Dining situation, am I right or wrong?

[SMSACE6]

I am not going on this cruise, but my parents are and will be met on board by my aunt and uncle from Europe.

My parents booked their cruise over a month ago, to go alone, just the two of them. Then my aunt and uncle from Germany decided they wanted to join them and proceeded to book a cruise from over there.

It is on the Equinox in March. My parents have Select (anytime?) dining, and my aunt and uncle have booked set time early dining. My aunt and uncle dont speak english and dont understand the concept of anytime dining, so are reluctant to change or request a change. I am telling my mother to call Celebrity now and request early set time dining and to be linked with her brothers booking.

My mother insists that she can get things changed once they board the ship. But I think, that the earlier they try to arrange dining together, the better chance. There is no guarantee that they will be able to dine together by waiting till boarding time.

Am I right or is my Mom? Is it pretty easy to rearrange dining on Celebrity on the boarding day? Thanks for any advice.:)

[VaTech8912]

Both are right/Neither are wrong. It can be done either way. However, I have found it easier and less stressful for me to make a phone call prior to the cruise vs standing in line to get it changed on the cruise. Personal preference

[bphman]

If they go to the Maitre d' as soon as they board, I doubt they will have any difficulty changing their dining situation. Or, your aunt and uncle can change to select. I have never had difficulty changing my dining status. You can call Celebrity ahead of time but I am sure they will tell you to have them change it on board.

[Kirsten T]

I've never done this, but I think it would probably be easier to do onboard, with the sailing date being pretty close. And because your Mom and Dad have already pre-paid their gratuities with Select dining, I think your Uncle and Aunt can change to Select easier than going from Select to Traditional (I'm not sure you can do that, plus the early seating was completely filled on our January Equinox cruise - very popular.) In my experience, it's far easier to do this kind of thing in person with the dining room managers who know exactly what their table situation is. Celebrity's phone reps won't have a clue.

We had Select dining in January and it worked really well; your folks and Aunt and Uncle can even make a standing reservation if they'd like, but they wouldn't have any trouble getting a 4-top at 6:15 if they just walked in. The entire top restaurant deck is Select, with the lower deck being Traditional. We typically ate around 6:30 and there were plenty of open tables. It got busy around 7-7:15.

Hope they have a great time!
Cheers,
Kirsten

[vivi9909]

I am sure that the Maitre D' will do his best to accomodate them but sometimes one of the fixed seating can be fully booked. You are right, they would put the chances on their side by making the request as soon as possible; why running after the trouble if it can be fixed now?

Your mother doesn't need to phone Celebrity if she is not fully fluent in English; that can be done on the X web site by logging in with her account (or creating one), entering her reservation number and then going to "manage my reservation". On that page, she can indicate her dining option and join it with an other one; I think she will have to indicate the reservation number or the cabin number of the party she wants to be joined with.

If she reserved with a TA, he can take care of that for her.

Good luck! Edited February 1, 2014 by vivi9909

[SMSACE6]

Thank you all for your quick responses. I am reassured now. My parents have travelled often on Celebrity, so I guess my Mom knows best how to deal with it. I just overreact sometimes. Thanks again all. I hope to get back on a Celebrity cruise again some day.:)

[Nanny2Trey]

I would make the change now. We have frequently found select dining to be full when we book. And we almost always book cruises early. Then if they can't get it changed pre cruise I would still give it a try after I got there. We have also found early seating to be full when we have booked.

Linda

[Tiggertastic]

make sure if you do it before you go that they share their reservation numbers with each other and link the reservations together so that they get placed on the same table.

If not linked online (as sometimes they cannot link reservations made in different currencies as theyuse different systems) still go and see the maitre D to ensure that they do get put onto the same table

[drarill]

[quote name='SMSACE6']Thank you all for your quick responses. I am reassured now. My parents have travelled often on Celebrity, so I guess my Mom knows best how to deal with it. I just overreact sometimes. Thanks again all. I hope to get back on a Celebrity cruise again some day.:)[/QUOTE]
Hope they have a great time!! But I agree with you, it will be better to make the change now. :):)

[Redtravel]

Once you board, explain the situation. Then have the maitr'd in select reserve a table for you at your requested time. Or if you all want to eat at the regulated time, then call Celebrity and ask that you be seated at the same table. I prefer to wait. Select dining is more flexible. On my last cruise, we sat with 2 other couples that we met early on the cruise. We went to the select maitr'd and requested a specific table/waiter for a set time each night. Worked well. Waiter appreciated knowing that his table was occupied every night. Loved the arrangement. It is especially nice if the 2 set seating times are not good for you.