Maybe it would be better if NO reservations were allowed?

[ute_fan]

Hi Erby!

 

I'm curious -- what's your take on the reservation policy? Thanks for clearing up the details. I will admit that I'm a little sketchy when it comes to remembering the little stuff when I'm not directly involved.

 

I know a bunch from the roll-call were also able to get into Teppanyaki on Friday night using the concierge -- I probably was trying to combine the two issues into one occurance!

[erby2283]

No problemo..you had the most important fact correct.

 

I agree with you. I think that a certain number of tables should be left open for walk-ins. Then if people with the reservations don't show up, they can use those tables too.

 

I also agree with your idea about making reservations 24 hours in advance. I don't know about you, but I don't want to plan out my dinner a week in advance. Totally not my idea of freestyle.

 

I do understand that people that pay more money for suites, penthouses, etc. should be entitled to more perks. No problem with that. I do have a problem being told a restaurant is full when I see plenty of seating...and it wasn't just a walk by. I was IN the restaurant for hours and no one was ever seated at those tables.

[dwrist]

From what I understand....now correct me if I am wrong but, suite passengers do not get preference over the rest of the passengers in getting a reservation. Suite passengers have to get in line with the rest of the ship. Their only perks is to get the concierge to book the resssies for them which is not all that big a deal....and they can't over-ride other peoples reservations. Another words if I am a suite passenger and I failed to book Cagney's for the 3rd night and it's already all booked up....then too bad for me. Suite passengers have to get their reservations all booked on the first day the same as everyone else....no preferences there.

If you can't afford a suite to have the perk of a concierge then you have to go make the ressies yourself. I dont' see that as being unfair. Concierge service is available in many fine hotels and resorts and it is a perk you pay for so you don't have to be bothered with the details of reservations and getting tickets for things. And, it in no way gets you reservations before someone else can get them.

 

The advantage the suite passengers have is----:D

they can order from any resturant onboard and have it delivered and served by the butler in their stateroom. The suite passengers do not have to be in the resturant to enjoy the food and service that is provided. We also were able to make ressies late in the week with the server of our choice at the resturant of choice if we wanted.

 

 

<just our experience this last Feb and Aug on the Star:rolleyes: >

<<comes with the cost of the suites according to the concierge:rolleyes: >>

[Fran0521]

From what I understand....now correct me if I am wrong but, suite passengers do not get preference over the rest of the passengers in getting a reservation. Suite passengers have to get in line with the rest of the ship. Their only perks is to get the concierge to book the resssies for them which is not all that big a deal....and they can't over-ride other peoples reservations. Another words if I am a suite passenger and I failed to book Cagney's for the 3rd night and it's already all booked up....then too bad for me. Suite passengers have to get their reservations all booked on the first day the same as everyone else....no preferences there.

If you can't afford a suite to have the perk of a concierge then you have to go make the ressies yourself. I dont' see that as being unfair. Concierge service is available in many fine hotels and resorts and it is a perk you pay for so you don't have to be bothered with the details of reservations and getting tickets for things. And, it in no way gets you reservations before someone else can get them.

 

Very well put..........I also couldn't get the time I wanted in the spa even going thru our concierge, I just adapted and took one close to my original time.

[Fran0521]

Hi Erby!

 

I'm curious -- what's your take on the reservation policy? Thanks for clearing up the details. I will admit that I'm a little sketchy when it comes to remembering the little stuff when I'm not directly involved.

 

I know a bunch from the roll-call were also able to get into Teppanyaki on Friday night using the concierge -- I probably was trying to combine the two issues into one occurance!

 

Utefn.........this reading is leading me to believe you are referring to our "bunch" on Friday night. My feeling of the word "bunch" is a large group. Our group was four people.

