It's Official... Celebrity is rolling out Open Seating on all ships

[Loulounic]

Considering flex time dining for our next cruise in April. Checked my reservation today and while flex time dining option is available, it shows that pre-paid gratuities are automatically included with reservation when selecting this option.

 

Why should we need to pay gratuities so early (while making final payment some 70 days or more before departure) vs having them added to your bill on day of departure ? :confused:

[footer6]

I'm with you as far as preferring a set dinner time. I'm considering an Equinox cruise next June and both the early and late seatings are already waitlisted. The only thing available is Celebrity Select Seating.

[Fogfog]

Will be interested to see how this works--

We have been in early seatings, and late seatings...there are advantages to both...

 

Our next cruise is open seating but a significantly smaller ship...

 

After seeing that show about how cruise ships make their $ (in this case Nrowegian) I am not sure I would like that flex option which I giess can create lines or waits perhaps...

[Oceangoer2]

This is a really interesting thread. We have just returned from a fabulous cruise on the Summit from Barca to Venice and to be honest, the set dining options was actually a great sucess and meeting our two fellow dining couples, one American and one canadian went a large way for making this trip as good as it was.

 

OK, we missed out on "sail aways", however in our case, we had done all the ports before, BUT our dining colleagues were not overly fussed about missing this.

 

We would be sad to see the set timings go as we found we could fit everything in on an evening with the early sitting at 6:30 ( we rarely came out of the main dining room before 8:30) We also really enjoyed getting "dressed up" for dinner on the Formal Nights.

 

Our two previous cruises were Ocean Village and OV2 which operated freetime dining unless you booked the La Luna and Bistro which were by reservation and we felt that the canteen style dining in the other restaurants was OK at the time, however cannot compare in the slightest to the Summit dining experience ( The Normandie Restaurant was something else again)

 

Dave and Karen

Sorry to all and this is "Off "topic, but I see your address and have to ask....are you close to Herstmonceaux Castle? My GD is a 1st year Queens U (Kingston Ontario Canada) student and is flying over next week. If so, is the castle drafty and cold and open to tourists as we've heard??

[Guest maddycat]

Our last cruise was on RCCL's Explorer of the Seas. We selected My Time Dining and loved it. We showed up anytime between 6:15 and 7:00 and never had to wait for a table. We always got a table for 2 at our request. Service was excellent. There seemed to be extra assistent waiters working the entire MTD area. Dinner wasn't rushed but it was quicker. We hate sitting at dinner for

1 1/2 to 2 hours. Our next cruise in Oct. is on the Explorer and we requested MTD again.

 

After a 3 1/2 year absence from Celebrity, we just booked the Summit for April 2010. We weren't looking forward to traditional dining. We're so happy that Celebrity is including Celebrity Select Dining (MTD) as an option.

[Gracie115]

Our last cruise was on RCCL's Explorer of the Seas. We selected My Time Dining and loved it. We showed up anytime between 6:15 and 7:00 and never had to wait for a table. We always got a table for 2 at our request. Service was excellent. There seemed to be extra assistent waiters working the entire MTD area. Dinner wasn't rushed but it was quicker. We hate sitting at dinner for

1 1/2 to 2 hours. Our next cruise in Oct. is on the Explorer and we requested MTD again.

 

After a 3 1/2 year absence from Celebrity, we just booked the Summit for April 2010. We weren't looking forward to traditional dining. We're so happy that Celebrity is including Celebrity Select Dining (MTD) as an option.

 

 

Maddycat-

Have been trying to say this for 10 pages on this thread but it seems that there are many here who are convinced that this will be a bad thing. We have been cruising for going on two decades now and our MTD experience on the Jewel was wonderful, we DID NOT make reservations, we showed up every night around 7-7:15, got the same wait staff and table, bar service in MTD was FAR better than on our last several cruises. I expect Celebrity to just do it even better. I was so excited a few minutes ago while looking at my reservation for the Solstice in January that you can now sign up for Select dining, which I did. Very excited about this cruise and this will make it even better.:):D

[Brad1185]

