Prebooking Sanctuary and restaurants...

Any rumors on when Princess will begin precruise online reservations for the Sanctuary, Specialty restaurants, Chef's Table and Winemaker's dinners?

It was great to be able to reserve dining on Disney and Royal!

Last I have heard there is no intention of doing any of those except maybe specialty dining.

Any rumors on when Princess will begin precruise online reservations for the Sanctuary, Specialty restaurants, Chef's Table and Winemaker's dinners?

 

It was great to be able to reserve dining on Disney and Royal!

Any rumors on when Princess will begin precruise online reservations for the Sanctuary, Specialty restaurants, Chef's Table and Winemaker's dinners?

 

It was great to be able to reserve dining on Disney and Royal!

Hopefully not!! :(

Last I have heard there is no intention of doing any of those except maybe specialty dining.

On the one hand, it would be nice to be able to pre-book the Sanctuary and special dinners, particularly since I usually book a cruise well in advance which would give me a decided advantage with these bookings. Maybe Princess could give Elite a 7-day window to book before bookings open to passengers as an additional perk.

On the other hand, it would be grossly unfair to give those who book early or are Elite this advantage. People complain now that Elite have an advantage booking the Sanctuary since they can board among the first passengers. Imagine the whining and complaints if the special dinners and Sanctuary were booked full before most other passengers had a chance. I've seen near riots at the Shore Excursion Desk when all of the tours at a port were booked full before the ship even sailed.

As for the specialty restaurants, just call the DINE line once you board. Very easy to get a reservation. The most popular nights are formal nights as the dress in these restaurants is smart casual every night, including formal.

I, too, hope this doesn't happen. While I tend to book 12-16 months in advance, I wouldn't want the ability of us "early bookers" to fill up venues, blocking the majority of other cruisers from booking something.

That's exactly why.. The idea would be to promote them and even possibly run a special to guarantee some seats filled each night (pre-book and pay $20?). Part of the reason (I think at least) they go begging at times is that they are already empty, so people look at the empty venue and wonder if its bad.

They have generally no problems filling the others, so no incentive to pre-book.

Haven't heard even a whiff of a rumor. Not sure why you'd want to pre-reserve a specialty restaurant since they often go begging for sign-ups although I can see the interest in pre-booking a specialty dinner such as the Chef's or Winemaker's dinner. Same for Sanctuary.

 

On the one hand, it would be nice to be able to pre-book the Sanctuary and special dinners, particularly since I usually book a cruise well in advance which would give me a decided advantage with these bookings. Maybe Princess could give Elite a 7-day window to book before bookings open to passengers as an additional perk.

 

On the other hand, it would be grossly unfair to give those who book early or are Elite this advantage. People complain now that Elite have an advantage booking the Sanctuary since they can board among the first passengers. Imagine the whining and complaints if the special dinners and Sanctuary were booked full before most other passengers had a chance. I've seen near riots at the Shore Excursion Desk when all of the tours at a port were booked full before the ship even sailed.

 

As for the specialty restaurants, just call the DINE line once you board. Very easy to get a reservation. The most popular nights are formal nights as the dress in these restaurants is smart casual every night, including formal.

If it ain't broke don't fix it!

I do not like the idea of pre-booking the Specialty Restaurant, etc.

Like others, we are usually booked over a year out and that would give us an advantage but everyone should be on equal footing when it comes to this type of venue.:)

What if you were cruising with others - say 8 to 10 people, then how would that work? Would one person be able to make reservations for 8-10 at the Crown Grill, etc.? ;)

If your booking were linked, or it was pre-pay? Sure.

The idea would be to open a certain percentage of seats for pre-booking, if they did it, to make sure there were openings during the cruise.

I do not like the idea of pre-booking the Specialty Restaurant, etc.

 

Like others, we are usually booked over a year out and that would give us an advantage but everyone should be on equal footing when it comes to this type of venue.:)

 

What if you were cruising with others - say 8 to 10 people, then how would that work? Would one person be able to make reservations for 8-10 at the Crown Grill, etc.? ;)

Early prebooking would have no cost to Princess, but a decided value for suite guests and those that are frequent cruisers.

I will not find it relaxing to have to run to the Sanctuary to make my cabana or lounger reservations, while the other half calls the dine line to hopefully make Chef's Table and other reservations.

