Select dining

Look, forgive me for being stupid...

I have booked our cruise with the 1,2,3 go promotion. I have selected pre paid gratuities and the classic drinks package. I think I got a good deal, certainly cheaper than Thomsons and about the same as P&O, our previous cruise lines, though we have cruised with Celebrity once before and enjoyed it.

I read on here about select dining. At this moment I have selected late dining in the MDR and I think it will probably suit us, but what is select dining? We are on the two week Med cruise next August. I intend to use speciality restaurants during the cruise but my inexperience with Celebrity is becoming obvious. Any help gratefully received!

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Select Dining is anytime dining. You go to the Main Dining Room during dinner hours - anytime during dinner hours - to eat dinner.

With Select Dining, you will pre-pay your gratuities. With traditional dining they will charge your account every day for gratuities.

Look, forgive me for being stupid...

I have booked our cruise with the 1,2,3 go promotion. I have selected pre paid gratuities and the classic drinks package. I think I got a good deal, certainly cheaper than Thomsons and about the same as P&O, our previous cruise lines, though we have cruised with Celebrity once before and enjoyed it.

I read on here about select dining. At this moment I have selected late dining in the MDR and I think it will probably suit us, but what is select dining? We are on the two week Med cruise next August. I intend to use speciality restaurants during the cruise but my inexperience with Celebrity is becoming obvious. Any help gratefully received!

 

 

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Select on Celebrity is just like freedom dining on P&O. The only difference is that celebrity have a lot more tables for two ( albeit set very close together) so if you are a couple there is much more chance of being able to sit as a two rather than have to join a large table without a long wait. If you prefer to join a large table just say so and you will seldom have any wait. You can also reserve a table for a specific time to avoid the chance of a wait. The earlier you reserve the better the chance of getting exactly the time you want. If you do have to wait you will be given a pager in the same way as with P&O freedom dining. On the whole it works well if you do not want to be held to a fixed dining time. it can be useful to have the flexibility to eat later particularly against an early sitting as X seem to stay later in port than P&O which can mean that tours which return close to sail away leave you little time to change for dinner.

We've done Select dining on Celebrity several times and it's always been a great experience. You can make reservations for a specific time (we typically do either 6:30 or 7:00, but if you want to go earlier or later some night you can just show up and it only usually takes a couple of minutes to get a table. We've even been able to get the same waitstaff and sometimes the same table every night and we didn't have to wait until 8:30p to go to dinner or eat earlier.

Highly recommended...

Tom

See below description of Select dining from the Celebrity website. Note that if you select this option you must pay gratuities in advance of boarding.

FLEXIBLE DINING

Celebrity Select Dining is available on all our ships except Celebrity Xpedition®. Our most flexible option, it provides you with the choice of dining exactly when you want between 6pm and 9:30pm, for every night of your cruise.

The day-by-day reservation option allows you to make reservations for your desired dining time each day, so you know your table is secured. If you choose not to make a reservation for a specific time you will still be able to come to dinner at any point between 6pm and 9.30pm and will be seated depending on availability.

Gratuities are pre-paid when you choose Select Dining and will be included in your reservation.

So, can I change from the 8.30 time I have chosen? If so, do I do it before we sail, or when we board? It sounds like ' flexible dining' just turn up and choose either a group table, or wait for a table for two. Or am I wrong?

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Yes, you can change from your current late seating choice, if Select dining is not already sold out on your cruise. While you can request a change to Select when you board, if you want to be sure of it you should book it in advance. I believe this option is popular and can sell out. It is indeed "flexible dining" and therein lies the attraction.

No. If you want the Select dining you need to see the maitre'd once you get on board and switch. You are currently on Late dining, which you need to be at the MDR at 8:30. If you switch to Select you can show up to the MDR any time you want during dining hours.

So, can I change from the 8.30 time I have chosen? If so, do I do it before we sail, or when we board? It sounds like ' flexible dining' just turn up and choose either a group table, or wait for a table for two. Or am I wrong?

