Select vs Traditional dining quesitons

[Tedw]

I tried to search this out but mostly get threads that are several years old so I'm just going to ask. :-)

 

We will be taking our first cruise on Celebrity this January. On other cruise lines the consensus was that Traditional dinning generally got better service and often better meals. We have also always enjoyed having he same wait staff who quickly learn our preferences.

 

However, in reading reviews I get bits and pieces that lead me to believe that Select Dining may be best for us. Here is what I am hearing and would like to hear the thoughts of those that have experienced the select dinning options.

 

• You are quickly seated within minutes in general and even quicker if you have called in a reservation.
  
• The delivery of food and the quality of food and service is of the same quality as in the traditional dinning option.
  
• The tables are less crowded/close than in Traditional dining.
  
• You can request the same wait staff from night to night if you wish and generally get that without undue delay.
  

 

If those things are mostly true than the flexibility to set our dining time each day would make select a desirable option. So, what do you think?

[monicajay]

 

• You are quickly seated within minutes in general and even quicker if you have called in a reservation.
  
• The delivery of food and the quality of food and service is of the same quality as in the traditional dinning option.
  
• The tables are less crowded/close than in Traditional dining.
  
• You can request the same wait staff from night to night if you wish and generally get that without undue delay.
  

 

 

We enjoyed 'Select' on our one and only Celebrity cruise and have selected it for our 2 next cruises booked. That being said:

 

• Sometimes minutes was 10-15 even if we made a reservation
  
• Can't comment on this one as it was our first Celebrity
  
• Some of the tables were very close. That's why we often chose to wait for a better table
  
• Despite trying to get the same wait staff, it didn't work for us
  

I love not having a schedule so will tolerate any other inconveniences.

[BourbonNBluesLuvr]

I tried to search this out but mostly get threads that are several years old so I'm just going to ask. :-)

 

We will be taking our first cruise on Celebrity this January. On other cruise lines the consensus was that Traditional dinning generally got better service and often better meals. We have also always enjoyed having he same wait staff who quickly learn our preferences.

 

However, in reading reviews I get bits and pieces that lead me to believe that Select Dining may be best for us. Here is what I am hearing and would like to hear the thoughts of those that have experienced the select dinning options.

 

• You are quickly seated within minutes in general and even quicker if you have called in a reservation.
  
• The delivery of food and the quality of food and service is of the same quality as in the traditional dinning option.
  
• The tables are less crowded/close than in Traditional dining.
  
• You can request the same wait staff from night to night if you wish and generally get that without undue delay.
  

 

If those things are mostly true than the flexibility to set our dining time each day would make select a desirable option. So, what do you think?

 

Hi…

 

First, Love your profile picture ! One of my college dorm-mates at UofO was the mascot when I was there ! And I just spent a fantastic Homecoming weekend back there a few weeks ago ! Go Ducks !

 

Our experience…

* Have always been seated quickly, with only one or two occasions having to wait (without reservation) a few minutes.

* Have done Traditional and Select, and have always been highly satisfied with the quality and service in both venues.

* Not sure about less crowded/not as close. I am a "shy" guy, but got to know my "neighbors" quite well in the Select venue !!

* Had excellent experiences requesting and being seated in the same area with same staff, night after night. Kudos to the Restaurant Managers for making this happen.

 

Enjoy your first, and my guess, not your last, Celebrity cruise !

 

BBL

Edited November 18, 2014 by BourbonNBluesLuvr

[jelayne]

Generally seated within 3-4 minutes with a reservation, on occasion have had to wait 10-15 minutes.

 

Find quality of food to be the same. As with traditional dining service is dependent on the servers. In select you can request the same servers, but they may not have a table available when you arrive.

 

Most of the tables for 2 are quite close together, could easily be a table for 4. I have seen some that have more space around them but often they are next to the servers station.

 

We like the flexibility of select but miss having the same servers every night.

[Northern Aurora]

We have done both traditional and select dining. When in Aqua Class (i.e. when on the Century) we have used select after a particularly "interesting" experience with a couple who could not get along at our final traditional experience (it actually was rather entertaining).

 

Our experience in select:

*No problems being seated in a requested waiter's section.

