Suite guests bump Select Dining

[junetraveler2014]

Just off the Summit. Cruise was very nice most of the time. Select dining was a mess. Ideally all guests in suites should dine in the new suite dining room. That doesn't happen. We are elite+ and usually do select dining with a reservation that is booked at the time we book the cruise. Our previous experiences were excellent. We would show up at our reservation time and be seated. WE never waited. Unfortunately, select dining on Summit didn't work well. We always arrived on time. We were always hassled by the hostess. We had to wait with beepers in a very crowded lounge area. When we did finally get called to be seated, the arrangement was usually awful. The excuse was that people in suites bump everyone and the floor space for traditional dining has been reduced (space is used for Luminae). That has put more people in Select Dining without any increase in floor space. If people in suites want to dine in the MDR, they bump guests with reservations. It is a major problem. It got so bad that I went to guest relations. Guest relations promised us a table the next night at our reservation time. Hostess again gave us a beeper. By carving up the dining space to allow room for the new suite dining space, the rest of the MDR is crowded.

 

I am sorry you experienced a problem. We are back from the Summit this past Sunday as you were and to be very honest we never had or saw any problem as you experienced. As a matter of fact one evening in Luminae I did not like the entree's and was able to pick off the MDR menu. As we got off the elevator there were people waiting outside Luminae (on right) but no one outside the Cosmopolitan MDR on left. The negative experience was when we were outside Luminae on deck (deck 4) two men came storming out of the MDR totally inconvenienced expressing it by vulgarity, that they had to move because the medics responding to an emergency requiring the de-fibulator had to get by. Made us shake our head. Also never ever did we experience a rude or unfriendly crew member, but did experience on many an occasion an awful lot of nasty, rude, pushy, fowl mouthed, fall down drunk, and obnoxious pax.

[CruisingChick]

IThe negative experience was when we were outside Luminae on deck (deck 4) two men came storming out of the MDR totally inconvenienced expressing it by vulgarity, that they had to move because the medics responding to an emergency requiring the de-fibulator had to get by. Made us shake our head. Also never ever did we experience a rude or unfriendly crew member, but did experience on many an occasion an awful lot of nasty, rude, pushy, fowl mouthed, fall down drunk, and obnoxious pax.

 

Keep giving out those drink packages as a perk.

[ECCruise]

I am Elite+. I have never heard the Elite+ gets into a shorter line for Select Dining. How does that work.?

 

Evidently something new, and, as reported in this thread on one ship.

[ECCruise]

I think that a lot of the issues arise because of the reservation system allowed for Select diners. The premise behind Select dining was that you turned up when you wanted to eat. However by allowing reservations, it means that a number of tables are already taken, and therefore not available.

Celebrity should adhere to Select dining with no reservations accepted. Customers have no idea of how many tables have to be set aside because of reservations. In effect, the reservation system disadvantages those who choose to use Select as it was initially conceived, ie turn up when you wish to dine and be seated (in an acceptable time frame) and benefits those who then book in advance a table each night at a time which does not fit with traditional dining eg 7pm or 7.30pm. If X persist with accepting reservations, it would be interesting to know seating availability (ie not reserved) at certain times. Those cruisers who truly do Select dining (eating at different times throughout the cruise) would then know which are the times when least tables are reserved.

 

Every cruise line that has anytime dining, from those who had it many years before Celebrity to those after, have had some option for booking reservations. Believe me, after doing anytime dining for over 500 nights on 7 cruise lines, if there is a problem, reservations are not the cause.

[hughdm]

We have stayed in suites over the years and if we want to go to Blu we just join on the end of the line in Blu. We don't try and jump ahead of anyone and when we went to the Mdr we did exactly the same, joined the queue in select and waited like all others. This was pre Luminae but we don't believe that being in a suite should allow line jumping.

The suite passenger may have just asked his butler and not realized he was bumping someone. It IS nice to just tell the butler you want something and usually it just happens...

[MisterBill99]

I think it's time for Celebrity to either follow through with honoring reservations in the MDR by making suite guests wait in line like the rest or tell them that they can order from the MDR menu in Laminae..

This is what they should do, let everyone -- Luminae or Blu -- order dishes from the MDR menu if they want them. It's all the same kitchen. Then people would eat where they're supposed to even if they don't like the menu in that venue.

 

We were in Aqua last year and there were a couple of times I would have preferred something from the MDR menu instead of what Blu had, but they wouldn't get it for me (even though I had read here on CC that it was possible). I survived the week in Blu (although I would not do it again) and did not eat in MDR any nights but would have enjoyed a couple of nights more if I could have.

Edited June 10, 2015 by MisterBill99

[Oville]

For the life of me I don't understand why Early Seating always sells out first.

