Thomas Keller Restaurant booking.

[mklions]

Hi All,

Today we booked our next cruise,whoopee!  on 27th April ( 24 days time) sailing on Ovation. Athens to Barcelona ( 8 days)

 

Just logged into our Seabourn account for the first time to book the Thomas Keller restaurant only to find out that there are no available tables left for the whole cruise!!

 

Is this normal? 

 

Really disappointed as we were looking forward to dining in this restaurant.

 

Kind Regards,

Mklions..

[Camillus112]

In our last Seabourn cruise last year we were able to dine at the TK Grill without reservation by arriving at opening time, and waiting just seconds until the hostess checked that there would be availability at that hour (forgot if 6 or 6:30).  I seems most people tended to eat a bit later....

[SLSD]

We done something a bit different for our next cruise.  We made all of our reservations for four--so that we can invite (new) friends to dine with us.  Perhaps you will get an invitation from other guests.  But, I do agree with Camillus that you should try again once you are on the ship.  

 

You have given me an idea.  If we happen not to invite someone to dine with us, I will call the grill and suggest that they could seat another 2 people or a couple with us if someone is looking for a scarce reservation.  

[Isklaar]

We have quite frequently been able to get a table at last minute in the TK Grill. Well at least that has been the case on the O class ships. On Ovation in December we found the seating hostess at TK Grill to be extremely unhelpful and her attitude was rude.

She was rude on the evenings when we did have reservations, and she was even more rude if we dared to call into the Grill spontaneously to ask if a table happened to be free that evening. 

We've never encountered rudeness or bad attitude by any member of the SB crew on any of our previous cruises. 

So if the same hostess is front of house on Ovation, I wouldn't expect a table last minute, unless her attitude has been dealt with if she was offered a new contract. 

 

My best advice, MKlions, would be to head to the TK Grill when you board, and speak to the Maitre d'. They will have some tables available at that point, although you may not get the time you prefer. 

[Ka Honu]

Isklaar - Apparently your experience varied significantly from ours. We were on Ovation for 28 days in February-March and found the hostesses in TK Grill to be very gracious and helpful. Some evenings there was nothing they could do (and apologized) but on a couple of occasions they found a way to accommodate us. Our best recommendation is to go early, tell them you'll be in the bar having a drink, and ask them to let you know if they can fit you in. That seemed to work about half the time. YMMV.

[Isklaar]

7 hours ago, Ka Honu said:

Isklaar - Apparently your experience varied significantly from ours. We were on Ovation for 28 days in February-March and found the hostesses in TK Grill to be very gracious and helpful. Some evenings there was nothing they could do (and apologized) but on a couple of occasions they found a way to accommodate us.

 

 

 

Ka Honu, absolutely.

What you're describing is comparable to our previous experiences in TK Grill in the other ships.  

[Mauzac]

9 hours ago, SLSD said:

 

You have given me an idea.  If we happen not to invite someone to dine with us, I will call the grill and suggest that they could seat another 2 people or a couple with us if someone is looking for a scarce reservation.  

 

We were seated on a table for 6 at the Grill just a few weeks ago (just 2 of us, we'd booked online in advance) and we did say to the TK Grill front of house that we were more than happy if anyone really wanted to eat there, that they join us.  She replied 'we never join up guests in The Grill'... rather haughtily!  

What a waste of a table for 6!  

Also, there was one couple who dismissed every other food offering on the ship and insisted on the same table every night in the Grill and it sat 4.  This was a long-ish cruise and SB allowed this.  No idea why as it stops people getting even ONE reservation!  Very unfair.  

Edited April 4, 2019 by Mauzac
spelling

[Isklaar]

5 minutes ago, Mauzac said:

 

We were seated on a table for 6 at the Grill just a few weeks ago (just 2 of us, we'd booked online in advance) and we did say to the TK Grill front of house that we were more than happy if anyone really wanted to eat there, that they join us.  She replied 'we never join up guests in The Grill'... rather haughtily!  

What a waste of a table for 6!  

Also, there was one couple who dismissed every other food offering on the ship and insisted on the same table every night in the Grill and it sat 4.  This was a long-ish cruise and SB allowed this.  No idea why as it stops people getting even ONE reservation!  Very unfair.  

 

Which ship was this, Mauzac? 

[Mauzac]

4 minutes ago, Isklaar said:

 

Which ship was this, Mauzac? 

It was Sojourn.   Whatever table it was is irrelevant as far as I'm concerned, it's the frequency and selfish attitude stopping others experiencing the Grill.  Eating on the same table is hearsay (I was told this but no idea if it's true) However, I want to be discreet in saying how I know it was every night, but that bit is fact!  

[rols]

4 hours ago, Mauzac said:

It was Sojourn.   Whatever table it was is irrelevant as far as I'm concerned, it's the frequency and selfish attitude stopping others experiencing the Grill.  Eating on the same table is hearsay (I was told this but no idea if it's true) However, I want to be discreet in saying how I know it was every night, but that bit is fact!  

