Suite guests bump Select Dining

[Christine Frances]

I don't think it's irrelevant but get what you are saying....

 

However as someone pointed out a few posts back there are not that many suites, actually I just counted them...there are 66 on Eclipse, which translates, roughly, into 132 people....don't see how that number, given that it is never going to be ALL 132 "invading" a non suite dining area at the same moment can be held responsible for whatever the delay is in the Select area...... based on that number the issue seems to be that more people PERIOD want Select and, no doubt, want to sit at prime time (6:45-8:00) and thus the backlog..... Several others have suggested increasing the Select dining size, especially since, repeatedly people are referring to mostly empty tables at the traditional dining times..... Don't think the suite guests are really responsible at all...how do 132 or even 150(if there are 3 in some of the suites) make everything so much more difficult for 2700+ others.......nope something else is the issue....

 

I have never ever seen "mostly empty tables" in Traditional dining. There may be a few on any given night but on most of our cruises we have never noticed this vast expanse of empty tables (except for the Captain's Table lol) Maybe Select diners could ask to be seated there when it is not in use:)

[Adidas4fun]

At page 2 of this 8 page (and counting) thread I asked "how do we know if there are 20 Suite guests in Select Dining or 2"

 

Anybody have an answer to that question, or are we all just running on speculation that Select is full because Suite guests are choosing to dine in that venue?

 

It may well be it isn't Suite guests at all but an oversubscription of Early and Late Traditional diners who have moved to Select.

 

Are there any hard facts to support the statement the problem is caused by Suite guests eating in Select ?

 

The green eyed monster loathes hard facts.

[Gracie115]

I have never ever seen "mostly empty tables" in Traditional dining. There may be a few on any given night but on most of our cruises we have never noticed this vast expanse of empty tables (except for the Captain's Table lol) Maybe Select diners could ask to be seated there when it is not in use:)

 

Mostly WAS the wrong word to use but there is mention of "empty tables" fairly regularly in the MDR, so perhaps the whole issue is as others have said... there should be at least a few more tables assigned to Select...that should at least alleviate the problem... I just don't think the suite guests are the cause of all the overcrowding...there aren't enough people in suites to cause that... at least that's how it seems to me.... who knows?:confused:

[Christine Frances]

Mostly WAS the wrong word to use but there is mention of "empty tables" fairly regularly in the MDR, so perhaps the whole issue is as others have said... there should be at least a few more tables assigned to Select...that should at least alleviate the problem... I just don't think the suite guests are the cause of all the overcrowding...there aren't enough people in suites to cause that... at least that's how it seems to me.... who knows?:confused:

 

I agree. The Select diners all seem to want to eat at the same prime time. They should open a new fixed dining time in Select @ 7!! A compromise. Seems to be the premium time in Select. Anyone else eats in SR or the buffet! That covers people who want to eat at 6, 7 or 8! Don't know how they would make the shows tho. Open the Select area at 5:30 and that crowd would be done by 7! perfect!

 

We have always had early trad and on a few occasions we do eat elsewhere I don't feel that I should have to worry or be ashamed about the fact that our 6 or 8 top is empty (we always cruise with friends) plus we notify our waiters. We ate in the buffet one night out of 14. That is exactly why we choose Traditional Dining as opposed to people who want to "eat when they want". We arrange our days around that set dining time ie snacking. We don't want to be waiting in Select with a pager waiting for a large table to open for us. It is all about choice. I'll bet Select is not very busy between 6 -7

[Oville]

I agree. The Select diners all seem to want to eat at the same prime time. They should open a new fixed dining time in Select @ 7!! A compromise. Seems to be the premium time in Select. Anyone else eats in SR or the buffet! That covers people who want to eat at 6, 7 or 8! Don't know how they would make the shows tho. Open the Select area at 5:30 and that crowd would be done by 7! perfect!-7

 

Our experience with select has been prime time 7:45 to 8:30. It might get a bit busy at 7:00 when the Elite Party ends but gets really busy when the early show finishes along with people who perfer eating later. Same thing with Blu. We now have accepted 8:45 as the best time to go.

 

The reservation system is a joke. Often the non-reservation line is shorter so those folks get seated faster.

Edited June 11, 2015 by Oville

[canuckinindia]

People are talking around the real issue which is MDR users invading speciality restaurants.

 

An included offering for PH and RS suite guests, they are being forced to deal with these venues being frequented by high spending MDR users who have a sense of entitlement. They have a dining room (the MDR), what makes them think that just because they can splash their cash around they have the right to displace us.

 

What's worse non-suite users can leave their MDR seats vacant and pay on a per use basis for the speciality restaurant they want when they want, while Celebrity charges suite users a significant upfront premium to allow them access to all the restaurants at virtually all times which includes a complimentary flogging by Cruise Critic users as an amuse bouche. Sorry ignore the last point, that one actually makes sense.

