Restaurant Reservations

[penfriend]

Next week our cruise - Barcelona to Rio Nov/13- is open for restaurant reservations. Any advice or tips out there to help us make and get the best choices? Have not done this before. Thanks

[TedC]

Most pax do not go to Prime 7 or Signatures for Capt welcome dinner , usually 2nd nite and next to last nite when CR has special menu.

 

Hopefully all our dinners will be special!

[Travelcat2]

Definitely agree with TedC's post:-)

[OrpingtonT]

Next week our cruise - Barcelona to Rio Nov/13- is open for restaurant reservations. Any advice or tips out there to help us make and get the best choices? Have not done this before. Thanks

 

If you are wanting to know about the technicalities etc., you will find that when you click on a day, you will be told of your planned excursions on that day and what times are available for a particular restaurant. I can tell you that for the first few days out of Barcelona only 9 pm is available in Prime 7 at the moment. Until the sea days when there are some earlier reservations. You should bear in mind, however, that not all spaces are put up for booking. Some are saved for on-board, perhaps non-IT proficient guests. So if you cannot get your immediate choice, don't despair, go to try again as soon as you board.

[Responder]

As I mentioned in another thread, we are now on the Voyager with 702 guests....full up.

 

Since we booked very late, all the time slots showed up an unavailable for the online booking.

 

Since we are long time cruisers, we knew exactly what Tom is telling you.

Wait till you get on board and talk to the various dining managers. You may not get exactly the time to the minute that you want, but you will get a seat.

 

With a full ship, we have found slots as we sailed along and have been to the various venues a few times already..

 

Don't despair..

[Hunding]

As I mentioned in another thread, we are now on the Voyager with 702 guests....full up.

 

Since we booked very late, all the time slots showed up an unavailable for the online booking.

 

Since we are long time cruisers, we knew exactly what Tom is telling you.

Wait till you get on board and talk to the various dining managers. You may not get exactly the time to the minute that you want, but you will get a seat.

 

With a full ship, we have found slots as we sailed along and have been to the various venues a few times already..

 

Don't despair..

 

What a very sweet, kind, gentle and encouraging [and I'm sure, accurate] reply.

[penfriend]

Most pax do not go to Prime 7 or Signatures for Capt welcome dinner , usually 2nd nite and next to last nite when CR has special menu.

 

Hopefully all our dinners will be special!

 

TedC Sorry to appear dense but I am not sure what you are advising. Are you saying that when the Captain's welcome dinner is held at CY it is easier to get a booking at Prime 7 or Signatures?

[penfriend]

As I mentioned in another thread, we are now on the Voyager with 702 guests....full up.

 

Since we booked very late, all the time slots showed up an unavailable for the online booking.

 

Since we are long time cruisers, we knew exactly what Tom is telling you.

Wait till you get on board and talk to the various dining managers. You may not get exactly the time to the minute that you want, but you will get a seat.

 

With a full ship, we have found slots as we sailed along and have been to the various venues a few times already..

 

Don't despair..

 

Thanks for this reassuring advice; and thanks to everyone else for your helpful suggestions.

[Travelcat2]

While I cannot speak for TedC, I believe that I understand what he meant by his post. On the night of the Captain's Reception (and Captain's Farewell) the menu in Compass Rose is typically even better than usual. For that reason, few people book Signatures or Prime 7. So, yes -- it would be easier to get into these dining venues..... but, it would be a shame to miss the offerings of Compass Rose.

 

Not sure if you are aware that Compass Rose serves one dish from Signatures and from Prime 7 every night. Just something to keep in mind!

 

A warning about the night of the Captain's Reception. It gets extremely crowded in CR at the conclusion of the Captain's Reception. We tend to get in line early, shake hands, have a drink and head off to Compass Rose. This is one night when you want to either get to CR at 6:30 p.m. or not until 8:30 p.m. Arriving between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. could mean that you will wait a long time to receive your food. It is almost impossible for any restaurant to serve 400-500 guests that arrive at the same time:-)

[Swelldame]

Not sure if you are aware that Compass Rose serves one dish from Signatures and from Prime 7 every night. Just something to keep in mind!

 

Are the menus in Signatures and Prime 7 the same every night? In other words, could you try everything they have to offer at some point during the cruise without ever actually going to either one?

[Travelcat2]

Are the menus in Signatures and Prime 7 the same every night? In other words, could you try everything they have to offer at some point during the cruise without ever actually going to either one?

 

 

Great question! On long cruises, the menus change a little bit. You can't get every item from the Signatures and Prime 7 menu in Compass Rose. One of the best dishes in Prime 7 is the crab legs. We typically get an appetizer portion of them in order to leave room for steak:-) The crab legs never show up on the CR menu. Rack of lamb does show up on the CR menu as does the sole. At the moment, I cannot think of what is available in CR from the Signatures menu. Short term memory:rolleyes:

 

Really think that everyone should try these wonderful dining venues. They are unique and worth visiting. If you do not have advance reservations, check with them...... the odds are high that you can join a table of 4 or 6 or dine at a different time than you would typically choose. We always book either Signatures or Prime 7 on the first night on board. It is usually easy to get reservations or stop by and get in. So many passengers are unpacking, etc. IMO, it is a great way to begin a cruise.