Select Dining Offers

[shakey999]

Hi All

 

I have read that there are sometimes offers for booking one of the select dining restaurants on the 1st night, but wondering if anyone knew if we would still be entitled to these if we pre-book on the cruise personaliser?

We are on our honeymoon in October so thought it would be nice to go to the Epicurean to start the holiday :)

 

Thanks!

 

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[tinsoldier]

In my limited experience (only pre booked epicurean once via CP) if you book online then you will pay the standard price. If there happen to be onboard offers for the same night that you have prebooked then you will not be entitled to that offer.

 

 

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[majortom10]

We didn't pre book the Epicurean on Britannia last October for the very same reason. First night was our wedding anniversary and when we got onboard in the daily paper in your stateroom when you got onboard it stated that all speciality dining was 30% off for the first night only and was not repeated for the rest of the cruise. We booked and while chatting to the waiter he said 30% was a "trial" as they usually do a free bottle of wine offer but that they had had complaints because not everybody drank alcohol. We thought it was a good offer but do not know if they continued with the offer or returned to free bottle of wine or depending on pre bookings whether they offer anything at all on first night.

[shakey999]

Thanks for your replies :) I think we will take the chance and hold off until we board!

 

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[Eglesbrech]

We pre booked on Ventura because it was a special occasion and when we got onboard there was a discount for the first night. The Maitre,D could not apply it to the night booked through the CP, he did however kindly knock the discount off for a second evening we went to eat there later in the cruise which was fine.

[ann141]

They were offering the free wine(not a discount)when we were on Britannia last month but that was for later on in the cruise as I think they had gaps to fill.

[Saintston]

Speciality restaurants have been reduced on the first night of every cruise I have been on. It's a set discount off the cover charge.

 

Later in the cruise they will sometimes run a 'free bottle of wine' offer, but whenever I have seen this it is only valid if your booking is for before 7pm.

[Florry]

The only offers we have seen are a free bottle of wine on the first and second night. Despite booking in advance we still get the free wine if it is on offer.

 

 

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[Ginb56]

Recently on Britannia for two weeks, they were offering 30% off on first night. Other nights it was free bottle of wine for early diners 6-7pmish. We'd pre booked Epicurian for 2nd week treat but needn't have bothered as was half empty. Similarly Sindhu seemed to have tables most nights. So next time, we'd just book onboard. Not sure if the same applies on 1 week cruises though when select restaurants may be bit busier as condensed timescale. Limelight Club is worth pre booking though. Loved Britannia!

[terrierjohn]

In Epicurean in May on Azura we had booked with no offers made, then talking with someone at breakfast they said they had been offered a free bottle of wine. So we asked if there would free wine when we were seated, I got the impression that had we not asked it would not have been offered. The moral of this is always ask for an offer when you book.

[SoupPlease]

We pre-booked The Epicurean on Britannia in February. There was an onboard offer and we were able to adjust our booking to take advantage of it. I think the mechanics was that we re-booked our initial booking to a different date and made new booking using the offer. e.g. we had booked for 15th February (not sure of the real date), we rescheduled that to the 22nd and booked the 15th using the offer - we were then able to cancel the booking for the 22nd if we wished and would get a full refund.

[my marina bay]

We'd pre booked Epicurian for 2nd week treat but needn't have bothered as was half empty. Similarly Sindhu seemed to have tables most nights.

 

We experienced similar. Booked Select in advance to find both Restaurants more than half empty. We also found the same on Azura, Arcadia and Oriana. Prefer to have chatter all round but it was so quiet we had to whisper unless we wanted everyone to hear. It may be different on shorter cruises.

[Selbourne]

Empty seats don't always equate to availability with the select Dining restaurants. They seem to have an odd habit of saying that they are full when they aren't. I think that they rarely 'sell' a table more than once a night, even if the booking is early or late. I also think that they limit the covers based upon staffing etc. We have rarely seen a Select Dining restaurant full to capacity, yet potential diners are still being turned away. For those wishing to use a Select Dining restaurant on the first night, I would book on the day and take advantage of any offers. They do the offers for a reason, as very few people use them on the first night as they want to check out their allocated table or restaurant (main dining rooms). If, however, you have a specific night in mind, particularly if it's during the 2nd half of a cruise, I would always book pre cruise or, at the very latest, within 24hrs of boarding, as it can be very difficult to get a reservation thereafter.