Silhouette around Britain staycruisecations

[Tipsy252]

11 minutes ago, Jb-lhr said:

I have a question. I spent an hour today on the app and on the website trying to find where to put in my dining time choices. I finally gave up. Please. Can somebody put me out of my misery please and explain where to go and what to do.   Thanks in advance.

On the Website I went to Cruise Planner for the Cruise, then went to Dining and Drinks. Choose the Celebrity Select Dining Anytime and enter a time for the first night. Go all the way through to checkout and exit the planner. When you receive the email saying you have successfully booked your dining, go back into Cruise Planner and that was when I saw a link saying that I could book dining for the remaining days of the cruise. It should show a planner type screen where you have to choose the passengers, for each day and then you can choose the venue and time that you wish to dine for each day.

Hope this helps.

[Jb-lhr]

That sounds perfect. Thank you very much.

[Wichenford Wolf]

15 minutes ago, Tipsy252 said:

On the Website I went to Cruise Planner for the Cruise, then went to Dining and Drinks. Choose the Celebrity Select Dining Anytime and enter a time for the first night. Go all the way through to checkout and exit the planner. When you receive the email saying you have successfully booked your dining, go back into Cruise Planner and that was when I saw a link saying that I could book dining for the remaining days of the cruise. It should show a planner type screen where you have to choose the passengers, for each day and then you can choose the venue and time that you wish to dine for each day.

Hope this helps.

Our dining is listed as “Cel Sel”, which I assume is Celebrity Select Dining. However we are in an Aqua stateroom and I understood we would have access to Blu restaurant. 
 

Do we need to (indeed can we) book tables in Blu in advance or is a table guaranteed for all Aqua cabins?

[jayfos]

19 minutes ago, Wichenford Wolf said:

Our dining is listed as “Cel Sel”, which I assume is Celebrity Select Dining. However we are in an Aqua stateroom and I understood we would have access to Blu restaurant. 
 

Do we need to (indeed can we) book tables in Blu in advance or is a table guaranteed for all Aqua cabins?

You can't book your time in advance for Blu, but you will be guaranteed a table - you can arrive at any time and the maitre 'd will do their best to seat you as soon at they can.  Often I've been given a pager when it is busy, but you just go an grab a drink somewhere and they will buzz you as soon as your table is ready.  I've never had to wait more than 15/20 mins for a table in Blu. On nights when it is very busy, I've often had a phone message offering discounts in the speciality restaurants!

[Minnie29]

We are in a regular balcony cabin category 1a with Celebrity Select dining. 
I thought this means you can go to the main dining room at any time to dine? 
so do we need to book a time for each evening on the website prior to the cruise and what about if we decide to go to a speciality restaurant?

thank you

[Minnie29]

Also has anyone who has already been onboard had experience of discounts in the speciality restaurants?

thank you

[Wichenford Wolf]

12 minutes ago, jayfos said:

You can't book your time in advance for Blu, but you will be guaranteed a table - you can arrive at any time and the maitre 'd will do their best to seat you as soon at they can.  Often I've been given a pager when it is busy, but you just go an grab a drink somewhere and they will buzz you as soon as your table is ready.  I've never had to wait more than 15/20 mins for a table in Blu. On nights when it is very busy, I've often had a phone message offering discounts in the speciality restaurants!

Thanks, that’s great information. 
 

Looking forward to it all. 

[jayfos]

4 minutes ago, Minnie29 said:

We are in a regular balcony cabin category 1a with Celebrity Select dining. 
I thought this means you can go to the main dining room at any time to dine? 
so do we need to book a time for each evening on the website prior to the cruise and what about if we decide to go to a speciality restaurant?

thank you

You don't have to pre book - you can either go and see the Maitre 'd onboard and organise a time that suits or you can just turn up at any time.  However, if it is busy you may have to wait in a line or be given pager until a table is available.  They are normally always really flexible so you can change time or cancel your table onboard if you decide to go a specialty restaurant instead - my advice is just to talk to the Maitre 'd!

[baljaffray]

I am sailing on 28th Aug with my 82 year old Mum. Though the basic drink package is included, it's such a waste as she only drinks tea, and an occasional Baileys/or equivalent! (Aldi's version is good she says!)  I have learnt that Baileys is not included and that is only premium. Is there a non branded version available? Or how much is it as I know I can pay the difference. 

Edited July 11, 2021 by baljaffray

[Tipsy252]

2 hours ago, jayfos said:

You don't have to pre book - you can either go and see the Maitre 'd onboard and organise a time that suits or you can just turn up at any time.  However, if it is busy you may have to wait in a line or be given pager until a table is ready

Having had to wait for tables on most nights of our last few cruises, I decided to prebook our dining times for this cruise. Really hate those buzzers.

[little britain]

8 hours ago, baljaffray said:

I am sailing on 28th Aug with my 82 year old Mum. Though the basic drink package is included, it's such a waste as she only drinks tea, and an occasional Baileys/or equivalent! (Aldi's version is good she says!)  I have learnt that Baileys is not included and that is only premium. Is there a non branded version available? Or how much is it as I know I can pay the difference. 

Baileys is $10 ( as per the drinks menu in the app) and Classic covers drinks up to $9 so her Baileys will cost you $1! 

[upwarduk]

11 hours ago, Minnie29 said:

We are in a regular balcony cabin category 1a with Celebrity Select dining. 
I thought this means you can go to the main dining room at any time to dine? 
so do we need to book a time for each evening on the website prior to the cruise and what about if we decide to go to a speciality restaurant?

thank you

I pre book, as we like to eat at 7ish, which is a busy time. 

