Advice on booking restaurants on Marina

[nancy from north shore]

Hi

We are traveling with another couple on Marina and would like to best use our reservations for the speciality restaurants.  If you make a reservation for a restaurant in advance of the cruise will they allow you to add another couple to that reservation once you are on the ship? I appreciate any insight here. Thanks so much.

[shepherd really]

17 minutes ago, nancy from north shore said:

Hi

We are traveling with another couple on Marina and would like to best use our reservations for the speciality restaurants.  If you make a reservation for a restaurant in advance of the cruise will they allow you to add another couple to that reservation once you are on the ship? I appreciate any insight here. Thanks so much.

You can add another couple prior to your cruise if you have their booking number and they are paid in full.  During the cruise it will be on a space available basis.

[LHT28]

Are your friends in the same cabin cat?

When you book your res there is a tab "add a  guest" or similar wording just click there as mentioned you will need their booking number

it counts as one of their allotted res

[Tyskie]

Also new to Oceania (Riviera) Concierge Veranda September 2023

I know our dining reservations open July 4th

At that time we can book 1 specialty restaurant

My questions are: 

-Do we/can we/should we - book the MDR reservations at that time too?

-When can we book the additional specialty restaurants - from what I am reading it's once onboard? 

Will there still be availability for them on embarkation day?

 

Thank you all for your help!

 

 

 

[LHT28]

5 minutes ago, Tyskie said:

Also new to Oceania (Riviera) Concierge Veranda September 2023

I know our dining reservations open July 4th

At that time we can book 1 specialty restaurant

My questions are: 

-Do we/can we/should we - book the MDR reservations at that time too?

-When can we book the additional specialty restaurants - from what I am reading it's once onboard? 

Will there still be availability for them on embarkation day?

 

 

There  are no res for the GDR  just show up during opening hours  6:30 to 9PM

Open dining  you can share a table or not  The Maitre'd will ask

 

Book each Specialty restaurant  on your date that they open you will get at least one in each  depending on the cabin Cat & length of cruise

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

 

Once onboard  you can go to the res desk on Deck 5   & see if they have openings for that night

[mauibabes]

@Tyskie

A little “unsecret” depending on where you are time zone wise, you can go on line after 12.00 a.m. EST and book your dinner reservations and include your friends with their booking number. I just did it for tables for 8 last night for our upcoming South America trip. Also, when you board go directly to the Reservation Desk and try to get any additional reservations. Actually any evening, you can drop bye a favorite restaurant and check on availability, maybe about 6:40-45 after they have seated the 6:30 guests with reservations. The Maitre d’s are as accommodating as possible. In addition, do not waste one of your limited reservations on the first night because a Space Available booking that night won’t count against your 4 Reservations or whatever the number you are authorized.  There are normally plenty of seating spaces available that night and they are trying to give them away to anyone who asks, most likely any of the 4 restaurants. Red Ginger is our First Night standard request. Sometimes we have gone to the GDR and it had been swamped about 645 or so and they asked us to go to a Specialty restaurant of our choice. It is all driven by times and space available. 🙏👍

Enjoy, Mauibabes

[Tyskie]

30 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

 

Book each Specialty restaurant  on your date that they open you will get at least one in each  depending on the cabin Cat & length of cruise

 

 

Thank you, I misunderstood, I thought only 1 restaurant reservation, not 1 for each specialty.  🤦‍♀️

I'm learning !!  (not only from CC but also the O website)  

And my eyes are going blurry from reading, reading (hahaha)

 

[mauibabes]

Lots of tips and tricks to be had here on CC/Oceania. The next one, book a future cruise on board, only $250 deposit and hundreds of dollar discount depending on room category. We always book one or two way far out (2 years) and if we see one we like better, we swap.  You get one swap w/o losing the discount so we try to keep one available at all times.  You never know when the travel itch will bite you. Also, you can book Family and Friends when you are aboard and they get the discount too.  
First trip, you will love O. Welcome to the family. 
Mauibabes

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, mauibabes said:

 Actually any evening, you can drop bye a favorite restaurant and check on availability, maybe about 6:40-45 after they have seated the 6:30 guests with reservations. The Maitre d’s are as accommodating as possible.

I am surprised  they allow this 

pre covid it was discouraged

Maybe it works on the limited capacity sailings  but once back to normal capacity I would be surprised  they will allow walk ups

JMO

[mauibabes]

Well we are still post Covid with lighter passenger loads but that worked as of April when we were on Marina. Maybe we will hear more recent info from current cruisers.  I think it might be easier on Marina and Riviera since they have more tables to fill. JMHO. 
Never hurts to ask anywhere.

Ciao, Mauibabes

[LHT28]

28 minutes ago, mauibabes said:

Well we are still post Covid with lighter passenger loads but that worked as of April when we were on Marina. Maybe we will hear more recent info from current cruisers.  I think it might be easier on Marina and Riviera since they have more tables to fill. JMHO. 
Never hurts to ask anywhere.

