Poll: How Did the 4 MDR Model Work For You On The Edge?

[Cruise a holic]

We were in a suite and tried a couple of the MDR's.  Actually preferred them to Luminae.  But the specialty restaurants were better IMO.  Will be back on the edge in a suite and dine in all again.

[Silkroad]

Vt, this is a great poll, but I think your results may become skewed by Suite & Aqua passengers’ responses. By definition, neither group can have the MDRs as their “assigned dining venues”.

[mac_tlc]

We were on the Edge 4/14 - 4/21. We were assigned to Tuscan. We knew we wanted to try all 4, so on embarkation day, we made reservations for day 2 at Cyprus and Day 3 at Normandie. No issues, but on day 2 I noticed that the Cyprus reservation showed up on the app, but day 3 did not. Also noticed that it looked like my default dining had changed—- it shows on the app.

 

Went to Guest Services— btw I like the setup for GS— and the gentleman said day 3 is all set. Indeed day 2 and 3 were fine. We decided to go back to our assigned dining for day 4. We show up, go to our table, and someone else is there😳. Long story short, something got messed up when the Normandie reservation was made and our default changed and they gave away our original table— which was a two-to next to the window. 

 

We we took a two-top in a corner far away from the window for the evening and the Maitre D said he had a table for the other nights. Sounds like a disaster??? Nope! We loved the quiet of the corner, our waiter only had a few tables a night, great, prompt service, great conversations with the serving team!!! We went back there for the remainder of the cruise. 

 

In one one of those conversations, the waiter indicated that dining will be the same on the Apex. If the serving staff had there way, there would be 2 Select dining restaurants and 2 fixed seating. 

Sorry for the long post !

 

mac_tlc

[vtcruising]

8 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Vt, this is a great poll, but I think your results may become skewed by Suite & Aqua passengers’ responses. By definition, neither group can have the MDRs as their “assigned dining venues”.

I think you are right - I assumed some would miss the fine print and vote, but hopefully the majority voting will be people who were assigned the MDRs. I think most polls on CC are skewed for some reason, such as with the issue Den and villauk discussed, but hopefully we will still learn a lot from our fellow cruisers. 🙂

[vtcruising]

3 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

We were on the Edge 4/14 - 4/21. We were assigned to Tuscan. We knew we wanted to try all 4, so on embarkation day, we made reservations for day 2 at Cyprus and Day 3 at Normandie. No issues, but on day 2 I noticed that the Cyprus reservation showed up on the app, but day 3 did not. Also noticed that it looked like my default dining had changed—- it shows on the app.

 

Went to Guest Services— btw I like the setup for GS— and the gentleman said day 3 is all set. Indeed day 2 and 3 were fine. We decided to go back to our assigned dining for day 4. We show up, go to our table, and someone else is there😳. Long story short, something got messed up when the Normandie reservation was made and our default changed and they gave away our original table— which was a two-to next to the window. 

 

We we took a two-top in a corner far away from the window for the evening and the Maitre D said he had a table for the other nights. Sounds like a disaster??? Nope! We loved the quiet of the corner, our waiter only had a few tables a night, great, prompt service, great conversations with the serving team!!! We went back there for the remainder of the cruise. 

 

In one one of those conversations, the waiter indicated that dining will be the same on the Apex. If the serving staff had there way, there would be 2 Select dining restaurants and 2 fixed seating. 

Sorry for the long post !

 

mac_tlc

Very interesting! It sounds like they are doing a nice job with being flexible. I'm glad you liked your corner table. It sounds like the type of table location we would like.

 

I wondered how the waitstaff liked the 4 MDR concept. It must be a bit tricky for them.

 

I am glad to hear that they will continue it on Apex. I have to say that when they announced this concept, I liked it, but thought it would be a disaster. It 's good to hear from those who have done it that, despite some glitches, it is working quite well. I've only eaten in Cyprus, but was surprised at how it felt more like a specialty because of the smaller venue and the beautiful surroundings.

[hcat]

32 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

We were on the Edge 4/14 - 4/21. We were assigned to Tuscan. We knew we wanted to try all 4, so on embarkation day, we made reservations for day 2 at Cyprus and Day 3 at Normandie. No issues, but on day 2 I noticed that the Cyprus reservation showed up on the app, but day 3 did not. Also noticed that it looked like my default dining had changed—- it shows on the app.

 

Went to Guest Services— btw I like the setup for GS— and the gentleman said day 3 is all set. Indeed day 2 and 3 were fine. We decided to go back to our assigned dining for day 4. We show up, go to our table, and someone else is there😳. Long story short, something got messed up when the Normandie reservation was made and our default changed and they gave away our original table— which was a two-to next to the window. 

 

We we took a two-top in a corner far away from the window for the evening and the Maitre D said he had a table for the other nights. Sounds like a disaster??? Nope! We loved the quiet of the corner, our waiter only had a few tables a night, great, prompt service, great conversations with the serving team!!! We went back there for the remainder of the cruise. 

