Confused about select dining reservations on E class

[dleahy4444]

47 minutes ago, Torfamm said:

I can’t say what will happen on the Ascent, but our reservations for Select Dining were honored on the Apex earlier this year

Were people without reservations waiting while you got seated since you had a reservation? 

[Torfamm]

4 hours ago, dleahy4444 said:

Were people without reservations waiting while you got seated since you had a reservation? 

Yes

[TMLAalum]

Sailing with a group of friends (4 couples or maybe more). On S and M ships it wouldn't be a problem to reserve a large table or two for us pre-cruise. But on E class ships how would this work?

Sounds like it could be an S/M experience trying to get a table together if there even are bigger tables on E class,

Edited January 8 by TMLAalum

[Notagoose]

I was worried there may be long waits in the MDR when I recently sailed the Beyond over Christmas and NYE, but much to my delight, there was never any wait at all, despite the sold out ship. We had no reservations and typically went around 6:30, which I would think would be prime time, but we never had to wait longer than 2 or 3 minutes for them to sit a group in front of us or get someone to show us to a table. Granted there were only 2 of us, and larger groups may have a longer wait. We wondered if perhaps a lot of people were eating at the buffet since many had children with them. 

[dleahy4444]

46 minutes ago, Notagoose said:

I was worried there may be long waits in the MDR when I recently sailed the Beyond over Christmas and NYE, but much to my delight, there was never any wait at all, despite the sold out ship. We had no reservations and typically went around 6:30, which I would think would be prime time, but we never had to wait longer than 2 or 3 minutes for them to sit a group in front of us or get someone to show us to a table. Granted there were only 2 of us, and larger groups may have a longer wait. We wondered if perhaps a lot of people were eating at the buffet since many had children with them. 

That was not my experience on the Beyond 10/2022. It was 4 of us, all adults. We generally eat late. There was a huge line, 45 minute wait, at 8pm. Maybe because it was a transatlantic that made a difference? Maybe an older crowd with not children tends to eat later? On the Edge 1/2023 it was just 2 of us, and no significant lines, but it wasn’t a sold out cruise. My upcoming 1/2024 cruise on the Ascent is pretty much sold out, so I’m concerned. 

[NJCruisers]

This is on the Celebrity website (see below).  This sounds like our Select Early will be honored.  Are we saying that even with this selection, we will have to wait to be seated and that all seating is Anytime Seating? I have also heard that any food from any of the 4 restaurants can be ordered not just what is offered in that particular restaurant, is that true?  If so, do you just ask for a different menu or do you to know going in what your selection will be.  Is there anyone out there who can relate their experience when having a Select Early dining time?  We will be on the Ascent in April. 

Thanks for any input.

 

Celebrity Select Dining Early and Late on Edge Series
We may have reinvented the main restaurant experience, but we haven’t changed the way you plan your dining in our main restaurants. You can choose Celebrity Select Early or Late seating for your dining times, which allows you to enjoy dinner at the same table with the same waiter every evening. You’ll be assigned one of the four main dining restaurants while having the option to dine in the other three upon request.

You’ll receive notice in your stateroom on embarkation day for confirmation of your restaurant, table number, and waiter.

 

[UKmum]

This topics seems to make clear that my Select Dining time/restaurant reservations for Edge next month won’t be honoured. I had already diligently made them before I read this thread. 
 

To add to the confusion I got an email from Celebrity actively encouraging me to make them this week.  Whilst the email is no substitute for people’s real experiences, it does seem extraordinary to me that Celebrity would encourage me to use a system that doesn’t work. Allowing me to make them off my own initiative is one thing, but to email me to do it, whilst experiences of others indicates it’s a waste of time, takes the term “glitch” to a whole new level! 
 

To be clear, we will be on a ship, not a work laptop in sight, and I’ve no doubt we will be well fed (albeit perhaps not at our preferred time lol) and that we will have a ball, so I’m not at all worried but I did think I’d share the email in case it adds something to the thread.  
 

[cruisestitch]

This is a huge failing on Celebrity’s fault that they are unable or unwilling to correct

[hcat]

So no more res  are taken for the  4 E Class  mdrs?  That's  very bad! 

 

There is no real space for lining up outside these venues. The res system worked fine on EDGE..

 

New system sounds very

"downscale".. like waiting on line at a food court at the local mall