*No wait longer than 5 to 7 minutes despite not making reservations.

*Ability to meet more than the 8 or so folks assigned to a traditional table.

[Turtles06]

This is a timely thread for me as my spouse and I have just returned from the wonderful Silhouette TA, our third cruise with Celebrity but our first in Select Dining. We had decided to try SD for the flexibility, particularly given the port-intensive start to the trip, but we were apprehensive, as we feared long waits and were concerned that we would not receive the personalized service of Traditional Dining. We need not have feared --- Select Dining was fantastic!

 

We typically ate on the later side, around 8:15, and either never had to wait at all, or only a short time, and that was only because we had asked to be seated in a certain section. On the first night of the cruise, we were given a table for two in the "back" of the MDR. We had a terrific waiter, but the location, although very private, was pretty much Siberia (we could not even see the main part of the MDR), so the next night we asked for a more central location. The waiter, ass't waiter, and sommelier in that section turned out to be wonderful, and so we asked to be seated in their section the next night. I was blown away when the ass't waiter (one of the few women serving in the MDR) not only remembered us, but also remembered what each of us had asked to drink the night before and during what part of the meal! And so we always asked for one of their tables, and wound up getting the same truly personal service we've had in Traditional Dining.

 

On the few nights we arrived when a table was not available in "our" section, we said we would wait. We were given a pager and had barely sat down at the Martini Bar when it began vibrating. One night, instead of making us wait, "our" wait staff commandeered an empty table in a contiguous section, and served us there. "Our" wait staff even kept tabs on us, noticing when we were not at dinner at all (as we had gone to a specialty restaurant), and so we told them about our subsequent specialty dining reservations, and they remembered our entire schedule.

 

I don't know if we were just exceptionally lucky, or what, but at least on this cruise, Select Dining worked perfectly for us, and it will certainly be our dining choice on our next trip.

 

One comment about the tables for two, since the OP asked: as is the case in the entire MDR, some of the tables for two are fairly close together. On many nights, we wound up having a conversation with the "folks next door," and wound up meeting some interesting people. We did not find the table situation to be a problem. We also mixed up our dinners -- four in specialty restaurants, two in the buffet (when we just needed a break from a four-course sit down meal), and the other 9 in the MDR. We really had a great time.

[AlbertaCruisers]

We always do traditional late dining, but we just got of the Summit (B2B) and we had select dining both weeks. We loved it and we will do it again. Here are my comments based on our experience:

 

1. You are quickly seated within minutes in general and even quicker if you have called in a reservation.

- Most of the time we were seated within minutes. We had a standing reservation for 7:30 all week. The lines weren't usually too bad and they only had one line open, so you stood in the same line with a reservation or not. They clearly told us repeatedly that all a reservation means is you get priority in the waiting list if there is one. So, if a bunch of people show up a nearly the same time, the person with the reservation should have priority, but they DO NOT hold a table ready for you at your reservation time. That being said, we never got a beeper and the longest we waited was about 5 minutes. We did see some people without reservations given beepers and sent to cellar masters to relax (but that seemed to only really be on formal nights).

 

2. The delivery of food and the quality of food and service is of the same quality as in the traditional dinning option.

- Agreed. We didn't find any difference in our experience, the food seemed to be exactly the same as at traditional dining and we had some excellent servers. The only different, as I believe you mentioned is they don't learn your preferences. But really, we don't have that many preferences. Without asking, we ended up sitting in the same sections a lot. For the first week, we had 3 different servers and the second week we actually had the same guy the entire week.

 

3. The tables are less crowded/close than in Traditional dining.

- I don't agree with this. I think it is the same or more crowded. Some of the tables of two are so close together you can't fit between them. That being said, it was never an issue. With the tables being close, if the people beside us wanted to talk, it was easy to do so, but it was also easy to see the cues and not talk at all to the people that wanted to be left alone.

 

4. You can request the same wait staff from night to night if you wish and generally get that without undue delay.

- We never requested this but we did hear other people make requests. It really depends on availability in that section. Rosemary (the Matradee) would always look into it and then give the people the choice, i.e. if you want to wait for that waiter it will be approximately 20 minutes... or we can seat you now in a different section.

