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Assigned Dining Times - Can I be Late?


logan25

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Another general information question about dining. If I choose early seating (6:15 p.m.), must I show up at 6:15 or lose my MDR seat? For example, if my activities made me late until 7 p.m., would I still be fed in the MDR?

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Another general information question about dining. If I choose early seating (6:15 p.m.), must I show up at 6:15 or lose my MDR seat? For example, if my activities made me late until 7 p.m., would I still be fed in the MDR?

 

I am not sure if they would refuse to feed you [others may know more - I know that they close the doors at a certain time but I cannot remember when that is] but it would be considered impolite to the other guests at your table and your wait staff to arrive so late. It would be normal to wait until everyone was seated before serving anyone at your table.

 

Sue

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A couple of minutes is not a big deal. More than that would be, in the least, rude as your whole table has to wait for you. Best practice would be to either change to select dining (if this is common) or letting your waiter know the night before (if it is an expected one time thing).

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We dine at a table for 2. On the first night of the cruise we tell our wait staff and the maitre d that instead of showing up at 6pm every night we're going to come at 6:30 instead. They are fine with that as long as we are out far enough ahead of time so they can prepare for the next seating.

 

We also, typically, don't have a 3 course meal - so serving us is faster too!

 

They are fine with this, particularly since we do what we say we'll do. We also, out of courtesy, let them know when we'll be dining in a specialty restaurant and won't being coming to the MDR.

 

Cheers,

Judy

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There is a posted sign at the door stating that doors will be closed at a certain time (usually 30 minutes after the start time) for each dinner seating. Forty-five minutes would be too late.

 

At a large table, if one couple is late, it holds up the service for all the others.

 

Even fifteen minutes late means that others at your table will be already eating their appetizers when you show up to order, which makes the meal difficult for the waiters to serve. All the salad dressings will have been passed in the salad course, then your salads will appear and they will need to repeat the process. It makes the whole meal more awkward for everyone at the table.

 

As stated, at a table for two, letting the waiter know what you will be doing will keep that section's service flowing smoothly, as the wait staff picks up the various courses from the kitchen.

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Agree a one-time late show up is accepted by the staff. But 7 is pressing it. We were about 30min late one time and they set us and we had an abbreviated dinner.

 

So once, ok, but that's really what Select Dining is for. So go for that if you aren't going to be there on time consistently.

 

We give them a call if we aren't going to show one night.

 

Enjoy the cruise. And do remember, a fixed dining time is just that. The MDR is set for a cycle of the two seatings, and the preparation of the variuos courses at a set time - they can step out of that a bit but not all the time It's not like having a reservation at some restaurant and you call to tell them you'll be an hr late and see if that can be handled....most restaurants that require reservations can't accommodate that much of a late show.

 

Den

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Why not just go with select dining or choose the buffet or specialty restaurant on the nights you can't be on time and let the retaurant and your tablemates know? As has been stated, it doesn't just effect you when your late, it throws a monkey wrench into the set time dining schedule and kills the waiters and waitresses.

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This is exactly the scenario that Select Dining was designed for --- people who know they will want to eat at different times on different nights. Please give this some thought. We once were at a table in traditional where one couple often showed up very late --- it was VERY disruptive, both for the waiters and the other diners at that table. Traditional is designed to run on a schedule, like a well oiled machine, but there are alternatives for those who are not onboard (pardon the pun) with that plan.

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Go select if you are not able to plan on being on time. It's not fair to arrive at a table late. It slows everything down...and the other guests at the table won't be happy if you do run late often. I'd do select and not worry. There's also the buffet.

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Unless you're at a table for two, arriving anything more than 10 minutes late is very rude to your tablemates. It really messes everything up for not only your fellow passengers, but for the wait staff also. If you don't care for that early seating dining time, why not take late seating or Select dining?

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I would think your whole table would have to wait and it would throw off the entire rythm of dinner service. Everyone works so hard already in the dining room, I don't think they need more. Maybe eat at the buffet on those nights you will be late.

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When dining in the MDR:

 

we wait 15 minutes then ask our server to put our orders in & begin serving us...

 

we experienced a table for 6...2 couples always on time & the third came when they pleased-- it did throw our service off quite a bit..

 

if we know we'll be late we let them know the day before...& for some late days--just go to the buffet

 

lately we are signed up for BLU--so timing is our own...

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We've just returned from the Eclipse, and there was a sign outside the dining room, and the doors were very clearly closed 30mins after the start of dinner.

 

I'm afraid I agree with others, I think if you want to have some flexibility with dining, don't go for the set times.