Maddycat-

Have been trying to say this for 10 pages on this thread but it seems that there are many here who are convinced that this will be a bad thing. We have been cruising for going on two decades now and our MTD experience on the Jewel was wonderful, we DID NOT make reservations, we showed up every night around 7-7:15, got the same wait staff and table, bar service in MTD was FAR better than on our last several cruises. I expect Celebrity to just do it even better. I was so excited a few minutes ago while looking at my reservation for the Solstice in January that you can now sign up for Select dining, which I did. Very excited about this cruise and this will make it even better.:):D

 

Its an extremely bad thing. Anyone who has done NCL or Princess can attest. Long waits, buzzers, poor and cold impersonable service, lots of commotion, lots of people coming and going, cant find your waiter, impossible to get ice tea and drink refills. I can also predict that there will be waitlists for traditional dining in the future, thus forcing this open seating Dining on you.

[Gracie115]

Its an extremely bad thing. Anyone who has done NCL or Princess can attest. Long waits, buzzers, poor and cold impersonable service, lots of commotion, lots of people coming and going, cant find your waiter, impossible to get ice tea and drink refills. I can also predict that there will be waitlists for traditional dining in the future, thus forcing this open seating Dining on you.

 

 

Well NCL and Princess got it wrong apparently(although I don't know, haven't tried them)....have you cruised on Royal, have you used their MTD? They don't use "buzzers", it's NOT cold and impersonal service, NOT lots of commotion....as I said it was THE BEST bar service in the dining room we've had in many cruises. Shoot we even cancelled a night at Portofino's because we were enjoying ourselves so much......you may have tried it on those other two lines, but there was a reason Royal waited to introduce their program, they learned from other lines mistakes and found a way around those problems. Celebrity has had an entire year to watch what Royal has done and hopefully just fine tune it and make it even better. ALSO, Royal has extremely limited the number of MTD seats, only 90 on the Jewel, all in one area of the 2nd floor would expect the same on X. If you read any of the threads on Royal about MTD you will find that the vast majority are VERY happy about it.....

 

But that's OK, I know it's a new program and so many don't like change of any kind, once it's implemented and run smoothly for awhile all the negativity will just disappear....

[lauralou2]

Sorry we don't agree in our experience anytime on Princess worked well no long wait ' a buzzer once for the whole cruise and the attention paid to us was the usual high standard we have to take as we find , that might have been your experience but it certainly wasn't ours . On Monday we will be changing to Select Dining on Equinox transatlantic April 19th so there will be 4 places available on late sitting . We fully understand that Select Dining will not be every ones cup of tea and that traditional dining will always be first choice for a lot of people :)

[Denny01]

OK, just went over to the Celebrity website and here is what I found on what Celebrity says the program is:

 

What is Celebrity Select Dining?

Celebrity Select Dining is Celebrity Cruises' flexible dining option which offers an industry first "in advance" day by day reservation option that will you the opportunity to make dinner reservations for your desired dining time up to 4 days prior to boarding for each day of your cruise vacation. If you choose not to make reservations, you'll be able to come to dinner at any point between 6:00 and 9:30pm. We strongly encourage reservations, however, to ensure the best service and to avoid any potential wait times.

 

 

When do I choose to participate in Celebrity Select Dining?

You can choose either Celebrity Select Dining or Traditional Dining during the booking process. There will be a limited number of reservations that can be accommodated within Celebrity Select Dining, and guests will be accommodated on a first come/first served basis. All remaining guests will be assigned to a traditional seating time based on capacity on a first come/first served basis.

 

 

Can I choose to change from traditional dining to Celebrity Select Dining on board?

Yes, within the first 24 hours of your cruise beginning if there is space available.

 

 

Are reservations required for Celebrity Select Dining?

Reservations are not required but are strongly recommended as they will provide you the best opportunity to dine at your preferred dining time with your preferred party size.

 

 

How do I make day by day reservations for Celebrity Select Dining?

Reservations can be made in advance, up to 4 days prior to sailing, via the "Day by Day Reservations" link on your Reservation Summary. You can access your Reservation Summary by accessing your My Celebrity account. During the reservations process you will choose their desired dining time and indicate a sharing preference (dine alone or with others). The reservation time is confirmed at the time of booking; the sharing preference will be accommodated on a space available basis on board. You can also make reservations for Celebrity Select Dining via multiple reservations stations on the ship once on board.

