Showing up early or late for dining reservation

[miscstuff1]

How strict are the specialty restaurants regarding the time of your reservation? Will they seat you any earlier or later than the exact time?  For example, if we have a 6:30 reservation, can we show up later and still be seated?  Or if we have 8:30, can we possibly be seated earlier?

[Vallesan]

I think they may allow you 10/15 minutes after your reservation time but then again they may not. Truthfully you should keep to your reservation time, apart from it being rather rude not too, if everyone turned up late there would be chaos! There is a reservation system for a reason!

On the other hand there would be no harm in turning up early for an 8.30 reservation or ringing down to the restaurant to see if they can fit you in earlier.

[SophieM]

We’ve been told they will hold your table for 15 minutes past your reservation time. I do agree with Vallesan’s comments. 

[EJL2023]

As I recall on your card they give you for your specialty reservation it states your reservation will be held for 15 minutes past your stated time.  I think I am recalling that correctly but you know what this aging thing can do to the memory. 

[kibutzer]

1 hour ago, miscstuff1 said:

How strict are the specialty restaurants regarding the time of your reservation? Will they seat you any earlier or later than the exact time?  For example, if we have a 6:30 reservation, can we show up later and still be seated?  Or if we have 8:30, can we possibly be seated earlier?

First off they only hold your reservation for 15 minutes, to be fair to all. If it is slow you might be able seated early but remember they need to manage the flow of orders, to help kitchen and servers. 

 

[MEFIowa]

1 hour ago, miscstuff1 said:

...regarding the time of your reservation? ... Or if we have 8:30, can we possibly be seated earlier?

Have you made your reservations? IF NOT, you'll find that if you're in a G-B cabin you won't likely get anything before 8 PM and most likely not before 8:30, unless your ship isn't full. The A and higher cabins get to make their reservations long before the lower-level cabins. You're left with the scraps.

 

Experienced this 1st hand on an Oct-Nov 2023 B2B cruise on Riviera. Started with 10 nights in an A3 and finished with 10 nights in a B3. We could get 6:30-8 pm reservations in the A3. We got an 8, 8:30 and two 9 pm's for our B3.

 

On board O asked us if we could change our horrible 9 pm times for 8:30 times, and I saw why. We and 2 or 3 other couples were the only people who showed up at or after 8:30. And by the time we're mid-way thru our meal, the place is emptying out fast. It was all but empty by 9:30. (I suspect the 9 pm is really a "fake" time, that they don't want you to accept, hoping you'll just not try to reserve a table that late. But if you do, they'll try to seat you at 8:30.)

 

The above is ONLY about tables for 2. We did NOT try to share a table.

[Acrusa]

5 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

Have you made your reservations? IF NOT, you'll find that if you're in a G-B cabin you won't likely get anything before 8 PM and most likely not before 8:30, unless your ship isn't full. The A and higher cabins get to make their reservations long before the lower-level cabins. You're left with the scraps.

 

Experienced this 1st hand on an Oct-Nov 2023 B2B cruise on Riviera. Started with 10 nights in an A3 and finished with 10 nights in a B3. We could get 6:30-8 pm reservations in the A3. We got an 8, 8:30 and two 9 pm's for our B3.

 

On board O asked us if we could change our horrible 9 pm times for 8:30 times, and I saw why. We and 2 or 3 other couples were the only people who showed up at or after 8:30. And by the time we're mid-way thru our meal, the place is emptying out fast. It was all but empty by 9:30. (I suspect the 9 pm is really a "fake" time, that they don't want you to accept, hoping you'll just not try to reserve a table that late. But if you do, they'll try to seat you at 8:30.)

 

The above is ONLY about tables for 2. We did NOT try to share a table.

That ussaly happens when you book 2 separate cruises instead of B2B.

On B2B we where able to book all our 8 reservations at one time.before the next segment was available for the 18 day cruise But you get 2 cruise credits instead of 1 by booking separate cruises. 

[judi666]

We are on Regatta, went a half hour early for an 8pm res and we’re promptly seated.  
Quality of food is another story.

[ORV]

Just to throw another idea in here. If you are sharing a table in the Specialties being late is rude and inconsiderate. I'm sure the OP is talking about dining by yourself. Just wanted to separate the two things. 

[clo]

8 hours ago, SophieM said:

We’ve been told they will hold your table for 15 minutes past your reservation time. I do agree with Vallesan’s comments. 

I've said many times, if I'm on time I feel like I'm late.

[mb777]

11 hours ago, miscstuff1 said:

 For example, if we have a 6:30 reservation, can we show up later and still be seated? 

I'm desperately trying to understand why anyone would make a reservation, then show up late, seemingly from your post....planned in advance.

[miscstuff1]

Had a choice of 9PM, which is too late, or 6:30 which may be too early.  Might not even be back from the excursion that early.  No worries in any case; lots of choices to eat if we can't be accommodated.

[pinotlover]

Currently on the Rivera, those showing up early are being directed to the provided chairs, outside the restaurant, to await their reservation time. 
 

