Dining with Ship Officer

[BigAl94]

3 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

As I get older, the captains get younger, what is up with that?!?

So true!

[Orator]

6 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

As I get older, the captains get younger, what is up with that?!?

I've been noticing this as well. Most likely a new Celebrity marketing strategy.

Edited June 18, 2021 by Orator

[Covepointcruiser]

Does anyone remember when you were seated at a “Hosted” table.    We had the Captain once, the Staff Officer, the Chief Engineer and the ship’s doctor.    They were still doing this in the main restaurant “Britannia” but not in the suite restaurant.   Sometimes an officer will dislike his table companions and never appear again.   We sat next to the Staff Captains table and two passengers ordered everything on the menu.   Five apps, five salads, all the entree and the desserts.   They had to change the dining chair which had arms to an armless one so one of them could fit.

 

Now that we have COVID and are to dine with our Cohorts, dining with officers may not occur until the Pandemic is under control.

[LGW59]

3 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Does anyone remember when you were seated at a “Hosted” table.    We had the Captain once, the Staff Officer, the Chief Engineer and the ship’s doctor.    They were still doing this in the main restaurant “Britannia” but not in the suite restaurant.   Sometimes an officer will dislike his table companions and never appear again.   We sat next to the Staff Captains table and two passengers ordered everything on the menu.   Five apps, five salads, all the entree and the desserts.   They had to change the dining chair which had arms to an armless one so one of them could fit.

 

Now that we have COVID and are to dine with our Cohorts, dining with officers may not occur until the Pandemic is under control.

Thanks for bringing us back to regular cruise chatter! Love it

[HskrCrsr]

No dining is implied, but here's a chance to meet the Captain:

 

Welcome Parties

Welcome Parties will now take place in stunning outdoor spaces, like the Lawn Club and Rooftop Garden. As always, your captain and executive committee will be there to welcome you back with a special toast.

[TeaBag]

We, too, looked upon it as a honour not a perk.  We were invited by the CC Hostess. 

Quoted from bruin Steve's post,

They had a reserved large table centered in the MDR solely for this purpose.  They made a big deal of marching us in down the MDR staircase after everyone else was seated...and took a table photograph from the upper level. 

This was how it was and we felt very special.  I don't think they d this any longer but we did see a table reserved in Blu one night, a few years ago and sure enough, a party with one of the ship's officers eventually came and occupied it.

The photograph was a nice touch also.

[odysee]

5 hours ago, rucrazy said:

You always have the option to decline the invitation.. It is not a mandatory meal 🙂

Yes and we gladly and promptly declined the invitation given to us by the Captains Club Host.

Can t think why it would be so interesting to dine with officers for whom it is a command performance and possibly part of their job description to try to entertain us. Don t they have the show cast and animation team for that purpose ? And we don t need it to brag about either.
😫

Edited June 18, 2021 by odysee

[Oxo]

What can you say? Some people always think negative, find some fault, and you can never please them. 

Well, we can blame that on Covud19.

LOL

[If only]

Duplicate

Edited June 18, 2021 by If only

[If only]

We have been invited to the Captain’s table in the main dining room, Murano or Tuscan 20 times, each and everyone was a real pleasure.  What I did learn is that there is always a phone call to the officer so he could excuse himself gracefully if they wanted to but they never seemed to leave.  They are very interesting people, from different cultures & lifestyles.  It has always been a pleasant evening & we wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

[TeaBag]

1 hour ago, odysee said:

Yes and we gladly and promptly declined the invitation given to us by the Captains Club Host.

Can t think why it would be so interesting to dine with officers for whom it is a command performance and possibly part of their job description to try to entertain us. Don t they have the show cast and animation team for that purpose ? And we don t need it to brag about either.
😫

Wow, I consider myself well and truly smacked by such a sagacious poster.  Sorry, it's too late to remove my post.  But to earn my designation as a bragger, I have to say I was seated next to the Captain and found him a very gracious host who definitely was not wishing he were somewhere else.

