Does X honor My Time dining res times?

[hcat]

This was posted recently on a Solstice Review..,Alaska by Carlsbadguy...We will have this dining plan on EDGE next year ( new ship with 4 mdrs, first time not in AQ for us),

 

 

"We had any time dining, but BEWARE if you made a reservation online in advance. I had made a reservation for 6:30 PM each night, but when we arrived at 6:30 the first night the hostess said that time was not possible since the people that came early were still eating and no tables were available. We wound up dining at 7-7:15 PM every night and had the same waiter most nights. If you want a specific time for anytime dining see the hostess upon boarding. "

 

 

We made advance res for 6 pm in each of the MDRs...I am diabetic and could never hold out til 7:15 for dinner..

 

 

My specific question is whether or not booked res times are generally honored?? I know EDGE will be a bit different but I am concerned. Should we arrive a half hr earlier to get our table????

[lovescarborough]

We have always had our reserved times honoured to within 10 minutes or so. Obviously nobody knows yet how this will work with the new concept on Edge.

[Wingman2010]

My recent experience on the Constellation was that the first night was a mob scene (and we ended up getting seated approx. 30 minutes late for our 7:30 slot). I had concerns that this was going to be the norm but every other night we were seated almost immediately.

 

The problem on night one appeared to be caused by a large group of suite guests (the "reservation" line is also for suite guests - with or without reservations) that were trying to get several adjoining tables. The Hostess spent almost 20 minutes with them alone.....

[davekathy]

We have always made reservations (dining times) for our SD in our cruise planner and those reservations have always been honored. Without exception!

Edited August 28, 2018 by davekathy

[hcat]

Thank you ..

.I am feeling better about this. We are looking forward to trying the 4 diff MDRs but at 6 p.m., probably a popular time!

 

First night is always a bit messy in BLU as well.(we'll have BLU in Nov on EDGE, but were priced out of AQ for the following Nov,.)

[Bo1953]

On our recent Summit sailing the first two (2) nights were chaos!

 

We decided to eat in Tuscan the first night and 2nd night the MDR was still chaotic.

 

By night three (3) all was fine and accommodating...

 

Night five (5) Chic Night, we waited for 35 - 40 minutes as there were many passengers still dining at our reservation time of 6.30p. It did not help that we wanted a specific waiter and Sommelier... LOL

 

We were fine with it. I always got a small snack either after lunch or just before dinner in case of delay.

 

If you are diabetic, I recommend that you consider getting a small snack in OVC to take with you to the MDR just in case there are snafus in immediate seating.

 

bon appetite & bon voyage

 

Edit to add: The Host and Hostess do their best to accommodate timed reservations, yet when people linger over coffee and dessert, therein lies the challenge, for everyone....

[PatC]

My recent experience on the Constellation was that the first night was a mob scene (and we ended up getting seated approx. 30 minutes late for our 7:30 slot). I had concerns that this was going to be the norm but every other night we were seated almost immediately.

 

The problem on night one appeared to be caused by a large group of suite guests (the "reservation" line is also for suite guests - with or without reservations) that were trying to get several adjoining tables. The Hostess spent almost 20 minutes with them alone.....

We have learned to book a specialty on the first night. Works out great. Great discounts too! On Edge we booked Le Grand Bistro (Le Petit Chef) so that's our plan.

[riclop]

That is why we don't pick it.

[vulcan1971]

We have always made reservations (dining times) for our SD in our cruise planner and those reservations have always been honored. Without exception!

 

My next cruise is in October (Infinity - Panama Canal Eastbound) and this will be my first time trying "Select" dining. I was able to schedule our reservation time in our cruise planner back in April (4 months ago). My partner and I have traditionally enjoyed dining late and so we picked 8:30 PM. I suspect we won't have any issue with being seated upon arrival given what I have read in other threads over the years. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to trying out this flex dining option.

[Muffinz]

when we booked our recent cruise on Solstice we had selected anytime dining on our reservation, but when we boarded the card in our room said our dining time was 8:30pm.... we were a little disappointed, but in the end it worked out best

there was a huge queue outside the MDR at 7pm as we were going to the show in the theatre... we found at 8:30pm there was no queue and we could go straight to our table...

I'm diabetic too and would often get a 'snack' at the buffet 3/4pm to keep me going until 8:30pm

[hcat]

We had fixed late dining a few times when we first started cruising. It did not work well for us .We ended up eating a mini meal...or the " free" sushi buffet early each day,,,. and then dinner was a waste. Made us sluggish by the time it ended and was too late for other activities,

 

We will speak with the maitre d about our res time..and will plan to arrive early so if there up is a wait, we can get in as soon as possible.Hopeful that on EDGE they will do better with res times..maybe schedule fewer res per seating??? Folks with a res should not have to wait more than 20 minutes!

[Beanb41]

Perhaps the OP should consider traditional dining with a fixed time each night rather than try select dining. The whole concept of anytime dining is just that. If I rock up at a particular time there is no pressure on me when I have to be out by unlike traditional dining.

I do find it interesting that as a diabetic the OP cant wait until 7.15. I am a diabetic and if dining late I have a light snack early. Not rocket science

[Mr. Click]

We have done Select Time on many cruises on various ships over the past 7 years and I have always made reservations that have always been honored. Yes, the first night is always a bit hectic but we have still always been seated within a few minutes of our selected time. We usually book for around 7pm by choice.

[Bo1953]

Perhaps the OP should consider traditional dining with a fixed time each night rather than try select dining. The whole concept of anytime dining is just that. If I rock up at a particular time there is no pressure on me when I have to be out by unlike traditional dining.