[hamiltito]

Based on my cruise on the Star a couple weeks ago, one major problem with getting into the specialty restaurants isn't the reservations system, but the fact that they were perpetually, severely underbooking the specialty restaurants. On several occasions we inquired about specialty restaurant availability for a given evening, only to be told that one or more restaurants were entirely booked for the evening, and then when we walked by those restaurants at the height of the dinner hour (between 6 and 8 PM) in most cases they were hardly at 50% of capacity.

 

The worst example was on the last night of the cruise; we inquired that morning about getting a reservation for any time that evening and were told that the restaurant was booked solid, and then that evening tried to see if we could get in by doing a walkup in case there were any cancellations; when we walked up we could see that the restaurant was 3/4 empty with no one waiting to be seated, and they still told us they couldn't accommodate our group of three.

[ute_fan]

Hi Fran -- Thanks for the clarification. I couldn't remember how many from the roll-call group had eaten together that night -- just that some of you had done. Also, feel free to correct me if those reservations were made earlier in the week. My understanding was that you booked them, through the concierge, later on in the week. The only point I was trying to make is that we were hearing complaints from those dining around us in the main dining room that they couldn't get into the specialty restaurants, while it seemed like those with concierge access were still able to get those reservations.

[roseblue]

I'd like to decide what nights to make reservations for before boarding but have been unable to find out what the menus are, unless the Majesty is the same as the Dawn since the new menus. Anyone know for sure?

[cruznut1111]

This has really been an interesting thread. The question that comes to my mind is WHAT are they booking at the restaurant. I've always heard that the limits of a restaurant are the staff, not the tables.

 

If a number of diners are in their own rooms, then the room could be empty, but the kitchen could be booked to the limit.

 

If the kitchen starts to catch up, then "space" could become available that was restricted 30 minutes earlier.

 

There is money to be made in the specialty restaurants, so it is doubtful that management would be turning away cash.

[Toyz711]

i think you are right, the one night we ate at endless summer..we were told 15 mins (walk-in). several tables seemd to be available. they could have been no-shows, but i think they were allowing so many tables per servers. when you watched for awhile, they had 2 actual wait staff and a couple of back up staff. they had their hands full.

 

i don't mind people making reservations, just not before the cruise. don't tie up the books with reservations you don't know you will make. also, keep an open mind, you might just find you will have a great time in the "free" dining areas. i do agree that to book your whole dining experience the 1st day, limits you. but for some people, that is how they function.

 

one thing, why "assume" you aren't going to like the main dining areas and that for good food you have to book a speciality? never assume, you may be missing out. (beef wellington was as good as it could get)

[star7228]

I agree that perhaps they have the tables, but not the staff? Maybe NCL needs to look into the staffing in the restaurants?

 

We have never had a problem getting reservations in any restaurant (except Teppanyaki on the Star in 2003), but we are also flexible in our eating times. We are just as happy eating at 5:30 as we are eating at 9pm. I think some of the concerns brought up on this thread are legitimate, but we also need to demonstrate the kind of flexibility that we expect out of NCL and freestyle cruising.

 

I think a lot of problems are often solved by our ability to be flexible and realize that things really aren't as bad as we think. :)

 

Just my thoughts, though I do think it would be interesting to know if NCL has these restaurants fully staffed or not. That might help things! :)

[montlee]

As to your comment about holding back tables - on one of our cruises, we tried to get reservations at several resturants and couldn't. Some times I couldn't even get thru on the phone; the line was always busy!

 

As I was taking a picture of one of the restaurant entrances, a gentleman dressed in white with a tall hat commented about my taking pictures. I commented "I just want to prove there is such a plce, I thought it was a figment of my imagination". He questioned me and I told him of my problem. He asked for our cabin number. That evening tickets for all of the specialty restaurants showed up in our cabin!

[The Cellar Dweller]

Hi Erby!

 

I'm curious -- what's your take on the reservation policy? Thanks for clearing up the details. I will admit that I'm a little sketchy when it comes to remembering the little stuff when I'm not directly involved.

