dining waitlist experiences?

This hasn't happened to us before so I'd love to hear thoughts/experiences. While on Millennium earlier this month, we booked Mercury to Alaska 8/26/05. Checking the res online at home after returning, I thought the onboard booker had made a mistake -- we were listed for late dining, when we had requested early. Talking to my TA, she says, no, no mistake, early dining is already at waitlist level. This presents a dilemma because there is pretty much NO WAY we could cruise with late dining ... my husband and son are used to early dining IRL as well as onboard ... heck, when we're cruising, about the time the late seating starts, my husband the early bird is settling into the cabin to wind down for sleep. And it's not just a matter of getting fed -- we know there are multiple ways to do that, any time of the day/night, from casual dining to room service -- the fact is, the dining-room experience is a HUGE part of what all 3 of us cruise for. So my question is: Do you suppose there's a snowball's chance in heck that if we are waitlisted now, 8 months out, we will be likely to get off that waitlist by cruise time? Will my TA (I can't ask her this question till morning) be able to find out from anyone WHERE on the list we are? All thoughts, hints, ideas, experiences welcome ... thank you so much ... TR

I have never heard of anyone NOT getting moved to their requested time be it early or late. Seems like they make EVERY attempt to seat you when you'd like. 8 mos out seems a long time before the cruise for early seating to be full to me, but.........................keep checking with the TA & I'll just bet you will be accomodated! :D

A few years ago I had the same problem on Royal Caribbean. I booked

many months ahead of time and they still told me I was wait listed for early

dining. When we got to the ship, I immediately found where the maire'd

was handling dining problems and I went to see him. He said that early

seating was full and basically I was out of luck. I didn't get upset or mad,

but I mentioned to him that this was my 7th cruise of RCL and that if I

did not get early sitting, they would never see me aboard one of their

ships again. By the time I got back to my cabin, I found a note telling

me to be at the dining room at 6PM and see the maitre'd at the door. He

was there at a table with the whole dining scheme in front of him, and

lo and behold, he found us a table for early dinner at a table for six. So

don't despair and keep after them. I would be willing to bet that eventually

you will get what you are asking for.;)

This hasn't happened to us before so I'd love to hear thoughts/experiences. While on Millennium earlier this month, we booked Mercury to Alaska 8/26/05. Checking the res online at home after returning, I thought the onboard booker had made a mistake -- we were listed for late dining, when we had requested early. Talking to my TA, she says, no, no mistake, early dining is already at waitlist level. This presents a dilemma because there is pretty much NO WAY we could cruise with late dining ... my husband and son are used to early dining IRL as well as onboard ... heck, when we're cruising, about the time the late seating starts, my husband the early bird is settling into the cabin to wind down for sleep. And it's not just a matter of getting fed -- we know there are multiple ways to do that, any time of the day/night, from casual dining to room service -- the fact is, the dining-room experience is a HUGE part of what all 3 of us cruise for. So my question is: Do you suppose there's a snowball's chance in heck that if we are waitlisted now, 8 months out, we will be likely to get off that waitlist by cruise time? Will my TA (I can't ask her this question till morning) be able to find out from anyone WHERE on the list we are? All thoughts, hints, ideas, experiences welcome ... thank you so much ... TR

Hi Trcori !

With several months to go before your cruise, it would almost be a certainty that, your waitlist will clear. As others have said, ask your Travel Agent to keep checking from time to time.

Should the waitlist NOT clear before your sailing, make sure to go see the Maitre'D as soon you board the ship.

Typically, Celebrity makes the Maitre'D available for such problems, the afternoon you board the ship. He will do everything possible to make sure you are happy.

Celebrity is a VERY accomodating Cruise Line. If I were you, I would try my best to not worry about this at all. I have never seen them refuse someone who was unhappy about their seating assignment.

I hope this makes you feel a little better :)

If you don't get this resolved before boarding, there will be a table set up outside the dining room or in a lounge to request seating changes. Get there early and politeness does wonders. Some Maitre d's have large egos. On one cruise we were told in no uncertain terms " I'm in charge of the dining room and I don't care what your TA or Celebrity told you". After that shut us up, he proceeded very politely and professionally to accomodate our request.

Generally speaking when early seating is waitlisted this far out, it's a good indication of senior group bookings. It may open up, it may not.

If you intend on doing alot of sightseeing on this cruise, I don't think early seating would work to your advantage... with having to rush back to the ship.

So mull that one over.

Miami uses a software program now to assign dinner seatings. As simple as it is to use, there are still errors. If you don't clear prior to the cruise, you'll have to check with the restaurant manager or his designee onboard.