That's really disgraceful. I can't imagine how unpleasant they must have been for the crew to have allowed them to deprive other passengers of their opportunity. We certainly have asked for cancellations at what was R2 at the time and on our previous cruise we picked up a TK cancellation on a night which worked better for us and dropped our original reservation on a night which did not, but to demand the premium venue every night until you get it is just crass behaviour. 

 

We're trying a new tactic on this cruise (boarding next Wednesday) of going to TK the first night. I figure the first night of a cruise is the only one you're really actually hungry so I'm heading into the steak!!

 

To the original poster. If you approach the Maitre d' at the TK grill early in your cruise and explain you were unable to book but would be happy to take a cancellation or an early dinner (as they tend to be easier to obtain) they may not be able to help you but I guarantee they will try their best. 

[Mauzac]

Yes, rols, totally agree on all you have said.    

 

As far as the OP and getting into the Restaurant, we were unable to get a booking online on one cruise when it was all fairly new, and we did go and explain how we hadn't yet experienced the Grill at all and we so much wanted to try it,  how we'd tried to book online but it was all booked up and they did find us a table a quite a few days later.  

[lincslady]

Regarding the diners who ate at TK every evening, I admit I had not thought it was due to them refusing to eat elsewhere, but did wonder if it was that it was an 'invisible' perk of being in a very top suite, and/or with many days on Seabourn, or could -hopefully not - be due to money having changed hands?  Do hope it was just due to people being unpleasant and selfish!

[Isklaar]

1 minute ago, lincslady said:

Regarding the diners who ate at TK every evening, I admit I had not thought it was due to them refusing to eat elsewhere, but did wonder if it was that it was an 'invisible' perk of being in a very top suite, and/or with many days on Seabourn, or could -hopefully not - be due to money having changed hands?  Do hope it was just due to people being unpleasant and selfish!

 

 

I wondered the part about money changing hands too. I can't recall if I've posted about this previously but a few years back we witnessed money changing hands in the Colonnade on embarkation day. I want to stress that the money did not change hands with the seating hostess, it was to someone much higher up the chain. 

We wondered what was going on and realised by the end of the cruise that the 2 guests who had handed over the cash had been sitting at the same window table for 4 every time we visited the MDR. Just the 2 of them each time. I have no proof that money changing hands enabled this of course. 

 

I've stayed in the Wintergarden a few times and have never been granted any special treatment, the only perk  that isn't advertised as such was that the crew did appear to learn my name quicker than when I've been in a veranda suite. Oh, the HD or Guest Services Manager came to greet me at check-in too, can't recall if that's an advertised perk. 

 

However, I'm tending to think the most likely scenario here is as you say, people being unpleasant and selfish. 

[mklions]

Thank you all for your responses.

i will (excuse the pun) take on board your comments and try to book a table as soon as we embark,.

I am also looking forward to dinning in the evening at the alfresco restaurant Land and Sea which on our last Seabourn cruise on the Encore was not available at the time.

thanks again.

Mklions

[Mauzac]

Unfortunately, it was because they refused all the other dining options on the ship dismissing them as sub standard.  The people concerned told a few this directly.   I have no idea whether they were in a top suite and that enabled this behaviour or indeed if money was involved.  

 

MKlions... Earth and Ocean (or Land and Sea!) was superb for us this cruise, we really enjoyed it and ate there 4 or 5 times.  Hope you enjoy it too 🙂

[Mark56]

Were there any other dining venues that were booked that we should consider making an early reservation for or is TK the only one?

[SLSD]

The TK Grill is the only restaurant which requires reservations. 

[Silver Sweethearts]

On 4/4/2019 at 4:03 AM, lincslady said:

Regarding the diners who ate at TK every evening, I admit I had not thought it was due to them refusing to eat elsewhere, but did wonder if it was that it was an 'invisible' perk of being in a very top suite...

 

Have to note that Regent is hardly that invisible, and states right in their catalog that guests in the Master and Grand Suites on all of their ships have a "Guaranteed Reservation Each Night In Specialty Restaurant Of Your Choice".

[Hobar]

On 4/3/2019 at 11:28 AM, mklions said:

Hi All,

Today we booked our next cruise,whoopee!  on 27th April ( 24 days time) sailing on Ovation. Athens to Barcelona ( 8 days)

 

Just logged into our Seabourn account for the first time to book the Thomas Keller restaurant only to find out that there are no available tables left for the whole cruise!!

 

Is this normal? 

 

Really disappointed as we were looking forward to dining in this restaurant.

 

Kind Regards,

Mklions..

Don’t worry.  You will have no problem getting rezos once on board.  And even w/o rezos, you will likely be able to walk in and get a table.  That’s been our experience.  I actually find it annoying to have to plan in advance since vacation to me means NO planning.  SB does not disappoint in that regard. We’ve never been turned away from TK or when they had Restaurant 2.