dining room seating

Does anyone know what determines your dining room seating? We have never yet gotten a table anywhere near a window, despite our diamond status and purchasing balcony cabins. Could it be that any requested table for four always gets placed in the middle? The last cruise we were stuck right next to the serving bar for our section.

On many ships, there are hardly any non-balcony cabins, so that is unlikely to be a factor.

On many cruises, there are well over 500 Elites, so that is unlikely to be a factor

B2B cruisers might get some priority, since they can go to the MDR on cruise #1 and talk to the Maitre'D regarding their assignment for cruise #2

Otherwise, it's anyone's guess.

If you have fixed seating, i.e. early at 6:00 pm or so or late at 8:30 or so, which means the same table and wait staff every night:

Upon embarking the ship, you can go to the dining room and locate your table. (I believe the table number is on your seapass). If you're not happy with the location, you can request a different location from the matre 'd. He/she may just accomodate you.

If you have Celebrity Select dining, when you show up for dinner every night, you may request a specific location at that time. They will do their best to seat you where you want to be seated. It may require a few minute wait.

Harvey

If you have fixed seating, i.e. early at 6:00 pm or so or late at 8:30 or so, which means the same table and wait staff every night:

 

Upon embarking the ship, you can go to the dining room and locate your table. (I believe the table number is on your seapass). If you're not happy with the location, you can request a different location from the matre 'd. He/she may just accomodate you.

If you have Celebrity Select dining, when you show up for dinner every night, you may request a specific location at that time. They will do their best to seat you where you want to be seated. It may require a few minute wait.

 

Harvey

BIB - I have never quite understood how this could work. Presumably "good" tables are allocated first so for somebody to be successful in moving to one of those tables from a poor one it must mean that the original occupants are re-sited. They too will have had their table allocated to them but would not visit the MDR because they are happy with their seating.

Do they just turn up to find that their "desirable" table has now been given to someone else who wanted it?

Probably not. The table assignment received in the stateroom would not be "given away" without the passenger's ok. It sometimes happens that a passenger shows up to the assigned table and finds others sitting there, but that really is pretty rare, as the computer system would catch the double-booking

If someone is able to move to a different table it might be because:

1. The passengers assigned to that table already visited the Maitre'D and "released it"

2. The table was not assigned in the first place

I prefer not to sit close to a window at mealtime as it affects my balance and causes motion sickness. There may be others like myself, who seek the maitre de to request a different table.

In the last 15 years or so I've been on about 20 cruises on 4 different mass market cruise lines, with several being on Celebrity.

On every cruise there has been a matre 'd or assisstant matre 'd stationed at the dining room or another location, specifically to take requests for changes and other dining room matters.

I don't know how they work it, but they do somehow. There's usually lines of people to talk to him/her. And your definition of a "good" table might be different from mine or even Celebrity's.

Harvey

For fixed dining, most of the window tables are for larger parties than four. The smaller tables do seem to be placed in the center of the room. IMHO, X does not assign tables by cabin or loyalty program level, but by order in which you booked and by request. Larger parties have to be assigned first. If you are traveling as a foursome and want to eat by yourself, you will end up in the center of the room.

Select dining is always on the balcony level and you might have better luck getting a window table for four there.

As others have said, check with the dining maitre'd on embarkation day or even the next day, trying to fit in somewhere else if your table is not to your liking.

FYI- your table number is not on your Sea Pass card.

Good luck.

We are Celebrity newbie.

On our very first Celebrity sailing on Solstice early last month, we requested main seating, table for two by the window. Upon boarding, the first thing we do is to check our placement in MDR. Wow...! We got table 102, for two, by the window! Also it is in the right wing of MDR, just near the entrance. The quiet area is a bonus!

Not only that.

Celebrity upgraded us from B2 veranda to C3 concierge. Yay!

Consider we are just lucky...:D :D :D

celebrity is generally very good about accommodating seating changes in the MDR. come to think about it, i have been happy with every celebrity table i have ever had, and the ones i wasn't so happy with were royal caribbean ships. i like being seated in the center of the dining room rather than by the windows. at 8:30pm you usually can't see much outside of them anyway.

When we wanted to have a window table we ate in the Buffet, so we always have dinner in the dining room that we were assigned to.

Don't know why the category or status would have any bearing on table assignment. I guess if you wanted that kind of distinction then the Cunard Line would be appealing as they use the class system. The cheap seats eat with the crew and etc.

