Sharing Tables - Select Dining

Reflection Mar 4- 13.

We went to MDR Select Dining five times and were never able to share a large table. Two Top every night. Fortunately DW and I are never short of conversation but we do enjoy meeting new people.

On one occasion we were able to converse with Two Tops on either side, but other occasions we had an aisle separating us from closest table.

I mentioned this in my brief review and fellow cruiser agreed that larger tables seemed to be reserved for groups travelling together. This was our first Celebrity cruise, so wondering if this is normal.

With celebrity offering both select and traditional dining; I think most people that want to dine with others choose traditional and most that want to dine by themselves choose select. So, the prob with dining at a large table in select is everyone else is requesting their own tables. If dining with others is important to you, traditional is probably a better dining option.

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Sorry you had a difficult time with this. Yet I believe that were you to express this desire first night, the Maitre 'd may have been able to assist.

Usually, in Select Dining, most people have their table mates or desires set and arrive at the same time together.

It would be a bit difficult for the Maitre d' to put things together at the specific time you arrive unless there were others right there, right then, desiring the same..

Best bet would be to make acquaintances upon entering the dining room and asking if they mind to sit with you or do the main DR set time as they can accommodate much easier..

Beyond that, how did you enjoy your meals and the flexibility?

bon voyage

I find your experience strange, because I always choose select dining and have never had an issue sharing a table, if that was my choice that evening. I do sometimes find it more difficult to get a table for 2 , actually. I often even ask to share a table only for 6, as opposed to 8 or more, as I don't like the larger tables, because of hearing issues. Keep asking!

I have found that we often have trouble getting a table just for 2 !!! Not that we do not want to sit with others, but we like to eat at our own pace, not at the the slowest on the table :)

MTD works like a normal landslide restaurant...you are seated with your own party. You should do traditional, if you want tablemates...that's what we do! We enjoy tablemates and prefer to not dine alone, as that is how we dine every mean, every day, unless we go out with friends!!

Several Celebrity cruises using Select dining, and, if we want to sit with others, we say so. We have always been accommodated. You merely have to ask.

We had the same experience as the OP for our December Reflection sailing.

Of course, it was our first cruise and didn't think to ask to sit at a larger table. We may try that in our upcoming sailing as we did enjoy sharing a larger table at the CC embarkation lunch.

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Never seen this to be a problem.

Virtually every time we've done Select they ask if we would like to share. If not, you ask them.

Thanks for the responses and clarification. This was our first =X= cruise, previously on Princess sharing was easier than a Two Top. Thinking back I only asked once and was told 'no big tables available'. I should have been more precise when asking for a table. I asked this question here because I have always thought that Two Tops were harder to come by.

On several occasions in Buffet at lunch we met an chatted with other couples - part of the cruise experience for us. We find Traditional to be too early or too late, we like a drink at 6:30, Dinner 7:00 and show at 9:00.

The cruise and Celebrity experience were great and we really enjoyed it.

I have never experienced this. When we arrive at the MDR and asked if we want a table for 2 or do we mind sharing, we always answer whatever is easier, we don't mind either way. 9 times out of 10, we have been on a shared table..

We've always been asked if we want to eat alone or share a table ... we always say we'll take whatever will get us faster to the food! We just spent two weeks on the Eclipse, we shared a table every night but two ... and one of those nights, we were so close to the next table for two, it might as well have been a shared table!

Our overall experience has been that it is faster to get a shared table than a table for two.

Any way is fine with us!

A lot of the Select sharing is probably due to the hostess and their ability. I've seen it vary on the same ship (Equinox & Eclipse) depending upon which side you entered on. It also depends upon what time you show up. The busier times it's easier to find a sharing table that hasn't progressed too far. On my last two cruises, I was able to share each time just by saying I prefer a sharing table. However sometimes there was only one other couple and other times a 10 top was filled. There is no set amount of the number of people you'll be seated with. It depends upon the number of sharers available at the time you walk up.

We were on Reflection in February and I can second the OP's experience. We are Elite + and have sailed all ships in Celebrity's fleet and have never had a problem getting a sharing table until this past time. We DID speak to the hostess; we did specifically ask for a shared table. Different times and different sides of Deck 4. Always were told there was no sharing table at that time. Very unusual.

