Reflection Select Dining

[dmk]

I have heard rumours that the Select Dining on the Reflection is so busy and over crowded that it is necessary to make reservations instead of just showing up. Many have said that is due to Luminae. I love Select Dining and always choose it because I can go when I want to.

 

Could anybody who has recently used the Select Dining on the Reflection tell me what their experience has been.

 

Thanks:)

[Demonyte]

We were on Reflection in January and even with static, premade reservations to Select we had to wait for a table almost every night for 5-40 mins.

Edited October 18, 2015 by Demonyte

[mafig]

We were on Reflection in January and even with static reservation to Select we had to wait for a table almost every night for 5-40 mins.

 

What time?

[Demonyte]

What time?

 

 

Originally at 7pm, later on the week on 7:30pm by Maitre'd's request (and we still had to wait).

[Texascruiser2008]

We are doing the Reflection in December with our first time select as well for reservations for 6:15, hoping it won't be too bad. We wanted traditional and booked almost a year ago and they said it was full for the 6 pm which we like so we were left with select. Fingers crossed!

[Nanatravel]

We are doing the Reflection in December with our first time select as well for reservations for 6:15, hoping it won't be too bad. We wanted traditional and booked almost a year ago and they said it was full for the 6 pm which we like so we were left with select. Fingers crossed!

 

You should also make sure your travel agent has you Wait Listed for Main seating. I am told this time frame often opens up as the cruise date gets closer.

[Ceeborne]

We usually dine around 8:30 - 9:00 p.m. Hoping that we won't have a problem at that time. I prefer not to make reservations.

[monicajay]

Reservations don't work for us. We don't mind waiting 15-20 minutes and will arrive around 7:30 ish. Worked fine for us on the Summit, hopefully it will work on the Reflection too.

[shoylman]

Just off the reflection October12th and had select dinning. Only had a wait one night around 8:00 pm for 25 minutes. If you are willing to share a larger table and go before 7:00 pm should be ok.

[Ceeborne]

Just off the reflection October12th and had select dinning. Only had a wait one night around 8:00 pm for 25 minutes. If you are willing to share a larger table and go before 7:00 pm should be ok.

 

Thanks for this recent update. It doesn't matter if we are two or more. Just pleased that we won't need to bother with reservations.:)

[ron46936]

We are traveling with 2 other couples and would like to have an early fixed dining time. Since we have a Select can we make a reservation for the entire cruise for 6 or 6:30?

[Demonyte]

We are traveling with 2 other couples and would like to have an early fixed dining time. Since we have a Select can we make a reservation for the entire cruise for 6 or 6:30?

 

Yes, you can make the reservation (if they don't already have too many reservations) but if that is the actual time you'll get a table is a completely different matter.

[I&J Cruisers]

Interesting. This was never an issue when everyone was in traditional dining. What they've done is create "options". Which means we have to worry about it instead of the cruise line managing the dining room. I'm not complaining just an observation.

[Demonyte]

Interesting. This was never an issue when everyone was in traditional dining. What they've done is create "options". Which means we have to worry about it instead of the cruise line managing the dining room. I'm not complaining just an observation.

 

As you implied, it is all about the execution and unfortunately it seems that Celebrity just hasn't figured that out yet.

 

I have never had such problems with (non-traditional) MDR reservations with the Freestyle cruise line NCL as I have experienced with Celebrity (on Reflection, our latest cruises on Summit worked out fine with reservations honored in Select as they are supposed to).

[canuckinindia]

By what time do people find the rush slows down and you can get a table without a significant wait?

 

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[AlbertaCruisers]

We were on Reflection in January and even with static, premade reservations to Select we had to wait for a table almost every night for 5-40 mins.

 

I was with Demonyte. Part of our issue came from the fact that we had 6 people, two couples with US reservations and us with CDN. The stupid Celebrity website will not let you make a reservation together in select dining because our reservation currencies are different, even though it has no cost. I called in about it and was assured that we should reserve a table of 4 for the US bookings and a table for 2 for the CDN bookings and because our reservations were linked the ship would automatically know to make it a table for 6. That did not happen, so when we got on the ship we had a table of 4 and 2 and not actually a table of 6 and all tables of 6 were reserved for our 7:30 time preference. They were not able to do anything about that so that is why we always had to wait. Had we been able to book at table of 6 in advance, I think we would have had a lot less issues.

 

We have otherwise had good luck when actually making a preserved reservation, a couple minutes wait for a hostess to come back to seat us was all.

