Celebrity Select Dining is Here

[Mysticks1]

For whatever it's worth, I e-mailed Celebrity yesterday and asked if Celebrity Select Dining would be available on my 10/23/09 Mercury cruise and received the following repy: "Celebrity Cruises will not be particiapting in the 'My Time' dining program. This is strictly a Royal Caribbean product. Celebrity Cruises will continue to have either first or second seating options." It is curious that the reply referred to "My Time" dining and not Celebrity Select Dining which I asked about in my e-mail to them. In any event it does not look like this is going to happen any time soon, if ever.

 

Obviously it is in the works because it was listed on two different pages on the website yesterday - in the dining section where it actually listed it along with traditional dining and in the FAQ section where the question What is the difference between traditional dining and Celebrity Select dining? It seems someone jumped the gun on putting it on the website before the official announcement with what ships it will be rolled out on went out.

[terrierjohn]

Anyone notice that Celebrity Select Dining has now disappeared from their website:mad:, I wonder why, could someone from X have been reading cruise critic?:cool:

Although the main dining arrangements heading still says the following:-

Whether you wish to dine when the mood strikes, or prefer a more traditional seating, Celebrity allows you to choose.

But there is no further mention of CSD after that.

Let's just hope it gets reinstated fairly soon.

[Cruise Junky]

Anyone notice that Celebrity Select Dining has now disappeared from their website:mad:, I wonder why, could someone from X have been reading cruise critic?:cool:

Although the main dining arrangements heading still says the following:-

Whether you wish to dine when the mood strikes, or prefer a more traditional seating, Celebrity allows you to choose.

 

But there is no further mention of CSD after that.

Let's just hope it gets reinstated fairly soon.

 

It was pulled pretty quickly yesterday afternoon, it was just put on the website before it was ready to be announced, nothing to do with reading three pages of cruise critic with 1/2 the posters supporting it.

[Bridge Maven]

I have a feeling that some of the posters who are adamantly opposed to anytime dining would be very pleasantly surprised if they tried it.

[tom_uk]

I have a feeling that some of the posters who are adamantly opposed to anytime dining would be very pleasantly surprised if they tried it.

 

I have tried flexible dining, on Norwegian Jewel - a ship designed and built for flexible dining. It didn't work for us, and we continue to prefer traditional. Fortunately, as we cruise with Celebrity and P&O, we have no difficulty in finding cruises that meet our desires.

 

For us part of the pleasure of cruising is meeting new people on a cruise and getting to know them. We deliberately choose to sit at large tables; 6 minimum, preferably 8.

 

It's also the case, that, while cruising, my wife likes to know that the end of her day is 'anchored'. She says that enjoys knowing that if she turns up at a certain place at a certain time, she will definitely get fed without any hanging around, queues, or uncertainty, and she found that flexible dining didn't give her that feeling.

[neilrr]

I have a feeling that some of the posters who are adamantly opposed to anytime dining would be very pleasantly surprised if they tried it.

 

We are avid cruisers and hav tried anytime dining twice once on NCL (never to be travelled upon again and once on the Crown Princess a somewhat better experience). We still prefer Traditional late seating...

 

The first anytime experience we found it very difficult to meet people and were generally place at a table for two. We did find a very good waitress and took her talbe every night even if we had to wait. By the way, the food on NCL was awful.

 

The second cruise, this past Easter, we were not able to get Traditional Late - so we took the anytime -- well several issues occurred - one they gave us a beeper on the first night and we waited about 15 minutes; people were coming and going with beepers, etc.. I then ran into a wonderful Romanian waiter in the buffet and he was in the anytime dining. We were able to make a reservation for 8PM nightly, but we only had a table for two -- on one night the Maitre'D asked if we would like to sit in our waiter's section at a table for 8 --we said great -- we sat down and they never put anyone else at the table -- here we were at this enormous table alone -- needless to say the next night we went back to the table for two.

 

IOHO - we believe that Traditional is still the best way to go and you can tell by the demand. Why does traditional dining always fill up first? We discussed it with the wiat staff and they like traditional better too.

