Chef's Table

[schazzy]

I'm not sure if anything about this has already been posted, I didn't see anything, so here we go:

 

Well, we are considering doing the Chef's Table on our cruise next year, so I went to look at booking it.

 

Last time I looked into booking it, if I remember correctly, was just a straight up $75 a person, and you didn't have to pay up front and I thought gratuities were included in the $75.

 

Now it looks like you have to pay at the time of booking it like you are buying from the Fun shops and I'm not sure what is going on here, but look at the following screenshots:

 

 

 

[Joe817]

I was looking at the Steakhouse page last night, for our upcoming Freedom cruise, and it looked just like what yours do, except for the price. It appears that Carnival is standardizing its requirement to pay upfront, as opposed to just making the reservations. HOWEVER, I read on a thread a week or 2 ago, that if you try to do this on your smartphone,  that you can still make a reservation, without paying for it up front. YMMV.

[seibu027]

I was looking into booking Chef’s Table for our cruise in a couple of weeks and noticed this same price difference.  It’s honestly made me not want to book it.  I’ll probably just stick with the steakhouse.  Why say $75 and then up it $20 pp on the next page?  It doesn’t make sense, nor is there any reason given.  
 

Mandi

[coevan]

different ships have different prices just like Behind the Fun tour

[Cruise-Crazy]

I have always paid $75 either booking on the ship or online. When it was not included and you had to write it on the check most people didn’t add anything. 

 

 

[Joe817]

41 minutes ago, coevan said:

different ships have different prices just like Behind the Fun tour

You are correct! I've noticed that too!  Thanks for that.

[BTHodgeman]

Notice the "starting at." It depends on ship. I think some of the smaller, older ships are still at the $75 price. Last time we sailed on Fascination, it was cheaper than our previous sailing on Vista.

[ParrotRob]

The first picture says STARTING AT $75/pp.  As someone else said, it varies from ship to ship.  Your ship happens to be $95.  And yes, they will add gratuity, as well they should.  The service is great.

[coevan]

I doubt the food is any better. The ship does not cook the food. 😎

[ParrotRob]

2 minutes ago, coevan said:

I doubt the food is any better. The ship does not cook the food. 😎

 

No one said it was any better.  I suspect the price of Chef's table is based on demand, like the price of anything else.

 

[Cruise-Crazy]

I was on Sensation back on Dec 2nd. I booked it online for the first time, $75 plus gratuity. 

[Bluelock]

Mine says $95pp. In the description it lists an automatic 18% gratuity. I don’t think I’ll be booking it for that price.

[mecruise10]

I just did the chef's table on the Splendor 2 months ago (October 2019). The price was $75/ person plus gratuity and includes  several alcoholic drinks.

 

The chef's table is a step up from the Steakhouse $38 fee where no drinks are included in the price.

 

 

First off the chef's table starts with a complementary glass of champagne prior to going into the galley. The whole 3 hour event is guided and described by one of the sous chef. 

 

Once inside the galley, we were treated to two separate appetizers and then a demonstration on how they make the Carnival melting cake dessert.  We were then led to a private dining room were the 12 of us (limited seating) were met by additional staff to serve you and clear the table. After taking a group photo, we sat at our seats with the printed menu.

 

Immediately after sitting, the 3rd course was brought into the room.

(There is no ordering required, it is a preset dinner of 10-12 tasting courses - even though it's a tasting - you will leave full). The Steakhouse allows you to choose your appetizer, entree, & dessert.

 

The 3rd and 4th courses came with a glass of wine then a 5th, 6th and 7th course with a different wine.

 

Prior to the main tasting entree, a guest magician came in and provided some up close slight of hand magic. He was very good and moved around the table and repeated the trick.

After the tricks were done, 

we were treated to the remaining 4 - 5 courses which included 2 delicious dessert courses.

Prior to leaving, we were handed a photo of the table guest we took earlier in the evening.

 

It started at 6:00 pm and we finished at 9:00 pm.

It was an excellent evening and we'll worth the cost.

Think of this like an on ship excursion.

[coevan]

2 hours ago, mecruise10 said:

I just did the chef's table on the Splendor 2 months ago (October 2019). The price was $75/ person plus gratuity and includes  several alcoholic drinks.

 

 

After the intro Sparkling wine, they only serve free red and white wine, no cocktails

[moonbmn53]

I have done the Chef's Table on 3 different ships.  On one smaller ship the price was $75 and on the two larger ships it was $95 plus gratuities on all.  