I do find it interesting that as a diabetic the OP cant wait until 7.15. I am a diabetic and if dining late I have a light snack early. Not rocket science

 

b - each person will have different levels of needs for eating and timing... especially if taking medications/drugs for the situation.

 

Also, other factors such as activity will influence eating requirements for sure...

 

Part of the concept of SD is to permit dining at a time which is suitable for passengers outside of the stated TD times, would you not agree? Rather that be via reservation for the same time each night or different times each night or just arrive each night when one feels like grazing.... :)

 

bon voyage

[davekathy]

(yn)

My next cruise is in October (Infinity - Panama Canal Eastbound) and this will be my first time trying "Select" dining. I was able to schedule our reservation time in our cruise planner back in April (4 months ago). My partner and I have traditionally enjoyed dining late and so we picked 8:30 PM. I suspect we won't have any issue with being seated upon arrival given what I have read in other threads over the years. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to trying out this flex dining option.

Based on our experiences you shouldn't ((yn):)) have any issues. We've never had to wait. We always select the 6:00 PM slot, table for two. We'll be on the Infinity 2 September. We were on the Infinity last September and SD was on the lower level (deck 4) of the MDR ( The Trellis).

[krmnc]

I was on the same cruise as Carlsbadguy and we had also made reservations for various times ie. 6:30, 6:45. When I stopped by the MDR when we boarded to make sure our reservations were tied to the couple we were traveling with, I was told that if I planned on coming at 6:00 or 7:30 each night I could be sure that our table would be ready for us because they really have to work around who is dining and when they're likely to be finished. So, we told her to go ahead and put us down for 6:00 each night. Also knowing that if we were w/in 15 minutes late, they'd still have our table for us. Since the OP wants to eat at 6, they should be fine.

[CRUISER166]

We have been on many Celebrity Cruises and always choose Select Dining with reservations at 6:30 PM each evening. On virtually every evening, we would be seated at a table for 2 with no waiting. The hostess always tried to seat us in the same area so we would have the benefit of the same waitstaff at each meal which i thought was an added bonus.

[upwarduk]

We have always made reservations (dining times) for our SD in our cruise planner and those reservations have always been honored. Without exception!

 

I made reservations before boarding for 7-7.15pm.

On boarding there was a card in our room, suggesting we ate at 8.30pm. I needed to go to the dining room any way to see the Maitre’D, so that I could pre order my food as I am Lactose Intolerant. I did this first and told him that we would be eating in Select dining at 7pm.

I then went to see the girl on the desk at the entrance of the dining room to say that 8.30 pm was far too late for me to eat, which is why I had chosen Select and had pre booked and also pre ordered. We turned up at 7 pm and were shown to a table and we ate in that area with the same servers every other night.

[SeaWatcher65]

With anytime dining, do you need reservations? I thought with anytime dining, I did not need to make reservations in advance. Given some times will be busier than others and so the wait time might be different too. If I make reservations, will I really get priority over someone who just walked up who has anytime dining? Especially for 2 people which should be easy to seat. Thanks.

[Beanb41]

One doesn't need resrvations for select dining but if one doesn't have a booking be prepared to wait until a table becomes available. If one has made bookings it is advisable to check the booking with the hostess each night on leaving the restaurant.. Mistakes do happen and they are more easily rectified 24 hours out than 10 minutes before the meal commencement time

[hcat]

Perhaps the OP should consider traditional dining with a fixed time each night rather than try select dining. The whole concept of anytime dining is just that. If I rock up at a particular time there is no pressure on me when I have to be out by unlike traditional dining.

I do find it interesting that as a diabetic the OP cant wait until 7.15. I am a diabetic and if dining late I have a light snack early. Not rocket science[/quote

 

***********************

We always dine in BLU or Specialty restaurants on cruises same time most nights, and it works well

 

. However for one of our upcoming EDGE cruises, 9 nights, AQ with BLU was over our price point...We booked a Sunset Veranda instead, meaning no BLU.

 

The whole point of Select Dining on EDGE, allows one to experience each of the 4 MDRs with the fewest scheduling hassles, and the option to book a res for 2 people. If one chooses a fixed seating time on EDGE, you will be assigned to ONLY one of the MDRs for the entire trip, and may access the others on a space available basis. We did not care for that option and have made res that work for us.

 

My eating plan works well for me and my meds, and mirrors what I do at home. Sticking to the plan is best!

 

But if 7 :15 pm works for others, that's fine for them..Each person knows what works for them.....It's not Rocket Science!

 

When someone has a res, they should be seated within a reasonable time or the dining plan in use is not adequate...and is cutting things too close. We have hopes that EDGE will have this well under control after a few months..and am encouraged by most of the helpful thoughts of others on the topic!

[Beanb41]

The Edge experience is one, no one has experienced yet so it is not possible to make any definitive will happen wont happen statements. I would however like has been suggested earlier get alongside the Maitre D and the respective restaurant hostesses as early as possible after embarkation to ensure you get what you need. Traditional dining is more suited to people like yourselves who want to dine at the same time each night. If you find getting a specific time you want through select is not possible consider speaking with the relevant Maitre D re traditional. Not knowing the layout of EDge you may have to speak with a number of Maitre D's is multiple restaurants are involved

[hcat]

I posted because a few posts indicated Select res times were not being honored. Confident now they are honored for the most part.

 

Been cruising many yrs..I think we'll be fine on EDGE! And will report back, although others will probably post feedback from earlier experiences.