 

We usually give more than required to an excellent wait staff -- by not see the same people every night -- they get less. The people who ruined this are the people who do not believe in tipping. There were people on our cruise Easter trying to get all of the gratuities removed from their

bills.:mad: It was unbelieveable as most/all of these people work so hard.

We made sure those two boys in anytime dining got a bit extra and they were most appreciative and went above and beyond.

 

That is why we prefer traditional dining.

N&J

 

It was terrible.

[cdbaum]

The problem that we had with anytime dining on NCL was that most peoples idea of anytime is roughly the same time. In other words, a majority of passengers were choosing roughly the same time period for dinner which meant that you had to wait. We prefer a set dining time mainly because our 4 year old needs a regular dining time at this point. All things being equal, the food and service for instance, we would probably opt for a flexible dining program on certain itineraries.

 

One of the reasons that we stick with Celebrity though is the present dining schedule and service.

[Andy]

Anyone notice that Celebrity Select Dining has now disappeared from their website:mad:, I wonder why, could someone from X have been reading cruise critic?:cool:

Although the main dining arrangements heading still says the following:-

Whether you wish to dine when the mood strikes, or prefer a more traditional seating, Celebrity allows you to choose.

But there is no further mention of CSD after that.

Let's just hope it gets reinstated fairly soon.

 

Hi Terrierjohn !

 

In my post from yesterday http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=19492248&postcount=40 , I mentioned the Select Dining program is not in effect yet. My guess is, someone from Celebrity's website group, posted the information prematurely.

 

There is little doubt that Select Dining is in Celebrity's future, though I believe Celebrity will test this on a ship or two, before they roll it out fleetwide. A full rollout may take some time, but that is strictly a guess. Stay Tuned !

[usha]

I have a feeling that some of the posters who are adamantly opposed to anytime dining would be very pleasantly surprised if they tried it.

I think so, too *:oducking for cover*

[hondorner]

We've never sailed on NCL, Princess or RCCL or any other cruise line with open dining except Oceania. We have sailed on Costa and Carnival with traditional dining (the first time was in 1980; it didn't get much more traditional).

 

It's ironic that the primary reasons most traditionalists give for favoring their preferred dining are the same reasons why we like open dining. We like to meet new people -- and can do so every evening. We like to get to know them -- but with open dining, we can choose not to get to know them if they turn out to be not quite our cup of tea. With open dining, we can choose to dine again with folks we like. Because of open dining, we have met friends with whom we have met and traveled again, and have met others with whom we have exchanged visits off the ships -- from Illinois to Florida, for example.

 

With fixed dining, we have gotten stuck with boors throughout an entire cruise, making dining very uncomfortable. We know we can request to be moved, but that makes it even more uncomfortable if we find ourselves sharing a tender or tour bus with the folks we left at table.

 

With open dining, we have usually dined at the same time and often with the same waiters, creating that "anchor" at the end of the day if that is what we want. On the other hand, we have never felt "pressured" to be at a certain place at a certain time.

 

We have never experienced a wait of more than 2 or 3 minutes, and we have never been handed a buzzer; Oceania does not even have them.

 

We can choose anything from a table for 2 to a table for 6, 8 or even 12, but 90% of the time, we request a table for 4 to be shared with new folks or someone with have already met. For us, the larger tables make it much more difficult to carry on a conversation and get to know someone.

 

Having said all this, I have to acknowledge that Oceania has much smaller ships (under 700 passengers; the Mercury, which most Celebrity fans praise as a small ship, is a giant to us), and the open dining is perhaps easier to manage. On the other hand, the main dining room is proportionately smaller, so the difference is little.

 

I think the real difference is that Oceania has never offered any other form of dining and they really know how to do it. All the others appear to be still trying to figure it out. For all those who say they do not like open dining, if you have not tried Oceania, then you have not experienced it at its best.

 

All I know is that traditional dining strikes fear in my heart -- the last thing I want on a vacation is to get stuck with 6 others at a table of whom at least two are going to be obnoxious, and to try to keep up with 4 separate conversations across table, at least one of which is sure to be more interesting that the one I'm having with the parties on either side of me. I want to relax, not pretend to be something I am not.

[Denny01]

We sail Celebrity as our prime line and one of the reasons is Traditional Dining.