[yorkyred]

Reservations in Select dining are different than those in a restaurant at home. Celebrity doesn't save tables for reservations. The reservation allows you to stand in a "reservations" line and you will be seated at whatever table is available when you arrive. On most ships, they alternate the "no reservation" line with the "reservation" line. If the no reservation line is long, having a reservation helps get seated faster. If the lines are equal, there is really no advantage to having a reservation.

 

Problem is I think you'll find people that have reserved a table in select for a certain time will be far more likely to be upset if they have to then wait 20 minutes for a table than those that just turn up. As before the whole concept of flexible dining has been forgotten in the rush to try and keep everyone happy which is simply not possible at peak times. They need to drop the reservation system which will see more people revert back to fixed dining and cut out a lot of the anger when people have to wait past their reserved select time. As select becomes more and more popular the reservation system simply does not work the way it does in a traditional restaurant, unfortunately many cruisers expect it to and end up frustrated.

Edited June 11, 2015 by yorkyred

[Pushka]

Dropping the reservation system would not push us back to traditional.

[varoo]

Apparently Celebrity has not yet figured out how best to utilize their available seating space, sometimes resulting in long waits to be seated in Select dining, or even in Blu, while many seats remain empty in other dining areas.

[laslomas]

Reservations in Select dining are different than those in a restaurant at home. Celebrity doesn't save tables for reservations. The reservation allows you to stand in a "reservations" line and you will be seated at whatever table is available when you arrive. On most ships, they alternate the "no reservation" line with the "reservation" line. If the no reservation line is long, having a reservation helps get seated faster. If the lines are equal, there is really no advantage to having a reservation.

 

I am not speaking from my own knowledge of this, but from what I have read several times on threads on this forum. Cruisers have stated that if you like a certain table, or servers, then you can book that table in Select dining, or the area where the servers are allocated. Is this not so? I have read many times that cruisers can get to know their servers in Select because they book the table, or area they like regularly. The comment from ghstudio seems to contradict this. :confused: I am easily confused but interested to know which is correct!!

[Mill99]

How interesting to read all of these comments on what people prefer from dining - I don't envy Celebrity in trying to keep all of us happy!

 

From our perspective, we probably wouldn't have booked our first cruise 3 years ago if there had only been the traditional dining option. I know we sound anti-social, but I spend most of my waking life cheek by jowl with fellow workers having to make nice with them, as well as commuting on the tube in London with my personal space invaded in a massive way. The last thing I would want on holiday is a table reservation with 6/8 (or however many) strangers and being obliged to make polite conversation.

 

For us the Select option is great - the tables are very close together which we found meant that on most nights we did strike up a bit of a conversation with people at the next table, but could politely ignore them if we wanted to (and of course this was true for them as well). My parents had cruised for years and they loved the traditional dining but I do think this is something that will become a niche offering in future, though I can see why people travelling in groups love it.

 

I do book the time for Select as soon as I've booked the cruise - I wouldn't particularly mind waiting for say 15-20 minutes with a pager and a drink!

[excitedofharpenden]

I am not speaking from my own knowledge of this, but from what I have read several times on threads on this forum. Cruisers have stated that if you like a certain table, or servers, then you can book that table in Select dining, or the area where the servers are allocated. Is this not so? I have read many times that cruisers can get to know their servers in Select because they book the table, or area they like regularly. The comment from ghstudio seems to contradict this. :confused: I am easily confused but interested to know which is correct!!

Yes, you can do that. We have never had an issue getting a regular table and servers in Select. From the perspective of good manners and to make it easier for the Select Dining area, if we know we won't be there one evening for the reason of eating somewhere else for instance then we let them know the night before. Depending upon the time you arrive there are also people waiting to be seated at a non-regular table.

 

Phil

[notsomadhatter]

I can't think of any of our friends who eat as late as we do, 7:45-8:30.

 

We typically eat between 8-9pm at home.

 

I like traditional, late seating even though I am a relatively young person. Only choose flex if that is not available which has happened on both Royal and X. Interesting that everyone thinks the demand for select dining is an issue when I've never had a problem reserving select but have with traditional.

[insidecabin]

As select have to prepay gratuities.

 

Anyone that turns up at select has to retropectivly go into the prepaid pool on their first visit.

 

Deducted from their CC immediately and any grat charges on the account removed, tough if they wanted to use OBC

 

Turn up twice and you lose your traditional seating assignment so it can be offered to those that could not get their request at the time of booking.

 

Have a wait list that people can sign up for a trad table.

[Cruising Is Bliss]

Complicating the current mess is people who book traditional MDR with no intention of ever sitting foot in the MDR because they don't want to pre-pay gratuities. And someone on another thread said her suite confirmation listed MDR traditional seating instead of Select because the computer system charged Select pre-paid gratuities to passengers in suites that include gratuities.

