Dinner with Captain?

[cruisewish]

How does one get selected to have dinner at the captain's table?

[Linda/Ohio]

Seems to be a variety of reasons. Being in the right place at the right time helps.

[Host Kewlguy]

Sometimes it's due to your loyalty status such as being Diamond or Diamond Plus. Or being booked in a higher level suite. Sometimes it helps having connections on board the ship such as knowing an officer, the captain, concierge, etc. Sometimes it's just plain luck.

[cruisewish]

Oh well. My husband would dearly love to do so. We're in an OS - maybe we'll have the opportunity.

[derrick22]

This past cruise in July I had the honor of sitting at the captains table.

 

We are platinum. Our other table mates varied from first timers to cruisers from Denmark to gold members. No rhyme or reason.

 

The only consistency that I could find was that each couple was the last ones sitting at their dinner table the night before. Our table mates had all run off to make the show and my DH and I were just sitting there enjoying our coffee and tea. That happened to the other couples.

 

I truly believe its the luck of the draw.

 

Denise

[Kaboochi]

What is special about dining with the captain? Just curious. Maybe the food is better when you dine at his table?

[Linda/Ohio]

The food is different at the Captain's Table-a separate menu. We've been asked and the asking did occur in the dining room. It was a nice experience. I would not have wanted to "pull strings" to get there--it was more fun that it was a serendipitous event.

[Priusprof]

How does one get selected to have dinner at the captain's table?

We were invited to the Captains table on our cruise to Brazil. I think partly because we were Diamond and partly because most of the Brazilians spoke only Portugese. One of our D+ acquaintances was also invited the same night. The menu is totally different from the DR.

[mation101]

What is special about dining with the captain? Just curious. Maybe the food is better when you dine at his table

 

 

 

The food doesnt even matter. It is a huge honor to be asked to dine with the Captain.

[TahoeBob]

It is a huge honor to be asked to dine with the Captain.

 

It would be a huge honor for the captain to have dinner with me. :D

 

I really don't get what all the fuss over this, after all he is just another worker on the ship. When i am on vacation I really don't care much about the help. and yes I tip very good, am polite to everyone. Just another paid employee.

[RevSmith]

It would be a huge honor for the captain to have dinner with me. :D

 

I really don't get what all the fuss over this, after all he is just another worker on the ship. When i am on vacation I really don't care much about the help. and yes I tip very good, am polite to everyone. Just another paid employee.

Wow!

[markuk]

wow!

 

lol

[alexpress]

How does one get selected to have dinner at the captain's table?

 

Our first time was on Radiance in 2003 in the caribbean. We renewed our

wedding vows and some of the things were not just right. We were invited to the Captain's table I think as compensation for the cock ups. They lost our cake which we never saw again.

 

The Captain chooses the menu for the meal which may be different from the normal meal.

 

The second time was in the Med on Voyager. By this time we were diamond. No idea why we were chosen for this one other than being diamond members.

[Londonlady]

We were invited to the Captains table on our 1st ever cruise. It was with Celebrity and we were in the cheapest cabin they had! One day we had a chat with a member of staff who was from UK, she was the Cruise Director, not that we knew what that was! Very sweet she was, and at the end of the conversation she asked us what cabin number we were. Next day an invite was delivered to our cabin for dinner with the Captain. We were so green we thought everybody must get one:D

I do remember the food was very good, and I particularly remember we had wonderful hand made chocolates with coffee:p

 

I think it really is luck of the drawer and that they try to have a mix of people, different nationalities, ages, 1st time cruisers and those with many under their belt. Obviously she was on a Captains Tablemates scout expedition that day:) Maybe our table manners were bad we haven't had an invite since;)

[cruisebunnies]

How does one get selected to have dinner at the captain's table?

at the prices they charge on the ships why would anyone want to dine with the hired help? i prefer to dine with the other paying guests.(lol)

[GaryfmCol]

We were invited to the Captains table on our 1st ever cruise. It was with Celebrity and we were in the cheapest cabin they had! One day we had a chat with a member of staff who was from UK, she was the Cruise Director, not that we knew what that was! Very sweet she was, and at the end of the conversation she asked us what cabin number we were. Next day an invite was delivered to our cabin for dinner with the Captain. We were so green we thought everybody must get one:D

I do remember the food was very good, and I particularly remember we had wonderful hand made chocolates with coffee:p

 

I think it really is luck of the drawer and that they try to have a mix of people, different nationalities, ages, 1st time cruisers and those with many under their belt. Obviously she was on a Captains Tablemates scout expedition that day:) Maybe our table manners were bad we haven't had an invite since;)

 

 

Interesting..

We have been invited to sit at the Captains table on Celebrity

about 5 times now. Once on our very first cruise. ~ On R.C.C.L.

we've never been invited...go figure.

 

On Celebrity even though we sat at the Captains table, the

Captain never sat with us..it was always a Senior Officer, however.

Another time on Celebrity, a hostess came up to our MDR table

of 6 and, invited ALL OF US to the next nights formal night

at the Captains table... We had an Air Force General sitting

with us at our MDR table, plus, we were having a good time...

Maybe the hostess saw that and, that was why she invited us.