 

With that said, I think adding anytime-type dining, not replacing Traditional, gives the flexibility many are looking for. A number of Celebrity cruisers have posted that they go with other lines for port-intensive cruises because they want more flexibility in dining. And yes, I understand (and agree) Celebrity does have options right now – at least enough for us.

 

I think the main issues those of us who prefer Traditional Dining have with flexible dining being added is, will it degrade Traditional in some manner? We cruised on Princess last year. Although we booked many (many+) months in advance, we couldn't get Set Dining and our group had to take Anytime Dining. That type of situation is what some fear may occur.

 

If Celebrity Traditional Dining remains as is and is available for all who wish it and the flexible time dining is added, then it shouldn't be an issue. Except it does away with another subject we can spend hrs posting pros/cons about on this board. I'm sure we'll find something to complain about, such as it will attract 'those' people who cruise 'those' inferior lines. Oh dear!

 

Added later - while I was typing this, Hondorner posted they cruise Oceania with flexible dining, just as I'm joking about those 'inferior' lines with flexible dining!. Oh well.

 

Denny

[Duanerice1]

Please explain to me why offering this option is lowering their standards? I'm being serious, I can't for the life of me figure out why adding extra options is lowering standards!

 

Thanks for asking this question. I was going to ask the same thing. I guess I do not get the connection either. Just because I want to dine at 7:30 doesn't mean I am lowering their standards or as someone else said "dumbing down America" I think it was? Heck, all I am doing is eating at a different time.

Please explain.

 

Thanks,

Duane

[Karynanne]

IMHO, adding "Select Dining" is a great option for Celebrity. On many cruises, after touring all day, you still would like to dress for dinner, but dine at an earlier hour. Giving passengers this option is a good move for Celebrity. It's not an either/or situation. It's a choice.

[bambam2972]

The problem that we had with anytime dining on NCL was that most peoples idea of anytime is roughly the same time. In other words, a majority of passengers were choosing roughly the same time period for dinner which meant that you had to wait.

 

That's one of my big concerns. But I don't think I'd always remember to make a reservation though.

 

We've been lucky in the past with tablemates. They have always been great. I've also enjoyed getting to know our waitors too.

 

But if it's available next March, I think I will try the Select Dining. I want to be able to enjoy the sailaway from each port on our balcony without rushing to get changed.

[Eightydays]

I like "traditional dining," but think "select dining" is a great option. Simply knowing that we can enjoy the ambience of the main dining room and not be restricted to the casual "buffet" upstairs or room service if we are late getting back from port is a big plus.

[gisnered]

Thanks for asking this question. I was going to ask the same thing. I guess I do not get the connection either. Just because I want to dine at 7:30 doesn't mean I am lowering their standards or as someone else said "dumbing down America" I think it was? Heck, all I am doing is eating at a different time.

Please explain.

 

Thanks,

Duane

 

The fear, of course, is that eventually flex dining will be all that is available. Slippery slope and all.

 

It really has to do with one's expectations and standards. For example, one of the hallmarks of a truly fine restaurant is that they honor reservations. Your table is ready for you when you arrive. No standing and waiting of any kind. For some who have posted against anytime dining the possibility that they might be asked to wait in a line is unacceptable - the experience will have been dumbed down. It would be a vitiation of an experience they had enjoyed in the past.

 

A rational person must realize that that fear is well founded. Every evening that Solstice is full, 2,850 persons can be expected to want dinner somewhere between 5:30 and 9:00. Unfortunately, like you, most want to dine at 7:30. That affects everyone (snowball effect), not just you.

[Oville]

I have a feeling that some of the posters who are adamantly opposed to anytime dining would be very pleasantly surprised if they tried it.

 

Bride Maven, I totally agree with your comment. When Royal first started testing My Time people on the RC boards were so sure it would ruin Traditional Dining. The truth is it hasn't affected it one bit, and the majority of passengers still request Traditional and are never turned away. My guess is 25% or less request My Time.

[TMaine]

I have not tried anytime dining and am not opposed to it yet, though I am not sold on it as an idea. One question I had is since there are limited 2 person tables, I assume people will be sat at larger tables. Does this mean during the middle of dinner that more people will be brought to your table to join you? I don't think I'd like to be interupted in the middle of dinner to have more people show up at the table. Not that I don't enjoy meeting and talking with table mates, it would just be better to be seated all at once.