 

I know a bunch from the roll-call were also able to get into Teppanyaki on Friday night using the concierge -- I probably was trying to combine the two issues into one occurance!

 

Susan

First question to you, Did you make any or attempt to make reservations for the specialty restaurants? Your previous statements makes me believe you did not. If you didn't How can you be critical to those who have? Several times you made reference to a friend about using the concierge service. Yes indeed I deed. Rank as they say has it's privedge so to speak. As a matter of fact the formal night (Monday) you and your husband ate at the LeBistro, how did this happen? Did you know that reservation was not made through the concierge rather it was made by me standing in a small line at the Blue Lagoon. This was done the day we embarked prior to the muster drill. Matter of fact I had the pickings of many times of all the restaurants.

Your statement about the suite people taking up all the seats is totally wrong. If you count the number of actual seats in all the restaurants and compare this to the total number of people in all the suite the restaurants would be mostly vacant. You did not consider the Gold Latitude Members and above as they also have the ability to use concierge whether they have a suite or not.

I take offense as to how you are respondiong to various people. As another matter of fact the dinner you made reference to at the Teppanyaki where a bunch of people had reservation is totally wrong again. On Tuesday I found out 2 other couples who we had met had a reservation at 7:30PM on the Wednesday night of the cruise. I called my concierge to see if we could join them (of course with their permission) and was told he would do his best. He came back few hours later and stated there was nothing he could do (seating is very limited) but if an opening occured he would call me one way or another. At this point I asked him if he could make a reservation (remember this is still Tuesday) for Friday evening. He did get back to me on Wednesday to advise their was no cancellations for Wednesday evening at 7:30PM but had a reservation for four (my wife and I and 1 (one) other couple) for Friday at 7:30. (THIS IS A FAR CRY FROM YOU BUNCH) As I said before you really need to get your story straight. There are other instances you have mentioned but it's really time consuming to sit here to correct someone elses misunderstandings.

[Fran0521]

Hi Fran -- Thanks for the clarification. I couldn't remember how many from the roll-call group had eaten together that night -- just that some of you had done. Also, feel free to correct me if those reservations were made earlier in the week. My understanding was that you booked them, through the concierge, later on in the week. The only point I was trying to make is that we were hearing complaints from those dining around us in the main dining room that they couldn't get into the specialty restaurants, while it seemed like those with concierge access were still able to get those reservations.

 

Ute_fan........I left the clarifications up to the Cellar Dweller........

[ute_fan]

No problem Bob. I can accept criticsm. Yes, I know that our reservations with you were made through the concierge. I also stated several times that we don't choose to eat normally in the specialty restaurants, that this was our first time choosing to eat in one with our friends, and that I don't know why this subject gets under my skin, but it does. If you feel that I purposely mis-stated facts, it certainly wasn't my intent. I agree -- "bunch" was probably the wrong wording -- but I really didn't remember, nor is it really important, how many people ate with you at Teppanyaki. The point is that your concierge WAS able to make reservations for you, after we had been hearing complaints from several different people about not being able to get into the specialty restaurants, beginning with the couples that we ate breakfast with on Tuesday morning, who were told that all the specialty restaurants were full.

 

We ate almost all of our meals in the main dining room -- as we prefer to do. We also chose to be seated at tables with others, rather than by ourselves several meals, and that's where we heard several of the complaints.

 

There are really two separate issues here: 1 -- the reservations policy in and of itself. 2 -- the capability of having the concierge make reservations for the suite and higher ranking latitude members. My main complaint is with the policy which allows reservations to be made for the entire week. To me, as I've clearly stated before, that is contrary to the entire freestyle concept. I also think that it disciminates against the cruisers who are new to NCL, as by the time they realize that you have to make reservations, nothing is available. This is why I think they need to limit either the amount of advance reservation time, or the number of reservations per cabin, in order to allow access to as many passengers as possible. I also like the idea of having part of the restaurant reserved for "walk up" customers for those people who don't like having to decide on Sunday afternoon where they want to eat Thursday night.

