Florz Posted May 31, 2023 Report Share Posted May 31, 2023 Looking to get a helping hand from my fellow cruisers. My wife and I will be sailing on RC for the first time this Fall (Oasis of the Seas). We're Sky Class (Grand Suite). I've called RC and spoken to five different representatives who keep giving me conflicting answers. So...I'm coming here to the experts for help! We've signed up for the 7-Day Dining Package. I am told that we will be assigned a restaurant and time for either the first or second night of the cruise. I am told prior to sailing, RC will also assign us to restaurants for the remainder of the trip along with reservation times. BUT if we do not want the restaurants and times they have assigned us to pre-cruise then we need to hustle onboard embarkation day, meet with our concierge ASAP, and let them know any changes we might want to make (e.g. not wanting Chops at 7 PM on Day 3, but Giovanni's at 6 PM instead). IF this is correct, don't we run the risk of thousand of others cruisers getting on board that day and 'taking' up all the times and reservations we really want? It seems like the system is a free-for-all with first come, first served. Any advice or past experiences would be welcome. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amanalo217 Posted May 31, 2023 Report Share Posted May 31, 2023 You will get an email from the concierge a few days before the cruise and be able to work out dinner reservations before boarding. Ryan79 and CruiseGus 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan79 Posted May 31, 2023 Report Share Posted May 31, 2023 Actually, people who are paying for reservations without a dining plan will be the ones taking up the prime reservation spots. There will still be plenty of options available, just maybe not your preferred day/time for a specific restaurant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted May 31, 2023 Report Share Posted May 31, 2023 As stated in about 5 days before you cruise your concierge will reach out and you can make dinner reservations for the week. The trade off for the discount package is you cannot make reservations before you board and they only make 1 courtesy reservation, usually Chops, on night one or two. They do not make any other reservations for you. Staying in a grand suite or above gets you access to a concierge who will make your reservations for you. CruiseGus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florz Posted June 1, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2023 I think my reading comprehension isn't what it used to be as I am still confused. In regards to what you (Ampurp85) wrote, five days before I cruise my concierge reaches out to me and I make dinner reservations for the week. I tell him/her I want Giovanni's on Monday, Chops on Tuesday, etc. Done. I am all set. But then you wrote I cannot make reservations before I board, I get one courtesy reservation, and the concierge does not make any other reservations for me. Then you wrote that because I am staying in a Grand Suite I get access to a concierge who WILL make reservations for me. When? When I board? When I speak to him/her five days before the cruise. I sincerely appreciate everyone responding, but I admit to still being unsure of how the dining package reservations work. If I am understanding correctly what Amanalo217 wrote, I speak to the concierge before my cruise, give them the restaurants and times I wish to eat, and everything is then taken care prior to my boarding. Am I missing something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xaa Posted June 1, 2023 Report Share Posted June 1, 2023 7 hours ago, Florz said: In regards to what you (Ampurp85) wrote, five days before I cruise my concierge reaches out to me and I make dinner reservations for the week. I tell him/her I want Giovanni's on Monday, Chops on Tuesday, etc. Done. I am all set. Right, because of your particular suite, you will have a concierge that reaches out and you can tell them what you want. It isn't sone, all set until they are able to secure those reservation places and times, but there's a high likelihood. 7 hours ago, Florz said: But then you wrote I cannot make reservations before I board, I get one courtesy reservation, and the concierge does not make any other reservations for me. Here she was referring to the package itself and the mechanism that creates the first courtesy reservation (that you can ignore and just have your concierge take care of). You're reading in that she said the concierge doesn't, but the "they" she was referring to isn't the concierge in that case. 7 hours ago, Florz said: Then you wrote that because I am staying in a Grand Suite I get access to a concierge who WILL make reservations for me. When? When I board? When I speak to him/her five days before the cruise. They will make them after they reach out to you and you provide them your preferred places/times. You should be fine @Florz because of your suite, you can leverage the UDP earlier than than most other's that have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted June 1, 2023 Report Share Posted June 1, 2023 People staying grand suites and above have a suites concierge to handle your dining reservations via email. Those with the UDP who are not staying in grand suites or above have to wait til they board. You will have a jump on those people via the suites concierge. Ampurp85, CruiseGus and WAAAYTOOO 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florz Posted June 1, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2023 Thank you to everyone who responded to my question(s)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryCS62 Posted June 3, 2023 Report Share Posted June 3, 2023 On 6/1/2023 at 7:37 AM, Pooch said: People staying grand suites and above have a suites concierge to handle your dining reservations via email. Those with the UDP who are not staying in grand suites or above have to wait til they board. You will have a jump on those people via the suites concierge. We're doing a B2B on Oasis in August, and on the 2nd cruise we have the UDP, so we figured that on the first cruise, we'll scout out all the venues, make sure which ones DD (celiac) can eat at safely, then as soon as we get back on after clearing customs, split up (3 of us) and go to different locations and set ourselves up for the week. Fingers crossed this works, and we can get what we want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amanalo217 Posted June 3, 2023 Report Share Posted June 3, 2023 44 minutes ago, MaryCS62 said: We're doing a B2B on Oasis in August, and on the 2nd cruise we have the UDP, so we figured that on the first cruise, we'll scout out all the venues, make sure which ones DD (celiac) can eat at safely, then as soon as we get back on after clearing customs, split up (3 of us) and go to different locations and set ourselves up for the week. Fingers crossed this works, and we can get what we want. Go ahead and try to make reservations on front end of your b2b for second cruise. You may get lucky and you're no worse off than waiting to make them on second cruise. MaryCS62 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted June 4, 2023 Report Share Posted June 4, 2023 13 hours ago, MaryCS62 said: We're doing a B2B on Oasis in August, and on the 2nd cruise we have the UDP, so we figured that on the first cruise, we'll scout out all the venues, make sure which ones DD (celiac) can eat at safely, then as soon as we get back on after clearing customs, split up (3 of us) and go to different locations and set ourselves up for the week. Fingers crossed this works, and we can get what we want. You won't need to split up. The only venue you have to actually make a rez at the place is Izumi. In fact, you can go to one specialty place and they can call Izumi and make it for you. MaryCS62 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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