 

Incidentially, we have had bridge tour invites, back stage invites,

galley tours all on Celebrity...never on R.C.C.L. were we invited

for anything! In fact, being a Diamond cruiser, they even took

away our Concierge Lounge evenings, effective Sept. 1.

No more free cocktails before dinner. If we want one before dinner,

we buy them now ourselves.

 

 

No wonder our next cruise in 2 days from now, is with Celebrity.

Seems Celebrity is where we belong.

 

As it seems,we're liked there... :rolleyes:

[CaroleSP]

The food is different at the Captain's Table-a separate menu. We've been asked and the asking did occur in the dining room. It was a nice experience. I would not have wanted to "pull strings" to get there--it was more fun that it was a serendipitous event.

 

We were invited to the Captains table on our cruise to Brazil. I think partly because we were Diamond and partly because most of the Brazilians spoke only Portugese. One of our D+ acquaintances was also invited the same night. The menu is totally different from the DR.

 

What is special about dining with the captain? Just curious. Maybe the food is better when you dine at his table

 

 

 

The food doesnt even matter. It is a huge honor to be asked to dine with the Captain.

We have only dined with the Captain on Celebrity; we have no idea why we were selected. Anyway, the menu was the same as all other tables. The only difference that evening was that we were asked to gather in a lounge near the DR entrance and were offered bar beverages at no cost. The beverage offers continued through dinner. I almost forgot to mention the roses given to the women guests. On a prior cruise a friend of ours was invited to dine with an officer; it was her first Celebrity cruise and she was a solo in an inside cabin. We have never been able to get anyone to admit to what the criteria might be for selection.

Last, but definitely not least, we received a photo of the table with all the guests noted by name in the folder and I believe it also has the cabin number.

[daveky]

As I've been told by Officers/Cruise Directors thru the years, each Captain has his own way he chooses passengers to dine with him. Some Captains ask the Hostess to pick out some passengers, some times it's frequent cruisers, some times the Captain himself meets you asking your cabin number and a invite appears in your cabin. Have dined with Captain Bang 3 times over the years. First time I know was luck of the draw on the Sun Viking in Alaska. Sailed with him on Song of America, met him at the Captain's cocktail party with me mentioning I had sailed with him on the Sun Viking and was invited on the spot by him personally. Sailed with him several years back on the Navigator and had my portrait taken with him in the Promenade and again mentioned I had sailed with him on the Sun Viking and Song of America. He asked my cabin number at that point and wispered something into the Hostess' ear and she caught up with me after the picture and extended a dinner invitation.

So, in my case was just thru conversation and luck of the draw. I know when I dined with him on the Song of America, there was a lady who had sailed with him 6 times each year for the past 5 years and she always had dinner with him for being such a repeat passenger.

 

Dave

[imsulin]

I think that sometimes, the leaders of group cruises receive an invitation to dine with the Captain. Back in the early 90's a group of us (30-35 teachers) did two Celebrity cruises (Zenith and Horizon), and each time, our group leader and her husband had dinner with the Captain. In 2006, I was on a CruiseCritic group cruise on the Jewel, and the group leader also dined with the Captain. Same thing on the NCL Seaward (same group of teachers), and the NCL Norway back in the late 80's. (same group of teachers). On the HAL Zuiderdam in about 2002/3, it was a theme cruise (GARFIELD!) Imagine my surprise when a ship full of orange-clad Garfield afficiandos with stuffed cats, hats, balloons, etc. greeted me upon embarcation! (The old "Nobody-told-me-this-was-a-theme-cruise-until-I-boarded" complete surprise!) Anyway, not only did the group leader dine with the Captain (resplendent in head to toe orange, including orange hair), he was introduced to the entire dining room, and we had orange sherbet for dessert! And that "group of teachers"..we all worked in the same school, and began cruising during Spring Break every year in about 1987...until Spring Break cruising became too wild and obnoxious for us old fogies. We sure had some great times!!

[struther1]

It would be a huge honor for the captain to have dinner with me. :D

 

I really don't get what all the fuss over this, after all he is just another worker on the ship. When i am on vacation I really don't care much about the help. and yes I tip very good, am polite to everyone. Just another paid employee.

God you sound just like me. I always tell the wife I don't get it but I thought it was just me. I didn't want to eat with the bus driver when I was on a school field trip and I don't want to eat with the guy driving the boat (I know it's a ship) now.

[FLACRUISER99]

How does one get selected to have dinner at the captain's table?

The Captain picks you!!

[KuffMUp]

I really don't get what all the fuss over this, after all he is just another worker on the ship. When i am on vacation I really don't care much about the help. and yes I tip very good, am polite to everyone. Just another paid employee.

 

Kind of like my eye surgeon. Don't know why anyone would put up a fuss over which one did the surgery. After all, he is just a paid employee. When I am getting surgery, I really don't care much about the help or facility.:eek:

[struther1]

Kind of like my eye surgeon. Don't know why anyone would put up a fuss over which one did the surgery. After all, he is just a paid employee. When I am getting surgery, I really don't care much about the help or facility.:eek:

Boy I sure do. I care about the facility and that I have the best doctor I can but I don't want to eat dinner with my surgeon either.

[yogimax]

I don't want to eat dinner with my surgeon either.

 

Unless s/he carves the turkey!

[FLACRUISER99]

Boy I hope I don't have ever to eat with all these people that think the Captain is just hired help.