 

As far as having the concierge make your reservations, I really don't care. My point was more that it seemed to us, and the others we were talking with, that the concierge was able to pull strings and get "their" passengers (or their guests) into the restaurants when the normal customer was told nothing was available. Yes, I agree, passengers who pay more for suites and who are long-time NCL cruisers do deserve some extra perks. Sorry if I offended you by posting my feelings.

[tomluvsaida]

Saying free style isn't free because it suggests (not requires) you to make reservations is like saying America isn't free because we have laws such as traffic lights and speed limits.:rolleyes:

What's the big deal about making reservations? It took us about two minutes to do them for the whole week. If you want to change them within a reasonable amount of time you can do that too. The alternative would be the lines and general kaos you are trying to avoid.:eek: :D

[tomluvsaida]

The first thing I did once onboard the ship was make reservations for the entire week. We had no problem with being seated at the time requested, 6:30 PM.. But the BIG issue I saw was passingers being turned away with empty tables in the resturants. To resolve this I suggested that tables with reservations only be held for 10-15 minutes, if the party is a no show then give the table out on a first come first serve basis. We ate in some resturants with several no shows while patrons were told to come back in 1 or 2 hours. All the time the tables sat empty. What a shame....

Later all....

Yes, I agree with you. If people don't show up after 15 minutes then they should be given to someone who has been waiting.

[Cosmopolitan]

Yippee, hooray, AMEN !!! Wishful thinking, I'm afraid. First, "suite people" would get preference, then double-diamond frequent cruisers, then honeymooners, then.... Pretty soon, it would be right back where it is now. I guess we can dream.

 

"Suite people" are paying a high price for this service.

 

Should they get the same service as a much lower priced cabin:eek:

 

When you attend a theatre performance/concert...best price..best seats;)

 

Bottom line, you get what you pay for:)

[ute_fan]

Since we choose to eat in the main dining rooms, it's not an issue for us. If I was interested in eating in the specialty dining rooms, I just wouldn't want to have to make reservations for the entire week right after boarding. To me, the whole purpose of freestyle dining is to be able to eat when I want, and with whom I want, and having to schedule everything in advance is, IMO, opposite from the intent of freestyle. Obviously, there is a wide difference of opinion on this subject.

 

I also don't want to have to decide on Sunday afternoon, as soon as I board, what kind of cuisine I'll feel like on Thursday. I don't schedule my meals at home that far in advance -- why should I have to do so on vacation? The way the reservations are working right now, if I want the option of dining at a specialty restaurant, that's what I'd have to do. Is it a big deal? No, for those of you who prefer to schedule your week out in advance, it obviously isn't. For me, it just feels too regimented.

 

To carry it to an extreme, and this obviously is TIC, why not just require everyone to fill out a menu with your menu choices for the week 6 weeks prior to boarding? That way, the ship can plan exactly the right quantities of food, and everyone can have their dining room assigned according to their menu choice :D .

 

Cosmopolitan -- without meaning to insult you -- yes, you get what you pay for. However, the cruise lines need to be careful of how far they carry that philosophy. Do we really want to go back to the days of the Titanic with it's "first class" and steerage passenger distinctions?

[Cosmopolitan]

Ute ~

 

We cruise in a suite but many nights dine in the main dining rooms.

 

After 5 cruises on NCL freestyle, we have only seen a line ONCE (in a main restaurant) and that was on the Jewel when it was new, on formal night.

 

Never saw a wait on the Dawn.

 

I am not insulted by your comments.

However, having worked MANY years to enable us to finally take vacations in a suite...and enjoy the amenities, I do feel that we are paying highly for these amenities.

 

We have made many great friends on NCL ships..many of them in the lowest cabin categories. We enjoyed their company and could care less where their cabins were. Had we cruised years ago..we would have also been in the lowest cabins.