 

The bottom line is Celebrity is offering choices when they don't actually have the seats to fill the real world choices passengers make. Fix it. Do a better job of allocating space to various options. Tell MDR traditional people that 15 minutes after scheduled time your seat at the table will be filled by Select diners.

 

I did a TA on RCCL several months after RCCL went to open seating for lunch even on sea days. The day after we sailed 3/4 of the passengers all showed up when the dining room opened for lunch. It was chaos beyond belief. By dinner the decision had been made to do early and late traditional seating for lunch.

 

RCCL's brilliant decision to deal with traditional vs select was a total failure. Really? I can't imagine who could have predicted it would fail to be popular when they did away with the MDR entirely and drastically reducing free venue total seating, food choices, and service.

Edited June 11, 2015 by Cruising Is Bliss

[ghstudio]

Complicating the current mess is people who book traditional MDR with no intention of ever sitting foot in the MDR because they don't want to pre-pay gratuities. And someone on another thread said her suite confirmation listed MDR traditional seating instead of Select because the computer system charged Select pre-paid gratuities to passengers in suites that include gratuities.

 

 

You raise a very interesting point. We generally book aqua class (which is anytime dining in blu) but the billing system insists that we choose a dining time so we do exactly what you said...we book with early or late dining so we aren't billed in advance for gratuities.

 

Given the level of sophistication of celebrity's computer system, I wonder how they account for the many aqua/suite bookings like ours. How do they avoid overbooking or underbooking actual early or late dining seats? Curious minds want to know :)

[insidecabin]

Tell MDR traditional people that 15 minutes after scheduled time your seat at the table will be filled by Select diners.

 

I did think about that for my post but this penalises those that choose trad to have the same table people every night and do turn up.

 

If you notify(eg because you choose to special that night) and don't use select I think you get to keep your seat.

 

I think the better option is to offer the seat on a pemanent basis for the rest of the cruise to those that could not get the trad sitting.

 

The problem is whatever they do thye will just swap one group of moaners for another.

[HokiePoq]

We are just off the Silhouette this morning. We were upgraded from AQ to a Sky Suite. Our experience after 12 nights( 9 dining on the ship as there are several overnights in the Baltic) is that Luminae, although a wonderful upscale dining room with exceptional service was at least half empty every night. Passengers either wanted to dine with other family and friends in the MDR, or were taking advantage of the 2 free of charge specialty Restaurant dinners they have, or wanted to dine in Blu because they originally booked Aqua.

I was one of the folks who contributed to Luminae's being half empty. The service was exceptional, but the menu was weak in the area of high protein entrees, which is what my diet requires. Blu's menu was great, but it was packed every night, and despite what you read about eating in Blu as a suite guest, we had to wait almost until the end of dinner service at 9 or later to be accommodated, even if we were dining with friends who ate there every night as AQ. If they wanted to dine with us in Blu, they had to wait. As far a specialty restaurants were concerned, if. You were a suite guest and didn't have a reservation, you had to wait, and in most I stances in Murano and Tuscan grill, you had to come back after 9 or eat at 5:45. I was completely turned away from Murano on the last formal night. No room at the inn, May we take a reservation for tomorrow night! Even for a suite guest. I was unable to use my second free specialty rest dinner without a reservation at all unless I wanted the Kawn Club( at 48 to 50 degrees I think not.

There was a constant parade of suite guests, particularly Sky suite guests, who went from Luminae to Blu to the specialties every night at dinner time checking the menus. It was pretty comical, bumping into the " grazing restaurant crowd" every night. I must say that more than once, the MDR Menu was better than all but Murano, and I was wishing I was back in steerage again. I wanted to go in and ask if we could eat those delicious short ribs in the MDR again.

 

You have a real point here about menu checking. I enjoyed Blu, especially the quieter, less crowded atmosphere and great service. The menus, however, were not always to my taste. We were encouraged not to go to the MDR and always found something even if off the everyday menu. I heard of a AQ guest who ate every night in the MDR as he did not like the choices. As said before, not everyone goes for duck and lamb, etc. I did not check the menu at Luminae but wonder if the same type food is offered there. There are a lot of people who are "meat and potatoes" types (we cruised with a man once who ordered steak and fries every single night off the everyday menu) and these people are probably skipping Blu and Luminae. Maybe more variety in the menu or allowing access to MDR choices in those venues would help the crowding.

[ECCruise]

You have a real point here about menu checking. I enjoyed Blu, especially the quieter, less crowded atmosphere and great service. The menus, however, were not always to my taste. We were encouraged not to go to the MDR and always found something even if off the everyday menu. I heard of a AQ guest who ate every night in the MDR as he did not like the choices. As said before, not everyone goes for duck and lamb, etc. I did not check the menu at Luminae but wonder if the same type food is offered there. There are a lot of people who are "meat and potatoes" types (we cruised with a man once who ordered steak and fries every single night off the everyday menu) and these people are probably skipping Blu and Luminae. Maybe more variety in the menu or allowing access to MDR choices in those venues would help the crowding.