Edited June 18, 2021 by TeaBag

[If only]

22 minutes ago, TeaBag said:

Wow, I consider myself well and truly smacked by such a sagacious poster.  Sorry, it's too late to remove my post.  But to earn my designation as a bragger, I have to say I was seated next to the Captain and found him a very gracious host who definitely was not wishing he were somewhere else.

I totally agree with you, they are very interesting people.

[chemmo]

10 hours ago, odysee said:

Yes and we gladly and promptly declined the invitation given to us by the Captains Club Host.

Can t think why it would be so interesting to dine with officers for whom it is a command performance and possibly part of their job description to try to entertain us. Don t they have the show cast and animation team for that purpose ? And we don t need it to brag about either.
😫

 

Our experiences have been most enjoyable! Not only have we enjoyed the company of the officers we have enjoyed meeting and dining with other passengers on the Captains Table too. Some really interesting conversations. 

 

If you had tried it and it had been a bad experience I could understand your attitude more but you declined to try. Obviously it was your decision not to accept your invitation but others have and, like us, would happily feel honoured to be invited to attend again.

 

Re ‘and we don’t need to brag about it either...’.This post has been about sharing experiences not bragging about them. 

[odysee]

If just may continue to play devil‘s advocate 🤔

The „honored“ thing gets me as so obviously it is luck of the draw amongst many „entitleds“ to reach their quota of filling the officers table.

Different strokes for different folks.😉

[TeeRick]

21 hours ago, BigAl94 said:

If I paid to go to a luxury hotel and had to eat with the staff I would not be happy!

But what if the director of the hotel chain asked you to dinner at their upscale restaurant and gave you fine wine or cocktails and paid entirely for the evening?  Might that change your mind?

[TeeRick]

14 hours ago, TeaBag said:

Wow, I consider myself well and truly smacked by such a sagacious poster.  Sorry, it's too late to remove my post.  But to earn my designation as a bragger, I have to say I was seated next to the Captain and found him a very gracious host who definitely was not wishing he were somewhere else.

I have had very interesting dinners and learned quite a lot about the ship, cruising and the future plans.  And to just point out that the table includes other guests with similar interests and cruising experience as me.  So it was valuable to just meet new friends too.

[Ride-The-Waves]

"Everyone you've ever met or will meet, knows something you don't."   Neil Degrasse Tyson

 

Invited to the Captain's Table on an Azamara ship.  For one couple it was their 30-something time.  Selection based on you cabin - our TA had upgraded us and so we met the criteria.  We did learn how cruise planning occurred, which was interesting for this old Salt.  That said, have come to detest "formal" events and consider this type of dinner a "formal" command performance even if the dress code was "resort casual."  Too many forced formal events with international seniors.  Much prefer a casual dinner with interesting conversation.  In our case we have sailed all the oceans, stepped foot on all seven continents, traveled the world by sea and air (first "cruise" that I can remember as a child was 1949 trans-Atlantic), sailed on all types of ships to include nuclear powered, and met interesting people from all walks off life to include visiting a Maasai mud home in Kenya (very interesting and they were very gracious people).  FYI, my earlier post was young-in-cheek.  No incentive required.

[excitedofharpenden]

2 hours ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

"Everyone you've ever met or will meet, knows something you don't."   Neil Degrasse Tyson

 

Invited to the Captain's Table on an Azamara ship.  For one couple it was their 30-something time.  Selection based on you cabin - our TA had upgraded us and so we met the criteria.  We did learn how cruise planning occurred, which was interesting for this old Salt.  That said, have come to detest "formal" events and consider this type of dinner a "formal" command performance even if the dress code was "resort casual."  Too many forced formal events with international seniors.  Much prefer a casual dinner with interesting conversation.  In our case we have sailed all the oceans, stepped foot on all seven continents, traveled the world by sea and air (first "cruise" that I can remember as a child was 1949 trans-Atlantic), sailed on all types of ships to include nuclear powered, and met interesting people from all walks off life to include visiting a Maasai mud home in Kenya (very interesting and they were very gracious people).  FYI, my earlier post was young-in-cheek.  No incentive required.

