Select Dining Question

[rumpelstiltskin]

We have Select Dining on the Equinox next month.

 

Because we are Aqua Class, we are unsure if we may dine in both BLU & the MDR.

 

We were hoping to dine in the MDR on formal nights, but I suspect we will be confined to BLU only.

[cruisestitch]

You have a bit of a confusion going on --

 

If you are booked in Aqua Class, Blu is your dining room. Blu is always open seating.

 

You do not have Select Dining. You may have prepaid your gratuity the way that Select Dining does, but you do not have Select Dining.

 

Lots of travel agents are confused about this. It is possible to pre-pay gratuities whether you are Aqua or not, just as a matter of convenience. If you are in the Main Dining Room Select Dining, you must pre-pay them, but many others chose to do so as well, and they might be in Blu, or might have Traditional Fixed Seating.

 

Since Blu is your dining room, you do not have a table assignment in the Main Dining Room. They may be able to accommodate you, if the time you want is not already oversold, and if you can be flexible on your dinner time. You should talk to the Maitre D in Blu to make the arrangements. He or she will contact the Main Dining Room to see if you can dine there on the Formal nights, and what your options are. He or she will also re-assign your gratuities from Blu.

 

There's a good chance that you CAN eat in the dining room on Formal Nights, just talk to the Blu staff ahead of time.

[az_tchr]

Would usually have space for the late seating in the MDR. The Maitre D would not be able to assign you to Select Dining in the MDR because of the gratuity issue. Late seating as I said almost always has openings and more on forma nights with those that do NOT want to dress up!

[ghstudio]

I am not sure why you want to eat in the MDR on formal night. While the dress code is different for Blu...smart casual every night....you'll find that 90%+ will be wearing tuxedo's, suits or sports jackets on formal nights. As you might imagine, that's just about the same as you'll find the MDR, even though, theoretically, it should be 100%.

 

Others have explained about the gratuities. If you are in aqua, the only thing the choice of dinner times (early,late,select) does is to trigger billing you for gratuities at final payment if you pick select. There is no other difference and it has no effect on what happens on the ship....you are assigned to Blu which is anytime dining every night (including the first, by the way, even though you'll find a note asking you to dine at a certain time when you first get to your cabin. Just ignore it....go to dinner in blu when you want.

 

It is very rare that someone is refused when they request to dine in the MDR on a specific night...you should have no problem as long as you ask the blu maitre d' to set it up. He/she will probably just tell you to go to select dining which is, or course, also anytime dining.

[rumpelstiltskin]

Thank you both for answering my question.

 

 

Yes, I am aware that BLU is the AQ assigned dining room & there is no assigned time.

 

Thank you for clearing up the Select Dining confusion...we got the free gratuity perk & that is prolly why our reservation says Select Dining.

 

 

And thank you for answering the question regarding switching to the MDR occasionally.

[rumpelstiltskin]

I am not sure why you want to eat in the MDR on formal night.

 

 

Because that's usually when lobster, etc is served as well as Bananas Foster.

[ghstudio]

I think you'll find both in blu as well and they will be better than in the mdr