We've sailed Reflection several times previously and never had a problem getting a sharing table. We could only assume it was a new policy or trial.... Another thing we'd never experienced was on some nights Select dining was closed on the port side until the starboard side filled up...And other nights the opposite side was closed. And this happened on a night when I had called and made a reservation for a specific table and time. Reservation accepted only to find it was void as that side was closed.

Reflection is often the trial ground for some changes and we wondered if that was the case. Will find out soon on our upcoming Eclipse cruise!

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Reflection Mar 4- 13.

 

We went to MDR Select Dining five times and were never able to share a large table. Two Top every night. Fortunately DW and I are never short of conversation but we do enjoy meeting new people.

 

On one occasion we were able to converse with Two Tops on either side, but other occasions we had an aisle separating us from closest table.

 

I mentioned this in my brief review and fellow cruiser agreed that larger tables seemed to be reserved for groups travelling together. This was our first Celebrity cruise, so wondering if this is normal.

You may have had better luck going to the MDR and asking to be seated at a large table with open seats. The last couple of trips when we were in MDR we had new couples seated at our table of 8 almost daily.

I find your experience strange, because I always choose select dining and have never had an issue sharing a table, if that was my choice that evening. I do sometimes find it more difficult to get a table for 2 , actually. I often even ask to share a table only for 6, as opposed to 8 or more, as I don't like the larger tables, because of hearing issues. Keep asking!

Apparently there are lots of us who have trouble following conversions at the larger tables.

The MDR is usually very crowded and noisy, with tables very close together.

I think select seating can vary a lot not only from cruise to cruise, but from night to night, and even at different times on the same night, depending on table availability.

We do select dining, and if we arrive at a time when many people are waiting, they will often ask if anyone would like to share a table.

Those who volunteer to share get seated immediately, while those who want a two-top are the ones who need to wait.

We have also noticed them now more frequently taking select diners upstairs to eat at an empty table in the traditional dining section.

To the OP: you may have better luck sharing a large table if you go at a time when they have lots of people waiting and let the hostess know that you would like to share.

You could also next cruise on your roll call ask if there are others interested in sharing a table with you in select each night...Meet them for drinks and then you would turn up as a group of four, six...for seating. Best of both worlds, eating with others but not total strangers!

Sorry you had a difficult time with this. Yet I believe that were you to express this desire first night, the Maitre 'd may have been able to assist.

 

Usually, in Select Dining, most people have their table mates or desires set and arrive at the same time together.

 

It would be a bit difficult for the Maitre d' to put things together at the specific time you arrive unless there were others right there, right then, desiring the same..

 

Best bet would be to make acquaintances upon entering the dining room and asking if they mind to sit with you or do the main DR set time as they can accommodate much easier..

 

Beyond that, how did you enjoy your meals and the flexibility?

 

bon voyage

I think it depends on who is deciding. On the Eclipse Azores Canaries cruise (2013) we were always seated at a shared table for 6-8. On the Caribbean cruise (January 2014) we were never offered a shared table despite reserving it in advance. It put a gloom on the cruise such that I didn't want to go down for dinner since I knew it would be a battle royal with the hostesses every single night.

I have never experienced this. When we arrive at the MDR and asked if we want a table for 2 or do we mind sharing, we always answer whatever is easier, we don't mind either way. 9 times out of 10, we have been on a shared table..

We've just come off the Connie and much like this we were always asked which we would prefer. We always answered "whichever is easiest" and had a fairly even mix of tables for 2 and 6. Most of the time, if we were seated at a table for 2 we'd be seated at a table that allowed us easy conversations with the tables next to us. I think that it depends just on what is available at the time and where you can be slotted in. If there's a table of 6 waiting for another 2 or 4 diners then you can be fitted in there easily.

Although I did not stress a preference for sharing I did say 'either' once when asked, but got a Two Top.

Twice our Two Top had an aisle on one side and a panel on the other. If we had been close to other Two Tops, as we were on one occasion, we probably would not have noticed so much.