Not showing up to dinner - how to inform tablemates.

[DrKoob]

Ahhh, but then you miss the opportunity to stalk....err...visit friends you've made in far off places! Me, I hunt down anyone who has houses in the UK or on the Continent...

 

Ya' don't have a weekend place in Palma de Mallorca, by chance??:D ;)

 

Andrew

 

So the if any of the mates buys a place in UK or on the Continent we will get to see the great Blazer? Thought you were coming to Seattle? I cook great mediteranean. It's best I can do.

[DrKoob]

This is our first cruise, with the main goals of seeing the beautiful Alaskan scenery and to relax. This all sounds like a lot of pressure to me - what if you decide at the last minute, that you don't want to dress up for dinner and just want to go the casual restaurant or have something in your room?

 

whale2...

 

We did our first cruise about 7 years ago to Alaska as well. It is a great place to take your first cruise. Before we went we felt the same as you. We didn't want to be on a schedule, we were going to see Alaska and the beauty.

 

Now after seven cruises I can honestly say that the main reason we cruise is to make friends. In August we are going back to Alaska again. And don't tell my bride but if I never get off the ship it is OK with me. We are sailing with a bunch of incredible people we met on a cruise in August 2005 and can't wait to just see them again.

 

So cruising is about so much. When I went on my first one if you told me I would take eight more (two more booked now) in the next 8 years and make so many super friends that we are in touch with to this day and have visited around the world, I would have said, no way. But this is what I love about cruising. You can have any experience you want.

 

See just the sights or see what happens and see if you meet any wonderful people at your table or on your cruises board (hopefully you have found it and are making friends in advance). It's what cruising is all about.

[whale2rider]

Wow, that's nice to hear. We are certainly looking forward to the experience and will do so with an open mind. We really enjoy meeting people - but also like to spend time alone. This may work out well. Thanks for the info.

[Jarronwood]

Ahhh, but then you miss the opportunity to stalk....err...visit friends you've made in far off places! Me, I hunt down anyone who has houses in the UK or on the Continent...

 

Ya' don't have a weekend place in Palma de Mallorca, by chance??:D ;)

 

Andrew

 

Hi Andrew

 

SOrry about the place in Mallorca, although my husband's ex wife does.

 

However, we do have a little apartment in Bulgaria on the Black Sea.

[Blazerboy]

Gee and we were just talking about a tip to Romania/Transylvania.....we could just add in a side trip....hmmmm, an itinerary is forming...:D

 

And, yes, before we plan that trip, we'll be traveling to Seatle!;)

 

Andrew

[brigittetom]

Blazer, How do you feel about the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. I'd love a week in SF. :D

[Rev22:17]

whale2rider,

 

This is our first cruise, with the main goals of seeing the beautiful Alaskan scenery and to relax. This all sounds like a lot of pressure to me - what if you decide at the last minute, that you don't want to dress up for dinner and just want to go the casual restaurant or have something in your room?

 

I would never want to insult anyone or have them take it personally. Will we be expected to be in the formal dining room at a specific time (we indicated the early option) every night? I don't think I like the thought of being so regimented...or that other people will be affected by our decisions.

 

If you want to relax, Celebrity is a great choice of cruise line. The line normally limits announcements to one per day, and nobody from the ship's staff will try to coerce or cajole you into participating in various activities and events. Rather, the ship publishes a daily schedule and it's your responsibility to get yourself to any event that you wish to attend. The only event for which your presence is expected at a given time is dinner.

 

Actually, it's best to think of the dinner arrangement as has having a standing reservation for dinner at the same table, with the same waitstaff and tablemates, every evening of the cruise. This arrangement actually permits a higher standard of service than what is possible with an "open seating" arrangement because your waiter and assistant waiter get to know your preferences on the first couple evenings of the cruise so they can anticipate your requests. By about the second or third evening, things start showing up before you actually ask for them! And if the arrangement does not work out to your satisfaction, just ask the maitre d'hotel or an assistant maitre d'hotel to move you to another table -- but make such a request as discretely as possible. They will do whatever they can, short of reconfiguring the dining room, to fulfill such a request.

 

Anyway, if you are not going to show up for dinner at the appointed time, you should, in effect, cancel the reservation for that evening. And contrary to what other posters have suggested, I find that it's actually better to inform one's waiter rather than one's assiatant maitre d'hotel (or one's head waiter on other lines). If informed in a timely manner, your waiter will reduce the number of place settings to provide more space for those who actually are there. Also, your waiter will inform your tablemates that you are not coming so they can start ordering in your absence.

