Specialty Dining (Wonder) : How Fast Do We Need to Be Booking?

[forty-two]

Long story short, we got a bit burned on our last Quantum Class ship waiting until noon booking specialty dining (Unlimited Package) and couldn't eat at all the restaurants (still got to eat at most).  Taking the blame on this one a bit since we toured the ship and had lunch in the buffet first.  I caulk it up to just not knowing better.

 

We're sailing the Wonder in a couple weeks (Memorial Day) and really want to make sure to dine at all the specialty restaurants, especially the ones we missed last time.  That said, I'm a bit worried about how quickly reservations book up on embarkment day.  I've seen a lot of sad reports of missing out on almost all the spots.

 

So, and tips would be greatly appreciated!  I've opted to get The Key to ensure an early boarding time (our "default" time is noon), so I imagine it will be of benefit to get on the ship as early as possible.  Would you try through the app or just bee-line it to one of the restaurants?  I'm also fine waiting outside the port 30-60 minutes if it gets us on the ship sooner.  The food is really our favorite part of cruising, so we are laser focused on getting reservations for every night this time (so much so that we thought about just buying all the restaurants individually, but that seems like a waste).

 

Thank you!

[OCSC Mike]

9 minutes ago, forty-two said:

Would you try through the app or just bee-line it to one of the restaurants?  I'm also fine waiting outside the port 30-60 minutes if it gets us on the ship sooner.  The food is really our favorite part of cruising, so we are laser focused on getting reservations for every night this time (so much so that we thought about just buying all the restaurants individually, but that seems like a waste).

 

Caveat: I've never had the UDP but food & drink is also my favorite part of cruising.

 

I would head straight for wherever is closest/quickest to book once onboard. No need to wait outside the port for 30-60 minutes. We always get to PC around 10:00 for a 10:30 check-in time and are inside the terminal and waiting for boarding to commence very quickly, even back when you had to present a covid test result (no Key, no suite, we're Diamond but that doesn't mean much). We're also onboard not that far behind the groups ahead of us so you should be able to board pretty quickly.

 

Hope you get to eat everywhere you want! From what I've read, just be prepared with a list/tentative plan and you may have to be a bit flexible with your times.

[forty-two]

1 minute ago, OCSC Mike said:

Hope you get to eat everywhere you want! From what I've read, just be prepared with a list/tentative plan and you may have to be a bit flexible with your times.

Thanks!  We double dipped a bit, so we have The Key and we're in a Junior Suite (so we'll get the early boarding perk).  We figured we'd just arrive at 10:00am and wait in line to board as we should be in one of the first groups.  Honestly, my only bit of hesitancy is the fact that it's Memorial Day Weekend, so I'm expecting a full house of travels.

 

I'm actually contemplating arriving at the parking deck at 9:30, but I'm wondering if that's just unreasonably too early.

[firefly333]

4 minutes ago, forty-two said:

Thanks!  We double dipped a bit, so we have The Key and we're in a Junior Suite (so we'll get the early boarding perk).  We figured we'd just arrive at 10:00am and wait in line to board as we should be in one of the first groups.  Honestly, my only bit of hesitancy is the fact that it's Memorial Day Weekend, so I'm expecting a full house of travels.

 

I'm actually contemplating arriving at the parking deck at 9:30, but I'm wondering if that's just unreasonably too early.

I would bee line to the nearest place to book what you want. Have a list in hand of what you want to book. I've read others who waited a couple of hours to book after they boarded and didnt get what they wanted. Agree with mike..do it asap when you board.

 

They are selling too many dining pkgs for everyone to get what they want. Making the Mdr less attractive is pushing people to book dining pkgs. 

[OCSC Mike]

10 minutes ago, forty-two said:

Thanks!  We double dipped a bit, so we have The Key and we're in a Junior Suite (so we'll get the early boarding perk).  We figured we'd just arrive at 10:00am and wait in line to board as we should be in one of the first groups.  Honestly, my only bit of hesitancy is the fact that it's Memorial Day Weekend, so I'm expecting a full house of travels.

 

I'm actually contemplating arriving at the parking deck at 9:30, but I'm wondering if that's just unreasonably too early.

