good experiences with select dining?

[mgmigs]

hi, i see a lot of criticism about the new select dining option. i would really like to try it. can anyone with positive experiences give some feedback please?

[redjetz]

Hi, we did select dining in July on Century and really liked it. We made a standing reservation for 7 pm before embarking, and changed it some nights. We were seated in the same area with the same wait staff each night, which was great, and we established a nice rapport with them.

 

The first couple nights of our 12-nighter the service was a bit rushed but then things settled into a nice pace.

 

We loved the flexibility. We also had the premium liquor package and it worked superbly. We plan to use select dining and the drink package on our winter cruise.

 

Hope that helps.

[jebl]

I have done the version of Select on RCI, CCL and Princess. All were just fine.

 

On Princess I was with a group of 18 and we made a standing ressie for the whole cruise. Worked out great. Only problem was we couldn't get 7PM only 6:30 (so they could turn the tables again. Not a problem really.

 

On RCI with a group of 6 we did the same thing. Great. On CCL with a very port intensive itinerary we winged it. Only had to wait once when we went to the early show and arrived at the dining room along with everyone else from the show. The wait was only about 10 minutes.

 

I think it is the greatest.

[Lsimon]

We've had two experiences with Select dining. Both were with larger groups.

 

The first on the Equinox last November was not good. It was difficult to get a table for our group which ranged from 8 to 10. Several times we were asked to wait in a lounge and told they would come and get us when our table was ready but they never did. Generally our seating took between 45 and 90 minutes to arrainge and we probably would have been better off with late seating.

 

Our second experience last month on the Century was the complete opposite. Our group of 7 was quickly seated every night and the service was great. Almost every night they put us at the same table or area with the same waiters. At first we made our reservations for the following night each night but after a few nights we settled into a recurring time and let that stand for the remainder of the cruise.

 

Both cruises were in Europe (the first was a TA) and we did select as the group wanted to dine in between the two fixed dining times.

 

We'd consider the select again but we've found we still really prefer the fixed time, especially late seating. The biggest thing we missed with select is that dining between the two fixed times made it more difficult to socialise with some fellow cruisers before or after dinner, other than those in our group. The in between times also would make it more difficult to attend the evening shows - although we're not big on those in any event. I also feel that even though our service in our second experience was great, that it is even better with fixed dining in most cases.

[Tudorcruisers]

We did it for the first time on Celebrity in Sept and it was really great. We just went down each evening when we felt like eating and had no waiting time at all. That may have been due to the fact there were just two of us and we were always happy to sit at a large table in order to meet other cruisers. I heard one evening a couple ask for a table for two and they were told it could be 15 mins.

 

It worked very well indeed for us and we met some very nice people.

[KarenMR]

Personally, I really have no problem with wait time before being seated. We're doing the select dining option on our upcoming Eclipse cruise, and don't plan on making reservations for any night. If we show up and are told it's 15 minutes or half an hour, we're OK with that - we just head for the martini bar! :p

 

Life is GOOD!

Karen

[dblane]

We did the Select dining on the Millinneum in September with a group of 7. We wanted 7pm, but were told all the times from 6:45p up till 8pm were already taken. We had to settle for 6:30pm. Apparently you can reserve online ahead of time. We were seated at one table the first night by a window which was nice and then moved to another in the middle of the room for the remainder of the cruise. Had same wait staff, and service was very slow, and they seemed like they needed more help. It often took a full two hours to eat. We complained after several days and service did improve. We will probably go back to set time next cruise.

[ConnMom]

Our first (and only) experience with select dining was on the Constellation last May and was excellent. We never had to wait to be seated, were always asked if we wanted a table for two or a larger table, and generally were served promptly. We met many interesting people, while having the flexibility to eat at a time that was convenient for us on any given day.

The only thing that select dining did not provide us was the personalized service that one receives by having the same server every evening, but the other benefits of select dining made it a good experience for us. We will do it again.

[ptcellen]

We had select dining on the Millennium this past Sept. We were four in our group and made 7:45 reservations every night. Some times we arrived up to 1/2 hr. early and were immediately seated. Try and ask for a table by the window as the tables are not as close. If you are seated in the middle, the tables are very close to each other and you hear everyone's conversation. We much prefer the select dining to the other. The service can be somewhat slow, so if you want to be served faster, tell them that you want to get to the shows on time and they will serve much faster.:)

Ellen

[JeffCoud]

We had a good experience this past September with Celebrity Select dining on the Summit. We generally would show up in the 7:15 - 7:30 range and only had to wait a little bit a few times. We never did make a standing reservation but somehow they knew to save our table! :) We were in a royal suite so perhaps that was it?

 

They seated us at the same 2-top (along the balcony rail overlooking the lower level, which was great) the whole week after the first night at another table. So we had the same wait staff, etc. Sommelier was slow, but we got in the habit early in the week of ordering a glass of champagne in the bar before seeing the maitre'd (a wonderful Philippino woman who was great!) so we had our first drink with us! We indicated early on we liked to be served fairly quickly and not drag dinner out and they fairly well accommodated that. Had some touchy scheduling making it to shows but we're easy going, whatevs right? We're on vacation!

 

Jeff

[BonnieVA]

Approx how long is dinner w/ Select? I've heard some say it's slow. Is it about the same amount of time as if you were in traditional dining?

[HUNKY]

Service seems to match your requests. If you need to eat quickly, they can accommodate you.

 

We liked the "My Time" dining on Royal, but we made reservations on our way out of the dining room each night. One night we needed to cancel, but waiting for a table took only five or ten minutes.

 

Our servers were usually the same, but not always.

 

Both options have always worked out great! We've always had a table for two, and professional servers.