tapemann

Be warned about the Infinite Verandas on the Edge. If one person gets up early and wants to sit on the Balcony and opens the shade, The WHOLE cabin is flooded with light and the 2^nd person could wake up. CEL need to add a 2^nd dark Curtin at the start of the Balcony to keep the light out. They are testing adding Tint or frosting to the Glass. This will not work!

Be warned about the Infinite Verandas on the Edge. If one person gets up early and wants to sit on the Balcony and opens the shade, The WHOLE cabin is flooded with light and the 2^nd person could wake up. CEL need to add a 2^nd dark Curtin at the start of the Balcony to keep the light out. They are testing adding Tint or frosting to the Glass. This will not work!

Frosted Glass won't keep the light out. Only a Blackout Curtin addition will work!

The problem with the IV Cat is that the only cabin Dark shade is at the end of the Balcony. If one person gets up early and wants to sits on the Balcony and raises the shade, The WHOLE Cabin is flooded with light. No one can sleep.

If HAL want to cut down on Food Waste, they should start with the Buffet! There is where people fill plates and don't eat ALL. This $10 Charge in the MDR is BS, it's just to make more profit!! If your first choice isn't to you liking order something different. If they charge you Dispute it with you Credit Card Co. They will take it off your statement. Complain Direct to Guest Services. DON"T wait until you get home. That's too late!!

If one person awakes in the Morning and wants to sit on the Veranda while the 2nd person sleeps the WHOLE Cabin gets flooded with light! There are NO Darkening shade  at the folding wall at the start of the Veranda. There is only ONE shade on the Veranda. CEL needs to put a 2nd set of room darkening curtins next to the folding wall.

I would NOT Book again until the IV cabins have been modified.

There is only One Room Darkening Blind. If Someone is up Early and wants to Sit on the Veranda and they open the Blind the Whole Room is flooded this light. CEL say they have NO plans to add a 2nd Blind so someone can sit on the Veranda and still keep the cabin Dark in the AM.

My two cents after taking several Carnival cruises over the past few years and just took my first Royal on LOS last week:

 

I fully expected the food to be better on Royal but was surprised that it was not. Salt is overused on almost all dishes. The so-called drawn butter served with lobster tails tasted like movie theater popcorn “butter”. And instead of serving real butter with bread, margarine was in its place. Even in Giovanni and Chops.

 

Compared to the steak houses on Carnival, Chops paled in comparison. The food was not as good and over salted, much of the waitstaff was aloof, and the tables are crowded together so that we felt like sardines. Carnival steakhouses really do know how to bring that “wow” factor with all of the little things that add up. Some subtle improvements could make a huge difference.

 

I was really hoping to be wowed by RC food but was not, especially since we loved everything else Royal offered. Everyone traveling with me agreed.

 

 

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I agree with you. I sailed in Sep '17 & Feb '18 on Grandeur. The Food has gone down hill. I have called them and told they have too much Salt in the food. I always ask for Steamed Veg at every meal.

We were so looking forward to our first ocean cruise and our brief time aboard the Celebrity Solstice exceeded all our expectations.

 

Sadly, a death in the family forced an early end to our planned 2 week vacation after just 4 days.

 

Our Concierge was sympathetic and very helpful arranging our prompt disembarkation after docking in Hobart, assuring us all cancellations would be handled.

 

It was therefore very disappointing to be charged the full amount for the remainder of our specialty restaurant bookings and drinks package upon the ship docking in Auckland on 9 December.

 

Equally disappointing was the e-mail received from Celebrity Guest Relations Leadership Team 30 days after our premature disembarkation in Hobart inviting me to take a short survey regarding my most recent interaction with a staff member from the Post Cruise Customer Relations Team. I had no interaction with anyone from Post Cruise Customer Relations.

 

Most disappointing, however, is Celebrity's continued silence 2 months after forwarding them the funeral notice and assuring our premature disembarkation was indeed due to the passing of my mother and certainly not a reflection of our on board experience.

 

Is it too much to ask for acknowledgement of our circumstances? A consideration for future bookings?

Has anyone else experienced similar misfortune? How did Celebrity respond?

Did you have Ins? CEL or 3rd party?

How do you know that there won't be any two tops available?

I don't want a Two Top. I like the way Traditional is now. 8 or 10 top and meet new people for the duration of the Cruise.

 

How many times, and on how many threads, must you be told this isn’t true! People with set dining times may try the other three as well!

 

Not according to Celebrity. If you are given Early or Late in one Dining room one table for 8 or 10 same Waiter & Busboy you can't change to the other Dining room other nights.

 

There was no mention of rotation. They said when you pick early or late seating (traditional dining) there will then be an option to pick a specific dining venue. Your wait staff will only be consistent in that venue, if you choose to eat in one of the other main dining rooms you will have different servers.

 

 

Celebrity is saying that there will be no rotation. If you are put to One Dining room you will miss out on 25% of the Menu items in the other Rooms that night.

Clearly, you did not bother to read any of the readily available information about Celebrity’s new MDR concept for the Edge before posting completely inaccurate information. Further, you didn’t bother to begin this thread in the section of the board dedicated to the Edge. Some people have honest questions and concerns. Some people like nothing more than sowing discord. Which of these are you?