 

9:30 is OK, just don't arrive too much earlier b/c you need the previous Wonder passengers to leave to open up parking spots. The good news is you pay as you enter the garage at PC so leaving moves smoothly. I'm sure we've gotten there at 9:45 before. (I just realized I assumed you were driving which may not be the case. If it's not, ignore this part, lol.)

 

I was going to add this to my original post but saw you responded so I'll add it here...

 

Since you mentioned going to WJ on your last cruise, don't forget you can try to eat at a specialty restaurant for embarkation day lunch. I'm a WJ fan but you did buy the UDP for a reason. 🙂 We don't do a ton of specialty dining but we're personally looking forward to the Mason Jar brunch, which tends to fill up quickly, so perhaps that would be an option. It's mostly full for the 2 sea days of my June 4th cruise but there are still openings on embarkation day.

Edited May 15, 2023 by OCSC Mike

[forty-two]

3 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

9:30 is OK, just don't arrive too much earlier b/c you need the previous Wonder passengers to leave to open up parking spots. The good news is you pay as you enter the garage at PC so leaving moves smoothly. I'm sure we've gotten there at 9:45 before.

Thanks for the advice!  Out of curiosity, how much of a line has already formed by 9:45?

 

It's funny, we've long been Walt Disney World folks, cruising is still relatively new to us, but we are used to (unfortunately) the madness that comes with booking stuff since WDW is infamous for it.  Like, waking up at 5am to book a dining reservation infamous.

[OCSC Mike]

22 minutes ago, forty-two said:

Thanks for the advice!  Out of curiosity, how much of a line has already formed by 9:45?

 

Full disclosure, I haven't sailed Oasis class since last May (there was no line at all for Indy in July or October but that's not a fair comparison). Hopefully someone will chime in with a recent Wonder experience, but when we had a GS last May on Harmony, we were there slightly before 10:00 and the line wasn't bad at all (and it would have moved quicker if not for the covid test checking which obviously no longer exists). The best way to put it... we got into the terminal in plenty of time to sit there waiting for boarding to begin.

 

22 minutes ago, forty-two said:

It's funny, we've long been Walt Disney World folks, cruising is still relatively new to us, but we are used to (unfortunately) the madness that comes with booking stuff since WDW is infamous for it.  Like, waking up at 5am to book a dining reservation infamous.

 

I haven't had passes since pre-covid but live very close to Disney. Arriving early at PC to board a cruise when you have a suite is NOT like Disney, IMO.

 

Funny/helpful Disney story if you still go... One of our favorite restaurants is Art Smith's Homecoming at Disney Springs (it's actually quite similar to Mason Jar if you're not familiar). On the day reservations opened for Valentine's Day (also my wife's bday, lucky me), I tried to get through on the app with no luck. In the past, we've just walked up so we decided to just try that again. We got there early, like 4:45-5:00 expecting a long wait... and they offered to seat us immediately, lol. We didn't want dinner that early so we walked around, got some cookies at Gideon's for later, came back an hour or so later and waited 5 minutes to be seated. It likely varies by restaurant, but clearly they don't come close to actually filling the restaurants with reservations, at least at Homecoming.

Edited May 15, 2023 by OCSC Mike

[crewsweeper]

27 minutes ago, forty-two said:

Thanks for the advice!  Out of curiosity, how much of a line has already formed by 9:45?

 

It's funny, we've long been Walt Disney World folks, cruising is still relatively new to us, but we are used to (unfortunately) the madness that comes with booking stuff since WDW is infamous for it.  Like, waking up at 5am to book a dining reservation infamous.

You needed to have set an arrival time when it came up on your app.  You can certainly enter the cruise terminal early.  If there is a line, they may have you wait outside, but once inside, they seat you in an area where others with you boarding time are seated and that's how they bring you on board the ship.   

For dining, there should be a kiosk/desk/table, right before the liqueur store on the promenade deck when you arrive.  Also in any restaurant that is open.   If you have UDP, book your Izumi reservations first. (lunch or dinner, Hibachi or Sushi).Do this before exploring the ship or having lunch. 

If you don't have UDP, you might still be able to book reservations via your app.

[Boz575]

We’ve never tried to book Hibachi using UDP but we’ve heard you can only book at Izumi. Maybe some others can chime in. If that is the case and you’d like to book hibachi,  you may want to head straight there to book all your UDP reservations. 

