Select dining bookings cancelled

[waggie]

I have just received email notifications - 15 of them - cancelling my bookings for select dining on our forthcoming cruise on Silhouette. 

Coincidentally, there was a post on Celebrity Facebook page yesterday which stated:

We have Anytime dining and that has changed. We have always pre booked our dining times as we did this time. The difference is they no longer put you at the same table with the same waitstaff each night. That was one of the reasons we always made reservations- so our staff knew us, could recommend things per our liking, had our drinks waiting for us each evening, etc.  No longer. Night two we were there on time and asked for our table and were told, very rudely, “we don’t do that. We put you where we need you.

 

Has this happened to anyone else?

We have not had this situation before.

.

[davekathy]

2 minutes ago, waggie said:

I have just received email notifications - 15 of them - cancelling my bookings for select dining on our forthcoming cruise on Silhouette. 

Coincidentally, there was a post on Celebrity Facebook page yesterday which stated:

We have Anytime dining and that has changed. We have always pre booked our dining times as we did this time. The difference is they no longer put you at the same table with the same waitstaff each night. That was one of the reasons we always made reservations- so our staff knew us, could recommend things per our liking, had our drinks waiting for us each evening, etc.  No longer. Night two we were there on time and asked for our table and were told, very rudely, “we don’t do that. We put you where we need you.

 

Has this happened to anyone else?

We have not had this situation before.

.

Never. Just checked our SD times for our 21 September NE/Canada cruise and no changes. Contact Celebrity or your TA and see what's happening with yours. 

[the penguins]

1 hour ago, waggie said:

I have just received email notifications - 15 of them - cancelling my bookings for select dining on our forthcoming cruise on Silhouette. 

Coincidentally, there was a post on Celebrity Facebook page yesterday which stated:

We have Anytime dining and that has changed. We have always pre booked our dining times as we did this time. The difference is they no longer put you at the same table with the same waitstaff each night. That was one of the reasons we always made reservations- so our staff knew us, could recommend things per our liking, had our drinks waiting for us each evening, etc.  No longer. Night two we were there on time and asked for our table and were told, very rudely, “we don’t do that. We put you where we need you.

 

Has this happened to anyone else?

We have not had this situation before.

.

As far as I know Select Dining has never given you the option you think it did. Yes you can prebook a time. Yes you can link other bookings. But where have you been able to specify the exact table you wanted? or indeed the table size or any other option?

We always go straight to the Host to discuss the possibility and options but always with a "please can you help us?" Not demanding anything.

One possible explanation is that with ships sailing below capacity is that the Host is having to juggle the seating so that the waiters get a fair (as near equal) share of the tips. When you check in each night the Host generates a small slip of paper that serves 2 purposes:

1) it shows the table number so you can be escorted to the correct table.

2) it is a receipt for the waiter so they know how many lots of "auto tips" they will get for that evening.

If the person escorting you to the table forgets to hand over the slip you will notice the waiter quickly goes to the Host to get a copy.

I have no clue why your bookings have been cancelled unless of course you have upgraded to Aqua or a Suite

[waggie]

6 minutes ago, the penguins said:

As far as I know Select Dining has never given you the option you think it did. Yes you can prebook a time. Yes you can link other bookings. But where have you been able to specify the exact table you wanted? or indeed the table size or any other option?

We always go straight to the Host to discuss the possibility and options but always with a "please can you help us?" Not demanding anything.

One possible explanation is that with ships sailing below capacity is that the Host is having to juggle the seating so that the waiters get a fair (as near equal) share of the tips. When you check in each night the Host generates a small slip of paper that serves 2 purposes:

1) it shows the table number so you can be escorted to the correct table.

2) it is a receipt for the waiter so they know how many lots of "auto tips" they will get for that evening.

If the person escorting you to the table forgets to hand over the slip you will notice the waiter quickly goes to the Host to get a copy.

I have no clue why your bookings have been cancelled unless of course you have upgraded to Aqua or a Suite

Hi, I should clarify - we only booked a time for dinner - on several of our cruises we have booked a time, but always enjoyed being able to sit in different areas, be looked after by different staff and meet different people. We too are of the 'please can you help/thank you' school and should have only shared that bit of the Facebook comment! 

[LGW59]

1 hour ago, waggie said:

I have just received email notifications - 15 of them - cancelling my bookings for select dining on our forthcoming cruise on Silhouette. 

Coincidentally, there was a post on Celebrity Facebook page yesterday which stated:

We have Anytime dining and that has changed. We have always pre booked our dining times as we did this time. The difference is they no longer put you at the same table with the same waitstaff each night. That was one of the reasons we always made reservations- so our staff knew us, could recommend things per our liking, had our drinks waiting for us each evening, etc.  No longer. Night two we were there on time and asked for our table and were told, very rudely, “we don’t do that. We put you where we need you.