[isdoo]

47 minutes ago, little britain said:

Baileys is $10 ( as per the drinks menu in the app) and Classic covers drinks up to $9 so her Baileys will cost you $1! 

 Plus tip,  plus VAT on the $1

[the penguins]

11 hours ago, Minnie29 said:

We are in a regular balcony cabin category 1a with Celebrity Select dining. 
I thought this means you can go to the main dining room at any time to dine? 
so do we need to book a time for each evening on the website prior to the cruise and what about if we decide to go to a speciality restaurant?

thank you

We always prebook for very night the same day we book the cruise. If you book a speciality restaurant on board it will automatically cancel your Select reservation for that night. As a curtesy we also tell the person controlling the tables at the entrance to Select that we won't be coming the next night. If you don't have a booking you will usually get in quicker if you make it clear that you want to share (our choice is a table for 6) but this may not be possible under the Covid rules. Geoff

 

[the penguins]

12 hours ago, Wichenford Wolf said:

Our dining is listed as “Cel Sel”, which I assume is Celebrity Select Dining. However we are in an Aqua stateroom and I understood we would have access to Blu restaurant. 
 

Do we need to (indeed can we) book tables in Blu in advance or is a table guaranteed for all Aqua cabins?

You have your own table in Blu. One reason we don't like Aqua as we like to share a table with different people every night. 

[mrsgoggins]

2 minutes ago, the penguins said:

You have your own table in Blu. One reason we don't like Aqua as we like to share a table with different people every night. 

 

But the tables are (or maybe 'were' these days?) so close together that it's difficult not to engage with neighbours!  And I normally try despite being sociable myself.  DH is quite deaf and I find it stressful when folk want to talk ensuring that he's heard what is being said.  However, DH likes the food in Blu, but I prefer MDR food - well apart from breakfast which is great - so that, and the less favourable positions of the cabins, makes us only choose Aqua every now and again.

[little britain]

1 hour ago, isdoo said:

 Plus tip,  plus VAT on the $1

On uk sailings the price you see is the price you pay isn’t it?

[PaulB123]

11 minutes ago, little britain said:

On uk sailings the price you see is the price you pay isn’t it?

I thought the price had to included VAT or be stated that it doesn't included VAT and it would be added after.  Service charge is the same it has to be stated that you will be charged this but with service charges you can have it removed from your final bill because its not UK law to pay it, its just nice to give a tip.

 

[photabitha]

Here are some pics of our  S1 corner cabin.  The Ship looked fabulous. 

[talljules1]

1 minute ago, photabitha said:

Here are some pics of our  S1 corner cabin.  The Ship looked fabulous. 

Fab.  We have these for our two cruises next year, if they go ahead.

[chemmo]

1 hour ago, mrsgoggins said:

 

But the tables are (or maybe 'were' these days?) so close together that it's difficult not to engage with neighbours!  And I normally try despite being sociable myself.  DH is quite deaf and I find it stressful when folk want to talk ensuring that he's heard what is being said.  However, DH likes the food in Blu, but I prefer MDR food - well apart from breakfast which is great - so that, and the less favourable positions of the cabins, makes us only choose Aqua every now and again.

 

If you mention to the M’D of whatever restaurant you are dining in that your husband has a hearing issue they will place you in an area which has less noisy (side rather than middle of the room)...If you can identify a position where you/your husband thinks he will cope best (corner?) they will do their best to arrange this for you. When you are central all that background noise makes it hard to focus on any conversation in a crowded room even without hearing difficulties. 

[Spearj]

17 minutes ago, photabitha said:

Here are some pics of our  S1 corner cabin.  The Ship looked fabulous.

Thanks very much for posting the pictures of your cabin.
We’re looking forward to being in an S1 on August 6th, probably for the one and only time, unless my DH ‘sees the light’!?

 

The cabin looks really plush but the chairs on the balcony not so much😂.

 

Are they as uncomfortable as they look?

[talljules1]

13 minutes ago, Spearj said:

Thanks very much for posting the pictures of your cabin.
We’re looking forward to being in an S1 on August 6th, probably for the one and only time, unless my DH ‘sees the light’!?

 

The cabin looks really plush but the chairs on the balcony not so much😂.

 

Are they as uncomfortable as they look?

We've had one of these corner sky suites before - they're great. You should expect some soot on the balcony from the smoke stacks.  The room attendant should keep it clean - but sometimes it accumulates fast. 

 

Not a deal breaker for us (we don't spend much time on the balcony) but something to be aware of.

[little britain]

2 hours ago, isdoo said:

 Plus tip,  plus VAT on the $1

So it would be $1.40 for the Baileys? 
Or is it $1 + 20% and then VAT on the $1.20?

Edited July 12, 2021 by little britain

[laslomas]

2 hours ago, mrsgoggins said:

 

But the tables are (or maybe 'were' these days?) so close together that it's difficult not to engage with neighbours!  And I normally try despite being sociable myself.  DH is quite deaf and I find it stressful when folk want to talk ensuring that he's heard what is being said.  However, DH likes the food in Blu, but I prefer MDR food - well apart from breakfast which is great - so that, and the less favourable positions of the cabins, makes us only choose Aqua every now and again.

I cannot comment on Blu, but last week in the MDR it was basically impossible to 'engage with neighbours', as there were none. Each table in use for dining has empty tables around it, with a sign on the empty tables requesting space. Very strange, and unlike the norm.