Changes in Celebrity's Dining Room in September?

[njgrlloves2trvl]

If they do the pre order by tele option I hope there is still the option to make your selection at the table. I do not know what I want to eat for dinner at 10am. I also don't like being rushed. Dining should be an experience not a sprint. The ipad thing would be cool but would not be practical. A lot of people still have no clue how to use touch screen. Dinner is not the place to learn and there's a loss prevention issue as well.

[CaptData]

I pre-order dinner every night already so that is not the secert.

[boogs]

Come on Celebrity. It's almost September. What's the change?

 

September has 30 days in it. Hopefully they won't wait until the end of September :(

[calvins5]

Got a nickel?

[greeneg]

=Georgia2;30331704]We are on the Equinox in Sept. and are late dining but we're hoping to change to select dining. Is this a bad idea? Thanks!

 

Hi Georgia, sorry to a little slow responding, but we've already started on the trip and I'm not checking as often as usual.

 

The problem, in my view last year related to X's having not fully thought out Select Dining for the TA. We had been on the Equinox the previous March with two other couples and had elected Select. It had worked very well, the area was uncrowded, demand was moderate, we had the same table and staff each night; in short, it was like Traditional Dining except at a time of our own choosing. We signed up for it again for the TA, not thinking that it woulld be more in demand than before. Trust me, Select was overwhelmed on the TA. Tables were jammed together, servers had no real assignments, taking orders and serving as best they could. The food was hit or miss, if you ordered a rare steak, you might actually receive someone else's well-done one, at least that's what it seemed like. In short, not enough square footage allocated to demand, insufficient staff, far too much noise and confusion to compare favorably with the traditional Dining in my humble.

 

It is entirely possible that the problems that I mention have been dealt with and are, in fact, now history; perhaps someone who has more recent experience could chime in and update us both, but the above comments are what led me to go back to the Traditional Dining. I very much like the flexible dining option, but the poor execution on the TA just didn't balance the more pleasant flexibility of Select.

 

Hope that's of some help to you, enjoy your cruise.

[Despegue]

On our 11-day Equinox cruise last March, Select Dining Hostess Andrea made sure to keep things under control. While very busy, waiting staff seemed organized and friendly although obviously busy. Andrea always made sure we had the same great table at the same time with the same waiter team.

 

In short: Andrea was the driving force behind the Select dining succes on Equinox!:) Hope to meet her again on Connie next year...

[Compass Rose]

That depends...

OMG!!!!!! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, haaaaaa! Great pun!!!!

[C 2 C]

September has 30 days in it. Hopefully they won't wait until the end of September :(

 

We'll be onboard this Sunday and I will try to get a dependable response from the Maitre d'.

[opa1024]

Well, we are into September. Has anyone read or heard about what the big announcement that will change our dining experience is yet? :confused: We cruise in a week and a half and are wondering if it will have any effect now or will it be something that takes place at the beginning of next year. I am thinking that it will be something instituted over time on each ship.

[Mr&MrsBee]

Anyone have info on the dining changes. We have always been pleased with the MDR. Have always found the menu to be very apealling and service very good. Naturally some better than others. But no complaints.

[nycmode]

This is the MDR menu listed on the website, not sure if it's old or new though:

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/onboard/tabLanding.do?pagename=onboard_dining&tab=onboard_main_dining_tab

[dkjretired]

Ed:

 

Big thread on this started last month..

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1450340

[Cruiser Susie]

A friend posted on FB that he is currently onboard the Summit and said there is "No news about Celebrity's new dining experience that was to be introduced in September."

[caripoo]

Just got off Infinity Alaska....Had select dining......LOVE IT!!!! Asked, but no info about any dining changes......:confused::confused:

[YOW]

A friend posted on FB that he is currently onboard the Summit and said there is "No news about Celebrity's new dining experience that was to be introduced in September."

 

Could be nothing... or a sign that something's about to happen. How many times have we heard rumours from shipboard staff about this or that, only to have them not pan out? Maybe this 'no news' will actually be news... or not. ;)

 

PS -- Hi Sue & Larry :D

[Cruiser Susie]

Could be nothing... or a sign that something's about to happen. How many times have we heard rumours from shipboard staff about this or that, only to have them not pan out? Maybe this 'no news' will actually be news... or not. ;)

 

PS -- Hi Sue & Larry :D

 

Oh, but speculating and theorizing about rumors is what makes threads like this fun... and sometimes you learn things, too. We'll just have to wait and see!

