Main Dining Seating Problems

[NoWhiners]

3 hours ago, sushraya said:

We are a group of 8 on a cruise later this fall.   Based on this thread, I went to the app and made reservations for all of us together for each night - we picked the later times (8pm/8.15pm).  Seems to have worked.   A lot of the earlier times were also showing up on the app for me.

 

That's interesting. The others in our group also tried to reserve a table but they said all they saw was table after 8 pm, none for the earlier times. But we are on the Eclipse departing 9/20 and returning 10/11. I tried doing it online and had no luck, so then I tried using the app. I couldn't even get as far as seeing what times were available. When I called to do it, the agent told me it was because it was a Group reservation which I assumed was due to moving a booking to a big box store. But our friends also had trouble and they all boked direct with X. I still can't figure it out, although we did link our reservations, theoretically to help with booking tables for dinner. Oh well, so much for that plan!

[sushraya]

We booked through a travel agent.   Our reservations were not linked - I linked them myself by entering the last name and reservation number for each cabin.

 

We are on the Constellation in Europe in Sept - maybe that makes a difference?

[gold1953]

18 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

I disagree.  The best option is to go to the dining room immediately upon embarkation and speak to the Maitre'd / Head Waiter there and arrange for your group to be seated as @dcbiker97 and others have said.  Showing up and waiting in line is a last resort in my humble opinion. 

 

but still they limit reservations. Not about agreeing at all . The system was explained to us and we could only show up and not reserve

[NoWhiners]

1 hour ago, sushraya said:

We booked through a travel agent.   Our reservations were not linked - I linked them myself by entering the last name and reservation number for each cabin.

 

We are on the Constellation in Europe in Sept - maybe that makes a difference?

 

Yeah, we had X link them but then 3 people dropped out. Then one of the others still on the cruise linked them again.

 

Maybe the ship does make a difference, I just don't know. I don't know why it should and I also think X doesn't have the best software running in their app or their website. I'll just wait until we board and see what I can do--and maybe remind them that if their software/app ran better this wouldn't be necessary 😉 

 

I do know I don't have these problems on Princess but I know others do. I wonder how the apps decide who will be granted full access and who won't? 😃

[TMLAalum]

Fingers X'd that X keeps the reservations I made for us and 2 other couples several months ago for our Eclipse cruise.

Ironically, ever since I did that, whenever I log on all 3 of our reservations show for that cruised now that they are linked!

[kathynorth]

On 6/27/2024 at 7:51 PM, DoubleEntry said:

Kathy, thanks for the info.  I was just wondering, how long before the sail date did youf reservations disappear?

 

Jeff

 

I'm not sure when they disappeared. Our cruise leaves tomorrow and I logged in to check on everything around 3 weeks ago. That's when I noticed the first 3 days of reservations were missing. Quite the mystery. This has never happened to us before. 😕

[the penguins]

On 6/27/2024 at 10:38 PM, NoWhiners said:

OP, we feel your pain. We are a group of 6 on Eclipse in late Sept/early October. I tried all the same things and made the same progress! I have resigned myself to trying to talk to someone at he MDR when we board and try and work it out. We have Select dining, so we may just get in line when we're ready and take our chances.

 

I'm don't understand why X makes it so hard to book a table. It's a real pain.

 

Does anyone know which DR we should go to to get help? It seems like I've always seen someone doing this but maybe by the buffet???

The dining is on Deck 4. The area behind the dining check on desk is used as one of the Muster Check in points. As soon as the Muster check in has finished the restaurant one will open be first in the line.

Our other tip is to be polite and not demanding our approach is always " we are are wondering if you can help us with ........ whatever. Remember you always catch more with honey than salt.

[the penguins]

On 6/27/2024 at 9:21 PM, DoubleEntry said:

Good afternoon, all.

 

We're having great difficulty booking MDR reservations on The Millennium for 8/19/24.  I was looking for someone who possibly knows who I can speak with at X.  I'm elite-plus and have been on X for over 35 years.

 

Here's the summary:

 

We are a group of 8 spread over 4 reservations and 2 travel agencies.  Three with C..C.. and one with someone else.

3 had made reservations for the 9 nights we are using the MDR and one had to be added.  

It took a while to link all the reservations and then we tried to link the MDR.  X then cancelled all of the MDR reservations, mysteriously and without warning.  They were very sorry, and no one had any idea why or how that happened. So, give it back to us?  Sorry, but we're all sold out.  They could only give us very early or very late times, none of which is good when you're taking tours.

 

We're spent literally hours on the phone and pages of emails with X and our T/As.  Even the previously fine Captain's Club folks claimed not to be able to do anything. The last thing they said was that nothing can be done land side as control was shifted to the ship. While a novel answer, it's too ridicules to even repeat.  

 

In all my sailing (over 35) nothing like this has ever remotely happened and we are at the point of frustration that will be made know when we board.  I have never seen a business not attempt to help a customer let alone a group.  With all the problems over the past year or so, that X has inflicted upon itself, they damn well better start caring about business.

 

As well as asking for help from my fellow cruisers, I would hope that whoever monitors this site for X would step up and contact me.

 

 

 

It's not the fault of anyone on the ship and your threat of "that will be made known when we board" is exactly the opposite of the way I would approach the issue. Being polite and asking if there is any way they can help is much more likely to get you the result you want. You always get more with honey than with salt.