 

In the 15 years we have been cruising we have always had second seating (late) dining. We could never eat at 6:00 PM.

 

My guess is that the majority, and maybe a vast majority, of Americans eat dinner sometime between 5:00 and 7:30. We do not but I can't think of any of our friends who eat as late as we do, 7:45-8:30. Therefore, I can fully understand why early seating sells out quickly.

 

Keep giving out those drink packages as a perk.

 

 

We've been on 9 Celebrity cruises where the drink package perk was in play and only on this past March infamous Spring Break Connie cruise did we see any bad behavior. So yes Celebrity, please do keep this perk coming.

 

I do hope Celebrity finds a solution to the over crowding for Select dining. It has become very popular but does need to be done right. Giving suite and E+'s and above easy access seems horribly unfair, and I am E+.

Edited June 10, 2015 by Oville

[Iamcruzin]

Keep giving out those drink packages as a perk.

 

Those same people would just buy the drink package and drink even more to get their monies worth.

[tarheelmjm]

My guess is that the majority, and maybe a vast majority, of Americans eat dinner sometime between 5:00 and 7:30. We do not but I can't think of any of our friends who eat as late as we do, 7:45-8:30. Therefore, I can fully understand why early seating sells out quickly.

 

 

Almost everyone we know eats supper before 7pm, but we almost always eat at 9:30 at home and make dinner resi's at around 8:45. Most of the folks who eat at 6 end up snacking their way through another meal's worth of calories before bedtime...

[Oville]

Almost everyone we know eats supper before 7pm, but we almost always eat at 9:30 at home and make dinner resi's at around 8:45. Most of the folks who eat at 6 end up snacking their way through another meal's worth of calories before bedtime...

 

We're not as late eating as you, certainly there are meals served here after 8:30, but both of us are the exception in the U.S., NOT THE RULE.;):p

Edited June 10, 2015 by Oville

[Adidas4fun]

We LIKE traditional seating dining for several reasons. We NEVER eat dinner in the buffet. Why should we "get over ourselves" to suit YOUR dining habits?

 

For several reasons? What reasons? And how can those reasons not be met by select dining? Seriously, you need to g...

[Pushka]

If Suite guests are lining up for Blu then that doesn't mean they haven't bumped an Aqua guest if there are any left in the queue behind them. There should be 2 queues, one for Aqua and one for Suite. Only when the Aqua is empty should Suite guests be served. That is true "only if available".

[laslomas]

Select dining as originally developed (come when you want to be seated) used to work. The more people making reservations in advance must impact negatively on that system. If there are 10 tables booked for 7:00 pm will those tables will remain empty for an hour even though other diners may turn up at 6:15 wanting to eat, see empty tables? Will they be told to wait, or will they be seated and rushed through their meal whilst the people who made the 7:00 booking have to wait past their reserved time till those at 'their' table are finished. If diners reserve a particular table surely there will be this kind of problem most evenings. Adding the fact that guests that are not booked in Select can beat the queue it must be a nightmare for whoever has to sort it out.

[Adidas4fun]

 

As for "the problem" being caused by those traditional diners choosing to dine elsewhere, they are fully entitled to do dine elsewhere and actually encouraged to do so by Celebrity.

 

It is wrong to point the finger at other passengers wherever they dine if they are merely following or taking advantage of the rules made, bent or broken by Celebrity Management. .

 

As for "the problem" being caused by suite diners ... They ARE fully entitled and have paid more than fully for that.

 

It is wrong to point the finger at suite guests wherever they dine if they are merely following the rules made by celebrity.

 

Your rhetoric is hollow. Dining space is being wasted on traditional diners who are fixed in their beliefs and unwavering in their entitlitis. Beware the green eyed monster!

[chemmo]

We were on the first suite life cruise (Equinox) in April. We dined either in Luminae or the specialities. It would never occur to us to go to select dining.

 

Over the course of the cruise I spoke to two different sky suite guests who were quite angry re dining.

 

The first couple had a son and daughter in Aqua class and a sister and brother in a veranda cabin. They had been wrongly informed by their TA that as all rooms were booked together they could all dine in Luminae. They also expected all of them to get two free speciality diners. Yes, they should have checked but they didn't. They ended up nearly every night in select dining.

 

The second sky suite couple again had friends and relatives in non suite staterooms and had been told that they would have to pay for their friends to join them but they would probably only have to pay the fifty dollars a guest once and then it would be wavered. They had also been reassured that guests could join them as often as they liked in Luminae. Again really poor wrong information.