 

In one one of those conversations, the waiter indicated that dining will be the same on the Apex. If the serving staff had there way, there would be 2 Select dining restaurants and 2 fixed seating. 

Sorry for the long post !

 

mac_tlc

 

Going to  2 fixed seating venues would reduce the draw for us of the 4 MDR concept.  We are excited to try all 4 ...

 

I am not sure they would get a  sufficient number of guests to sign up for an early and late seating in 2 dining rooms.....and would hate to lose the more intimate  feeling ones to fixed dining,,,.,

 

,Not sure of capacity but from our last cruise it seemed Tuscan( Elite breakfast location ) was smaller than Cosmopolitan ( we had  lunch there twice)  but maybe it was just the restaurant  layouts giving that impression???

[vtcruising]

7 minutes ago, hcat said:

 

Going to  2 fixed seating venues would reduce the draw for us of the 4 MDR concept.  We are excited to try all 4 ...

 

I am not sure they would get a  sufficient number of guests to sign up for an early and late seating in 2 dining rooms.....and would hate to lose the more intimate  feeling ones to fixed dining,,,.,

 

,Not sure of capacity but from our last cruise it seemed Tuscan( Elite breakfast location ) was smaller than Cosmopolitan ( we had  lunch there twice)  but maybe it was just the restaurant  layouts giving that impression???

 

According to the FAQs sheet, they are all about the same. I agree that the set up probably makes some look larger.

Cyprus - 342

Cosmopolitan  - 346

Normandie - 346

Tuscan - 344

[Oville]

5 hours ago, villauk said:

 

Not just those that dislike the concept, Denny. I think you will find there were long-standing posters who voted on Stateroom_Sailor’s poll who have never set foot on Edge, and have even quoted that on this forum, yet still voted that it was a fabulous experience. At least by quoting CC names, I agree, it does highlight those that you perhaps will have to think twice about the validity of any of their future posts - shame when it comes to that.

Of course there were also those who never sailed but hated it.😉

[Oville]

2 hours ago, Silkroad said:

Vt, this is a great poll, but I think your results may become skewed by Suite & Aqua passengers’ responses. By definition, neither group can have the MDRs as their “assigned dining venues”.

That is the reason I didn’t vote as we’ve had Luminae and Blu.  We did have the MDR on a 2 day cruise but that’s a pretty small sample (though we were impressed with the food).

[Oville]

1 hour ago, vtcruising said:

 

According to the FAQs sheet, they are all about the same. I agree that the set up probably makes some look larger.

Cyprus - 342

Cosmopolitan  - 346

Normandie - 346

Tuscan - 344

This is interesting, I thought Cosmopolitan was larger than Tuscan and Cyprus.  Thanks

[vtcruising]

Just now, Oville said:

This is interesting, I thought Cosmopolitan was larger than Tuscan and Cyprus.  Thanks

I knew that they were similar, but also thought Cosmo might be larger since that is the restaurant used for MDR breakfast and lunch (the original FAQs list Cyprus across the hall for overflow for breakfast/lunch).

[Silkroad]

2 hours ago, vtcruising said:

I think you are right - I assumed some would miss the fine print and vote, but hopefully the majority voting will be people who were assigned the MDRs. I think most polls on CC are skewed for some reason, such as with the issue Den and villauk discussed, but hopefully we will still learn a lot from our fellow cruisers. 🙂

I agree that most polls on CC are probably skewed. That’s why I was so impressed by the specific language of your poll questions, and the fact that you made responses visible🙂 Within the CC constraints, your poll design couldn’t have been better!

 

I find everyone’s (those who’ve actually sailed Edge lol) posts very useful and interesting, but I most want to know if people who were assigned to the MDRs had a good experience. My reasons are selfish. I’m in a Concierge IV for my upcoming Edge cruise, and a Sunset Veranda next year. I would like to think Suite and Aqua passengers (who have their own, exclusive, dining rooms) are allowed to dine in the MDRs on a space available basis only. I have reservations in all four MDRs. On a 15-night cruise, I’ll have a chance to try each MDR more than once. I’ll see how it goes, and report back later. Fingers crossed😊

Edited April 23, 2019 by Silkroad

[vtcruising]

1 minute ago, Silkroad said:

I agree that most polls on CC are probably skewed. That’s why I was so impressed by the specific language of your poll questions, and the fact that you made responses visible🙂 Within the CC constraints, your poll design couldn’t have been better! I find everyone’s (those who’ve actually sailed Edge lol) posts very useful and interesting, but like you, I most want to know if people who were assigned to the MDRs had a good experience. My reasons are selfish. I’m in a Concierge IV for my upcoming Edge cruise, and a Sunset Veranda next year. I would like to think Suite and Aqua passengers (who have their own, exclusive, dining rooms) are allowed to dine in the MDRs on a space available basis only. I have reservations in all four MDRs. I have 15 nights, so I’ll have a chance to try each MDR more than once. I’ll see how it goes, and report back later. Fingers crossed😊

