Traditional dining versus Select

[lkrcanada]

Please can anyone share their experience?

I like the flexibility of any time dining and have some early excursions booked but is it a different experience and more hectic than the traditional? Any thoughts would be great.

I will be sailing on the Reflection with my husband and another couple.

[Tiggertastic]

Even if you are on select, you can book a table for any time you like, either online before you go or when on board. So if you always want 6pm or always want 7pm you can do this

 

We use select this way ourselves. So we tend to book the first night online as it's free to do so (this way we make sure we've got the unpacking out of the way and settle down for dinner) and then look at the itinerary and book accordingly or choose not to book at all and turn up.

 

We have realised that there are lines at certain times, for instance at 7.30 - so go at 7.20 and depending on the age range on the ship - if the average is older in our experience on these cruises many eat earlier when it opens so avoid opening time. Best to ask the MTD after a couple of days and they will happily tell you the times to avoid a line

[terigo]

We find the idea of prebooking a set time defeats the purpose of flexibility. I mean, how do we know in advance that a particular time is going to be when we feel like eating?

We found the longest wait we had was about 10 minutes, and that was at 7:40. Other than that, we pretty much were led right in.

I am not sure if we were so fortunate because we always said we were willing to share a table (we eat with just each other all year long, and like to be sociable with others on cruises) or we just picked good times, but never had a problem with select.

Interestingly, on a 2 week cruise, we found half the time we were seated in the same area with the same waitstaff, and frequently had the same tablemates!

[KirkNC]

We always use open seating or Select as they call it on X. It gives us great flexibility and we get to meet new people every night.

[sharkwl]

Please can anyone share their experience?

I like the flexibility of any time dining and have some early excursions booked but is it a different experience and more hectic than the traditional? Any thoughts would be great.

I will be sailing on the Reflection with my husband and another couple.

 

 

The main difference is with Traditional dining you are seated with the same people each evening, at the same time! If that works for you, go for it! Otherwise, go Select, and dine with new friends at whatever time you feel like eating!

[atlgators]

We have always had traditional late seating in the past, but have switched to Select Dining for our last 2 cruises. We love it. Even though we prefer to dine at the "popular" times of 7:00-7:45 and at a table for two, we've never felt the need to make previous reservations, and have rarely had to wait for a table. It's definitely not more hectic than traditional, in fact, we feel it's more relaxed. We dine when we wish. Since you are travelling with another couple, it will make it even more flexible for all of you. Good luck, and happy sailing.

[milesfromu]

We prefer Select Dining. However, there are several notable differences. 1. You are not seated with the same people each night. 2. You do not have the same wait staff each night (and the quality does vary). 3. The parade and excitement that takes place on the last formal night occurs among the traditional dining tables (particularly on M-Class ships).

 

You do stand good chances of getting a table for 2 or 4 with Select Dining, and it provides flexibility to dine when its convenient for you. This latter is especially nice for active port itineraries.

[billyelliot]

We have only ever tried anytime dining once..... We found that the conversation never got passed the "Hello We are ..... & ...... From ...... Family jobs etc... Especially if seated at a large table, which we love on traditional dining.

Then the next night the same thing again. I found by the end of the week I was board. I enjoy listening and talking in more depth, and getting to know our fellow passengers. Plus we have always been lucky to have great table mates!

 

I suppose if you like sitting at a table for 2 or are traveling with family or friends it's great, as I do think early seating is too early and late too late.:confused:

[stratixman]

Depending on your personal interests each dining option has its plusses and minuses. Traditional fixed dining places you at the same table with the same table mates and the same wait staff. Depending on your other table mates that may or may not be a plus, likewise with your wait staff. With select dining you will either be seated at your own table or at a table with different table mates each night, and, unless you arrange with the Maitre 'D to be seated in the same area, you will probably have different wait staff each evening. With traditional dining we have found that if your other table mates tend to not be be very punctual then the wait staff will often delay taking orders and serving until they think the table is complete. We have experienced as much as 20-30 minute delays in service when other table mates never appeared because they were doing alternative dining and never bothered to inform the MDR staff. That's not a problem with select dining.

 

We have never found select dining to be more hectic than fixed time dining. Indeed, to the contrary, the major reason for us to have switched to select dining is that it actually works out less hectic for us given our general preference for dinner time as well as certain activities we like to partake in. We are not keen at all on the late fixed dining time and the earlier time is often just to early on port days: too much rushing around to get back to the ship and ready for dinner with little or no time to enjoy cocktail hour if we have a busy day ashore. That's where select dining at say 7:00 or 7:30pm works so much better for us. Plus we also then get some time after dinner to enjoy some of the lounges or other ship venues before attending the show. We have never noticed any significant seating delays with select dining and we may or may not bother making reservations depending on what we think our next day schedule is going to be. As for social interaction in select dining, the opportunity still presents itself. You will either be seated at a larger table with other diners, or if at your own table, other tables will be placed close enough to still engage in conversation with others.

