Marina Specialty Restaurant Bookings

[Free and Easy]

Am going onto a 11-nite Marina cruise come May. I understand that we are only allowed to make one reservation booking per Specialty restaurant prior to boarding. But after we get on the Ship, is there any limitation on how many bookings we can make in the whole trip, in total and/or per Specialty? Grateful prior fellow Marnina cruisers can share your experience. Many thanks!

[Flatbush Flyer]

50 minutes ago, Free and Easy said:

Am going onto a 11-nite Marina cruise come May. I understand that we are only allowed to make one reservation booking per Specialty restaurant prior to boarding. But after we get on the Ship, is there any limitation on how many bookings we can make in the whole trip, in total and/or per Specialty? Grateful prior fellow Marnina cruisers can share your experience. Many thanks!

If you'r flexible about time and sharing your may be able to eat every night in a specialty on any Oceania ship. You can check each morning on availability for additional reservations - never a charge.

[Free and Easy]

Hahahaha so basically no limit at all!!! Sounds great! But are additional bookings can only be made each morning for that particular day? Grateful for your enlightenment.

[LHT28]

3 hours ago, Free and Easy said:

Hahahaha so basically no limit at all!!! Sounds great! But are additional bookings can only be made each morning for that particular day? Grateful for your enlightenment.

yes  go to the reservations desk on deck 5 & see what is available that night

Sometimes it is not a problem just depends on your fellow shipmates etc..

The GDR  food is just as  good  just more variety

[CintiPam]

It certainly is much easier if you (1) share your table with four or more others or  (2) eat later in the evening.  Also easier on nights that the ship sails late from a port where many will opt to dine on land, or a port like Livorno where so many will return back late from Florence.

[Free and Easy]

Understood. Thanks, all!!

[EasyGoingGuy]

Went on a recent 10 day cruise. We booked the standard 4 nights allowed pre-cruise with another couple. Went down every morning to check on availability and were told sorry nothing due to this being a 'short' cruise? We'd go by the 'specialties' at dinner time and there'd be empty tables...maybe a planned capacity thing due to overall staffing among the venues.  However, at the end of the cruise I was given an additional 4-person-table booking because I'd asked every day and he recognized me and for my perseverance (is this a valid reason ?).... So, who knows what you'll get. However, the other meals we ate in the Terrace and MDR were good and no complaints there.

[Shawnino]

5 hours ago, EasyGoingGuy said:

Went on a recent 10 day cruise. We booked the standard 4 nights allowed pre-cruise with another couple. Went down every morning to check on availability and were told sorry nothing due to this being a 'short' cruise? We'd go by the 'specialties' at dinner time and there'd be empty tables...maybe a planned capacity thing due to overall staffing among the venues.  However, at the end of the cruise I was given an additional 4-person-table booking because I'd asked every day and he recognized me and for my perseverance (is this a valid reason ?).... So, who knows what you'll get. However, the other meals we ate in the Terrace and MDR were good and no complaints there.

 

Same things for us (Riviera Med/TA, November).

Well, we never got perseverance points 🙂

[Flatbush Flyer]

On Oceania, "ten days" is a "short cruise."

With, at least, four pre-registrations (1 per each specialty on "O"'a larger ship's), there is less wiggle room on that "shortie" to add more than would be possible on a cruise that is longer (but, perhaps, not so long as to double your pre-registration allowances).

 

In any case, time and sharing (not just with that other cabin of your traveling companions) flexibility remains the key to extra reservations.

[pinotlover]

The OP omitted telling us what cabin type they’re in. There is a pecking order, based on cabin type of whom gets additional reservations on any given evening. 

1. Cabin type

2. Prior number of previous additional reservations.

 

It is NOT first come first service in the sign up line.

[Mura]

It's pretty common to see empty tables.  They keep flexibility for "changing tables" and different times.  I have never ever seen all tables taken.

 

As I've said on CC many times on this subject, there are cruises where most passengers want to eat in the specialties as often as they can.  There are also cruises where the opposite is the case.  DH and I rarely use the number of reservations we are entitled to because we know the menus of the specialties extremely well after so many years, and while we like the food (the one exception being Red Ginger and even there we don't dislike it -- we just won't go more than once, if at all) we like the variety in the GDR and Terrace even more.

 

Mura

[babysteps]

Every cruise is different...two examples:

 

We were just on Marina, Lima-NYC (March/Apr 2019).  This was an 18 day cruise, but was also leg 2 of what had been marketed as a grand voyage from Papeete-NYC, with something like 200-300 people doing that.  So on our leg, there were a lot of people who had already eaten in the specialties - it was easier than we have ever seen to get extra specialty reservations.

 

On the other hand, our second O cruise was iirc 12 days, and we were with a large group that had a pre-arranged group dinner in Jacques.  One family in our group - 8 or so adults - wanted to go back to Jacques, but by the time they asked it just wasn't possible (and one of their cabins was a PH, and they had a lot of people asking on their behalf).  This was an O ship.

Edited April 17, 2019 by babysteps

[Paulchili]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

Cabin type

2. Prior number of previous additional reservations.

 

It is NOT first come first service in the sign up line.

True. They are more unlikely to deny requests from OS, VS or OC cabins as readily as other types. Also, status may help - if you are Plat and above you MAY have a better chance (just guessing here).

[melody hounddog]

Can anyone tell me how many specialty restaurants you can book ahead of time on an 18 day cruise? Thanks.

[pinotlover]

Best to go to Oceania’s website and find it yourself under dining.

