Chefs Table ...

[v3cruiser]

Recently booked chefs table. Very excited! For those that attended, what time does the chefs table typically start? And is it usually on a sea day?  

 

 

[bury me at sea]

If memory serves, you'll meet at 6 or 6:30.  Could be a sea or a port day.  Some ships will have one more than one night, depending on the number of guests who request reservations.

 

Enjoy!

[Liverpoollovely]

11 hours ago, v3cruiser said:

Recently booked chefs table. Very excited! For those that attended, what time does the chefs table typically start? And is it usually on a sea day?  

 

 

 

it is a great experience having just attended my first on the Carnival Sunrise - 6pm we met in the lobby and completed a form regarding our health, the day we did Chefs table was on a Sea Day however I know this can be different. My advise wear shoes which have grip on the soles as the galley floors are wet and tiled so can be very slippery. Enjoy!

[tinkr2]

35 minutes ago, Liverpoollovely said:

 

it is a great experience having just attended my first on the Carnival Sunrise - 6pm we met in the lobby and completed a form regarding our health, the day we did Chefs table was on a Sea Day however I know this can be different. My advise wear shoes which have grip on the soles as the galley floors are wet and tiled so can be very slippery. Enjoy!

I am booked on Sunrise. How many people were in the group? I am deciding whether to pay for whole family.

 

[K&RCurt]

34 minutes ago, tinkr2 said:

I am booked on Sunrise. How many people were in the group? I am deciding whether to pay for whole family.

 

 

We did the Chef's table on the Sunshine and on the Paradise.  In both cases the dinner was held in the Library and there were 16 guests.  I am not sure how the number of attendees relates to you paying for your family.  I will say that that is very generous of you!  At our Chef's Table on the Paradise there was a family of 8 people and the "Dad" paid for everyone.  Not all of them appreciated it!

[tinkr2]

10 minutes ago, K&RCurt said:

 

We did the Chef's table on the Sunshine and on the Paradise.  In both cases the dinner was held in the Library and there were 16 guests.  I am not sure how the number of attendees relates to you paying for your family.  I will say that that is very generous of you!  At our Chef's Table on the Paradise there was a family of 8 people and the "Dad" paid for everyone.  Not all of them appreciated it!

It would be 6 more of us so a total of 8. I am already paying for the cruise . lord knows if they would appreciate it. They are pretty spoiled adult children that take much for granted. But I know my husband would not enjoy it if we did it without them ,unfortunately. I am debating on just giving them all gift cards at Christmas and letting them decide what to spend it on. Or picking a few things and paying.

[K&RCurt]

2 minutes ago, tinkr2 said:

It would be 6 more of us so a total of 8. I am already paying for the cruise . lord knows if they would appreciate it. They are pretty spoiled adult children that take much for granted. But I know my husband would not enjoy it if we did it without them ,unfortunately. I am debating on just giving them all gift cards at Christmas and letting them decide what to spend it on. Or picking a few things and paying.

 

 

I hear you, it is always a tough decision when dealing with adult children.  We paid for a cruise with our 3 kids and two fiances several years ago.  We had the 2 DDs and Fiances pay their own gratuities and bar bills.  Our son was 15 at the time, so he was 100% on our tab!  We did pay for everyone to go to a Steakhouse dinner and well as a couple shore excursions.  All in all it worked out well, but you never know!

[tinkr2]

10 minutes ago, K&RCurt said:

 

 

I hear you, it is always a tough decision when dealing with adult children.  We paid for a cruise with our 3 kids and two fiances several years ago.  We had the 2 DDs and Fiances pay their own gratuities and bar bills.  Our son was 15 at the time, so he was 100% on our tab!  We did pay for everyone to go to a Steakhouse dinner and well as a couple shore excursions.  All in all it worked out well, but you never know!

Similar, a married daughter with plenty of means and 2 kids , along with 2 fairly broke sons and girlfriends. Afraid if I do not pay, they will not be able to do anything ,in the case of the boys .

