Chef's Table Dinner

[USCcruisecrazy]

Hey Everyone,

 

I may have labeled this incorrectly, but does anyone know the cost of the dinner at the Chef's Table...the 12 person table in the center of the MDR?

 

And how can you make reservations?  Or can you?  We have a party of 12 and would love to reserve the entire table for a special occasion.

 

Thanks in advance.

[CruiseNut24]

On the Grand,  cost was $95 per person,  but was reduced if you did not want the wine.  You need to call the dine line as soon as you board, and put your name down for the Chef's table.   We have been selected two out of three times we put our names in.

[USCcruisecrazy]

39 minutes ago, CruiseNut24 said:

On the Grand,  cost was $95 per person,  but was reduced if you did not want the wine.  You need to call the dine line as soon as you board, and put your name down for the Chef's table.   We have been selected two out of three times we put our names in.

Appreciate he assistance.  Do we go to Customer Service for signing up?  I know it's crazy, but I wonder if they would let us sign up as a group of 12 and either all of us get chosen together or none of us get chosen. 

[Ldyandrea]

35 minutes ago, CruiseNut24 said:

On the Grand,  cost was $95 per person,  but was reduced if you did not want the wine.  You need to call the dine line as soon as you board, and put your name down for the Chef's table.   We have been selected two out of three times we put our names in.

 

The pricing sounds about the same when I did it a few years back.  I've done the Chef's table twice, and it was wonderful!  Make sure you have some closed-toe shoes, since (assuming they haven't changed it) the first part of the evening involves a tour of the galley, and a stop there for some specially made appetizers. Once you've put your name in, they will likely ask you to come down and meet with a member of the crew just to make sure you don't have any food allergies/sensitivities/special diet restrictions, and talk about the shoes, etc. It's not a foregone conclusion that you'll get selected, since they only do one or maybe two of them per week. For that reason, getting an entire table of 12 may or may not be possible, just FYI. 

 

Also, CruiseNut wasn't kidding. The moment you set foot in your cabin, pick up the phone and call the Dine Line! Talk to the rest of your group in advance to make sure everyone wants to go, and just in case you might not be able to get a whole group of 12 in, perhaps ask them which ones *really* want to go so that you have an alternate plan ready for a smaller group if need be when you get the reservation people on the phone. You'll need the names and cabin numbers ready for each of the attendees. 

 

Some of the food, particularly the appetizers, might be a bit over the top for those in your group who aren't as adventurous food-wise. The appetizers I recall included things like caviar, escargo, and other things that might not necessarily be of interest to those who aren't serious foodies.  Also, IMO vegetarians aren't likely to get much out of it as in addition to the mentions above re: appetizers, there's a LOT of meats served with the entrees. I'm also guessing that since there weren't any special orders taken when I did it (everyone gets the same thing) that for those who are doing keto or non-gluten, etc., this may not be worth it for them either.

 

That being said, it really is worth the price otherwise, since they stuff you with food and all but drown you in wine for nearly 3 hours!  We joked that we might need someone with a dolly to roll us back to our cabins afterward!  🤣  Hope you get the opportunity to enjoy the experience! Have fun!

[CruiseNut24]

15 minutes ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

Appreciate he assistance.  Do we go to Customer Service for signing up?  I know it's crazy, but I wonder if they would let us sign up as a group of 12 and either all of us get chosen together or none of us get chosen. 

We went to Customer Service. and they just said to call dine line,  when you call, you can ask to sign up all 12.  You can also speak with the head Matri d, and ask about possibility of getting the chefs table for 12.

[hobo1937]

1 hour ago, CruiseNut24 said:

We went to Customer Service. and they just said to call dine line,  when you call, you can ask to sign up all 12.  You can also speak with the head Matri d, and ask about possibility of getting the chefs table for 12.

Not sure which ship you are sailing on but the Chef's Table on the Royal Class ships is a bit different from the regular Chef's Table. First of all the cost is $115 pp. The Chef's Table is called Chef's Table Luminere. There is a separate permanent  dining area in the Allegro Dining Room specifically for the Chef's Table. After being seated, a curtain of light comes down to surround the group so you are out of sight of the rest of the dining room. We did it recently on the Royal and they only had 10 people, not sure if 12 people could fit around the table as it is a special made table with a murano glass floral insert in the center. We had done the regular Chef's Table several times but the Luminere was over the top and a fantastic experience. 

 

 

[JF - retired RRT]

On one of our cruises, one of our CC members talked to the Maitre D' and requested a special table just for us (we had 10 or 12 who were interested). They did a night with a second Chef's Table just for our group.