[Oville]

I have not tried anytime dining and am not opposed to it yet, though I am not sold on it as an idea. One question I had is since there are limited 2 person tables, I assume people will be sat at larger tables. Does this mean during the middle of dinner that more people will be brought to your table to join you? I don't think I'd like to be interupted in the middle of dinner to have more people show up at the table. Not that I don't enjoy meeting and talking with table mates, it would just be better to be seated all at once.

 

On Royal Caribbean most of the tables are for 2, but there are 4, 6 and larger tables.

[terrierjohn]

I have not tried anytime dining and am not opposed to it yet, though I am not sold on it as an idea. One question I had is since there are limited 2 person tables, I assume people will be sat at larger tables. Does this mean during the middle of dinner that more people will be brought to your table to join you? I don't think I'd like to be interupted in the middle of dinner to have more people show up at the table. Not that I don't enjoy meeting and talking with table mates, it would just be better to be seated all at once.

On Princess the wait staff fill up the larger tables and then start to take their orders, I have never known further passengers to be seated after orders have been taken, even if the table was not full.

So I doubt you need to worry, and of course you can always continue with the traditional two seating dining if that is what you prefer.

[Tony UK]

We had both options on Princess. We opted for flexible dining, but switched to traditional - we were able to do this because they had space. We found there was always a line waiting for seating with the flexible dining on that sailing.

We couldnt swap back and forth between the 2 options. On that ship there were 2 dining rooms - one for traditional and one for flexible. I'm not sure how it will work in a mixed dining room.

 

Happy for the experiment though - it seems from this board that a lot of people find the idea attractive. Who knows - Celebrity just might be responding to those customer comment sheets!

Angie

[pete_coach]

OK, I read the whole thread and some like the idea and some don't, so be it. While I personally think it suits my lifestyle just fine because I choose to eat a different time when I am at home so this is no different, I can see the need to be herded while on vacation.

Anyway, that said, what happens to formal nights? How will the Tux and Gown crowd feel about mixing with the unwashed masses? Woo Hoo, that should stir things up :)

I am glad of this move and hope it happens before my cruise in September.

[hajekfam]

Anyone notice that Celebrity Select Dining has now disappeared from their website:mad:, I wonder why, could someone from X have been reading cruise critic?:cool:

Although the main dining arrangements heading still says the following:-

Whether you wish to dine when the mood strikes, or prefer a more traditional seating, Celebrity allows you to choose.

But there is no further mention of CSD after that.

Let's just hope it gets reinstated fairly soon.

That line also seems to be removed from Celebrity's website now.

[Bridge Maven]

OK, I read the whole thread and some like the idea and some don't, so be it. While I personally think it suits my lifestyle just fine because I choose to eat a different time when I am at home so this is no different, I can see the need to be herded while on vacation.

Anyway, that said, what happens to formal nights? How will the Tux and Gown crowd feel about mixing with the unwashed masses? Woo Hoo, that should stir things up :)

I am glad of this move and hope it happens before my cruise in September.

 

Anytime dining has no affect on formal night for people who eat in the main dining room. The only people who did not observe formal night on our Royal Caribbean Cruise that had this option were the people who ate in the buffet.

[Napi's Mom]

Thanks for asking this question. I was going to ask the same thing. I guess I do not get the connection either. Just because I want to dine at 7:30 doesn't mean I am lowering their standards or as someone else said "dumbing down America" I think it was? Heck, all I am doing is eating at a different time.

Please explain.

 

Thanks,

Duane

Just the fact they are using that phrase should clue you in to the fact they are reactionary rather than deliberating people...on my high horse again...but Dumbing down is a very big problem here in US and certainly has nothing to do with dining!! Being stuffy has nothing to do with being smart!

The open dining leads to nothing but....LUXURY cruiselines as Azamara & Oceania and even more high quality lines. These are FAR and above the service on Celebrity, and open dining ~COMPLETLY~ open dining is very much embraced by passengers.

 

By the way on mY reservations, on the Dining section..it now states "Traditional Dining" as a heading...and the 2 times...getting ready for the obvious second choice of "Select Dining"???