Chef's Table: Buy before cruise or can we get a deal once onboard?

[cruzincanuck]

I cannot quite make up my mind.  I had my fingers crossed that Black Friday or Cyber Monday would bring a reduction on the Chef Table  but no deal.  So should we purchase prior to the cruise or is there a chance for us to get a deal once we board?  We are willing to go the 1st night or is the Chef Table just impossible to get a deal.

It is for our 5 night Explorer cruise in Jan.

[ATC cruiser]

If you wait to purchase onboard you will pay 18% gratuity. In October I did get a reduction on Enchantment when I purchased it onboard because neither myself or my wife drink wine. 

[xpcdoojk]

Or avoid all together?😉

 

Personally, it is a huge commitment of time and depending on table mates can be painful.

 

jc

[Clarea]

3 hours ago, cruzincanuck said:

I cannot quite make up my mind.  I had my fingers crossed that Black Friday or Cyber Monday would bring a reduction on the Chef Table  but no deal.  So should we purchase prior to the cruise or is there a chance for us to get a deal once we board?  We are willing to go the 1st night or is the Chef Table just impossible to get a deal.

It is for our 5 night Explorer cruise in Jan.

 

We got a 50% discount on board for doing Chef's Table on the first night.  Not saying this will be your experience, but they seem to have the most incentive to fill it on night 1.

[papaflamingo]

A few years ago we pre-purchased Chef's Table on Serenade.  When we got on board we convinced our friends to go.  They ended up getting it for 60%!  I called the Chef's Table Sommelier (he was in charge) and told him I wanted the discount.  He balked at first but was able to get it for me.  He was, by the way, the best Sommelier of any Chef's Table we'd been to.  

Anyway, I decided we'd never pre-book again.   Seems that Chef's Table tends to not book out and so they offer considerable discounts once on board.  If you absolutely MUST do it and on a specific night, then book it early.  If you are willing to miss it, then I'd wait until on board and try to get a discount. 

[cruzincanuck]

I think we will chance it and see once onboard 🙂  Thank you all

 

[Norwich Cruiser]

I would definitely not pre book chefs table although we’ve only dined there once at a heavily discounted price we’ve usually found discounts are offered on most sailings.

[Sea Dog]

We always wait and try to get a discount on board. Both times got 50% off. We thoroughly enjoyed it and will continue to do the Chef's Table on every cruise we take.

[polymedia]

I've done it 7 times so far. Only once did I book before the cruise when the price dropped $10. Seemed like a bargain, but since then I've gotten anywhere from 25 to 40% off onboard. Just a couple of weeks ago on Rhapsody we got 40% off when we delivered the entire table. After reading this thread I'll be looking for 50% off in the future.

[blueridgemama]

Do you tip? If so, who do you tip since its multiple people.

[Clarea]

2 minutes ago, blueridgemama said:

Do you tip? If so, who do you tip since its multiple people.

 

There's a spot on the bill for the tip.

[mooseman52b]

We were approached on boarding for Chef's table at a discount and took advantage of it and had a wonderful time. On another cruise we got a package for the Chef's table and Chop's for the price of Chef's table (Chop's free). A good group does make the experience better, but so far we have not had a bad experience at Chef's table.

[cruiselovin'girl]

Where do you look for the discounted Chef's table? I've never seen this offered before.

Thank you,

Pam

[Clarea]

5 hours ago, cruiselovin'girl said:

Where do you look for the discounted Chef's table? I've never seen this offered before.

Thank you,

Pam

 

Under "Dining" in your Cruise Planner.

[Snit13]

2 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Under "Dining" in your Cruise Planner.

We were offered a Discounted Chef's Table on Harmony but it was not discounted enough for me.  Our waiter in Coastal Kitchen offered it.  Seldom have seen a discount in Cruise Planner.

Grace

[ownedbypets]

We have always waited until we are on board. As long as we aren't picky about which night we go we have never paid full price. We have paid between $25-$75.

 

[island lady]

One more to agree on waiting until after you board to book.  Almost always find discounts offered to fill the table. 

[ericopia]

We had two friends who pre-paid for the first night using the Cruise Planner. Once on board, they were contacted and told the event would be canceled because they were the only two booked. (A large party apparently had dropped out late.) Fortunately for us, they persuaded the dining team to offer a discount to the rest of us, so we had the table to ourselves and at a great price.

[cruiselvr04]

Who do you approach about a discount on board? We’ve done it twice and would again but pre booked both times.  I don’t want to pay full price anymore...We’ve never been offered on board.

[Clarea]

41 minutes ago, cruiselvr04 said:

Who do you approach about a discount on board? We’ve done it twice and would again but pre booked both times.  I don’t want to pay full price anymore...We’ve never been offered on board.

 

Any of the crewmembers that are hawking dining on embarkation day.

[bgoff60]

Can anybody out here confirm or deny if Symphony OTS has Chef's Table?

[Clarea]

2 hours ago, bgoff60 said:

Can anybody out here confirm or deny if Symphony OTS has Chef's Table?

 

Not listed under Symphony on RC's website.

[cruzincanuck]

2 hours ago, bgoff60 said:

Can anybody out here confirm or deny if Symphony OTS has Chef's Table?

We are on the Symphony after our Explorer.  Just checked our cruise planner and like Bob said, no Chef's table

[uvadover]

At some point, isn't the value of your time worth more than a modest savings on a dining experience in the context of a cruise that can cost a few thousand dollars?  I appreciate that folks enjoy the endless banter around here, and everyone enjoys the "thrill of the hunt" for a good deal, but ultimately you need to take the plunge and decide whether a $40 experience is worth it to you, yet the same experience at $50 is not.  Obviously there are limits to how much we will all pay for things, but these are quite small in the grand scheme of things.  Same applies to the endless questions about saving a few bucks a day on a drinks package -  $18 per day is a tremendous deal, but does $58 vs $60 really make that much of a difference?  

[crazyank]

On 12/1/2019 at 8:10 PM, xpcdoojk said:

Or avoid all together?😉

 

Personally, it is a huge commitment of time and depending on table mates can be painful.

 

jc

Totally agree,  we have done Chef's Table once and will not do it again.  Our evening was ruined by one woman who simply would not shut up.