 

 

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You are correct, show up and let the hostess at the entrance podium know whether you'd like a table for two or for more. You can wait to change your reservation from set dining (which you have now) to Select but then you take the chance there's isn't anymore availability...best to do it asap through Celebrity or your travel agent, whomever you booked through

Enjoy!!

So, can I change from the 8.30 time I have chosen? If so, do I do it before we sail, or when we board?

If you booked with Celebrity, you can just pull up your account and change it yourself.

If you booked with a travel agent, you must ask the travel agent to make the change for you as that is one of the many features that disappear from your account and are no longer available to you when using a travel agent.

It sounds like ' flexible dining' just turn up and choose either a group table, or wait for a table for two. Or am I wrong?

Ok, thanks everyone. I'll ring our TA. One final (stupid) question. Is there any differences in how we would tip, we have prepaid gratuities?

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A number of Posters say show up during diner hours.

What are they I guess from about 6:00, but what is the latest I can show up?

Ok, thanks everyone. I'll ring our TA. One final (stupid) question. Is there any differences in how we would tip, we have prepaid gratuities?

 

 

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No, no difference. With prepaid gratuities you are all set...

We have done select dining on our at least our last three Celebrity cruises. No issue, no wait. We reserved for some of them. 6:45/7:00/7:15 PM most nights with no waiting whatsoever.

Our experience is that Celebrity really have their act together on this. They do it well. I think it is gaining in popularity. On our last cruise, Select was full and people were not able to switch to Select from traditional once they boarded the ship.

If you prefer it, change your request ASAP. Just got off an RCI cruise. Their select was the same...well managed. We waited once, the first night, for ten minutes. That was the only time we had to wait.

Ok, took all the advice and rang my TA. No problem changing, so I have! Thanks for all the help folks. Happy cruising.

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Ok, thanks everyone. I'll ring our TA. One final (stupid) question. Is there any differences in how we would tip, we have prepaid gratuities?

 

 

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Your gratuities are prepaid for Select dining; with that said, on our last cruise, we were fortunate to have the same table each night after requesting the same waiter and asst. waiter who were wonderful. We happily tipped them extra on our last evening with them, which is something that we've just always chosen to do with the staff for all of their hard work...same goes with the room stewards!:D

Enjoy your cruise!:)

Your gratuities are prepaid for Select dining; with that said, on our last cruise, we were fortunate to have the same table each night after requesting the same waiter and asst. waiter who were wonderful. We happily tipped them extra on our last evening with them, which is something that we've just always chosen to do with the staff for all of their hard work...same goes with the room stewards!:D

 

 

 

Enjoy your cruise!:)

Yeah, that's really the answer I wanted. We will do the same. Thanks

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Does anyone know what time the shows are in the evening?

Thanks, Jane

I too would love to know the time of the shows so we can make a decision on dinner time for our group of 8!

On a different thread they were posted as usually 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM before late traditional seating and after early traditional seating. However changes on Captain night and on discretion of your ship's crew.

So, can I change from the 8.30 time I have chosen? If so, do I do it before we sail, or when we board? It sounds like ' flexible dining' just turn up and choose either a group table, or wait for a table for two. Or am I wrong?

 

I never screw with reservations...... I treat it like a restaurant - just show up when you want.

What deck is the select MRD located.

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If your promotion is pre-paid gratuities and you want to change to select dining, you must pay the gratuities yourself when you switch via phone and they will put that same amount into an OBC. We really want to switch (and I've already called twice to see if I might get a different answer) but already have funds in the OBC and don't want to add another $200 to it and pay out of pocket now.

But, that being said, if we don't spend the OBC, will it be returned to us somehow? If that's the case I have no problem doing it. And also, when I called two weeks ago, there was still space in Select Dining so I wonder if there'll be openings when we sail.