Chef's Table

[peanut head]

14 hours ago, seacruiserla said:

Sorry. I do not have any additional info on the Magic Carpet dinner. Let us know after you cruise if you get to do that dinner. I’d be very interested to learn more about it for our next opportunity to try it.

Will do. 

 

Just out of curiosity, did you ever post a video on YouTube of one of your cruises?  You look familiar.

[seacruiserla]

Neither one of us has posted any  vacation video.  I am glad that we look like someone who has done that.  Figuring out my camera with all its bells and whistles for photography is currently where my level is at. 🙂

 

[Sam.Seattle]

22 hours ago, seacruiserla said:

Sorry. I do not have any additional info on the Magic Carpet dinner. Let us know after you cruise if you get to do that dinner. I’d be very interested to learn more about it for our next opportunity to try it.

I am very curious and interested in finding more information on the Magic Carpet dining opportunity. 

[Texed]

On 4/15/2021 at 4:45 PM, peanut head said:

Thanks for the info, Terry.  I'll ask the on-shore concierge about the Magic Carpet dinner to see if we can reserve that before we board.  Do you have any other intel on that event--dress code (windmill style?🙃), type of food, etc?

 

Unless it has changed, you can not reserve the Magic Carpet dinner until you are on the ship.

 

The dress code was casual, and the dinner we had was different sea foods.  It was excellent. We had the dinner when we were overnighting in Bermuda.

 

The Magic Carpet dinner is not part of any of the specialty dinner's package.

[OUBaylor1]

On 4/16/2021 at 11:20 AM, OUBaylor1 said:

Until this thread, I did not know about the Chef's Table.  Even though we no longer take Celebrity's excursions, we made an exception for this tour.  While pricey, we enjoyed spending the day with the chef.  The day culminated in a dinner using foods and liquid refreshment that the chef had purchased that day.  Will definitely take this Celebrity tour again when offered.

Oops, did not mention in original post that I was talking about Celebrity's Chef Market Tour, not the Chef's Table.  Sorry for the confusion.

[miched]

We did it once and probably won’t risk it again.   Our experience was great. We had 11 people sitting at a table that should have been for 9.  
 

The chef came out and announce what would be served next.  Didn’t say anything more about it.  It didn’t add any more that what was listed on the menu.  
 

The table mates were very rude and obnoxious.   One couple though it was was a captive audience to complain about stuff they didn’t like on X and what issues they had on  their current cruise.

 

Another couple kept making remarks about slow service and and wanted the food served faster, and that the portions were too small.   They left before the desert was served.  Good riddance.  They probably left to got to their assigned dining room or buffet.  

 

The male of a another couple I guess was a chef or thought he was from a high level restaurant and kept telling them what they were doing wrong and how to improve.  

 

Whenever the  officer assigned to have dinner with us would try to talk about something the fourth couple would tell him that they didn’t want to hear about it and wanted to hear something different.  Never suggest what.

 

My wife and I just sat there and tried to enjoy the dining experience.  
 

For the price we paid, the pre selected menu, chances of getting rude table mates we found it better to just book a dinner by ourselves in the same restaurant.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

[LGW59]

5 minutes ago, miched said:

We did it once and probably won’t risk it again.   Our experience was great. We had 11 people sitting at a table that should have been for 9.  
 

The chef came out and announce what would be served next.  Didn’t say anything more about it.  It didn’t add any more that what was listed on the menu.  
 

The table mates were very rude and obnoxious.   One couple though it was was a captive audience to complain about stuff they didn’t like on X and what issues they had on  their current cruise.

 

Another couple kept making remarks about slow service and and wanted the food served faster, and that the portions were too small.   They left before the desert was served.  Good riddance.  They probably left to got to their assigned dining room or buffet.  

 

The male of a another couple I guess was a chef or thought he was from a high level restaurant and kept telling them what they were doing wrong and how to improve.  

 

Whenever the  officer assigned to have dinner with us would try to talk about something the fourth couple would tell him that they didn’t want to hear about it and wanted to hear something different.  Never suggest what.

 

My wife and I just sat there and tried to enjoy the dining experience.  
 