 

And I'm not surprised that others who did not show up for dinner without informing their tablemates in advance got querries as to what happened. The ship's staff normally would relay the fact that you are not coming to dinner that evening but not any explanation as to why. Unfortunately, such incidents usually happen because a tablemate is suddenly taken ill or injured at a time when there's no longer an opportunity to communicate the fact. Thus, it's quite natural to be concerned for a fellow traveler's well-being and thus inquire when they next see the missing tablemates.

 

Now, Celebrity does offer several options if you don't want to go dinner at your appointed time in the main dining room.

 

>> 1. All ships have "alternative casual dining" in the seating section for the buffet, with full table service but a different menu than the main dining room, for a surcharge of $2.00 per person. The line now says that reservations are strongly recommended. They will take walk-ins if there's a table available, but they apparently do not set "extra" tables to accommodate walk-ins.

 

>> 2. Five ships (MV Century, MV Millennium, MV Constellation, MV Infinity, and MV Summit) have very fancy specialty restaurants where you may dine by reservation for a surcharge of $30.00 per person. These restaurants feature fully synchronized service and tableside preparations of some dishes.

 

>> 3. All ships have a pizza and pasta bar that's open from noon until 1:00 AM, and that does not require a reservation, either in or near the buffet area. There's also a sushi bar in the buffet area that does not require reservations. IIRC, the sushi bar is open from 6:00 PM until 10:00 PM.

 

>> 4. All ships have 24 hour room service. There's a fairly limited room service menu that's always available. Also, the dining room menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner are available during the hours when the dining room serves the respective meals.

 

>> 5. If you have a shore excursion that returns to the ship late, such that you miss your normal dinner at first seating, it's usually possible to dine at an open place (typically not at your normal table) at second seating instead -- but always clear this with the maitre d'hotel in advance!

 

But you still should communicate your plans to your waiter and, if possible, your tablemates if you decide to exercise these options.

 

And I should also mention that all Celebrity ships have a "dining hotline" that you can call from any ship's telephone to make reservations, request a change of table assignment, etc. If you are not going to dinner due to an emergency, you can use the "dining hotline" to communicate this fact to your waiter.

 

Norm.

[Rev22:17]

whale2rider,

 

Also, don't you have to pay an additional $60 every time you have dinner in the formal dining room? Not that that's an issue for us, but sometimes it's nice to just have a relaxing dinner on the balcony don't you think?

 

No. All meals in the main dining room are included in the cruise fare. The only restaurants that have a surcharge of $30 per person are very high end specialty restaurants, which usually open only for dinner. These specialty restaurants go above and beyond the main dining room with very fancy dishes, fully synchronized service, and some tableside preparations.

 

Norm.

[PescadoAmarillo]

We just booked a last minute Celebrity cruise (Summit) leaving March 31. Main seating is waitlisted, but we are Captain's Club Elite and I am hopeful. More important, however, is that my husband is currently recovering from multiple surgeries and two broken arms, and it would be wonderful to have a table for 2...that way, we could miss several dining room meals and not feel like we were "standing up" our tablemates. How limited are tables for 2? Should we see the maitre de at the appropriate time on the first day to inquire, or should we send a letter to Celebrity ahead of time? Sharing a large table and meeting new friends is a favorite part of cruising for us, but this time it is different...this is a rest and recuperation cruise (rest for me, recuperation for him ;) ), and we will likely be much less social on this one.

[Lois R]

We just booked a last minute Celebrity cruise (Summit) leaving March 31. Main seating is waitlisted, but we are Captain's Club Elite and I am hopeful. More important, however, is that my husband is currently recovering from multiple surgeries and two broken arms, and it would be wonderful to have a table for 2...that way, we could miss several dining room meals and not feel like we were "standing up" our tablemates. How limited are tables for 2? Should we see the maitre de at the appropriate time on the first day to inquire, or should we send a letter to Celebrity ahead of time? Sharing a large table and meeting new friends is a favorite part of cruising for us, but this time it is different...this is a rest and recuperation cruise (rest for me, recuperation for him ;) ), and we will likely be much less social on this one.

 

Hi, forget the letter.....that would probably get answered

AFTER you cruised;)

Call the following number and talk to Stan~800-242-6374,

press option 2.

I would call him and let him know the situation. He can put

the request in for you and then, after you board the ship go

see the Maitr'd as well.

 

I hope your husband is on the road to speedy recovery:) and

that you both have a wonderful cruise.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Lois- You are so kind. Thanks very much for the contact, and the good wishes. I will phone Stan today. My husband is finally able to (generally) feed himself, but will need help cutting food, etc. A table for 2 will be more comfortable for everyone, I'm sure.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Lois...spoke with Stan, he was very cooperative. Thanks for the contact!

[Lois R]

Hi:) Glad Stan helped you. He really does have a wonderful

presence on the phone. He could give the regular Customer

Service ettiquite lessons;)