 

 

Will my sharing preference be accommodated if I make day by day reservations?

Sharing preferences can not be guaranteed. However, the Maitre d' on the ship will make every effort to accommodate the your sharing preference on board. If we are not able to accommodate the your sharing preference at the time of their reservation, you will have the option of choosing an alternate time when the sharing preference will be accommodated. In some instances, you may have to wait a short time for an available table.

 

 

Can I have the same waiter and assistant waiter every night?

Waiters and their assistants will be assigned to specific sections for the duration of the cruise. Every effort will be made to accommodate your request to sit in the same section, including with the same group of guests or service team, every night.

 

 

Do I have to eat at the same time every night?

No. Celebrity Select Dining provides you the flexibility to dine exactly whenever you want between 6 and 9:30 PM every night of your cruise vacation.

 

 

Will there be any differences in my dining experience if I choose Celebrity Select Dining versus Traditional Dining?

Guests choosing Celebrity Select Dining will enjoy the same world-class dining experience as guests in traditional dining. The only difference is that you will have the flexibility of dining at the time of your choosing.

 

 

If I am an AquaClass guests, can I choose Celebrity Select Dining?

Yes. You may choose Celebrity Select Dining, however, you will be seated in the Main Dining Room, and will no longer be seated in Blu.

 

 

Denny

[lauralou2]

Sorry my reply was too the earlier poster I took an age getting my thoughts together so missed the slot:)

[Denny01]

Availablity:

Equinox: 9/26/09

Solstice: 1/10/10

Constellation: 1/17/10

Century: 1/23/10

Millennium: 2/1/10

Summit: 2/13/10

Mercury: 2/15/10

Infinity: 2/28/10

Eclipse: TBA

[Cruise Junky]

Sorry we don't agree in our experience anytime on Princess worked well no long wait ' a buzzer once for the whole cruise and the attention paid to us was the usual high standard we have to take as we find , that might have been your experience but it certainly wasn't ours . On Monday we will be changing to Select Dining on Equinox transatlantic April 19th so there will be 4 places available on late sitting . We fully understand that Select Dining will not be every ones cup of tea and that traditional dining will always be first choice for a lot of people :)

 

We opt for it everytime on Princess, never had a problem either.

[Gracie115]

Availablity:

Equinox: 9/26/09

Solstice: 1/10/10

Constellation: 1/17/10

Century: 1/23/10

Millennium: 2/1/10

Summit: 2/13/10

Mercury: 2/15/10

Infinity: 2/28/10

Eclipse: TBA

 

 

Thanks!!:):D

[Lois R]

Availablity:

Equinox: 9/26/09

Solstice: 1/10/10

Constellation: 1/17/10

Century: 1/23/10

Millennium: 2/1/10

Summit: 2/13/10

Mercury: 2/15/10

Infinity: 2/28/10

Eclipse: TBA

 

Hi Denny,:) thanks for the schedule. It looks like the new

Dining is going into effect in 2010. (except for Equinox).

[Denny01]

Hi Denny,:) thanks for the schedule. It looks like the new

Dining is going into effect in 2010. (except for Equinox).

 

You are welcome. It's pretty much the schedule 'X' said it would be. Equinox was the initial in late Sep and all the rest in early 2010.

 

My only concern is the post stating the June 10 Equinox cruise shows both Traditional Dining times are now wait-listed. Not good for us that want Traditional. I was expecting Traditional to be open much longer. Should be interesting to see if this holds for other cruises. Not a good trend if this holds up. Hopefully, this is just an initial 'glitch' as they set it up.

 

But the Select Dining does sound very well put together. Lots of flexibility and lots of options. Need to read this more to get a good cut on it.

 

Denny

[Loulounic]

OK, just went over to the Celebrity website and here is what I found on what Celebrity says the program is:

 

What is Celebrity Select Dining?

