Three times in one cruise - surely not

From other reports, it sounds like an invite to the Captain's Table is often received by simply letting it be known that you would like to be invited. We've never let anyone know... and haven't been invited in 15 cruises.

This statement is completely true! I had only been on one celebrity cruise last year on the Summit. A member of our table in the MDR inquired to the Captains Club Hostess how one goes about sitting at that table, and the last day of the cruise we all had invitations to sit at the Captain's table!!

Maybe they were relatives:D

Or Zenith

Maybe they were relatives:D

Or Zenith

No to both, but even if they were then I still feel it is self-indulgent. Give someone else a chance.

Phil

For the last five years we have been invited every cruise. Have never been in high end suite. We have met lovely people and tried some great wines. Glad they are now going to offer more officers tables for more to enjoy. Many years ago officers would join your table in the MDR. For those who don`t enjoy, no problem just decline.

A couple of years ago we spent a month on a Far East cruise. The same couple were invited to every single captains table. Eventually I could not help myself and I asked if they were in a high end suite. No, they were not. They said it was because they did a lot of cruising with Celebrity. They were in an ocean view.

I don't know how it works, but Joni and I have been invited many times over the years to the officers table. In fact, for the last three cruises in a row we have dined at the captain and officers table.

It's always the best evening of the cruise for us...

(BTW we are in anything from a Sky to a Aqua to Balcony so don't think the cabin made any dif...)

Well, this news will change the dynamic:

Celebrity Cruises Swaps Formal Nights for Evening Chic

http://www.cruisecritic.com/v-4/news/news.cfm?ID=6642

Now there will be not just one Captain's Table but several Three-Stripe Tables, so those people will have to be able to tri-locate to dominate the honors!

I think it's a great move forward! Yippeeeee! (still bringing my jacket and tie... but no donkey :cool: )

My friends are just back from a cruise on Reflection which they really enjoyed. They were telling us though that there were three formal nights and every time the same couple were at the Captains Table. She noticed them because they were quite loud and always hanging around officers in the day. They were not in the penthouse because she saw them go into another ordinary room

Did they really follow them around the ship to see what cabin they were in? Now that is going to far.:o

 

We have more important things to pay attention to than whom is at another table with whom. Like watching out for someone wearing the wrong pants an shoes! LOL

Our dear CC Host invited us to the Captain's table on one cruise. We gladly accepted the honor, but I was very nervous. We had an amazing evening. The officer and fellow cruisers blended well. It will always be a special memory.

Don't think that I would ever notice/remember who would attend every night. As for preferring to dine with friends, make new ones whenever you can.

I do remember someone boasting on a previous captain's table thread about being invited every formal on his cruises. I wonder if this is the same person. I seem to remember he may have had staff as part of his username so maybe he does work for the company, although I can't imagine a company employee - or a relative of the captain - would come bragging on cruise critic

On another note we have been invited - and accepted - on several occasions, most recently on Reflection. Ourselves and one other couple had been selected by the officer hosting the table, having met him previously in the cruise. One other couple were chosen by the suites concierge, but were not in a top suite. The final couple must have been selected due to their captains club status as they complained continually about how they hated these invitations, wished they hadn't been invited, refused to look up at the official photographer and then when presented with the photograph said it would go in the bin with all the others. They were rude and obnoxious and I felt embarrassed on their behalf. Perhaps the new system will mean people like this get invited less

We've never been invited but I'm still clinging to a slim thread of hope when we have a Celebrity suite on a 15 nighter. However with the new dress code the photo sure will not be as elegant with some people in their dress jeans and sundress and others in a tux and formal. :eek: I'm happy for those that got to have this experience the way that it was intended - for the rest of us - it has gone the way of the dinosaurs.

We have been on 8 Celebrity cruises and on the Solstice we were invited to sit at the Staff Captains Table. Usually we are in Concierge , but on this cruise we just went with a regular Veranda cabin. My Husband did not even bring a suit this time. Never had met the Captain Club's hostess and we don't hang out in Michael's Club. Why we happened to get picked of the 4 couple's invited have no idea. However they loaned my husband a tux jacket and I had a dressy enough outfit and we went on the first formal night and had a wonderful meal and fun time in a private room in Murano. We loved the experience even if we are never invited again. I think worth going if you get a chance!

Has the OP thought of the possibility that the Captain may have had family on board and therefore would have liked to have dined with them? Just a thought.:):)

We have dined at the Captain's table at least 10 times over the 50+ cruises we have taken with Celebrity. We have enjoyed every one of these occasions. Starting with the predinner cocktails and rose to the photo of the table given as a keepsake. Each dinner has been memorable. I also enjoy looking at the photographs of the different captain's and table mates over the years.

I would be happy to continue this tradition on future cruises.

I would love to just have a cruise, it doesn't bother me to get invited to join any table.