If you just sign up for the "regular" CT, some may be chosen, but likely not all in your group.

[junglejane]

I was on the Royal in October. I called the Dine Line when we boarded, at about 1:00 pm. We didn't get picked. I later spoke to the Maitre D' who said that 92 people attempted to sign up for Chef's Table and they were only able to do it twice on our cruise (a 10 day cruise). I'd recommend boarding as early as you can, calling the Dine Line immediately, and then also speaking to the Matire D'.

[USCcruisecrazy]

Thanks for the words everyone.  I think I will call the Dine Line immediately after we board and go see the Maître D'.  We are on the Sky Princess 7 December.  I doubt if signing up individually will get us all chosen, so perhaps asking about seating all 12 will work.  We hear it's an incredible experience...even more incredible I'm sure if we could do it together.

[memoak]

Too much food and mediocre wines. Not worth the bother or expense

[scott4020]

48 minutes ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

Thanks for the words everyone.  I think I will call the Dine Line immediately after we board and go see the Maître D'.  We are on the Sky Princess 7 December.  I doubt if signing up individually will get us all chosen, so perhaps asking about seating all 12 will work.  We hear it's an incredible experience...even more incredible I'm sure if we could do it together.

We signed up 3 cabins (6 people) last year and all made it. This cruise will probably be more difficult to make it because of all the b2b passengers like us. 

[c-boy]

" Too much food and mediocre wines. Not worth the bother or expense "

 

 

is this what I have too look forward to as I get older ?

[jovisoul]

We have tried 6 times and have never been picked 😢

[TheRabbit]

10 hours ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

Thanks for the words everyone.  I think I will call the Dine Line immediately after we board and go see the Maître D'.  We are on the Sky Princess 7 December.  I doubt if signing up individually will get us all chosen, so perhaps asking about seating all 12 will work.  We hear it's an incredible experience...even more incredible I'm sure if we could do it together.

When you go to sign up, you will need all the first and last names as well as cabin numbers, so make sure you have that all down before you call.

In 2018 on the Coral, we had 27 signed up and grouped together over 3 nights. In 2017 I think we had 4 or 5 tables of CC members on the Royal, and I believe all were seated.

Call as soon as you get on. One of the problems is groups doing B2Bs may have already signed up.

[trbarton]

On 11/7/2019 at 11:39 AM, USCcruisecrazy said:

Hey Everyone,

 

I may have labeled this incorrectly, but does anyone know the cost of the dinner at the Chef's Table...the 12 person table in the center of the MDR?

 

And how can you make reservations?  Or can you?  We have a party of 12 and would love to reserve the entire table for a special occasion.

 

Thanks in advance.

I can speak of my experience with a group. I hand a group from CC & I wanted to try & get a chef’s dinner for us. When I arrived on the ship I had a list with everyone’s name & stateroom number which I turned it in at the customer service desk as soon as I arrived. How long is your cruise as that could make a difference?

 

Everyone in our group was contacted & a date & time was mentioned. 
 

Everyone needs to be flexible as you don’t if they will plan one. 
 

Let us know the details of your cruise & good luck. 
 

Tom😎

[Cruiserkenn]

17 hours ago, memoak said:

Too much food and mediocre wines. Not worth the bother or expense

 

Could you please give examples of the mediocre wines?  It would be interesting to hear.

 

Thanks in advance🍷

[Cruiserkenn]

On another thread about the Chef's Table, menus are included.  Estancia Meritage is listed as the red wine choice.  Sounds good to me🙂🍷🌝

[memoak]

Cheap Pinot Grigio and merlot does not make it for me if I am paying $100 or so

[c-boy]

we know

[Cruiserkenn]

 

These are the wines,  listed on the menu, from the aforementioned thread about Chef's Table.  Sounds good to me🙂🍷🌝

 

 

[memoak]

I can buy any of those wines for under $10 in my grocery store.  Cheap cheap cheap. 

[polmcs]

23 minutes ago, memoak said:

I can buy any of those wines for under $10 in my grocery store.  Cheap cheap cheap. 

Does your Oregon grocery store ship? Nicolas Feuillatte at under $10 a bottle is a bargain 😉  Even after paying to ship it, it would still be cheaper than buying it at my local store. 

[Cruiserkenn]

Maybe if they shipped to two of us, we could get an extra discount🙂🍷🌝

 

Edited November 10, 2019 by Cruiserkenn

[memoak]

Cheap champagne gives me a headache

[jwattle]

Your grousing is giving me a headache