Celebrity Select Dining is Celebrity Cruises' flexible dining option which offers an industry first "in advance" day by day reservation option that will you the opportunity to make dinner reservations for your desired dining time up to 4 days prior to boarding for each day of your cruise vacation. If you choose not to make reservations, you'll be able to come to dinner at any point between 6:00 and 9:30pm. We strongly encourage reservations, however, to ensure the best service and to avoid any potential wait times.

 

 

When do I choose to participate in Celebrity Select Dining?

You can choose either Celebrity Select Dining or Traditional Dining during the booking process. There will be a limited number of reservations that can be accommodated within Celebrity Select Dining, and guests will be accommodated on a first come/first served basis. All remaining guests will be assigned to a traditional seating time based on capacity on a first come/first served basis.

 

 

Can I choose to change from traditional dining to Celebrity Select Dining on board?

Yes, within the first 24 hours of your cruise beginning if there is space available.

 

 

Are reservations required for Celebrity Select Dining?

Reservations are not required but are strongly recommended as they will provide you the best opportunity to dine at your preferred dining time with your preferred party size.

 

 

How do I make day by day reservations for Celebrity Select Dining?

Reservations can be made in advance, up to 4 days prior to sailing, via the "Day by Day Reservations" link on your Reservation Summary. You can access your Reservation Summary by accessing your My Celebrity account. During the reservations process you will choose their desired dining time and indicate a sharing preference (dine alone or with others). The reservation time is confirmed at the time of booking; the sharing preference will be accommodated on a space available basis on board. You can also make reservations for Celebrity Select Dining via multiple reservations stations on the ship once on board.

 

 

Will my sharing preference be accommodated if I make day by day reservations?

Sharing preferences can not be guaranteed. However, the Maitre d' on the ship will make every effort to accommodate the your sharing preference on board. If we are not able to accommodate the your sharing preference at the time of their reservation, you will have the option of choosing an alternate time when the sharing preference will be accommodated. In some instances, you may have to wait a short time for an available table.

 

 

Can I have the same waiter and assistant waiter every night?

Waiters and their assistants will be assigned to specific sections for the duration of the cruise. Every effort will be made to accommodate your request to sit in the same section, including with the same group of guests or service team, every night.

 

 

Do I have to eat at the same time every night?

No. Celebrity Select Dining provides you the flexibility to dine exactly whenever you want between 6 and 9:30 PM every night of your cruise vacation.

 

 

Will there be any differences in my dining experience if I choose Celebrity Select Dining versus Traditional Dining?

Guests choosing Celebrity Select Dining will enjoy the same world-class dining experience as guests in traditional dining. The only difference is that you will have the flexibility of dining at the time of your choosing.

 

 

If I am an AquaClass guests, can I choose Celebrity Select Dining?

Yes. You may choose Celebrity Select Dining, however, you will be seated in the Main Dining Room, and will no longer be seated in Blu.

 

 

Denny

 

In reference to your last point about AquaClass guests, I called Celebrity today before changing my dining reservation from Traditional to Celebrity Select Dining and was told by a Vacation Planner that AQ Class guests would be accommodated for dining in Blu and not in the Main Dining Room

[SHCMD]

In reference to your last point about AquaClass guests, I called Celebrity today before changing my dining reservation from Traditional to Celebrity Select Dining and was told by a Vacation Planner that AQ Class guests would be accommodated for dining in Blu and not in the Main Dining Room

 

Thanks for the valuable information...I have emailed the Celebrity Captain's Club to ask the same. Never a bad idea to be sure, as I would not want to miss Blu.

[sunshine 229]

I've done 'freestlye' dinning on NCL, 'Anytime' on Princess, and traditional on Celebrity, RCCL and Carnival. All of the options have advantages and disadvantages. I'd have to say that NCL does 'freestyle' better than Princess does 'Anytime' but that was at least partly because, when we cruised with them, they had several no charge restaurants with different menus and different atmosphere which made every night a different dinning experience. From what I've read lately, more and more of those different restaurants are now becoming extra charge so I'm not sure if we'd be as happy with 'freestyle dinning if we did it again. Yes, we did have to wait for tables on some nights, not a big thing for me but not exactly dinning 'whenever you want' either.

