Chef's Table Pre-reservations

[karelet]

Hi,

 

I'm on our cruise planner looking at dining reservations for an upcoming cruise and notice if you try and make a reservation for the Chef's Table, the only date available is the first night. Is this because they don't have the exact date scheduled? Is it best to book the Day 1 date and then change it after boarding? We want to make sure we get a reservation, but prefer a sea day.

 

Thanks!

[Cdresser]

On the cruises I've been on in the past,  the Chef's Table has only been offered the first night. 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

The Chef's Table on line booking is just a place holder.  The actual date and time are announced on board.  

[glmacruise]

I actually called in the other day to ask about this. Like someone said it’s arranged on board.

[EMc&DrS]

I tried to book this on Edge.  It tells me to "select a date below," but there is nothing to select.  When I click "next," it tells me that it's not available for the date I selected. Does this mean that there are no more spots available?

[karelet]

45 minutes ago, EMc&DrS said:

I tried to book this on Edge.  It tells me to "select a date below," but there is nothing to select.  When I click "next," it tells me that it's not available for the date I selected. Does this mean that there are no more spots available?

In the past, we have always booked these on-board. As others have said, I suspect if you pre-book that you are just buying a "place holder", and the date/dates will be announced on-board. We personally have never seen one organized the first night, as things are pretty disorganized, they like to send out invitations, give clothing/meeting instructions, etc., but I would be interested if anyone can confirm this.

[karelet]

57 minutes ago, glmacruise said:

I actually called in the other day to ask about this. Like someone said it’s arranged on board.

What are your thoughts then about pre-booking?

[NCHPcruiser]

We booked probably the first day of our Edge cruise Feb. 2020.   I don’t think there is a big downside to pre-booking although it’s possible you might have to cancel another reservation since you won’t know until boarding what night it is.  We have done several but never the first night!  

[glmacruise]

31 minutes ago, karelet said:

What are your thoughts then about pre-booking?

i guess it eliminates the chance it books up? We have a cruise in January and plan on prebooking.

[patty1955]

Now that Celebrity is cruising again, can anyone confirm if drinks are included with the chef's table?

[mahdnc]

2 hours ago, karelet said:

In the past, we have always booked these on-board. As others have said, I suspect if you pre-book that you are just buying a "place holder", and the date/dates will be announced on-board. We personally have never seen one organized the first night, as things are pretty disorganized, they like to send out invitations, give clothing/meeting instructions, etc., but I would be interested if anyone can confirm this.

 

Also, the fine print at the bottom of the Cruise Planner webpage for the Chef's Table says, "Your restaurant location and dining time will be confirmed in your stateroom on embarkation day".

[Ugaaucruisers]

Can someone tell me about this?  Is it fun?  Good food?  How many people in the group?

Sounds interesting. Thanks

[The_Mac]

I haven't done celebrity's Chef table but always do them on other cruises.  Its a must do for me.

 

The food is better than anywhere else on the ship.  Many courses, usually incluses canapes/amuse bouche.  Wine pairing with each course.

 

Higher quality ingredients like Wagu, Atlantic Lobster, Caviar, etc.  Better wine.

 

There is usually a galley tour, Demos, Pictures, and entertainment of some kind.

 

Its all basically foodies that go, so you meet some interesting people.

 

 

Edited June 9, 2021 by The_Mac

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We've had a group as small as 6 and as big as 12. Sometimes there is a staff member joining the table.  Wine pairing is now an extra charge but if you have a beverage package you can get glasses of wine from it.  There is also a champagne dinner with Veuve Clicquot that is excellent.  Same small group.  The times we did one it was held in the wine cellar at Murano's on S class and now Tuscan on M class.

[patty1955]

10 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

 Wine pairing is now an extra charge but if you have a beverage package you can get glasses of wine from it.  

We love the Chef's Table especially the wine pairing. Do they pair the wine if you only have the beverage package?

[CHEZMARYLOU]

No. You can get wine from the package. If you want the actual pairing of better wines there is an additional charge. The last time we did a chef's table the pairing was included in the fee but that changed a few years ago. 

[springfire]

Do they usually do the Chef Table during at sea evenings?

[cangelmd]

Just now, springfire said:

Do they usually do the Chef Table during at sea evenings?