Edited May 15, 2023 by Boz575

[forty-two]

29 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

Funny/helpful Disney story if you still go... One of our favorite restaurants is Art Smith's Homecoming at Disney Springs (it's actually quite similar to Mason Jar if you're not familiar). On the day reservations opened for Valentine's Day (also my wife's bday, lucky me), I tried to get through on the app with no luck. In the past, we've just walked up so we decided to just try that again. We got there early, like 4:45-5:00 expecting a long wait... and they offered to seat us immediately, lol. We didn't want dinner that early so we walked around, got some cookies at Gideon's for later, came back an hour or so later and waited 5 minutes to be seated. It likely varies by restaurant, but clearly they don't come close to actually filling the restaurants with reservations, at least at Homecoming.

Haha, you and me both!  Had the exact same experience with Homecomin.

 

We went there late one night during the "off" season so we were only one of a few seated (it was almost 10pm), so we had the chance to chat with the restaurant manager.  Apparently they only reserve a low number of seats to encourage walk-ups; which makes sense with it being a "southern" restaurant.  Unless you're going during peak hours, like 7:00pm on a Saturday, it never takes more than an hour to get a seat.

 

Oddly enough, I think because people are so used to needing a reservation at Disney Springs that they just don't even both with a walk-up.  We were like you one time, got there at 5pm and they wanted to immediately seat us.  We had to do a few laps just to eat at 5:30.

[forty-two]

6 minutes ago, Boz575 said:

We’ve never tried to book Hibachi using UDP but we’ve heard you can only book at Izumi. Maybe some others can chime in. If that is the case, you may want to head straight there to book all your UDP reservations. 

Thankfully, since the hibachi books up fast, that's the one restaurant we don't intend to eat at.  We'll try Izumi for lunch one day, but I've heard that's a much easier reservation to get.

[OCSC Mike]

2 minutes ago, forty-two said:

Haha, you and me both!  Had the exact same experience with Homecomin.

 

We went there late one night during the "off" season so we were only one of a few seated (it was almost 10pm), so we had the chance to chat with the restaurant manager.  Apparently they only reserve a low number of seats to encourage walk-ups; which makes sense with it being a "southern" restaurant.  Unless you're going during peak hours, like 7:00pm on a Saturday, it never takes more than an hour to get a seat.

 

Oddly enough, I think because people are so used to needing a reservation at Disney Springs that they just don't even both with a walk-up.  We were like you one time, got there at 5pm and they wanted to immediately seat us.  We had to do a few laps just to eat at 5:30.

 

Good to know! So much for ME giving YOU a tip about eating there. 🤣

[forty-two]

21 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

You needed to have set an arrival time when it came up on your app.  You can certainly enter the cruise terminal early.  If there is a line, they may have you wait outside, but once inside, they seat you in an area where others with you boarding time are seated and that's how they bring you on board the ship.   

Our time is noon, but I believe because we're in a junior suite (and have The Key) when can arrive at the first boarding time of 10:30.

[frizzo22]

Was on Wonder 4/30 - 5/7 and had the UDP.  Boarded at 11:30 and went straight to Central Park and made all of my reservations for the week with no issues (was solo this trip and like to eat between 5-5:30).  Had lunch at Playmakers after making all of my reservations.  Feedback from some of the folks that I met was that they were unable to reserve Hibachi once on the ship, it was full with individual reservations.  Would recommend that you also make any specialty lunch (not including Playmakers/JR) reservations right when you board.

[forty-two]

2 minutes ago, frizzo22 said:

Was on Wonder 4/30 - 5/7 and had the UDP.  Boarded at 11:30 and went straight to Central Park and made all of my reservations for the week with no issues (was solo this trip and like to eat between 5-5:30).  Had lunch at Playmakers after making all of my reservations.  Feedback from some of the folks that I met was that they were unable to reserve Hibachi once on the ship, it was full with individual reservations.  Would recommend that you also make any specialty lunch (not including Playmakers/JR) reservations right when you board.

Thank you for the insight!  Luckily for us Hibachi is the one (well, two, we're not going to do Wonderland again) place we don't plan on eating at.  Sounds like there is a window before noon that is easy to work with.