No to both, but even if they were then I still feel it is self-indulgent. Give someone else a chance.

 

Phil

In two lines you've managed to capture my thoughts far better than my original post.

There are the someone else's who want a chance, some have posted here

I think Celebrity should give their officers far better guidance on if (when) multiple invites on the same cruise are acceptable. The new "formerly formal night" arrangements give an ideal opportunity for this to happen.

And for us, we are often asked, we have had delightful evenings and some a little less so. If we are asked again we would go, but if we were asked a second time on the same cruise we would never accept. IMHO it should've one invite per cruise .....end of

We have been on cruises where the captain's table remained empty and unused on non-formal nights, but on some cruises it was just used as a regular table to accommodate Select overflow.

In speaking with one of the officers on a formal night one time, he told us that the official "captain's table" that night at the late seating was going to be a special one for some crew members who had been invited to dine with the captain.

He used the term "shining stars" to describe those who had been selected.

I thought that was a great idea and wish they would do it more often to recognized the deserving, hard-working crew members who go above and beyond to make our cruise experiences so wonderful.

(But on second thought, it might cause bickering among the crew about why so-and-so was invited whereas I, who work harder and am much more deserving, was not. ;) )

To the OP, I have never seen the Captains table occupied by the same group of people ever and would never be able to imagine why that would be. It is their choice, it is their table and it is their ship to command. I have had the opportunity to be at the Captains table and enjoyed myself immensely. My DW also enjoyed herself and since she is the outgoing one, made some friends she still converses with. It definitely is more than just a dinner at a big table. It was a truly welcoming experience and would definitely do it again.

 

 

In speaking with one of the officers on a formal night one time, he told us that the official "captain's table" that night at the late seating was going to be a special one for some crew members who had been invited to dine with the captain.

He used the term "shining stars" to describe those who had been selected.

 

I thought that was a great idea and wish they would do it more often to recognized the deserving, hard-working crew members who go above and beyond to make our cruise experiences so wonderful.

 

 

(But on second thought, it might cause bickering among the crew about why so-and-so was invited whereas I, who work harder and am much more deserving, was not. ;) )

 

Now I LOVE that idea, I'm sure the cruiseline could devise criteria to make it fair, they have some schemes already and staff don't seem to have an issue with them

In speaking with one of the officers on a formal night one time, he told us that the official "captain's table" that night at the late seating was going to be a special one for some crew members who had been invited to dine with the captain.

He used the term "shining stars" to describe those who had been selected.

 

I thought that was a great idea and wish they would do it more often to recognized the deserving, hard-working crew members who go above and beyond to make our cruise experiences so wonderful.

 

 

(But on second thought, it might cause bickering among the crew about why so-and-so was invited whereas I, who work harder and am much more deserving, was not. ;) )

 

We were told they actually do this once a month on all the ships. I also think it is a great idea. On our cruise they had the "shining star" & their boss from whichever dept that was.

I think it would be fun, unless you (and the captain) got stuck with a table of sour-puss, self-important complainers. The novelist John D. MacDonald wrote a book with the "Mariposa" captain many decades ago (called "Nothing Can Go Wrong") about the ship's last real cruise, and there is a funny chapter about the people the captain gets stuck trying to entertain.

Since I travel with a black Labrador retriever, I doubt we'll get an invitation unless the captain pines for his dog back home.

No to both, but even if they were then I still feel it is self-indulgent. Give someone else a chance.

 

Phil

I would accept this honor as it would be an amusing story to tell but it would mean nothing more to me . It does however mean something to others and it would be nice if it was dispersed to a wider group . The criteria for selection shouldn't be so heavily weighted based on suite selection .

Based on this thread, it seems that Celebrity has no real rules governing who is invited to the Captain's Table. I find that interesting since sister line Royal Caribbean does seem to have it systematized. My wife and I have only been on two Celebrity cruises but we have been on many more RCCL cruises, enough to be well past the requirement to be D+ and about half way from D+ to Pinnacle. On RCCL, we received our first invitation to the Captain's table (really the Officer's table since the captain was never there) on the cruise when we attained 210 C&A points. After that, invitations came every 70th point and that seems to be the rule. So you get invitations when you achieve 210, 280, 350, ... points. That rule does not seem to be published anywhere (that I have seen) but it seems to always be adhered to. On RCCL, the Officer's table is in the main dining room but the food served there came from one of the specialty restaurants (most recently Chops). Drinks were also complementary there.

And who are we? Nobody. Just normal cruisers who book regular balconies or Aqua. Why do we get invited? Sometimes we know, but often we have no clue (and could care less).

 

 

Hank

You mean you couldn't care less.....Yes? :)

well despite being vilified on other threads for removing auto-grats we still got an invite to the Captain's table on our last cruise. it would appear that they invite anyone - even the non- tipper.