Dining reservations

[mkam2821]

Sailing Silhouette Jan 4-14. Have first night booked in Murano, have purchased a 3 night specialty dining package and have select dining other nights.  Can we alter our 1st night Murano time and choose our other 3 specialty nights pre-cruise and how can we make our select dining reservations pre-cruise.

Thanks in advance

Happy Holidays

[Turtles06]

Typically, when you buy a specialty dining package pre-cruise, Celebrity assigns you to a specific restaurant for your first night.  Once you board, you can make the other reservations, and also usually change that first night if it doesn't work for you, including the time.  You can't make other reservations for meals in a specialty dining package pre-cruise.   Here, it seems you booked Murano outside the package, yes?  So it's unclear what's going on for that first night in terms of your package.  In terms of changing the time for Murano pre-cruise, if there are no other times listed in your Cruise Planner, you likely can't change the time now, but perhaps you can on board.  We were on the Silhouette Dec. 3-13, and there were some bands of times that guests could not reserve for some of the specialty dining venues, because of staffing issues.   

 

In any event, you can call the Celebrity Cruise Enhancement desk, 800-722-5941, select the option for specialty dining, and see if the folks can help you out.

 

One tip:  The ship will likely have a special "Taj X" Indian tasting-menu dinner once during the cruise (for something in the range of $35-40pp, including gratuity).  It was a fabulous meal, and I highly recommend it.  It showed up in the Celebrity app a few days before the cruise, bookable on board.  If you are interested, book it as soon as you board. 

 

We've eaten at Murano often, but the dinner we had there on this cruise was THE best meal we've ever had on a cruise ship, and a rival for many great meals we've had on land.  I hope yours is just as good!  (And I hope you get Marcel as your server!)

 

Enjoy your cruise! 

[mkam2821]

13 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

Typically, when you buy a specialty dining package pre-cruise, Celebrity assigns you to a specific restaurant for your first night.  Once you board, you can make the other reservations, and also usually change that first night if it doesn't work for you, including the time.  You can't make other reservations for meals in a specialty dining package pre-cruise.   Here, it seems you booked Murano outside the package, yes?  So it's unclear what's going on for that first night in terms of your package.  In terms of changing the time for Murano pre-cruise, if there are no other times listed in your Cruise Planner, you likely can't change the time now, but perhaps you can on board.  We were on the Silhouette Dec. 3-13, and there were some bands of times that guests could not reserve for some of the specialty dining venues, because of staffing issues.   

 

In any event, you can call the Celebrity Cruise Enhancement desk, 800-722-5941, select the option for specialty dining, and see if the folks can help you out.

 

One tip:  The ship will likely have a special "Taj X" Indian tasting-menu dinner once during the cruise (for something in the range of $35-40pp, including gratuity).  It was a fabulous meal, and I highly recommend it.  It showed up in the Celebrity app a few days before the cruise, bookable on board.  If you are interested, book it as soon as you board. 

 

We've eaten at Murano often, but the dinner we had there on this cruise was THE best meal we've ever had on a cruise ship, and a rival for many great meals we've had on land.  I hope yours is just as good!  (And I hope you get Marcel as your server!)

 

Enjoy your cruise! 

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH, we LOVE Indian food and would gab the opportunity to do Taj X. Yes, Murano is outside of the 3 night package. I'll call and see if we can change the time if not, worse case we'll eat early on the first night. Do you know if/how we can reserve the main dining room time pre-cruise for the nights we don't intend to do specialty?

[Turtles06]

17 minutes ago, mkam2821 said:

Do you know if/how we can reserve the main dining room time pre-cruise for the nights we don't intend to do specialty?

 

Go into your Cruise Planner, to Dining.  Scroll all the way down to the very bottom of the screen, and you will see Select Dining. Go from there.  You'll have to do each night individually.  (The folks you call re specialty dining might be able to make those reservations for you, but you can certainly do it yourself in the Cruise Planner.)

