Hi! Select Dining question

[ehnotsomuch]

Hi! Long-time CC reader, just signed up for the forums this week. I haven't seen this question about Select Dining yet, so apologies if I am repeating myself.

 

We're thinking about doing Celebrity Summit to the Southern Caribbean 3/3/12, and we've invited a bunch of other couples along. DH and I have always done regular dining in the MDR, so haven't really thought of Select before. If 6 or 8 of us were to show up all at the same time wanting to be seated together, would that work? Would we all just sign up for Select before we left?

 

I'm just trying to plan ahead for people who potentially might be turned off by set dining times.

 

Oh, also, is the Select in the MDR? Do dress codes apply? That is, if we went for dinner on formal night, we'd still be expected to be formal even though we're doing Select? (Not a complaint from me, I adore formal night and relish any opportunity to get DH in a tux! :D)

 

Thank you all!

[cruisestitch]

select dining is one portion of the MDR, and all the MDR dress codes apply. To sit in that area, you need to be signed up for Select Dining, which does require that your gratuities be pre-paid along with your cruise fare. All members of your group would need to be signed up for it if you want to sit together in that area.

[ehnotsomuch]

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly!

[seasheils]

Hi! Long-time CC reader, just signed up for the forums this week. I haven't seen this question about Select Dining yet, so apologies if I am repeating myself.

 

We're thinking about doing Celebrity Summit to the Southern Caribbean 3/3/12, and we've invited a bunch of other couples along. DH and I have always done regular dining in the MDR, so haven't really thought of Select before. If 6 or 8 of us were to show up all at the same time wanting to be seated together, would that work? Would we all just sign up for Select before we left?

 

I'm just trying to plan ahead for people who potentially might be turned off by set dining times.

 

Oh, also, is the Select in the MDR? Do dress codes apply? That is, if we went for dinner on formal night, we'd still be expected to be formal even though we're doing Select? (Not a complaint from me, I adore formal night and relish any opportunity to get DH in a tux! :D)

 

Thank you all!

 

I'd just like to add that if there are 6-8 in your group, it would be helpful to let the person in attendance at the desk know what time you'd like to dine. It does not have to be the same time every evening, but it helps if you give them a " Heads Up."

Select Dining is on the upper level of the MDR.

Dress Codes apply.

 

BTW, we always do Select Dining now and love it.

[luv2camp04]

We had Select Dining in April on the Millenium. We ended up becoming good friends with the two other couples we ate with the first night. On one or two other nights we decided to eat together. We just stopped by the desk and make a "reservation" for 6 for whatever time it was we decided to eat. We even chose the table or section we wanted to be in. The were very accommodating. It's not a problem. If you just show up as a party of 6 or 8 you may have to wait for a short period of time (say 5 to 15 minutes) to be seated together, but you shouldn't have a problem.

 

It was a great experience.

 

Kelly

[buffi001]

You can reserve your dining times for each day of the cruise on

the My Celebrity portion of the Celebrity website. It takes a little time

to complete the process, but it locks up that time for you. Each of the other couples should do the same thing. Since there are only a certain number

of select dining spaces for each time slot, this will insure that you can eat at the time you desire. It doesn't matter that you will have 3 or 4 reservations

for two instead of one reservation for 6 or 8. As long as you show up at the

same time, you will be seated together. It's safer to select a time for each night of the cruise even if you have to change it later. It's much easier to

change the time on the reservation once you are onboard than to set up

an entirely new seating time.

 

Hope this makes sense. It's a lot easier than it sounds. We used it last Nov

and we never had a problem. Most nights we had the same waiter and the same table...but not always...thus the need to prepay tips.

[ehnotsomuch]

Thank you all for the great advice and prompt responses! I was telling DH this morning about Select, and he thinks it sounds like an excellent idea. Even if it just ends up being us two, we like the idea of eating at 7:00 or 7:30, not waiting till 8:30 and eating dinner till 10 pm!

[ORCRUISER]

We love Select dining and have done this and the equivalent on RCL and Princess. The only caution about times to eat is if you want to go to the shows you have to allow about 1 1/2 hours for dinners so consider this when you choose times for dinner.

[ehnotsomuch]

Thanks all! Got my TA to sign us up for Select. I didn't realize that meant we had gratuities added automatically. Interesting! Is that for the added convenience?

 

 

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- Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cruisestitch]

As I said in post #2 -- Select Dining does require gratuities be paid with the cruise fare. This is, in part, because you might not have the same waiter each night, and this is how Celebrity has chosen to allocate tips for the servers in that area.

[Tutuma]

We are first time Celebrity guests and have chosen Select Dining. Can anyone recommend a table for two - quiet with a great view?

[cat616]

Thanks all! Got my TA to sign us up for Select. I didn't realize that meant we had gratuities added automatically. Interesting! Is that for the added convenience?

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- Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I think it is so no one gets an opportunity to stiff the waiters when tip night rolls around.:o

 

I suppose it could be for our convenience if we do not get seated with the same wait staff team every night. It would be a pain to remember everyone we needed to tip and then complete confusion on the last night in the MDR with all Select Diners trying to find all of the staff who served them during the cruise.:eek:

[Esha]

Hi, we've just got off the Millennium and had select dining. The first night we made good friends with 3 other couples (also all select diners) and ate with them every night from then on.

 

We found that on one night there was a long wait for a table for 8, so the hostess offered us two tables for four next to each other. We did this and it worked well.

 

The other nights we reserved the table for 8. The first dining time available for 2 nights was 8.15pm...a little late for us, but we took it. HOWEVER, both of those nights, when us ladies were close to passing out from hunger, my husband politely inquired if we could be seated any sooner, and both times they accommodated us within 5 minutes (so in effect we ate at about 7.30pm) :):):).

 

This was our first ever cruise and we loved loved loved it, and would do select dining again in a heartbeat.

 

Enjoy your cruise !!

[RVRCLC]

The best things about select dining:

Prepaid tips

You pick the time to eat

Never setting foot in the dining room if you've found a more desirable place (Some dining room locations have too much noise around them)

[Mines]

We are first time Celebrity guests and have chosen Select Dining. Can anyone recommend a table for two - quiet with a great view?

 

You may or may not get the chance to select your table - it depends on what is available when you arrive. If you get a really good table on the first night, you can ask for the same one for a specific time the following day. They will usually oblige, if they can.

 

Select dining has more tables for 2 than the fixed time.

[Vol fan]

We are first time Celebrity guests and have chosen Select Dining. Can anyone recommend a table for two - quiet with a great view?

If you ask to sit all the way in the back, that should be quieter than towards the front. The tables for two are generally very close together, like 4 to 6 inches apart, so it is like dining with other couples. Speak with the hostess at the Select Dining area and ask for a quiet table. If you find one you like, ask for that one each evening.

Carole

[Vol fan]

Duplicate post. Sorry

[racytvr]

Right now we have late seating, can we change to Select onboard or does it need to be done before boarding?

 

Thanks

 

Tracy

[dkjretired]

Right now we have late seating, can we change to Select onboard or does it need to be done before boarding?

 

Thanks

 

Tracy

 

You can change once on board within the first 24 hours depending of course on availability. All tips will then be taken out of your on board account instead of on a daily basis.

[Traveling Library]

If you want to change to Select do it now. Select sometimes fills up. We were wait listed 1 time but eventually did get Select. Once you have Select you can pre-reserve your dining time online if you like the same time each day. You don't have to do this though. We always share a table. Sometimes we sit with different people each night. Other times we've met couples and have informally organized a table for 6. We just told the desk that we all wanted to eat together at a particular time. Often we were seated at the same table so the wait staff got to know us.