 

I do not feel that anyone on NCL is considered "steerage" at any time.

We also try to book all of our dining reservations when we board just to make it easier for our concierge.

 

I do think that people have to just relax and enjoy their freestyle cruise.

 

These boards are a blessing and a curse.

 

People panic when they read the posts. That's why the upsell calls are now eliminated!

 

Everyone relax and enjoy your cruise.

 

One thing for sure..you will never be hungry on an NCL cruise:)

[rxcruise]

we had a suite the last cruise and never saw a concierge- never had reason to call him/her. we booked our own reservations and sometimes had luck and others we went down and were let in. Most times we dined at the main and we always enjoyed it, what's the problem? Can't get into Cagneys on half price night- well they're just trying to get you to come back on one of the other 6 nights. They don't give preferential treatment to anyone, they just allot their help, and then don't allow anyone else in. Talk to your wait-staff and you'll find out the real deal.

[The Cellar Dweller]

No problem Bob. I can accept criticsm. Yes, I know that our reservations with you were made through the concierge. I also stated several times that we don't choose to eat normally in the specialty restaurants, that this was our first time choosing to eat in one with our friends, and that I don't know why this subject gets under my skin, but it does. If you feel that I purposely mis-stated facts, it certainly wasn't my intent. I agree -- "bunch" was probably the wrong wording -- but I really didn't remember, nor is it really important, how many people ate with you at Teppanyaki. The point is that your concierge WAS able to make reservations for you, after we had been hearing complaints from several different people about not being able to get into the specialty restaurants, beginning with the couples that we ate breakfast with on Tuesday morning, who were told that all the specialty restaurants were full.

 

 

 

We ate almost all of our meals in the main dining room -- as we prefer to do. We also chose to be seated at tables with others, rather than by ourselves several meals, and that's where we heard several of the complaints.

 

There are really two separate issues here: 1 -- the reservations policy in and of itself. 2 -- the capability of having the concierge make reservations for the suite and higher ranking latitude members. My main complaint is with the policy which allows reservations to be made for the entire week. To me, as I've clearly stated before, that is contrary to the entire freestyle concept. I also think that it disciminates against the cruisers who are new to NCL, as by the time they realize that you have to make reservations, nothing is available. This is why I think they need to limit either the amount of advance reservation time, or the number of reservations per cabin, in order to allow access to as many passengers as possible. I also like the idea of having part of the restaurant reserved for "walk up" customers for those people who don't like having to decide on Sunday afternoon where they want to eat Thursday night.

 

As far as having the concierge make your reservations, I really don't care. My point was more that it seemed to us, and the others we were talking with, that the concierge was able to pull strings and get "their" passengers (or their guests) into the restaurants when the normal customer was told nothing was available. Yes, I agree, passengers who pay more for suites and who are long-time NCL cruisers do deserve some extra perks. Sorry if I offended you by posting my feelings.

 

 

Susan

You need to re-read the first paragraph of my post, then compare to the first statement of your above post.

 

It stataes: " Did you know that reservation was not made through the concierge rather it was made by me standing in a small line at the Blue Lagoon. This was done the day we embarked prior to the muster drill."

 

When you respond you should pick your words more wisely.

 

I will not post any mre about this topic. I've said what I had to say.

[ute_fan]

Bob -- I do owe you an apology. I misread the part of your post about how you made the reservation by standing in line for yourself. I'm sorry about that.

 

I'm also dropping any mention of the concierge, since I seem to have upset you and Fran in the process of doing so, which was definitely not my intention.

 

Cosmpolitan -- thanks for taking my comment in the manner in which it was meant. I'm not implying, by any means, that there is a steerage class on NCL. Definitely, those of you paying more for suites and who are long-time NCL cruisers deserve some perks. I'm just hoping that they don't keep extending those perks to the point that it does it feel like a class separation to those who aren't eligible to receive them.

