Specialty dinners - Do I need vouchers from our TA?

Hi everyone,

I "searched" but haven't found the answers. I'm hoping someone can provide some insight into how this works. Although we have cruised on Princess in the past, we always ate at the buffet. This time, we are looking forward to the MDR and specialty restaurants.

We are booked on the Island Princess for a December cruise. As part of our booking, our TA said we would have two dinners as perks in specialty restaurants on the ship.

I thought I had read something here on CC about vouchers being used, but I'm not sure about it.

Question 1: Are vouchers needed?

Also, I've checked on line in "My Princess" and don't see anything there to show that we have been given these two dinner perks.

Question 2: Shouldn't I see them somewhere on "My Princess?"

Thanks for reading. I look forward to your comments.

Sounds like an excellent question to be asking your travel agent.:cool:

No, if they are part of a promo, then you'll have vouchers in your stateroom when you board...

You'll receive a card in your cabin that will say that your TA has given you a gift of dinner in a specialty restaurant. You call and make the reservation for the time and day you want. When you go, bring the card (voucher) and the Maitre d' will accept that as payment for your dinner(s). You will still be charged for anything extra such as a drink or specialty coffee.

You'll receive a card in your cabin that will say that your TA has given you a gift of dinner in a specialty restaurant. You call and make the reservation for the time and day you want. When you go, bring the card (voucher) and the Maitre d' will accept that as payment for your dinner(s). You will still be charged for anything extra such as a drink or specialty coffee.

This is what I needed to know. Thanks Pam, for taking the time to reply.

No, if they are part of a promo, then you'll have vouchers in your stateroom when you board...

Yes, they are part of a promo. Thanks Rick, for your answer.

I was on a B2B2B Alaskan Cruise with this promotion. It started after the Coral Princess left LA (valid Vancouver/Whittier). There was a lot of confusion on board since the promotion was just being activated.

I knew about the promotion but was horribly confused when the voucher was delivered to the cabin. It said that it was from my "travel agent". It should have read something more along the lines of "from Princess". Then a reservation card arrived with a pre-selected time.

My thinking was that my Travel Agent gifted us a dinner (very out of the normal for her) AND Princess set up the dining time/restaurant. Much to my surprise, we were charged for the second dinner. I even checked with the restaurant manager.

After meeting and telling my woes to several customer service agents at the purser's desk and finally escalating it to an officer behind the scenes, we were credited for the "extra" dinner.

You can bet we did not make that same mistake for the next segment of the cruise.

Enjoy your dinner on Princess but remember that the voucher from your Travel Agent is actually from Princess.

I was on a B2B2B Alaskan Cruise with this promotion. It started after the Coral Princess left LA (valid Vancouver/Whittier). There was a lot of confusion on board since the promotion was just being activated.

 

I knew about the promotion but was horribly confused when the voucher was delivered to the cabin. It said that it was from my "travel agent". It should have read something more along the lines of "from Princess". Then a reservation card arrived with a pre-selected time.

 

My thinking was that my Travel Agent gifted us a dinner (very out of the normal for her) AND Princess set up the dining time/restaurant. Much to my surprise, we were charged for the second dinner. I even checked with the restaurant manager.

 

After meeting and telling my woes to several customer service agents at the purser's desk and finally escalating it to an officer behind the scenes, we were credited for the "extra" dinner.

 

You can bet we did not make that same mistake for the next segment of the cruise.

 

Enjoy your dinner on Princess but remember that the voucher from your Travel Agent is actually from Princess.

This is good information! I'm so glad you took the time to tell me about it.

One other tip about making reservations in the specialty restaurants is do it as early in the cruise as possible. We have found if you wait too long you probably will not be able get the night or time that you want.

This is good information! I'm so glad you took the time to tell me about it.

You are welcomed. Enjoy. There were people on the cruise who were given the reservation cards, they went to dinner, and then told that it wasn't meant for them. I am sure they have worked out this promotion by now.

Good advice about making reservations early. Just be sure you have something in your hands that say you have been credited this dinner.

You'll receive a card in your cabin that will say that your TA has given you a gift of dinner in a specialty restaurant. You call and make the reservation for the time and day you want. When you go, bring the card (voucher) and the Maitre d' will accept that as payment for your dinner(s). You will still be charged for anything extra such as a drink or specialty coffee.

I would also recommend bringing an invoice from your travel agent that states that you are to receive the dinners. If for some reason the card is not in your room you can take the invoice to guest services and maybe they can help sort it out. Also make sure you clarify with your travel agent whether it is two dinners per person, or dinner for two (one per person).

