Celebrity Select Dining

[Larainerenee8]

 

Can someone explain what this is please? It popped up when I looked at my cruise reservation and gave me an option to book it.

We are sailing on Silhouette.

[talljules1]

It means you can dine at a time of your choosing in the main dining room, rather than having an assigned table at a set time each night.   If you choose it you have to pay your gratuities in advance rather than having them added to your stateroom account every day on board.

[tallnthensome]

Google:

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/Select_Dining_Flyer_Mar2018_V2.pdf

[bookitdanno]

You no longer have to pay gratuities in advance with select dining. That went out quite a while ago.

 

[GastroGnome]

The basic answer is correct though.  Select dining allows you to turn up to the dining room when you want to.  Not at a fixed time - usually 6.30 or 8.30.  If it is very busy at your chosen time you might be given a buzzer and asked to wait in a bar - but that isn't terribly often.  You will dine at a table for just two - whereas at fixed time you might be allocated to a table with others.  (Although in practice  I understand from threads on here that few seem to turn up.)  You will not necessarily dine in the same area each night.

 

Each dining version has its adherants.  It only depends on what you want as a family.  There are a limited number of anytime slots though.  There are also quite a few threads for folk who did not request this early enought and ended up on fixed dining. 

[upwarduk]

32 minutes ago, GastroGnome said:

You will not necessarily dine in the same area each night.

We have always been with the same wait staff though, same area, but not necessarily the same table. This could be because I am Dairy Intolerant, so they get to know my needs, which is much easier all round.

I also pre book a time as close to 7 pm as possible.

Edited February 9, 2020 by upwarduk

[DENIE]

Our first experience with Select dining in 2018, we ended up mostly in the same section/same waiters, but different tables.  A couple nights we were in a different section with different waiters, but still had the same sommelier.  In November 2019, we ended up all over, with different servers almost every night.  We like to get to know our wait-staff, but this didn't diminish our experience.  I recall just one night that we were given a buzzer, so we just went to the Rendezvous lounge next door for a drink and listened to music until our time was up.  Because of the port-intensive European itinerary, our dinner time varied nightly based on the activity level of our excursions, so perhaps that is why we ended up in different sections throughout. 

[upwarduk]

On 2/10/2020 at 3:43 AM, DENIE said:

Because of the port-intensive European itinerary, our dinner time varied nightly based on the activity level of our excursions, so perhaps that is why we ended up in different sections throughout. 

I usually pre book our dining time about 3 weeks before sailing.

It is a long drawn process, as each night has to be booked individually.

Today, I decided that I would start the process, as I had a few hours to spare, while waiting for a telephone call

I managed the 1st day, but couldn’t get any more days reserved. I was given a message, which said:

”We are sorry but this restaurant is not available during this time. Please update your choice, or one of the guests does not meet the criteria.”

Really?

[4774Papa]

Our first cruises with Celebrity (we  have done a total of 11), we chose 6pm fixed dining at the same table with the same people every night.  That worked pretty well for 4 or 5 cruises.  Then we had a cruise with a table of 10 and four (2 couples) showed up 30-40 minutes late every evening the first 3 nights, holding up meal service.  Also, of the entire 10 people we found about half, we just didn't care much for (that had never happened on any cruise with any line).   One of the four that were always late we couldn't stand.  Two other couples, that we liked (the most of the 10) decided to ask for reassignment to another table.    We decided to do the same and our new group was pretty nice.

 

On the cruise after that one, we have another group that included a couple of people that were rude and arrogant, so we asked for reassignment and told by the Maitre de that we could only go to Select Dining (anytime).   We took it and haven't looked back.  We tend to make friends on the cc roll calls as well as at the meet and greet, or have people we have cruised with before on the same cruise.  We go to the elite happy hour, then migrate to dining room (select dining).  We love it.

[upwarduk]

11 hours ago, upwarduk said:

I managed the 1st day, but couldn’t get any more days reserved. I was given a message, which said:

”We are sorry but this restaurant is not available during this time. Please update your choice, or one of the guests does not meet the criteria.”

Has anyone else come across this? 

All times were greyed out, I could only select passengers!

[luckyinpa]

ive been told you go in the 1st day and choose a table and then pick out a time you'd like .this is great as port vs sea days you may want something different. plus the tables are close and you may want to find a better one. 

 

if you decide one nite not to eat do you just let the reservation expire or is there a way on the app to cancel etc?

[davekathy]

We always select SD when booking our cruises. Then I immediately go into our CP and reserve the time we want for each evening. I always get the time we want. Once onboard we go directly to the MDR, find a table we like, speak with whoever is at the podium at that moment and reserve that specific table for the entire cruise. No problem. 

Edited February 28, 2020 by davekathy

[masterscott]

First time cruiser and whom has booked Select Dining and just want to clarify about SD. My understanding is you can just show up and be seated, may be a wait , but you can come at anytime. Why I am asking , is I see in my cruise planner an option to selected times each night. Do I have too or can I just show up once on boat when I wish knowing I may have to wait to be seated. Just the 2 of us BTW.

[varoo]

3 hours ago, masterscott said:

First time cruiser and whom has booked Select Dining and just want to clarify about SD. My understanding is you can just show up and be seated, may be a wait , but you can come at anytime. Why I am asking , is I see in my cruise planner an option to selected times each night. Do I have too or can I just show up once on boat when I wish knowing I may have to wait to be seated. Just the 2 of us BTW.

 

Either way is fine; whichever you prefer.

 

For nights when you know in advance that you will want to eat at a specific time, you can select a time in advance and for nights when you want to remain flexible, you can just show up whenever you feel like going, knowing that you may or may not have to wait to be seated.

 

 

Edited February 29, 2020 by varoo

[SFCAcruiser]

5 hours ago, masterscott said:

...My understanding is you can just show up and be seated, may be a wait , but you can come at anytime. Why I am asking , is I see in my cruise planner an option to selected times each night. Do I have too or can I just show up once on boat when I wish knowing I may have to wait to be seated....

The two of us always book Select dining, and we never make a reservation. We show up when we want; making a reservation would negate the main benefit of Select dining for us. But we all have our own preferences, so you can chose whichever option works for you. 
Since we prefer to dine late  (around 8:15 or later) we almost never encounter any wait. I have read on these boards, that arriving during the busy times of approx. 6:30 - 8:00 may increase your chances of having to wait for a table. 

[4774Papa]

5 hours ago, SFCAcruiser said:

The two of us always book Select dining, and we never make a reservation. We show up when we want; making a reservation would negate the main benefit of Select dining for us. But we all have our own preferences, so you can chose whichever option works for you. 
Since we prefer to dine late  (around 8:15 or later) we almost never encounter any wait. I have read on these boards, that arriving during the busy times of approx. 6:30 - 8:00 may increase your chances of having to wait for a table. 

We never make reservations for select dining.  We usually dine with a group of 8,9 or 10.  In about 6 cruises, we have never had to wait longer than 15 minutes and that is rare.  We usually dine about 7-7:15.

[Nana57]

Where in the planner do I find to select a time for my select dining?

[davekathy]

1 hour ago, Nana57 said:

Where in the planner do I find to select a time for my select dining?

When you're in your CP, on the black header bar click on dining. Then scroll down the page and you'll see Select Dining. Click on that. Another page will open and you'll see complimentary and to the right of that you'll see Add to Cart.

Edited February 29, 2020 by davekathy