 

We were just off the Summit with the same group of 6 and had the same reservation issue, but this time the Assistant Maitre d' and the Select seating hostess at the door were able to get us a table of 6, the same table of 6 every day at 7:30. I.e. issue still wasn't fix before our cruise by head office (even though they said they would), but on the Summit they were able to fix it for us - likely because they had a table of 6 that wasn't already reserved at our time.

Edited December 4, 2015 by AlbertaCruisers

[AlbertaCruisers]

We are traveling with 2 other couples and would like to have an early fixed dining time. Since we have a Select can we make a reservation for the entire cruise for 6 or 6:30?

 

Yes. One of you just needs to log in, have the other parties reservation codes, and go to Select dining, make sure, in one of the first steps to add the other 4 people so that it shows all 6 of your names. There is an option to pick the same time for the entire cruise, that is the easiest way, otherwise you have to go in each night. If you know what you want to do, I would suggest just booking it as early as you can, I think the dining reservations open at about the 6 month mark.

[AlbertaCruisers]

By what time do people find the rush slows down and you can get a table without a significant wait?

 

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That can vary by the cruise. For example, we were just on the Summit for 3 weeks. The first week the crowed seemed to be there around 7, etc. and when I went out to the bathroom around 8 there seemed to be no one waiting. On the last week, I went out to the bathroom at around 8 and 8:30 a couple of times and there were huge lines (so I think it was a late dinner eating crowd)!

[kenevenpar]

We usually dine around 8:30 - 9:00 p.m. Hoping that we won't have a problem at that time. I prefer not to make reservations.

 

We had no problem in this time frame. Longest wait was 2 or 3 minutes

[SAC69]

You should also make sure your travel agent has you Wait Listed for Main seating. I am told this time frame often opens up as the cruise date gets closer.

 

It will open up the day after final payment. They are pretty much forcing everyone into select dining by saying early and late seating is sold out even 6 months in advance, happened to me for my upcoming Reflection cruise in March. The objective is to get you to pay your gratuities in advance so you can't use OBC to pay it. If you did then 100% of that cost is on Celebrity. They want you to use your OBC on other things that already have Celebrities profit built in. :rolleyes:

[Scrappytraveller]

By what time do people find the rush slows down and you can get a table without a significant wait?

 

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Biggest time to avoid is the half hour or so right after the early show lets out. The show people head straight to the dining room and it gets very busy.

[elsieperalta]

I just got off the Reflection cruise that left on 11/28 and I had select dining. It was my husband and I and we never waited more than 5 minutes. We ate at different times. 7:00, 7:30, 8:00 and 8:30 pm. I would recommend it!

[Nanatravel]

I have heard rumours that the Select Dining on the Reflection is so busy and over crowded that it is necessary to make reservations instead of just showing up. Many have said that is due to Luminae. I love Select Dining and always choose it because I can go when I want to.

 

Could anybody who has recently used the Select Dining on the Reflection tell me what their experience has been.

 

Thanks:)

 

Hi DMK. We had Select Dining for my whole group of 28 people and I had Pre-made reservations for myself and many others for various nights but especially formal nights. Our friends who like to dine early @ 6:15 PM table for 6 did not seem to have an issue. My table for 10 each night @ various times from 6:45 to 7:30 PM, but with different people so we could share the time during the week; the dark skinned female assistant maitre' de was terrible. (She was at the right door way of the dining room so don't go that way.) She kept telling my guests there was no room at the table, when we were sitting there waiting for them.

 

Honestly, I don't think it has anything to do with Luminae. Their computer system is a mess. If you like to dine early 6 to 6:30 would do. Anything before 8:30 you may have an issue. I do not want to do select again but believe we are booked into it on our TA with 3 other couples on the Silhouette. Let's hope they do a better job.

[mrsbovs]

It will open up the day after final payment. They are pretty much forcing everyone into select dining by saying early and late seating is sold out even 6 months in advance, happened to me for my upcoming Reflection cruise in March. The objective is to get you to pay your gratuities in advance so you can't use OBC to pay it. If you did then 100% of that cost is on Celebrity. They want you to use your OBC on other things that already have Celebrities profit built in. :rolleyes:

 

We booked a TA on Reflection for Oct 2016 while on board Reflection in Oct/Nov and they told me the late seating was already full - a year out. However waited about a month and called and told them how unhappy I was about the select dining and she did book us for late seating in the main dining room. I was seriously thinking about cancelling that cruise if I had to stay select. We had it for the first time on this last cruise and it was only good if you wanted to eat early - like 6 or 6:30. We like later dining and then it doesn't interfere with Elite happy hour as well.