If you Only want to sit Early or Late at a Table for 8 or 10. not knowing the other 6 or 8 couples. Plus not going to any other Restaurants where you have to pay Extra for a meal you have already paid for. You will be placed at one of 4 Dining rooms. You Will miss out each evening on 25% of the dishes offered that night in the other Dining rooms.

To quote the famous phrase from another thread, "Choice is good." Celebrity Edge has far more dining choices that any cruise ship to date. Many of us will relish that [pun intended ;)] Those who will only be satisfied with old-style set dining where you have one table/one waitstaff/one set of dining companions [which by the way you can't invite new friends to join]/and one comprehensive menu – sorry, Celebrity doesn't offer that any more. But there are other cruise lines that do. Choice is good. Make the choice that suits you.

But other aspects of the ship are nice.

That might be a disaster as Disney does not have any Select Dining. Everyone is on Traditional Dining on Disney.

That is not a bad thing

Used to be much easier with only early and late dining. But once Specialty Dining grew popular, we often sat alone at our table..and were away ourselves a few nights. So that really needed to change.

 

Concept of 4 sep rooms seems promising...better if all go for Select.

 

We will be happy to have BLU...plus a few Specialty res for first EDGE cruise...only a week.

 

Maybe for a future cruise we'll take a Concierge room and try the multi dining concept.,,after any kinks are worked out.

 

Hope everyone gives it a chance

If you like paying extra for meals you already bought.

Are you blind or just choosing to ignore posts? Several people have pointed out that even with set dining you can change restaurants yet you continue to rant.

But you would have different people at the table. I want to stay with the new people for meals. This only works if you want to change table mates. Plus as someone else pointed out wait times happen or you get shut out of the one you want.

Did you miss this ?

 

cruisers who select set dining do not have to stick to just one of the four main restaurants. Instead, they will be able to change their restaurant nightly if they'd like.

No I didn't miss. But the whole table of 8 or 10 would have to move. It would be easier to just change the menu each night. The thing is to stay with the othewr that I meet the whole cruise.

And it will be quite an experience when you get the bill at the end of the cruise:o

It seams lit they want to make more money on meals you paid for in the cruise fare. What happened to the Cruise over the years. Just raise the price and include all the different Restaurants.

I’d give them a chance before claiming it a failure. As people who always do Select, I think it’s great. I’m excited about the new dining options. If you’re a set time person and want to try a dish from the other dining rooms menu, you’ll have to be willing to adjust...

 

 

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I'm a Late person. I shouldn't have to adjust. They should think of the Cust desire.

It does appear that like Quantum Class there will be 4 separate Main Dining room venues, each with its own unique decor and layout.

 

Now, the $25,000 question is will all 4 have the same menus each evening with those on traditional dining being assigned a fixed table in one of the 4 for the entire cruise, or will Celebrity try the (failed) concept that parent company Royal did with "Dynamic Dining" with each venue having its own unique menu and those on traditional dining rotating through the 4 venues with same staff and table mates. Celebrity Select diners, most likely, could choose which of the 4 they wished to dine in each evening regardless of which way they go with the menus.

 

 

 

It will be interesting to see which direction they take. I personally would love to see them go the route of a different menu rotation for each venue with an always available choice of "Celebrity Classics" shared by all menu rotations. Would certainly allow a much broader MDR experience!

They are NOT offering All the same Menu. Only 75% will be the same. If you elect to be Late for example the same table mates in the same Rest every night and late you will miss 25% of the Items. They are not rotating the Menu or Dining rooms.

Okay, what is the issue? One on Select Dining who wishes to eat at 5.30p every night can reserve that time slot every night with same wait staff, if they want to change venues, they can select whichever venue they wish to eat in, the issue, as possibly being posed is, not the same wait staff for each venue...???

 

bon voyage

The problem is if people want Late with all the same group and not have to make Rez. Just walk in sit down and have 100% of the items for that day on the Menu. They can't the way it is now. They would miss out on 25% of the dishes since they are not presented them. It could be one couple that want to meet new couples and stay as one table the way it is now. Celebrity is forcing people into their mold. The cust is always right. But not according to Celebrity.

The new dining would work if they just offered 100% of the Menu items to ALL those that like early or Late seating instead of only 75%

Not according to the Cruise Critic article on the dining reveal:

Cruisers on Celebrity Edge will be able to choose between set dining and the flexible Celebrity Select program. The big difference on Edge, however, will be that cruisers who select set dining do not have to stick to just one of the four main restaurants. Instead, they will be able to change their restaurant nightly if they'd like.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=8438

Here is what I got back from Celebrity

"thanks for reaching out! Here is the way we are handling this! If you want early or late and same table and same waiter you submit early or late. We're will preassign your table and restaurant. The guest will get their assignment when they arrive just like today they get their table assignment when they arrive. If the guest doesn't like the restaurant we preassigned they can go change it at dining coor. That will be their place and table and waiter for the cruise. If they want to do all four then they choose Celebrity Select plus and they pick the place and the time. Today for Celebrity select they just pick the time. So the guest gets the choice. All four restaurants will serve 75 percent the same things and the menu changes every night. 25 percent is just for that restaurant and stays the same!

Rotational Dining, Disney does it or just rotate the Menu. Many like set times but don't want to miss out.