On both NCL and Princess we found the service at dinner varied wildly from night to night. I guess in any business you have those who strive to do a good job whether it reflects directly on their bottom line or not and you have some who only respond to the carrot and stick approach of, give good service or you won't get your tips.

 

Over all the different cruises, if I had to make a choice, I'd say I prefer the traditional dinning. I like a wait staff that gets to know you and your preferences. I also (corny as it may seem) like the silly little things that used to be part of traditional dinning, the baked Alaska parade, the waiters singing on 'Italian Night' etc. Call me old fashioned but that dinning experience was one of the things that set cruising apart from other vacations. I understand that it might not be to everyone's taste but I found it fun.

 

I've met and enjoyed the company of a lot of people whom I might never have had a chance to get to know if not for traditional dinning. I can't say that I've made any lifelong friendships, over a cruise dinner table, but I have got to chat with and appreciate people I'd never have known otherwise. I have to admit that I have been lucky, and I've never been at a table with companions who I found totally obnoxious or repulsive, I guess one experience like that might be enough to put you off shared tables for a long time.

 

In addition, as I approach my first ever solo cruise, I am happy that I can request to be seated at a large table where I hope to meet a few congenial people with whom to chat while we enjoy a pleasant dinner. I'm not sure how eager I'd be to go to the dinning room, by myself, and request to be seated alone or ask to be seated with some group of people who might be open enough to welcome the odd stranger at their table. While dinning on NCL and Princess I've never witnessed anyone showing up at the restaurant and asking to share a table.

 

I've got no objection to those who prefer not to share a table enjoying their dinner in whatever way they like, but I can't help but worry that the introduction of 'flex' or 'freestlye' or whatever you call it will impact the enjoyment of traditional dinning for those who prefer that.

 

I'll move with the times and I'll try to get the best out of whatever system is in play when I travel, but will I book another solo cruise on a line that sends me to dine alone every night? At this point I'm not really sure.

[The Big Booper]

The Celebrity fleet is equivalent to RCI's 4 Radiance ships in terms of size and passenger load and it works fine on those 4 ships so it should work fine on the Celebrity ships which have a slightly better load factor.

 

Princess, like most Carnival Corp products, rams too many people into the ship for the ship size and on fully booked sailings has a problem.

[Can'tstopcruising]

I see that the Millenium will introduce it Feb. 1. We are going on a b2b, starting Jan. 23, so I guess we will do traditional first and then mytime (or whatever it will be called!) This should be interesting.

[Loulounic]

Thanks for the valuable information...I have emailed the Celebrity Captain's Club to ask the same. Never a bad idea to be sure, as I would not want to miss Blu.

 

Hello,

 

Agree, I'd like to be sure too and would certainly appreciate if you could let us know the answer you get concerning Blu. Your email will trigger a reply in writing which is more reliable than a call to a Vacation Planner. If I need to, will cancel my Select Dining option and revert to Traditional Dining. Thanks.

[warmwinds]

So if traditional becomes consistently overbooked and waitlisted, will they decide that they made a mistake?

[The Big Booper]

Since =X= is a division of RCCL, there shouldn't be a problem, based on how RCI does MTD on it's own ships. The ship capacity controls MTD and limits the # of people based on the tables allocated that sailing.

 

Princess and HAL capacity control Traditional which is why you have long wait lists on those two lines for TD. So you shouldn't have beeper city like you do on Princess.

 

We are looking at an Equinox sailing to try those beautiful ships out sometime in the next year or so.

[Denny01]

After I posted what 'X' had put on their website on Select Dining, I posted a concern about a post that an Equinox cruise in June 10 had both Traditional settings Wait-listed and only Select Dining was available. That would infer that there was a limited Traditional seating available and those wanting Traditional would be required to take Select, ala Princess and not RCL. That didn't make sense.

 

So I went to that cruise and checked it out. Turns out if you select Suites, there are Traditional times available, if you select some other classes, those seatings aren't. It has errors. It is the only cruise that has both Traditional seating times wait-listed, so it looks as if it is the classic computer glitch.

 

Which means Traditional seating is probably not limited as the Select Dining info stated it wouldn't be. Celebrity site states Select Dining has set seating availability and those that want it but can't, will be assigned a Traditional seating time.

 

Denny