I think so yes, we've only done one true Chef's Table on Celeb and it was at sea. I think it may sometimes be on a formal night, especially on a shorter cruise, just because that is the available night.

[mahdnc]

2 minutes ago, cangelmd said:

I think so yes, we've only done one true Chef's Table on Celeb and it was at sea.

 

What is the not "true" version?

[glmacruise]

Slightly off topic. But if you ever get a chance to do the chefs market discovery it was phenomenal. We did one in the western med. The chef was very approachable on the tour and the dinner on the ship was amazing . My expectations were set low and they totally smashed it.

[bikerunner]

The 4 times I did it, the Chefs table was during a sea day.  The wine pairing with the meal is around 40-50 xtra I think or some where around there.  These are more premium wines than the Premium Bev Pkg offers , think ones you pay above the premium package and or ones not offered as per glass more bottles.  They do a great job with it overall.  Ill look for it on my Nov cruise but wont pre book as I want to talk to the chef etc before since my friend is a vegetarian and want to make sure its worthwhile for her on the dishes.  I know they can accommodate this but want to make sure its not the standard vegetarian they give out in the restaurants    

[cangelmd]

2 hours ago, Ugaaucruisers said:

Can someone tell me about this?  Is it fun?  Good food?  How many people in the group?

Sounds interesting. Thanks

Celebrity has a couple of different "foodie events" depending on which ship and what ports. They have added, for example, a Daniel Boulud dinner on some ships, which may take the place of the Chef's Table. We have done these dinners on Celeb and on Princess.

The biggest negative of the Chef's Table is that is such a small group that one or two less than congenial persons can almost ruin it - we have had mixed experiences in that regard. Unlike Princess, Celebrity had a staff member host the dinner and his part was more of a commercial for Celeb than true hosting or giving insider info on the ship. Didn't help that the poor guy was an IT person from Miami headquarters who was aboard for 6 months troubleshooting and getting the app going. He made the mistake of beginning by asking about the website which led to general laughter and merriment - but it was fine by the end.

The included galley tour was hosted by the Executive Chef whose prime responsibilities are in logistics, procurement and being certain that the ship stays in compliance with public health and Coast Guard. His tour was fascinating and very different than the Princess tour which was more this is how we run dinner service - if you've ever been in Blu on S class and wondered why you can't order from MDR, you will learn why.

Our group was 8 plus the Celeb host and the dinner was in the Murano wine room. We did it back when the wines were included and I would very much recommend adding the paired wines, the ones we had were definitely a cut above the premium pkg and well chosen.

[cangelmd]

10 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

What is the not "true" version?

See below

 

5 minutes ago, glmacruise said:

Slightly off topic. But if you ever get a chance to do the chefs market discovery it was phenomenal. We did one in the western med. The chef was very approachable on the tour and the dinner on the ship was amazing . My expectations were set low and they totally smashed it.

We did the one in Cozumel and it was also one of the best excursions off any ship ever, although no one person should eat as much great food in a day as we did.

This is also a small (about 8-10 people tops) tour, that includes stops at various food places important to the area - chocolate and tequila in this instance - but also includes a stop at a local market. A chef from the ship who will be in charge of preparing your dinner that evening goes along on the tour and you get a chance to talk to him or her. The chef picks up a few ingredients at the market to use in the dinner (they are very limited in what they can bring on board to serve, in our case it was hand patted tortillas sold by Mexican grandmas - I have no idea if we actually ate those tortillas, but the ones we had were fresh made and delicious). The tour is in the morning and ends with a blessedly light lunch at a local restaurant.

Then the group reconvenes in Tuscan for the dinner that night. It was served family style, multiple courses, much more casual than the Chef's Table, but still excellent food - the kind you wanted the recipe and could probably pull off at home. We had a great group as well - one couple celebrating their 65th anniversary on board and another on their honeymoon, lots to talk about.

Not sure how long it will be before this type tour is offered again, sadly.

[The_Mac]

wow, that sounds amazing and right up my alley. 

[LGW59]

19 hours ago, EMc&DrS said:

I tried to book this on Edge.  It tells me to "select a date below," but there is nothing to select.  When I click "next," it tells me that it's not available for the date I selected. Does this mean that there are no more spots available?

I believe it means they announce the date once on board.