For the price we paid, the pre selected menu, chances of getting rude table mates we found it better to just book a dinner by ourselves in the same restaurant.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

It is like $140/pp, to me, so not worth the risk of what you experienced.  When I cruise solo, which is most of the time, I always start at a table for just me, just not worth the risk of having to bite my tongue thru dinner.  Invariably though usually meet some good folks during the cruise and end up having dinner together a few times.  

[miched]

3 hours ago, LGW59 said:

It is like $140/pp, to me, so not worth the risk of what you experienced.  When I cruise solo, which is most of the time, I always start at a table for just me, just not worth the risk of having to bite my tongue thru dinner.  Invariably though usually meet some good folks during the cruise and end up having dinner together a few times.  

I meant to post our experience wasn’t great.    Spell correct and etc changes things.  I have been having problems with my IPad.   2 weeks ago  I went to delete all of my junk mail and it deleted everything in my folders.    I lost all of my records, reservations, and etc.  

 

the keyboard doesn’t correspond to the letters that I touch.  I make sure that I touch a letter and it changes it to another.  I can touch one letter and it would repeat itself many times like this aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

The additional cost of almost $100 over the cost of the same restaurant to us wouldn't be worth it.   To us there was nothing special, we had to dine with others that may or not be the greatest table mates and there was no choice in what was served.   It was a set menu that was a surprise.  

That is our experience and happy for those that were better.

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Edited April 19, 2021 by miched

[goofysmom99]

With the massive OBCs some folks will be receiving, myself included, the Chef's Table will be a way to use some of it.

[C-Dragons]

11 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

With the massive OBCs some folks will be receiving, myself included, the Chef's Table will be a way to use some of it.

Great minds.

Already used our  OBC to book it for an upcoming cruise. 

[Gracie115]

Our one experience with X's Chef Table was disappointing.  My husband's seafood allergy made the first course somewhat of a joke at the table as the substitute for him and another person at the table was a single piece of asparagus cut in half.  That's it.

 

We enjoyed the people, our dinner DID include wine which was fine.  I just don't think we will spend the $$ again to do this. 

[sofietucker]

We have done a number of these on different cruise lines and ships... Some experiences have been fabulous, others not so much. One thing that is newer--though it depends on the ship, venue, etc.--is offering two-tops, so that you are not sitting with others who may be talkative, fighting spouses, etc. I am betting dollars to donuts that this will be the case for a good long time to come, due to covid.

 

Second, it's a lot of food! Eight courses may start with a mouthful--an amuse bouche, doesn't count as a course--and then an appetizer, then a soup, a fish entree, a poultry, a sorbet/granite (palate cleanser, not a course), a meat entree, a salad, cheeses, fruit, dessert... Don't hold your breath for a lot of veg and grains, lol. And sometimes we've been served pre-dessert, dessert, and post-dessert (usually chocolates of some sort that they package for you take away).

 

Remember that it's okay to take a few bites of each course to taste it, instead of finishing. I don't eat a whole course if it's something fairly usual--say the salad or a bouillabaisse or a tiramisu.Those starving third world children won't be helped by you cleaning your plate on a ship. I once had to tell them to simply not bring my third meat course; there was no way, if I wanted to have room for any further courses...

 

Ideally you have a chef and sommelier who describe each dish and its accompanying wine, explaining how the pairing enhances the meal; sometimes telling stories or little jokes to liven it up. Or you may get a dud who announces the course and that's it. The chef should at least walk the tables and chat with everyone.

 

Sometimes we'll both spring for the wine pairing, sometimes one will and the other won't, or we'll have a couple of our bottles that we've been drinking served... One thing we always do: look at the menu in advance and the paired wines (which is actually online "as we speak"). If there are a bunch of wines I don't care for (such as anything that starts with "pinot," lol), instead of doing the pairings, I'll make a list of similar type wines from our PBP (say a beaulolais for the pinot noir, for instance)  and plan to order glasses of those with my various courses--giving the sommelier the list in advance. (Since dessert wines are not always part of the package, I may just go for a B&B or something instead.) Works out well.

Enjoy it, whatever you do--it's supposed to be fun!

 

 

 

[peanut head]

SofieTucker your post was great--detailed and informative.  Thanks...it is a big help.

[sn2792]

On 4/19/2021 at 11:37 AM, C-Dragons said:

Great minds.

Already used our  OBC to book it for an upcoming cruise. 

Us too. We’ve done it 2 or 3 times on Celebrity and have been fortunate to always have a good group of people at our table.

