Specialty Dining packages

[mugwood]

hi, just looking for some info / opinions on the availability of specialty dining packages.

I tried booking the five night package today, it was for the Equinox 10/18 sailing.

Unfortunately it is now showing only six nights and upward available.

Does anyone have any experience of the four or five nights being re_released if the larger packs do not sell?

 

Cheers.

[NantahalaCruiser]

Specialty dining has become more popular. You used to sometimes even have been able to book packages immediately after boarding - but generally no longer.

 

The fewer night packages were probably available a few months ago, but no longer at a little over a month to go. Your chances are from slim to none that they will become available at this point regardless of how well the longer packages sell.

 

Advise you to get what you can now if it will at all work for you.

 

 

By the way, thanks for the reminder - just booked a 4-dinner package for our September 2019 cruise.

 

Note to others, the 4-dinner package at $125 pp is cheaper per dinner that the 5 or 6-dinner package and only $16 pp more than the 3-dinner package.

Edited September 8, 2018 by NantahalaCruiser

[mugwood]

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

 

Your thoughts are in line with my own: I probably knew the answer before posting; however I think I just needed a bit of affirmation before booking the more expensive individual sittings.

 

Given the itinerary, I won’t go over four dinners, so, I am now going to book the individuals to ensure I get the nights and times I prefer- hopefully:D.

[Mr. Click]

I think that the thing that has made booking the dining packages early is that Celebrity now allows us to use our OBC to book before we sail. I have never booked any specialty dining in advance in the past but I did for our upcoming Reflection cruise next month. We don't normally do a lot of specialty dining because we enjoy the MDR food but this time we have a lot of OBC to use up and we are only visiting EU ports so anything bought on the ship is subject to the EU's VAT so I went ahead about bought the 4 night package to save the VAT and to use up some of the OBC. Because they now allow us to use the OBC from Celebrity in advance I have also found fewer deals for specialty dining once we are on the ship.

[mugwood]

It does appear to have an effect. I went ahead and booked four individual nights, this allowed to ensue I got the times and nights that suited best.

Cost more and no obc, but hey ho, can’t take it with me.

 

I did notice that some times are booked out already on sea days.

[SeaWatcher65]

When were the specialty dining packages offered online - how far before your cruise date? Crusing in November 2018 but specialty dining packages not in cruise planner yet, maybe will not be there at all. Might wait until on board anyway.

[mugwood]

They were in our cruise planner since I first managed to navigate the celebrity online minefield- which seems a bit more settled now.

 

The four and fives were there from at least May through to a couple of weeks ago. We are now six weeks from cruising and the six night is the smallest pack left.

 

Might have been a mixed blessing as it forced me into action.