 

I wonder how many suite guests have ended up in select dining because of poor information from TA's? Thinking of the number of people who have posed questions like 'Will my sister....be able to join us in Luminae?' on cruise critic. Celebrity's information is very clear but if you query something with a TA and are reassured....

 

 

We spoke to other guests who had also come on board with wrong information, a celebrity suite guest who thought they would get the free minibar, some sky suite guests who thought they could access Michael's....

 

Most travel agents know their stuff but some do not. If guests simply believe what they are told then they come on board with false expectations.

[canuckinindia]

Seems the solution is to remove the divisions which has the effect of expanding the pot.

 

 

MDR

In theory if the entire dining room was a single class, similar to Select today but with the following option.

 

You can reserve a table (for one or all days) and have your meals consistently in the same zone OR same table if your seating time is the first seating. Any guest who does not arrive within 15 (or 20 or 30 not sure exact number) minutes of their seating time will have their table released.

 

Effect is allowing those who want a fixed early seating (which always seems in demand) to be accommodated in the dining room, those wanting later fixed timings may not get the exact same table but if they wish they could stay attached to the same wait staff team in their zone.

 

The select diners have added flexibility since the pool of seats has been expanded and the dead zones that currently occur in fixed when people are dining elsewhere can be filled in.

 

To me the only real compromise is with people who want non-early reservations and want to sit in the identical table every night.

 

Luminae

Essentially a speciality restaurant caliber facility which is included for Suite guests. Suite passengers can invite at a charge (comparable to other speciality restaurants) guests to dine with them.

 

I would think the only thing that needs to happen is on the very first meal a proper introduction of the fact that they are permitted to additionally order dishes from the MDR if they wish.

 

Blu

Dining in Aqua should be treated similar to Luminae. Complimentry for Aqua class who should also be able to invite guests at a charge (comparable to bottom end of the speciality restaurants).

 

Dining in Aqua should count against the two complimentary meals that are provided to Suite guests with any additional meals being chargeable at the same rate as guests of Aqua.

 

Digital

All these reservations should be doable on the TV or even onboard with terminals, iPads etc and all you should have to do is when you reach the restaurant if there is a line be able to tap your shipboard card on a reader so it knows you have arrived for your reservation.

 

While suite guests shouldn't bump others a digital system like this could keep an allowance of spots (in blu, MDR and speciality restaurants) until relatively late (say midday day) which would then be released back into the general pool. This gives preference for being able to make a booking but not last minute standing at the restaurant reception.

 

Conclusion

 

This was what I could come up with in 30 minutes so surely there will be some flaws but I assume Celebrity can do much better.

 

Also if they continue to struggle to get a decent take up in Luminae which creates an unappealing 1/2 empty environment they should maybe look at solutions including maybe reciprocating with limited Aqua class access to Luminae on a chargeable basis comparable to invited guests. Makes it a unique speciality experience that only Suite guests (complimentary) and Aqua guests (chargable). This should not be part of any dining package etc, but a pure separate add-on.

 

The hope is to create some built-in incentives and disincentives against people not using their primary dining rooms, while still giving Suite passengers added benefits and creating a framework that should allow Aqua class to enjoy the privilege of Blu more consistently, since Suite passengers will have a small resistance point beyond a few initial meals in Blu. All of this around a MDR that can better handle it's volumes by creating multiple experiences within the same space.

[chamima]

In reading this LONG discussion has it occurred to anyone else that if suite passengers are choosing NOT to eat in Luminae that maybe the solution to the problem is that the menu needs readjusting?

 

If Luminae was everything it was purported to be I can't imagine anyone wanting to dine anywhere else.

 

 

:confused: ... :confused: ... :confused:

[insidecabin]

In reading this LONG discussion has it occurred to anyone else that if suite passengers are choosing NOT to eat in Luminae that maybe the solution to the problem is that the menu needs readjusting?

 

If Luminae was everything it was purported to be I can't imagine anyone wanting to dine anywhere else.

 

 

:confused: ... :confused: ... :confused:

 

YOu obviously missed the bit(numerous times) about eating with other people that can't use Luminae, it not always just about the food.

[yorkyred]

Select dining as originally developed (come when you want to be seated) used to work. The more people making reservations in advance must impact negatively on that system. If there are 10 tables booked for 7:00 pm will those tables will remain empty for an hour even though other diners may turn up at 6:15 wanting to eat, see empty tables? Will they be told to wait, or will they be seated and rushed through their meal whilst the people who made the 7:00 booking have to wait past their reserved time till those at 'their' table are finished. If diners reserve a particular table surely there will be this kind of problem most evenings. Adding the fact that guests that are not booked in Select can beat the queue it must be a nightmare for whoever has to sort it out.

