How does reservations at the MDR work? Just cut in front of the line?

[fstuff1]

lets say you make 7pm reservations for 4 people so you can see the 9pm show w/o being rushed through dinner.

at 6:55pm, go to the mdr, cut in front of everyone, and tell the hostess you have a 7pm reservation??

[www3traveler]

Reservations are not required for the MDR's. Just show up and wait to be seated.

[BostonGal35]

You are not cutting in front of anyone. Just like going to outback at home, if yo have reservati9osn for 7:00 and you get there at 6:55. The number of people in line w/o reservation is of no relevance. You get seated and they wait. That is the whole point of a reservation.

 

 

this.

 

we always make MDR reservations. maybe they are needed, maybe they arent, but we dont want to run the risk of having to wait.

[Travelenfool]

Alway make reservations, especially at the busy times i.e. 7:00 pm... everyone wants to eat at that time! Not considered cutting in line, only considered great planning!

 

 

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[BirdTravels]

lets say you make 7pm reservations for 4 people so you can see the 9pm show w/o being rushed through dinner.

at 6:55pm, go to the mdr, cut in front of everyone, and tell the hostess you have a 7pm reservation??

Follow the directions at the dining room. Many of those people you intend to cut in front of have reservations.

 

Btw: for a 9:00 show, you will want to show up to the theater around 8:30. So you need to be wrapping up dinner around 8:15. With 4 people at prime time (I.e., the kitchen and dining room is slow) you won’t make your show.

[kirsty_r]

Follow the directions at the dining room. Many of those people you intend to cut in front of have reservations.

 

 

 

Btw: for a 9:00 show, you will want to show up to the theater around 8:30. So you need to be wrapping up dinner around 8:15. With 4 people at prime time (I.e., the kitchen and dining room is slow) you won’t make your show.

 

 

 

This is why I eat at 5-6, and then head to the buffet if hungry after the show!!!

 

 

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[zqvol]

lets say you make 7pm reservations for 4 people so you can see the 9pm show w/o being rushed through dinner.

at 6:55pm, go to the mdr, cut in front of everyone, and tell the hostess you have a 7pm reservation??

 

You wait in the line. As people approach the host they will either be seated or given a pager to wait. When it gets to your turn, IF your table is ready you will be seated, if not you will get to wait, though if you have to wait you will be given priority.

[NYcruzzer]

lets say you make 7pm reservations for 4 people so you can see the 9pm show w/o being rushed through dinner.

at 6:55pm, go to the mdr, cut in front of everyone, and tell the hostess you have a 7pm reservation??

 

No need to cut in line. Go past the red velvet ropes set up just for you...Enjoy your cruise !

[casofilia]

Wait in line like everyone else. Those in front of you may have a reservation like you and will be seated before you as they should be (they arrived first). If they don't they to will be seated before you as they should be if there is room (they also arrived before you). If they don't and there isn't enough room they will be given a pager and asked to wait. When it is your turn you will be seated as you have a reservation.

 

BUT beware if someone in a suite uses the Concierge to get them seated without a reservation!!

[goldmom]

Actually, the last time we were on the Gem they had 2 sides set up. If you didn't have a reservation you waited in a line on the right side. If you had a reservation, you would go through the left door to the hostess desk.

 

This was the first time I'd seen this set up, but it didn't seem to work very well. The hostess kept forgetting to look to her right to acknowledge the guests with reservations. We would often just use the regular line as it seemed to move faster even though we had reservations.

[goldmom]

Just a PS. We had asked the hostess at lunchtime if we needed to wait in the line at dinner time if we had a reservation and she was the one who told us to just come in through the left door to skip the line. There was no sign or anything.

[Homosassa]

We have been told on each ship to use a different entrance to the MDR when we have had reservations (we had set reservations for the same time and server for the entire cruise).

[ready2cruzagain]

When we were on the Epic in January there was a long line. We went to the front of the line and told them we have reservations and maitre'd told us to go to the back of the line.

 

Two twenty something girls came in a few minutes later and went right to the front of the line and maitre'd seated them.

 

Did not make me happy. Went to the front of the line and asked MD why they didn't have to wait and he stuttered and said "your table is ready". :mad:

[LrgPizza]

No, you do not cut in front of people waiting to talk to the hostess. Just like you wouldn't do that at home. They are waiting to check in, just like you are. Those waiting for a table will be standing out of the way of the podium.

[CruisingSince1982]

lets say you make 7pm reservations for 4 people so you can see the 9pm show w/o being rushed through dinner.

at 6:55pm, go to the mdr, cut in front of everyone, and tell the hostess you have a 7pm reservation??

 

You aren't cutting. You have a reservation. You walk to the podium and tell them you have a reservation.

[fstuff1]

Actually, the last time we were on the Gem they had 2 sides set up. If you didn't have a reservation you waited in a line on the right side. If you had a reservation, you would go through the left door to the hostess desk.

 

This was the first time I'd seen this set up, but it didn't seem to work very well. The hostess kept forgetting to look to her right to acknowledge the guests with reservations. We would often just use the regular line as it seemed to move faster even though we had reservations.

yes, that was what i was thinking... cut everyone else by going through the left side.

 

so there was line on the left side as well???

[CruisingSince1982]

We have been told on each ship to use a different entrance to the MDR when we have had reservations (we had set reservations for the same time and server for the entire cruise).

 

This is also true for us. There are usually two podiums. On the larger ships, anyway.

[CruisingSince1982]

Alway make reservations, especially at the busy times i.e. 7:00 pm... everyone wants to eat at that time! Not considered cutting in line, only considered great planning!

 

 

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We always make reservations!

[LrgPizza]

We always make reservations!

We never make reservations. We walk to the podium and are seated. Sometimes people with reservations might slow things down a bit, but it's no big deal. It's amusing to watch the people with reservations all try to get ahead of one another to be seated, since most believe their own reservation takes precedence over all other reservations. I always end up getting seated just as quickly, yet I wasn't forced to adhere to a schedule. Win for me!

[CruisingSince1982]

We never make reservations. We walk to the podium and are seated. Sometimes people with reservations might slow things down a bit, but it's no big deal. It's amusing to watch the people with reservations all try to get ahead of one another to be seated, since most believe their own reservation takes precedence over all other reservations. I always end up getting seated just as quickly, yet I wasn't forced to adhere to a schedule. Win for me!

 

I never witnessed that. Most people have common courtesy. We love having a reservation. Different strokes for different folks.

[CruisingSince1982]

you can witness it just by reading this thread. "I want to get to the podium before others with reservations" is basically what is being discussed.

 

It's a reservation. We have never waited in the main line at the MDR when we had a reservation. You are instructed not to. I have yet to be on an NCL ship that didn't have 2 podiums set up in the MDR, one specifically for people who have reservations.

[njkate]

Doesn't a reservation defeat the purpose of free style cruising? AS one poster said go to dinner at 5-6 if you have a show, hit the buffet later if you are hungry!

[jawnan]

So we are traveling with a group of 10. Will they have tables readily available or do you suggest a reservation since it is a large group? Do they even have tables for 10?

[Sea saw 56]

I am glad the OP created this thread, we rarely eat in the main dining room in the evening and I learned several things from the responses here. It sounds as if the OP only asked this question to AVOID being rude. There's nothing snobby or uppity about being organized enough to plan ahead. Free-style doesn't mean you should never make a plan, but rather that pre-planning shouldn't be mandatory. Someone contributing to this thread needs a happy pill;p

[sverigecruiser]

Follow signs or staff. If there are no signs or no staff to ask, pass the line and ask the host/hostess at the entrance.