[jdoc2007]

Chefs table generally starts at 6 and can be on a PORT or Sea day (multiple days depending on sailing).  There will be a meeting place for check in prior to taking a galley tour - closed to shoes are requested.  The dinner itself takes about 2 hours or so.  Definitely a highlight of our cruises.  I got some golden advice from this forum that I am so thankful for getting regarding Chefs Table -- DO NOT EAT EVERYTHING ON THE PLATE .... it is SOOOOOOO tempting to enjoy all of the food.  By the 5th course or so, it gets pretty overwhelming and then they bring out some type of spectacular dessert  ....  

[tinkr2]

31 minutes ago, jdoc2007 said:

Chefs table generally starts at 6 and can be on a PORT or Sea day (multiple days depending on sailing).  There will be a meeting place for check in prior to taking a galley tour - closed to shoes are requested.  The dinner itself takes about 2 hours or so.  Definitely a highlight of our cruises.  I got some golden advice from this forum that I am so thankful for getting regarding Chefs Table -- DO NOT EAT EVERYTHING ON THE PLATE .... it is SOOOOOOO tempting to enjoy all of the food.  By the 5th course or so, it gets pretty overwhelming and then they bring out some type of spectacular dessert  ....  

I ate it all😃

[Erik101]

We were booked the chef’s table on the Vista and are currently booked for the Horizon.  Your reservation time and day will be determined on what other dinner reservations you have.  For example, we were booked two nights at the steakhouse and one for the Italian.  Our reservation was confirmed during the cruise and they made sure the night of the chef’s table didn’t conflict with any of the other restaurant reservations.  

[sid_9169]

57 minutes ago, tinkr2 said:

I ate it all😃

Me too... Every single bite...

[Athankfulheart]

We enjoyed the Chef's Table on the valor last month. In all our cruises, we just hadn't made time for it before then. We were the second Chef's Table of that sailing and we met at 5:45 on a port day. There seemed to be much delay with our particular event. We were delayed in starting and at other times which resulted in and ending time closer to 9:30. That didn't bother any of us much because everything else was fabulous. There were 16 of us and it was held in a small private  room at the rear of the mid-ship dining room. The room was of adequate size for the event. The only "door" was a curtain so that allowed some noise in from the MDR which was a little annoying. The addition of a real door here would make it a very nice little venue for this event. This was especially problematic when the wait staff would sing happy birthday to various cruisers, which happened a few times during our meal. 

 

I arrived prepared to NOT eat everything on my plate and to save room for dessert. I found that the portions must have been reduced from previous reviews and it wasn't as necessary to "save room". There was one soup which I did not finish (mostly because I was a little warm) and then in the last couple of courses I ate less just being cautious, but I would say that the portion sizes went well with the number of courses. Dessert was inventive but not as delicious as I was expecting. 

[MistyRo76]

4 hours ago, jdoc2007 said:

Chefs table generally starts at 6 and can be on a PORT or Sea day (multiple days depending on sailing).  There will be a meeting place for check in prior to taking a galley tour - closed to shoes are requested.  The dinner itself takes about 2 hours or so.  Definitely a highlight of our cruises.  I got some golden advice from this forum that I am so thankful for getting regarding Chefs Table -- DO NOT EAT EVERYTHING ON THE PLATE .... it is SOOOOOOO tempting to enjoy all of the food.  By the 5th course or so, it gets pretty overwhelming and then they bring out some type of spectacular dessert  ....  

THIS is true! The portions for each course are fairly small so it is very tempting to clean your plate each time....but resist that temptation. I made it to the second to last entree and started getting really full. The last entree was my favorite, but I had to leave some of it left on the plate to have any room left at all for dessert! It was all really, really good! Even things that I thought I wouldn't be crazy about were good. Try everything! 

[MistyRo76]

We did the Chef's Table in April on the Paradise. A couple of notes: 

 

1. On our sailing, I think there was a Chef's Table offered every night of the cruise (5 day cruise). 

2. Ours was the last day and we met the group in the atrium bar around 6:15. We got there early to get a drink from the bar and they were already set up and waiting for us with free champagne. 

