How crowded will the MDR be after Luminae is created

Since they are taking away another part of the upper dining area on the M-class ships (not sure about the s-class ships) and the current MDR room is already filled with tables that are close together, etc...it certainly seems like select dining space will be reduced (perhaps below when it was just 1/2 of the upper dining area) and they have more people per square foot to feed in the MDR overall.

One wonders just how they are going to fit all the non aqua, non suite guests in for dinner?

Probably the way Delta Airlines carved out the extra leg room for the Economy Comfort section, squeeze the remaining seats into a smaller space.

Since they are taking away another part of the upper dining area on the M-class ships (not sure about the s-class ships) and the current MDR room is already filled with tables that are close together, etc...it certainly seems like select dining space will be reduced (perhaps below when it was just 1/2 of the upper dining area) and they have more people per square foot to feed in the MDR overall.

 

One wonders just how they are going to fit all the non aqua, non suite guests in for dinner?

Why would there be more people in the MDR? There will be the empty seats that the suite guests filled using Select or Traditional dining. Same number of people on the ship just relocated differently. I am sure a lot of Suite guests used Select dining so that will free up space.

Why would there be more people in the MDR? There will be the empty seats that the suite guests filled using Select or Traditional dining. Same number of people on the ship just relocated differently. I am sure a lot of Suite guests used Select dining so that will free up space.

Greetings

The walls and doorways will take up space. The total available area will be less. In addition, the suite restaurant may have less tables per given area to allow suite guest a more elegant setting. That is all going to take away space from the MDR.

Select dining has become very popular on most sailings. It will be interesting to see how this all works out.

Good Sailing

Tom

Not that I am rolling my eyes on this topic as I think it can be discussed in meaningful ways, but the immediate assumption is that "space is being taken away" and more people are going to be crammed into less space.

IMO, this couldn't be further from the reality of the situation.

Prior to the full roll-out of the Suite Benefits, any guest booked into a suite is designated with the MDR as their primary dining venue.

Now, after the roll-out of the Suite Benefits, any guest booked into a suite will be dining in the new suite dining room (if they so choose). In addition, Sky Suite and Celebrity Suite and Signature Suite guests will have access to a complimentary specialty restaurant (depending on length of sailing, it could be two). For those suite guests in Royal Suites and higher, they will have unlimited access to specialty restaurant dining. And all suite guests will still have the availability to dine in Blu if they are interested to do so.

What this really does is it takes a defined amount of physical space from the MDR and devotes it to exclusive service of the suite guests. I'm going to guess that because the suite dining room will be open over a period of time (probably 5:30 - 10:00 PM) for dinner guests to come and go as they want (and/or go elsewhere on any given night), the amount of space taken away from the remaining MDR guests will have minimal negative impact. Quite possibly, it could have the positive effect of allowing tables to be further apart on the floor of the MDR, and thus creating more space to navigate for people and waitstaff and quite possibly less noise due to fewer people (guests and waitstaff) in the MDR portion of the room.

And when this all blows over, as all things do, this will have been more "much ado about nothing".

Using Reflection as an example. According to the Celebrity Fact Sheet:

• 3030 - Ship Capacity at Double Occupancy
  
• 1460 - Seats in Opus
  
• 2920 - Seats in Opis available over 2 seatings
  
• 110 too few seats in opus to seat every single person on the ship for dinner
  

• 153 - Seats in Blu
  

• 43 - Net extra seats left in Opus if all Aqua guests dine in Blu
  

• 76 - Seats in Murano
  
• 90 - Seats in Qsine
  
• 144 - Seats in Tuscan
  
• 48 - Seats in Porch
  
• 72 - Seats in Bostro on 5
  
• 885 - Seats in Ocean View Cafe
  

• 107 - Number of Suites
  
• 214 - Number of Suite PAX at double Occupancy, already earmarked to Opus MDR
  
• 300 - Seats being removed fromMDR to accommodate Suite Dining per a post by Arno in another thread
  
• 86 - number of net seats removed from OPUS
  
• 172 - number of seats missing over 2 seatings in Opus, however remember we had 43 extra seats with diners in BLU, so net shortage of 129 seats, if all guests dined in Opus, which of course will never happen given specialty dining choices and Ocean View cafe.
  

Seems a non-issue really of not being able to accommodate all guests wishing to dine, even with the changes.

Any analysis that assumes that all Suite guests have been dining in MDR needs to be updated to take into account the recent threads complaining about Suite guests clogging up Blu. So methinks MDR will indeed get more crowded under the new plan. Along with cuts in MDR food budget, this is obviously part of an overall plan to force people to book more expensive cabins (AQ or Suites) and/or to dine in the specialty restaurants.

This is a business decision that will boost the bottom line short-term. What it will do as people discover that the regular Celebrity experience ain't what she used to be ... only time will tell. There is an interview in today's Wall Street Journal with the head of American Express, who has been under pressure from activist shareholders to reduce the benefits for Amex cardholders: "I can cut a lot of expenses and we can look pretty good for a year or two, but then our business goes away."