On the Regal, we did not receive a voucher, but rather a reservation was made for us at Sabatini's the first night. We called the dine line and canceled it, since we didnt know what night we would like to eat there yet. We then booked, but did not mention the promotion and were charged the cover fee. It was removed after we complained, but would have been easier to deal with had we received a voucher in the cabin.

That's why it is important to check your room immedately to see if the vouchers and anything else you were expecting is there.

If you were expecting a voucher and it is not there go to the passenger services desk -but not immediately. Wait about 2 hours.

Last year we booked a deluxe renewal of vows package. When we boarded there was nothing there. I ran right down to passenger services and they said it can take a couple of hours for everything to upload. When I went back, it was there and they were happy to wok on setting that up.

I would also recommend bringing an invoice from your travel agent that states that you are to receive the dinners. If for some reason the card is not in your room you can take the invoice to guest services and maybe they can help sort it out. Also make sure you clarify with your travel agent whether it is two dinners per person, or dinner for two (one per person).

This is a great suggestion. I'll be sure to do just that. Thanks!

That's why it is important to check your room immedately to see if the vouchers and anything else you were expecting is there.

 

If you were expecting a voucher and it is not there go to the passenger services desk -but not immediately. Wait about 2 hours.

Great advice. Thanks for posting!

On the Regal, we did not receive a voucher, but rather a reservation was made for us at Sabatini's the first night. We called the dine line and canceled it, since we didnt know what night we would like to eat there yet.

This is interesting. I'm glad you mentioned it as we have certain nights that we would prefer for dining in the specialty restaurants. Thanks for your comments.

We received a card in our stateroom with a reservation time for a night we had previous plans for. Called and changed the date and restaurant to a date and restaurant of our choice. Payment was taken care of with the reservation card.

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We received a card in our stateroom with a reservation time for a night we had previous plans for. Called and changed the date and restaurant to a date and restaurant of our choice. Payment was taken care of with the reservation card.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

This is good information. Thanks for taking the time to post your comments.

When the free dinner is offered as part of a sales promotion, it means almost all of the passengers will have that perk.

Princess makes the reservation for everyone in order to avoid having the entire ship calling the DINE line or showing up at a restaurant to make a reservation.

As others pointed out, you can call and have your dining reservation changed if needed.

When the free dinner is offered as part of a sales promotion, it means almost all of the passengers will have that perk.

 

As others pointed out, you can call and have your dining reservation changed if needed.

Good point. Thanks!

Thanks, this is timely information given the current Princess promotion. Now I know we'll receive a reservation card in our stateroom. If the date/time of the pre-reserved dining experience needs to be changed, we can (hopefully) easily do so. Considering that everyone who books under the "Regal Celebration" promotion get dinner for 2 in a specialty restaurant and can see the benefit of getting one's reservation squared away early on.

Dinners in specialty restaurants can be confusing. We often book a suite, which gets us a free dinner on the first night. We also get a free dinner on the first night from our AmEx card. Needless to say we only get one dinner, since we can't change either one. I've tried to get Princess to let us change with no luck. Guess I'll have to talk to AmEx and see if they can change what they give to an open night rather than the first night. It would be nice to try two restaurants (for free) rather than just one.

Needless to say we only get one dinner, since we can't change either one. I've tried to get Princess to let us change with no luck.

Who have you tried at Princess to get one of these changed? Staff on board at a specialty restaurant?

When the free dinner is offered as part of a sales promotion, it means almost all of the passengers will have that perk.

 

Princess makes the reservation for everyone in order to avoid having the entire ship calling the DINE line or showing up at a restaurant to make a reservation.

 

As others pointed out, you can call and have your dining reservation changed if needed.

But the promotion is only being offered for a limited time period....think it is about 2 weeks. So, unless everyone books during this time period, assuming there is not another promotion offering a free specialty dinner, I don't think almost all of the passengers will have this perk.

We sailed on Celebrity and thought everyone would have the beverage package when it first started being offered. It is now in full swing and a lot of people don't have it.

The terms of the promotion say: "Bookings on applicable sailings will receive a complimentary dinner for two in one of our onboard specialty restaurants, Sabatini’s, Crown Grill, Bayou Cafe, or Sterling Steakhouse. Restaurants vary by ship and reservations will be made on your behalf by Princess."

I wonder how they decide which restaurant to make the reservation for? 'Course a free dinner in either the Crown Grill *or* Sabatini's will be wonderful :D