 

Has this happened to anyone else?

We have not had this situation before.

.

I have anytime dining and made 4 reservations, one for each of the MDRs , all populated to my app calendar for the times that I requested.  I have Luminae but wanted to try each of the MDRs as well.

[southernbreezes]

I like select so I do not have to decide where or what time I want dinner. My life is appointments and having to be somewhere on time, NOT my vacation. Never have I waited more than 20-30 minutes for a table most of the time no wait. No way do I know what I feel like eating months out.

[1025cruise]

5 hours ago, LGW59 said:

I have anytime dining and made 4 reservations, one for each of the MDRs , all populated to my app calendar for the times that I requested.  I have Luminae but wanted to try each of the MDRs as well.

I would expect your MDR reservations to be cancelled. Your assigned "MDR" is Luminae. You need to arrange with the Maitre D' if you wish to eat in the regular MDR.

[RTShaker]

3 hours ago, southernbreezes said:

I like select so I do not have to decide where or what time I want dinner. My life is appointments and having to be somewhere on time, NOT my vacation. Never have I waited more than 20-30 minutes for a table most of the time no wait. No way do I know what I feel like eating months out.

Finally someone who agrees with my train of thought.

[cdn_tbird]

9 hours ago, the penguins said:

As far as I know Select Dining has never given you the option you think it did. Yes you can prebook a time. Yes you can link other bookings. But where have you been able to specify the exact table you wanted? or indeed the table size or any other option?

We always go straight to the Host to discuss the possibility and options but always with a "please can you help us?" Not demanding anything.

One possible explanation is that with ships sailing below capacity is that the Host is having to juggle the seating so that the waiters get a fair (as near equal) share of the tips.

We just got off the Eclipse and we prebooked our dining times for SD. Pretty much every evening we were given the same table, on a couple of occasions it was the table next to it but always the same wait staff. 

 

From what I've read, ships are starting to sail close to if not at capacity. Our Alaska cruise was sold out nearly 2 months before it sailed. 

[the penguins]

3 hours ago, cdn_tbird said:

We just got off the Eclipse and we prebooked our dining times for SD. Pretty much every evening we were given the same table, on a couple of occasions it was the table next to it but always the same wait staff. 

 

From what I've read, ships are starting to sail close to if not at capacity. Our Alaska cruise was sold out nearly 2 months before it sailed. 

Correct, exactly how it works. You booked the times, the Host allocated the tables. Had the Host needed to they could have moved you to another area. What was originally suggested was the passenger booked the time and the table.

[waggie]

8 minutes ago, the penguins said:

Correct, exactly how it works. You booked the times, the Host allocated the tables. Had the Host needed to they could have moved you to another area. What was originally suggested was the passenger booked the time and the table.

Thank you all for your comments - the penguins and cdn_tbird have stated what we have always done - just book the times and wait to be allocated a table etc. by the host not me as in #4 above! The piece in red in my original post was from a Facebook comment not me!! 

I am sure it will work out fine as always!

 

[the penguins]

55 minutes ago, waggie said:

Thank you all for your comments - the penguins and cdn_tbird have stated what we have always done - just book the times and wait to be allocated a table etc. by the host not me as in #4 above! The piece in red in my original post was from a Facebook comment not me!! 

I am sure it will work out fine as always!

 

The main thing is the food and service will be great. Enjoy your cruise.

[waggie]

Well.....I have egg on my face!🤦‍♀️

The cancellations are for the cruise we have moved next summer - of course they cancelled the dining - we won't be there!

 

😃😁

[the penguins]

4 hours ago, waggie said:

Well.....I have egg on my face!🤦‍♀️

The cancellations are for the cruise we have moved next summer - of course they cancelled the dining - we won't be there!

 

😃😁

Never mind at least you have lots of answers when someone else starts a thread on the same/similar subject. Now take several deep breaths, relax and enjoy your day.

[davekathy]

I always pre book our SD times in the CP. Once we board the ship we go to the MDR and find a table size (two top) in a location we like. Then we immediately speak with the Maitre D and request that table for the entire cruise. Never a problem. 

[DCPIV]

11 hours ago, waggie said:

Well.....I have egg on my face!🤦‍♀️

The cancellations are for the cruise we have moved next summer - of course they cancelled the dining - we won't be there!

 

😃😁

 

It's been a rough week over there.  You're allowed a slip or two. 😁

 

God save the King.