[maja651]

Since we choose to eat in the main dining rooms, it's not an issue for us. If I was interested in eating in the specialty dining rooms, I just wouldn't want to have to make reservations for the entire week right after boarding. To me, the whole purpose of freestyle dining is to be able to eat when I want, and with whom I want, and having to schedule everything in advance is, IMO, opposite from the intent of freestyle. Obviously, there is a wide difference of opinion on this subject.

 

I also don't want to have to decide on Sunday afternoon, as soon as I board, what kind of cuisine I'll feel like on Thursday. I don't schedule my meals at home that far in advance -- why should I have to do so on vacation? The way the reservations are working right now, if I want the option of dining at a specialty restaurant, that's what I'd have to do. Is it a big deal? No, for those of you who prefer to schedule your week out in advance, it obviously isn't. For me, it just feels too regimented.

 

To carry it to an extreme, and this obviously is TIC, why not just require everyone to fill out a menu with your menu choices for the week 6 weeks prior to boarding? That way, the ship can plan exactly the right quantities of food, and everyone can have their dining room assigned according to their menu choice :D .

 

Cosmopolitan -- without meaning to insult you -- yes, you get what you pay for. However, the cruise lines need to be careful of how far they carry that philosophy. Do we really want to go back to the days of the Titanic with it's "first class" and steerage passenger distinctions?

 

Here here....This is the exact reason I started this post. In my day to day life, I am a BIG TIME planner, have most days planned out well in advance, hence here I am on cruisecritic learning all I can about cruising, NCL, etc. (I have never been on a cruise). BUT, on vacation, I do not want to schedule out my meals for the entire week on the first day! That just doesn't seem very freestyle to me. Before you say it, yes, I know, we can eat at the non-specialty restaurants without reservations. BUT, we WANT to eat at the specialty restaurants, in fact, have already PAID for one of them with our anniversary package. I have read some great ideas in this thread...only allowing bookings 24 hours in advance, only 2 bookings at one time per cabin, etc. I love those ideas. I am just hoping that NCL does SOMETHING to make the specialty restaurants tie more into the freestyle concept that NCL is so heavily advertising!

 

Michelle

 

P.S. As far as suites go, I really don't have an opinion, although I do think that since they are so much more expensive there should be added perks. (Note, we booked our first cruise(PoAM, April 2007) in a BA cabin, but are hoping for the upsell ferry to knock on our door). :)

[electricron]

Here here....This is the exact reason I started this post. In my day to day life, I am a BIG TIME planner, have most days planned out well in advance, hence here I am on cruisecritic learning all I can about cruising, NCL, etc. (I have never been on a cruise). BUT, on vacation, I do not want to schedule out my meals for the entire week on the first day! That just doesn't seem very freestyle to me. Before you say it, yes, I know, we can eat at the non-specialty restaurants without reservations. BUT, we WANT to eat at the specialty restaurants, in fact, have already PAID for one of them with our anniversary package. I have read some great ideas in this thread...only allowing bookings 24 hours in advance, only 2 bookings at one time per cabin, etc. I love those ideas. I am just hoping that NCL does SOMETHING to make the specialty restaurants tie more into the freestyle concept that NCL is so heavily advertising!

Michelle

 

I'll disagree for argument sakes.

 

Let's proposed NCL did limit the time in advance you could reserve a table at a speciality restaurant till the day off.

At 7:00 am, there would be a line at the reservations desk every day.

Those who stayed up partying the night before, and waking up late would be crying foul, cause by the time they woke up, the speciality restaurants would have been booked solid for that evening.

 

I keep stating the reservation system should be like what you see ashore.

I haven't seen many restaurants ashore limit reservations to the day of.

They all will takes reservations days and weeks in advance.

As it is, making you wait to the first day of the cruise is fair for everyone except the ignorant, or those who refuse to do any research in advance, but that's just my opinion.