[OkanaganRon]

We cruised on Eclipse last March with Select dining. On the first night we found service at our table for two to be excellent. We then requested

the same table at the same time for the remaining 13 nights. We were fully satisfied with this arrangement and never had to wait.

[Luckynana]

We absolutely love My Time Dining. We have always had wonderful service, love that we can eat according to our schedule each night, and we also like that we have paid the gratuities with our final payment before even boarding the ship.:D

[NYcruzzer]

With Select dining how far in advance can you make MDR reservations online ?

[swigso]

I tried to search this out but mostly get threads that are several years old so I'm just going to ask. :-)

 

We will be taking our first cruise on Celebrity this January. On other cruise lines the consensus was that Traditional dinning generally got better service and often better meals. We have also always enjoyed having he same wait staff who quickly learn our preferences.

 

However, in reading reviews I get bits and pieces that lead me to believe that Select Dining may be best for us. Here is what I am hearing and would like to hear the thoughts of those that have experienced the select dinning options.

 

• You are quickly seated within minutes in general and even quicker if you have called in a reservation.
  
• The delivery of food and the quality of food and service is of the same quality as in the traditional dinning option.
  
• The tables are less crowded/close than in Traditional dining.
  
• You can request the same wait staff from night to night if you wish and generally get that without undue delay.
  

 

If those things are mostly true than the flexibility to set our dining time each day would make select a desirable option. So, what do you think?

 

Love Select Dining,

You can choose to eat with folks you have met ( if they are select dining )

But on one occasion we have dined with people who were traditional

And have in fact gone to their table (there were spaces table 4 8 only 6 at dinner)

Or you can choose to join a bigger table , or just eat at a table for 2

And maybe get to talk to those next to you,

As for wait times can depend when you go at peak times

can be 10 minutes but just wait in the nearby bar and they will come

Get you,

As for having a reservation have only done this a few times when

dining with others to me making a reservation rather defeats the object

Of having anytime dining.

And yes if you find wait staff that are what you want you can request

To be seated in that area every night .

Have a great cruise.

:cool:

[Tedw]

Yes. GO DUCKS!

 

Hi…

 

First, Love your profile picture ! One of my college dorm-mates at UofO was the mascot when I was there ! And I just spent a fantastic Homecoming weekend back there a few weeks ago ! Go Ducks !

 

Our experience…

* Have always been seated quickly, with only one or two occasions having to wait (without reservation) a few minutes.

* Have done Traditional and Select, and have always been highly satisfied with the quality and service in both venues.

* Not sure about less crowded/not as close. I am a "shy" guy, but got to know my "neighbors" quite well in the Select venue !!

* Had excellent experiences requesting and being seated in the same area with same staff, night after night. Kudos to the Restaurant Managers for making this happen.

 

Enjoy your first, and my guess, not your last, Celebrity cruise !

 

BBL

[Tedw]

This has been so helpful! Thanks for all the great feedback. I will talk to our travel partners but suspect that we will be going with the Select Dining option.

[blindrid]

We enjoyed 'Select' on our one and only Celebrity cruise and have selected it for our 2 next cruises booked. That being said:

 

• Sometimes minutes was 10-15 even if we made a reservation
  
• Can't comment on this one as it was our first Celebrity
  
• Some of the tables were very close. That's why we often chose to wait for a better table
  
• Despite trying to get the same wait staff, it didn't work for us
  

I love not having a schedule so will tolerate any other inconveniences.

 

Agree. I never do traditional. A cruise is my schedule.

 

Service, no different.

10-15 minutes, I find a nearby bar and drink

Close tables. Welcome to cruises, ignore them or meet them.

I request staff by name, sometimes, sometimes not.

 

It all works in the end.

[Luckynana]

With Select dining how far in advance can you make MDR reservations online ?

 

 

 

I made my MTD reservations last month; my cruise is in March. I had difficulty trying to do this online, so I just called Celebrity and they were very helpful!

[karena1]

I tried to search this out but mostly get threads that are several years old so I'm just going to ask. :-)

 

We will be taking our first cruise on Celebrity this January. On other cruise lines the consensus was that Traditional dinning generally got better service and often better meals. We have also always enjoyed having he same wait staff who quickly learn our preferences.

