Another common misconception for new cruisers is with dining requests. I’m not sure if this applies to all cruise lines, but it does with the ones I’ve been on. When you book your cruise, you can specify if you want “early” or “late” seating. The cruise lines call these “requests.” And there is a good reason for this. That’s all what these specifications are. They are simply requests, nothing more.
The reason I bring this up is because I’ve seen too many new cruisers get upset because they requested one seating and got the other. The cruise lines do everything they can to fulfill your requests, but this is not always possible. If everyone on the ship requested early seating, clearly this wouldn’t be possible. Of course this doesn’t happen. But if enough people request a certain seating, someone’s going to have to be turned down.
So what do you do if this happens to you? When you embark, you will receive your room key, which should have your dining room, table, and time listed on it. If the time is not what you requested, go to the Maitre’d and ask to have your seating time changed. You can try slipping him some money to help “get something done.” Even if you slip him a 20, there’s still no guarantee you will get your requested seating. But if you don’t at least ask, nothing will change. I suppose you could also try going to the purser’s desk and putting in the request there as well if the maitre’d cannot help you. We’ve never done this, so I’m not sure if it would work. Has anyone had any experience doing this?
I must also stress that it seems that medical excuses don’t expedite the process either. I read a story online of a family who had a diabetic and needed to eat at a certain time. They were placed at the other seating, and requested a change. They were never moved. So they ended up at the buffet every night since the diabetic passenger had to eat around a certain time. This might have been a fluke. Who knows. Of course, I would assume medical excuses would be given priority, but that might not be the case, based on stories like this.
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Similarly, you can request a table change as well from the maitre’d. Let’s say you’re a family of four, two adults and two kids. You requested a booth, but was put at a table for 8 with two older couples. This isn’t ideal for anyone. You don’t feel comfortable sitting with these older people, and they don’t feel comfortable with your younger kids. If this happens, you can go to the maitre’d and ask for a table change. This change might happen in several ways, if at all. First, you might just be moved to a different table. You could also be moved to the other dining room, if the ship has two main dining rooms. You might also be moved to a different seating as well. Or any combination of the above. So when you make your request, try to be as specific as possible. “Can we get moved to a booth, this seating, please?” or “I don’t care where/when we are moved, we need to have a booth.”
So when you’re booking your next (or first) cruise, be sure to specify your seating arrangements (time, table type/size) when you make your reservation. And keep in mind, it’s only a request, not a guarantee.