3. I wore open-toed wedges to the Chef's Table and it was fine. Honestly, other then tennis shoes (which would not go well with my evening outfits), I do not bring any closed toed shoes on our cruises. The galley floor can be slick...but you don't walk far in the galley. Just be aware and be careful and you'll be ok! 

4. You should get a letter in your cabin near the start of the cruise telling you when you'll attend Chef's Table. If you don't get the letter by Day 2, check with Guest Services. They lost our Chef's Table reservation which we made 10 months before our cruise date. I had a copy of the email confirmation for our group of six and they were able to squeeze us in on the last night. But I wish I would have checked on it sooner! 

5. You will each get a personalized table name tent, personalized menu and 8X10 copy of the group photo. Great souvenirs! 

6. This is a LONG dinner! Plan for 3+ hours at least. But it's worth it! 

7. Wine is free-flowing (and does not count against your Cheers if you have that programs). And you don't have to choose between red or white. I had both. And you can also order sodas or other drinks if you'd like. 

 

And most of all....enjoy! It's quite the experience! 

 

 

[Bases5]

Where do you make reservations for the chef table

What is the going cost

Is it customary to tip as well and if so how much.

After reservations are made, how are you notified of the time  and place to meet.

[coevan]

$95 pp and we did not tip, it's says the tip is included. I believe you can make reservations online. You will get a note in your cabin informing you of day and time.

[Bases5]

2 hours ago, coevan said:

$95 pp and we did not tip, it's says the tip is included. I believe you can make reservations online. You will get a note in your cabin informing you of day and time.

Thank You

[Erik101]

7 hours ago, Bases5 said:

Where do you make reservations for the chef table

 

Online!  You will receive an email confirmation from the steakhouse manager confirming the number of seats for the reservation.  It will not have the date of the dinner.  You won't get that until you are on the ship.  

[Liverpoollovely]

23 hours ago, tinkr2 said:

I am booked on Sunrise. How many people were in the group? I am deciding whether to pay for whole family.

 

Sorry I cannot remember how many total, others did comment that it was the largest chef table they had ever done... I just remember the table was full I will say on the Sunrise the room was exceptionally warm.

[alleghator]

My adult (but under 21) children will be enjoying the Chef's Table with us on our next cruise. Since they will not be drinking wine, what are their beverage choices? And are these included with the meal, or a regular S&S charge?

[Erik101]

1 hour ago, alleghator said:

My adult (but under 21) children will be enjoying the Chef's Table with us on our next cruise. Since they will not be drinking wine, what are their beverage choices? And are these included with the meal, or a regular S&S charge?

If I remember it correctly, my in-laws had soda, tea and water since they’re not wine drinkers and they weren’t charged extras for them. 

[K&RCurt]

On 6/13/2019 at 11:35 AM, tinkr2 said:

I ate it all😃

 

Me too!

 

And my wife is on a diet where she can't have certain food groups, so I ate at least 25% of hers too!!!

[K&RCurt]

21 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

We did the Chef's Table in April on the Paradise. A couple of notes: 

 

 

3. I wore open-toed wedges to the Chef's Table and it was fine. Honestly, other then tennis shoes (which would not go well with my evening outfits), I do not bring any closed toed shoes on our cruises. The galley floor can be slick...but you don't walk far in the galley. Just be aware and be careful and you'll be ok! 

 

 

Just be aware that the Galley area you walk through on the Paradise is much shorter of a path than you will take other ships.  When we did the Chef's Table on the Sunshine it was a pretty long walk through the galley and dinner service was in full swing.  We had to walk between two lines of waiters picking up dishes on either side, and walking with 6-8 dinners on trays.  The Paradise was just a quick jaunt between a few areas with little traffic.

[tinkr2]

So my fb group people were talking about how they bring their children. Were there kids on any of you yalls diinners? I love kids and often cruise by myself with just kids but this seemed such an adult event to me. They were talking 6, 8 not even teens. Am I being crazy?