 

Tip: if there are just two of you, and you want to sit at a two-top in the MDR that is not inches from another table where people are eating (or even closer), go to the starboard side of the upper level of the MDR (Deck 4), and ask for one of the physically distanced tables.  (I think they are also on the port side as well.)  You may have to ask for the Maitre d' to get one; this seemed to be a big secret on our cruise, and the host at the podium told us no such tables were available (despite Celebrity's promise on its web site of physical distancing in the MDR).  When we asked for the Maitre d', the gentleman who came over had us ushered to the back half of the MDR, where there were numerous two-tops spread out across the room, with tables blocked off between them.  Some folks were already eating here, and more came after we were seated.  I don't know why we needed to have the Maitre d' intervene, but that wasn't the only time it was necessary.  It was one of the few discordant notes of our cruise.  

Edited December 23, 2021 by Turtles06

[NutsAboutGolf]

50 minutes ago, mkam2821 said:

Sailing Silhouette Jan 4-14. Have first night booked in Murano, have purchased a 3 night specialty dining package and have select dining other nights.  Can we alter our 1st night Murano time and choose our other 3 specialty nights pre-cruise and how can we make our select dining reservations pre-cruise.

Thanks in advance

Happy Holidays

You should be able to book/alter Murano and the MDR select online or in the app.

You cannot book any specialty dining packages until you're on the ship, the good news is people rebook/cancel all the time so generally if you tell the host you want between 6pm-7pm within the next three nights they'll usually find an opening.

[Host Anne]

2 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

You should be able to book/alter Murano and the MDR select online or in the app.

You cannot book any specialty dining packages until you're on the ship, the good news is people rebook/cancel all the time so generally if you tell the host you want between 6pm-7pm within the next three nights they'll usually find an opening.

 

This isn't quite right.  I'm in my Cruise Planner right now and I can definitely book specialty dining packages from 3 nights to 9 nights.  You can't select where you are assigned the first night and you can't change it online, but you can attempt to change it once you board.  

 

You'd make the rest of your reservations in your package once aboard the ship.

 

You can make individual reservations for specialty restaurants now as well.  And they do offer some nice discounts if you book an individual specialty restaurant on the first night.

[NutsAboutGolf]

9 minutes ago, Host Anne said:

 

This isn't quite right.  I'm in my Cruise Planner right now and I can definitely book specialty dining packages from 3 nights to 9 nights.  You can't select where you are assigned the first night and you can't change it online, but you can attempt to change it once you board.  

 

You'd make the rest of your reservations in your package once aboard the ship.

 

You can make individual reservations for specialty restaurants now as well.  And they do offer some nice discounts if you book an individual specialty restaurant on the first night.

 

 

I stand corrected, I wasn't able to do this on the Edge on my July sailing but can on my April Reflection sailing.  Appears X changed their rules, here's from X's website:

 

 

 

Edited December 23, 2021 by NutsAboutGolf

[Host Anne]

That looks like it's from the app, NutAbout Golf.  I log in on my laptop so perhaps it's different. I've always been able to purchase packages through my Cruise Planner on my laptop.  

 

Yep....just opened the ap and I don't see anything mentioning Specialty Dining there.  

 

Good to note here that you can book pre-cruise if you are on a laptop and probably iPad but not on the ap....at least not pre-cruise.

 

I learn something new every day!

[NutsAboutGolf]

That was from X's website but often I find there are different rules that can vary by ship.  On the Edge in July there was no option to make any kind of specialty reservation on the specialty package.

 

As X often has prime rib on the first night many do not want to make a specialty reservation on the first night so now X allows you to make a courtesy reservation they get to pick the a restaurant for you if you chose to make a reservation.  You can always make a change on board but I would imagine they would attempt to fill-up  the cheapest restaurant first such as a lawn club

[mkam2821]

41 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Go into your Cruise Planner, to Dining.  Scroll all the way down to the very bottom of the screen, and you will see Select Dining. Go from there.  You'll have to do each night individually.  (The folks you call re specialty dining might be able to make those reservations for you, but you can certainly do it yourself in the Cruise Planner.)

