Specialty dining

[cozzello]

We are traveling with four other couples and I am curious if we each make our dining reservation for ten or if we each have to make our reservation for the same date, time and restaurant.

Thanks for sharing you knowledge.

Cheryl

[TayanaLorna]

Only choice I ever saw was reservation for 2 or Invite Others. I tried to invite others but could not because we were in a PV but they were DV and their booking window had not opened yet.  I can't recall exactly but believe we needed more then their name - needed Stateroom # and i think booking number also.  If you successfully invite 2, I don't know if you can invite 2 more and so on.

 

With 10, you can probably reserve the private room at the Chefs Table or Manfredi's for a night once on board.  On our next cruise we will have 5 couples and will try to do this.  We don't plan to dine together every night but it will be fun to experience the private room once.

 

Aside from all this, we have never had a problem combining reservations made for the same night or added another 2 people for a total of 6.   We just may not get the exact time we booked.

 

If all 10 of you want to dine together every night, then talk to Guest Services as soon as you board.

 

 

[Peregrina651]

14 hours ago, cozzello said:

We are traveling with four other couples and I am curious if we each make our dining reservation for ten or if we each have to make our reservation for the same date, time and restaurant.

Thanks for sharing you knowledge.

Cheryl

 

Skip MVJ. With such a large party, you should reach out to Viking Guest Services for help with these reservations at whatever the phone number is on the Viking website. Start with a group meeting to discuss dining. Share everything you have learned here. Gather all the Viking booking numbers for each cabin.  Make some quick decisions as to your preferred dining time and which nights you think you want to eat in the specialty restaurants.

 

Some things you should know:

 

It may take a couple of tries to find someone in the call center who knows how to make the reservations for you. Hang up and call again until you find someone who can; they do exist.

 

Unless you are all in the same cabin class (V/DV/PV, etc.), the number of advanced reservations that you will be able to make as a group for the specialty restaurants and the timing of when you can make them will be determined by least privileged of the cabins. You can try to do it earlier but they might not let you.  BTW, this hold true for any cabins number of cabins trying to make reservations together.

 

Once on board, you may make as many reservations for the specialty restaurants as they will let you (which for a group of 10 may not be easy).

 

If you are planning on dining together every night, consider asking for a standing reservation in the main dining room for one the few large round tables that they have. You may have to wait until you board the ship to do this. If they do let you do it in advance, confirm when you board that it has been done.

 

There is sushi and seafood in the buffet every night. (If you don't want to eat a whole meal there, it makes a lovely appetizer before heading down to the MDR for dinner).

[Laurie17]

We just completed a cruise in May and we had a group of 4 couples traveling together.  We were not able to reserve specialty dining ahead of time for the group even though we were all in same PV level. We did make reservations for 2 parties of 4.  Once onboard we talked to the restaurant reservations desk and found Viking is limiting restaurant seating to a maximum of 6 due to Covid.  They did make a note to seat our groups next to each other both in the main restaurant and for our specialty dining reservations.  They did have tables for 8 in the buffet 

[deec]

so silly since you are all traveling together.  I understand not seating 8 random people ( 4 couples) at a table but not when you are together anyway.  Plus why in the world in it OK in the WC?  Makes no sense!

[planada]

100% agree to the party size limitations in the dining room. We have 7 in our party. Only able to book 6 so one is left out. We never could get ANY specialty restaurants booked because we are in a DV and reservations were full even BEFORE it was our turn to book. Was able to get that ONE reservation for 6 in the main dining restaurant only. Very frustrated with Viking at this point and we don’t even leave until

August. 

[Clay Clayton]

6 hours ago, planada said:

100% agree to the party size limitations in the dining room. We have 7 in our party. Only able to book 6 so one is left out. We never could get ANY specialty restaurants booked because we are in a DV and reservations were full even BEFORE it was our turn to book. Was able to get that ONE reservation for 6 in the main dining restaurant only. Very frustrated with Viking at this point and we don’t even leave until

August. 

Don’t let your frustration ruin your cruise. When you board, try using the app or your TV screen to book reservations. If that doesn’t work, go to the reservation desk and try that. If still unsuccessful, speak to the Maitre d’ at the venue’s podium. If you are flexible with your times, I suspect they will be able to work you in. 

[Heidi13]

10 hours ago, planada said:

100% agree to the party size limitations in the dining room. We have 7 in our party. Only able to book 6 so one is left out. We never could get ANY specialty restaurants booked because we are in a DV and reservations were full even BEFORE it was our turn to book. Was able to get that ONE reservation for 6 in the main dining restaurant only. Very frustrated with Viking at this point and we don’t even leave until

August. 

 

It's time to relax.

 

As many others have posted, you can make reservations once you board. We have never made an Alternative Restaurant reservation pre-cruise and have never not been able to be seated. Usually book that day.

[PlanoTim]

11 hours ago, planada said:

100% agree to the party size limitations in the dining room. We have 7 in our party. Only able to book 6 so one is left out. We never could get ANY specialty restaurants booked because we are in a DV and reservations were full even BEFORE it was our turn to book. Was able to get that ONE reservation for 6 in the main dining restaurant only. Very frustrated with Viking at this point and we don’t even leave until

August. 

We have traveled as a party of 8 on two previous Viking cruises.  We pretty much had our own table in The Restaurant and did two dinners in each of the specialty restaurants (in the private room) on both cruises.  I think there was even one time when our table wasn't ready in the main dining room and they sent us to Manfredi's private room again.  Oh, the sacrifices we made. 😁  I think on one of the cruises we called Viking when it was time to book our specialty dining (we were all in DV) and they booked one meal in the private room of each specialty right then.

 

I'm hoping we have the same luck later this year on Viking Orion.  And I hope all goes well for you once you board.

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, PlanoTim said:

We have traveled as a party of 8 on two previous Viking cruises. 

 

Pre-Covid, what you describe was the norm.

 

The problem is that post-Covid Viking is enforce a 6 to a table limit and we don't know when they are planning on revoking the current protocol.

 

At this point, my suggestion is that folks who are traveling in a group of more than 6 contact the people at tellus@vikingcruises.com to resolve these issues. Traditionally, this department has been the "Mike Holmes" department, tasked with the job of making things right. They are higher up the customer service ladder and can do things that the call center cannot. If nothing else, they will get the message that folks traveling together are not happy with the current restrictions.

 

 

 

 

[PlanoTim]

23 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Pre-Covid, what you describe was the norm.

 

The problem is that post-Covid Viking is enforce a 6 to a table limit and we don't know when they are planning on revoking the current protocol.

 

At this point, my suggestion is that folks who are traveling in a group of more than 6 contact the people at tellus@vikingcruises.com to resolve these issues. Traditionally, this department has been the "Mike Holmes" department, tasked with the job of making things right. They are higher up the customer service ladder and can do things that the call center cannot. If nothing else, they will get the message that folks traveling together are not happy with the current restrictions.

 

 

 

 

Thanks.  I wasn't aware of the limits. ☹️  We're all getting together to do some cruise planning tomorrow.  We'll have to see if the tellus@vikingcruises.com folks can help us out.