Dining Wait-list, a few questions...

Hello! I've just booked the 11 night Caribbean on the Equinox for me and DW. This would be our 3rd cruise with Celebrity. I was surprised to see when I booked that both dining times are waitlisted! I had no choice to accept the Select Dining option, which I do not want. An important and desired part of cruising is getting to know your wait staff and table-mates. I do not want to have to hermit from table to table and not have the same waitstaff for the entire cruise. That is part of cruising for me! I did put our reservation (for 2) on the waitlist for the late dining.

My question is what is the likelihood of getting the dining time I want? Have you been waitlisted for a dining time? What happened?

Any suggestions for being able to secure that late dining time? Without a dining time I fear my wife might take 3 hours getting ready! Any help is appreciated. Thank you so much in advance and happy holidays!

AS soon as you get onboard and before doing anything else go and see the Maitre D at the MDR and request a change. There is every possibility that you will get a change because a lot of people allocated fixed dining would prefer select. any change wont take effect on day 1 but possibly on day 2

Hello! I've just booked the 11 night Caribbean on the Equinox for me and DW. This would be our 3rd cruise with Celebrity. I was surprised to see when I booked that both dining times are waitlisted! I had no choice to accept the Select Dining option, which I do not want. An important and desired part of cruising is getting to know your wait staff and table-mates. I do not want to have to hermit from table to table and not have the same waitstaff for the entire cruise. we only do Select and ALWAYS have the same staff. Table location can be different( especially if you on the fly add a couple to dine with) hell you can even make reservations for the same time every night to ensure you get the same staff. That is part of cruising for me! I did put our reservation (for 2) on the waitlist for the late dining.

 

My question is what is the likelihood of getting the dining time I want? Have you been waitlisted for a dining time? What happened?

 

Any suggestions for being able to secure that late dining time? Without a dining time I fear my wife might take 3 hours getting ready! Any help is appreciated. Thank you so much in advance and happy holidays!

this is my own personal opinion( and have nothing to back it up and have no strong emotional interest either way) is that the cruise lines make you do the select/ATD up front in order to get your gratuities paid for before you board.

this does not bother us in the least as even in the days before this was an option we always paid them up front at final payment anyway. we consider it to be a part of the total cruise price. and the interest rate I would get on the few dollars it costs i beyond ridiculous so there is no need for me to hold on to it any longer than necessary.

if you do not get your preferred time before you board maybe you can ask once on board. or maybe just tell the wifey poo that dinner is at 7 every night anyway.

Hello! I've just booked the 11 night Caribbean on the Equinox for me and DW. This would be our 3rd cruise with Celebrity. I was surprised to see when I booked that both dining times are waitlisted! I had no choice to accept the Select Dining option, which I do not want. An important and desired part of cruising is getting to know your wait staff and table-mates. I do not want to have to hermit from table to table and not have the same waitstaff for the entire cruise. That is part of cruising for me! I did put our reservation (for 2) on the waitlist for the late dining.

 

My question is what is the likelihood of getting the dining time I want? Have you been waitlisted for a dining time? What happened?

 

Any suggestions for being able to secure that late dining time? Without a dining time I fear my wife might take 3 hours getting ready! Any help is appreciated. Thank you so much in advance and happy holidays!

We always choose Select, then make reservations each night for the same time before boarding. Once we board, we speak with the Maitre D' and indicate that we want the same table each evening (we also specify location). We give a little tip (15-25, depending on length of cruise) and we end up sitting at same table each evening with same wait-staff.

AS soon as you get onboard and before doing anything else go and see the Maitre D at the MDR and request a change. There is every possibility that you will get a change because a lot of people allocated fixed dining would prefer select. any change wont take effect on day 1 but possibly on day 2

This is absolutely correct. A few times I have not gotten the dining I preferred and a quick meeting with the Maitre'd fixed things up.

Just understand that the first day is hectic and the Maitre'd will probably be under pressure from a number of folks to make changes. I've always found that a pleasant request works wonders and have always been given what I what.

Also, are you actually on a wait list for the dining you want? I've also been on a waitlist and have been given my preferred dining before boarding.

Like you, I enjoy meeting my tablemates and wait staff and getting to know them so having late seating was important to me as well. We were initially waitlisted for our cruise on Summit in April for late dining as well (placed into Select). After a few weeks, we were moved off the waitlist and into late dining.

When I was in the same place (concerned and wanting late seating), I called the Captain's Club desk. She recommended checking the reservation online and calling either X or your TA once a month to check on the status. X is able to get rough estimates of how many people are on the waitlist. Good luck!!

We always choose Select, then make reservations each night for the same time before boarding. Once we board, we speak with the Maitre D' and indicate that we want the same table each evening (we also specify location). We give a little tip (15-25, depending on length of cruise) and we end up sitting at same table each evening with same wait-staff.

We always chose Select and have not had a problem getting the same wait staff/table every night - never gave a tip up front.

This is only our 2nd "X" cruise. We booked almost a year out and were put on the waitlist for first seating. Just seems a little odd.

Thank you! I will stay on it and keep checking back

this is my own personal opinion( and have nothing to back it up and have no strong emotional interest either way) is that the cruise lines make you do the select/ATD up front in order to get your gratuities paid for before you board.

This has not been our experience. Last three cruises we requested late seating fixed, and were assigned as requested. The last cruise, we later (and for the first time) requested Select, and were able to confirm that choice immediately.

Booked a sailing last month 14 months out & wait listed already so we took select

Last Connie sailing we booked more than a year in advance and they were supposed to have table for 2 and cabin had dining priority

Instead we had terrible large table -- and found out others at our table were also promised the same. Maitre d did not accommodate us that 1st night but found us at lunch next day

We had select set great table by window at our preferred time every night

Select works well most of the time

I think they are carving out suite dining space & that is why there is shortage at traditional seatings

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this is my own personal opinion( and have nothing to back it up and have no strong emotional interest either way) is that the cruise lines make you do the select/ATD up front in order to get your gratuities paid for before you board.

I don't think this is true. I think it's the opposite. I think the passengers pick traditional seating so they don't have to pay the gratuity up front and then they are able to use any OBC to pay for the gratuity. The other thought is that this is an 11 day cruise which usually draws an older crowd who traditionally choose traditional dining as opposed to those traveling with children who prefer the flexibility of select dining.

I do like using OBC for paying tips, but because we like to choose our dining times each day, based on our daily activities, we end up choosing select dining anyway. On the other issues, you can get a wait staff , or other seating partners ,you are not too thrilled with, and now you are stuck with them the whole trip. Also, I don't tip at the end of the trip additionally on select dining using different waiters , which I usually do if we are dining on the fixed schedule. To each his own I guess.

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What we found on our last two cruises was that there were two large groups on board, and they totally booked the first seating, so anyone not with that group only had the second seating available. That booked quickly, so people who booked the cruise later could only get Select.

Hello! I've just booked the 11 night Caribbean on the Equinox for me and DW. Thank you so much in advance and happy holidays!

Hey Michael! Great to see TA 'out an about'!:D

We just sailed the 11 day on Equinox in Nov and booked the 10 day Eastern for Nov 2015. When are ya'll sailing?

EW

We always book Select and we get the same waiter by just asking. We don't mind paying gratuities up front as you should pay them anyway. We often pay extra to those we think deserve more.