 

You've got a couple good points there.

 

Access to the MDR menu should be no problem in either Luminae or Blu on M class ships since they share the same area and same galley area And, as for the problems mentioned on this thread, M class ships are the problem. On the S class ships, though that would be a problem for Blu (not Luminae) since it is a good distance away with its own galley.

[dkjretired]

As select have to prepay gratuities.

 

Anyone that turns up at select has to retropectivly go into the prepaid pool on their first visit.

 

Deducted from their CC immediately and any grat charges on the account removed, tough if they wanted to use OBC

 

Turn up twice and you lose your traditional seating assignment so it can be offered to those that could not get their request at the time of booking.

 

Have a wait list that people can sign up for a trad table.

 

If you are on board the ship and change to Select, it is taken out of your on board account all at once and not on a daily basis. It is NOT taken out of your credit card, that only happens if you pre-pay gratuities which means you paid before you got on the ship.

Edited June 11, 2015 by dkjretired

[dkjretired]

I found one thing on my cruise last week in Select dining which I hope is not a coming trend. A little background from traditional dining. As many know the servers will try and coordinate a table to line up courses all at once even though diners might come in a few minutes before or after others.

 

I found one waiter on my cruise last week that obviously was trying to do this with other tables in Select dining. We had a party of three and sat alone each night, I noticed that we would have long wait times between courses and checked other tables in the servers area and saw him carrying things out at the same time. It was obvious he was coordinating some of the tables and one night created a situation where we didn't get our dessert menus until 45 minutes after we were done with our main course.

 

Hope this doesn't become a trend, we found a good waiter and asked for him the rest of the week.

[CruisingChick]

I found one thing on my cruise last week in Select dining which I hope is not a coming trend. A little background from traditional dining. As many know the servers will try and coordinate a table to line up courses all at once even though diners might come in a few minutes before or after others.

 

I found one waiter on my cruise last week that obviously was trying to do this with other tables in Select dining. We had a party of three and sat alone each night, I noticed that we would have long wait times between courses and checked other tables in the servers area and saw him carrying things out at the same time. It was obvious he was coordinating some of the tables and one night created a situation where we didn't get our dessert menus until 45 minutes after we were done with our main course.

 

Hope this doesn't become a trend, we found a good waiter and asked for him the rest of the week.

 

Personally I just think the service on Summit in the MDR is not up to par with service on past Celebrity cruises.

 

Our waiter and his assistant were not that good. To make matters worse the second formal night we did not get our entrees until 10:10 PM. We got many apologies saying there was a problem in the kitchen. What kind of problem would make us wait 50 minutes for our entrees to be served? My husband ordered two appetizers and the second one took 20 minutes to come after he finished the first. Usually it's brought right away. One after the other.

Edited June 11, 2015 by CruisingChick

[dkjretired]

Personally I just thing the service on Summit in the MDR is not up to par with service on past Celebrity cruises.

 

Our waiter and his assistant were not that good. To make matters worse the second formal night we did not get our entrees until 10:10 PM. We got many apologies saying there was a problem in the kitchen. What kind of problem would make us wait 50 minutes for our entrees to be served? My husband ordered two appetizers and the second one took 20 minutes to come after he finished the first. Usually it's brought right away. One after the other.

 

I'll bet your husband got the lobster tail and the Beef Wellington, wife and I both did but that night we had good waiters and our second entre's were brought very quickly. Were you in traditional or Select. One word of advice is if you find a good waiter in Select, get his/her name and ask for them.

[Iamcruzin]

It was obvious he was coordinating some of the tables and one night created a situation where we didn't get our dessert menus until 45 minutes after we were done with our main course.

Hope this doesn't become a trend, we found a good waiter and asked for him the rest of the week.

 

Maybe this is the reason for the line in Select to become backed up. They aren't turning the tables fast enough.

[HouseRulz]

So to summarize:

 

Suite guests are turning up at MDR unannounced and being seated immediately, thereby adding to the wait for passengers with reservations.

 

Guests are choosing (or being forced to choose at time of booking) traditional dining, and then frequently dining somewhere else (including upstairs in MDR), leaving empty seats on the lower level of MDR.

 

Creation of Luminae has reduced seating capacity in MDR by 10%.

 

Most proficient wait staff are choosing to work downstairs, leaving less highly rated wait staff to work upstairs.

 

Wait staff upstairs are trying to approach service as if it were a banquet, even though guests are being seated at different times.

 

Kitchen staff is taking too long to prepare orders.

 

Sounds to me like everyone should just write this off as a lost cause and eat at the buffet!!