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I prefer not to sit close to a window at mealtime as it affects my balance and causes motion sickness. There may be others like myself, who seek the maitre de to request a different table.

Same here :o I would not want a table right next to a window for the same reason.

On our last cruise we booked a year in advance and called several months in advance and requested a table for four as we were traveling with another couple and the four of us wanted to dine alone.

I saw an MDR layout for the Millennium of all the tables once. None of the tables for four are next to windows. As other posters have said they are usually all large tables.

On solstice we made no requests whatsoever, but managed to have a Table for two right by the window. We werein a balcony cabin. I believe it makes no difference if you make any requests.. Luck of the draw.

We sat by the window day one, we stat by the window day two., by the third day is he putting us by te window again?

This was not fixed seating.

We gladly said to the host, do you mind eating us in the center sometime, and sure enough he did?

Did you ask?

1. if you like to be trapped in by the window. not much will you see outside at night. windows only get cleaned once. and it will be salted with spray.

2. sea sick or not. some may get sick looking out, others rather look out, sometimes the people do not want to chat, or are to chatty?

If you are going to cruise can you ask prior. and when you get there are the seats always taken......... so I am sure anything can go.:cool:

celebrity is generally very good about accommodating seating changes in the MDR. come to think about it, i have been happy with every celebrity table i have ever had.QUOTE]

 

I bet you never sailed on Zenith. While it was and always will be my favorite X ship the banquette seating in the dining room nby the windows was TERRIBLE! We shifted one seat over every night so the same two people didn't always have to sit on those uncomfortable seats. Also, off topic but never to-be-forgotten were those chairs in the Rendezvous Lounge. Never in the annals of man (with the possible exception of the rack---which I guess you didn't actually sit on) have there been more uncomfortable chairs.

I have never been able to really figure this out, although during one lengthy 'debate' with a maitre 'd trying to get our table changed he let slip that the suites get the prime seating locations (although as has been mentioned, 'prime' varies depending on one's opinion). We have sailed on 22 Celebrity cruises, from inside rooms (on occasion) to balconies (usually) to a sky suite once. Our table location seems to have no bearing on what category room we have (although our experience with suites is almost non-existant). We have had some great tables, and several horrible ones (stuck in a corner in the back, next to not one but two wait stations, behind the stairs right in the main passageway). Our luck in changing them depends on how full the ship is.

If one has late seating, a window seat means little as it is dark when you dine (or almost so). The exception is Alaska but those waters are generally very smooth anyway. If one has early dining, I can see that motion may be an issue sometimes, but I get motion sick easily and have never, ever found sitting by the window to be an issue when we have been lucky enough to be placed there. But I understand everyone is different.

I prefer not to sit close to a window at mealtime as it affects my balance and causes motion sickness. There may be others like myself, who seek the maitre de to request a different table.

I feel the same way, I can't look at the water when I am eating. We have a table of eight booked for our upcoming Alaska cruise and I am glad that someone mentioned finding out the first day when you board where your table is, I am happy to hear that they will let you change it.

WE sailed on the Century and had select dining. We sat only once at a large table and that was enough. We then had a tablefor 2 evry nght, same location. We loved thewaiter and his asst. They had tables for 2 laid out in groups of 4 and each was wonderful. We actually had the same folkssitting by us each night and who got the window was always who got there first. We are on the Equinox 12/20 and hope we have the same good luck with wait staff as well as dinner companions.

Suites do get priority, even I'm select....

They prioritise the suites first. We moved to select dining so that we don't get stuck with the same table for the entire cruise

I was wondering how or when you reqested your MDR seating so successfully. Thanks Paul

celebrity is generally very good about accommodating seating changes in the MDR. come to think about it, i have been happy with every celebrity table i have ever had.QUOTE]

 

I bet you never sailed on Zenith. While it was and always will be my favorite X ship the banquette seating in the dining room nby the windows was TERRIBLE! We shifted one seat over every night so the same two people didn't always have to sit on those uncomfortable seats. Also, off topic but never to-be-forgotten were those chairs in the Rendezvous Lounge. Never in the annals of man (with the possible exception of the rack---which I guess you didn't actually sit on) have there been more uncomfortable chairs.

 

No, I never sailed her. I discovered Celebrity right when Millennium was released back in 2000. So Zenith was still around for several years but I enjoyed mainly the M class ships as they were bigger and newer. My only experience on a ship that size was aboard RCCL Nordic Empress and I much preferred the size of M Class. Always had good tables on those ships.