 

However, in reading reviews I get bits and pieces that lead me to believe that Select Dining may be best for us. Here is what I am hearing and would like to hear the thoughts of those that have experienced the select dinning options.

 

• You are quickly seated within minutes in general and even quicker if you have called in a reservation.
  
• The delivery of food and the quality of food and service is of the same quality as in the traditional dinning option.
  
• The tables are less crowded/close than in Traditional dining.
  
• You can request the same wait staff from night to night if you wish and generally get that without undue delay.
  

If those things are mostly true than the flexibility to set our dining time each day would make select a desirable option. So, what do you think?

 

 

Take Select, it is fantastic. We had the same waitstaff the entire week, and it was great. Never waited more than a few minutes. We love the flexibility of eating when we feel like it.

[NYcruzzer]

I made my MTD reservations last month; my cruise is in March. I had difficulty trying to do this online, so I just called Celebrity and they were very helpful!

 

Thank you for the quick response.

[goofysmom99]

I just had select dining on a recent Reflection transatlantic. No complaints at all about service but if you do happen to have a specific food issue (lactose intolerance, celiac, etc.), I'd suggest traditional instead. Even though we had the same wait staff the majority of the time, they weren't quite as accommodating about bringing "special" gluten-free selections when compared to two recent cruises with traditional dining (Connie & Silhouette). On those, the maitre'd(s) and waiters made a game of surprising me with something special almost every night. I've decided that if I'm solo, I'll be opting for traditional; if traveling with friends, I'll opt for whichever they choose.

[Maligator]

On Summit, we tried Select and will likely never do it again. We did get our desired waiter/assistant each night except for one. But we did have a lengthy wait (up to 30 minutes) a couple of nights for any table if we showed up between 6-8. I can do that at Chili's. And while our waiter was very personable and would hang out for a short chat, the non-structured service (i.e. one table is ready for dessert, but another is waiting for their main course, a third just sat down, etc, etc) had them running around, busier than a cat trying to bury a turd on a marble floor.

[blindrid]

On Summit, we tried Select and will likely never do it again. We did get our desired waiter/assistant each night except for one. But we did have a lengthy wait (up to 30 minutes) a couple of nights for any table if we showed up between 6-8. I can do that at Chili's. And while our waiter was very personable and would hang out for a short chat, the non-structured service (i.e. one table is ready for dessert, but another is waiting for their main course, a third just sat down, etc, etc) had them running around, busier than a cat trying to bury a turd on a marble floor.

 

Select is like any restaurant. You show up and get seated. Why would one think differently. If there's a wait, that why God invented bars:).

 

I guess I don't worry about "structured". Sounds like you are meant to be traditional.

[Maligator]

Select is like any restaurant. You show up and get seated. Why would one think differently. If there's a wait, that why God invented bars:).

 

I guess I don't worry about "structured". Sounds like you are meant to be traditional.

 

Actually, you show up and you might get seated right away. I prefer coming in and plopping down, knowing I'll have the same service.

[blindrid]

Actually, you show up and you might get seated right away. I prefer coming in and plopping down, knowing I'll have the same service.

 

Please note I didn't say " right away ". Thus my comment to go get a drink. :)

 

Still the only way to go in my books.

[teecee60]

If there's a wait, that why God invented bars:).

 

 

HE must have taken an entire extra day for that! :eek:

 

(seeing as how the Celebrity Martini Bar is so cool and serves such tasty drinks! :D)

[DaKa2002]

We started sailing Aqua class a few cruises ago, which by default, is "select dining" in Blu. Whether early, prime time, or late dining, the wait has always been minimal. Dinner was at our timing, making the cruise much more enjoyable.

On a recent Connie cruise, one group of servers became rather special to us, and we asked for them most of the time; only on one night we could not be seated immediately in their area; not 10 minutes later the Maitre d' came to the bar to personally escort us to our table as requested.

Excellent service, better than average food, in a pleasing environment.

[blindrid]

HE must have taken an entire extra day for that! :eek:

 

(seeing as how the Celebrity Martini Bar is so cool and serves such tasty drinks! :D)

 

Nah, He could rip that out in a minute or two:)

 

Have a good evening, Randy