Should I book Wonderland before cruise, or wait?

[Cyn874]

I'll be traveling with my Mother on a 7 days cruise to Alaska later this summer. The only specialty dining we're interested in is Wonderland, which we want to try once during our trip. I can't decide if I should make a reservation in advance through my cruise planner, or if I should wait til we get on the ship. On one hand, I've heard that sometimes there are discounts or special deals on specialty dining on Embarkation day. On the other hand, I'm worried that it'll be completely booked solid for the trip, and we'll miss our opportunity. This is my first time sailing on Royal Caribbean, so I don't know if Wonderland sells out or not. 

 

If it matters, it'll be Ovation of the Seas, and we just need a table for 2.

[Merion_Mom]

It's a crap shoot.

 

It won't be any more expensive on board, since they are charging full price in the Cruise Planner.

 

Personally, *I* wouldn't be worried about availability once on board, but you never know.

 

🙂

[NTC0624]

I personally like planning it and buying ahead of time so you get the time and day that you want.  I'm sure you'll be able to get a reservation on board, and might get lucky with a cheaper price, but the time may not be right for you.  If planning around your dinner is how you like to do your cruising, book on the cruise planner.

[Cyn874]

Thanks. It's kind of hard to know in advance what day or time we're going to want to try Wonderland. I wonder if I reserve it in the cruise planner if it's possible to change the day/time after we get onboard, pending availability. 

[NTC0624]

4 minutes ago, Cyn874 said:

Thanks. It's kind of hard to know in advance what day or time we're going to want to try Wonderland. I wonder if I reserve it in the cruise planner if it's possible to change the day/time after we get onboard, pending availability. 

It is possible to do so and they will try and work with you, however most of the main times, 6-7:30, will most likely be filled once onboard.  But yes you can stop by the restaurant and see what they have to say!

[AlanF65]

Wonderland was full day 2 when we ate

It was fantastic.

 

A group of us from CC had the center table thanks to @hoopster95 organizing a group table in the Ovation RC for the current Alaska sailing and making the reservations .

 

If you want to make sure you enjoy the experience I would make the reservations now look at day 2 or 5 which should be at sea days you can relax.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 17, 2019 by AlanF65

[Cyn874]

Thanks! I ended up booking it for the evening we'll be at Dawes Glacier/Endicott arm, since we leave there at noon and the next day is a sea day. Should be a relaxing day! My Mom and I are both very excited because we love trying new and unusual food, so this is right up our alley. All the pictures and videos I've seen look fantastic! We are adventurous diners, so this should be fun. 

 

I'm curious about the mushrooms I'm seeing in the dessert picture. I don't recall seeing any pictures of that before today, nor do I remember seeing anything like that on the menu. Which dish is that, and what's it made of? It's very pretty!

[Biker19]

9 hours ago, Cyn874 said:

I'm curious about the mushrooms I'm seeing in the dessert picture. I don't recall seeing any pictures of that before today, nor do I remember seeing anything like that on the menu. Which dish is that, and what's it made of? 

I didn't quite know what it was even after eating it, but it was pretty good - the bottom of the mushroom is a pavlova.

Edited May 17, 2019 by Biker19