 

Answer varies by class of ship, O or R,  you’re on and cabin you are in.

[Mura]

It particularly depends on the cabin class you are in.  On an 18 day cruise on an "O" ship, if you are in a top suite  I think it's 3.  But in lower cabins it will be 2 or 1.

 

[Free and Easy]

On 4/17/2019 at 2:41 PM, EasyGoingGuy said:

Went on a recent 10 day cruise. We booked the standard 4 nights allowed pre-cruise with another couple. Went down every morning to check on availability and were told sorry nothing due to this being a 'short' cruise? We'd go by the 'specialties' at dinner time and there'd be empty tables...maybe a planned capacity thing due to overall staffing among the venues.  However, at the end of the cruise I was given an additional 4-person-table booking because I'd asked every day and he recognized me and for my perseverance (is this a valid reason ?).... So, who knows what you'll get. However, the other meals we ate in the Terrace and MDR were good and no complaints there.

 

So, on Oceania, with another couple, we are allowed to book up to 4 nights pre-cruise then?? I thought once another couple had booked two nights (for table of four) "inviting" us to join, our quota will already be used up as well and we are not allowed to book any more - that is the case with Regent Seven Seas. Is that not the case with Oceania??

[EasyGoingGuy]

Each 'couple' (on our cruise) got 1 two-person reservation per specialty. We traveled with another couple and they got the same. We let them book our 4 meals with theirs...a table for 4 at each of the 4 specialties...4 different nights. We were in a B3 and as mentioned above the highest categories get more per cruise. What I find odd about O is,  on a previous 7 night cruise we got 1 res per specialty, on the 10 night the same, on our upcoming 20 night still the same (B3 category). Maybe some of the more knowledgeable folks on here can chime in where the break point is on cruise days versus reservations and when it changes per category.

[Free and Easy]

17 minutes ago, EasyGoingGuy said:

Each 'couple' (on our cruise) got 1 two-person reservation per specialty. We traveled with another couple and they got the same. We let them book our 4 meals with theirs...a table for 4 at each of the 4 specialties...4 different nights. We were in a B3 and as mentioned above the highest categories get more per cruise. What I find odd about O is,  on a previous 7 night cruise we got 1 res per specialty, on the 10 night the same, on our upcoming 20 night still the same (B3 category). Maybe some of the more knowledgeable folks on here can chime in where the break point is on cruise days versus reservations and when it changes per category.

 

Sorry.....am still somewhat confused :(. Question remains: if each couple is allowed to book only two specialty, given the quota is already used up by joining the other couple, how can four nights be reserved? Did you mean one can book a table of four under his/her quota but the quota of the "invited" couple will not be used?? Grateful enlighten me.

[Paulchili]

7 minutes ago, Free and Easy said:

 

Sorry.....am still somewhat confused :(. Question remains: if each couple is allowed to book only two specialty, given the quota is already used up by joining the other couple, how can four nights be reserved? Did you mean one can book a table of four under his/her quota but the quota of the "invited" couple will not be used?? Grateful enlighten me.

Marina and Riviera have 4 specialty restaurants.

OP was allowed to book 1 reservation in each of those 4 specialty restaurants - hence they had a total of 4 reservations. The couple that joined them had the same 4 reservations as that was their allotment as well - 4 total.

Does that make sense now?

[Free and Easy]

11 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Marina and Riviera have 4 specialty restaurants.

OP was allowed to book 1 reservation in each of those 4 specialty restaurants - hence they had a total of 4 reservations. The couple that joined them had the same 4 reservations as that was their allotment as well - 4 total.

Does that make sense now?

 

Dear Paulchili, thank you so much for the enlightenment! Yes, totally understood now. Makes perfect sense! Didnt' realise Oceania allows guests to make one reservation per specialty; thought each couple is only allowed to book a max of two only. Thank you again!

[Paulchili]

20 minutes ago, Free and Easy said:

 

Dear Paulchili, thank you so much for the enlightenment! Yes, totally understood now. Makes perfect sense! Didnt' realise Oceania allows guests to make one reservation per specialty; thought each couple is only allowed to book a max of two only. Thank you again!

Here is the specialty restaurant info you need:

https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005477653-How-many-dining-reservations-am-I-allowed-in-each-specialty-restaurant-

[Paulchili]

On ‎4‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 3:11 PM, melody hounddog said:

Can anyone tell me how many specialty restaurants you can book ahead of time on an 18 day cruise? Thanks.

Hope this helps:

https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005477653-How-many-dining-reservations-am-I-allowed-in-each-specialty-restaurant-

[Free and Easy]

7 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Here is the specialty restaurant info you need:

https://oceaniacruises.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005477653-How-many-dining-reservations-am-I-allowed-in-each-specialty-restaurant-

 

Thank you again!

[Hawaiidan]

On 4/13/2019 at 8:16 PM, Free and Easy said:

Am going onto a 11-nite Marina cruise come May. I understand that we are only allowed to make one reservation booking per Specialty restaurant prior to boarding. But after we get on the Ship, is there any limitation on how many bookings we can make in the whole trip, in total and/or per Specialty? Grateful prior fellow Marnina cruisers can share your experience. Many thanks!

NO....  no limit and no charge for extra   11 nights might be short   I cruise 14+ .   My experience  is that if willing to share and flexible as to time, you can pretty much get as many reservations as you want     I can count on one hand the number of times I have not gotten what ever I wanted in the past 10 years.....  Patients and flexibility