Good luck.. and have your t/a keep on top of things... especially once final payments have been made.

thanks very much for the replies. We have indeed grown familiar with the "check with maitre d'" process in our five X cruises so far - but the only "problems" we'd had previously were in not getting the table size we'd recommended, and the only time that WASN'T "fixed" was the time I failed to check with the maitre d' BEFORE the first night's dinner, lesson learned! - I wasn't sure that the early vs. late thing was something they could handle as well -- now I know it is. Thanks to OCNGYPZ for the insight about it being a possible group situation -- that would explain the backlog so many months out! Late-running sightseeing is not an issue for us -- Mercury leaves port relatively early (by 5 pm) in two of the three ports, unlike the Infinity version of the same itinerary that we sailed last year (which actually is a drawback of this cruise -- I keep looking longingly at another cruise line sailing out of Seattle with a really long day in Skagway, where we would like to drive all the way to Whitehorse this time -- but if I'm going to spend the $ for a cruise, I just can't bear to gamble with the non-X experience :) -- TR

Have the DH take a nap and do the late seating. We had early seating this last August and did not like it at all. Don't forget, it is light outside in Alaska till probably 8:00 or later this time of year.

We usually are so full and tired after dinner, we just take a walk up on deck, maybe catch a show or have a cocktail, then off to bed. I felt like we missed half our cruise because we were in bed by 9 or 10 each night. We also felt rushed on port days to get back to the ship and get ready for dinner, even rushed on sea days for formal nights. I missed part of the glacier experience because I was first to shower on the schedule.

p.s., I'm an early bird, too, up most mornings by 4, 5 at the latest, even when I go to bed late.

We were recently on the waiting list for early seating on the Millie. We went to the designated lounge where the Maitre'd was taking change requests. It was extremely crowded, as the director for a group of several hundred people was trying to straighten something out. They were actually giving out numbers, like in the deli department! :) Anyhoo... we were told it would be "hours" and that we should get some lunch and come back. We did. When it was finally our turn we simply stated that with so many requests before us, we understood if our's could not be accommodated, but we appreciated their efforts anyway. The next evening, we were changed to a lovely table of four at our preferred early dining! Celebrity really DOES go the extra mile to satisfy everyone.

Marsha

I'm "waitlisted" for a March 12 Mercury cruise. I sincerely hope we can get early seating. I was suprised we couldn't get guaranteed early seating so far in advance.

Dining waitlist is more common than you know. Remember the dining room can only accomodate a finite number of people and when that number is reached the waitlist starts. My estimate is that 98% of the time waitlist clear especially when booked early. Many individuals and groups are cancelled opening the dining schedule.

Several tips are in order.

1) Make sure your travel agent continues to check status with the cruise line.

2) Have your TA call his or her cruise line contacts to see what they can do (most times that solves the problem)

3) When first arriving on the ship go straight to the Maitre D' and have him change it for you.

Like I said, this far in advance you should clear the waitlist with no action or problems

Just see the Maitre D', that always works for me.:) john taylor

I hope you have better luck than we did. We were on the Mercury Sept 12, 2004 to Alaska. Our traveling companions were diabetics and we were told TOO BAD...400 people ahead of us wanting early seating. So we went to the alternative dining in the buffet area and made standing 7 PM reservations. It was nice and quiet and the menu was very nice. White table cloths and flowers and the waiters were wonderful The only thing we didn't get that the main dining room got was lobster. This was the first time that we did not get our early seating (12 cruises on RCCL). And of course, this was our first on Celebrity. I hope that the sales people have gotten better attitudes and also the front desk people. They were very snotty on our cruise.

We had high seas and alot were seasick. A lady asked a saleslady for a bag because she thought she was going to be sick. The saleslady told her to go to the next shop for a bag. I told her husband I wouldn't have waited for a bag...if she had told me that.

Again, I hope you get your time changed, if not do try the alternative dining...but you do need to make reservations. You can either have $10.00 added to your stateroom bill each night or pay the boys at the end of your cruise.

usually it is the other way around and late seating is the one waitlisted. I am sure something will open up this far in advance.

not too long after I asked this nervous question, my TA checked with X again, and room opened up in early dining, so that's where we are, whew. Still of course as per SOP going to doublecheck the second we get on board :) ... hmm, only seven months to go ... TR

This has happened to me a few times, just see the maitre d, as soon as you board. Failing that take a note from your doctor with you, [just kidding, I think]. john taylor:) Good luck!

The doctot note is not that strange. We always have late seating, but by the time we booked the Millie for europe last year, it was waitlisted and with the amout of Europeans on board, may not have opened up as they always eat late. Because of medication I am on, I can not eat that early.....had a doctors note that I faxed to Celebrity in Miami and they arranged late seating before we got on board