another cruise where you can get the dining option you prefer at booking.

 

When we got on Freedom last month all traditional dining was full as well as MyTime until 7:20pm. So the head waiter told everyone there was nothing he could do and we were stuck with 7:20. Never again.

 

I discovered a trick that magically opens up my preferred dining option if it is closed. Works if booked well before final payment.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Edited April 13, 2016 by 2CatsInFlorida

[2CatsInFlorida]

Go see the Maitre D as soon as you board and you may be successful.

 

 

 

As an example, on my Oasis 3/26 cruise, a few of my entertainment shows dropped from my cruise planner. Called the Cruise Planner dept. and I was furious because it was a month prior to cruise and no tickets available. However, the individual that I was spoke to mentioned that some 25% of entertainment tickets are held back for on board Paxs. Sure enough I left my party of 9 (incl. 3 children) and got the needed 4 tickets to Oasis of Dreams & 9 tickets to Frozen in Time. Maybe the same concept applies to dining.

 

 

That's why I print out my cruise planner and take it with me.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Keasel]

Taking my family on a 50th anniversary cruise on the Anthem. Cannot make any dinner reservations for all of us to sit together any time, any restaurant.

Have been on the phone with an agent for hours trying to book night by night. She is making three separate reservations for each night. We have 6:00 twice but the other nights are 7:30. Our little one is 5.

 

Do we make final payment. Is the Oasis or Allure more family friendly?

We are retirees and thought we would be dining with our children and grandchildren on this great splurge. Taken 25 past cruises and one with the entire family. I have ne'er had this problem before.

Thanks for any and all advice.

 

Shift to Oasis or Allure unless you have to drive to the port. We were on one of the early Quantum sailings and are close to a final payment decision on a future Anthem sailing also. Limited availability on dining 3 months out is not a good sign.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I'm finding fairly consistently when I book clients on the Freedom Class, Oasis Class and Quantum class ships that traditional dining is unavailable, even for waitlisting, unless they book more than 12 months in advance (and even then it can be iffy). I really feel that RCCL are pushing, and hard, to get as many people on MTD/Dynamic Dining as they can in hopes that they will book in the specialty restaurants rater than main dining rooms. There are too many sailings where MTD/Dynamic Dining are the ONLY options for this to be solely a demand/capacity issue.

[SparklyNails]

We couldn't get decent dining times on Anthem for our February cruise, and that was just for a family of 3 - me, husband and 3 year old. Really struggled booking 4/5 months out, 6pm would have been ideal, but not available. We just took what we could so at least had something booked. When we were on board we managed to change a couple of them, but there was only one night that we were actually able to use the Family Time dining, which was disappointing.

[nelblu]

That's why I print out my cruise planner and take it with me.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Learned a very valuable lesson from this experience. Now, every-time I make sign-up/changes for show or dinner I make sure that I receive an e-mail confirmation which is easier to print

[DonnaK]

Thank you all. Yes, we linked when we booked. No, there is no traditional dining on the Anthem. They call it dynamic dining. It looks great on paper until you try to book it. I do have a reservation for each night but they would only book each cabin separately

 

There is traditional dining on Anthem. It is called Dynamic Dining CLASSIC. Try to get on the waiting list for either the early or the late seating if your choice is not available. Otherwise, once you board, you will be able to make/change reservations. Or, you can just walk up like you would a land based restaurant and wait for a table.

 

This is not something you need to be "Upset, angry and confused" about.

 

When is your cruise? Anthem is rumored to be changing its dining arrangements and to be doing away with Dynamic Dining sometime in May, although nothing has been officially announced.

[Thetrail]

Taking my family on a 50th anniversary cruise on the Anthem. Cannot make any dinner reservations for all of us to sit together any time, any restaurant.

Have been on the phone with an agent for hours trying to book night by night. She is making three separate reservations for each night. We have 6:00 twice but the other nights are 7:30. Our little one is 5.

 

Do we make final payment. Is the Oasis or Allure more family friendly?

We are retirees and thought we would be dining with our children and grandchildren on this great splurge. Taken 25 past cruises and one with the entire family. I have ne'er had this problem before.

Thanks for any and all advice.

and when are you sailing?....