Love Select dining but what went wrong on this cruise?

[jgsatgka]

We discussed the issue of the buzzers and agreed that Select may become the norm soon. Buzzers are no problem for us. We are the ones who go to the early show, arrive at the dining room around 8:00, are seated or given a buzzer and agree to share a large table so very little wait. We have the rest of the evening for a leisurely dinner as not many arrive after. We don't feel pressured to give up the table at that time of the evening.

Ain't life great!!!

[Cinerama]

My husband and I have done Select since it was first trialled on New Century on the inaugral voyage. What we have found is that over the years the popularity of Select has increased and looking over the balcony at the main dining we notice more and more empty spaces appearing during first and second sittings. We always sail January/February and these cruises are fully booked, Select is queued out all night and the MD sometimes half empty with many tables having two people sitting at tables for eight or vacant spaces dotted round tables and no buzz to the dining room. The increase in speciality dining has also taken its toll on the MD. Some of our cruises the Dining Rooms could have been reversed to offer more space to Speciality to relieve pressure on the lines waiting for seats.

 

It has been reversed. The balcony area that was for Select is now Traditional. That's why people who want traditional dinning have to reserve a year ahead. Last month I booked a cruise for May 2017 and Traditional was full.

Edited October 12, 2016 by Cinerama

[wallie5446]

It has been reversed. The balcony area that was for Select is now Traditional. That's why people who want traditional dinning have to reserve a year ahead. Last month I booked a cruise for May 2017 and Traditional was full.

 

We booked 440 days out with 6 other couples, all requested early traditional, 3 confirmed, 3 wait listed. Many from our RC and FB group wait listed for early and late MDR traditional seating.

[wallie5446]

 

On our recent trip ending last weekend something just didn't work with select dining.

 

Have others encountered this or is this a blip?

 

 

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Kevin, here is a current thread that may shed some light as to what helped cause your issue.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2411512

[kevinyork]

Kevin, here is a current thread that may shed some light as to what helped cause your issue.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2411512

 

 

 

Thanks for that, hadn't seen that thread. My comment in that thread is "I think Blu diners and Luminae diners who wish to dine in the MDR should do so in the traditional dining area at one of the set dining times taking up one of the many empty tables that are frequent each night. "

 

 

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[worldly wanderer]

I think Select is just becoming more and more popular. The fact that more space is being given over from the Traditional dining area seems to reflect this.

 

The more people who want Select the more buzzers are going to have to be used.

 

With Traditional dining obviously the dining passengers were divided into two (well apart from those wanting to dine in the buffet or having speciality dining).

 

To get the same number of people through on select requires turning the tables which is difficult if you are going to allow people to turn up when they feel like it. If most people's favourite time is around 7.30 pm (and I know ours is) then you have a logistical nightmare.

 

I suspect the removal of pre-paid gratuities, the increasing popularity of Select and a ship with maybe more people wanting to eat at around 7.30 pm may have caused a perfect storm.

 

Personally I love the idea of Select and accept that the trade off is that you may have to wait a while when you decide to meander down for dinner. If I am forced to have another pre-dinner drink then I just carry that into the restaurant with me when the buzzer goes and it becomes the drink I have while perusing the menu or eating my appetizer.

 

You can't get a quart into a pint pot and if more and more people choose Select then the consequences are inevitable.

 

Hi, it's news to me that you no longer have to prepay gratuities for select dining - when did this come about?

[helen haywood]

Several months ago. Or even last year.

 

 

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[bEwAbG]

Hi, it's news to me that you no longer have to prepay gratuities for select dining - when did this come about?

 

Announced in January of this year. You can still prepay gratuities if you wish. The one advantage to doing that is to lock in the current rate.

[awhcruiser]

What went wrong...

 

1. Trying to dine during peak hours

 

2. Not wanting or unwilling to share a large table

[kevinyork]

What went wrong...

 

 

 

1. Trying to dine during peak hours

 

 

 

2. Not wanting or unwilling to share a large table

 

 

 

At the risk of repeating myself, 84 nights dining in Select, only on this latest cruise was there any issue. Previously we always got the dining times we wanted and always got the table size. Never saw a buzzer being used before this cruise. So my question was why should this latest cruise be different? Select worked exactly as it should on all previous cruises.

 

 

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Edited October 14, 2016 by kevinyork

[villauk]

At the risk of repeating myself, 84 nights dining in Select, only on this latest cruise was there any issue. Previously we always got the dining times we wanted and always got the table size. Never saw a buzzer being used before this cruise. So my question was why should this latest cruise be different? Select worked exactly as it should on all previous cruises.

 

 

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You didn't answer my question, 'were all your previous sailings in Select prior to the new gratuity policy changes?'

Edited October 14, 2016 by villauk

[awhcruiser]

Very interesting question.

You didn't answer my question, 'were all your previous sailings in Select prior to the new gratuity policy changes?'