MSC Meraviglia specialty dining question

[GatorMomInNC]

Sailing MSC for the first time in a couple months.  With status match, I get one free specialty dining, and I plan to reserve that once I get on board.   For anyone with experience doing this, is it hard to get a reservation?  On some cruise lines all the "good" times (i.e., sea days) are booked up early. 

 

Second question, do you always need a reservation or can you just show up looking for a seat? Spefically, I am asking about Hola - I would like to eat lunch here a few times, ala carte, but want to be able to do it when I feel like it, not plan ahead and get reservations. 

 

Thanks in advance for any help!!

 

[Essiesmom]

@JamieLogical is the resident expert on Hola!  I will say that they never looked busy when I walked by…. EM

[JamieLogical]

I have been able to walk in for lunch at Hola! more than once, though I usually do try to call ahead the same day at least for dinner. I do not recommend using your Diamond benefit free specialty meal there as the prices are quite reasonable. Save your benefit for a meal someplace more expensive. For the other more expensive places, you should definitely try to make your reservation at one of the designated desks on embarkation day. There should be instructions in your welcome aboard flyer about where to go to make the reservation.

[The Dad]

46 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

@JamieLogical is the resident expert on Hola!  I will say that they never looked busy when I walked by…. EM

Was on Meraviglia the week before February break this year, ship was over 1/3 empty and still could not get a reservation the same day for Hola.

[GatorMomInNC]

Thanks everyone.  I will not use the 'free' dinner for Hola, hoping to use for the steakhouse 😁.  I would like to avoid the buffet and eat at Hola for lunch, however; especially the FIRST day and the first sea day. 

 

Is it open on embarkation day?  From reviews, it sounds like the buffet is crazy for lunch that day. 

[Fissues]

Hola is open at 12:00 on embarkation day. 

[JamieLogical]

12 hours ago, GatorMomInNC said:

Thanks everyone.  I will not use the 'free' dinner for Hola, hoping to use for the steakhouse 😁.  I would like to avoid the buffet and eat at Hola for lunch, however; especially the FIRST day and the first sea day. 

 

Is it open on embarkation day?  From reviews, it sounds like the buffet is crazy for lunch that day. 

 

The only time Hola! wasn't open for lunch on embarkation day for me was when we had a really early sail-away (3:00 iirc?) so we had a really early muster drill that would have forced the restaurant to shut down very early.

[dexddd]

I'd use at BC.  Hola has a very low set price or you can do Ala.

 

While the might not be busy, we got denied a BC last trip one day ahead and that was YC.  Walked by the next day, plenty of seats.

[NYcruzzer]

I'm not happy with the new Dining packages. I asked this before but want to make sure. If I DO NOT purchase the dining package, can I still order the $59.00 Dining Experience at Butchers Cut ?

[JamieLogical]

5 minutes ago, NYcruzzer said:

I'm not happy with the new Dining packages. I asked this before but want to make sure. If I DO NOT purchase the dining package, can I still order the $59.00 Dining Experience at Butchers Cut ?

 

Yes, you absolutely can just purchase the dining experience directly in any of the restaurants that offer them at the listed price. Also, don't forget that you do get one specialty dining experience included once you are Diamond.

[Até]

56 minutes ago, NYcruzzer said:

If I DO NOT purchase the dining package, can I still order the $59.00 Dining Experience at Butchers Cut ?

* $59 plus a 15% gratuity because of purchasing on the ship.  But hopefully you were going to tip anyway.  Has anyone been offered to pre-purchase an individual restaurant meal lately?

[NYcruzzer]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Yes, you absolutely can just purchase the dining experience directly in any of the restaurants that offer them at the listed price. Also, don't forget that you do get one specialty dining experience included once you are Diamond.

Excellent. Thanks for the info.

[scrosso]

Sorry to add on to this thread but it is on a similar theme. Due to status match I am diamond, my wife is gold. However we aren't in the same cabin (on the same booking) but we have children so have to split cabins.

 

I get 1x free specialty dining plus guest but the small print says the gust must be in the same cabin. Do you think they will hold me to the.small print and not allow my wife to dine for free knowing the above situation? 

[Até]

I've been able to get approval from the specialty restaurant manager in this situation.  In hindsight there's no easy way for them to tell if you don't offer up that information.  Just use your card for the two meals and and we've never been asked to see the other card to match cabin numbers. Better to ask forgiveness? 

 

In this situation I doubt they will hassle you since it's their protocols that made you book that way.  When your wife becomes Diamond it will actually help because each of you can bring a child.

[JamieLogical]

I was on the Meraviglia last October. Three of us were Diamond and one was not. None of us were in the same cabin, as we were all traveling solo. My friend who was not Diamond had to pay for her dinner.

[Até]

42 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

Three of us were Diamond and one was not. None of us were in the same cabin, as we were all traveling solo. My friend who was not Diamond had to pay for her dinner.

Did you say that when you made the reservation or were being seated?   Or did you try  just offering the two Diamond cards and say you were covering the non-Diamond, not mentioning the cabin situation?

Edited July 13 by Até

[JamieLogical]

5 hours ago, Até said:

Did you say that when you made the reservation or were being seated?   Or did you try  just offering the two Diamond cards and say you were covering the non-Diamond, not mentioning the cabin situation?

 

I believe we were all asked to hand over our cards when we ordered drinks.

[BazingAu]

I made a reservation during embarkation day, but I didn’t know they closed the desk for several hours and then reopened. Since it was closed prior to sail away, I actually missed sail away because it opened back up during that time and I was in line. I tried to change the reservation the next day because we weren’t able to switch off our super early dining time (we had booked lunch at Butchers Cut) but they had no more reservations available. That said, it didn’t look very busy when we went, so not sure if they only allow so many reservations and keep the rest open for walkin?