Making Dining Reservations???

[teacherman]

We will be going on Koningsdam in February.  We have not cruised on HAL for almost 10 years.  Is there any benefit to making on-line specialty dining reservations before we leave home, other than getting to choose the time and day?  Do they ever offer "deals" on specialty dining once on the ship (2 for 1)?  I have on board credit, so if I do book on-line, will they deduct it from the credit or will they charge my credit card for it?  If I book on line and then decide to cancel once on the ship, what happens to the charges?  Any information/advice is welcome.  Thank you and Happy New Year to all.

[kazu]

4 minutes ago, teacherman said:

We will be going on Koningsdam in February.  We have not cruised on HAL for almost 10 years.  Is there any benefit to making on-line specialty dining reservations before we leave home, other than getting to choose the time and day?  Do they ever offer "deals" on specialty dining once on the ship (2 for 1)?  I have on board credit, so if I do book on-line, will they deduct it from the credit or will they charge my credit card for it?  If I book on line and then decide to cancel once on the ship, what happens to the charges?  Any information/advice is welcome.  Thank you and Happy New Year to all.

 

You have identified the benefit of booking on line. Time and date of your choice.

 

I've never seen a 2 for 1 deal on a ship ever.  The only discount I've seen is on the first night there can be a slight discount on the Canaletto.  There used to be one for the Pinnacle but I haven't see that in a long time.

 

If you book on line, they charge your credit card.  You can only use your OBC once you are on board the ship.

 

If you book on line and decide to cancel on board as long as you give sufficient notice (I believe it is at least 24 hours) you will be credited the cost as on board credit.

 

Hope this helps and Happy New Year!

[catl331]

You can get some deals on-line. Under Purchase Indulgences, look at "packages", not dining. We don't have a booking right now and can't give you specifics, but IIRC on the K'dam there's four or five choices.

 

Here is a thread from 2 months ago that gives a little more info:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2602289-onboard-purchases/?tab=comments#comment-56131997

 

Edited December 30, 2018 by catl331

[Nashna]

We are sailing on the Koningsdam, January 13th sailing.  I made and paid for my Pinnacle Grill Reservations to get the times and date we wanted.  This was due to several remarks made by posters that certain times were not available when they boarded.  I have two complimentary dinners with my package.  Once I board, I am going to arrange for a credit for those reservations after I switch them to the complimentary dinners.  We like to dine at 7:00pm on sea days which is the most popular option.  Plus, I didn't want the hassle of rushing to make dining reservations upon boarding.    

[Travrat]

Sel de Mer offered a 25% discount first night on Koningsdam

The pre- purchase packages mentioned before have a small discount but you can't buy these on the ship