 

For me it was a wonderful dining experience, not just a meal, and was well worth the cost.  Even though there may be some items on the menu that I am not crazy about, I do try everything.  You are served so much food that by the time dessert comes around you are very very full.  And ready for a nap. 😊

 

[iconoclast]

The Chef’s Table was one of the absolute highlights of my last cruise. It really is an experience more than a meal. I have it booked on the Panorama in two weeks at $95 per person; it was probably the first thing I signed us up for after booking!

[mjhouse2]

I have this booked for our next cruise in February.  Booked a few months ago and didn't have to pay up front.  Got an email confirming my reservation but not the time or day.  Hopefully it hasn't changed lol

 

[ParrotRob]

31 minutes ago, mjhouse2 said:

I have this booked for our next cruise in February.  Booked a few months ago and didn't have to pay up front.  Got an email confirming my reservation but not the time or day.  Hopefully it hasn't changed lol

 

 

In our experience, you don't find out what day it is until you're actually on board.  

[jdcml]

On 12/29/2019 at 2:57 PM, schazzy said:

 

 

This has GOT to be one of the worst corporate websites in the country.  It has been like this for years too!  We tried to book CHEERS the other night and the rep on the phone said the website was horrible and never works, but then he couldn't add it either!  He then sent us a link to a 'different' website that is apparently rolling out soon and we were able to add it there.

Anyway, this math works out to $75 + grat, not the $95 it says it lists it as.  I get it that the question is about the auto grat but wanted to point out that the site can't even add from one page to the next 🙄

[jdcml]

I checked the 'new site' to see if it was adding gratuity.  It is back to the old method of just taking reservations but it have this disclaimer: *Please note: A 18% gratuity will automatically be added; Please allow 2 1/2 hours for your dining experience. There will be a $25 fee for cancellations made within 24 hours of your scheduled Chef’s Table.
The steakhouse still reads as: The fee includes an appetizer, entree, dessert. Gratuities are optional and may be extended in cash or to the guest's Sail & Sign Account, at the guest's discretion.

[theeddie]

Happy to see this,   Carnival cancelled a chef's table on me because everyone else cancelled day of.

Its ALOT of food and booze

[ParrotRob]

9 hours ago, theeddie said:

Happy to see this,   Carnival cancelled a chef's table on me because everyone else cancelled day of.

Its ALOT of food and booze

 

I'm not sure what chef's table you're dining at, but every one I've done has been a lot of food, a glass of champagne and a glass or two of wine, certainly not "a lot of booze".

[coevan]

wine is poured openly, no specific amount of glasses, certainly no booze

[GreakLakes]

I did the Chef's Table on the Elation, December 26th.  It was a great experience, and something I would book if I cruise with Carnival again.

 

As previous posts stated about the 18% gratuity, I was confused at the end of the dinner.

 

The hostess gave everyone receipts and pens at the end.  So, I thought well maybe we add out own tip.  I ended up leaving another 15% for my mother and I.

 

Our account showed both amounts.  I thought that was tacky to put us on the spot for "extras" if it was already included.  It was no big deal, but they won't get me again.😊

[MistyRo76]

We did Chef’s table on the Paradise back in April and it was worth every penny of the $75 fee we paid. 
 

We met the group in the lobby where they had free flowing champagne. I had at least 2 (maybe even 3) glasses as we got there pretty early. Once everyone arrived we went to the galley where we had 3-4 appetizers and got a demo of how to make the melting cake. Then we were escorted to the library which was closed off for this dining experience. 
 

After taking a group pic we settled into our seats where we each were given a personalized menu outlining the courses. There were about 8 courses including breads, salad, soups, appetizer and several different entrees. The portions were small, but pace yourself because it’s more than you realize! I got full and couldn’t eat much of the last course which was the Wagyu beef, the best dish of the night in my opinion. 
 

As soon as we sat down, we were offered wine - house red or white. I asked for both so I could pair with the dishes accordingly. This was no problem and my glasses were never left even close to empty as the wait staff refilled between each course. I also saw others order soda or a cocktail which was no problem. One in our group had some kind of food allergies and they prepared some substituted dishes for her all of which looked amazing!

 

The whole experience was 3+ hours. Each course was explained in great detail by our chef and the service was outstanding. It was an intimate setting that allowed us to get to know our table mates. And the quality and presentation of the dishes were outstanding. Everything tasted wonderful! 
 

At the end of the meal, each person was given a copy of the group photo to take home. We’ve paid $75 to eat at restaurants back home and got nothing more than an app, two entrees and a couple of cocktails. So I feel you more than get your money’s worth with this experience. I would do it again in heartbeat!