[George C]

Might do it only if it’s on my wife’s birthday , we have a royal suite which includes specialty but do not believe we get a discount on that, question to those who have done this, how generous are the wine pours ? Hate going to wine dinners that just give you a small pour. Thanks 

[raudacruise]

21 minutes ago, George C said:

Might do it only if it’s on my wife’s birthday , we have a royal suite which includes specialty but do not believe we get a discount on that, question to those who have done this, how generous are the wine pours ? Hate going to wine dinners that just give you a small pour. Thanks 

Generous pours, with refills offered. 

[KKB]

Looking at the comments regarding table mates making/breaking a meal--that is certainly the same as dining with strangers in the dining room.

Our 1st cruise we had THE BEST table mates! Table for 8--couples in 20s, 30s,, 40s, 50s. We hit it off so well we hung out together most nights!

Another cruise I recall dining with 2 couples who were traveling together. One couple was delightful; the other was...well...odd. It was like farmer Joe married the waitress from Hooters. That alone would have just been funny, but he was the biggest complainer ever. Skipped courses he didn't like then whined that service was too slow. Ugh.

 

I wonder--is Chef's Table more likely to attract a more "entitled" demographic? 

I just want to try unique offerings. I am social & strive to keep conversations light & fun, particularly in a group of strangers! 

(Unlikely DH would go--not a terribly adventurous diner...)

[NutsAboutGolf]

I read a lot into the Chefs table in my 2019 cruise,  I ended up doing the cooking class (lunch time on a sea day, pic above), that was interactive, cheaper and an enjoyable experience.  Chef Table tends to vary by Ship, if you're ship has a Murano's it'll probably be held in there, you can google the chef table menu for your ship.

 

Here's what turned me off to the chef table:

The galley tour is the same tour as the one that is free.

On my 2019 cruise it was $279/couple for a 5 course dinner at Murano's, they were the same items that could be ordered off the Murano menu.

Just seems like you're overpaying to sit with others who may be rude, buying the specialty restaurant for just your own party would be cheaper.

[NutsAboutGolf]

With the Dinner on the magic carpet, it appears unless you're one of the first couple hundred guests on the ship, you won't get a reservation unfortunately as reservations usually go to suite guests.  There is a way to have a similar experience far cheaper, the Magic Carpet can be an extension of Raw on Five, you can get some great sushi or even the $75 seafood tower and have the same experience.  Also, there have been some complaints of folks who sign up for the dinner and it being too windy; with lunch, go one day, if it's too windy simply go a different day.

 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We've done the Chef's Table and the Veuve Clicquot 3 or 4 times and were lucky to have good table mates each time.  

[raudacruise]

5 hours ago, KKB said:

Looking at the comments regarding table mates making/breaking a meal--that is certainly the same as dining with strangers in the dining room.

Our 1st cruise we had THE BEST table mates! Table for 8--couples in 20s, 30s,, 40s, 50s. We hit it off so well we hung out together most nights!

Another cruise I recall dining with 2 couples who were traveling together. One couple was delightful; the other was...well...odd. It was like farmer Joe married the waitress from Hooters. That alone would have just been funny, but he was the biggest complainer ever. Skipped courses he didn't like then whined that service was too slow. Ugh.

 

I wonder--is Chef's Table more likely to attract a more "entitled" demographic? 

I just want to try unique offerings. I am social & strive to keep conversations light & fun, particularly in a group of strangers! 

(Unlikely DH would go--not a terribly adventurous diner...)

I’ve attended five or so Chef’s Tables and encountered only one snob. This fellow at the start of dinner bragged about owning many expensive properties. He also took a phone call DURING the meal, not leaving the room (Murano’s wine cellar). No one was impressed, he was just ignored.

 

 

[raudacruise]

I enjoyed the Chef’s Table Galley Tour on Equinox. Fascinating since it was held during dinner service, lots of action. They also let us go inside the wine tower.  Those stairs were scary!  Not sure if that is still part of the tour.

[Jazzbo]

So, it looks like you can't book until you have made final payment. 

[glmacruise]

10 minutes ago, Jazzbo said:

So, it looks like you can't book until you have made final payment. 

 

Odd we haven’t made final payment and we booked it.

[peanut head]

I scheduled and paid for the event on my Edge 2022 sailing and haven't made a final payment for the cruise.