Ciao, Mauibabes

We have been on the O class ships  pre covid  &  walk ups were turned away

 I do not think the ships are at full capacity YET 

probably by Dec  they might be back to normal occupancy

 April  was still  Capacity  controlled    so maybe it was possible to walk up & get in

but not normal OP

 

How many PAX are on your current sailing??

[mauibabes]

We sail on Marina January 18 and it is totally Waitlisted so I am guessing around 1200 pax. Space Available walk ups might only work if you want a 8:30 reservation, MAYBE but do not hold your breath. Agree LHT, the times they are a changing, nice while it lasted.
Since some in our group are in PH’s so we will rely on them to use their Butler to book some extra Specialty dinners for 4 or 6 tops. 
We did book our Specialty reservations last night and got our 4 without any issues 🙏😁

Mauibabes

[WESTEAST]

1 hour ago, mauibabes said:

Well we are still post Covid with lighter passenger loads but that worked as of April when we were on Marina. Maybe we will hear more recent info from current cruisers.  I think it might be easier on Marina and Riviera since they have more tables to fill. JMHO. 
Never hurts to ask anywhere.

Ciao, Mauibabes

We were onboard Regatta in September with full capacity and getting additional Speciality bookings was not possible nor, were walk-ins successful.

[Redtravel]

It depends on the length of the cruise. The longer cruises have more available reservations.    Often if you ask and are flexible with time and size of table, you can get extra reservations. Pandemic has made many people requesting tables for 2. If you don’t mind sharing, you can get more reservations. 

[pinotlover]

We just got off the Sirena on a 17 day cruise which was actually two segments. A 7 day and a 10 day. The ship was booked full the total time.

 

All the Specialties reservations for the first night of the second segment were gone before the newbies boarded. They had either been pre booked as guarantees or snatched up early that morning. Those claiming that a Specialty reservation on Embarkment Day is a surety are living in the past or cruising on an empty ship. All Reservations for Specialties were completely booked out at the reservations desk early each morning. The Maitre De didn’t even waste time talking to those wandering in looking for cancellations.

[Happy Trails1]

We cruised on Nautica in October - a 10 day cruise. We made our 2 allowed reservations (outside stateroom) when they opened up. I was also able to call the dining reservation line for same day tables 2 additional nights. They were later seating times -  8:30, but the maitre d encouraged us to stop in a little early for our table and they worked us in. I loved it! I recommend calling and giving it a try!

[Robjame]

On 11/5/2022 at 5:12 PM, pinotlover said:

We just got off the Sirena on a 17 day cruise which was actually two segments. A 7 day and a 10 day. The ship was booked full the total time.

 

All the Specialties reservations for the first night of the second segment were gone before the newbies boarded. They had either been pre booked

Interesting Pinot. we are going to sail on Riviera.
‘We just booked our specialties for 2 segments, full ship. We are steerage (last choice 45 days out) and we were able to book first night in any time slot for Polo or later for any one of the  restaurants. Our choice was a two top for all our bookings and had no problem getting them, admittedly some of them were later times.

I agree with you. If you want specialty first night it may be better to prebook.

[LHT28]

The 7 days  cruises  see to book up fast  especially  on the R ships   where everyone want their  specialty  res

The larger ships  you have more options to choose from

 

[slw207693]

We are currently on Marina and have 2 more segments.  I can tell you that you can not walk up to maitre’d and get in anymore unless it is for an 8:30pm seating.  Ship is full.   You will get your 1 “guaranteed” reservation in each restaurant, however it may or may not be at a desired time to you’d like to eat.   
 

Crew Salute (where the crew  come into the Marina lounge after the evening show and you get to clap and cheer for them and then participate in the YMCA song and then the crew is waiting at the entranceways to clap for you afterward) is back.   Lots of fun to feel like it’s almost back to pre Covid 
 

 

[Mura]

On 11/4/2022 at 10:12 AM, mauibabes said:

@Tyskie

Sometimes we have gone to the GDR and it had been swamped about 645 or so and they asked us to go to a Specialty restaurant of our choice. It is all driven by times and space available. 🙏👍

Enjoy, Mauibabes

You remind me of our first Marina cruise (Oct '11) when we tried for a Jacques reservation but couldn't get it.  I don't recall if we were 4 or 6 people. Probably 6.

 

 So we went to the GDR and were asked if we'd like to go to Jacques? And so we did!

 

 (I have only come back here after a hiatus in posting so perhaps this is a repeat ... if so, my apologies!)

 

[mauibabes]

Myra,

Actually this happened to us as recently as our last cruise in April on Marina. The GDR was hit hard by all the people who wanted to dine there at 6:30. Their staffing may have been lighter than needed so the Maitre d was making everyone farther back in the queue an offer to dine in several of the Specialties as their 6:30 reservations were not full up.  They were  just balancing their workload. 
It was a tough decision and we made the best of it. 🤪 HA HA. 

Mauibabes