Using Reflection as an example. According to the Celebrity Fact Sheet:

 

• 3030 - Ship Capacity at Double Occupancy
  
• 1460 - Seats in Opus
  
• 2920 - Seats in Opis available over 2 seatings
  
• 110 too few seats in opus to seat every single person on the ship for dinner
  

 

• 153 - Seats in Blu
  

 

• 43 - Net extra seats left in Opus if all Aqua guests dine in Blu
  

 

• 76 - Seats in Murano
  
• 90 - Seats in Qsine
  
• 144 - Seats in Tuscan
  
• 48 - Seats in Porch
  
• 72 - Seats in Bostro on 5
  
• 885 - Seats in Ocean View Cafe
  

 

• 107 - Number of Suites
  
• 214 - Number of Suite PAX at double Occupancy, already earmarked to Opus MDR
  
• 300 - Seats being removed fromMDR to accommodate Suite Dining per a post by Arno in another thread
  
• 86 - number of net seats removed from OPUS
  
• 172 - number of seats missing over 2 seatings in Opus, however remember we had 43 extra seats with diners in BLU, so net shortage of 129 seats, if all guests dined in Opus, which of course will never happen given specialty dining choices and Ocean View cafe.
  

 

Seems a non-issue really of not being able to accommodate all guests wishing to dine, even with the changes.

In addition, Select dining often "turns a table" three times during the evening (they start earlier and end later) opening up even more seats. This is especially handy as more people are selecting "Select"!

I don't see much of an issue with carving out space for Luminae. I am hoping this new space for Suite guests will eliminate some of the crowding that occasionally happens in Blu.

In addition, Select dining often "turns a table" three times during the evening (they start earlier and end later) opening up even more seats. This is especially handy as more people are selecting "Select"!

I don't see much of an issue with carving out space for Luminae. I am hoping this new space for Suite guests will eliminate some of the crowding that occasionally happens in Blu.

Exactly, and BLU (and all specialties and Ocean view for that matter) turns seats too, so even more of a non-issue.

There are always empty seats all over the MDR, less empties on first night, but I've seen 10 tops empty, even the 12 tops by captains table go empty, as groups form and do specialty dining together.

There are plenty of seats in MDR to accommodate, even with changes.

No Chicken Little, the sky is not falling. :D

Ghstudio has posed a question I also wonder about. While MDR passengers will be accommodated it will be interesting to see if those MDR tables are even closer together once Luminae is added. The noise level in the M-class dining rooms is already high, but if the tables are even closer together will that noise level be even more miserable?

Ghstudio has posed a question I also wonder about. While MDR passengers will be accommodated it will be interesting to see if those MDR tables are even closer together once Luminae is added. The noise level in the M-class dining rooms is already high, but if the tables are even closer together will that noise level be even more miserable?

There's 1400 people in the current space, there will be 1400 in the revised space. No more people, shouldn't be any more noise. Its just that 300 moved from upstairs downstairs, and 270 moved down to up, and actually plenty of the 20 moving up were already up.

Unless you think people will be loudly complaining about the suite guests in the suite dining room, then maybe it would be louder.

It's just moving people around within existing seating....with different chairs and carpet in a particular area now.

......

 

It's just moving people around within existing seating....with different chairs and carpet in a particular area now.

Until we actually see how Luminae is carved out of the MDR it could be moving people around a smaller MDR space.

Until we actually see how Luminae is carved out of the MDR it could be moving people around a smaller MDR space.

we now have 1400 guests (1100 standard cabins and 300 suite guests) dining in the full space.

We will soon have 1100 dining in the space and 300 in the space, upstairs, where now select diners are, so those select diners will move downstairs where the suite guests used to me mingled in among the others.

1400 = 1400 no matter how one looks at it.

we now have 1400 guests (1100 standard cabins and 300 suite guests) dining in the full space.

 

We will soon have 1100 dining in the space and 300 in the space, upstairs, where now select diners are, so those select diners will move downstairs where the suite guests used to me mingled in among the others.

 

1400 = 1400 no matter how one looks at it.

There is a real danger when one looks at the trees and ignores the forest. Simple math doesn't tell the story here. The tables are already too close for waiters and busboys to get around. Select which is getting more popular will have less seats....or perhaps the entire ship will become select dining (if they dare...but that probably would really lose passengers).

More than likely the decision was made with more weight given to the "we have to give the suite guests a bit more to justify our charging much more" side.....vs the passenger retention/"modern luxury" reality side. I think that we all have to wait to see how it works out.

We've booked a B2B south america cruise in 2016 and those are the cruise where we decided to try the MDR again. We're Blu'ed out, having done Blu on the last five or six cruises....so we booked select dining. Hopefully, the reports about the MDR after the change will pleasantly surprise with non-reduced service and equal or better food...But that leaves me many months to see how things play out. I booked with a TA that doesn't charge a cancellation fee...knowing that these are two cruises that might well be cancelled due to the change.