[lkrcanada]

Thank you all!

It's just such a port intensive itinerary I worry about getting up early if I'm late seating each night plus I'm diabetic and like the flexibility.

[screwsmcernst]

We like the traditional seating. We know that we will walk in at the same time, with the same waiter and the same tablemates each night. I don't want to wait for a table like I am at my hometown restaurant on a Saturday night. I like getting to know my tablemates, and finding out what they did each day. In fact, I am facebook friends with many of my previous tablemates. We choose to meet new people when we eat breakfast in the MDR.

[Speedodeedo]

Just a question on select dining?

 

Is there a charge for choosing select dining on X? When can avail of select dining, before the cruise or on the cruise itself?

 

This will be our first with Celebrity and Im used to Freestyle dining in NCL.

[CathyCruises]

Just a question on select dining?

 

Is there a charge for choosing select dining on X? When can avail of select dining, before the cruise or on the cruise itself?

 

This will be our first with Celebrity and Im used to Freestyle dining in NCL.

 

You generally choose your dining at time of booking. Select often 'sells out' so the sooner the better. There is no extra charge for select but you do have to pay your gratuities upfront. Otherwise they're charged to your seapass account daily.

[lawblond7]

We prefer traditional as we have the same wait staff each night. This summer we did early on the constellation on our Baltic Cruise - while port intensive we felt late was too late also had 3 you gentlemen with us the twins 16 & my oldest 20. We did the Silhouette during Xmas a few weeks ago and picked late dining for a few reasons (1) new there would be more younger kids on this cruise so wanted to avoid that as much as possible and (2) we found we liked to have a sushi snack from buffet about 5 and catch a nap. This was a Caribbean cruise so no major port touring.

 

We prefer traditional dining because of food allergies. One of my sons has some significant food allergies and I have a couple. Wait staff was aware of this ahead of time and made it much easier for us. Also they knew which boys did not each tomato sauce and which did not wanted anything green on their plates

 

Sharon

 

 

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[KaththeTaff]

As you can see from the replies so far, it is very much a case of what works for the cruiser(s)!

 

We do prefer the flexibility of Select Dining, and usually have a table for two at dinner. At times, this can entail a short wait of 10-15 minutes in our experience, though not that often as we have found that arriving at certain times on certain cruises works out well. It is a bit intuitive, as it depends on whether it is a sea day or not, formal night or not, but we soon got a feel for what would happen each night.

 

And, of course you cna reserve a table earlier in the day if you wish, there's no need to book well in advance or have the same table and time every day. though you can if you want to!

 

Having tried Traditional Dining, we did enjoy meeting our tablemates and getting to know them, but we found it was too restricting eating at the same time every night. Sometimes we like to eat early and sometimes late, again it very much depends on the day and what we have done.

 

We have enjoyed sharing tables at dinner occasionally, and always at lunch, and we have met some lovely people. And some not so lovely, which is definitely a worry when thinking about Traditional dining. DH wouldn't like to have to ask to be moved because we don;t get on with someone!

 

So, we feel that Select works better for us, but we also know that others may not take to it and prefer Traditional seating. Each to their own, the important thing is to enjoy the cruise your way!

[jasbo49]

Ever since we were seated with an obnoxious drunk and his suffering wife on our 25th anniversary cruise, we've opted for open seating.

 

We've also found that if we have a waiter we particularly like, we can often be seated in his area throughout the cruise just by asking when we arrive.

 

BTW, the seating with the drunk had a happy ending: We asked to be moved the second night (which was our actual anniversary) and got a very nice table for two by a window for the rest of the cruise.

 

Jim

[happygran]

Everyone is different but for us early dining was too early and late dining was too late. We tend to look at the itinerary and pre-book most meals at 7.30 on a table for 2. This suits us. This means that we tend to be placed on the same table and with the same servers, again.......that suits us.

 

Basically you work it to suit yourselves.

[mcrcruiser]

We would only do select dining if the cruise was port intensive with arriving back on the ship late in the day . The tips must be ppd because you could get different waiters & ass't waiters each night ;)

 

Normally we prefer early seating table for 2 so we can eat & leave early to get good seats at the show:D .Celebrity entertainment is excellent & we love their shows:D