 

Have a wonderful cruise

 

Louise

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We've just returned from the Eclipse, and there was a sign outside the dining room, and the doors were very clearly closed 30mins after the start of dinner.

 

I'm afraid I agree with others, I think if you want to have some flexibility with dining, don't go for the set times.

 

Have a wonderful cruise

 

Louise

 

Agreed. We just got off the Equinox this morning. In "Celebrity Today" it said that the doors would be closed 30 minutes after the Traditional Dining start time.

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I used to be one of those people who just couldn't get anywhere on time, until I finally understood how it affected others. Just because the doors are open for 30 minutes doesn't make it appropriate. If we are going to be more than 10 minutes late due to unforseen circumstances, one of us will go ahead to inform our table mates and waiter. If we were going to be more than 15 minutes late, we would choose the Bistro or buffet.

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We just got back from a B2B2B on the Equinox & Silhouette. The signs say that the doors close 30 minutes after the posted meal time. Many nights we had people arriving as much as an hour late. The waiters still served them. We do not feel it is right to arrive SO LATE. Celebrity has trouble saying NO to any of the passengers:) Select Dining was specifically designed for people who want to come at varying times. On the Silhouette they dedicated the entire second floor of the dining room to Select Dining. It is becoming quite popular.

The one night when our shore excursion got back at 6:00 we went to the buffet.

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I would be very embarrassed to show up 30 minutes late for dinner, even if the doors hadn't been closed yet. It really messes up the timing of dinner for the waitstaff and creates much more work for them (more trips to the galley) and may affect their service to other tables as well.

 

Whether you call or tell them in advance or not (because they are not going to risk their tips by telling you that you cannot do something), even if you have a table for 2, if you feel like you will be late on more than one night, perhaps Select Dining would be a better choice, or partaking in the other dining venues on those nights (of course notifying your waitstaff in advance that you will not be there).

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Before the days of select dining we could never get to the MDR on time. Never my fault of course!

 

We were a family so chose to have a table to ourselves as I considered impolite to fellow table guests if/when our kids wished to leave the table early and skip desserts.

 

The waiters soon accepted we were always going to be late (at least 30 minutes) and they were actually grateful as it meant they could be more attentive to those that rightly turned up on time.

 

We were never the last to leave the MDR either.

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We just got back from a B2B2B on the Equinox & Silhouette. The signs say that the doors close 30 minutes after the posted meal time. Many nights we had people arriving as much as an hour late. The waiters still served them. We do not feel it is right to arrive SO LATE. Celebrity has trouble saying NO to any of the passengers:) Select Dining was specifically designed for people who want to come at varying times. On the Silhouette they dedicated the entire second floor of the dining room to Select Dining. It is becoming quite popular.

The one night when our shore excursion got back at 6:00 we went to the buffet.

 

Note to trivia players:

In Washington D.C. it was a game of one-upsmanship to see who could make a grand entrance after the others were there, and dinners became quite late. When Cleveland held his first dinner as President, he told his staff to call dinner precisely at 7, and to pick up ALL dishes from the course when he finished. The last guest to show up got only one or two bites of the main course, and nobody showed up late for the rest of his administration!

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X offers Select Dining, specialty restaurant dining and the buffet alternative for those who require flexibility re evening dining. Choosing main or late dining with the intention of showing up whenever one pleases - for whatever reason or no reason at all - is rude and inconsiderate to fellow pax and waitstaff. JMHO.

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Another general information question about dining. If I choose early seating (6:15 p.m.), must I show up at 6:15 or lose my MDR seat? For example, if my activities made me late until 7 p.m., would I still be fed in the MDR?

 

Hopefully not. :eek: That is just plain being rude to the waiters and your tablemates. Use the buffet that evening!

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After an 18-month gap between Celebrity cruises, I found evening buffet options on Silhouette to be considerably more robust than on earlier cruises (Solstice, Infinity). Not quite up to HAL's nearly full-service in the evening buffet, but acceptable enough to use it two or three times on a 12 night cruise.

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Note to trivia players:

In Washington D.C. it was a game of one-upsmanship to see who could make a grand entrance after the others were there, and dinners became quite late. When Cleveland held his first dinner as President, he told his staff to call dinner precisely at 7, and to pick up ALL dishes from the course when he finished. The last guest to show up got only one or two bites of the main course, and nobody showed up late for the rest of his administration!

 

TO TAXGUY77,

 

As one who is a bit of a Trivia Buff... thanks for the interesting tid-bit (pun intended)

 

;)

 

Whats that old saying.... "You can call me anything you want... Just don't call me late for Dinner !!"

 

Cheers!

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