My experience on Azamara is it's most definitely not based on the cabin you are staying in as it often is on Celebrity. That is reserved for the Best of the Best dinner in the Drawing Room. Top suites and maybe certain other guests and truly a memorable culinary experience. 

 

The official "Captain's Table" on Azamara is in THE worst spot in the dining room, right in the middle on the upper tier and in the noisiest spot. Personally I don't do noise very well and find it hard to hear the conversation. But I think it's lovely if one is asked. 

 

Phil 

[BigAl94]

3 hours ago, TeeRick said:

But what if the director of the hotel chain asked you to dinner at their upscale restaurant and gave you fine wine or cocktails and paid entirely for the evening?  Might that change your mind?

I refer you to #44

[LGW59]

4 hours ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

"Everyone you've ever met or will meet, knows something you don't."   Neil Degrasse Tyson

 

Invited to the Captain's Table on an Azamara ship.  For one couple it was their 30-something time.  Selection based on you cabin - our TA had upgraded us and so we met the criteria.  We did learn how cruise planning occurred, which was interesting for this old Salt.  That said, have come to detest "formal" events and consider this type of dinner a "formal" command performance even if the dress code was "resort casual."  Too many forced formal events with international seniors.  Much prefer a casual dinner with interesting conversation.  In our case we have sailed all the oceans, stepped foot on all seven continents, traveled the world by sea and air (first "cruise" that I can remember as a child was 1949 trans-Atlantic), sailed on all types of ships to include nuclear powered, and met interesting people from all walks off life to include visiting a Maasai mud home in Kenya (very interesting and they were very gracious people).  FYI, my earlier post was young-in-cheek.  No incentive required.

Dining with the captain or other officers is not my glass of wine, nor is the art auction but apparently others love it.  To each their own, I just don’t understand the criticism of those folks who enjoy this.  Especially those here who advise them on how to spend THEIR $$$ or their time.  JMO

[Oceansaway17]

I would rather just stumble across an opportunity to chat with the captain in passing on a walk than to have a sit down rather awkward dinner with others.

 

[Oxo]

15 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

I would rather just stumble across an opportunity to chat with the captain in passing on a walk than to have a sit down rather awkward dinner with others.

 

When people have Traditional Dining and they sit with people they may not know, is that awkward? 

Everyone has their opinions. If you would feel awkward, we will not invite you to our table. LOL

STAY SAFE! 

[kjwinston2019]

I have to admit that Lady Rebecca and Myself like to "dine" late. on our last Celebrity cruise we ended up with all the officers sitting behind us, 3 nights in a row. Why? it was the time for there sit down meeting and they loved having out waiter serve them. Captain and chief staff were so nice to us, they sent perks to our room (wine, chocolates, cheeses). They were all very nice to us. 

[WonderMan3]

I think it varies by cruise as to who gets invited depending on the number of Zeniths onboard and potentially if they're doing back-to-backs and had already attended one of these. I've been twice, first in Jan 2018 on Silhouette when I was in a Royal Suite and then in Jan 2019 on Summit when I was in the Penthouse. I was definitely Elite Plus for the Summit cruise, can't recall if I had reached that status for Silhouette. I found some of the officers much more interesting and engaging than the captains. Would probably be a different story if it was someone like Capt. Kate.

[Pinboy]

6 hours ago, LGW59 said:

 To each their own, I just don’t understand the criticism of those folks who enjoy this.  

Agree--  

Although when we read some of the posts it appears ( ?? ) as if the writer is bragging about how often they are invited and what an " honor " it is.

If they enjoy it and feel " honored " , good for them and why should it bother anyone else.   

LOL-- We've been on over 40 cruises , never invited to dine with a Sr Officer , could care less about it--- and enjoyed every cruise . 

Am I missing something ?