As of today, I can make an online reservation for Portofinos (sp?) on the AOS cruise this September.

Does anyone have a suggestions as to which day I should pick? I don't want to miss formal night (usually Monday and Friday, I think). I wish there was a way to see what the dining room menu would be for each day, so I could choose what I would miss.

Has anyone used the online reservation system yet? Can I get a refund if I change my mind?

I'm sure I could find this all out myself, but I'm being lazy and have a meeting in 5 minutes. Plus, you guys are more informative anyway.

Thanks.

I don't know where Sonny is, he must be on another cruise. I haven't done it on RCI, but on Princess, what they did was give you a a reservation card. You presented it to the maitre d' when you entered the restaurant. Then it was charged to your shipboard account that evening. I would assume RCI would do something similar and if you changed your mind, they would refund you fee. According to what I read, the surcharge is to cover the tips, so if you don't partake of the food/service, you wouldn't owe it. Are you getting nervous?

I would like if it worked that way. But, if I were RCI, I would require people to pay up front. If you don't have to pay right away, it opens the system up to abuse. People will just reserve a table, whether they really plan on using it or not, just so they don't lose the spot. Then other people who really want the spot are out of luck.

I guess I just need to stop being lazy and check out the process for myself. I'm sure the website explains it all.

Nervous about the wedding? I have moments when I think about what we need to do, and I get a little nervous, but it passes pretty quickly. She is a bit more stressed out than I am. I plan on being very productive this weekend - going to reserve a tux, buy my ring, and maybe some other stuff. When we finally get down to apartment seaching, I think the stress will start to kick in.

Penny, I just wish I was on another cruise—like Dave. I've been around—I'm just in a low key mode for awhile.

Making reservations for Portofinos can be done on line 60 days prior to sailing, and up to 10 days before the sail date. This is a new service that has been in place within the past year. Once you've made your reservation, you can always change the date once aboard the ship. So, I wouldn't be too concerned what day you pick. I like to wait until I'm on board before I make a reservation for Portofinos or Chops.

Sonny

Thanks, Sonny.

I actually stopped being lazy and went through the online process last night. You can choose the day and time of your dinner, and are required to pay the $20/pp fee upfront. However, you are allowed to cancel (or change times, I assume) if you wish. If you cancel at least 10 days before the cruise, you receive a refund back to the credit card you paid with. If you cancel less than 10 days before the cruise, or while onboard, you receive a refund as a credit on your ship account.

I reserved Portofino's on Wednesday and Thursday night, both at 8 o'clock. I think 8 is a pretty prime time, which may be hard to get later on, so I'm glad I did it now. I plan on calling RCI later today to see if these conflict with formal night or anything else.

Yes, I was referring to the wedding. It's getting close. Good luck with your apartment hunting. I was hoping you'd be able to get your money back if you changed your mind or couldn't make your reservation for some reason. Thanks, Sonny!

Thanks, Penny! The first of two bridal showers is this weekend - we've been doing alot of work, so it will be nice to get some gifts for it hahaha! Maybe a little selfish of me, but who doesn't like gifts!?! But more importantly, Heather should have a really good time.

AS for getting my money back, I'm thinking about only doing one night at Portofinos now. If I decide that, I'll update everyone on how easy it is to get the refund. (looks like I'm the one abusing the system now )