Why won't DCL let us know about our dinner rotation?!?

[fairytalelover]

I dont understand why they cant figure out in advance and let us know what our dinner rotation will be before the cruise?? We already got a letter in the mail weeks ago telling us what time we will have our dinners. So what is stopping them from making our lives easier and telling us what restuarants we will go to on which nights so we can make our plans and ressies accordingly. This is sooooo frustrating!!

 

[lbgraves]

I don't think that DCL realized how much thought we put into deciding what night to go to Palo. Maybe this is something that they are now working on.

 

[allears]

It is our understanding that the actual rotations aren't worked out until right before sailing, when the passenger list is less likely to change. And while there are a lot of us who are complusive planners and like to know this ahead of time, I don't think the majority of the passengers care that much about the rotation so DCL doesn't have much need to change their system. It's just the way they've decided to do things, not worth getting to worked up about.

 

[DonnettaR]

We already got a letter in the mail weeks ago telling us what time we will have our dinners.

Is this something new? What type of letter did you get?

 

[DrCavin]

Is this something new? What type of letter did you get?

They may be refering to a confirmation letter. We received one from our TA shortly after booking & it states Early dining confirmed...

 

[needalatte]

On the same general topic, is there some reason that Pirate theme night is on the only late night we have in a port? I would like to spend a little more time in PV but don't want to miss Pirate Night.

 

[allears]

On the same general topic, is there some reason that Pirate theme night is on the only late night we have in a port? I would like to spend a little more time in PV but don't want to miss Pirate Night.

I think they try to do Pirate night on late port nights because the wind conditions are more favorable for setting off the fireworks.

 

[fairytalelover]

Is this something new? What type of letter did you get?

It is not a confirmation letter. It was a letter from DCL explaining that they have changed the dinner times from the early and late that they had before to multiple early and late times and they told us what time ours was going to be for.

 

[lbgraves]

Don't they need to be on the way out to sea in order to do the fireworks?

 

[Donalds_best_pal]

Its to compicated as some others implied to assign early. The passenger manifest can change up to the sailing date and it would end up causing more trouble then its worth.

Matt

 

[Regina]

Don't they need to be on the way out to sea in order to do the fireworks?

No. The ship moved a bit and rotated, but we were in the harbor at Acapulco when they set them off.

 

[lbgraves]

It is not a confirmation letter. It was a letter from DCL explaining that they have changed the dinner times from the early and late that they had before to multiple early and late times and they told us what time ours was going to be for.

So then you are going on the Wonder? From what has been posted they aren't doing this on The Magic yet.

 

[brianvdb]

Just an idea... and maybe the vetrans can tell you if this is feasible...

Maybe you can wait until a few days before the cruise and call DCL to find out what your dining rotation will be. If the dining rotation you are assigned isn't what you were hoping for, ask them if they can change it to what you want.

Like a couple of other folks have said, most people don't care what dining rotation they are on. As a result, I can't imagine that DCL gets a lot of requests before the cruise to change dining rotations. I'm guessing that DCL will do everything that they can to accomodate your request.

Don't know if it will work, but it's a thought. Good luck.

Brian

 

[crisi]

My understanding is that the computer doesn't run the routine to assign you a rotation until the night before the cruise. So calling a few days before is the same as calling a few months before - they don't know yet.

 

[jrabbit]

I'm guessing that DCL will do everything that they can to accomodate your request.

You can make a request for a specific rotation and you have a 33% chance of getting it (way better odds than any lottery "game"). If you do get your desired rotation there is always the possibility that DCL will change the nights certain activities are on anyway and then you will be disapointed again. This is one of those areas where you should let the magic happen otherwise you're setting yourself up for a disapointment.

 

[allears]

My understanding is that the computer doesn't run the routine to assign you a rotation until the night before the cruise. So calling a few days before is the same as calling a few months before - they don't know yet.

This is our understanding as well and I haven't heard of anyone but concierge guests finding out about their rotation before getting their key to world cards. But you can always request a change once on board. We've done this the last three times to make sure we were in our favorite head server's station.

As for the fire works, I think the wind conditions are calmer in port that out at sea. We were in Cozumel for Pirate night in January and the captain made sure the ship was positioned just right for the best effect. So it seems the harbors are a more controlled enviroment. It's also a great way to advertise to tourists at the port or passengers on any other ships that might be in port.

 

[justmestace]

There is one person who handles the dining rotations and seating for each cruise. This person sends the final seating to the ship just 3 days before sailing, because plans tend to change right up until that point. That's why, for the most part, they can't tell people what their rotation would be ahead of time. Imagine all the phone calls this one person would be getting from people unhappy with their rotation.
But, if you get on the ship and don't like your rotation you can change it then.
And yes, concierge guests can make requests ahead of time. But again, even these are only requests...not a guarantee. And you have to remember that concierge guests are generally paying a lot more for their cruise, so by all rights, there should be some extra perks. And no....spa ressies are NOT held open for concierge guests. In case you wondered.

 

[fairytalelover]

So then you are going on the Wonder? From what has been posted they aren't doing this on The Magic yet.

yes we are on the Wonder

 

[CPM]

It is not a confirmation letter. It was a letter from DCL explaining that they have changed the dinner times from the early and late that they had before to multiple early and late times and they told us what time ours was going to be for.

I'm not sure I understand this. Are they having more then two dining times now?

 

[jrabbit]

I'm not sure I understand this. Are they having more then two dining times now?

No, not really. They are staggering the start times of the dinners in each restaurant (I believe). There will be 3 start times for each seating (15 minutes early, the "normal" time and 15 minutes late). That way there won't be so many people waiting to get into the restaurants at the same time. I assume that Tritons and Animators will be the before and after normal times since people lining up to get into these restaurants need to queue up in the same location.