 

And that's the problem. Celebrity have created this by allowing advanced reservations for a concept that was about turning up on spec. So passengers now demand a certain time and when they turn up expect it which is what fixed dining was all about. They should simply scrap this daft reservation system and if you want a set time you pick one of your two fixed dining options regardless of if that's not your perfect time for dinner, it was never an issue in the past before we had select dining.

[hughdm]

For several reasons? What reasons? And how can those reasons not be met by select dining? Seriously, you need to g...

1. First and foremost is the reason for this entire thread: We NEVER have to wait one minute for our table. No beepers. No being bumped. Ever.
   
2. We have the same servers every night. They quickly learn your preferences. Your favorite drink is often waiting. Also, the servers in Traditional are the better ones. We never have had a bad server team.
   
3. We like to make friends on cruises. You eat with the same folks every night and we have made a few permanent friends. This one isn't 100%, as you can get a few duds, but the balance is in favor of the nice fun folks.
   

[phoenix_dream]

Totally agree. Nothing is "always".

 

But on the cruises we have taken and booked since the "suite enhancements" $800-$1000 per night is pretty average. (We do not sail in the Caribbean, so that may be a factor.) And for us, no Celebrity cruise is worth anywhere near that kind of money.

 

IMHO the days of Sky Suites for near the price of AQ went away when the suite enhancements were put in place earlier this year. On the cruises I have considered (or booked) any suite price was WAY higher than any balcony option, AQ or otherwise. I rarely could afford a suite before - never will I be able to sail in one again unless I win the lottery or decide one vacation a year in a suite is worth more to me than the several I now take.

[Gracie115]

In reading this LONG discussion has it occurred to anyone else that if suite passengers are choosing NOT to eat in Luminae that maybe the solution to the problem is that the menu needs readjusting?

 

If Luminae was everything it was purported to be I can't imagine anyone wanting to dine anywhere else.

 

 

:confused: ... :confused: ... :confused:

 

And it is and we didn't but one night out of 16...... Luminae IS INDEED EVERYTHING it is purported to be.....but the issue, for now, remains a matter of logistics for those suite guests who are travelling with non-suite guests that want to dine together and NOT pay the fee to Luminae......that should work itself out as time goes by and people reserve the appropriate stateroom for their needs....and Travel Agents become more informed on what can and can't be done in regards to Luminae......

Edited June 10, 2015 by Gracie115

[canuckinindia]

Gracie115 in the end pricing of how much it costs to bring a guest maybe used to correct the inbalance since as long as invited guests don't rise to a level the creates delays in seating having a lower price to bring your guests is actually an added benefit to suite guests

[Gracie115]

Gracie115 in the end pricing of how much it costs to bring a guest maybe used to correct the inbalance since as long as invited guests don't rise to a level the creates delays in seating having a lower price to bring your guests is actually an added benefit to suite guests

 

I agree...but I see little chance of that happening....Luminae has only so much seating and while most nights there were tables open there were a few when added guests would have strained the service....I think it is priced the way it is to prevent many guests from dining there....

 

I think the biggest problem, right now, is uninformed or misinformed people who book in suites who assumed they would be able to bring others in their party to Luminae at no charge. It IS a new perk and until all become familiar with the "rules" as they are it's going to be somewhat of an issue, both Celebrity AND all Travel Agents need to do more to make sure a suite guest understands this. Perhaps a red flag on any suite reservations that states, "You are in a suite you will be dining in a SUITES ONLY dining room, if there are others in your party that are not in a suite they will only be able to dine with you based on availability and at the following charge" or something like that and it should be in large enough type that it is actually read by the customer, TA or whoever is making the reservation....just a thought....

[chamima]

I agree...but I see little chance of that happening....Luminae has only so much seating and while most nights there were tables open there were a few when added guests would have strained the service....I think it is priced the way it is to prevent many guests from dining there....

 

I think the biggest problem, right now, is uninformed or misinformed people who book in suites who assumed they would be able to bring others in their party to Luminae at no charge. It IS a new perk and until all become familiar with the "rules" as they are it's going to be somewhat of an issue, both Celebrity AND all Travel Agents need to do more to make sure a suite guest understands this. Perhaps a red flag on any suite reservations that states, "You are in a suite you will be dining in a SUITES ONLY dining room, if there are others in your party that are not in a suite they will only be able to dine with you based on availability and at the following charge" or something like that and it should be in large enough type that it is actually read by the customer, TA or whoever is making the reservation....just a thought....

 

 

Aren't all suite guests (those in levels above sky) supposed to get a phone call from the Concierge prior to their cruise?

Shouldn't maybe the concierge explain Luminae (and who is and isn't included and extra charges, etc.) all of this to them prior to boarding?