[JeffT237]

1 hour ago, forty-two said:

So, and tips would be greatly appreciated!  I've opted to get The Key to ensure an early boarding time (our "default" time is noon), so I imagine it will be of benefit to get on the ship as early as possible

We sailed the Wonder in March and we had a 10:30 boarding time. They were enforcing times on our cruise and we were let into the terminal shortly after the Pinnacles, suites and Key guests.  We were onboard around 10:45 and we split up, my wife went to the speciality dining table on the Royal Promenade and I went to Central Park to find the least crowded speciality restaurant to make our dining package reservations and we communicated via text. She was able to make reservations first, so I met up with her and we got all of the restaurants we wanted close to the times we wanted, we also made our lunch reservation for the Coco Cay Beach Club.  Friends of ours who boarded about an hour later found a lot of the times they wanted were taken, but they did get the restaurants they wanted.  Reservations go pretty quickly with most passengers who have the dining packages making them as soon as they board.

 

 

 

 

[forty-two]

2 minutes ago, JeffT237 said:

Reservations go pretty quickly with most passengers who have the dining packages making them as soon as they board.

 

 

 

 

Good to know.  I believe because we're in a junior suite we can ignore our noon boarding time and get in line early for the 10:30 entry.  That should save us some headache.

[crewsweeper]

54 minutes ago, forty-two said:

Our time is noon, but I believe because we're in a junior suite (and have The Key) when can arrive at the first boarding time of 10:30.

They do board suite passengers before the hoi polloi.  So getting there early is good.  You wait in a separate suites section.

[forty-two]

38 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

They do board suite passengers before the hoi polloi.  So getting there early is good.  You wait in a separate suites section.

Thanks, that's what I thought.  Its been a while since I sailed with RCI, but I thought I remember that suite guests don't really have "boarding times" and show up, along with Key buyers, as early as they like.

[OCSC Mike]

5 minutes ago, forty-two said:

Thanks, that's what I thought.  Its been a while since I sailed with RCI, but I thought I remember that suite guests don't really have "boarding times" and show up, along with Key buyers, as early as they like.

 

Suite guests actually do have a check-in time, but you are allowed to check-in one hour earlier than your assigned time. I'm not familiar with The Key details.

 

I know what you meant obviously, but for clarity's sake, it's a check-in time, not a boarding time.

[forty-two]

27 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

 

Suite guests actually do have a check-in time, but you are allowed to check-in one hour earlier than your assigned time. I'm not familiar with The Key details.

Gotcha.  Still, I was under the assumption the Key got us an early boarding.  If that's not the case I might be in trouble with dining since our time currently is 12:30.

[Boz575]

@forty-two I believe Key guests board with or right after suites. Its been my experience boarding priority is:

1. Star Class

2.  Pinnacles

3. Suites and Key Guests

4.  All others/General Population

 

The exact order may differ a little by ship/port  but you’ll still be on-board before general population. 

Edited May 15, 2023 by Boz575

[forty-two]

3 minutes ago, Boz575 said:

@forty-two I believe Key Guest board with or right after suites. Its been my experience boarding priority is:

1. Star Class

2.  Pinnacles

3. Suites and Key Guests

 

The exact order may differ a little by ship/port  but you’ll still be on-board before general population. 

phew, well that's a relief.  So get there by 10:30, wait out star and pinnacles, and then get on the ship and book those dining reservations.

[taglovestocruise]

16 minutes ago, forty-two said:

Gotcha.  Still, I was under the assumption the Key got us an early boarding.  If that's not the case I might be in trouble with dining since our time currently is 12:30.

Last two cruises we booked everything at Izumi. Long line at the kiosk, 25 or so waiting in line at Chops, no one in line at Izumi or Wonderland.  Got all the times and days we wanted. Memorial Day cruise will be packed, if there is something that you really don't want to pass on you can pre book the restaurant in the planner, pay full price and then swap it it out for a package night once you are onboard, they will give you a fully refundable OBC for the price paid for the reservation. 

[Boz575]

Yes, and remember, suite guests usually book their UDP reservations prior to boarding via genie/concierge so very few folks will be queueing for reservations if you board first with Key.