It has been interesting to hear about how things are working and the favorites. I can't wait to hear about your experiences soon! I am so excited for you and all the TA gang! 🙂

[crusingnut]

Our group of 14 booked 5 nights in the 4 MDR restaurants prior to our cruise through our travel agent. 2 nights in Normandie, 1 in Tuscan, 1 in Cyprus, & 1 in Cosmopolitan. We also dined in the Eden & Le Petit Chef. Our favorite specialty was Le Petit Chef and our favorite MDR was Normandie. Great service & food in all the venues. Loved the ship! 

[ecslady]

VT Cruising - Great poll - but IMO there should have been another question  -  which restaurant did you enjoy the least?

[prish]

5 hours ago, Silkroad said:

I have reservations in all four MDRs. On a 15-night cruise, I’ll have a chance to try each MDR more than once. I’ll see how it goes, and report back later. Fingers crossed😊

 

Silkroad, how did you make your reservations at the different MDRs, directly with Celebrity or through your TA? Please do let us know your experience once you’re back from your cruise.

 

We’re booked on Apex for May 2020, with  Celebrity for now, but we will transfer to our TA shortly. Would love some tips on how to go about these reservations, thanks in advance!

[Silkroad]

4 minutes ago, prish said:

 

Silkroad, how did you make your reservations at the different MDRs, directly with Celebrity or through your TA? Please do let us know your experience once you’re back from your cruise.

 

I booked the cruise directly with Celebrity, and transferred to my TA later. I booked MDR reservations directly, by logging into my Celebrity account & going to the Cruise Planner for this cruise. I also booked a 3-night specialty dining package via my Cruise Planner. My TA wasn’t involved. I will report back after my cruise😊 In fact, I will write a review. I’ve been trying to work up to a live review, but I’m not sure I’m ready for the time commitment😉

[prish]

Thanks Silkroad, didn’t think of the Cruise Planner option, but that does make sense. Will wait to hear how this worked for you, and your review too. Thanks again and happy cruising 😊

[Reel Love]

17 hours ago, Denny01 said:

Just walk up to the any of those at the entry of any of the four restaurants and ask them to book you in whatever restaurant you want to try and what time. 

So glad to hear that this worked for you Denny01!  Another post on here also referenced that simply walking up and requesting to try a different MDR worked for them. 

For some reason it wasn't quite so simple for us.....maybe it was because we were a group of eight so it may have been a bit more challenging to seat us, or perhaps because it was the 7 night maiden voyage so the staff were still working things out?  Whatever the reason, it was certainly no big deal to us and we did thoroughly enjoy our assigned dining venue.  Just thought it would have been nice to try all four. ☺️

[vtcruising]

1 hour ago, ecslady said:

VT Cruising - Great poll - but IMO there should have been another question  -  which restaurant did you enjoy the least?

Oh, duh! Good idea! I did run out of questions - they only let me do three. I guess I'll need to do another poll with my other questions. 🙂

[Oville]

Unfortunately those of us who haven’t done the 4 restaurant option and therefore didn’t respond to the poll can’t see the results. It does however sound like all four are liked.

[vtcruising]

20 minutes ago, Oville said:

Unfortunately those of us who haven’t done the 4 restaurant option and therefore didn’t respond to the poll can’t see the results. It does however sound like all four are liked.

That's strange. Here is the breakdown so far. They were all pretty even yesterday and then Normandie pulled ahead. 🙂

 

[Oville]

1 minute ago, vtcruising said:

That's strange. Here is the breakdown so far. They were all pretty even yesterday and then Normandie pulled ahead. 🙂

 

Marilyn, thanks so much.  If I recall the regional menu in Normandie was quite nice. We were assigned to Cyprus on the 2 day cruise and I enjoyed its regional selections.

 

Next E Class cruise for us we will be dining in the 4 restaurants.

[Silkroad]

40 minutes ago, Oville said:

Unfortunately those of us who haven’t done the 4 restaurant option and therefore didn’t respond to the poll can’t see the results. It does however sound like all four are liked.

Katie, I haven’t responded to the poll, but I can see the results. I’m using Firefox on my iPad, and selected the “show results” tab located to the right of the “submit vote” tab. - Michelle 

[Oville]

3 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Katie, I haven’t responded to the poll, but I can see the results. I’m using Firefox on my iPad, and selected the “show results” tab located to the right of the “submit vote” tab. - Michelle 

Michelle, thanks so much, it works with Safari also.

 

You must be getting so excited about your TA with the rest of your gang.  I can’t wait to read your feedback.  Have a wonderful cruise and thanks again for the poll tip.  Katie