Heck, Princess could team up with Open Table to handle the reservations! Allow reservations for suite/frequent guests at 180 days out, others at 120 or 90 days. Close online booking a week or two prior to sailing so that the reservations could be transmitted to the ship.

Heck, Princess could team up with Open Table to handle the reservations! Allow reservations for suite/frequent guests at 180 days out, others at 120 or 90 days. Close online booking a week or two prior to sailing so that the reservations could be transmitted to the ship.

The risk of allowing pre-booking is the Law of Unintended Consequences.

I used to fly cruise with P&O to the Caribbean and usually booked early and booked a suite. P&O include the price of their charter flights in their basic fare and don't give any credit if you elect to book your own flights. They will do it for you, but the price is not realistic. On their charter flights they have some premium class seats which they sell as an add on. When we booked early it was not a problem, but then one year, for health reasons we did not try to book until six months before the cruise.

I saw a suite available on a cruise we liked and called to book, and asked to also book premium class seats on the aircraft, only to be told they did not hold any back in recognition that a person paying $4000 per person would probably not make a booking to travel in the back of the aircraft.

Whether or not folks think I had a right to expect them not to release all these seats for sale until all the suites had been sold, is not important. What was important from P&O's business point of view was that we declined to book but suggested they call us if any seats came available. In the event, the suites never sold at full price and eventually disappeared off the screen about a week before the cruise, when they were obviously an upsell.

So, the end result was that not only did they lose revenue on that cruise, but also, we switched to cruise lines which allowed me to make my own flight arrangements and P&O lost a regular premium cabin customer who five years later has not yet returned.

Clearly all situations are different, but I do think that Princess would need to be aware of the Law of Unintended Consequences as I suspect that if pre-booking were allowed they would quickly arrive at the point where there would be a population of clients electing to book the cheapest cabins early along with a sanctuary bed and the perception amongst the majority of their clientele, would then be that there is a select area reserved exclusively for those passengers who paid the least.

Clearly not good marketing.

Any rumors on when Princess will begin precruise online reservations for the Sanctuary, Specialty restaurants, Chef's Table and Winemaker's dinners?

 

It was great to be able to reserve dining on Disney and Royal!

Wishful thinking about the sanctuary.

I called the dining line as soon as I got to my cabin to schedule a balcony dinner. There was no answer, so I waited and called back later. They told me to call a different number. When I finally got in touch with the right person, they told me to be waiting in my room at a certain time so someone could call and discuss the details. Nobody called at the appointed time. I called back and asked to get things set up. They told me to wait in my cabin and they would call back. Eventually they did call back and we got things arranged. The whole process took much longer than I expected and it was a bit of a hassle. (I was under the impression that someone was going to meet with us in person to discuss the details and menu options, but that certainly didn't happen.)

In the end, it was well worth it and the balcony dinner was one of the best experiences of the cruise. However, if I could have made the arrangements online in advance, it would have been absolutely perfect. They were not at all organized or quick to respond, and as a result, I spent time in the cabin waiting for the phone to ring that I could have spent exploring the ship. I am highly in favor of online reservations based on my experience trying to get reservations made on the ship.

The solution here is obvious (and related to my thread on tech). Onboard reservations. This keeps the current system while eliminating the need to run about the ship if you can go to a kiosk or use the in-cabin TV.

I called the dining line as soon as I got to my cabin to schedule a balcony dinner. There was no answer, so I waited and called back later. They told me to call a different number. When I finally got in touch with the right person, they told me to be waiting in my room at a certain time so someone could call and discuss the details. Nobody called at the appointed time. I called back and asked to get things set up. They told me to wait in my cabin and they would call back. Eventually they did call back and we got things arranged. The whole process took much longer than I expected and it was a bit of a hassle. (I was under the impression that someone was going to meet with us in person to discuss the details and menu options, but that certainly didn't happen.)

 

In the end, it was well worth it and the balcony dinner was one of the best experiences of the cruise. However, if I could have made the arrangements online in advance, it would have been absolutely perfect. They were not at all organized or quick to respond, and as a result, I spent time in the cabin waiting for the phone to ring that I could have spent exploring the ship. I am highly in favor of online reservations based on my experience trying to get reservations made on the ship.

I would have been happy to use an onboard computer, or even go somewhere to wait in line and talk to someone behind a counter. The situation with the telephone was not ideal.

