How likely is it that tastings will have spots open up?

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Mouseketeer
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Jul 16, 2018
I am a first-timer cruising on DCL, so my booking window just opened. Almost all of the tastings are already sold out. Do spots open up very often, especially if I check at Guest Services when I board?
 
First timer as well, but I have heard that there are more tastings you can sign up for on board!

I'm hoping to do mixology, margaritas and tequila, and beer tasting in August!
 
Last week on the Fantasy, DCL added about as many new tasting events which could be booked while on-board as there were available at the start of online activity booking. Some were even scheduled at the same time, but at different venues.
 
I've been on 3 cruises and have been able to book onboard with each; I just head right to the desk after boarding and ask. You might not get your 1st choice, but they usually have a few. I've also been able to book online; people make changes the closer to the lock date so keep looking!
 


Even if all of the classes you want to attend are full once you get onboard, go to it anyway. There will probably be a few no shows and sometimes the bartender will let others in even if it's full.
 
Try booking onboard even if it shows "full" prior to sailing. We've been able to book everything we've wanted in the past.
 
I use to love the tastings, but have been disappointed on 3 out of the last 4 I've done.

The first beer tasting I did was great. There was a lot of discussions and a pretty big variety of beers offered, not just what they had on tap. The last 2 beer tastings I've done were all the same beers they had on tap. By the time I got to the tastings I had already selected the beer I wanted from the selections on tap. I didn't book one based on that practice from the last 2 tastings.

I've done 3 wine tastings. The first was excellent, the second was good, and the last one left us saying we probably don't need to do another.

We did a Mixology tasting on the last cruise and it was good. I'd recommend it again but probably wouldn't do it again. While it was fun, I started talking to the bartenders on the last cruise, asking what their best drink was. I got a lot more out of that than the Mixology class. Plus, most of their "best" drinks were excellent and ran about $7 to $8 per drink.
 


I'm usually the first person to say "keep going back to the website as you get closer to the cruise," but I can't think of any time I saw tastings open up. There should definitely be options once you board though.
 
I've been checking pretty regularly and was just able to book a mojito tasting at CC - and saw champagne, Rum, and Cognac openings that weren't previously available! Cruise leaves in 3 days!!!!!
 
I am a first-timer cruising on DCL, so my booking window just opened. Almost all of the tastings are already sold out. Do spots open up very often, especially if I check at Guest Services when I board?

Yes they do.
But the key is to board as early as you can and head straight to GS, don't even go to the restroom.
We've done this the last couple of cruises and always found spots open.
Also, even if a tasting you really want to go to is sold out, get GS to put you on the waiting list. You also have a high success rate on those.
Happy cruisin'
 
We were on the Fantasy last week and didn't realize you had to prebook these. My dad and husband went to a beer tasting and they were able to fit them in right then.
 
The Navigator you receive when you check in will tell you where to go to make tasting reservations as well as dining reservations (Palo brunch, etc.). The location may change. We went to a lounge for tastings on our cruise, others have gone to Guest Services.
 
The offering of tastings online has been a relatively recent development, and even after this occurred many (often a majority) of tasting opportunities have been available for onboard booking. Unlike, say, Remy and Palo reservations, these are usually wholly separate offerings from those available online (for example, rather than having 15 of 30 Mixology slots for a particular class available online, there is a separate Mixology class that is only available onboard in addition to the "sold-out" class booked online).

The paper Navigator available on the first day (assuming you can find one, lol) lists a separate location (one of the bars) where you can go to book tastings. The line there is MUCH shorter than at Guest Services.
 

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