Hi to you and your lovely wife... any more trips planned to Chicago anytime soon?

[CruisinManiac]

Several years ago we ordered from a waiter in Brugges at an outdoor cafe. He entered our choice on a mobile device and we were served almost immediately. I have often wondered why a shipboard experience could not be similar. Imagine the waiter placing your order electronically while his assistant places the items on a tray for immediate delivery.

 

I would not like this method. A dinning experience is one to be enjoyed at a slower pace. We like to enjoy a glass of wine before or along with our appetizer. After the first course, and wait is most welcomed until the next course. As if was on our last Celebrity cruise, the food was served much too fast on most nights.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I would not like this method. A dinning experience is one to be enjoyed at a slower pace. We like to enjoy a glass of wine before or along with our appetizer. After the first course, and wait is most welcomed until the next course. As if was on our last Celebrity cruise, the food was served much too fast on most nights.

 

This is a problem I run into at land restaurants when dining alone, since they seem to assume that with no one to talk to you will get bored between courses. [Of course I can talk to myself, but that's another story...] The problem is that with the food coming that fast, I can't maintain my appetite for desert. So now I ask my waiter to pace my courses to those of a nearby party of four. That provides enough digestif time to allow me to enjoy the entire meal.

[Admin]

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[Hlitner]

We are a bit puzzled by some of the comments. We assume that many here on CC have been in the galley on some ships and noted how they operate during the busy meal times. The galley is almost like a buffet operation for the waiters who simply move along from station to station and pick-up the food ordered by their tables. Very few items are "made to order" but rather there are stations for each item (or type of food). Ordering food via some type of automated system would certainly help the galley staff, but would not save much time. As things stand now, the waiters seldom have any delays when they go to pick-up food unless a passenger makes a special request such as "no sauce." With special requests the waiter would have to wait a few seconds why the galley staff prepared that portion, but this type of delay is the exception, not the rule.

 

 

What we miss in the MDR on ships is the way they used to serve dinner. In the "olden days" your entree would come out of the galley on the plate but all the sides were served by waiters who would come around with serving platters, bowls, etc and dish out whatever a passenger wanted. Vegetables and similar items were put on your plate on an individual basis so you only got what you wanted. This avoids lots of waste when passengers order an entree and do not want several of the sides on the plate....or they might prefer different sides.

Hank

[Travel Writing Mary]

Several years ago we ordered from a waiter in Brugges at an outdoor cafe. He entered our choice on a mobile device and we were served almost immediately. I have often wondered why a shipboard experience could not be similar. Imagine the waiter placing your order electronically while his assistant places the items on a tray for immediate delivery.

 

That reminds me of a time I went on an American Hawaii cruise, and biked down Mt. Haleakala. When we were almost to the bottom, we pulled into a parking lot and were handed menus. We selected what we wanted for breakfast; they faxed the order to the restaurant, and when we arrived about 20 minutes later our breakfasts were ready! And I thought THAT was pretty cutting edge! (My age is showing).

[Travel Writing Mary]

If they do the pre order by tele option I hope there is still the option to make your selection at the table. I do not know what I want to eat for dinner at 10am. I also don't like being rushed. Dining should be an experience not a sprint. The ipad thing would be cool but would not be practical. A lot of people still have no clue how to use touch screen. Dinner is not the place to learn and there's a loss prevention issue as well.

 

I hate looking at menus ahead of time. To me, seeing what is on offer is part of the whole dining experience, and sometimes you are pleasantly surprised by what is on offer.

[YOW]

Oh, but speculating and theorizing about rumors is what makes threads like this fun... and sometimes you learn things, too. We'll just have to wait and see!

Hi to you and your lovely wife... any more trips planned to Chicago anytime soon?

 

Indeed :) ... Thanks, Sue... Nothing planned for now, but ya never know. ;)

[2SeaWithMe]

I am SO curious as to what the big deal will be.

 

I hope it's not upgraded napkins after all this chatter we've made. LOL

[Hlitner]

I am SO curious as to what the big deal will be.

 

I hope it's not upgraded napkins after all this chatter we've made. LOL

 

OMG! You let the secret out of the bag. The new change is that everyone will be given paper napkins except those willing to pay an extra fee for cloth napkins. We heard they will even have a discount if you buy cloth napkins for each night of your cruise. There will be "cloth napkin packages" and they will even have options for different colors!

 

Hank