Princess is behind the times with their run around the ship to book the stuff you want mentality. I do not want spend my first day onboard darting around to ensure I get a spot in the sanctuary, my preferred dining time in the Crown Grill, a spot at the Chefs table, etc. They already allow pre booking of spa appointments and shore tours so surely they find find a way to manage the rest!

Royal Caribbean/Celebrity allow pre booking of all these items about 60-75 days out or so. They even allow pre booking of MTD (anytime dining) reservations. The key to all of this is that they only make a certain percentage of slots for any one venue/time available for pre booking. They hold back a certain amount for those who wish to wait and do things onboard, or who book close in. To me this is fair and equitable and allows everyone a chance to enjoy all the venues without all the boarding day running around.

I personally think pre booking options can lead to more usage of certain venues such as speciality restaurants. I know I'm more likely to consider spending on extras when I can pre book AND pre pay in advance. I like getting onboard and not feeling like I have a looming "debt" amassing on my stateroom folio. The more I can pre-book/pay the more relaxed I am once onboard.

I have been on plenty of cruises where pre booking of these kind of extras exists and they ALWAYS have a certain amount of space held back for embarkation day. It's time for Princess to get with the times!

Corfe...The way Disney does it first priority goes to those guests who have paid in full, booked in concierge or suite cabins. These are the most expensive accommodations. Lower priced cabin guests with little cruise history have the lowest priority and as such, are pretty much unable to obtain cabanas or paid dining reservations at preferred times.

Pam...again first priority goes to those guests that are paid in full in the most expensive cabins (Elite tier status does not come into play at this point). Onshore concierge will make the reservations based upon earliest full payment date and time. Any leftovers can be made online at midnight based upon the guests' various priority. Do a search for getting reservations at Disney World's most popular restaurants.

Carnival Corporate would LOVE to have their guests paid in full 180 days prior to cruising!

No thanks.

No thanks.

Ditto. So those of us who can't afford to pay off their cruise right away don't get to make a reservation for a speciality restaurant at a decent time, or Sanctuary, or Chef's Table.

From what I understand, unless you are onboard first, as the Elite tier are, the Sanctuary and Chef's Table will be booked already...

Since I'm in a guaranteed inside, with only one other Princess cruise, I might have to try the BVE to get onboard first.

Pam...again first priority goes to those guests that are paid in full in the most expensive cabins (Elite tier status does not come into play at this point).

From what I understand, unless you are onboard first, as the Elite tier are, the Sanctuary and Chef's Table will be booked already...

Often, the difference in boarding time between Elite and general boarding can be as little as 10-15 minutes.

I've seen near riots at the Shore Excursion Desk when all of the tours at a port were booked full before the ship even sailed.

 

Since this occurs often, to some extent it can be blamed on the cruise lines building bigger and bigger ships while the excursion capacity at a port is limited and certainly cannot meet the demands of the high number of passengers.

Consider Tahiti cruises. The passengers on one of the little ladies (672 lower berths) can usually be accommodated on the excursions offered.

But the Crown (3082 lower berths) which is going there also will have very many disappointed cruisers as excursion capacity will not be higher just because a larger ship is going there.

I called the dining line as soon as I got to my cabin to schedule a balcony dinner. There was no answer, so I waited and called back later. They told me to call a different number. When I finally got in touch with the right person, they told me to be waiting in my room at a certain time so someone could call and discuss the details. Nobody called at the appointed time. I called back and asked to get things set up. They told me to wait in my cabin and they would call back. Eventually they did call back and we got things arranged. The whole process took much longer than I expected and it was a bit of a hassle. (I was under the impression that someone was going to meet with us in person to discuss the details and menu options, but that certainly didn't happen.)

 

In the end, it was well worth it and the balcony dinner was one of the best experiences of the cruise. However, if I could have made the arrangements online in advance, it would have been absolutely perfect. They were not at all organized or quick to respond, and as a result, I spent time in the cabin waiting for the phone to ring that I could have spent exploring the ship. I am highly in favor of online reservations based on my experience trying to get reservations made on the ship.

We have done the balcony dinner 3 times , twice in a mini suite and one in a suite. The only time someone came to our cabin to meet with us was when we were in the suite and it was at sail away. I assumed that the person just wanted to see sail away or be in a suite.

We have had the room service supervisor call us to discuss the menu when we have had an UBD.

They did come by a couple of times but mostly called.