Our 2015 cruises are on other cruise lines because there is too much change going on at Celebrity that effect us "common folk" and we just don't book suites....we're quite happy in aqua or CC. We'll be following cruise critic closely as the changes play out.

As select diners, we have already been assigned seats downstairs mingled in with the traditional diners when select was full and they had empty tables downstairs.

Whenever we are seated at the railing in select and look down, we see tables with empty spaces below us, as well as entire empty tables.

They can always switch the traditional and select dining areas for future cruises if it becomes necessary.

The last time we attended a Q&A session with senior staff and the subject came up, the reply was that they are trending toward multiple smaller dining venues of different types and away from the traditional "one size fits all" cruise ship concept of one large dining room for all passengers where everyone is expected to dress alike.

As expected the reason given was "to provide our guests with more varied food and dress choices" not because it is more lucrative for the cruise line to do it that way. ;)

As select diners, we have already been assigned seats downstairs mingled in with the traditional diners when select was full and they had empty tables downstairs.

 

Whenever we are seated at the railing in select and look down, we see tables with empty spaces below us, as well as entire empty tables.

 

They can always switch the traditional and select dining areas for future cruises if it becomes necessary.

 

 

The last time we attended a Q&A session with senior staff and the subject came up, the reply was that they are trending toward multiple smaller dining venues of different types and away from the traditional cruise ship concept of one large dining room for all passengers where everyone is expected to dress alike.

 

As expected the reason given was "to provide our guests with more varied food and dress choices" not because it is more lucrative for the cruise line to do it that way. ;)

 

Don't assume that when you see our table empty at the early seating that it has not been booked. That is what is nice about Traditional, that we can dine where we want ie buffet if feeling lazy and come back the next night to our table that is sitting there waiting for us:) We always request tables in the centre as it is much quieter than up in Select or on the sides under Blu and Select. I think it has to do with the low ceilings trapping the sounds. We don't find it noisy at all in the centre and find our group can converse easily.

Because we always tell our waiter if we will be missing a dinner I think it would be fine if they put Select diners at our table for that night. But just for that night lol!!

Don't assume that when you see our table empty at the early seating that it has not been booked. .......

I very much doubt that anyone would make such an assumption, since they have all the table assignments in their computer system.

We were told that they wait a half hour after the beginning of traditional early or late seating before they start assigning select diners to empty tables in traditional dining, just in case the traditional diners should show up after all.

Because we always tell our waiter if we will be missing a dinner I think it would be fine if they put Select diners at our table for that night. But just for that night lol!!

And when this all blows over, as all things do, this will have been more "much ado about nothing".

Seems a non-issue really of not being able to accommodate all guests wishing to dine, even with the changes.

I love voices of reason.

Thank You!

It will still be the same total number of people for the same total space, only with the space divided up differently.

The space taken up by walls and doorways should be minimal.

For people in the MDR that should make no difference other than losing the windows on the side where the new dining room goes,

My concern is whether the quality of food in the MDR will suffer once they introduce the new suite dining room.

With the suite passengers and the aqua passengers removed from the MDR, it remains to be seen what happens to the food provided for the remaining passengers from the lower priced staterooms.

People used to brag that they paid very little and got the same meals as those in the top level suites, but now that will no longer be the case.

Looking at the picture it appears as if the tables have more space allocated per table so it is a possibility that space ratio in the MDR may not be the same as it is now. But does that mean that the tables that are being eliminated in the MDR will be the same number of tables in the new restuarant? It could possibly be less as it is anytime dining and nothing will change in the MDR except for less tables that were removed to make space for the new area.

How did it affect the M class when they carved out a section for Blu?

Too much worry about somethig that we have no control over.

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

This will become areal issue as the 300 seats are removed during the construction phase for approximately three weeks.

Pasengers booked during February - March will find themselves confined to a seriously restricted dining room until the new restaurant opens.

This will become areal issue as the 300 seats are removed during the construction phase for approximately three weeks.

 

Pasengers booked during February - March will find themselves confined to a seriously restricted dining room until the new restaurant opens.

I certainly hope not since I will be sailing in March. I will go with an open mind and hope for the best. But if it is seriously restricted it will probably cause this to be our first and last cruise on Celebrity. I know we can go to specialty restaurants. But we do not even consider this because we are vegetarian and the cost is ridiculous for a vegetarian meal.

Getting a sinking feeling about availability for Aqua class guests dining in Blu being pushed out by suite guests. :(

I was talking to the reps yesterday and asked about this and was told on the M class it will not be taken from the MDR.

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Greetings

Just think about the airlines. When they take an airplane and add 10 more rows of 1st class seats but keep the total number of seats the same, where does the extra space come from? Yea, you guessed it, the coach seats. You can say this change will be the same number of seats just being moved around but if they decide to give more square footage/table to the suite dining room then the space will come from the regular dining room.

I guess we will all just have to wait until they actually convert a ship and cruisers report back to know if the regular MDR has been squeezed.

Good Sailing

Tom