 

Tip: if there are just two of you, and you want to sit at a two-top in the MDR that is not inches from another table where people are eating (or even closer), go to the starboard side of the upper level of the MDR (Deck 4), and ask for one of the physically distanced tables.  (I think they are also on the port side as well.)  You may have to ask for the Maitre d' to get one; this seemed to be a big secret on our cruise, and the host at the podium told us no such tables were available (despite Celebrity's promise on its web site of physical distancing in the MDR).  When we asked for the Maitre d', the gentleman who came over had us ushered to the back half of the MDR, where there were numerous two-tops spread out across the room, with tables blocked off between them.  Some folks were already eating here, and more came after we were seated.  I don't know why we needed to have the Maitre d' intervene, but that wasn't the only time it was necessary.  It was one of the few discordant notes of our cruise.  

THANK YOU SO MUCH, this was so helpful. I kept trying to do it on the app and nothing was happening, went to the website and did as you said (each night separately). and was able to do it. I had called the specialty dining people as I had a question about my package and when I asked if they could do my Select time they said I'd have to wait until I got on board.  So glad I asked my fellow travelers.!!

[Turtles06]

5 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

You can always make a change on board but I would imagine they would attempt to fill-up  the cheapest restaurant first such as a lawn club

Not true. It’s typically Tuscan. 

[Turtles06]

25 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

I stand corrected, I wasn't able to do this on the Edge on my July sailing but can on my April Reflection sailing.  Appears X changed their rules,

Not sure what happened with your Edge cruise, but it’s long been possible to book a specialty dining package pre-cruise.

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 minute ago, Turtles06 said:

Not true. It’s typically Tuscan. 

 

Yet Tuscan is still a "cheaper" restaurant...lol

[RICCruisers]

2 hours ago, mkam2821 said:

Sailing Silhouette Jan 4-14. Have first night booked in Murano, have purchased a 3 night specialty dining package and have select dining other nights.  Can we alter our 1st night Murano time and choose our other 3 specialty nights pre-cruise and how can we make our select dining reservations pre-cruise.

Thanks in advance

Happy Holidays

I don’t believe this point in your post has been addressed. If you booked Murano for the first night using the 30-35% discount offer you cannot change that to another night. X offers the specialty restaurant discounts on the first night to spread cruisers out around the ship. The first night in the MDR is a bit chaotic with diners getting used to how dinner works with fixed times and  select diners. The Specialty Packages really don’t work very well with using the First Night discount. 

Edited December 24, 2021 by RICCruisers

[Turtles06]

28 minutes ago, RICCruisers said:

I don’t believe this point in your post has been addressed. If you booked Murano for the first night using the 30-35% discount offer you cannot change that to another night. X offers the specialty restaurant discounts on the first night to spread cruisers out around the ship. The first night in the MDR is a bit chaotic with diners getting used to how dinner works with fixed times and  select diners. The Specialty Packages really don’t work very well with using the First Night discount. 

The OP was asking about changing the time of their Murano dinner, not the night. (“Can we alter our 1st night Murano time…”)  Which is why no one “addressed” changing the date. 

[RICCruisers]

13 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

The OP was asking about changing the time of their Murano dinner, not the night. (“Can we alter our 1st night Murano time…”)  Which is why no one “addressed” changing the date. 

You are absolutely correct. I missed the word “time”. I couldn’t figure out why experienced cruisers like yourself didn’t say something. Should have reread the post. 

[Turtles06]

10 minutes ago, RICCruisers said:

You are absolutely correct. I missed the word “time”. I couldn’t figure out why experienced cruisers like yourself didn’t say something. Should have reread the post. 

No worries! Happy Holidays!

[Jim_Iain]

On 12/23/2021 at 2:03 PM, mkam2821 said:

Sailing Silhouette Jan 4-14. Have first night booked in Murano, have purchased a 3 night specialty dining package and have select dining other nights.  Can we alter our 1st night Murano time and choose our other 3 specialty nights pre-cruise and how can we make our select dining reservations pre-cruise.

Thanks in advance

Happy Holidays

You should have no problems changing the time.   If you want to dine early you may wish to make the change before or on first boarding.    We eat late (about 9:00 PM) and the said Murano's was very busy early but when we arrived there were only 2 tables