I don’t believe the restaurants want to get into the habit of facilitating early arrival. They don’t want to start the avalanche of those with 7:30s showing up at 7:10 or 7:15; nor those with 7:00s showing up at 6:30. 
 

The early arrivals are seated with those with no reservation hoping for a cancellation spot.

[MEFIowa]

16 hours ago, Acrusa said:

That usually happens when you book 2 separate cruises instead of B2B.

On B2B we were able to book all our 8 reservations at one time.before the next segment was available for the 18 day cruise....

We were in an A4 for the 1st ten nights and then moved to a B3 for the 2nd 10 nights. So we could book reservations earlier in the A4 than in the B3.

[Kay S]

20 hours ago, clo said:

I've said many times, if I'm on time I feel like I'm late.

You and my husband.  We are never late for our reservation.

[clo]

36 minutes ago, Kay S said:

You and my husband.  We are never late for our reservation.

And my husband doesn't get obsessed so that makes me even more obsessed 🙂

[Snaefell3]

7 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Currently on the Rivera, those showing up early are being directed to the provided chairs, outside the restaurant, to await their reservation time. 
 

I don’t believe the restaurants want to get into the habit of facilitating early arrival. They don’t want to start the avalanche of those with 7:30s showing up at 7:10 or 7:15; nor those with 7:00s showing up at 6:30. 
 

The early arrivals are seated with those with no reservation hoping for a cancellation spot.

Early?  If there was a table available, maîtres d' have seated us -- they're glad for the flexibility later of having us gone.  If not?  "No harm, no foul", but also a polite "Please don't be hovering or underfoot".

 

Late?  You made a commitment and didn't keep it.  Maybe for good reason, but you didn't.

[basor]

14 minutes ago, Snaefell3 said:

Early?  If there was a table available, maîtres d' have seated us -- they're glad for the flexibility later of having us gone.  If not?  "No harm, no foul", but also a polite "Please don't be hovering or underfoot".

 

Late?  You made a commitment and didn't keep it.  Maybe for good reason, but you didn't.

Agree - we usually show up early (10-15 minutes) and have politely waited in the area away from the podium if they were not able to sit us when we arrived.  We try to always be early for any appointment as hate being late.  As @Snaefell3 - no harm, no foul but never show up late (more than 5 minutes, at most).  

[pinotlover]

I can only report as to what’s happening now aboard. My experience, with well over a decade with Oceania is that policies change regularly based on the dynamics of what’s happening at the time. We have all those folks with 2:30 boarding times showing up at the ship at 10:30 expecting to be accommodated. Perhaps too many with 8:30s were showing up at 6:45 expecting the same! Don’t know, but currently it is what it is. People are being made to wait until their assigned times. Nothing shocking or adverse.

[Snaefell3]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

We have all those folks with 2:30 boarding times showing up at the ship at 10:30 expecting to be accommodated.

With 600 or 1200 passengers, it appears Oceania doesn't much care.  Port of LA doesn't care, either.  Port of Miami, with 67,000 passengers to worry about *does*.

[Janet-]

If you have 8.30 reservation your table would have been used by whoever had a  6.30 reservation. Oceania advise  2 hours for a speciality dinner, so if you turned up early there wouldn't be a table available. 

 

 

 

 

 

[clo]

15 hours ago, Janet- said:

If you have 8.30 reservation your table would have been used by whoever had a  6.30 reservation. Oceania advise  2 hours for a speciality dinner, so if you turned up early there wouldn't be a table available. 

 

 

 

 

 

On land or sea, at a restaurant or a medical appointment, I always try for ten minutes early.

[Snaefell3]

15 hours ago, Janet- said:

If you have 8.30 reservation your table would have been used by whoever had a  6.30 reservation. Oceania advise  2 hours for a speciality dinner, so if you turned up early there wouldn't be a table available.

Data indicate otherwise.  😉 

[DENIE]

We usually book specialties for 6:30, when they open, and tend to be at the check-in stand about 5 minutes before, even if the door isn't open yet  Never later than that.  Even if our reservation is a bit later, we usually check in around 5 minutes prior.  More times than not, we are taken right to our seats.  We do not believe in waiting 10-15 minutes past our designated time.

 

It's interesting that on Vista in January, we secured an embarkation day "extra" reservation for 6:30 at Red Ginger.  The reservation desk reminded us 3 times to not be late.  Wonder if that has been a problem in the past.  They did not have to worry about us being late. 🙂
 

[GeezerCouple]

On 4/6/2024 at 10:41 AM, kibutzer said:

First off they only hold your reservation for 15 minutes, to be fair to all. If it is slow you might be able seated early but remember they need to manage the flow of orders, to help kitchen and servers. 

 

OP:  Kindly keep the above in mind.

 

IF you are running late, please (!) contact the restaurant.  Then there would be no need for them to keep a table "empty and waiting for your [non]arrival", when they could seat the next couple (or group of similar size) and let them start eating, and have the "next" table waiting for your arrival.

 

Just think if many or even several were "just 15(++?) minutes late"... the total times of those waiting empty tables could likely have been used to seat a few additional passengers who would have loved to have those meals.

 

All it takes is a courtesy call if you are running late to keep things running smoothly...

 

GC